Dan and Phil and The Line Around The Block

As I approached my assigned waiting station, there was clear evidence that some people had camped there all night. There were empty coffee cups, and rotting banana peels, and scattered napkins. People had been here a while, and once the door opened for them, they hadn't much bothered to clean up after themselves.
 
I was late to the party--so late, in fact, that a few minutes would have made the difference between acquiring the book that my daughter was so eager to get, and the wristband that would allow her inside to meet the authors themselves. I was on line behind people in costume, and people who'd driven hours to get here. And when it comes right down to it, I was on line to do something for my daughter. And I was on line because my odd work schedule afforded me the possibility.
 
As I waited, I thought about how, in a world where I and people I know have tried--often unsuccessfully--to monetize creativity and great ideas, people are managing to do it all the time. One look at the YouTube history in my house reveals gamers and box-openers and crafters and comedians, each of whom has created a niche where his or her content is not just viewed, but discussed, and, in some cases, sponsored by commercials or interested companies, or, as in the case of the line-worthy people of today, a book deal. I could view it all as part of the reason that big-budget soaps, and the jobs that go along with them, have largely disappeared. And, on some level, I would be right. But I can also think of it as a reminder that it doesn't have to cost a lot to be creative. You don't always have to rent a studio to produce your work, or a large crew to help you make it. Which may not bode well for my job prospects, but bodes very well for the possibility of some really creative stuff getting out there.
 
Because of my time on line (and her time on line later on), my daughter got to see some people who entertain her and who have carved out a space for their creative endeavors. A reminder that, while the rules and the patterns may have changed, we each still have a chance of being not washed up yet.