The Art of Selling Out
By Dr. John F. Miller, DDS – Smile Montana
Every time I sit down at my computer to tap out one of these articles I have to think up some sort of introduction that will pique the reader’s interest. I have in my mind some idea of the main point the article will make, and my intro has to wind its way into a relevant segue to that point. It’s very meta of me to be talking about writing my introduction as my introduction by the way.
So, my big worry is that I will write an intro very similar to one I’ve done prior. Plagiarize myself basically. I had that worry today especially so I simply looked back at July’s intro and May’s intro and they are not similar to what I’m considering so that’s good enough for me. So here it goes.
I often picture a scenario where I, in my present stage in life, could go back and sit down with 15-year-old John Fairbanks Miller. So back 30 years ago. In addition to me looking drastically different than anything he could’ve imagined; the things I would tell him would blow his mind. I would inform him that the Canadian girl he had a huge crush on over the summer is now his wife. I would describe his four amazing children to him...through tears I’m sure.
I would tell him his favorite band, Deftones, are still together and more popular than ever. I would tell him that you can play any song you want by simply calling out to Alexa or Siri. He’ll ask, “where are they?” I’ll respond, “where AREN’T they?” I tell him he lives in the Flathead Valley (he would be hyped on that no doubt). I would tell him that he still plays his bass guitar...like a lot, but not the one he has then, but a Stingray (he’s lost consciousness at this point his mind is so blown). I would tell him, “things are pretty cool bud.”
Inevitably I would show him “our” Instagram and mention something about “our” algorithm. He’ll stop me and say, “our what?!?” I’ll respond, “Oh yeah, the algorithm. How... can I explain this?”
My favorite movie is The Matrix; that’s no secret here as I’m sure I’ve mentioned it in my prior ramblings. There is a scene within that reminds me of the algorithm. Neo, the show’s protagonist, is apprehended by Agents who are part of a computer program, the matrix as it’s known. They take him into a classic style police interrogation room and they drop a thick stack of paperwork on the table while saying, “As you can see, we’ve had our eye on you for some time now.” That stack was Neo’s algorithm.
What would be in your stack of papers? What do they know about you? Based on my feed (my visual representation of my “algorithm”) they know I’m a spouse/parent, they know I practice dentistry, they know I play the bass guitar, and they know I love art. Obviously there is a lot more in there and we would all have things we’d cringe at, but I’m pretty happy with what the robots are feeding me. As sad as that sounds.
I really wanted to be a Rockstar. I worked hard at it, composing with the band, recording in the studio, playing awesome gigs, playing crappy gigs. However, I really wanted to have a family too. And as I matured, I realized I wanted that the most and I should probably shift my mindset and actions in a direction that would facilitate success in that regard. Having a lot of dentist uncles, I decided I would pursue dentistry at 22 years old.
At first this was a hard decision for me, and I considered myself somewhat of a sell-out. I was a creative right brained artsy fartsy long haired bass player. Telling a 15-year-old me that I was a dentist might be the only thing that he wouldn’t be hyped on? Regardless, I set out to pursue a career in dentistry. During that pursuit I indeed met Juli ZoBell who I would marry in 2003. She finished out my undergraduate studies with me in Tempe and then we continued on to San Francisco for dental school with our 1st child Nayvee Lee.
It didn’t take long during my first few days in dental school to realize, “Oh, dentistry is very artistic.”
We are sculpting, we are creating curves and angles, we are establishing contours that reflect light appropriately, we are mixing and matching shades, we are mixing and matching translucencies, we are designing and milling ceramics, we are staining, glazing, and firing ceramics, we are artists.
In addition, being an entrepreneur was pretty much forced upon me. I found myself in the very rare scenario of being a business owner immediately upon graduation from dental school. If that’s not punk rock I don’t know what is. Juli and I were offered the opportunity to purchase a great dental practice in Columbia Falls so we loaded up the U-Haul and pointed it North by Northeast, with Nayvee and her little brother Banks.
What do business owners get to do? They get to promote their business. Also known as marketing. Those who have followed along the Smile Montana growth arc since 2011, know that I have a lot of fun doing this part of the job. It scratches that creative itch. Writing for 406 Woman is part of that marketing. I don’t really see it that way as I really just love writing, but as they say, “everything is marketing.”
As a result, I absolutely love being a dentist. Especially the fixing teeth part. It is a creative and artistic challenge. It gives me deep self-worth and value to have a skill that can benefit my community. It also brought me success in my desire to have a family that I can provide for. This family now also has Maxwell and Lennon to round things out at six members.
So yeah, my algorithm knows that I’m a dentist. But it also knows that I’m a creative right brained artsy fartsy long haired bass player too. I’m cool with that. With all this algorithm talk, remember to get outside and connect to the nature around us and our community. I have been in the Flathead Valley permanently for over 15 years and have seen a lot of changes but I tell people this all the time, “I love this place more now than I ever have!”
Read The Art of Selling Out by Dr. John F. Miller, DDS, in 406 Woman magazine.