Seth Apter & The Pulse of Mixed Media

Last summer I talked with Seth about, among other things, working on his first book, The Pulse of Mixed Media. Knowing Seth, I knew he'd have all kinds of events planned when the book launches, and indeed he does: everything from a Twitter party to panel discussions and book signings from Manhattan to Vancouver. You can find all the details about the schedule here, on his blog.

You'll hear us laughing at a couple spots during the podcast. When Seth began working on the book, I was helping his editor nag him about joining Facebook and Twitter, necessities in the world of publishing. Oh, let's be honest: no one was really nagging him but me. Everyone else is too polite. And too mature. I, on the other hand? I'm a champion nagger. I have no idea why, seeing as how I was an only child and didn't grow up having anyone to nag. Maybe that's it! All those years of not having anyone to nag or boss around are what made me the way I am today.

That's a *great* excuse.

So anyway, Seth wasn't exactly dragged kicking and screaming into the world of social media but, like me, he resisted for a long time. And now he's going to have a Twitter book launch party. This makes me laugh happily every time I think of it.

Now, what interests me most about this conversation with Seth is the convergence of his two lives--one as an artist and blogger who really does have his finger on the pulse of the mixed media community and the other as a psychologist with his own practice. Art and psychology--now there's a topic that's endlessly fascinating, and I'd love for him to really delve into that. More nagging is in my future, absolutely. As I say in the podcast, we can find a ton of stuff about art and psychology, but much of it--probably most of it--is by people who maybe aren't really thoroughly grounded in either one. Who are, maybe, more conversant with writing self-help books about that macrobiotic diet or people with a shopping jones or adolescent angst. You know: they're An Expert on whatever their self-help-book publisher tells them will sell. So we really need someone who actually has experience and can maybe help us understand what drives us to create and what blocks us and what it is that compels us along this path--in short, why we do what we do.

But that's for the future--with diligent nagging, I'm sure there'll be *lots" more podcasts with Seth. For now, let's listen to him talk about the new book and what he's got planned for that--there are all kinds of events, including an online video of the upcoming panel discussion in New York. I sooo wish I could be there for that one~~

So go here to find out more, and then click on the player below to listen to Seth~~