A few weeks ago I was reading a New York Times article called On the Move, in a Thriving Tech Sector talking about how more start-ups were receiving funding and moving into larger offices, further strengthening “Silicon Alley” a.k.a. a vertical line that spans from Midtown to downtown Manhattan where many startups call home. One line that caught my attention was a quote from Adam Pritzker, a founder of General Assembly, who said that the NY tech scene differs from the one in Silicon Valley because people were more like artisans than capitalizers: “what this movement is doing is showing people that they aren’t cogs in a larger bureaucracy. It’s reconnecting them with things they make themselves, with craft.”
The concept of entrepreneurs and engineers as artists and the burgeoning tech scene as the next big art movement has support based on two occurrences: the fact that technology has become as immersive in our life as art and the fact that according to The Fourth Turning, the United States is facing an era of crisis, from which the “artist” will emerge. The Fourth Turning by William Strauss and Neil Howe is about how history repeats itself in cycles and is not a linear process of progression. Essentially ever two decades (or the span of someone’s adult life), there is a new era turning. The four turnings are high, awakening, unraveling, and crisis. When thinking of the 20th Century, the high was after World War II and the Golden Era. The awakening was during the sixties during the summer of love and public protests. The nineties were a time of unraveling, when pop culture became “less about soul, free love, and feeling one with the world and a lot more about cash, sexual disease, and going it alone in an unforgiving world.” That has led to this time of crisis, an after effect of the Recession and unrest politically and economically.
From each era is a new collective thought. The high brings the prophet generation, the awakening a nomad, the unraveling a hero, and during a crisis the artist. With the combination of corporate business plummeting, the growth of technology in everyday life, and an awakening need to create and “make something” has led to a thriving NY tech scene. NYC has been and always will be considered a culture capital for a reason: it has been the haven for misfits, expressionists, and ambitious entrepreneurs.
What differs between Silicon Alley and Silicon Valley the most is the fact that the NY tech scene feels like a tight-knit community. On that thought, here are two opportunities within the NY start-up community I want to share:
NY Creative Interns is in need of a Volunteer Copy Writer for our upcoming conference Finding and Following Your Passion.
Duties:
- Write compelling session titles and blurbs
- Copy edit the NY Creative Interns site and conference pages
- Copy edit panelist profiles / biographies
- Copy edit email newsletter blasts
- Create copy for sponsorship decks and proposals
- Write amazing copy for anything else pertaining to our conference
Requirements:
- 3 writing samples (the more relevant, the better)
- Relevant job or internship experience
- Ability to work at a fast pace and manage deadlines
If interested, find out how to apply for the Volunteer Copy Writer position at NY Creative Interns.
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Skillshare is offering the chance to win a TED Live Membership for a year – a $995 value. Skillshare is a community marketplace where you can learn anything from anyone. TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading — through TED.com, annual conferences, the annual TED Prize and local TEDx events. All you need to do is click this link and submit your email and zip code.
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As a final note, on Monday I had a post on Contently called 5 Food Brands With Delicious Facebook Streams that is truly scrumptious.
My Name Is Reb 