Detroit Optimists Get To Work
“try it”
Good Girls Go to Paris Crepes owner Torya Blanchard says ”it just gets better and better for those who believe in Detroit”
Signal-Return Letterpress director, Megan O’Connell. The shop ”seeks to connect the community to traditional + emergent forms of printing”. It’s a gallery. It’s a resource for design entrepreneurs. It’s a meeting space with all the signature displays of process and craft that we love so much.
Jessica Hicks (also a designer mentioned on Design Sponge) and her husband opened Astro Coffee in Detroit after living as expats for several years.
What her husband says about their choice to move to Detroit to do this:
“You can do something here that means something. Open a coffee shop in another city and you’d drown. Here there is cooperation.”
26-year-old Hostel Detroit owner, Emily Doerr cutting the ribbon in 2010 on her non-profit accomodations aimed at educating visitors about Detroit.
The Empowerment Plan: Veronika Scott invented a Sleeping Bag Coat to do something about the gargantuan homeless problem in Detroit (1 in 47 are homeless). It is “self-heated, waterproof, and transforms into a sleeping bag at night.” She employs homeless women to manufacture the coat.
The video by 4exit4 inspired this post. See them all here!
Links:
Good Girls Go to Paris Crepes!
Hostel Detroit
The Empowerment Plan
Signal-Return Letterpress
Astro Coffee
*lead image credit: Michael Goettner 0 Comments
If I Had Ten Million Dollars
Here’s what I’d invest in:
Digital Publishing - New platforms that offer immersive media experiences for literary fiction lovers
The literary fiction part is due to my own personal interests (and my fear of the death of imaginative work in a dumbed down world) – but this model could be applied to all fiction and non-fiction. The innovation and technology put into gaming could be applied to merging documentary, non-fiction writing, photojournalism as well as literature, independent cinema, the best in illustration, cinematography, music composition to create rich multi-lateral access to imagination, knowledge and story. Hell it could work for low culture too, that’s the low hanging fruit after all.
Pinterest Retail
I read on Fast Company that this already exists as The Fancy so I signed up – but Pinterest still gets my vote because it builds context with such fluidity as a visualization board for all kinds of planning and creativity. By placing objects or experiences that would lead to acquisition next to the the stuff of life that thankfully does not – plants, a cityscape, a curled up cat – buying becomes more of an act of careful consideration than blind consumption. Organic self-directed retail. Facilitated by a platform that takes the whole spectrum of your life and imagination into account.
Farm-to-Table Fast Food
A farm fresh menu with crops chosen by ease and season. The company would work in cooperation with various local producers. It would mimic the fast food experience in some useful and familiar ways but act as a teaching tool for change in the food system. Done right, it could be replicated anywhere (along the sidelines of the football field? On a corporate campus or at a university? In lower income or subsidized housing estates?) I haven’t worked out the kinks, but I’d invest in this. Jamie? Where are you?
Open Education and Other New Education Business Models
Browsing articles on the rise of homeschooling, statistics in online learning, and the movement against traditional degree programs, nothing on the horizon is due for such a complete overhaul as education. I’m appalled by the idea of the 40,000 dollar Manhattan preschool. (Nobody wins.) Nonetheless, I think progressive dynamic and creative education is invaluable. I look back to my fondness for Montessori and Bennington (no grades) and the New School (essays instead of tests) and know this approach, and ones that incorporate working in a natural environment, is applicable to the future. I’d love to sign on to a new model of education which balances real world social interaction and problem solving with democratic access to the best possible learning tools from top educators.
Micro-Manufacturing
Skip the middleman. Think. Plan. Make. Sell. I love the 3D printer and I can’t wait until prototypes can be passed onto small factories that can afford to make small batches putting the designer / maker / entrepreneur in the drivers seat. A mini version of this idea exists in Spoonflower.
Data-Mining For Good: Customer Service 3.0
Ignoring the spook factor of privacy concerns, I’d defer to someone else on that one – if you could know enough about your customer to serve them as well as they expect to be served, remembered, listened to, customized for, well I find that very exciting. Innovations in customer experience that really put the customer first could extend to healthcare and safety, travel, home buying, and finance. It could be a good thing put in the right hands. -Chauncey Zalkin
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My First Creative Morning: Rainbow Parade
This was my first time at Creative Mornings, the monthly talks started by Swiss Miss design blogger Tina Roth Eisenberg. I’ve been following Swiss Miss for a few years now and her blog always has useful tips for design lovers who love technology like you and me. The talk was by graphic designer and “lucky-so-and-so” blogger Jessi Arrington.
I felt like a “lucky-so-and-so” myself because the talk was all about bright color. The talk itself was short and sweet but the rainbow parade around DUMBO that ensued was the best Friday eye-opener you could imagine. When I got home, my husband asked me if I was drunk. THAT’S how energizing it was.
Takeaways from the talk were as follows:
- Think “Why Not?” instead of “Why?
This helped confirm my decision to take that color theory class at SVA that I’ve been wanting to take (coincidence) even though I think I should be taking more businessy classes; I REALLY WANT TO TAKE THIS CLASS so f*** it, I’m gonna. She referenced Steve Jobs homecoming speech and his calligraphy classes as a ‘you never know where this can lead’ example.
- Don’t be glib and standoffish, be empathetic and participate.
She said this in her own way but the basic message is ‘get the chip of your shoulder and connect with people.’ Participate for crissakes. Don’t put baby (meaning you) in the corner.
and last,
- Do the thing that makes you tick. Don’t do what you think others expect of you as a substitute for the real thing. It’s okay to be yourself. Really. It is.
Cindy Gallop said something along these lines at Web 2.0 in September and my old myspace page has a list of convictions that expand on the theme. Back story: I was in a hotel room int he 9th arrondisement in Paris in October 2006 when it hit me that I just had to listen to myself (I can’t believe I’m linking to this but here goes). I decided then and there that I needed to hightail it out of New York and move to Paris to write a novel, which is exactly what I did 3 months later. (Now, 5 years later, I’m married with a finished novel that I love more than anything I’ve ever done – and back in NYC ready to push it into an agents arms!)
Here are some photos of this morning and then, since we’re always work-first at What Women Make, my favorite pick from Jessi’s graphic design work.
First, the parade:
Then my favorite graphic design work of Jessi’s I would have to say are her invitations:
Some of the really handy Swiss Miss stuff is here (but it’s all great).
Jessi Arrington’s blog: Lucky-so-and-so.
If you’re a creative in New York, check out the schedule for Creative Mornings.
She Occupies (with an SL video exclusive)
Have you seen this? This clears it up for anyone who isn’t completely sure of the agenda at OWS. One of the injustices represented is gender discrimination. WWM doesn’t overtly address discrimination but rather points out the incredible pool of outstanding women around the world that add to our culture and our lives through leadership, creative talent, innovation, personality, perseverance and spirit. But the fact is that WWM and girlonthestreet before it were born out of the experience of discrimination and lack of voice in the workplace, watching young women like myself get shot down for exuberance and ideas early in their creative careers then deciding to seek alternatives to conventional media and corporate life.
In the spirit of collective individualism, let’s add our own personal wishlists, value, talent, and actions to the cry for change. How can we do this? Women are doing it all over but the voice is not quite loud enough.
I admit it’s been a shock coming back to the U.S. – the convoluted world of ‘organic’, the 24/7 marketing messages, the giddy vapid representation of women. Join What Women Make and let me know your thoughts, your feelings, and your plans..
I’m interested in starting a WWM Meet-up in NY. If you’d like to join, email me at chauncey at whatwomenmake dot com and let me know your project and if you think there’s an interest out there in representing female creative leadership.
Here is the video my partner and I put together from our time there – an immersive walk through of Occupy Wall Street (together we are Show Love):
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Motivation Monday: The Richest Person in the World Soon To Be A She!
Yes, there should be more women on the Rich List, and yes, Georgina “Gina” Rinehart, the woman in question is an heiress (who more than likely works hard and shrewdly to keep that money growing) but so what. We’ll all give a private giggle and a smirk if the richest person in the world is a woman. How fantastic! And about time.
I don’t think ‘being richest’ is really the greatest goal one can have and I wouldn’t recommend that being your sole driving force. Yes we should achieve and have ample financial means for freedom, access, pleasure, and room to give to others, and yes we should be paid for our work at full market value, but the one with the most toys doesn’t win. Nothing is forever. And money can’t buy you love. But it’s pretty cool all the same after years of seeing men that look like this on the list
Yes, I left the stockphoto logo there on purpose.
Pretty…pretty…pretty… cool.
Go to the WSJ blog to read the article.
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Monday Motivation: Mac gets Wacky with High Priestess of Photography Cindy Sherman
(and you can too)
Cindy Sherman is the newest Mac Cosmetics spokesmodel. Sherman was my very first introduction to art photography; At the tender age of 11 my sister bought me a book or her photographs for Christmas. I remember thinking one thing: creepy. But I was a mere innocent at the time. My brain quickly developed after that to register nuance and cultural reference which hopefully ripened with age and education.
Earlier this year Cindy Sherman sold a self-portrait for $3.89m (£2.4m) – the highest price ever paid for a single photograph according to the Guardian. While Missy, KD Lang, Rupaul and the rest celebrate difference and chutzpa, this reflects back to us our obsession with beauty and the sadness within – but only insiders will get the joke which I believe is Mac’s intent. Viva mac. Viva glam.
So this is your Monday Motivation. Throw away the self help books and ‘positive attitude’ and be just as weird and subversive as you really are as you work toward your goals this week.
A picture from Vanity Fair of past spokespeople for Mac:
Cindy Sherman for Mac:
Photos via hintmag
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Motivatation Monday: Is a Social Media Expert What You Really Need?
In the height of social media madness where everybody’s looking for an expert to jump start their businesses’ online fame, articles keep popping up decrying the validity of such a new practice. Though I don’t agree, I do sympathize with the sentiments shared. When I interviewed Amir Kassaei, Chief Creative Officer of DDB Worldwide at the ADC*E Awards last month, he cautioned the industry against their folly of calling ‘social media’ a medium at all.
The crux of this backlash is like any other when a new denomination enters the vocabulary and starts to lose meaning as everyone jumps on board with blinders on. The people who’ve been doing it all along give those who haven’t been a wake up call. The reasons companies are going gaga over social media is because the herd is all going there and they think they need some SEO, social media, hashtag loving guru to help them catch eyeballs. They do need help but not that kind. At least not beyond the initial catch up phase.
People panic. They know everyone wants to get a piece of this here social media pie and they just don’t know how. The fear comes from knowing we have to communicate more than they ever have before and that is scary as hell. A few years ago companies could just throw money (in the form of retaining an agency) at a carefully tailored message and leave it alone – the ‘big idea’ remember? But now you need to have constant communication with other people – your customers, your peers, the world at large. You have to be an entertainment, media, technology, and service company all rolled up into one Agencies have scurried in every direction trying to keep up with their client’s fears to varying affect.
So you need new proficiencies at play but you don’t know what exactly. There are some things to keep in mind when considering ‘social media experts’
- Be honest and clear about your business needs the old fashioned way. Problems occur when you reach out for the shiny mysterious toy without forethought.
- Nobody is an expert. The word ‘expert’ is antithetical to this environment of constant evolution. Leave that word to doctors, tax attorneys, programmers, and the people below:
- Knowing tricks is not enough. (see #2). If you want to invest in someone in house or on retainer, find someone who is a strong writer, communicator and editor – as well as someone with a strong visual sensibility.
- More on visual sensibility – There are just too many ugly communications out there. The visual does not stop with your web designer.
- The division between the online and offline worlds is on the cusp of disappearing. Soon they’ll seem as quaint as this video on how to type a letter on a computer from the early 90s. So hire someone to show you the ropes and train you if you don’t know the basics but start developing new habits now. The world is not going backwards.
I think the people who call themselves social media experts are probably amazing tinkerers and investigators. They are the kind of people who consider it second nature to play in the digital universe and they are not afraid. In fact, they can’t get enough. The core systems of human interaction are changing and it takes an advocate who is curious and insightful, exploratory and clever, and has the time to be, to get it right. But if you’re going to allot part of your budget to this person/people, they should also be strong writers, strategists, and communicator on many levels.
Now here’s my ‘call to action’. Let Show Love know if you need someone who respects and appreciates your story to help you tell it.
-Chauncey
The Female Economy: Notes From a Conference
Thought I’d show you the palm of my hand from the RethinkHer conference last month. Some interesting stuff to help you along which echoed a lot of what I’ve been proselytizing in innovation for years. But here it is. Just the facts ma’am.
Systematizing Cultures: measures, controls market, controls organization, works in hierarchy. Cornerstone of companies which produce and sell systems. e.g. finance, tech, auto industry. Most big corporations work this way.
Empathetic Cultures: People + Ideas => What’s Being Sold. Organization flat. Fosters intuition. Nurtures ideas.
Declaration —> “There is a new economy, the Female Economy.”
Systematizing Cultures impress with a show of strength.
“World’s favorite airline”
“Ultimate driving machine”
Biggest, Best are highly motivating in a system culture. Not so in empathetic cultures where CONNECTING and NETWORKING are what motivates.
Key Characteristics
(as far as i’m concerned, also key characteristics of contemporary entrepreneurship, future thinking)
- Altruism
(shared concerns, other-focused)
- Connecting
(people, ideas)
- Strong Aesthetic
(women = heightened sensory perception. Women drawn to environments that feel welcoming, safe, aesthetic.)
- Creating Order
(things that feel in good order reduce complexity in decision making, create a context that feels comfortable, saves time.)
Ying and Yang
MALE SOCIAL CURRENCY vs FEMALE SOCIAL CURRENCY
jokes, factoids, sports —- gossip, real life, observation
(American, traditional)
MALE SUBJECT MATTER vs FEMALE SUBJECT MATTER
things, facts — people, feelings
MALE PATTERN vs FEMALE PATTERN
escalation, exaggeration — getting beneath and under, granular, detail
MALE FORM vs FEMALE FORM
soundbites, headlines — detail, nuance, texture
UNSPOKEN OUTCOME, MALE vs FEMALE
establish status by competing — build closeness by sharing (find similarity)
Leadership, Talent, and Markets…
- Make sure you don’t have little white male soldiers all in a row as your entire company board! because..
- Realize there that the world over there are way more women graduating then men from universities including in China, Iran, the U.S., and Europe so let your recruitment reflect that monumental change.
- Approximately 80% of all purchases including auto, finance, and gaming are made by women, not men. Contrary to popular belief, women don’t just buy the food, clothing, and design products.
- Female income: 13 Trillion in 2009. 18 Trillion by 2014.
- 40% of the University degrees globally are held by men. 80% of the jobs lost in the U.S. recession have been lost by men (in manufacturing mostly). Only 20% of the jobs currently being created in the EU are going to men.
- This headline from the Economist, “Forget China, India, and the Internet, Economic Growth is driven by women.”
- this nice little slogan: rapport talk instead of report talk
- The number of women making more than 100,000 has tripled in the last decade.
- “Stop trying to fix the women… recognize the women that women have become.” -Avivah Wittenberg-Cox
- ‘It’s hard to bring out the best of female creativity in an all male-dominated ad agency.’ – Michele Miller, Wonderbranding
- “Not a single woman in San Francisco came to portfolio night (where recent art director grads go to show their work to agencies) last year!” – Jesus Alonso, adwomen.org
- Women are the greatest emerging market in the history of the planet. – Newsweek
- ‘Maybe aspiration is not always all that attractive. If you see people in an ad that makes you feel you would like the people or are like the people, you react more favorably than seeing so-called aspirational people that make you feel you don’t belong.’ – Marti Barletta
- ‘Men like to get the important things taken care of. Women like to get the important things taken care of and more in order to get it right.’ – Marti Barletta
-Chauncey Zalkin
*HBR were the source of a lot of stats. Not all.
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