Adventure Divas

Last night I wandered down to my favorite bookstore (Browser Books on Fillmore & Sacramento) where I discovered Adventure Divas, written by Holly Morris. I've been suffering from a bit of existential angst lately, feeling like there should be more to my life than this soft complacency that seems to infect much of western civilization. I've been itching for an adventure, so the title called to me.

And so I read about Holly, who chucked her day job in established media to create a television series about real-life heroines making a difference in places like Cuba, India and Brazil. Holly's on a mission to find like-minded, risk-taking women around the globe, and perhaps unite them all into a new model of power and leadership. Her tales include hunting wild boar in Bornio; visiting a brothel in Mumbai where 8-year old sex slaves service up to 20 clients per day; bonding with wild orangutan infants while their native habitat is being methodically destroyed by 24/7 mechanized logging and palm-oil plantations.

I was hooked. I wanted to join the cause.

I put the book down in the middle of the first chapter and rushed to my computer to visit their web site. I wanted to read Holly's blog. I wanted to connect with women around the world who were living their passions. I wanted to meet other self-proclaimed and unapologetic nomads and free spirits (which somehow makes my own nomad tendencies more acceptable to myself).  In short, I was looking to belong to a community of adventure divas.

Yet despite AD's lofty ambitions and objectives, the web site is pure 'traditional establishment': a static site, no interactivity, no blog, no community. Just a place for them to promote their show and their books. What an incredible disappointment. I filled out a form (a form!) to express my hope that they would create a community for this global affinity group, and volunteered some time to chat with them about how they could do it. So many possibilities! What about a destination that allows people to contribute funds to help local divas make a difference in their corners of the world? A mere $100 would probably emancipate some little girl from a life of slavery in the sex trade. What about a community that connects mentors with those who want to discover their adventurous, passionate sides? The web is viral; TV is not. TV certainly gets exposure, but it doesn't support grassroots efforts to change the world.

I am anxious for the day when static web sites are ancient history. Static web sites are dead, musty things. What gives them life is a sense of community, of contribution, of connection. Chances are, there are plenty of volunteers who can inject some life into your web presence... if, that is, you're in a business that inspires some passion. And if you can't find anything in (or related to) your business that a customer could get passionate about, you might start wondering why this particular outlet is where you've chosen to pour 40+ hours per week of your life's energy.

Comments

[Emilee]

Was the subject "virality in a digital age"? The importance of knockoffs.

[Derek]

Thankfully most of my side interests have a strong intersection with geeks, so there's a lot of interaction and the like (think space elevators, x-prizes, or biodiesel). But then I wander into other corners, like welding, and there's next to nothing. Sure I'd love to hang out at airgas every afternoon, but I am supposed to be getting some work done (isn't that why we love blogs, and the internet in general? all the distractions of the world for the convenience of our work cubicle...). Oh well, better go, the boss is coming.

[Creative Nomad]

Howzit Everyone?

I was pleasantly surprised to find this on an RSS feed for business & advertising. I left my very successful freelance art direction/design business for a world I didn't know but was curious about since childhood: Africa. It was the most amazing & inspiring experience of my life. I hitch hiked across Africa (where I lived outdoors in small African villages making tons of friends along the way) and then learned to sail boats and became one of the most requested crew for yacht deliveries around Africa & up to europe. Here is a bit about my adventures:

I am a Canadian adventuress. I've finally made it to where the grass really is greener, the mountains arch their backs into a clean, golden sky, the lions purr with a purpose, and impetuous rivers rush to the most beautiful oceans. I've been stalked by a lemur, slept on a beach under a starry sky and awoken to a village, three snakes and the ocean greeting me in the morning. I've also wrestled a Zebu, had dinner with a family of Dassies, had a standoff with a village chief and traversed half a country in a pirogue (a long, narrow canoe). As if this wasn't enough, I've also had to chase a spitting cobra from my computer, peel leeches off myself after hiking through a pristine rain forest, driven through rivers and even scared crocodiles out of the hot spring so I could go for a swim! I’'ve also assisted with cesarian sections, been the clean up crew at an accident site & transported dead bodies from one Mozambican town to another. I’ve hiked in the Drakensburg, slept in caves, tracked 100 wild elephants on foot, sailed through a hurricane, rode horseback through God help me pass, swam with dolphins, and drove a steam train. What’s next? Needless to say, I have some really good stories to tell. When your life flashes before your eyes.. what will you see?

So now I'm back and finding it difficult to fit back in. One can go from Advertising to Africa but coming back to Advertising is difficult. There is a project I would like to do that involves both but I'm not sure where to start. Does anyone have any advice? I'm finding a lot of people in the industry don't have any idea what an experience like that can do for your creativity. Thanks in advance if you do.

[Tim Sunderland]

The other challenge is that maintaining a blog, and still being an Adventure Diva (or an adventure dude), and also somehow managing to make enough to pay for the basics, takes time and energy. I myself am working on developing a 48 hour day in which I can get it all done!

[Tim Sunderland]

The other challenge is that maintaining a blog, and still being an Adventure Diva (or an adventure dude), and also somehow managing to make enough to pay for the basics, takes time and energy. I myself am working on developing a 48 hour day in which I can get it all done!

[Rena]

Thanks for the comments here, everyone. I'm the web manager of Adventure Divas, so I figured I would pop in on the discussion. As noted, we are currently hard at work revamping the Adventure Divas site and harnessing the magical power of the interweb to connect our 'global affinity group,' as Jennifer termed it in her recent email to us.

One point that may be worth noting here, is that despite the lack of evidence of a dialog with readers of our site, there is actually a possibility for the reader to talk back at us. Jennifer commented on the impersonal nature of the contact form in her email to us, but, lo and behold, it did begin a dialog via email. So while we haven't succeeded yet at providing a public forum for that dialog, we aren't just *talk at* people via our site. As often as possible, we try to respond in a personal way. For us, however, this is labor intensive, and for the readers--who usually are seeking an avenue for more meaningful interaction--I'm sure even a personal email is somewhat of a letdown if it doesn't lead to a continued conversation.

Funny to hear ourselves being used as an example of 'parental corporate culture,' as Divas is far from it. In our ethos if not on our site, anyway.

Thanks for all the enlightening and encouraging comments. At least we might get a few of you to read the blog when it launches!

[Michael Wagner]

Jennifer I think you are right. The mind set has been reinforced for decades. It will take time for change to happen. But I wonder if the large corporate cultures will change in time to succeed in a networked mareketplace.

"Talking at" is such an fundamental perspective of the parental corporate cultures. Will they ever treat "us" like adults?

Fun conversation!

[Doug Erickson]

LOVE your blog, and today's post is another reason why I find myself sharing it with clients all over the world.

Thanks for the insight and inspiration.

Doug

[jennifer rice]

I got a reply back from Rena, AD's webmaster. Yes, they've got plans for a blog, podcasting, forums, etc. Very exciting. (And yes, Richard, I do hope to be involved with AD in some form or fashion!)

Michael, I probably should have used the term "top-down" or "one-way" web sites, versus static. Most large corporations speak *at* readers. They don't dialogue *with*. Me, versus we. It's more of a culture/mentality issue that will probably be around for perhaps another decade.

[Richard Rowan]

I enjoy you blog. Keep it up.
Maybe your next adventure is helping Holly to use the interactive internet "to connect with women around the world who were living their passions." Just a thought.

[Michael Wagner]

"I am anxious for the day when static web sites are ancient history."

Your posting made me ask, when was the last time I visited a static site? I couldn't come up with an answer off the bat.

"anxious for the day" reminded me of how I feel listening to someone give a speech that isn't really connecting with an audience. I feel bad for them. And maybe because I give presentations myself, I start to feel anxious for them. Hoping they will somehow break through to the audience and connect.

The monologues of static sites are tragedies when there are so many possibilities as you suggest for someone like Adventure Divas.

Passion is in the conversation. In the blog conversations that allow us to connect. In any conversation where the mask of a static face is replaced by a human longing to connect.

Thanks for enlarging the conversation today with your posting.