Category

Social Media

Sep 26
0

525,600 Minutes of Fire

By | Design, Social Media | No Comments

Sometimes things we intend to do (no matter how earnestly) somehow get pushed off the to-do list and fall into a dusty corner. That’s usually where design for good ends up—a smoldering ash in a fire fueled by deadlines, paying clients, administrative duties and, well, work. We set out with the best of intentions and then shiftily look at our feet when asked about our progress on outside projects or what we’re doing to make a difference.

That’s why it’s impressive to me that a design and branding agency makes the case for spending an entire year with a pro bono client. That’s enough time not only to ensure that the creative work gets accomplished amidst other surprise deadlines that inevitably pop up, but also time enough to establish a strong rapport and fully understand the client’s needs. Cayenne Creative, out of Birmingham, AL, selects one lucky non-profit annually and goes all out. Furthermore, they partner with select vendors to offer discounted services to the organization. They begin with a laundry list of all the sorely-needed communications projects and tackle them starting with the most important. This is part of their F.I.T.B. Initiative, aptly named because of the passion behind the flame, the “fire in the belly” that sparks Cayenne’s creative thinking and their mantra for why they do the work they do.

Think about how much more effective you can be when you focus all of your energy in one direction, versus trying to spread it out. — Cayenne Creative

In 2010, Cayenne selected Birmingham Education Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to improving Birmingham’s schools, for their F.I.T.B. Initiative. The work won them several local, regional and national Addys, as well as recognition in the latest September/October 2012 Communication Arts design annual. It’s eye-catching and vibrant—a fresh approach for a conventional cause.

Our goal was to humanize the foundation by calling it “Ed,” and to inspire people to engage, to raise their hands, to say, “I have the answer. I am part of the solution. I am Ed.” The red desk became an icon, a guerrilla tactic, and a way of creating a cognitive link to the campaign.

I see this year-long collaborative process as a win-win for both non-profit and design studio. The pros are many. The agency doesn’t have to spend all the precious billable hours on pro-bono work crammed into 3 months, rather, the work can be spread out over a longer period of time. Which in turn, allows for a more extensive, polished final product. And let’s face it, a lot of firms do social value work on the side because it’s an opportunity for creative freedom and a chance to win a prestigious industry award. Better work is bound to come out of a longer courtship.

There are great design firms out there currently doing work 24/7 for the greater good. And while very admirable, it’s not realistic for everyone. So what is the best business model for incorporating work with social value with the bread-and-butter clients? Should it be a separate entity that thrives alongside everyday projects? Can it be incorporated seamlessly into everyday workflow as second nature? Or is it about giving ourselves a pat on the back and a trophy in the conference room?

A year long commitment to a project that might not pay the bills is a stretch for any agency. But it’s one worth taking. It might just be the fuel that your belly needs.

Sep 19
0

The Election Connection

By | Design, Social Media | No Comments

It was over twenty years ago when Madonna wrapped herself in an American flag in the first PSA (watch it here) for the Rock the Vote campaign. I’m not sure what I was doing in 1990, but I definitely don’t remember seeing that. I do recall, though, other celebrity and musician endorsements popping up on MTV while I licked nacho-cheese Dorito dust off my fingers. Hard to believe they have been at it for so long. If you can handle the optical assault (did the RTV web designer not get the memo that white type on a black background is not a good idea?), I recommend reading the Rock The Vote history timeline on the website. RTV made huge strides in youth electoral participation by introducing the register by telephone number option and later, online registration for young voters. Today, Rock the Vote is still rocking out, now partnered with data research organization Young Voter Strategies, and is actively road tripping to universities and colleges across the U.S., as well as launching initiatives like getting Virgin America to offer in-flight voter registration and teaming with XBOX to offer easy voter registration while gaming. Clearly, they are finding alternative ways to reach their audience by making voter registration a seamless integration with what teens are already doing.

Millennials are the fastest growing, most diverse generation in our nation’s history, accounting for nearly one quarter of the electorate nationwide, outnumbering seniors this November. By 2016 this group of young people is predicted to make up nearly 33% of all actual voters. —RTV website

Rock the Vote’s method for moving the masses is straightforward: We use music, popular culture, new technologies and grassroots organizing to motivate and mobilize young people in our country to participate in every election, with the goal of seizing the power of the youth vote to create political and social change. In the golden age of music videos, these campaigns were spot on. Are these methods still the most effective when it comes to engaging the most ADHD-riddled demographic of today?

A less popular national youth voting campaign (as of this writing, I VOTE has 262 followers on Twitter) is getting the word out via “viral videos/PSAs and interactive social media.” It’s called I VOTE, and you can view the video spot directed by Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker Jessica Sanders below.

It brings a lot of women’s issues to light but let’s admit, it’s a little creepy. According to their sponsor site, “I VOTE will establish this dialogue [among the younger generation] by tapping into an extensive nationwide network of A-List creatives to produce fresh, original content that resonates with younger voters. Filmmakers, actors, artists, photographers, and musicians will lend their talents to give voice to the issues facing us in 2012 and the youth will listen….and talk back.” I wonder if these additional endorsements will be in the same “scary issues” vein as the first video and what millennials will have to say about them.

Regionally, two MICA students have launched Don’t You Want To?, a youth voting campaign with the hopes of getting young people involved as citizens and participants in our democracy. “We hope to use design to go where grassroots organizing and volunteer based registration campaigns cannot,” they proclaim on their Facebook page. Not really sure how that works, but I like the sound of it! The orange and blue are fresh takes on the usual presidential color palette.

The video promises candidate cheat sheets, posters, buttons, online resources and t-shirts, the latter of which I found to be questionable in their messaging. Shirts have slogans such as “Let’s Get a Booth” and “Pull My Lever”, as well as, “Stuff My Box”, “Give Me An Election”, and “Take My Poll” (complete with silohuetted pole dancer). Say what?

I know, I sound like a grandma when I say times have changed. And they have. The web has made information on candidates and election-sensitive topics (biased or not) readily available to those who seek it. And youth-centric issues are hot buttons on the election agenda this year—student debt woes, unemployment and health insurance, even same-sex marriage debates. Once shielded viewpoints now fly freely across the transparent twittersphere. To stand out and engage millennials in this realm, register to vote campaigns do have to kick it up a notch. But that doesn’t mean we should cheapen the message and resort to low-brow, off-color humor. The right to vote is a gift and should be taken seriously. I have to agree with ‏@janekleeb:

Cross the Party Line, cute http://dontuwant2.onlineshirtstores.com/  The rest of the shirts are ridiculous. Stuff my box?! Young voters better than this.

Sep 12
0

A Trio of Powerhouse Design Conferences

By | Design, Social Media | No Comments

Fall is here and it’s time to get your learn on. As a lifelong learner and information sponge, I wish I could clone myself to take advantage of all the goodness out there. Opportunities flourish in the classroom and out, and sometimes a short conference is all you need to get inspired to put good ideas into action. Students especially have many opportunities to attend, often at a reduced rate. Here are three upcoming design conferences with an emphasis on social change and the value of design in business. Check them out.


A Better World By Design, September 28-30, Providence, RI
Cost: Students $45, Professionals $275, single day passes available

The Gist:

A Better World By Design takes place on the campuses of Rhode Island School of Design and Brown University. The goal is connecting multidiscipinary professionals and students to promote a socially-conscious global community.

The conference centers around the student Better World Challenge (submissions for this year are now closed). This year’s challenge is all about the digital divide and connecting the disconnected to the powersurge of information available through technology. The winner receives a $1,000 stipend towards implementation of the idea and is automatically placed into Dell Social Innovation Challenge’s semi-finalist round for a chance to win $50,000. Check out last year’s finalists and winners in this video.

Speakers include:

Rocco Landesman, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts
Cheryl Heller, American designer and brand strategist
Dr. Timothy Beatley, internationally recognized sustainable city researcher and author

Topics include:

Panels on Design Policy
Urban Farm Tours
Studio Workshops

Fun Factor:

Celebrating it’s fifth anniversary this year, ABWxD is hosting a birthday shindig on Friday night with a stationary bike race, photo booth, bike-powered DJ (whatever that is), and food trucks with local eats and drinks.

Design-O-Meter:

Looks to be a great student event with a focus on collaboration and social change. Intimate setting and refreshingly affordable.

Why It Matters:

ABWxD focuses on bringing together individuals from around the globe to collaborate on social design issues. Not to mention RISD is a hub in itself of design and innovative thinking, with president John Maeda at the helm. A completely student-organized event, ABWxD strives to create impact by thinking globally and acting locally. Connecting the student body to the professional one is paramount in strengthening design education, and this conference is a leader in building those socially-conscious design relationships.

GAIN, AIGA Design for Social Value Conference, October 9-10, San Francisco, CA
Cost: AIGA Student Member, $425, AIGA Professional Member $475-850

The Gist:

From the website:
To be relevant in today’s economy, businesses must think about more than just their bottom line. At “Gain” you‘ll hear design, business and social innovation leaders from a variety of industries share their visionary approaches to creating social value.

Presenters will demonstrate the broadening role design plays in institutional strategy, leadership, process and service, product and message, and how the creative attributes of designers provide special advantages to tackling socially relevant projects and enhancing the human experience. Build value for your brand and strengthen your business practice at “Gain.”

Watch presentations from the 2010 Gain conference here.

Speakers include:

William Drenttel, designer and publisher, Winterhouse
Patrice Martin, co-lead and creative director, IDEO.org
Justin Ahrens, principal, Rule29
Robert Fabricant, vice president of creative, frog design

Topics include:

Negotiating and Contracting for Pro Bono Jobs
Implementing Social Change
Successful Grantwriting and Fundraising

Fun Factor:

Roundtable discussions with specific industry experts, opening night reception, you’re in San Francisco!

Design-O-Meter:

The preeminent professional’s conference with the big name speakers to prove it. Top of the heap schmoozing but you’ll probably have to work (and pay) for it.

Why It Matters:

AIGA recently revamped their membership pricing structure to be more affordable, and is adapting to meet the needs of those in this rapidly changing profession. The crème de la crème speakers at this event make the case for the value of design throughout business and messaging, something that is essential in today’s marketplace. The emphasis is in exploring the role of the designer in the professional space, rather than under the safety umbrella of academia, which is of particular interest to me—integrating social value as part of a holistic approach, not pro-bono work designers are supposed to do on the side.

DesignThinkers Conference, Nov. 8-9, Toronto, Canada
Cost: Before Oct. 9, non-RGD members (Canada’s semi-version of AIGA) $525, student member $175, single day and deluxe tickets available

The Gist:

This is the 13th year for Canada’s largest design conference and is part of an event-full design week in Toronto. The theme is The Sacred Order of Alternative Ideas with the Latin motto finire cogitationes ad infinitum, meaning, limit your thinking to the limitless.

Watch this video for highlights from last year.

Speakers include:

David Butler, VP, Innovation, Coca-Cola Company
Lisa Strausfeld, Global Head of Data Visualization, Bloomberg
Stefan Sagmeister, Co-founder & Creative Director, Sagmeister & Walsh
Glenn John Arnowitz, Director of Global Creative Services, Pfizer

Topics include:

How to Market with Content Workshop
In-House Q&A with Julia Hoffmann & Glenn John Arnowitz

Fun Factor:

Studio tours, an opening party, “Teaching to See” film screening, a PechaKucha night, and a student portfolio workshop with Bryony Gomez-Palacio

Design-O-Meter:

Has been on my radar since I saw last year’s speaker lineup. Combines relevant topics with additional activities.

Why It Matters:

RGD is a professional graphic arts organization much like AIGA, however, they set design standards and designate those who qualify as Registered Graphic Designers (R.G.D.). Members must pass a standard examination of accreditation. How does this change the profession and value we put on design? Are designers more revered for having this accreditation and does it help raise overall awareness?

Sep 06
0
Baltimore-Love-Project-Mural

Public Art and Community Art – We Need Both

By | Art & Social Change, Of Love and Concrete, Social Media | No Comments

(Photo: Sean Scheidt)

When I started working on the Baltimore Love Project four years ago, lead artist Michael Owen and I defined it as a city-wide mural project. After several months of pounding the pavement and telling the story of a mural project we discovered that people were confused. We needed to express ourselves differently. We began to define ourselves as a city-wide street art project. We discovered that murals were often viewed as a form of community art, not public art. So what’s the difference?

We found that many communities strongly support murals. They were willing to let an artist paint on the side of their buildings as long as the community had control over the image and the process of painting the image. They believed in community engagement, particularly in the process of creation. This is community art.

The Love Project proposes painting on the side of buildings which communities supported. However, the definition of the project is to paint the exact same image on 20 walls. It does not cater to the specific aesthetic or story of a community. To maintain the integrity of the image and provide exceptionally high quality art to ALL communities the process is also tightly controlled. We believe in community engagement but it happens after the art work is completed. This is public art.

Community art AND public art are incredibly powerful!

Community art can provide the euphoric experience of creation to everyone. A child has the opportunity to hold a paintbrush in hand and see a product of their own doing at the end of the day. A citizen has the opportunity to tell their story and see the reaction of others to their experiences. Community art empowers people where they are at.

Public art provides the challenge of new perspective. A thoughtful and highly skilled artist can establish new analogies with provocative concepts and the stroke of a brush. The creator confronts individuals with a new way to experience the world. He can show the world not only as it is but also as it can be. Public art empowers people with new outlook.

A city with a litany of walls can and should be home to both community art and public art. There is enough room for everyone to express themselves. There is enough room for new perspectives. The combination of both will lead to a healthy city that knows and expresses its story but is also striving to achieve.

In future posts I will delve further into the specific value of the Baltimore Love project. Much like a great wine, the power is in the nuance.

Sep 06
0

Those Who Can’t Teach, Recruit Teachers?

By | Education, Social Media | 3 Comments

“Girl, you’re not just a talent recruiter. I feel like a newly freed slave. I am so happy.“

Did one of our new teachers just call me Mrs. Tubman?

Crystal Coache … steering worn and weary teachers along the path to freedom since 2012.

I liked the sound of it. So did my friends and family. When I told them about my decision to leave the classroom at the end of my third year of teaching, they became interested in my career again. Their eyes glistened with excitement as they asked about my “next move,” and they nodded in approval when I told them I would be a talent recruiter for a region of KIPP, a well-known charter school network. Ironically, they believed that recruiting teachers was a step up from being one.

Their assumptions couldn’t be further from my new reality working within a system that puts teachers (and students) first, or from my reasons for leaving the classroom to take on this new role. I left because I’d spent three years in an abusive relationship with an administration that misused its power; and despite all of the compelling reasons to stay—the stability and my children— I could no longer endure the impact that working in that environment had on the health of everyone involved. I allowed them to take so much from me; I had to leave before I surrendered my optimism too.

Everyday since beginning this new position, my sense of possibility has grown. And though I am seeing creative approaches to curriculum and management, it’s not the expansive programs that have impressed me most.

It’s the small stuff.

Like the quiet. At the end of my first day, I stopped dead in the hallway when I realized I hadn’t heard a single announcement made over a loudspeaker. Apparently, schools can run smoothly without frantic announcements about uniforms, teachers’ dress code infractions, or period blood in the girls’ bathroom.

Like the humility. I’ve never worked for people more hardworking, talented, or smart than the folks I call colleagues now. They’ve got years of quality experience and degrees from schools whose wait lists I couldn’t reach from my tippy-toes. They view innovation as a norm, not a threat. And you can call these people by nicknames— Jo, Linds, Steve, instead of by title: “Provost, Principal, Doctor, Attorney.”

Like the initiative. There’s this saying that I have come to love about “assigning yourself.” Don’t wait to ask, just get it done. Assign yourself. And if you ask for advice, it isn’t counted against you in an evaluation. In fact, if you ask for help, it isn’t only your problem anymore.

My faith in public education has received a jump start—and that is what I hope this blog will do: jump start the faith, passion, commitment, and thought necessary to apply solutions that work.

Sep 05
0

99 Problems But This Ain’t One

By | Design, Social Media | No Comments

Crowdsourcing. Throw that one into a convo among graphic designers and you’re sure to see the fur fly. You’d have to be living in a bomb shelter to not know how transformational providing this type of contest-based service has been to the design industry. Controversial, yes. But is crowdsourcing going  to die a sudden death as a result? … meh, probably not. There are scores of sites out there promoting this type of service business model, and probably just as many reasons as to why it works and why it shouldn’t.

But this post isn’t about that.

99designs.com is the number-one online marketplace for crowdsourced graphic design, with a new design uploaded every five seconds and more than $35,000,000 paid out to our design community since 2008 (from their website). They have launched a recent initiative that will provide free graphic design services (logos, t-shirt design, print and web design) to 99 nonprofit organizations, selected over the next few months. There is no deadline to apply and nonprofits can submit this short form to get started in the running.

According to their blog, they have already said yes to these contenders:

  • Cancer Council Australia advises the Australian government and other bodies on practices and policies to help prevent, detect and treat cancer, and advocates for the rights of cancer patients for best treatment and supportive care.
  • Greenbelt Alliance aims to make the San Francisco Bay Area a better place to live by protecting the region’s greenbelt and improving the livability of its cities and towns through public policy development, advocacy and education. (California)
  • Black Dog Institute is an educational, research, clinical and community-oriented facility offering specialist expertise in depression and bipolar disorder. (New South Wales)
  • Voice of Warriors helps veterans and their families connect with a wide spectrum of mental health and other resources at a local and national level. (Michigan)
  • CASE for Refugees provides free legal advice, representation and advocacy to refugees, humanitarian visa holders and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. (Western Australia)
  • National Breast Cancer Foundation has allocated more than $55 million to more than 230 breast cancer research projects since 1994 to further its mission to promote and support breast cancer research. (Australia)
  • Menlowe Ballet performs imaginative and illuminating new works and provides  professional performing opportunities to students from the nationally recognized Menlo Park Academy of Dance. (California)

Does this side venture into the do-good world help redeem 99designs from its low ranks or is it a PR stunt to help soften the blow of what’s really going on here? It’s ironic they mention their other community outreach efforts in the nonprofit contest FAQs. It also states that the winning designs (for the nonprofits) will be compensated by 99designs.com, which doesn’t change the biggest problem with this particular crowdsourcing model – the fact that the designers who do the work but don’t make the cut are not paid. But because this is work for a nonprofit, does that make it okay in the name of pro bono?

This contest-like approach for getting creative work for free is not new. Sometimes the winner gets recognition or some other form of compensation for his or her efforts, but somehow that seems more feel-goody and less cut throat than when the “prize” is payment for services and is only rewarded to one lucky person. A creative freelance site like Elance employs a more agreeable model, where designers bid on proposed projects and work one-on-one with the client for an agreed-upon price. Sure, maybe the fee is still unreasonably low and devalues the design profession, but at least designers are getting reimbursed for their time and work.

There are other low-cost options out there for nonprofits who have little to no funding for design and marketing services (why these services are usually not deemed essential to the overall operation budget is another topic for another day). Taproot Foundation connects professionals with social change organizations to give them access to resources such as design, technology and marketing. Grassroots.org is another example. Many designers take on pro bono projects in addition to their daily work to flex their creative muscles. And students are usually in need of real-world experience in and outside of the classroom.

It’s easy to forget that crowdsourcing isn’t always a negative thing. It has just become synonymous with crowdsourced design. Kiva and Kickstarter are harnessing the power of the masses to benefit organizations around the globe. Used in other ways, crowdsourcing can be very beneficial for nonprofits without endorsing the type of spec work that 99designs blatantly encourages.

Aug 30
0

Doctors for America

By | Education, Social Media | No Comments

“Are you having trouble finding a doctor who will see you? If not, give it another year and a half. A doctor shortage is on its way,” warns John C. Goodman is his Wall Street Journal op-ed. He’s wrong. According to Businessweek, there’s already a shortage of 15,000 doctors, with projections of a 130,000 shortage of doctors by 2025. So why not increase the supply of doctors to meet the demand of the 30 million new patients ushered into the US health care system with the Affordable Care Act? Currently, doctors are trained through a rigorous residency program, lasting three to seven years, costing $145,000 per year per resident. “The residency programs to train new doctors are largely paid for by the federal government, and the number of students accepted into such programs has been capped at the same level for 15 years. Medical schools are holding back on further expansion because the number of applicants for residencies already exceeds the available positions.”

Wait, isn’t this supposed to be an education column?

Internet trolls love to snipe in comment threads about Teach for America, “Imagine if we had Doctors for America – would you want someone performing brain surgery on you after five weeks of training?” Frankly, this is blissfully ignorant First World snark. Partners in Health, founded by the brilliant Paul Farmer, trains community members as public health workers in impoverished settings like Haiti, Rwanda, Peru, and Malawi because they have a severe shortage of doctors. The only reason the United States doesn’t have Doctors for America is because America is not facing a severe shortage of doctors… yet.

Goodman’s op-ed dances around some very important ethical and economic questions, but unfortunately, he abandons them for low hanging fruit like “wait time” at the doctor’s office, which will be probably be the least of the US health care system’s problems in the next decade. Universal healthcare will inevitably create some of the same supply and demand issues that plague the public education system. That’s basic economics. And as doctors increasingly feel overwhelmed and underpaid, they too will burn out and leave the profession for private pastures.

I wonder if the internet trolls will gripe how lazy doctors have become, as public health professionals across the nation try in vain to address the ailments of 30 patients at a time?

As a moral, socially conscious citizen, it is a popular liberal opinion to agree that healthcare and education are basic human rights that should be provided by the government. But as a society, are we willing to make the commitment (and sacrifices) required to actually provide those rights? Or do we just want to feel better about ourselves by nodding our heads and passing laws without footing the bill for the financial capital and human resources required to make those lofty provisions a logistical reality?

The two-tiered healthcare system that Goodman prophecies is essentially the education system we already have – wealthy people evade the system by paying for high-end education through private schools, while poor/middle class people are stuck with a resource depleted public system. Does America have the capacity to provide high-quality social goods and services to everyone? Or is a two-tiered system inevitable? Is a two-tiered system acceptable as long as the lower-tier provision is adequate? These are uncomfortable questions to ask, especially when politically palatable answers are not always economically feasible. Of course, it does not help matters that our nation’s political “leaders” are busy quibbling over the technicalities of rape instead of solving actual political and economic problems.

If you need immediate cardiac care, would you rather take your chances and wait a year for a top notch doc, or go under the knife with a 22-year old-who learned how to wield a scalpel last week (but was, like, so good at Operation)?

And if neither of these options is acceptable for our bodies, why is it the fate for so many of our nation’s young minds?

Aug 29
0

Mobile Design

By | Design, Social Media | No Comments

By now we’ve all seen bookmobiles, bloodmobiles, traveling HIV-testing clinics and mobile farmer’s markets as a way to bring goods and social services to the people (not to mention the ongoing food truck explosion). Now another four-wheeled venture has recently joined the traveling ranks. Introducing the mobile design studio!

Erik Olovsson, a recent design school grad, converted a mobile home into a roving design studio and is traveling across Sweden producing menus, business cards, posters and animation for local small businesses. He even takes it a step further by offering his services for barter or trade, eschewing cash for life’s necessities.

‘I want to explore my role as a designer and be my own producer, in the same time challenge the norms in the business,’ Olovsson commented in Frame magazine.

Wherever Erik’s Designbuss makes a stop, he rolls out the welcome mat and sets up chairs to have one-on-one contact with clients. What a great way to encourage idea exchange and provoke curiosity among passer-by.

“It is rare that a designer gets a deeper insight into the client’s business,” he adds in this article from Good. “It’s easy to be sitting in the office and surf design blogs instead of finding inspiration from reality.”

I admire Erik’s Design Buss immensely. The introduction of the digital age changed everything about how graphic designers work and forces us to be tethered to a computer for most of the day. When, ironically, the inspiration for creativity and the cause for social design is all around us. Some designers have reacted to this electronic epidemic by incorporating handmade elements and artist techniques into their work, hence the rise of the letterpress, screenprint and DIY craft.

I hope other graphic designers follow suit on Erik’s charming approach to the business of design. A mobile design studio might be a good transition for students of social design to get local and take their act on the road, while getting to see some of the communities they might be helping without the barrier of the screen.

Aug 23
0

Why Art?

By | Art & Social Change, Of Love and Concrete, Social Media | No Comments

A typical conversation:

“What do you do?”
“I promote art in Baltimore.”
“That’s interesting. Did you go to MICA?”
“No I went to Johns Hopkins.”
“Did you study Art History?”
“No, I studied engineering?”
“Why would you promote art?.”

Sometimes I am surprised by my transition, but I know that this is where I was destined to be.

My junior year of college I was living with several roommates in a typical Baltimore row house. One evening my housemate exclaimed that his sister had just won a prestigious poetry prize. Having no interest in poetry, I asked to read the work only reluctantly, out of politeness. I was appalled. It had no logic and made no sense. I proceeded to voice my opinion and thus begun a furious debate about the merits of art. I on the side of “what value is gibberish?” and he on the side of expression and new analogy. That was my engineering perception of the world. If it could not be explained scientifically what value did something have?

After graduating with two engineering degrees from Hopkins, and spending two years studying lung cancer, I put on an entrepreneurial hat. I began painting living rooms and bedrooms for upper- middle-class Baltimore. A painter with a degree from Hopkins became a hot commodity. The list of clients grew and I started hiring. Did you know that the most flexible, and surprisingly dependable, work force is artists? My crew had two writers, two visual artists, a musician, and an aspiring architect. Needless to say, our days were spent talking philosophy. Our clients frequently joined the banter much to their own surprise. My crew exposed me to a new type of intelligence. They didn’t know an integral from a derivative, but they knew the classics and understood the world in a different light. They started to shift my sense of value.

The painting business was going great but I had recently married and the future was becoming a reality. As only a spouse can, Jenn expressed that my talents and my personality were not being used to their full potential in my painting business. Shortly after our wedding an employee was injured on the job. The experience shook not only my business but my own outlook. I needed to move on, but to what? I had been reading a book on hope. One of the chapters focused on art. It suggested that art is one of the few places we can honestly explore the reality of the world and, more importantly, that art is a place to express the hope of the world. Could art have value beyond meaningful conversations?

A former employee had been working for a summer to launch a “small” public art project. He could not find traction. He needed a skill set beyond his own. Now, as friends, he expressed his needs and asked if I might use my entrepreneurial skills to do the business side of his art. Looking for a change, and with my growing understanding of art, I agreed to take on the role. Besides, my not-entirely-reconstructed-engineer’s-mind thought, I was now planning to attend business school, so this would also look great on my resume. We began creating a plan to paint 20 walls with the word ‘love.’ I was now commissioned to express the value of art.

Four years later, we have completed 14 Love Project murals. I have got my business education without a degree (or the debt), and I can tell you art is the most valuable thing in the world. It changes people.

I recently visited my college roommate. We certainly touched on art. This time it was I showing him this “amazing” installation that challenges the notion of place, and he wondering if I was crazy! If art can change me, I can only imagine what it can do for the world! In this space, I look forward to exploring that extraordinary power.

Aug 23
0

Why Art?

By | Art & Social Change, Social Media | No Comments

A typical conversation:

“What do you do?”
“I promote art in Baltimore.”
“That’s interesting. Did you go to MICA?”
“No I went to Johns Hopkins.”
“Did you study Art History?”
“No, I studied engineering?”
“Why would you promote art?.”

Sometimes I am surprised by my transition, but I know that this is where I was destined to be.

My junior year of college I was living with several roommates in a typical Baltimore row house. One evening my housemate exclaimed that his sister had just won a prestigious poetry prize. Having no interest in poetry, I asked to read the work only reluctantly, out of politeness. I was appalled. It had no logic and made no sense. I proceeded to voice my opinion and thus begun a furious debate about the merits of art. I on the side of “what value is gibberish?” and he on the side of expression and new analogy. That was my engineering perception of the world. If it could not be explained scientifically what value did something have?

After graduating with two engineering degrees from Hopkins, and spending two years studying lung cancer, I put on an entrepreneurial hat. I began painting living rooms and bedrooms for upper- middle-class Baltimore. A painter with a degree from Hopkins became a hot commodity. The list of clients grew and I started hiring. Did you know that the most flexible, and surprisingly dependable, work force is artists? My crew had two writers, two visual artists, a musician, and an aspiring architect. Needless to say, our days were spent talking philosophy. Our clients frequently joined the banter much to their own surprise. My crew exposed me to a new type of intelligence. They didn’t know an integral from a derivative, but they knew the classics and understood the world in a different light. They started to shift my sense of value.

The painting business was going great but I had recently married and the future was becoming a reality. As only a spouse can, Jenn expressed that my talents and my personality were not being used to their full potential in my painting business. Shortly after our wedding an employee was injured on the job. The experience shook not only my business but my own outlook. I needed to move on, but to what? I had been reading a book on hope. One of the chapters focused on art. It suggested that art is one of the few places we can honestly explore the reality of the world and, more importantly, that art is a place to express the hope of the world. Could art have value beyond meaningful conversations?

A former employee had been working for a summer to launch a “small” public art project. He could not find traction. He needed a skill set beyond his own. Now, as friends, he expressed his needs and asked if I might use my entrepreneurial skills to do the business side of his art. Looking for a change, and with my growing understanding of art, I agreed to take on the role. Besides, my not-entirely-reconstructed-engineer’s-mind thought, I was now planning to attend business school, so this would also look great on my resume. We began creating a plan to paint 20 walls with the word ‘love.’ I was now commissioned to express the value of art.

Four years later, we have completed 14 Love Project murals. I have got my business education without a degree (or the debt), and I can tell you art is the most valuable thing in the world. It changes people.

I recently visited my college roommate. We certainly touched on art. This time it was I showing him this “amazing” installation that challenges the notion of place, and he wondering if I was crazy! If art can change me, I can only imagine what it can do for the world! In this space, I look forward to exploring that extraordinary power.