I went to a roundtable discussion organized by the From Here to Awesome team at SXSW last week. Many topics were covered but one of the things I was pleased to discover is this 1,000 True Fans article by Kevin Kelly. What is really useful about this article is that Kelly is focusing on the possibilities for everyone working between “poverty and stardom” – rather than talking about the Radioheads of this world. This is the crux of it:

A creator, such as an artist, musician, photographer, craftsperson, performer, animator, designer, videomaker, or author – in other words, anyone producing works of art – needs to acquire only 1,000 True Fans to make a living.

A True Fan is defined as someone who will purchase anything and everything you produce. They will drive 200 miles to see you sing. They will buy the super deluxe re-issued hi-res box set of your stuff even though they have the low-res version. They have a Google Alert set for your name. They bookmark the eBay page where your out-of-print editions show up. They come to your openings. They have you sign their copies. They buy the t-shirt, and the mug, and the hat. They can’t wait till you issue your next work. They are true fans.

Scott Kirsner feels like the term “fan” is too passive and discusses alternative words that better suggest the possibilities for creativity and collaboration.