• Home
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Community
  • Contact

SMARTY.

The human side of business

Big Life

Fanship.

September 19, 2017 · By Amy Swift Crosby

Like some of you, I operate in the feedback space, constantly and methodically evaluating what is working and what isn’t. But this post is about an entirely different sensation; being a goofy, unrestrained, unadulterated fan; being swept away in the perfection of a thing, and seeing it for all the good that it is.

As consumers, we need unapologetic fan moments more than ever. Having posted about being a Downseller (and wow there are a lot of you), this one is a confession about the value of falling in love – as a fan, follower or customer.

My own fan moment came recently at a party in Malibu, with the performance artist duo The Bumbys. Incognito in their red white and blue gear, behind electric typewriters, wearing noise-cancelling headphones, accompanied by their handler, they silently deploy “fair and honest appraisals” of party-goer’s appearances. Their astute, aspirational index-card write-ups are printed on the spot, and handed over after about two minutes of focused typing and hand proofing (and presumably observation, which you can’t really see from behind their sun glasses.)

I fell hard for Gill and Jill Bumby.

Conceptually, I want to be a Bumby. Giving prophetic, colorful, reassuring feedback to complete strangers, while in costume, describes my dream job.

But as a participant, standing there – vulnerable – staring down the barrel of someone else’s opinion, was initially unnerving. You’d think the appraisals would lean toward “honest” in a possibly snarky direction – but it was the opposite. Throughout the evening as we (guests) exchanged index cards, comparing our write-ups, the universal sentiment was heartening – each felt poetic, personal, and even better, strangely true! Imagine all the people they’ve assessed, walking around with these insightful, deftly nuanced self-approval ratings. #genius.

Being a fan means losing your suspension of disbelief, and letting a person, product or concept, steal you away from the expected. In its unique resonance, these experiences reassure us that something is very right in the world; A signpost, however infrequent, we all need.

As business owners, most of us aim for amazing, but acknowledge that it takes a lot of hard work/time/attention to elicit that effect. Which is why, when someone or something moves us intellectually, emotionally, spiritually (or all three,) we gotta lose the pretense of “mature” and “professional” and just bow down, and give it up, if we feel it.

I restrained myself from asking The Bumbys for an autograph, but did work up my courage for a photo. Couldn’t help it, and didn’t care. Losing our cool factor in exchange for earnest fanship is one of the last vestiges of our innocence.

Go ahead, write a love letter. It feels really good.

Respect to The Bumbys!

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Share

Share
Tweet
Email
Pin
Comment
Previous
Next

Comments Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Topics

  • Small Business
  • Big Life
  • Small Towns
  • Big Brands
  • Popular Posts
  • Uncategorized

About Me

photo of Amy Swift Crosby

Amy Swift Crosby is a brand strategist and copywriter who has positioned or voiced messaging across the commercial spectrum, from icons like Ford, BVLGARI, Pottery Barn, Pantene and Virgin, to boutique brands like The Wild Unknown, fitness franchise Barre3 and the rebrand of legendary metaphysical bookstore, Bodhi Tree. She has leveraged this expertise to help entrepreneurial women and small businesses owners hone their skills, mission and message, while uncovering their own “voice.” This blog explores “the human side of business,” and universal themes like uncertainty, anxiety, the tension between engagement and disconnection, personal value and most importantly, of finding - and hearing - our own voices in our everyday life.

Photo - Andrew Stiles

Subscribe

Get Social

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Archives

  • ►2020
    • ►April
      • Company.
    • ►March
      • Connected.
      • This.
      • Uncertainty.
    • ►February
      • Devotion.
    • ►January
      • TBH.
  • ►2019
    • ►October
      • Cadence.
    • ►July
      • Traps.
    • ►May
      • Plot.
    • ►March
      • Answers.
    • ►February
      • Regret.
    • ►January
      • New Year, New...?
  • ►2018
    • ►December
      • Magic.
    • ►October
      • Fearless.
    • ►September
      • Replication.
      • September.
    • ►June
      • Restoration.
      • Tenancy.
    • ►May
      • Narrow.
      • WOTO.
    • ►April
      • Rattled.
      • Lego.
    • ►March
      • CNN.
      • Just.
      • Unfollow.
    • ►February
      • Zerrissenheit.
      • Malls.
      • Eggshells.
      • Hold.
    • ►January
      • Demonstrate.
      • Brrr.
      • Stella.
      • Hello 2018.
  • ►2017
    • ►December
      • Resentment.
      • Dismissed.
      • Waiting.
    • ►November
      • Artificial Deadlines.
      • Regular.
      • Equal.
      • Knowing.
    • ►October
      • Frequent Finish Lines.
      • Copycats Part Deux.
      • Copycats.
      • Contact High.
      • Intentional Tension.
    • ►September
      • Fanship.
      • Clive.
      • Pause.
    • ►July
      • Millennialmania.
      • Colette.
      • Downsellers.
      • Hood Ornaments.
    • ►June
      • Singular.
      • Half Me.
      • Metaphor.
      • Reins.
    • ►May
      • Itches.
      • Blinders.
      • Free.
      • Chemistry.
      • Content.
    • ►April
      • Left Out.
      • Deference.
      • Triggers.
      • The Ask.
    • ►March
      • Room.
      • Generous.
      • Empathy.
      • Descriptions.
    • ►February
      • Teflon.
      • Code.
      • Force.
      • Moves.
    • ►January
      • Rope.
      • Recovery.
      • Out.
      • Belonging.
      • Small.
  • ►2016
    • ►December
      • Resolutions.
      • Work.
      • Idle.
      • Details.
    • ►November
      • Presentation.
      • Editors.
      • Crazy.
      • Tomorrow.
      • ROR.
    • ►October
      • Joy.
      • Words.
      • Machinery.
      • Face Time.
    • ►September
      • Marriott.
      • Bush.
      • Round and Round
      • Maiden Voyages
    • ►August
      • Destination: Procrastination.
      • Age
      • Inspired Conversations
      • The Ten Minutes.
      • Format
    • ►July
      • Attachments.
      • Who gets your best you.
      • Divided.
      • Performance.
    • ►June
      • For the Originators
      • Chief.
      • The Problem with Passion
      • Platforms.
    • ►May
      • Ordinary.
      • Kenny.
      • Over Everything.
      • See Me
      • Conditions
    • ►April
      • Solving Obvious.
      • Wisdom.
      • Happy Faces.
      • Mr.Sullivan
    • ►March
      • Spirit Animals.
      • The Ensemble Life.
      • Tinkering.
      • Badassery.
    • ►February
      • Adaptation.
      • We Hate It When Our Friends become Successful.
      • Alone in the Field.
      • Portraits.
    • ►January
      • The Process Is The Answer.
      • I Can't Believe Anyone Thinks This Still Works.
      • Rebel Rebel.
      • Commitments. The Fourth Kind.
  • ►2015
    • ►December
      • Unscripted
      • Novelty
      • No Pants.
    • ►November
      • Solve If With What.
      • Dualité.
      • Last Days
      • Whatchyou Sayin?
    • ►October
      • Wanna Get Busy (With Me)?
      • Professionals
    • ►September
      • Fluency
    • ►August
      • The Curse of Customization.
      • Is it that hard to…?
      • Misery.
    • ►July
      • Brave.
      • Blind Spots.
      • Bailing or Believing.
      • The Tension.
    • ►June
      • Nobody Likes The Squirrel.
      • I Just Don't Have Time For Friends.
      • Got A Handle?
    • ►May
      • Earned Wisdom
      • The Whole 'Have It All' Thing. 
      • The Dip vs. The Dive
      • The Power of Disengagement
    • ►March
      • It's good to be loved...
    • ►February
      • Apple – User (and Worker) Friendly
    • ►January
      • The Bird Theory

Search

Instagram

Instagram did not return a 200.

About

SMARTY began as a thriving community in Los Angeles and Boston with weekly panel discussions and events designed to better understand the mindset and growth strategies behind successful entrepreneurs. Today, SMARTY is a weekly blog written by Amy Swift Crosby who chronicles her life as a creative, parent, entrepreneur and spiritual seeker. As an urban refugee living in a New England seaside village, she unpacks topics ranging from uncertainty and doubt to the built environment and advertising. More on Amy.

Never Miss a Post

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Latest Posts

  • Company.
  • Connected.
  • This.
  • Uncertainty.
  • Devotion.

Copyright 2021 SMARTY.