On Serendipity: Katie Kemerling

June 2, 2017

Want to infuse your life with more creativity, more joy, and more magic? Of course you do! So, my wife is pretty amazing. She’s big time. Moving, shaking, making things happen. Recently she gave a talk at Creative Mornings Omaha on Ideas to Increase Your Luck Factor. It’s a great talk. For more of that creative spark, give a listen.

OMA: Katie Kemerling »

Potential Topics

May 31, 2017

Oversell, Undersell (Trying to find a balance.)
On the News (If I didn’t design, I’d study media.)
Hustle, Scratch That (I’m so tired of hearing about “the hustle.” It’s total crap.)
The First Black Bachelorette (Yeah, I watch The Bachelorette with my wife, what of it?)
This too shall pass. But will it? (On our current state of affairs.)
The First Dotty Old Racist President (I mean, he’s the fucking worst.)
On Preferences (We think we know best, but do we?)
On Criticism (If you think you can get anywhere without it, you’re sorely mistaken.)
I Miss You, Barack (America sucks right now. I know, I know, didn’t it always?)
What do you want to spend most of your time thinking about?
On Bullshit (I think we all need to turn up our self-assessing bullshit meters. I mean, have you listened to us lately?)
The 12 Apostles (Kidding!)
Superstitions (Why are these still things?)
Optimal Length Podcast (Why go longer than 45 minutes? Why?)
DAMN. (Album of the decade.)
Where’s the strangest place you’ve ever slept?
Trying to have it all gets in the way (Definitely.)

These and other topics are things I’m thinking I should write about. But I’m just not very much in a writing mood. So instead, they exist as pithy little 1-liners. At least for now.

Omaha Gives! (Big)

May 25, 2017

The 5th annual charitable challenge for the city of Omaha was on a Wednesday this year. I started the day by listening to the news and hearing the details of the Trump budget that cuts an insane amount of money from heath, education, and environment programs designed to help those in our society who are struggling. So the juxtaposition was motivating considering I could respond to this horrible budget by donating a bunch of money to nonprofits in our community who do great work. It doesn’t change the fact that Trump and Republicans will stop at nothing until the parts of our government that help people are decimated. But I digress.

During Omaha’s 5th annual 24-hour charitable challenge, more than $7.83 million was raised for 923 nonprofits with 52,886 donations. Over the five years of the event, 200k donations have totaled more than $35 million. Money that goes to important nonprofits who are doing crucial work. Having participated in the event since it started and being the design partner for the last 4 years working with Omaha Community Foundation to get people excited about donating, it’s quite an inspiring thing to see.

The way we all celebrate giving, the way we work together to help others, and the way we recognize sharing is better than taking. Until next year, remember, there’s plenty to go around and there’s only so much we can do individually. After all, it takes a village to make sure the village is the best it can be.

Local Election, National Discussion

May 23, 2017

From the Heath Mello for Mayor Case Study

The election was watched nationally as one of the first in this odd new Trump era. Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Keith Ellison were brought to Omaha to campaign for Heath as part the DNC’s Come Together Fight Back tour. While the event did energize the base, it unexpectedly spurred a heated discussion around being a pro-life Democrat in a conservative state. While some of the coverage was incorrect, this article in The Nation breaks things down well. The discussion is certainly an important one for Democrats to have, but it did detract from what the campaign wanted to be talking about in the final weeks leading up to election day.

Not getting a win is certainly disappointing. Having another 4 years of a harsh Republican mayor who lacks vision is very concerning for the city’s future mass transit needs, riverfront development, and the prioritization of equity for EVERYONE.

But, the creativity and energy from the campaign is a hopeful sign for future citizen engagement. The tireless work of young leaders in our community mean the central idea of the campaign — creating a city that’s more welcoming, inclusive, and innovative — is still possible. Those of us who want a more progressive city aren’t giving up. In fact, we’re more determined than ever.

View Case Study »