Don't Search, Research
Gannon Beck
President, Blue Piranha
Bristow, Virginia
Squidoo: How did you decide what to make your lenses about?
Gannon: I had been studying the psychology of learning, reading biographies of some prominent self-taught people and wanted to write a book about it. At one point, I actually wished for something like Squidoo where experts could share their expertise and lo and behold, your web site appeared.
I picked the illustration lens to start because it’s something I have expertise in. If I were a math expert, I would have done one on math. Most of all my lenses are related to the research I’ve been doing on learning. It will take me a while to get everything built, but I really would love to see a network of lenses -- on all subjects -- that help people learn. Some lenses I will build and some I’m trying to recruit from other experts.
S: Do you maintain a web site or blog otherwise?
G: I have a blog that has an accompanying lens. I also have a T-shirt design business web site.
S: What have you done with your lenses that you can't do elsewhere?
G: Strictly speaking, it can be done elsewhere. It just can’t be done easily, inexpensively or as well. For instance, I could have made a web page that contains the same information about illustration. But then I would have had to spend the time designing it, laying it out and it wouldn’t have been searchable within a network of related lenses.
On some of the drawing forums I frequent, the newer artists are always asking the pros where and how to develop drawing ability. The pros give the same advice over and over again like a broken record: “Read these books, post frequently, study anatomy, etc.” This advice is valuable to people with the drive to learn -- and Squidoo makes it easier to disseminate this information. I now have a link to my illustration lens that accompanies every post I make in the drawing forums. This saves me time and gives this valuable advice to those who would like it.
The great thing about a Squidoo lens is that it’s so easy to create that you don’t have to have specialized knowledge to figure it out. It also has the right blend of standardization and customization to make it flexible for the lensmasters, yet usable for the end users.
S: Did you consider doing so using a blog or similar web page?
G: My blog doesn’t fill the same function as a lens. My lenses are starting points -- or places for people to recap or familiarize themselves about topics -- but my blog is a destination. I don’t want people spending a lot of time on my illustration lens for instance, but I do want them to spend a lot of time studying illustration as a result of my lens -- and do so successfully.
S: Have you taken any cues from other lenses so far?
G: Oh, yeah! Bryan Engram’s lens on character animation is gold. If you’ve ever had to learn anything on your own, the task seems more daunting when you don’t know where to start. Bryan takes all of that away by giving really practical advice on what to read, what software to use and where to interact with other animators.
As I grow as an artist, one of the things I’ve considered studying is animation. It’s one of the next logical steps if I’m going to grow and develop artistically. Bryan’s lens will save me thousands, if not tens of thousands of dollars if I decide to study animation. When I saw his lens, I became positively giddy.
What makes Bryan’s lens so great is that he gives me everything I need to know without overwhelming me with information. Because he has walked the road to become an animator, I sense that the information is valid. As a result, if I decide to learn animation, I won’t just buy one book on Bryan’s list -- I will by every book on his list -- and the software too, which is expensive but not as expensive as animation school.
S: What advice or ideas would you offer other lensmasters?
The best way to answer that question is to point you to my lens on the subject. Man, I love Squidoo!
