From my discussion on the Voices Creating Change podcast with Amanda Stevenson, here are some of the things we covered in our 54 minutes:
Voices Creating Change Podcast
You like podcasts, right? Of course you do. Voices Creating Change is a new podcast by Amanda Stevenson that seeks to be a force for change, a vehicle of expression, and a community for all social change initiatives through the arts. I just so happen to be Amanda’s guest on the 2nd episode. Check it out, give a listen.
We talk about punk rock, graphic design, Omaha, nonprofits, #MeToo, #NoKXL, Barack Obama, and a few of my favorite artists. There’s even some discussion about growing up in a small town, semi-trucks, and Weezer’s amazing first album. It’s good stuff.
Fed up? Start there.
Are you mad about the way things are? Beside yourself with “the way it is?” Over status quo? Excellent. That’s your starting point. Where you go next, that’s up to you.
But I will say one thing about the direction you shouldn’t take. Please, for the love of god, do not go with this:
I’m also so mad about the way some people involved are going about what I think needs to be done and I just know they are wrong and therefore I am going just be difficult and a naysayer.
Do not do this. Unless you don’t want to be effective. And if you haven’t heard, being effective is the name of the game. Not spouting off, whining about what someone else is doing, and then sitting at home.
Maybe this means complaining online about the direction a design community is taking. Or the way a nonprofit community is missing glaring issues. Or the way a political community isn’t taking hard enough stances. If you take the least effective path of not utilizing your time and treasure to improve the situation, well, then you are part of the problem. Not neutral, but negative.
Because the stakes are high and we can’t afford to have your energy sitting out because the picture isn’t exactly want you want to see. No, enough of that nonsense.
Paint another fucking picture. The time is now.
Little White Sticks
– My latest on Medium about a meal –
The meal takes place behind the parking lot of a fast food joint. A chicken place, like KFC. From a distance, hiding in the bushes, Man-at-Arms, Teela, and Gwildor snag a tub of chicken wings with the help of a grappling hook type of tool. Shoot out the hook, latch onto the tub, and pull in the target.
What do you want to spend your time thinking about?
Do you want to spend your time thinking about selling things? Or thinking about improving things? Or thinking about making things? Or thinking about what’s now or what’s next?
On Facebook
I’m on Facebook currently because it’s brought me a lot of joy over the years. As a way to keep up with friends and as a resource for sharing the important things going on in my life. But recently, I’ve been trying to cut back. I think it’s clear there are serious mental health issues that come with all social media and in light of concerns over privacy and fake news, not being on Facebook as much is a good decision on my part. Still, I feel I can’t delete my account. Why?
My connections made on Facebook are valuable. I wish I could take them with me and go somewhere else, but I can’t. Hence, I’m still there. Not like I used to be mind you. Instead I use it to talk shit and get my political thinking out there. And I share some work stuff. As an independent designer, if you aren’t sharing the work you’re doing then most likely nobody else is.
So my focus is narrow. It’s not a place for a detailed timeline of my life. I use it to organize my events. I won’t use it for dating. True, I’m married but Mark Zuckerberg talking about their new “Tinderesque” dating feature is infuriating. When I heard that I thought to myself, “man, fuck that guy, who does he think he is?” It might be the thing that ultimately pushes me off Facebook is instead a person and his name is Mark Zuckerberg. Given his Congressional testimony, I certainly don’t have much confidence in him or the future of Facebook.
Their latest ad about getting back to the good old days of Facebook is stupid, too. Any forward-looking tech company should know that. They fucked up, they know it, and we’re not going to forget it.
It’s easy these days to hate Facebook. And that’s totally acceptable in this present moment. I guess we’ll have to wait for the future of the platform to shake out to see if I’m still on it in a year or two. Only timelines will tell.
On Weirdos
Working with kindred spirits and other creative folks who are a little weird has been great practice for dealing with client relationships, especially ones that can be more challenging. You get comfortable with communicating ideas, fusing different perspectives, and seeking out honest feedback to make the final, realized idea the best it can be.
