Being famous comes with some responsibility. So, I’ve heard. I feel that it’s important to give back. Fans used to want an autograph, now they only want a selfie. Pics or it didn’t happen.
I have been thinking about value a lot these days. I have had a lot of time at home these days and I can tell that my value system has shifted. It has been a privilege watching my son grow up. I am lucky to have a job that I can do remotely and I was able to be a close observer of my son at such a transformational age. I value this experience.
I used to value autographs and meeting my heroes. I always thought that meeting someone who I idolize that something would somehow rub off on me. Maybe I would learn something that would propel my career or get me one step closer to being a star myself. After writing that last sentence I am reminded on how much I have changed over the years. We are all grinding. There is no other way. I am grateful that I get to get up everyday and have some really cool challenges to work on and to have projects that allow me to express my creativity. I also value being helpful to others.
Celebrities are expected to take a lot of selfies these days. I can take the selfie and share it on my social media accounts. This generates some likes, maybe some engagement. Is that worth more than an autograph? Will I be able to sell a selfie as an NFT? What will my family do with all of my autographs? Do they only mean something to me? The more I examine this, the more I realize how silly it all is. Value is arbitrary and its definition changes for me and it changes in our society over time.
What will be the next thing that we collect from celebrities. It started with having the person write a barely legible name on something and is now a photograph with the celebrity. What’s going to be next?
What do you value?