I friended Matt Held earlier this month and am hoping I can be muse enough for him to paint my portrait. Because that’s really all he’s asking for–unbridled access to my profile and photographs, fuel for his creative fire, and in return–possibly–a JPEG of the portrait he may paint of me. Not only has Facebook given him a means to get raw material for his art, he’s gotten the word out to over 2,000 people. He’s gotten recognition in several New York press outlets.
Social networking isn’t just about business, it’s also about feedback. Some of the best fan pages and profiles are full of fan and friend comments, hopefully comments that are taken into consideration not only by other users but also the page/profile creators. It’s a pretty cool thing–especially in this economy–to have your portrait painted by a professional artist at no cost to you (though Held is offering first buying options to all of his portrait subjects after he shows the work). But even cooler is being part of the zeitgeist and seeing your feedback–yourself–reflected in another person’s work.
