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A World Separated

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 05 May 2016 21:14:00 +0000

Each day, I grow and learn. Some days, I grow more than others. Often, what I learn is not applicable at the moment, but I add it to my palette for the future.

Recently, I had the honor of accompanying my favorite creative duo, Jane Gittings and François Robert, to a compelling art exhibition titled, “A World Separated by Borders” at The Museo De Arte De Sonora (MUSAS) in Hermosillo, Mexico. François was one of an esteemed group of artists who showed in this exhibition, including Michael Hyatt, Debbi McCullough, Petra Boehm (curator) and Alejandra Platt.

I have always struggled to articulate the reality that I see around me. My goal is not to complain, but to get people to think and act. Unfortunately, words are woefully inadequate to express and define the complex issues that I believe that we face today. There are too many variables, attributes or nuances to explain. That is where art comes into play.

“A picture paints a thousand words.” And a room full of art and people creates a dialogue that resonates far beyond the walls where the art hangs. The exhibition, “A World Separated by Borders” was no exception.

I am sure different people took away their own unique perspectives, but I would bet that each continued the conversations they started at the exhibition.

Let me back up and give some context. My wife, Lyra, and I were actually invited to accompany a humanitarian group, The Samaritans of Tucson, to caravan from Tucson, Arizona to Hermosillo, Mexico. We were the guests of Jane and François who are members of this group whose mission it is to drop water and food for people crossing the brutal 60 mile stretch of the Sonoran desert between Mexico and Tucson. Most people cannot carry enough water to make the trek, especially in the summer heat, which can reach temperatures of 120º F...and without water, people will perish.

The Samaritans’ goal is to throw a literal life line to people dying in the desert. These are people, not unlike you and me, who are at fringes of our world, separated only by the borders we erect that are both physical and figurative. The Samaritans believe that no one deserves to die alone in the desert just because they’re trying to feed their family.

The Samaritans only drop jugs of water and food it is my understanding that they call Border Control and give them GPS coordinates whenever they encounter person in distress.

Through my conversations, I also learned that not everyone agrees with The Samaritans. Other groups or individuals, who also patrol the area, may find the water jugs and knife them or shoot them so that the water drains out. This is a virtual death sentence…I think the punishment does not fit the crime in this case. One of the exhibits by Debbi McCullough happens to be a sculpture of water jugs that The Samaritans had left behind, but were “knifed”.

Copyright © under universal copyright convention. †

In another interesting conversation, I discovered that The Samaritans often find empty black water jugs strewn about in the desert. Apparently, people paint their water jugs black to avoid being seen by the border patrol. Otherwise, the jugs light up brightly when a spotlight shines on them. It seems that bleach bottles are the jug of choice to paint black.

Even more compelling, are the personal belongings that people leave behind in the desert, upon which the artists of “A World Separated by Borders” are shedding light. Juxtaposed against one another, these artifacts allow us to see the border “crossers” as human beings and begin to understand their terrible plight.

François, with his incredible style and empathy for others, documents the subtle humanity found in these discarded artifacts. From family photos to love letters to lipstick and toothbrushes…each chronicles a story and humanizes this tragedy. The stories are similar to our own and allow us to realize that these are people like us. Actually, they are us.

We need to have a meaningful dialogue about borders. Maybe it depends on which side you are on, but has a wall ever worked as a long-term or sustainable solution? For example, how did it turn out for the Chinese against the Mongolians with The Great Wall of China? Or for the Romans against the Scots and Picts with Hadrian’s Wall? Or the Communist East Germans and The Berlin Wall? Yet, today, in addition to the Mexican Border Wall, we still have The DMZ in Korea, The Moroccan Wall in the Western Sahara and The West Bank Barrier in Israel, etc. Please see Wikipedia’s comprehensive Wall List.

Whatever the answer is to these terrible situations, only art can illuminate such complex issues with empathy. And through empathy can we begin to break down the walls that divide us.

† All rights reserved of Francois ROBERT photographs. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise without written permission of the copyright owner. Unless noted, all other photos by Douglas Wills and Lyra Jakabhazy.

“Yes, And…” Improv @ Second City Chicago

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 06 May 2015 05:16:00 +0000

Photo by Douglas Wills

For the past year, Lyra and I have been happily struggling through improv classes at the renowned Second City Improv Training Center in Chicago. It has been great fun. The camaraderie within my ensemble is priceless.

The first thing we were taught was to say “Yes, and…” to everything your scene partner proposes and figure it out afterward. You treat everything your scene partner says or does as a gift that you build upon.

For example, you may initiate a scene by saying, “Honey, I really think we should take that trip to Fiji.” Your scene partner should agree and build on that... For example, “Yes! And I feel it would be great for our relationship if we took midnight strolls along the moonlit Fiji beach and listened to the waves crash into the shore.” They you might say, “Yes! And we can build a bonfire...and drink wine until the sun comes up! Let’s put our scuba gear on and practice right now!” End scene...

Photo by Lyra Jakabhazy

Then other members of your ensemble can jump in and create a new scene, building on the Fiji idea, where maybe the couple is on the beach and a pirate named Jack Sparrow crashes the party! ...and things start to get crazy! …you can fill in the blanks. The objective is that everyone in the ensemble builds on the gifts that each member brings to a scene.

If you respond to your scene partner by saying, “Yea, but…” or “No, we can’t afford to travel…” nothing is added to the scene and often, it throws your novice scene partner into a panic…it might be funny to watch a novice improviser panic on stage, but it usually makes the audience to feel uncomfortable.

Check out the Liam Neeson improv sketch with Ricky Gervais on how NOT to do improvisational comedy!

Photo by Joshay Ferguson

Second City proclaims that the foundation of improv is the ensemble. The ensemble is there to back up the scene’s partners. When the scene is ready to be refreshed, or has run its course, or is slowing, the ensemble is there to relieve the current improvisers and keep the energy flowing.

Most importantly, all the members in the ensemble are there to build on whatever is created by saying, “Yes, and…” to each other. The sense that they actually have your back is comforting and encourages all ensemble members to take greater risks when initiating scenes.

It is widely known that creativity thrives best within boundaries. In improv, the boundaries are set by a “Get” from the audience. The “Get” given by the audience could be a “place that people often gather” such as a wedding or “a period in time” such as the Victorian Age or “clique in high school” such as the Mean Girls or “a never before seen musical” such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer Opera…the imaginary back story behind the scene.

And always remember, creativity also thrives on permission…that is, permission to push THE boundaries set by the audience. Ultimately, by saying “Yes, and…”, you are giving your scene partner(s), and yourself, permission to create something new and playful that pushes the boundaries of normalcy.

Finally, as novices, we are told, “don’t try to be funny!” If you try to be funny, it usually means that you are thinking ahead and are not FULLY PRESENT in the NOW. You should be FOCUSING on and reacting to your partner…not premeditating what you are going to say or do. Trying to be funny in improv does not work well because it often comes off as rehearsed or cliché.

Of course, improv should be funny or people would stop coming to the shows! But humor flows better when it is organic, arising from the human relationships that the improvisers recreate on stage.

Photo by Lyra Jakabhazy

So, will I ever make it to the “Main Stage” at The Second City? I highly doubt it...there is way too much competition to be the next Bill Murray or Tina Fey...But I can easily apply the lessons I learned from improvising to many aspects of my personal and professional life. Now, more than ever, I actively look for friendships as well as professional engagements that say: “Yes and…” to me, build on my contributions and give me the permission to innovate.

I am especially thankful to Lyra, my ensemble members Brian, Hanna, Josip, Kelly, Kimber, Mac, Randy, Richard, Stass, The Second City teachers Tim Sozsko, Janna Sobel, Mark Czoske, Jay Steigmann, Jay Sukow and Ryan Bernier who all have been “Yes, And”-ing me the past year.

Edited by Marina Kiskovich

Innovating Disaster Relief: Sharon Fe Pfleider

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 08 Dec 2014 10:59:00 +0000

Photo: Mirs Napoles Carel

I am always inspired by the humanity I find in people...especially, their selflessness for others who are in great need. This archetypal role model was ingrained in me by my parents at an early age. My mother and father were always helping others and giving of themselves...either through their nursing service...United Nursing Inc, organizing charity, cultural or church events...or bringing home a stray person for dinner who needed a helping hand.

I was taught to admire charity in others and have always seen it as a strength, not a weakness.

Professionally, I have tried to emulate this by taking on positions that somehow help others. Either by empowering the people or teams I am working with or somehow satisfying the needs of the customers they serve. If I ever stray from this, I inevitably run into a dissonance, which affects the passion I have for my work.

These days, I am involved with a start up called BigHuman, whose mission it is to tackle the real and difficult challenges of disaster relief and preparedness. Being part of this effort, I often ask myself, “How can I really make a difference in such a monumental challenge? How can I contribute?”

At this point, stories are what I have to offer...stories that I hope can inspire others to act.

The recent typhoon Hagupit in the Philippines reminded me of a friend of mine whose acts of selflessness and community giving must be shared. I believe her story can shed light on how we might approach natural disasters in the years to come...please share this post where appropriate.

So, let me tell you about a remarkable woman...someone with limited resources, no NGO support, no experience or connections with the philanthropic world. None the less, she made a difference...a big difference in the lives of many people in need. I hope her story will be a valuable contribution to a broader discussion on how the world prepares for the future natural disasters.

Meet Sharon Fe Pfleider, pictured above in the opening photo of this blog post. Sharon lives in Makati City, a thriving business and residential sector in Manila, Philippines.

Tragically, in November 2013, Sharon’s home village of Leyte was struck by the devastating forces of Typhoon Yolanda...where many of her family members still lived. Leyte is a small village on the Eastern Visayan island of Leyte of the same name.

Leyte was a beautiful village full of beautiful people. Everyone there loves and takes pride in their children, just as we all do.

Photo: Douglas Wills, Leyte Elementary School (before Yolanda)

Above, is the Leyte Elementary School to share what I hope is a glimpse of how beautiful and idyllic Leyte was.

I hope for people to see that Leyte and, by extension, the Philippines, is filled with loving intelligent people just like you and me. Nothing more and nothing less.

Photo: Douglas Wills, Leyte (before Yolanda)

Above, a Leyte street on a typically gorgeous day...the kids are on their way home after school.

Photo: Alex Ariza Dagandan

On November 7, 2013, Yolanda dropped a massive hammer on the beautiful life in Leyte...along with many others on the Eastern Visayan island of Leyte...over 10,000 people were killed...forever scarring the surviving children of this beautifully dangerously land.

Photo: Alex Ariza Dagandan

Above, the community Church of Leyte. You can view this beautiful church before Yolanda, here.

Photo: Sharon Pfleider

Above, what was left of Sharon’s sister Donna’s family home. I have no words... :(

Photo: Sharon Pfleider

Above, the remnants of Sharon’s father’s home. How do you pick up the pieces of your life from this?

The aftermath of devastation in Tacloban, the largest city neighboring Leyte, was on a much larger scale, but keep in mind that there were many villages like Leyte scattered throughout the island that were hit just as hard. (see the Tindog Tacloban video below)

Courageously, Sharon made it her mission to respond…and employ the limited resources and capabilities within her grasp: her social network, her drive and her leadership skills. What she did was simply brilliant. Rather than wait for the usual NGO’s to come to the aid of her small village, Sharon reached out to the global diaspora of Leyte and others within her social network...

Sharon did not just solicit money for the purpose of forwarding it to an NGO...she instead decided to garner donations to procure and distribute the relief on her own....bypassing the traditional aid organizations and expediting the overall response effort.

Innovation at its finest...when people focus on how they can help others.

First, Sharon set up a Facebook Page, called Leyte-Leyte Tulong Operation (it is still live...you need to be logged into Facebook to view it) and transparently laid out her plan for relief. Sharon did her best describing what was needed and how she would execute the relief plan. She then crowdsourced donations, leveraging PayPal and other payment services since donations would be pouring in from around the globe. Remember, Sharon is a Filipina with limited resources and no capital of her own...but she is very savvy and passionate.

Because Sharon reached out to her own social network...the donors where already familiar with her...so donating was a more personal act than sending money to the Red Cross. Donors knew exactly how, when, and to whom their contributions would be deployed.

Each step of the way, Sharon transparently published the donors names and their donations on the Facebook page...along with her warm appreciation on behalf of the victims.

Photo: Sharon Pfleider

Sharon posted events, in my humble opinion, with professional grade photo journalism and candid commentary. Doing so, not only kept everyone informed, but it increased her credibility and trust within the "pop-up" relief community.

Photo: Sharon Pfleider

Needless to say, the supporters for Leyte-Leyte Tulong Operation grew and grew until there was an army.

Photo: Sharon Pfleider

As soon as Sharon had enough donations, she procured the needed food, water and supplies. She even documented the staging process of the relief effort as she prepared for the distribution of supplies.

Sharon and others in the community also posted local news and the current progress of the relief efforts.

Photo: Sharon Pfleider

At every phase, the Leyte-Leyte Tulong Operation community could follow the progress and maintain communication with Sharon and others in the community.

Photo: Sharon Pfleider

Then Sharon took the show on the road. Again, she documented in real time, the relief distribution through photo-journalistic entries on the Facebook page. We could all travel with her as she traversed to Leyte and help those in need.

Not only did Sharon continue to post relevant news and information, but the community was also able to express their emotion...

Remember, this is a human relief effort. The houses and structures were not what needed help, it was the people and their families that needed comfort.

Photo: Mirs Napoles Carel

Photo: Mirs Napoles Carel xxxxx

Photo: Mirs Napoles Carel

Here, Sharon is passing out food and supplies...she is the one on the back of the truck with the blue bag.

We should all learn from Sharon...that no matter who we think we are...how little we think we have...or insignificant we think our position is...we can make a difference. We just have to give ourselves permission and leverage our God given talents and the tools we have at our disposal.

Photo: Elvira Mateo Pfleider, Sharon with her father

I believe empowering passionate and intelligent people to act by giving them the tools to develop compelling solutions is the key to unlocking the creativity and wisdom of the crowd. This is what future innovation efforts will be focused on, whether it is for disaster preparedness or any other human need...the solutions and people who can best solve our problems are in our midst...they are just not evenly distributed...society’s aim should be to connect to and empower them.

Well done, Sharon!

A note from Sharon

“Its only by God’s grace that I am able to do all those things. So, to God be the glory. I am not worthy of such accolade. It is through Him, and only in Him that I have this heart to help others. Nonetheless, thank you very much.” — Sharon Fe Pfleider

An interesting side note

The White House recently held an “Innovation Demo” for Disaster Response on August 14, 2014. I hope they included lots of people who have endured a disaster and its aftermath. It’s too bad they did not invite Sharon...she would have been a show stopper...and added invaluable insights to the conversation...

Photo: DHS Science and Technology

The above photo is a brainstorming session aimed at how and where technology can improve disaster response and recovery. You can download the talking points and fact sheet from the White House workshop recap here.

Go Austin! Go!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 22 Sep 2014 00:15:00 +0000

I have always struggled to give my kids the best opportunities in life. Often, I am severely constrained by time, money and location. As a result, I will take big risks to put them in learning situations beyond all of our comfort zones...I can not afford high end private schools. I am sure they will need therapy in their adult life to compensate for some of my risk taking with their learning.

But...there has rarely been a dull moment. Especially, for Austin and baseball.

In 2007...due to career repositioning...I found myself in Seoul, Korea. I told myself I would only be staying 4 months...but deep inside I saw this as a huge opportunity.

Because I am deeply passionate about my family as well as my career, I dragged them all to Seoul...to also take part in the opportunity. To advance their education, I found art schools for my daughters and a high level baseball team for Adam and Austin...the Dongbu Eagles. It was actually a feeder team that puts boys on track to the Korean professional leagues and beyond.

This was not going to be easy...for any of us.

The Dongbu Eagles and their coach were a hard driving baseball club. They practiced 7 days a week from morning until sundown. This amount of practice and intensity gave the boys a solid foundation in the fundamentals of baseball...but at great sacrifice.

BTW: at least one of Dongbu alumni made it to the American MLB...Jae Kuk Ryu...and actually played for a brief time with the Chicago Cubs...

In 2008, the Dongbu Eagles were ranked 4 in the nation (Korea). So, Austin had some serious competition to adjust to...if he was going to play. At first, the coach was quite skeptical and felt that both boys would sit the bench. However, Austin rose to the occasion and won a spot in the starting line up. Awesome! Unfortunately, at least one Korean player was not happy about this. There were grumblings on the team. It was quite difficult for Austin...on many levels.

Eventually, Austin won over the hearts and minds of his team mates...as he always does.

The pressure was immense for a kid that age. Austin soon found him self attracting attention. Being one of only 2 Americans (Adam was the other American) in all of Korea to ever play little league baseball, Austin was often in the spot light. This climaxed during an ESPN broadcast of the national championships in 2008.

To my relief, Austin composed himself gracefully...even though Dongbu got killed and he struck out.

The coach even let him pitch a few innings during the championship game. I would have peed my pants! Overall, I believe Dongbu ended up 4th in the nation that year.

Each year the team traveled to the south of Korea for a tournament in Pohang. Often, we found ourselves in some picturesque settings. In the background of the school yard (above) is the sacred Seoroksan National Park mountain range.

In 2009 Austin continued to be a crowd pleaser. That year, Austin is received the most improved player award.

We were all proud of him...especially his younger brother Adam who has always looked up to Austin. These were very formative years for both boys.

Coach Jung Kyung-ha is a very dedicated man of baseball. He has been coaching Dongbu since 1984 and has been totally focused on the team and the boys ever since. I do not believe he has a family other than the team. He is a baseball monk in my opinion. And I mean that in the best sense.

Though I did not know it at the time, he was the only coach in the Korean little league association to extend an offer for Adam and Austin to play. We will always be grateful for this.

However, Korea was not the end of Austin’s baseball story. Soon he was back in the US playing for his high school team, the Portage Central Mustangs...honing the skills that he acquired in Korea.

Austin did great!

In Portage, Austin was a great all around player...from the outfield, to the infield and to the mound...but as I am often fond of doing, I did not let him stay in the comfort zone of a suburban high school baseball team for long...

So, in Chicago, I dragged him to Morgan Park High School to try out for the Cubs RBI team program. Once again, Austin was out of his comfort zone..and up against some serious competition...as well as kids from a completely different culture.

Austin made it through the awkwardness of the tryouts on that hot summer day and made the Cubs RBI 16 year old travel team.

During the week, Austin played in Hyde Park with his RBI training team.

During the weekends, we traveled all over the state of Illinois as Austin played on the Cubs RBI travel team coached. The team was coached by a tough Chicago Police officer, Dave Diaz. He was also the coach for Roberto Clemente High School baseball team at the time...one of the best baseball teams in Chicagoland.

Austin was a solid player and a starter for the Cubs RBI, but for some reason did not get to travel down to St. Louis for the championship game. Just as well, we were all traveled out by that weekend. One thing in the US...traveling for baseball is brutal. Expensive and your weekends are owned by the tournaments...same as Korea.

BTW...The Cubs RBI program is headed by Ernest Radcliffe, who happens to the (great?) grandson of one of the greatest baseball players of all time: Double Duty Radcliffe. Coach Radcliffe an ex-ball-player himself is a great motivator and positive force to a lot troubled kids in the south side of Chicago.

After this experience, Austin was soon he was back in Portage on his high school team, the Mustangs.

Austin is now developing physical strength that is enabling his hitting and running game to prosper.

His on base average usually lands him a top spot in the line up...on any team.

The Mustangs also like him to pitch from time to time, though he feels he will be an outfielder in college.

One of Austin’s Portage Central High School coaches got him hooked up with an awesome team in Chicago, the Norwood Blues. They are a high level club that is a stepping stone to the collegiate leagues and above.

The Blues are a step up in competition where Austin would find himself playing with kids as old as college freshman...once again...out of his comfort zone.

Coached by Richard Pildes of Taft High School in Chicago...who I can confidently say that he is one of the best high school coaches in the US...the Norwood Blues are a class act. And Pildes has one thing in mind...winning. However, he is more of a transformational coach than a transactional coach. He helps boys find their strengths and ways they can contribute to the team. By understanding your core competencies, you are better able to make a difference to your team when it is needed.

Coach Pildes has recruited a group of talented kids that are serious about the game of baseball. They will undoubtedly benefit from his teachings where ever they end up in life...the MLB or not.

It is not surprising that Coach Pildes has a disproportionate amount of Blues and Taft alumni at the college level and in the MLB. But I bet this is the first time he has coached someone like Austin... ;)

While not the most outstanding player...in my humble opinion, Austin is the most outstanding person on the team.

All in all...baseball has offered great experiences for Austin on his journey of self discovery...and we are are all proud of his accomplishments.

However...Austin’s interests go beyond his baseball endeavors. He spent the latter part of the 2014 summer at the Second City Improve Camp for Teens. Here he seemed to enjoy the stage...his comedy, not surprisingly, is more physical at this phase. And...this fall...Austin won a lead in the Portage Central comedy play, Midusmmer Jersey where he’ll be playing Lyle.

He is still playing baseball on a fall team in Portage...I am sure the Blues miss him...we all do.

Go Austin! Go!

“Remember Me to All...” A Memorial Day Tribute to Peter Maxwell

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 27 May 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Peter Maxwell, Company F, 20th Michigan

My great-great grandfather, Peter Maxwell, enlisted into Company F of the 20th Michigan Infantry in the Union Army during the Civil War. He was one of the oldest enlisted men at age 34. The majority of Company F were just boys in their late teens and early 20’s...most of them died. Peter survived, but with a crippled hand.

The reason I know of Peter’s story is due, in part, to my grandmother, Eulah Maxwell Wills who told me stories of Peter’s tribulations. She actually knew her grandfather, Peter, since she was in her early teens while Peter was still alive. Often, Eulah would recount to me how she had caressed his crippled hand and recited the story of how his company had been reviewed by President Lincoln and described the grand horse Lincoln rode that day. She also told me the terrible story of how all his children had perished from sickness while he was away at war. Fortunately for me, Peter started over after the end of the war. Peter’s life always intrigued me as a boy. However, his sacrifices were not apparent to me until I was much older. I still can not imagine what his family endured while he was gone.

I can only admire Peter’s dedication to God, country and family. After reading many of his Civil War letters, it is clear to me he lived life with purpose. So, as a tribute to Peter on this Memorial Day, I am sharing one of his letters to his wife Elizabeth from May 16th, 1864. Please scroll to the end of this post to see my transcription of the letter. I have created footnotes for the words I felt needed further explanation...

In closing his letter, Peter asks his wife to “...remember me to all...”

We do remember you, Peter.

Elizabeth & Peter Maxwell (circa 1912)

The beautiful USA envelope...

Letter No 15

Spotssylvania Vir.

May 16th - 1864

Dear Elizabeth,

I thought I would write a few lines to day although I do not know as there will be a chance to send it yesterday there was a chance to send letters to Fredericksburg by the Ambulance train that was carrying the wounded there. We have had two severe battles since we have been in Virginia one at Mine run or the Wilderness as some call it and the other about one mile from here which is not finished yet.

Our regiment as well as all the others engaged have lost heavily, before this reaches you, you will see the Official report perhaps of the killed and wounded of our army, but I will state as near as we know the killed and wounded of our Co. I feel bad to write that so many of our brave boys have fallen Sergeant Townsend, Corporal Oldenhage, M. Gowen, Andrew Smith (of Grass Lake), Geogre Cefle, was killed, H Gardener, James Cooper, Couch Dorr, Irwin Fields, Lewis Brower, Cornelius Hudler, Jacob Layers, Charles McDole, William Notton, Nelson Burkhardt, was wounded, Fred, Frimuth, and John Notton, is among the missing & Hudler, had his limb amputated yesterday just below the knee he is quite cheerfull and bore it well he is not far from here in the Hospital but I have had time to go and see him yet.

We have boil Beef every night and make Coffee twice a day and carry it to the Co. which is over a mile from here and it makes pretty hard work for us, but we feel as though we were favored, that it so happened that we were not in the ranks when Our men was so badly cut down. The reason of Our reg't being so badly cut up with principally caused by the 14th NY which was on our left and they fell back before they fired a half dozen of their guns and let the rebs in Our rear which gave them a cross fire on our boys. Our regiment was called on the best in the Corps but the Officers now are nearly all killed.

I have had the Ague(1) several times since we left the junction where I wrote you last, but I feel thankfull that my life spared when so many have fallen. Although we have lost so many men we feel confident of success the rebels have lost heavily as well as us. We have captured several thousand prisoners and a good many pieces of Artillery some the the horses hitched on. It is thought the rebels have nearly all their force here and we have a large Army here too, the 2nd, 5th, 6th, 9th, and 8th Corps are here.

Dear wife, you must be verry lonesome without our little boy(2) but let us look to Him who has promised to comfort those that mourne. I still crave an interest in your prayers, pray too that the Lord may save our beloved country, for vain is the help of man(3). I must close hoping that I may have a chance to send this. It is just a year ago to-day since I started on a furlough home I do hope the time will soon come when we can go home to stay. We have got no mail since we left the junction, but as soon as this fight is over I think we will get some.

Write as often as you can for I am anxious to hear from you, remember me to all from your husband,

Peter Maxwell

A fever (as malaria) that is marked by paroxysms of chills, fever, and sweating that recur at regular intervals.

Peter’s young son Frankie had just died. His daughter Francis died earlier during the War.

Peter is quoting the bible: “[Give us help from trouble:] for vain is the help of man.” Psalm 108:12 (King James Bible). If you really want to dig into the importance of this reference during the Civil War, see Rt. Rev. Stephen Elliot’s “Vain Is the Help of Man” sermon. It was preached in Christ Church, Savannah, Georgia on Thursday, September 15, 1864. “We cry unto man and no help comes; we labor and fight and there is no fruit of our labor, and no permanent success to our arms. We have nothing left but to follow the example of the Psalmist and crying unto God to ‘give us help from trouble,’ to acknowledge that ‘vain is the help of man.’”

Here’s to Looking at You from the Middle East

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 25 Feb 2014 09:38:00 +0000

Photo: Douglas Wills

Recently, I was perusing through hundreds of photos from our journey through the Middle East that took us from Egypt through Jordan to Syria and finally Turkey. I realized that we never shared how we felt during that epic journey.

I am guessing that you can see the emotions reflected in Lyra...

Photo: Douglas Wills

From day one, we were out of our element...constantly being watched.

Above, Lyra is in an restricted tomb under the Great Pyramids which is “off limits” to tourists. However, the guard took a look at us and with a little backsheesh we were in. We were definitely traveling off the beaten path.

Photo: Douglas Wills

After a bit of climbing we took a rest at the base of one of the Great Pyramids. By the way, Lyra is a great subject, but she is an even better photographer.

After the Great Pyramids, we took some time to relax at the El Fishawy Café (shisha bar) back in Cairo. In Cairo, we never got used to being on display. In Korea, we seldom felt like the outsiders that we seemed to be in Egypt, even though the roots of our own culture come from the Middle East. I thought we might feel a little more at home.

Photo: Stuart Freedman, Panos Pictures

Photo: Douglas Wills

Photo: Douglas Wills

During 2009, Cairo was a city that was on edge...Especially being baked by the mid-day sun during Ramadan...And I can not fathom being without food or water all day, covered from head to toe in a berka and baking in the desert sun.

It seemed like clock work, that squabbles broke out each day around 3:00 pm between cranky merchants and hungry housewives. I was cranky too in that heat! And I was watered and well fed.

Photo: Douglas Wills

Soon, we escaped the heat of Cairo and were on to Jordan (video). Where we found ourselves in Wadi Rum, which is simply spectacular! Wadi Rum gave rise to epic landscapes with warm blue skis that I struggle to find words to express. Maybe Lyra can...

Photo: Douglas Wills

On our way through Jordan, we also spent a night in Petra. Carved out of sandstone, the ruins of Petra are astonishingly beautiful and more ancient than I had imagined. The earliest inhabitants dating back to 7,000 BC.

Photo: Douglas Wills

After gliding through Jordan, crossing the Syrian border was a much more complicated than we expected. Even though we had all of our paper work and visas in order, it took over 4 hours of standing in line to pass the first checkpoint...and the line was short! That’s because nefarious individuals kept cutting in line and paying off the clerk to get past the check point. I started to get a little irritated since there where only a couple people front of us! We just waited and waited and waited and the line never moved, but somehow others got instant service.

Finally we got our entry stamp! Then once we got through the first check point, we had to drive to a second check point a few miles down the highway. There, we were promptly sent back to the first check point because one of our fellow travelers had gotten the wrong date stamp from the first clerk! We should have given the guy a donation like everyone else...Argh!

Photo: Douglas Wills

Eventually, we got everyone’s visas straightened out and we were on our way to Palmyra...

Photo: Douglas Wills

Palmyra is beautiful ancient Roman city trapped by the sands of time in a Syrian desert. You can almost hear the ghosts of this lost city as the desert winds whisper through the Roman arches and timeless Corinthian columns.

Photo: Douglas Wills

Even though Palmyra is deserted, thriving tourism supports a nearby community of local Syrians who sell lots of tasty dates to unsuspecting tourists who just can’t resist these brown desert delights!

Photo: Douglas Wills

Yes! Dates are definitely the happy fruit and in a land as harsh and violent as Syria, anything so sweet must be a welcomed comfort food.

Photo: Douglas Wills

After Palmyra, we were on to Damascus...quite a contrast to the ruins we had been touring along the way. Damascus is ancient, but just like most of Syria, it is very much alive!...what a delight.

Built upon layers and layers of history...Greek, Roman, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Modern, Medieval, Ancient, Etc. all sandwiched together, Damascus was a melting pot of humanity...maybe more like a boiling cauldron...depending on your perspective.

Photo: Douglas Wills

A beautifully dangerous place with a patchwork of people, culture and religion all competing for the city’s love and resources...that is Damascus.

Photo: Douglas Wills

Aleppo did not disappoint either. Like Damascus, Aleppo hides beauty behind the great walls of the old city. Something we never expected would exist while looking at the crumbling walls of Aleppo’s exterior.

Photo: Douglas Wills

BTW...The above hammer scene caused a huge traffic jam in the adjacent street as cars in all directions slammed on their brakes and men pulled out their cell phones to record the somewhat risqué, forging of Damascus steel. I should have put a stop to it, but couldn’t because I was too busy laughing at the ensuing commotion.

Photo: Douglas Wills

The people of Aleppo, just like the rest of Syria are truly an enigma of genius mixed with cunning and force that underscore the ability of humanity to thrive in the face of chaos. I wonder what would happen to Syrians if they ever got out of this environment...

hmmm...Steve Jobs’ biological father is from Homs, Syria.

Photo: Douglas Wills

As I mentioned, we were always being watched. Sometimes it was just the watchful eye of decal such as Bashar Al Assad on the back window of a pick-up truck.

If you like digging into enigmas, have a look at the Charlie Rose interview with Bashar Al Assad. You definitely have to be cunning to survive in a land like as Syria.

Photo: Douglas Wills

If the tension in Syria happens to be too much, an alternative to dates (remember, the happy fruit) would be knocking back a few shots of Arak. Then everything will be just fine...

As we said our good-byes to Syria, we left the Arab culture behind and found ourselves being watched by a different set of eyes...the Turks.

Photo: Douglas Wills

Above: Jesus looked on from a previous era as he stands in the walls of the Hagia Sophia. Originally, a cathedral, Ottoman Muslims retrofitted this magnificent church into a mosque upon their invasion in 1453. It’s now a museum...

Photo: Douglas Wills

Being at the cross roads of civilization, Istanbul was even more layered with successive civilizations than Damascus, Aleppo or other cities we journeyed through.

Above, the head of Medusa stairs coldly into the distance while holding up a marble column in the great Basilica Cistern deep below the streets of Istanbul. There are two Medusa heads in the Basilica Cistern that were once part of an ancient Roman temple...once a god to the Greeks and Romans...now a slave holding up the Islamic streets above her.

Photo: Douglas Wills

It is those very layers of history, culture, religion and humanity packed together in a tangled beautiful mess that make Istanbul so wonderful. Just like the layers of history throughout the Middle East, it can never be untangled.

And why try untangle this mes? The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Or maybe you have bad intentions and want to feed the hatred found between layers of cultures and civilizations...Well, that too will lead to darkness and while creating even more enemies.

Embrace the tangled mess of history and revel in its diversity. This will lead to even richer layers of civilization that the next generation can build on...

But I must say, the clashing of cultures makes for really great food...Just ask Anthony Bourdain!

Creativity Never Fades

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 05 Feb 2014 06:52:00 +0000

Photo: Lyra Jakabházy

Lyra and I recently had a chance to visit our good friends Jane Gittings Robert and François Robert in Tucson, Arizona. They are true rock stars of design who never lose their passion for finding, creating and sharing that which is beautiful and moving. It is quite a contrast to go from people who communicate through words to people who communicate through their visual creations.

Jane and François communicate through their work:

Image: François Robert
From his series Stop the Violence, the bones speak for François.

Image: François Robert cover of his book Faces with Jean Robert
François loves to find the illusion of faces in everyday and not so everyday objects. You may be familiar with his book Faces that he created with his talented brother, Jean.

Images: Jane Gittings Robert Book 7, Man of the Century from her koobcube project
Jane’s koobcube project is a backwards book and design adventure. Jane reads a cube of books from her library, one at a time. After she finishes each book, Jane redesigns the book jacket and posts the original and redesigned cover. Jane redesigns the cover to challenge herself, but I would say it’s a graphic designer's version of a book review...only better. Inspiring!

Jane and François are a dynamic duo who collaborate together on many creative endeavors from commercial photography to children's books...such as “Find a Face” that you can find on Amazon.

So...our travels with Jane and François took us from Sabino Canyon to “The Boneyard” to Mt. Lemmon Observatory. It was a non-stop roller coaster of compelling image hunting and gathering.

Photo: Sabino Canyon, Jane Gittings Robert
Hiking through Sabino Canyon was breathtaking, but stay away from the cholla plants!

Photo: Lyra Jakabházy
Ouch!!!

The 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group of the US military, otherwise known as “The Boneyard”, was colossal!

Image: Google Earth
These are just the a few of the aircraft...

Photo: Douglas Wills
...and François never misses a pretty face!

In addition to the thousands of dormant military aircraft inside “The Boneyard”, there was an extra visual treat...

Photo: Jane Gittings Robert
...The Boneyard Projects, conceived in 2010 by Eric Firestone and organized by curator Carlo McCormick, resurrects the forgotten airplanes from “The Boneyard” by turning them into three dimensional airplane canvasses...a compelling use of military assets.

But the fun didn't stop there...

Photo: Douglas Wills
As I was saying...our travels with Jane and François were an image hunting and gathering extravaganza...

Photo: Mt. Lemmon Observatory, Douglas Wills
One night, we ended up at the Mt. Lemmon Observatory. I got to see Jupiter with my own eyes and could actually see its gaseous surface and orbiting moons. Another first for me...quite cool!

Photo: Biosphere2, Lyra Jakabházy
Biosphere 2 was something else. However, the story behind it is too lengthy for this post. You can get that from Jane Poynter from her TED talk, who is also friends with Jane and François.

However, I think the real treat came at the end of our trip when we got to meet and chat with Irving Olson. He is a self-made man who created his fortune back in the day as a pioneer in electronics, despite describing himself as a simple “peddler”.

Photo: Lyra Jakabházy
You can look up Olson Electronics on your own, but suffice it to say Radio Shack and Best Buy copied Irving’s business model.

Image: 1968 Olson Electronics Catalog eBay
Irving will be the last person that I ever meet who was older than I am today when I was born. Get it? Irving just turned 100 years old! He actually retired before I was born. You do the math! You might guess he is in his 70’s if you met him, but that is not the point. Irving is not a man defined by his age, he is defined by his humanity, creativity and love for life.

Photo: Lyra Jakabházy
Since his retirement in the 1960’s, Irving has been traveling the world...150+ countries...and nurturing his creativity through his passion for photography. Of course, he and François hit it off immediately.

Photo: Lyra Jakabházy
François came bearing a few gifts, including his book Faces, which Irving loved and prompted him to show off his own latest guilty pleasure. Recently, Irving has been taking photos of people eating or rather “stuffing their faces.”...maybe a creative reaction to the increase in American obesity as seen through the lens of his camera.

I believe creativity and humor are linked. Irving’s innate sense of humor was boundless as he told all sorts of jokes and bantered with François. In my opinion, his playful nature fueled his creativity. When you play, you are not afraid to make mistakes. Irving did not seem to be afraid of making mistakes.

Photo: Lyra Jakabházy

His “face stuffing” photos are both humorous and tell it like it is...but I’ll leave it to Irving to publish those later.

However, even more stunning are his water droplet images...

Photo: Irving Olson
In his kitchen, Irving has engineered a unique technique of photographing colored water droplets. Through hours and hours of trial and error, Irving comes up with stunning results.

Photo: Irving Olson
Irving never finished college, but he never finished learning either.

Photo: Irving Olson
He does lament that the people in his retirement community do not share most of his interests or passions. According to Irving, most do nothing at all and just fade away into a “cocktail of medications” that are too liberally prescribed to them.While not practical for everyone, Irving is medication free.

Photo: Lyra Jakabházy
Irving is definitely a man of action with many admirable qualities. His photography is just the tip of the iceberg.

Photo: Irving Olson

Photo: Irving Olson

Like many self-made people, Irving feels education numbs perfectly good people. He had enough of formal education after a couple semesters at the University of Akron, but he never had enough of learning.

Another self-made creative comes to mind, Frank Lloyd Wright, who also ended up in Arizona, felt the same and was quoted: “Harvard takes perfectly good plums as students, and turns them into prunes.”

Irving is definitely not a prune.

FYI...The University of Akron awarded Irving an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters upon his 100th birthday...I believe a formal apology would have been better.

Photo: Lyra Jakabházy
So, hats off to Jane and François who are always finding compelling aesthetics and creative people. Because of their mission in life, we were able to meet such an extraordinary person and share in his love of life and revel with him in the beauty that surrounds us all.

Thank you, Jane and François. We left truly inspired.

Creativity Wants Boundaries

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 11 Nov 2013 23:11:00 +0000

Boundaries!

It is teenagers and college students who seem to be most apt to challenge rules and push social boundaries, especially those we consider to be creative types. Creatives seem to be on the outside of the boundaries their whole lives…And, why not? Creativity should know no boundaries? Right?

However, if you take a closer look, creativity thrives on what might be considered boundaries. And I believe that the reason youth and creatives seem to always be pushing boundaries is because they are actually trying to explore the "boundaries" they find themselves in. Metaphorically speaking, it’s as though they are in a dark room and have to feel their way around to find where everything is...Only finding the boundaries or obstacles when they bump up against them. And often, they push and expand these boundaries. They may even find a doorway to new way of thinking.

This is not a ground-breaking insight. Just do a little Googling and you’ll see that creativity might be described in terms of boundaries…the stage for an actor, the canvas for a painter, guitar for a musician, tempo, genre, etc. Defining boundaries reduces choices and allows an artist, designer, musician, actor, etc. to focus on their craft and embellish what they do well.

Recently, I have been guest lecturing at the College of Architecture at Illinois Institute of Technology...to creative types. This semester the students happen to be studying furniture design. FYI...Architects like to design chairs when they are not designing skyscrapers. In this class, they are required to design and construct a “functional object." In other words, furniture and most likely a chair, but they get to decide the final object.

So, in the first lecture I told them the story about Amos Winter. An MIT PhD., Amos Winter re-designed the wheelchair for the disabled in developing countries.

I should note that in developing countries, most people live in rural and rugged terrain. They do not have many resources (i.e. money). It is difficult to get repairs and spare parts for anything, let alone wheelchairs. Often, people must travel 5 km for work. Do you see where I am going with this? These are the boundaries or, as Amos Winter calls them, constraints for the re-design of the wheelchair.

These constraints do not render it impossible to design a wheelchair. To the contrary, the constraints inspired Amos’s come up with innovative solutions. And here is where I want to digress and take you back to the Architecture Class. I want to take issue with the term constraint or boundary as a basis for creativity.

What happens when you give anyone a constraint? They resist. And as you can imagine, the Architecture Class has been resistant to defining their design constraints or boundaries. Many have been skirting around the issue and falling behind. Those who have defined their design "constraints" or "boundaries" are now on to sketching their “functional objects,” but those who have not are starting to become frustrated.

And the clock is ticking!

For those who lack constraints, what they don’t consciously understand is that they are still creating a constraint…Time. A deadline is the easiest constraint to create. This is often the “constraint of choice” because the closer a deadline, the more panic is felt. The panic is then turned into inspiration and…voila! Creativity.

Over and over again, I see this happen. I have thoroughly explained the need for constraints or boundaries to the class just as I have to many professional colleagues over the years. However, here is where I want to make a change in direction… or more specifically, language. The word constraint or boundary brings up negative feelings of imprisonment. People want to feel free and inspired...especially, creatives. And they certainly do not want to “build their own prison, fence themselves in or paint themselves into a corner”, so to speak.

Upon talking to a few students outside class, I realized what the correct nomenclature should be. Boundaries or constraints are not the right words to use when asking people to create. Creativity is an emotional endeavor. We need to speak to emotions when dealing with creativity and, for that matter, innovation. This is where leadership should be inspirational and not directive. Creatives naturally want to explore and, through that exploration, find inspiration for their creativity.

Only in retrospect and after “connecting the dots,” do we see that the exploration resulted in a series of [design] constraints or boundaries for the final concept or business model.

So, don’t “fence in” your innovation teams by telling people to develop their design constraints. Enable them to explore and find inspiration; inspiration for what can be, not constraints for what cannot be.

To correct the misinformation I intentionally gave above, the stage, canvas, guitar, tempo, and genre are actually mediums for creativity, not boundaries; think of them as doorways that enable artists to create another reality.

Remember, it is actually inspiration that fuels creativity because without it, there would be no great play, beautiful painting or emotional music.

“Life is extraordinary. Embrace it...”

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 08 Nov 2013 23:55:00 +0000

Holi from Variable on Vimeo.

Produced by: Variable - WeAreVariable.com
Post Production/Editorial: The Mill - TheMill.com
Directors/Cinematographers: Jonathan Bregel & Khalid Mohtaseb @ Variable
Executive Producers: John Rule & Mike Sutton
Producer: Tyler Ginter @ Variable
Line Producer: Viraj Velinker

Korrugami: The Art of Box Making

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 05 Nov 2013 22:56:00 +0000

Korea has a great baseball tradition and with it, goes a tradition of making great baseball gloves. Really, Koreans make some of the best baseball gloves in the world. So, for my son, Adam’s birthday, I decided to send him a top notch infielder’s glove.

I knew this awesome glove maker who sold me a beautifully crafted black and red 3rd baseman’s glove. However, boxes are not his thing...just gloves.

So, how was I going to package this up and send it to the US?

Not a problem...I also knew that there was a crew of master box makers at the Post Office. Now, I know what you are thinking when it comes to the Post Office...long lines and lots of cranky post office clerks…not in Korea. They are all congenial with a very “can do” attitude. And there is no boxing problem that the post office can’t solve...In less than 5 minutes!

Bubble wrap!

Hmmm...how big to make it?

Measure twice...Cut once.

Score the box for folding...Zip...zip...zip...

Cut the corners...

Place the glove...

Tape...tape...tape!

Voilà, a rock solid, custom made box for my precious cargo in less than 5 minutes. I was impressed and told him so. He seemed to like his work and was very happy to be appreciated for his craft abilities. I think he charged me the equivalent of $5.00.

And it is still Adam’s favorite glove!

In case you’re interested someone posted a Korean Post Office box maker on Wimp.com

VAUMM: Cardboard box store front for Deskontalia

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 02 Sep 2013 21:05:00 +0000

Spanish architects VAUMM designed a cardboard-inspired store for the discount coupon website Deskontalia. Customers visit the physical store to pick up their internet orders and also discover the latest discount offerings.

Deskontalia Storefront: © Aitor Ortiz

VAUMM had to create a strategy to that would give an empty room a feeling of commercial activity.

They found inspiration in the cardboard boxes used for shipping the Internet purchased products and devised the store’s decorum with cardboard-like furniture and shelves.

This latest manifestation of the merging of online with the physical is evidence that the traditional “store” is undergoing a dramatic change...world wide. The store front will either morph into a local distribution point or disappear altogether.

E-Commerce is not only transforming the physical store, but packaging as well. No longer will enticing product packaging be designed for on-shelf display, but form will follow function as packaging evolves to meet the new demands of shipping directly to the end consumer and their experience of receiving the product at home.

Deskontalia Storefront: © Aitor Ortiz

Store Entrance/Lobby: © Aitor Ortiz

Re-arrangeable Display: © Aitor Ortiz

Customer Service Counter: © Aitor Ortiz

Source: Deskontalia Store / VAUMM" 08 Feb 2013. ArchDaily. Accessed 23 Feb 2013.

Exercising Creative Muscle

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 21:19:00 +0000

I was recently asked to write a post for my company's innovation blog. At first, I struggled and worried about what to write. I did not want to cover the same tired topics and add to the clutter on the net. The only way I could think to be unique was to share a personal story...

But let’s first define innovation with an excerpt from Wikipedia:

[The word innovation derives from the Latin word innovates, which is the noun form of innovare “to renew or change,” stemming from in—“into” + novus—“new”]

So... “into the new...”

Please let me postulate on why it may be difficult to be innovative...it seems as we journey through life, we pick a profession and become so specialized that we lose much of the mental versatility that allows us to view problems from different points of view. Even though we start out as very open and highly adaptable creatures, we are steered into specialization by social and economic forces. This even leads us to personally define ourselves by a profession...such as a nurse, a doctor, an engineer, a computer programmer, a politician, a lawyer, etc. Most of these professions force us to strengthen one set of skills, while letting other skills languish or go dormant. We have to practice the one skill we are good at and rely on other people for the skills or qualities we have not developed.

However, not exercising the versatility that makes us human can lead to a mundane space where...we have to listen to professional musicians sing because we can't carry a tune, we watch professional athletes play basketball because we haven't learned the techniques and are out of shape, we hire contractors because we can't wield a hammer, etc. And innovation? Well, we leave that up to rock stars like Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg.

As a father of four, I have realized through my children that everyone has unique qualities that can be nurtured and developed over time. I have observed that my kids were born with an innate creativity to do anything they choose...just like most other kids. They have not lost their versatile and agile thinking...yet. Maybe they will never be Picaso, Bono or Michael Jordan, but we still give them permission to find fulfillment in whatever creative endeavors they try.

This is most apparent in daughter #2, Alexandria (Alex). First, nothing gets in her way when she makes up her mind to run in a certain direction. And second, I wouldn't stop her, even if I could. That would only muddle her creative momentum. My goal is to provide a safe environment for her to pursue her passions and an escape route if something “goes south” on her.

She is truly an inspiration when it comes to innovation. She has honed her basic design skills and moved on to the point where she is beyond mimicking others and is able to create truly innovative ideas and unique concepts that delight and resonate emotionally.

She is able to take us “into the new” and transform something old and familiar and create something new and surprising. Innovation!

When we lived in Seoul, there were many, many markets. Not just food and spice markets, but markets for everything. Especially for crafts and trades like printing, electrical lighting, musical instruments, jewelry, culinary arts, candy making, photography, fashion...and more!

Source: Rue’s News

As Alex spent time in these markets, she transformed from tourist to artisan to innovator. She bought lots of supplies, brought them home and started making things...it was endless. She made ceramics, clothing and jewelry...and become more and more proficient in her skills. One thing that became apparent was her innovative style...she was not mimicking what was already on the market, but taking something old and familiar and transforming it into something new and surprising...

Source: Jones New York

What would you do to innovate on earrings? New colors? More expensive stones? Segment your market and sell to different target groups? Use different materials? That is not innovation. That is incremental change.

Source: Jones New York

What would you do to innovate on zippers? Make them waterproof? Use different hardware? Change the shape? Again, that is incremental change.

Now, what Alex did was to take both of these to familiar items and combine them! Now we have innovation.

Photo: Douglas Wills

When you combine the earring and zipper, the contrasting functions of each create a mental dissonance that “tickles” our thinking.

To test the market, Lyra, my wife wears them “out on the town...” The earrings turn peoples’ heads as they try to make sense of what’s dangling on her ears...once they grasp what they are, people are compelled to comment. And a conversation ensues. After Lyra tells the story of Alex, they all want a pair of their own! We would call this part of innovation, the experimentation phase. This is where you test whether people are willing to buy through some sort of exchange of value. The value being exchanged is the time people are willing to spend conversing.

That is innovation! Something new and surprising derived from something old and familiar.

Child’s play, you think? Here are some other examples you might be familiar with...

The OXO Peeler is a classic business case...

Sources: Chef Tools.com, JTFreestyle.com, OXO Montage: Douglas Wills

If you want to learn more about OXO...

The Pop Phone

Sources: Baby Bliss, ASOS, Yutaka Tsutano Montage: Douglas Wills

When you see the innovations, they seem obvious, but to come up with them, it takes versatile thinking and permission to explore. If you are responsible for your company’s innovation efforts, make sure that you are giving your employees the permission to explore and creating an environment that fosters creativity without fear of failure that excites them about what is possible!

I can’t wait for Alex’s next idea!

Photo: Lyra Jakabhazy

The Power of Networks

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 26 May 2012 21:44:00 +0000

I thought I would share this wonderful stop motion movie from director Mikey Please. It is a brilliant animation, but what I want to highlight is not so much the movie, but what makes it possible...the power of networks.

Today, crowd funding networks are the platforms that give creatives and others “permission...” In other words...funding. I am referring to networks like Kick Starter, IndieGoGo, Kiva and other crowd or social funding sites. They are giving “permission” to a new wave...and much needed community building projects and creative expression.

These networks are responsible for unleashing the pent-up creativity that lies within all of our communities...creativity and energy that would otherwise lie dormant if left up to the number crunching and mind numbing legacy system found within our institutions of banks, governments, foundations and educational entities. It is these institutions that have traditionally held the keys to our communities’ growth.

The old model of asking for “permission” is broken and cannot foster the vision needed to make the moral and ethical decisions for resource allocation that builds our communities. I believe it is the legacy system of governance that has caused our institutions to lose sight of their original role of community building. Instead we are all trapped by a drive to create more and more fiat money as an end and not a means of fostering community.

The world is too complex for the health of a community to be measured in cold financial metrics and dispassionate statistics. One dimensional information and concentrated decision making authority is strangling our society.

So, networks like Kick Starter and IndieGoGo have popped up to help us see others’ vision and pool our resources to bypass the old system and give “permission” to projects like Mikey Please’s next film and others’ lofty dreams...

Our old institutions must learn from the power of networks and make the necessary changes that will foster healthy community.

Oh, in case you are interested in how Mikey made his film...enjoy...

Preserving Chicago, One Photo at a Time

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 15 May 2012 02:36:00 +0000

Lyra Jakabhazy for Preservation Chicago

Fire has been a catalyst for Chicago; spawning invention, innovation and industry. Cowles Fire Escape Works was established in 1875, four years after The Great Chicago Fire. More than a century later, these majestic steel skeletons still line our alleyways and inspire our imagination. An iconic image in any major city, these mazes of zigzagged steel always draw my eyes upward. This fire escape behind my building brings to mind the great Midwest steel mills, the fire that brought architectural visionaries to Chicago to dream - and makes me ask what, that we build today, will endure and still be admired a century on? Built to last, I hope to see these pieces of iconic hardware preserved alongside the buildings they continue to serve. —Lyra Jakabhazy

Lyra is a finalist in the 1st Annual Preservation Chicago “People’s Choice” photography competition. Have a look! And then vote (click like!) for the photo that you think best represents the City of Chicago and also draws attention to their mission of preserving Chicago’s great architectural heritage.

Once you get to the Facebook page click “back to album” to view the other contestants.

IIT Architecture Student Project: Mending Fences

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 08 May 2012 18:21:00 +0000

One of the interesting student projects was a cedar community fence that pairs of students had to execute and “stitch together” each pair came up with their own take on the project. It seemed that all of the students tried to interact with their surroundings by incorporating planters, gates, trellises and other organically inspired creations.

Amanda and her partner Karl designed a gate as bench (with a planter on the opposite side)...

...form follows emotion, not function.

Great Work, Amanda!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 08 May 2012 04:55:00 +0000

What amazing talent at IIT's Architecture Student Open House! We were all winners...not just Amanda...who won the Peterhans Visual Training Project Prize!

Nice!

...I am sure Amanda is grateful for everyone’s support...past and present...keep up the great work!

About the award...

Peterhans Visual Training Project Prize
This prize is a direct, merit-based award which recognizes excellence in IIT Visual Training coursework demonstrating the principles of Walter Peterhans, the noted IIT Architecture professor and colleague of Mies. This prize was decided by the Peterhans Visual Training Project Prize Committee, composed of the Dean of the College and at least three faculty members teaching the Visual Training principles, and Mr. Julian Kerbis, the son and representative of the donor, the Gertrude P. Kerbis Trust.

IIT’s Annual Architecture Student Work Open House Friday, May 4, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 03:04:00 +0000

Amanda Wills: Night tree tracing on acetate...

Amanda is still on the move! She has just completed her 1st of 5 years of architectural studies at Illinois Institute of Technology. She has put in a tremendous amount of effort into her studies this year... As a result she has been nominated for the Peterhans Visual Training Project Prize along with two other undergraduate spring awards.

Please join us and the IIT Architectural Students, Faculty for the opening of the IIT Annual Student Work Exhibition on Friday, May 4.

I am sure Amanda would love your support.

The Award Ceremony starts promptly at 5:00 with an Open House from 5:30 to 7:30pm at Mies van Der Rohe’s masterpiece, Crown Hall, located at 3410 South State Street in the IIT Campus in Chicago.

Oh, by the way...
Free parking at 33rd and S. State if you are driving...Or take the El to the 35th Bronzville-IIT stop on the Green Line.

Amanda Wills: Drawing explorations of house study, line study, geometrical shape study and liquid container study...

She is truly passionate about her work...and the people she will eventually serve.

Amanda Wills in collaboration with Sudeshna Sen: Color gamut exploration of Claude Monet’s Boats on the Beach at Étretat

Who knows where this journey will take her, but come on over and cheer her on...

S.R. Crown Hall: 3410 South State Street at the IIT Campus in Chicago...

View Larger Map

Creative Momentum: Viral Creativity

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:34:00 +0000

Now that I am back in the English speaking world, I have been desperately trying to catch up with the latest flows of western Pop Culture. The other day, I heard this catchy tune on the radio... Somebody That I Used to Know by Goyte. When I got home, I was tired of the same iTunes Genius Mixes that I had been playing for the past few years. So, I decided to listen, I mean watch Goyte on YouTube...

Anyway, after I Google Goyte, I realized that I stumbled on somewhat of a phenomenon...apparently I was not alone in my affinity for the song. As with so many hits, Goyte had his following of cover artists who posted their versions on YouTube as homage. However, most of the covers had a really creative twist...it was obvious that people really put their heart and soul into their own cover...

And, I believe, the torrent of covers was first put into motion by the band Walk Off the Earth. Who...I must say, set the bar high with their version using only one guitar played simultaneously by all five band members...

...their cover set off a fire storm of creativity.

So many people have somebodies that they used to know...but they never had a way to express themselves in a globally cathartic way. It is almost as though, everyone is saying, hey me too, here is how I feel, listen to this! The exact details are not as important as getting out the emotion that is behind the ache. It is the creativity that releases that emotion...

Walk Off the Earth’s cover not only gave permission to let it out, but they set the boundaries for how far to do it. YouTube provided the white space...

Here is Walk Off the Earth’s five man, one guitar cover that really set everything in motion...OK, four man, one woman and a guitar...

The melody and lyrics struck such a nerve in so many artists that it has inspired a well spring of creativity of musicians from all genres and age groups. They each added their own unique flavor to the song.

All of their work clearly illustrates that creativity seeks boundaries, even though as artists, people are always yearning for more freedom. The boundaries, being that the artists have to be true to the lyrics and melody, but are allowed the creativity to play and sing anyway they can. The song is so good it can withstand almost any attempt to break it.

The cover just has to be innovative...

I believe it is a glimpse, not only of Goyte’s genius, but a window into the creative consciousness of humanity when it is allowed to connect...viral creativity...

ARMY of 3
Christina Grimmie Cover

Pentatonix does it acapella...in a basement...this is really nice!

Matthias Harris in the Brady Bunch version...
Students? Ardlee

School buddies? Michael Schulte & Max Giesinger

Sam Tsui’s “solo” acapella...this one is kind of creepy to me.

And you have to admire this effort by the Dutch Choir...

The list of covers goes on and on...

...But what really strikes me, is the collaboration and exchange that has been underway for the past few years. Not businesses copying each other to make a $, but artists collaborating and building for the sake of creativity itself. For me, this phenomenon confirms a belief I have, that humanity need not be defined by greed and self interest, but by creativity and collaboration.

For too long, the modern era has controlled human connectivity and stifled meaningful collaboration that are needed to build sustainable communities. It is collaboration and creativity that will define us as human beings...

We are in a new age where we must foster collaboration and build unfettered connectivity that will unite us and resist what may divide us...where ever that may be.

Oh...and a prank phone call!

Creative Momentum: New Traditions for Easter

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:54:00 +0000

You know, I really don’t know why we dye eggs for Easter. I suppose I could Google it, but I did not want to waste the time and energy. When I start Googling something, I’ll start out with Easter eggs and end up chasing something else, which leads to something else, and on ad infinitum (to infinity).

I would like to spend my energy sharing a new tradition for Easter.

I was never a fan of hard boiled eggs, though, I always loved the family event of dying Easter eggs when I was young.

When I became a parent, it was just as fun...that is until my kids out-grew the activity. The thing is, the kids still enjoy Easter, but once you are a teenager, egg hunting is not your thing.

And even if you still like it, you wouldn’t want your friends to know that you were hunting for eggs on Easter. Especially, if you are a 17 year old with a Facebook image to maintain...or a 47 year old with a Facebook image to maintain. ;-)

So what to do? This past Easter Sunday, Lyra and I invited some friends over for Easter brunch. This was the first dinner gathering we had put together since moving back to Chicago. We spent the last month and a half renovating the apartment and the last couple of days preparing for the brunch. Easter egg dying was low on the priority list, but I still wanted to create the same atmosphere...I was at a loss.

So, we just went with the brunch idea and left it at that...

But, as usual, Alexandria came to the rescue. Somehow, she must have felt the same about Easter, even though we didn’t talk about it. So, she took action...and her creative momentum took over as it often does.

As we were finishing up a wonderful brunch of borscht, bagels & lox and mimosas (adults only)...Alexandria bursts into the room and says, “Let’s tie dye...it’s Easter!”

At first, everyone was reluctant...or at least they appeared that way...but eventually they all got into the festivities. It might have been the mimosas that helped...

Anyway, it all turned out well...

...you don’t have to keep repeating the same rituals for the sake of tradition, but you might want to try to recreate the feelings that make up the true essence of any tradition. This Easter Alexandria helped us renew the old by creating the new...which is what Easter is all about.

Thanks Alex...

A Taste of Syria

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:55:00 +0000

Lyra: Damascus, Syria

A little while back, I had the privilege to travel to Syria as one leg of an overland journey from Cairo to Istanbul. Frankly, before I set foot in Syria, my expectations were very low. Especially, after spending 4 hours queuing at the border with Jordan...

...And the experience at the border was utter chaos! We spent several hours waiting in queue as one Syrian "travel guide" after another cut in front of us and had their passport visas validated. This must have happened 5 or so times! Each time, the "travel guide" had a stack of 10 passports to be "approved." After a while, on the "exit" side, a large fight broke out...I am assuming over the same frustrating situation. I started to get a little worried during the fight, but needless to say, I was mostly frustrated by the lack of respect we were shown by the agent and "travel guides" cutting in line. Finally, the lone agent took the 30 seconds required to stamp our passports and we were off...almost.

But this was only the first check point. We then had to drive a couple more miles to the next check point to show our validated visas. Argh...and apparently the agent at the first check point had back dated the validation on one of our visas! We were then forced to drive back to the first check point and start the process over again. For F#%& sake! Eventually, we got the date corrected and we were on our way...

Like I said, my expectations were low, but I have to say, as a traveler, it was enchanting. In most of the Middle East, you can witness, first hand, the unbroken march of time from days of Roman rule, through the Christian period and up on into the present Islamic era. Damascus, like many Mid-East cities, is layer upon layer of history is built one on top of the another. It is this layering of histories that makes all of the Middle East so complex. You can't just rip out the old and bring in the new, you have to work with the stone foundations that already exist...

Above...the men are worshiping in Umayyad Mosque that was once the basilica dedicated to John the Baptist. They are actually praying to the tomb of John the Baptist himself who’s body is in the structure in the left of the photo...the basilica was built from a Roman temple for Jupiter...before that it was an Aramean temple of Haddad-Ramman...layer upon layer upon layer of history.

Anyone looking to rehab the Middle East will have a lot of work on their hands. It is a major fixer-upper project. I wonder what most Western politicians actually think they are doing when they get dragged into this part of the world. I think they only thing to do is take on direct, but slow engagement. Not money or guns, but people on the ground over a long period of time...who have the empathy and tenacity to make a difference...but I digress.

Photo: Euromed Heritage

Nothing in my home town of Kalamazoo, Michigan is truly old...maybe 150 years. In Damascus I was able to patronize the Hammam Nur A-Din...And it is my understanding that it is one the oldest functioning bathhouses in the world, being built around 400 A.D. This place is a sanctuary in stark contrast to the chaos at the border. It has been a safe haven from the harsh realities that are far too common in the streets that surround it.

Photo: Euromed Heritage

And the food...well...simply wonderful...I have come to understand that food is truly comfort in the Middle East. This tasty dish (below) was served to us by one of the most flamboyant chefs I have ever met. More of an artist than cook. I don't know the name of the restaurant, but it was served to us just near the Krak des Chevaliers. The picture does not do it justice...

Anyway, I thought I would share my experience of a land that I feel is so enchanted. I pray they all can stop the blood shed and permit themselves to use the creativity, talents and history that make their culture so rich.

If you would like to enjoy more beautiful photos please have a look at our Flickr Collection: Syria

Happy Father's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 00:16:00 +0000

Sunday...I woke up and French toast is waiting for me...nice...I wonder why everyone is being so nice...

I leisurely enjoyed the French toast and the we started talking about what to do during the day... then kids meandered off subject and suggested that we watch a video...

In previous posts, I have complained how we have lost something in the flurry of email that we blast to one another as we try to “communicate,” but the next generation has obviously found a way to make our communication even richer! Nothing has been lost. Quite the contrary...

But I digress...who cares how well my kids can design tear jerking videos...

CRAP!!! I have a big problem!

It’s Father’s Day!!! I forgot all about it!!!

I was planning on sending my dad something earlier in the week...OMG!

What to do? What to do!!!

I have just a few minutes before I have to drag everyone up the mountain on my Father’s Day hike...

Well, his latest obsession has been his chickens...yes!!!

I mean obsessed...in a good way though. He built a large, portable chicken coop...complete with thermo-pane glass and retractable walkway! Now he is raising six chicks so he and my mom can have fresh eggs...

So, guess what I got him?

Yep...a rooster! A Black Jersey Giant! To help keep the girls happy...

I know it’s nutty, but it works...really it does...I know my dad well.

The funny thing is, I couldn’t think of anything for the last few weeks. I seriously did not know what to get him, but nothing like a little pressure to get the creative juices flowing!
Whew!

Don’t worry...he will grow fast!

Happy Father’s Day!

On her way...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 01 May 2011 14:04:00 +0000

Amanda modeling for the renowned hanbok designer, Heesuk Jung...Seoul, Korea.

Photos by Lyra Jakabhazy

The Story...
Well...pride is one of the Seven Deadly Sins. So, let me enter this post from a position of gratitude. ;-) As a parent, I would like to give thanks to all who have helped my daughter, Amanda, grow as an artist and a fine young woman. There have been several notable people (you know who you are!) who have helped Amanda and her siblings throughout the years. Suffice to say, it truly does take a village. I am humbly thankful to everyone who has touched our lives over the years.

Last spring, Amanda started stressing over her ACT and SAT scores. Maybe a little too much...because she clammed up on the tests and returned average scores. Kind of odd for someone with a 3.8 at a competitive suburban high school. Other kids with similar grades smoked the tests. Needless to say, Amanda was in tears when she got her scores...so she took them again...same results...her heart was heavy...all that work for 4 years to be blocked by a standardized test.

To rub salt in her wounds...Amanda has had her eye on architecture school for a while and was told by an authoritative figure that her scores needed to be higher to be accepted. Not sure who told her, but Amanda was demoralized...but she did not give up! There was no way she was going to let this defeat her.

Still she applied to several top notch schools...Harvard, McGill (Canada), Waterloo (Canada), University of Michigan, University of Minnesota, Washington University, Rhode Island School of Design and Illinois Institute of Technology and The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Most of the schools have so many applicants that they use a standardized form such as Harvard, McGill, Waterloo, Washington and others.

(I was opposed to the application for Harvard...but her aunt told her she would pay for Harvard if she got accepted...I am a gambling man...)

As you may have guessed, Amanda was not accepted to the schools who use a standardized form. Too bad for the freshmen class of 2011 at Harvard, McGill, Waterloo and Washington University...they will never get a chance to meet Amanda...in person that is...

But most importantly, Amanda was accepted by schools who had a more rigorous application and looked at more than just grades and test scores. She got into the architecture programs at the Universities of Michigan and Minnesota, RISD, SAIC and IIT. These are the schools that counted to Amanda! RISD is THE most prestigious Fine Arts and Design School in America...And IIT carries on the direct legacy of the famous Bauhaus from Germany.

Now the fun starts...RISD! That is really my first choice...Great! Awesome!!! By the way...How much does it cost? $55,000 per year! Oh...And it is a 5 year program? Oh. She got one of the highest scholarships! $10,000? Oh...ah that’s great... hmmm... 55 - 10 = 45 x 5 = 225 x 1,000 = $225,000! OMG! Houston, we have a problem. Arghhh...there is no way I could have ever saved up for that...what is going on here...we’ll save that for another post...

The School of the Art Institute of Chicago was not much cheaper...

Amanda is not the first middle class kid to be put in this position. Accepted to a prestigious private school, but no way to pay for it without an obscene debt burden. Some parents find a way to make this work. With no regrets. However, Amanda did not let this get in the way either.

Amanda had put all of her effort into her IIT application. Lots of it! She meticulously curated its content and did a wonderful job with her essays...

...her efforts paid off. Amanda was awarded the prestigious Camras Scholarship! Full ride for 5 years. This is the top honor that IIT can confer on an incoming freshman. Only 1% of IIT students are awarded this honorable scholarship.

...so, once again thanks to all of those who have played a role in Amanda’s life. Sorry, I am not listing anyone, though I would like to...

So, please celebrate with me and enjoy some of Amanda’s portfolio pieces...

Amanda developed her own logo (bottom right)...it actually spells AMANDA in stacked Korean letters...
Notice the logo at the bottom of this unique cup. It is truly one of a kind...and branded...by AMANDA.

Photo by Lyra Jakabhazy

A spread from her notebook about her internship at only Italian architecture firm of MotoElastico in Seoul, Korea.

Amanda’s influence by Do Ho Suh...

I really liked this sculpture...this was only submitted to RISD.

This one too!

Amanda was required to put together an exhibition for her senior thesis. She decided to create a functional piece of art that served has a stand and drew attention to other pieces.

The exhibition...What do you think? Nice...

This is simply stunning...from her summer in Seoul, 2010....

Notes for the previous sketch...

I am speechless...a 3 D paper sculpture...it is great to watch her master her art...

This is the coup de gras...what do you think?

Who is next?

Photo by Lyra Jakabhazy

Now Alexandria has her work cut out for her...Amanda has really set the bar for the rest of her siblings. However, Alex...has some serious talent as well...I can’t wait to see what she comes up with...and as for Austin and Adam...I know they will surprise me too...

Thanks again!

Sustaining Creative Momentum

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 10:18:00 +0000

Well...I just got the kids’ grades...Amanda is setting the bar a bit high. Even though she is graduating and has a full ride scholarship to IIT’s Architecture program, she is still pulling A’s to keep her grade point above 3.8. Alex has been doing well, but her sister has unintentionally demoralized her. So, she is doing fine, but not killing her self.

However...I noticed a big C on Alex’s report card...in her best class...International Baccalaureate Art.

And I could not help but start to worry. I am of the opinion that you should not obsess about grades and nagging the kids over grades will just make them focus on that letter and lose site of the more important learning that they should be doing...but my first instinct was to make an issue of it...

I remember the last time I was about to give her fatherly advice... She ended up schooling me on creativity...(see related post: Creative Momentum).

After worrying about it all morning...I get a video Skype call on my iPhone...it’s Alex!...

I struggled not to bring up her grade...but I kept it quiet for the time being...good thing!

So, she proceeds to show me her master piece. The following pictures are a bit grainy, but check out her work!

Alex has been working on fusing different materials into her pieces...this time she came up with incorporating Mylar into sides of the bowl...

She had to fire the bowl separately and then insert the Mylar in afterward...

She blow torched the ends of the Mylar to get that gnarled curled effect. Risky, but I think it paid off...I like it!

Even more cool...she chose to fuse glass into the bottom of the bowl...the glass broke into a fantastic crystalline green...

Apparently, her teacher had to complete the report card while she gave Alex extra time to finish her big project. Alex has chosen ceramics for the class and it takes extra time to fire, but her teacher (Jill) had to put something into the system...then the system spit out a C on the card.

Alex got an A for this piece...and I am glad I didn’t jump on her for the C...

Across Oceans of Time...Reunited at Last...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 17:59:00 +0000

Above...My mother at her 1958 high school prom...in Japanese yukata (clothes)

Recently, I pieced together the reason for my mother’s international attitudes...Back in the late 1950’s, the abbot of her all girls Catholic high school in Detroit asked for volunteers to write to students of a Catholic school in Kobe, Japan...guess who volunteered... ;-)

My mother was “pal’ed up with Kenichiro Tada. I can only guess the excitement of a teenage girl in that era receiving her first letter from Japan. Their exchanges were rich, but always on a polite and respectful level, according to my mother. Kenichiro and my mother corresponded for about 3 years during high school...then they lost contact as so many pen pals do...

...But she never forgot him. Often, she would mention him while I was growing up. She saved all of his letters and photos and would bring them out once in a while for me an my brothers to see...

Maybe because that, I too, wondered what things were like in other parts of the world...at the age of 14 I would find myself in the teaming streets of Mexico City...and I find my own pen pal from Bogota, Colombia...Liliana ;-)

Fast forward a few years, I am now in Seoul, Korea...with a life-line back home via Skype...still wondering what might have become of Kenichiro...

Earlier this year, my mother mentioned to me that she was going to visit Malaysia with her friend...so, I connected her with Emil’s mother and also figured if she might be able to stop by Japan as well...

...maybe she could find her long lost pen pal...

This past summer, I was privileged be part of a workshop at the Seoul World Design Fair at Kookmin University. There were faculty and students from all over the world...it was fantastic...everyone was so talented...one Japanese student stood out...Hiroki Hoshida...quite a talented person...

...I figured he could do anything...even find Kenichiro...even though 53 years had past...I didn’t keep my hopes up, but I thought it was worth a try...

So, I Facebooked Hiroki to see if he could help...and he was more than willing.

I had my father scan in a few photos of Kenichiro and send his school address. Which I forwarded them on to Hiroki who graciously took on the daunting task of locating Kenichiro...

Within a few weeks Hiroki had found him...and Kenichiro wasted no time putting out an invitation visit his home...

...then disaster struck......but spite of the devastation, my parents were determined to visit Kenichiro.

...and Kenichiro he had become mythic figure in our household throughout the years...I was not about to let them go without me!

It was quite an event...and was one of the greatest experiences that I have ever had with my parents.

...the day started out with a pickup from Yasunobu, Kenichiro’s cool younger brother...in his Mercedes CLS...

For the hour drive to the house, Yosunobo tried to fill us in on 53 years of life...apparently, Kenichiro was quite a successful executive at Nissan Motors...

My mother and Kenichiro meeting for the first time...he was close to 6 feet tall!

Their first meeting after such a long time must have seemed surreal...bringing back all sorts of teenage memories...in the blink of an eye...53 years later...

First greetings Kenichiro’s wife, Sachiko (right) and sister-in-law, Sumiko

All of the letters and memorabilia that she had saved...

Letter from Kenichiro, November 30, 1958...commenting on her beautiful prom picture!

A typhoon hitting Japan...drawn by Kenichiro, 1958...(click to enlarge)

Drawing by Kenichiro...before Manga...(click to enlarge)

Kenichiro was quite happy, as were we all...

Kenichiro had saved his mail after all!

The excitement of the exchange...everyone lost track of time...

My mother had carved a baseball bat and made this little trinket...you can see Kenichiro’s writing on it...

Sharing is what life is all about...

Sharing is especially great when the the bubbly starts flowing!

...symbolic armor for his son, Junichiro.

Check this out!!! 5,000 years old...from under his house!!! Apparently, archeologists found a treasure trove of artifacts when Kenichiro built his home...

The clay shards Kenichiro kept were over 5,000 years old...

The archeologists said they could find 10,000 year old artifacts if they kept digging...but enough is enough...

Just when we had forgotten about the reality that surrounded us, a 6.1 earthquake shook the Tada family’s 3 story poured cement home like an airplane caught in some very nasty turbulence...it really, really shook for almost 25 seconds...it scared the #@$% out of us!

Then it dawned on me that we were a long way from home...yet it felt like we were at “home.”

After the shock, we still talked for hours...

Kenichiro’s daughter Midori (left) arrived just in time...

She brought two beautiful dolls handcrafted by the Tada’s, a gift to my mother...

After all the commotion and good eating, my dad was ready for a snooze...just like home...

Oh...this little guy traveled back to Japan just to see where he came from...

Saki, the grand daughter, got a look into the past...maybe she might like a pen pal, Austin... ;-)

I have come to realize that my father never got in the way of who my mother was...nor did she of him...together they set out not to change the world, but to always help others in need...no matter who...no matter why...

...No matter what.

Glass Blowing with Grandpa! Happy 70th Birthday!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 09:07:00 +0000

I wanted to get my dad something different for his birthday. Something he would remember and everyone could participate in. A family trip would be a disaster and his passion, golf, was off limits to the rest of us. Well...I decided to take a gamble and try something “artsy / craftsy.”

Knowing that Kalamazoo has an established art community, I figured there must be a glass blowing shop. I Googled “Kalamazoo glass blowing...” Lo and behold, I was right! The West Michigan Glass Arts Center was right down town in Kalamazoo and they did private classes. Perfect for a family gift to Grandpa!

First, we started out with important safety instructions. Then we moved on to the “Interactive Vase” where the master creates a vase of our choosing and everyone helps decorate it. A nice start to the day.

Grandpa is rolling his molten glass into bits of colored glass. Next he is going to mush it onto the vase with the help of two master glass blowers.

Once you get the ornament on to the vase you can cut and shape it as you please. It happens to be a green vase, but when it is hot, the colors are hard to see. Actually, you just have to trust that it is going to turn out all right! Take a leap!

Adam took a nip and a tuck out of his contribution...

Alex and her turn...

The rest of us mesmerized...

Austin’s turn to roll in some color...

Blowing and shaping takes a lot of skill. So, the master handles the tough part! Can you see the lip of the vase glowing? That stuff is hot!

The next part of the fun was the paper weight. This required a little planning on the color you were going to mix. There were all sorts of color to choose from...

...However, “less is more.”

Austin stoked up another glob of glass for his paper weight...

I loved watching everyone enjoy themselves...what a day...

Adam did his part...with a little supervision from the master.

Not quite like barbecue, but Grandpa got the hang of things pretty quickly.

Grandma is not into barbecue. She is all about “slow cooking.” So, we had a little mishap. Kind of cool though. She is always getting creative.

I think she just wanted to see how awesome it would look slithering on the ground!

Those tongs get mighty hot. The ambient heat from the glass will burn you...

...but it is really fun!

Grandpa immersed in shaping his paperweight. You have to make a groove so that we can file it off later.

After you break it off the stick, you have to smooth out the bottom...

...and flatten it so that it will not roll off your papers!

They had to sit in an oven for 24 hours before we could pick them up...

Below are the fruits of our labor...I still have to find a photo for my paperweight...

Austin...

Alexandria...

Adam...

Amanda...

Grandma...

Grandpa...

The Wills vase!

Happy 70th birthday Grandpa!