Chase Jarvis Blog: Someone's Got to Be First

Someone's Got to Be First

6/11/2009 02:47:00 PM

In any discipline, it's tough to be first. The first guy to make a battery powered car, the first first gal to wear combat boots with a babydoll dress, or the first guy to eat 50 hotdogs in 10 minutes. People may laugh at you. They might even point and laugh.

In the world of creativity, it's especially tough. Not physically hard, but emotionally hard; hard to have the cajones to lay it out there different than anybody else is doing it, saying, "THIS is my style, come and get it"...putting a stake in the ground--whether it's with fashion, filmmaking or photography--and not giving a rat's arse what everybody else is doing or thinking.

Well, the guy in this vid pretty much nails it. Be sure to take some humor away from this, but be reminded that it took this guy standing up at the beginning of the video to get it all started.

Someone's got to be first, why not make it you?

--
BTW, Seth Godin thinks you should be #3.

Labels: inspiration, people, videos

42 Comments:

Carlos Bruno said...: Hi Chase!

Even though I never see or hear about this woman before, I'm considering her an great ANGEL.
She is doing something AMAZING for kids and linked with photography: maybe you can check this out and pass to Joe to try to spread the word and help her ... you'll see it's wonderful step and can be great to your business also BESIDES it will not a NIKON prize ... http://www.starshootercontest.org.

Thanks anyway ... and good luck on business AND LIFE! OW ... and don't "die" more than 8 times ... even a cat knows it!

CARLOS BRUNO; 4:41 PM
Craig said...: Thats awesome! kinda reminds me of a fatboy slim video.

Good point made though chase, cahoonas are required to do something new and not seen as the norm, too many people worry about how they will be perceived by friends/family/colleagues etc. especially if they have blue collar jobs.

Man I'd love to see some more ADCD vids! and a book maybe ?; 5:00 PM
Alain said...: I dont think the mob effect was started by #3. It was created by the first chick going in (#4)!

Seriously, that is a cool video. Just wish the camera dude had a tripod!; 5:11 PM
ingalbraith said...: so good; 5:11 PM
Good Chemistry Blog said...: Ticket to Sasquatch: $70
Pair of blue shorts: $50
Willingness to dance like a fool til nobody realizes somebody was the first one to start dancing: Priceless.; 5:22 PM
Josh R said...: I routinely walk the line of disaster. One side your hero for doing something no one has done before. The other side your a failure because it all went to hell. Sometimes I fall into the failure abyss but I am a hero enough that it's well worth it.; 5:33 PM
Periscopic said...: Wow that's fascinating. I wonder why everyone is running over to that guy, and not just dancing in place wherever they were.; 5:45 PM
JRC said...: That is awesome man. Change the world right where you are. Cool!; 5:45 PM
Shelby White said...: Funny! Saw this a couple weeks ago on FB :); 5:51 PM
Anonymous said...: ahm.... drugs are bad, mmmmmkay.; 6:03 PM
Anonymous said...: It also demonstrates that people are sheep!; 6:31 PM
David Josue said...: Love the video Chase, thanks for charing it. and yes Let´s have some COJONES!!!!

DJ; 8:30 PM
Rick Lohre said...: Dude must have been wearing AXE cologne. :)
Seriously though, in this day and age successful creatives often wear the blue shorts.
Not to say it always works out like this...some dude could have just as easily went over and "pants" the dude, but point taken and absorbed Chase.
Peace,
Rick; 8:33 PM
Jason said...: Chase,

You make a really good point. It would be allot less interesting if there were not some people with cajones www.jnmillerphotography.com; 8:50 PM
falleri said...: That was hilarious. I do wonder though if it was genuine, because everyone ran to the guy. I would have started dancing on the spot, not run over to some guy. It was odd and made me think this was all just a 'setup'.

But, point well made!; 10:50 PM
Alison Cornford-Matheson said...: Such a great commentary on our society - There are very few people willing to take risks, but once they do all of the other sheep join in. Do we want to be the risk takers or the sheep?; 2:30 AM
Oliver Berner said...: no, i´m not the first dancer, not #3 , not even #49. I´m more the guy who keeps on dancing, when everybody else gives up. Tragic ? Yes maybe, but it keeps you in shape.

cheers olli; 2:40 AM
pixel said...: absolutely cool! and good point - got to keep that in mind... thanks!; 4:56 AM
SeanBreslinPhotography said...: Absolutely superb.; 5:05 AM
Griffin said...: try searching for "no clean socks" or "poppin seeds". IMO these would probably make the best anti-drug ads, with a banner coming across at the end saying simply, "Don't do drugs." Thing is I know/knew the kid in the two I just mentioned.; 5:25 AM
Antique Mommy said...: This made me laugh.

I noticed that the guy didn't just dance for a few minutes and then sit down when no one joined in, he persisted. He kept doing his thing.

Persistence is a major component in creativity. Most often it doesn't just drop in your lap like a feather floating down from the ceiling; you gotta work at it and work at it some more.

What made me laugh was when someone finally decided to join, it was two hefty dudes - all graduates of the Elaine Benis School of Dance; 5:46 AM
DJ_Dakeyne said...: Your comments Chase, plus this guy on the video, plus the song, PLUS the rest of the crowd joining in has given me the best feeling about life with music I've had for a long time

Thanks for sharing man!
Paul

http://www.pauldakeyne.com/; 5:59 AM
fas said...: This is hilarious. You should not think what people think. Just do what you feel you like.; 6:04 AM
Craig M. said...: Trouble with me is if I was that guy as soon as a bunch of people came over and started dancing I wouldn't want to do it anymore.; 6:50 AM
Tim said...: Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!

Interesting thing is that, once everybody joined in, the originator got lost in the crowd.; 6:51 AM
Xenophod said...: I believe this was a "Flash Mob".
No way that many people flocked to that one spot so fast without it being planned out in advance.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_mob; 7:19 AM
Anonymous said...: Chase... blue looks good on you...!!

Thanks for the inspiration!; 9:01 AM
Claudio Sergiacomo said...: Thanks so much Chase to share that video and thoughts... what a message; 9:24 AM
Anonymous said...: *chuckle*
not to be a total nerd, but i'd bet the frequency of people joining the mob would very closely follow an exponential curve.; 9:34 AM
Photobby said...: Ahh the bleeding edge of cool.; 9:37 AM
lisalisa said...: This post has been removed by the author.; 10:19 AM
lisalisa said...: At first you laugh at him. Then you are laughing with him. This is great.; 10:22 AM
Darien Chin said...: saw this over on macklemore's blog a few days ago. so gold..; 1:14 PM
Kurtis said...: Chase, this guy is from here in Calgary, Alberta, and is totally legit! He was interviewed and just likes to have fun no matter what.

Your very right though, someone has to be first, makes me wonder who came up with drinking milk....; 9:38 PM
Ivan said...: The people who are always first to comment on youtube videos are my favorite :); 11:29 PM
Daniele Zedda said...: Thanks Chase, for everything, you made me a better person overall and I am not joking.; 10:34 AM
Pete said...: Why didn't you post the clip with the original audio? IMO that better captures the atmosphere of the scene.

This clip is what a dance party should be all about, letting go and enjoying the music. Dont turn the clip into some bullshit motivational message about 'being first'. The original dancer is most likely high on drugs and having a wonderfull time, just doin his own thing.

Oh, and everyone else are sheep!; 10:36 AM
Jamiya Wilson said...: You make an excellent point Chase. Blocking out all the opinions in your ear about what is "industry standard" or popular right now, takes a lot of courage and belief in what you have to offer. However, those who are willing to take this leap of faith are often rewarded more than those that didn't!; 2:23 PM
T. C. Knight said...: Great point. But then you always run the chance of looking like a drug crazed idiot. If someone doesn't join in soon, the guys in the white coats will haul you away.

You always find the wierdest ways to inspire, but it does inspire.; 8:08 AM
Andrew Doran said...: While there's a good chance that the dancing may have been beverage, and perhaps heatstroke inspired,(it was sooo hot that day!) you have to admire the guy not only for being first, but for being persistent enough to not give up. The again maybe he just likes to dance.

To me it seems like it was the enjoyment of doing something for yourself regardless of what others think. Having said that, I'm not sure it would have made it to full on dance party if he had started it on a downtown street, he had a like-minded audience at Sasquatch. It would be a great social experiment.

Still, sorry I missed it, I must have been checking out some of the other awesome bands, either that, or running from the "Beverage Control". I did manage to shoot a fun time lapse of the main stage though, check it out if you like at http://andrewdoran.com/phoblography/miscellanea/time-lapse-photography-sasquatch-music-festival

-Andrew; 3:47 PM
catalina said...: despite the circumstances and whether or not he was under the influence (after reading others replies), i think this video speaks volumes - i know it speaks to me personally, and how i want to be different, unique and inspiring in my photography.
great, funny analogy and i echo a post earlier that i wish the camera operator had a tripod!!!; 12:09 PM
mooreclick said...: This definitely ties in with the 'sustain' idea from a few posts back.

Just do what you do, whatever that is. You'll be the best at doing it, you'll love doing it, and eventually your crazy enthusiasm for it will spread.; 9:15 AM

Someone's Got to Be First

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