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ausetkmt · 1 year

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Bobby Carter is slowly changing the music industry, one genre-bending performance at a time. As the Senior Producer for NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Concerts, he’s brought on an increasingly-growing roster of emerging artists, big names, and icons to the company’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. to perform not only for the building’s employees, but for an audience of millions worldwide.

The St. Louis native’s journey has been long and arduous, but fulfilling, to say the least. “I’ve been at NPR for 23 years,” Carter tells ESSENCE. “But my route to where I am now was a bit unconventional; I started out as an intern in the summer of 2000. I was in the digital media space at the time, my job was to edit our content for the web stream. I spearheaded or managed our live streams – and this predated Tiny Desk.”

“I knew at some point I wanted to get involved with music at NPR, but that opportunity wasn’t there yet until NPR Music came along,” he continues. “I slowly started to drift over into the music space by writing pieces here and there, and contributing to our year-end content. In 2014, that’s when I produced my very first Tiny Desk concert, and three years later I was officially over with Tiny Desk in a formal role.”

Since his full transition to Tiny Desk in 2017, Carter has developed partnerships with Complexcon, and HBO’s Insecure, along with creating new initiatives to grow and diversify the program’s reach. He’s also known for further innovating the Tiny Desk Concert Series with artists such as Usher, H.E.R., Anderson.Paak, Jazmine Sullivan, Kirk Franklin, and more. The process of choosing musicians for the now-iconic performance platform has shifted from the time of its inception, but for Carter, he’s more hands on than ever.

“Well, early on it was a lot of us pursuing artists from our end and selling artists on what the concept is and getting them to come and play,” describes the Jackson State University graduate. “Fast-forward to now, it’s pretty much a two-way street. Tiny Desk, as you’re aware of, has become a phenomenon of sorts, where artists and labels know at this point that it’s a vehicle for promoting music and selling music.”

While many musicians feel that Tiny Desk is critical to promoting their music, Carter has found that the promotion of Black music has been equally as important. “I’m really passionate about helping to tell the story of Black music, because the story of Black music is the story of American music, if you ask me,” he says. With the month of June being Black Music Month, NPR has observed it by honoring Black music’s influence through various mediums, and highlighting its impact so that the story is told properly.

“You can’t tell the history of music without black people,” the veteran DJ says. “What we’re trying to do here at the Tiny Desk with Black Music Month is to really present that in a way that shows us in different lights. You have R&B, gospel, etc.; there’s just so many layers to black music that have made American music what it is today. It’s a story that isn’t told enough, it can never be told enough.”

Outside of jazz the only other true artform produced in the country is hip-hop, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. During his earlier days at the platform, Carter speaks about the “internal conflict” that he has dealt with to get people to recognize that hip-hop and artists like Gucci Mane also need to be heard in a space like NPR.

“I think that there is a struggle to be sure that every single perspective is heard, and understand that whether or not a they’re a street MC or a trap artist or a neo soul artist, that they all belong, their perspective deserves to be heard at the Tiny Desk, as long as the performance is right,” he says. There were people who were uncomfortable with a Gucci Mane at the Tiny Desk, given his history and whatnot. But he served his time for his wrongs, and he has been the ultimate redemption story.”

The Atlanta rapper’s appearance on Tiny Desk altered the trajectory of what the concert series was, helping to catapult it to the successful platform that it ultimately became. “I think that Gucci Mane, that Tiny Desk was a big, big game changer for the Tiny Desk in terms of hip hop, because it showed other artists in his lane that, ‘We can come and we can do our thing here too,’” Carter states, before pausing briefly.

He continues by saying, “There is an internal fight, because a lot of times people want to feel comfortable, they don’t want to feel threatened by hip hop. But if you’re a little uncomfortable, that’s okay – maybe it’s just not for you, but it is for somebody.” After Gucci’s performance in 2016, Tiny Desk featured Chance the Rapper, Big K.R.I.T., Rakim, Lizzo, Megan Thee Stallion, and Trina, among others; bolstering the fact that the genre is still strong, and is here to stay.

Throughout the years, many legendary performances have taken place behind the desk of the All Songs Considered’s host Bob Boilen. Tiny Desk has risen to the heights of popularity, and is now a staple in today’s culture. Carter, who helped build it to what it is today, understands the task at hand, and knows how special this platform is. “I feel like it’s part of my duty to continue to do this,” he says. Not only continuing to push current stars and rising artists to the forefront, but also giving flowers to legends like El Debarge, Patti LaBelle, Charlie Wilson, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, and more.

“I think that it helps to bridge that gap and it helps to bring the youth over to these legendary legacy artists, and to remind them of their greatness,” Carter explains. “I think a lot of times when I bring some of the artists that I bring to the Tiny Desk, this should serve as a reminder of their status in music.”

“So, I feel the ultimate responsibility, from a cultural standpoint, is to show people and use our huge audience to spread awareness about these artists,” he continues. “To grow and continue to be a voice for black culture, and for diversity as a whole.”

#NPR’s Bobby Carter Speaks On Hip-Hop At 50 #Black Music Month And Tiny Desk’s Far-Reaching Impact #tiny desk concerts #Bobby Carter #NPR #Black Music Month #Black Music #2023 #ausetkmt

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titleknown · 2 years

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You're creating yet another degrowth strawman.

Read some JK Steinberger and maybe you'll calm down.

[Referring to this post]

...Like, how is it a strawman when I point out the things that they've actually said and where I see the implications going?

Like, I'm asking in good faith, because I do not get how people look at the broader Degrowth Movement and not get nervous.

Like, Kallis is not some rando, from my knowlege he's a big name I see brought up a lot. And like, while I don't think this essay I wrote has aged particularly well (I probably would not defend Phillips or The Breakthrough Institute), I do think it's useful to show a lot of the absolute bullshit I've seen Degrowth People say, because I directly linked them. Enough so to give me an idea of a pattern.

And like... to give a further example from something I've personally noticed on why I read the implications I do, in all the talk about degrowth and how much free time their society will provide to pursue your passions, it's always about very analog passions.

Like, they talk about woodworking, playing an instrument, painting. But never about any hobbies that require computing devices, like digital art, video games, game development, programming, robotics, ect-cetera.

Most degrowth-movement-people I've seen have had nothing but spite for the devices that enable those hobbies, because of the very real atrocities that exist in the world-as-we-know it to produce them, but in that I always see the presumption that they could never exist or innovate without that exploitation.

Especially given my conversation wrt the person I mentioned who talked about "emerging technology is a capitalist grift" and how that's reflective of that broader contrarianism I see towards basically any technology that might make the need for mandated-aeceticism less.

One degrowth person on here said was "well, video games are just a substitute for what capitalism took from you," which I think is a grotesque way to treat an entire artform just because you find it inefficient.

Why is it such a strawman to think that, given they talk about the need for those mandated limits on production, means of accessing or iterating upon those devices would be choked off? Especially under the system of soft-pressure Kallis describes.

And like... speaking personally, as a fan of a lot of mediums that're often strangled by the efficiency fetishism of capitalism (Animation being the big one), I do not get how one doesn't get very nervous at the tendency towards efficiency fetishism in the Degrowth Movement.

And that's what I see a lot of from Degrowth People, efficiency fetishism. That contempt I see for computing and those that use it, the framework of "harsh truths" that you might never have an orange again, the quest I keep seeing to define so many things as manufactured interests, in aggregate it's extremely noticeable to me.

I see it concealed through the language of free time, but when I look deeper at what they talk about using free time for and what mediums they shit-talk, it feels very much more like the idea that they simply think their hobbies are "efficient" enough to avoid the axe, and people who's aren't should get fucked.

Like, from all I see of Kallis' work it's not "Does it bring joy?" it's "You need to make its absence bring joy through 'self-mastery'" which like...

...If one's autistic, the idea of altering your interests for the sake of "self-mastery" or "self control" driven by pressures to be "efficient" is an extremely familiar pain, ugly and cruel in a way that a lot of people who never experienced it don't realize.

And again, I see a lot of Degrowth People citing this guy, and a lot of people echoing the worst of his points.

Like, again, I've come around on the idea of degrowth as a technique, a tool in the toolbox, but none of that has been from the works of the actual degrowth movement, but rather through people who don't have that aestheticized efficiency fetishism.

And like... maybe it's just my different reading and my experiences at play, but I fundamentally, genuinely, do not get how my bringing it up is a strawman.

Like... I do not get how y'all don't see it, reading those trends. How?

#degrowth #rambling #shut up titleknown

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bukas-space · 2 years

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On starting a new project

This post was written by Renz Reyes, one of the residents of the 2022 Emerging Futurist-in-Residence program.

Starting a new project can be so overwhelming. you always want to start on the right foot. anxieties aside, i guess you just have to dive into the work head on. i really do enjoy the early stages in the design process. Coming up with concepts, researching reference images, and Making a mood board. i tend to always over indulge with the research. it just adds a layered nuance and thoughtfulness to everything. it makes all the difference. Ultimately, not all ideas will make it in the end. it really is quite a journey. The first idea might be totally different from the final output.

This is the first time i'm participating in an artist residency. i thought that these things were only reserved for visual artists. Fashion is indeed an artform but it is not officially recognized as such. What really drew me in to this project is the prospect of collaboration with people from an entirely different sector. specifically experts from field of Science/Technology. i've always designed a certain way. as any designer, who have developed their own style over the years and have recognizable aspects to their work. i don't want to speak for everyone but i do think We have personal biases to our work and how we design. we might favor certain themes/subjects. We have our go to Silhouettes, Prints and details people will recognize us for. and that is great. but it doesn’t leave much room for growth and experimentation. so in way, this residency was an avenue for me to discover new direction to my work, explore possibilities that i didn't know existed and also create a new way of storytelling through kinetic Garments and wearable tech.

Making a Terno is such a daunting task. The Filipinos feel a connection to it and have strong opinions about what makes a terno a terno. so besides innovating it and telling a new story through these new mediums. we remain respectful to what it stands for and want to make something that would be the best representation of it. I wanted to create something different.

i knew that i had to put all my ideas into writing first before i even attempt to start sketching and doing all the tactile stuff. One Thing i was sure of is i wanted my garment to mean something in the current zeitgeist but also calling back to history and past grievances. i had to realize what my Terno's place was in the modern world. look beyond my perview and the limitations i set myself. My goal was to create a Kinetic Garment that moved and transformed as you interact with it. but i asked myself these two questions: "What is the purpose of the movement, what motivates it? and how does that relate to the story i was trying to convey. This was a long read. i'll explain in great detail the first draft of my design in the next Blog.

#futurists in residence #futurists #fashion #ternopil #futurists-in-residence-2022 #wearable futures

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speedybeardtidalwave · 2 years

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Something that is common among creatives and especially to someone undergoing the first steps of the creative process…

2nd Post: “Untitled”

nuance and thoughtfulness to everything. it makes all the difference. Ultimately, not all ideas will make it in the end. it really is quite a journey. The first idea might be totally different from the final output.

Making a Terno is such a daunting task. The Filipinos feel a connection to it and have strong opinions about what makes a terno a terno. so besides innovating it and telling a new story

through these new mediums. we remain respectful to what it stands for and want to make something that would be the best representation of it. I wanted to create something different.

For more information on Renz’s project click the link below:

#futurism #design #fashion #ternopil

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bbreferencearchive · 5 years

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Viola Bonaldi interviews Bobby BeauSoleil

This is the raw interview Viola Bonaldi did with Bobby BeauSoleil in the summer of 2018. Viola Bonaldi wrote an article incorporating the raw material below for Salmuria.

You can read the English version here: https://salmuria.it/emailing-with-bobby-beausoleil/

… Or if your first language happens to be Italian, read it here: https://salmuria.it/corrispondenza-con-bobby-beausoleil/

How did your passion for art — first music and then visual art — come about? Do you remember a specific moment or an episode that enlightened you? Did the Sixties atmosphere play an important role?

As far as I can tell, I mean, to the best of my recollection, I already had a passion to express myself in creative ways when I was born. According to what my mother told me later, about the time I took my first steps I was playing her pots and pans and making drawings on the walls of the house.

Honestly, I can’t remember a time when I didn’t feel like I had something to say in the arts. I believe this is the case with most if not all artists. For some a passionate desire to express in the arts may lay dormant for a time, and then suddenly something happens that triggers the calling, awakening the latent artist within. In my case it seems that I was born turned on. I didn’t need the social explosion that happened in the 1960s to bring the creative urges out of me, but it did provide a playground for them, and sometimes I found inspiration in the passions of people I encountered during that period.

When you haunted the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles you were known as “Cupid”, the archaic Roman primordial god of love, because of the way girls liked to be around you, a young, vibrant, beautiful, multicolored artist. From that capricious god you eventually turned yourself into “Lucifer”, the “angel of light”, fallen from Paradise as a consequence of his pride. Your life is largely connected to archaic myths, and this is often reflected in your work as an artist, both musically and visually, which is full of esoteric symbolism. Now, more than four decades after your work on Lucifer Rising, who are you? Lucifer, Cupid, or some other “creature”? And how do you explain your interest in the arcane?

Wow! Big questions! Well, first of all, I have never pretended to actually be any “creature”, as you put it, that I’ve been associated with. I am just me, an innately nameless soul. As an artist, I have sometimes used my own physical being as a canvas, willingly adopting personas from mythology that others have seen in me. My parents gave me a name at birth and I have been happy to be that person most of the time. Occasionally I have taken on the personifications of archetypes from myth as a way of allowing them to live for a brief time, and in a limited way, in the world of the mundane. There are, by the way, some common traits between Cupid and Lucifer. Both of these mythological beings are imagined as angelic, both known to have a naughty streak, to be creatively rebellious, and both are associated with love. I can think of far worse things to be known for expressing in the world.

What attracts me to the myths is the wealth of story and allegory that can enrich our larger capacity for understanding. Myths are often used as a tool for deepening cultural identity, and to give a hand up by way of providing context and instruction to those who aspire to higher truths. And mythology is an artform that can inspire new art, and thus myths can be alive and continue to grow and influence. As for other arcane interests, I have found little of any real substance in the so-called “dark arts” or silly practices like devil worship. However, as a mystic seeker I have found that treasures are often hidden in dark places. Following a shadow to its source will invariably lead one to the light.

You write that your works are rarely borne out of direct observations of the natural world, from the perception of real things, but come instead from your own mental reinterpretations and from the world of dreams. Is this a consequence of your limited conditions in terms of the space you live it? What is your process for drawing subjects from your recurrent dreams?

Certainly, there are no beautiful vistas to be seen through the dirty windows of the place where I live. I can see moving images from nature in photographs and films, and sometimes these inspire me to produce a visual interpretation. For the most part, though, I tend to see the beauty of nature as paintings made by God, ever changing in the light of consciousness, awesomely inspired and breathtaking, far beyond the capabilities of any human artist to do them justice. Rather than producing poor imitations of the moving paintings created by God, my natural inclination is to make a few humble additions to God’s creation, as one of the forces of nature.

So, for the most part, I draw inspiration from my unfettered and fertile imagination. You can fly in your dreams, right? What can be seen, imagined or experienced is not limited to what is possible in the physical world in some states of mind. I cultivate some of these states of mind, such as lucid dreaming, as a source for concepts that may be made manifest in the physical world through my arts. This works for visual imagery and for music as well, and even sometimes for written words, like poetry. In the vast territories of dreams especially — both daydreams and the kind that happen during sleep — the mind plays freely, in safety, amorphously creating odd mash-ups, evolving patterns, astonishingly wonderous sounds. Much of my work is an attempt to bring these experiences into the physical realm, or at least to hint at them.

What does a young man think when he is sent to death row? You couldn’t play an instrument or have contact with other people, right?

When I arrived on San Quentin’s death row in 1970 I was a total wreck, broken and shattered, far more devastated than I ever let anyone know during that period. As difficult as it was, in some ways that 26 months I was on death row was a blessing. I needed that time alone to grapple with my conscience, to fully face what I had done head-on, to begin to learn how to think things through and begin the process of accepting responsibility for how I was going to deal with the consequences of my actions and eventually find a way to redeem myself. It was a tall order, one that seemed utterly insurmountable at the time. Think of a complicated picture-puzzle with about a million pieces.

Having a guitar was not allowed on death row, like you say, but I could get a little manual typewriter and a few pencils and sketch paper. Writing and drawing helped me to focus on my inner world and begin the process of putting the pieces of myself back together.

Where did you learn to create musical instruments? How did you manage to do that in prison?

Finding ways of making new or different kinds of sounds has been a fascination for me since I was a small boy. The first time I built a musical instrument was when I was about 8 years old. It was a contraption I called a “jazz band” — basically a percussion instrument made out of a wooden crate, with a variety of found objects like tin cans, pie plates, glass jars, spoons and whatnot nailed or attached to the crate in some way. I made a lot of noise on that thing, beating on it with sticks. A couple of years later I made an electric guitar — or rather, something that looked like a guitar I had seen in the window of a music store — in the workshop class at my school. It didn’t work, but from that experience I learned a lot about what is needed to make one that would. I have customized, or “hot-rodded”, every guitar I’ve had since, and built a few guitars from scratch.

In the mid-1960s, when I was putting together a band that would become known as The Orkustra, I was faced with the challenge of figuring out how to go about electrically amplifying different kinds of woodwinds and stringed instruments. This was a necessary step in fulfilling my desire to assemble the first electric orchestra. This experience became invaluable ten years later when I took on the Lucifer Rising soundtrack project. After I was given a permission from the warden at the prison to produce recordings for the project I successfully sought an additional permission to build some of the instruments I would need in the prison handicraft shop. I was allowed to build several guitars and keyboard instruments, and to experiment with music electronics and synthesizer design. This led to the invention and development of some instrument innovations.

Things have changed in prisons since then, with most of the prison handicraft programs having been shut down. Though I’m not able to build instruments at present, I still manage to find ways to hot-rod guitars. Fortunately, the technical skills I acquired earlier opened doors to my being in prison jobs that have given me access to advanced tools for producing work in various media, including video and sound design. I have been blessed with some unusual opportunities to employ my abilities in ways that are helpful and beneficial to others. Despite the imprisonment, I count myself fortunate to have had these opportunities, and I am grateful.

How can a human being detained for decades in prison survive in such a place without becoming a “monster”, as you have reflected in some of your writings? Can we say that Lucifer Rising saved you?

Prisons are unnatural places. They are ill-conceived responses to social problems like crime and mental illness — and in the US, anyone who breaks a law, mentally ill or not, is subject to incarceration in the prison system. In practice, imprisonment worsens these types of problems, generally speaking. Imprisonment warps the mind, not only of prisoners but also of the people who are paid to supervise them and keep them locked in.

Fairly early in my incarceration I became aware of the effects being in prison was having on me, and on others around me. By that time, I had already begun to slip into involvement in violent situations. When I saw what was happening I began to take steps to mitigate those negative effects. I resolved that I would never allow the prison environment to define me. Making a personal vow of non-violence that I have maintained to this day was one of those steps. By pouring myself into creative expression as an artist, along with promoting and maintaining healthy relationships with people on the outside, I have been able to gird myself against the insanity around me. It takes continuous effort and resolve, and a lot of vigilance, but it is possible to empower oneself to rise above the snares and pitfalls of prison life and maintain one’s personal integrity.

Yes, you could say that the Lucifer Rising soundtrack project saved me, in a way. It took years to complete the soundtrack compositions and recordings. During that time the project consumed me utterly. And it did so in a positive way. My concept for the Lucifer Rising themes was to musically describe the fallen angel’s desire to redeem himself, tracing his path through the dark passages he would pass through in his journey toward reconciliation and the light. The story, as I decided to interpret it, has certain resonances in my own life, so working on the project was cathartic.

Did you like Charles Manson’s music?

Sometimes I did and sometimes I didn’t. Charlie was a uniquely talented musician, but he had a tendency to be inconsistent in the way he approached musical performance. Much of this had to do with context. Some of his songs were a lot like songs for children, and were obviously meant to be sing-along songs for the people in his commune. Those songs would not have had much appeal to a general audience, and I have seen them used in sensationalist media to ridicule his musical ability. There were songs of Charlie’s that would not stand the tests of time, like much of the music that was made during the sixties, but many of his songs were entirely relevant for that period and some of them had real depth of meaning. The ones I liked best were those that he sang and played spontaneously, in a stream-of-consciousness style, like some rappers of today. As an improvisational player, I particularly enjoyed playing with him on songs he created in this mode. My accompaniment seemed to inspire him and helped to bring out the best qualities in his performances. This type of collaboration formed the basis of my relationship with him, such as it was. Unfortunately, no good recordings have survived.

You appear to have a deeply spiritual conception about purpose in relation to destiny. You have written that every person is born with some special ability or message they are meant to express in the world, a unique hand of cards to play in life. If you had not done “a bad thing” as your Professor Proponderus character said in the animated film you made, and been sent to prison, what do you think your life would have been like? Who would Bobby Beausoleil have become outside of jail? How would he have played his cards?

Taking my cue from the cards metaphor seems like the best place to begin a response to your questions ... The thing is, most human beings are not dealt only one hand of cards in life. Each time one makes a major decision in life, or has a significant accident, Destiny deals the individual a new hand of cards to play. It is impossible to say what my life might have been like had I not made the dire decisions that caused me to be sent to prison.

Some imaginative writers have postulated that each major decision creates a new timestream in a parallel universe. Well, I don’t know if that’s true, and it’s doubtful any of us ever will in our lifetimes, but let’s play along for the sake of giving due respect to what you are asking. Had I played my hand of cards differently in 1969 it’s conceivable that the Bobby Beausoleil of that alternate universe would have become a famous rock star, as I once hoped to be. Just as conceivable, the Bobby Beausoleil of another parallel universe might have wound up in some dark alley, dead of a drug overdose, something I have never had any aspirations to be.

We don’t get to choose beyond playing the cards we are dealt as well as we can in the hope that our decisions will take us to where we want to go. It is when we play our cards willy-nilly, without care, that we may instigate disasters in our lives and the lives of others. That said, I have done my best to play my cards well in the intervening years, and to overcome, to the extent that may be possible, the failings of my past. We shall see what the cards I play now will bring in the future.

Reading the transcript from your last parole hearing one can note that your artistic activity, and publishing communications with people outside of prison via the internet, has sometimes been used against you and your release. But you still do it. Do you do this out of a philosophical sense of duty, or because you feel safer in prison and don’t really want to be released? I mean, it seems like you’re shooting yourself in the foot ...My idea is that it’s only an excuse. It doesn’t matter what you do. For some people you will always be condemned because you have the Manson stigma on you.

Excuses are made by people who shirk the responsibilities they have agreed to accept, and who fail to have the courage to do the right thing and uphold those responsibilities. After long and very careful consideration, I resolved years ago that I would not restrict or limit my life in accordance with the excuses made by other people.

This is not an act of defiance by any means. I carefully follow the rules I am given to follow; none of my art or publishing actually violates any of them. And I assure you, I have no desire to wrap myself up in the dubious security of prison life. I want to get out of prison as much as any imprisoned person ever has. In the end, what it comes down to is that my spiritual obligation to fulfill my purpose in life trumps any of the rationalizations or excuses that may be used to justify keeping me in prison, and all the nonsense related to them.

A soul comes into the world for only a brief time and for the purpose, however slight it may be, to contribute to bringing sentience to the physical universe through expression of a God-given ability. This is called dharma, the purpose in life. Failing to uphold this responsibility is a breach of the sacred covenant a soul makes when coming into the world.

As an artist, it is my role to express creatively and to share the work I produce in such efforts with the world. Perhaps this will serve to uplift another soul, or to inspire someone to make their own dharmic contribution to the human mission. Or maybe it’s of no real value at all. In any case, I feel very strongly that I must remain true to my calling, and to fulfill my sacred obligation as a sentient soul, come what may.

In the years past I fought long and hard to restore myself to integrity. Too great an investment has been made to retreat from what I know I’m here to do, or to otherwise compromise my integrity out of fear of some arbitrary, politically motivated resistance. Clearly, nothing in the work I create is indicative of any violent tendencies. Excuses aside, this is what should be the focus in a parole consideration hearing. At some point I may be fortunate enough to have my case in front of arbiters who recognize that my creative efforts have been the instrument of my rehabilitation, restoring me to a responsible human being, and who will, in consideration of this, support my release from prison.

From your experience, what do you think of the use of social media and the internet?

My direct exposure to the internet has been limited by restrictive prison policies, but studying technological advancements is a hobby of mine. I won’t be left behind like Rip Van Winkle! As a multi-media artist, I am interested in how computers and computer devices like tablets and cell phones can be used to express creatively in new ways. There are artists out there who are doing amazing things with these new technologies!

The internet is a mixed bag, mostly because it is still like the wild west — a work in progress. For the everyday person to have rapid access to so much information is truly marvelous, extremely empowering, but this is only beneficial if the information is accurate. With every person able to have their very own pulpit there is way too much fake news and click-bait gossip poised to ensnare the unwary. I believe this will improve in time as the search engines incorporate better algorithms to snag and tag the suspicious content. On the other hand, there is the wonder of streaming media. I can’t wait to be able to catch up on come of the films and music I’ve been missing!

There is a lot about social media that doesn’t seem very sociable to me. The ability to communicate across vast distances in real time via texting and chatting on Facebook and other social media sites, with pictures and video, makes for an extremely valuable tool. That’s just it: a tool. There is no replacement for real sensory contact between human beings. We are hardwired for touch and direct eye contact. There are reasons why suicides are occurring more frequently in these times; it seems to me that too much reliance on social media platforms is part of the reason for this. It worries me that many young people will sit side-by-side and text to each other instead of looking at one another and talking. And too many people are cocooned in their personal bubbles, insulated from empathic connection to humanity, making derogatory, harsh, even hateful judgements of other people, often only because they are isolated and lonely and need to share their misery. Emojis are cute but they are a poor substitute for communicating real emotions. Humans are complex creatures. We can actually choose to be less anxious and depressed as a species by relying less on virtual socializing.

You took your freedom early, still a child, but soon you lost it. Unlike the stories of most prisoners, however, you affirm that your family situation was very positive when you were a child. Do you remember the happiest episode of your childhood, and the saddest one? Do you recall your childhood home and the scents of that time?

I remember my childhood home vividly, smells and all. Although I tended to be more adventurous than most of the kids I knew, my childhood was pretty average, growing up in a tract house nearly identical to all the other houses in the neighborhood. My happiest times were when I was sent off to stay with my grandmother during the summer, because the world seemed so much bigger in the Los Angeles area where she lived. My happiest memory there was finding an old guitar in my grandmother’s attic. Destiny dealt me a new hand of cards that day! The saddest day of my childhood was, at age 15, going with my family to my grandmother’s funeral. That was the day I left home for good, for some reasons that didn’t actually have anything to do with my grandmother’s death. I loved my family, but the family home was just too small.

Silvio Pellico, an Italian writer and patriot imprisoned for life in 1820, then given a commuted sentence and released after 10 years, stated that, without a doubt, free living is much better than living in prison, yet even in a miserable prison you can enjoy life. What do you think about this?

Prison is generally a pretty miserable place, that’s a fact. Spending my time in a puddle of self-pity has always been an option, just as it is for people on the outside. Choosing that option is what turns a miserable place into a hell. Many people in prison do just that. There is not only misery but a good deal of anger and rage in here as well. I mentioned earlier, I made the decision to not allow prison to define me. As a result, I have managed to do the extraordinary while in prison, and I have inspired some other prisoners to do similar things. While prison is a miserable place, being a miserable prisoner is not a must. Transcendence of misery is always possible no matter how hard it gets.

Your answer to a question no one has ever asked you ...

“Do you wear boxers or briefs under shorts?” No, I don’t.

Describe the room you live in and what your days are like at the prison where you live. What do you do for entertainment. How are you feeling?

My mind is much younger than my body, so naturally I have my share of aches and pains to deal with. To help preserve my health and activity I do hatha yoga on a semi-regular basis. I am also one of the two teachers for the yoga class here. A couple of times a week I play with other musicians here and once in a while we perform together in the prison house band. We have a music class once a week and I help with teaching guitar to students. Even though my spiritual orientation is grounded in the traditions of West Asia, I’m perfectly comfortable playing in the Gospel band in the prison chapel. Also once a week I take my guitar to the Hospice part of the prison hospital, and play music for men who are in the process of dying.

My cell is about the size of a typical bathroom in someone’s home. There’s a door in one end and a window in the other end that lets in daylight; there is a small sink, a toilet, and a large metal locker for storage. I use the top of the locker as my work surface. I’m using it now while typing these words. My bed is the size of a cot, a concrete block with a mat stuffed with jute fiber; of course, it serves also as a seat and a place where I set my art materials when working on a painting or drawing. My guitar shares the space, and I’ve got a small television and a radio. I would say that I live like a monk if my cell were not so cluttered with stuff for work, play, eating and sleeping. I manage to figure out ways to make the space work for me fairly well under the circumstances.

I currently have a job five days a week in the prison library. It takes up a bit too much of my time and sometimes conflicts with things I’m trying to do. But then, most people who have jobs have similar problems.

Much of my time has been going into writing and editing. A couple of books are in the works, one of which is scheduled for publication in 2019. This leaves me little time for reading, though I manage to find some time to read, mostly books on spiritual philosophy, mythology, media technology. But when it comes to words it’s the writing that gets most of the juice. I love good films and some television dramas, if they are done well. I will watch the TV for two or three hours in the evening if there is something on worth my attention. Some of my writing time naturally goes to communicating with family and friends, creative collaborators, and, when I can fit it in, some of the fans of my work as well.

My long-awaited double vinyl LP, Voodoo Shivaya, a concept album I worked on for seven years, recently debuted. The response has been gratifying, quite favorable so far, even though the music does not fit in any of the established categories or genres. So I’m feeling pretty happy that I’ve been able to share this music with the world.

Do you have a suggestion you can give us?

Try to avoid killing anyone, if you can. It is very very difficult to come back from something like that. And if you find yourself faced with a seemingly insurmountable challenge, don’t be too shy to ask for help. The best place to look for help is deep within yourself where you will surely find great resources of strength and courage you may not yet be aware of. And remember, there is always at least one way to play your cards that will allow you to prevail over and ultimately transcend any challenge.

#bobby beausoleil #bobby beausoleil interview #bobby beausoleil salmuria #bobby beausoleil viola bonaldi

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ricardopeach · 7 years

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Transmit Yourself

#LostLover Come transmit yourself

#university of the free state #andrew w mellon foundation #Program for Innovation in Artform Development #vrystaat arts festival #situate art in festivals #Salamanca Arts Centre #australia council for the arts

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saturdayam · 3 years

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SATURDAY AM GRAPHIC NOVELS HEAD TO STORES WORLDWIDE

The Quarto Group Partners with Saturday AM On a New and Inclusive Wave of Manga Books

The Quarto Group is partnering with digital Manga and comic brand Saturday AM for a robust publishing program featuring manga-inspired comics featuring greater diversity and inclusion (i.e., diverse Manga), to be published under its art and design imprint Rockport Publishers. Showcasing creators from across the globe–from Senegal to New Zealand –who center more BIPOC and LGBTQ+ characters in their work, this new style of Manga elevates voices who rarely appear in traditional manga narratives.

Saturday AM launched the independent black-owned manga movement in the U.S. in 2013 and is the most successful flagship brand for MyFutprint Entertainment, LLC. Saturday AM is an online manga anthology magazine that focuses on diversity and representation, producing over 150 issues to date of serialized digital content monthly with dedicated fans from over 60 countries. The Saturday AM brand has appeared on collectible toys, sticker apps, and a mobile videogame. With a solid social media presence, including dozens of exclusive artists, influencers in their own right, Saturday AM generates roughly 17M impressions per month.

Author and founder of MyFutprint Entertainment, LLC Frederick L. Jones is pleased to take this next step with Saturday AM and The Quarto Group. "As an African-American, it's been a dream of mine that the art form that I've loved since the '80s offer more ethnic and cultural diversity both on the page and behind the scenes. It's been rather humbling just how many young talented fans have embraced our brand and our popular series like CLOCK STRIKER, shonen's 1st black female lead character. Partnering with a company like The Quarto Group finally allows us to bring these creator-owned original manga stories to stores worldwide."

"We are thrilled to be adding the Saturday AM brand to our Quarto list," says Senior Vice President and Group Publishing Director of Rockport Publishers Winnie Danenbarger. "Manga is a powerful art form that has influenced the globe in animation, artistic influences, and even culture. The graphic novels created by Saturday AM speak to a contemporary and diverse audience and wholly aligns with Quarto's mission of inspiring and embracing global artists." Adds Danenbarger: "Manga is now becoming an international language, and the globalization of it will only continue to expand in the future as an infinitely adaptable art form around the world. We're excited to be at the forefront of this new, creative and inclusive wave of Manga."

Quarto launches the line by publishing 10 titles in 2022 from 7 series and an additional 10 to 12 titles per year in 2023 and 2024. The first three serialized Saturday AM titles—APPLE BLACK, HAMMER, and SAIGAMI —are scheduled to publish June 7, 2022, along with Saturday AM Presents How to Draw Diverse Manga, the first HOW TO book with an inclusive take on the popular artform. In July, the line continues with one of the first ALL AFRICAN manga series, OBLIVION ROUGE, with others to follow. Most of Saturday AM's serialized titles will be shonen Manga (action-adventure, ages 12+) with exclusive new art and story. They will exist in a multi-verse where all the stories connect for an epic storytelling experience. And deepening the experience for both new and existing readers, Saturday AM manga titles will also offer innovative never-before-seen "post-credit" content exclusively debuting within these printed books.

ABOUT QUARTO

The Quarto Group is the leading global publisher of illustrated books. Quarto encompasses a diverse portfolio of imprints and businesses that are expert in developing long-lasting content across specific niches of interest for adults, children and the whole family. Quarto sells its products globally in over 50 countries and 40 languages and employs c.330 people in the US and the UK. The group was founded in London in 1976. It is domiciled in the US and listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE: QRT). For more information, visit quarto.com or follow us on Twitter at @TheQuartoGroup.

ABOUT SATURDAY AM and MYFUTPRINT ENTERTAINMENT, LLC

Saturday AM is a unique digital comics brand featuring an ever-growing catalog of popular, exclusive, and diverse manga-inspired webcomics by independent creators from around the world. Among the three dozen visionary artists on the Saturday AM team are Nigerian Youtuber and popular creator @WhytManga (APPLE BLACK), USA TODAY, and ONI PRESS professional artist @JeyOdin (HAMMER), and Hungarian illustrator @saigaimiproject (SAIGAMI). To learn more about Saturday AM, visit www.saturday-am.com, or find them on Instagram (@saturday_am), YouTube (youtube.com/user/MyFutprint), and Twitter (@saturday_am). You can access their Manga via their mobile app at app.saturday-am.com.

#Saturday AM #graphic novel #books #the quarto group #rockport publishers

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atthevogue · 6 years

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“Tony de Peltrie” (1985)

The basics: Wikipedia

Opened: A landmark piece of computer animation, the Canadian short was part of the 19th Annual Tournee of Animation anthology that showed at the Vogue Theater in March and April of 1986.

Also on the bill: At least one Saturday in April, it was programmed in the 9:00 slot after Chris Marker’s Akira Kurosawa documentary A.K. and Woody Allen’s Sleeper, and before a midnight showing of Night of the Living Dead, which sounds to me like a very good eight-hour day at the movies. Otherwise, you could have had a less perfect day seeing it play after Haskell Wexler’s forgotten Nicaragua war movie Latino and the equally forgotten Gene Hackman/Ann-Margaret romantic drama Twice in a Lifetime.

What did the paper say? ★★★1/2 from the Courier-Journal film critic Dudley Saunders. Saunders described the Tournee as “a specialized event that shows signs of moving into the movie mainstream,” correctly presaging the renaissance in feature-length animation in the 1990s generally and Pixar specifically, whose Luxo, Jr. short was released that same year. Of Tony, Saunders singles it out as “one of the most technologically advanced,” and that it featured “some delightful music from Marie Bastien.” He then throws his hands up: "Computers were used in this Canadian entry. Don’t ask how.” Saunders was long-time film critic for the C-J’s afternoon counterpart, the Louisville Times, throughout the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s. In the late 1980s, he would co-found Louisville’s free alternative weekly, the Louisville Eccentric Observer.

What was I doing? I was six and hypothetically could have seen an unrated animation festival, though I'd have been a little bit too young to have fully appreciated it. Although, who knows, I’m sure I was watching four hours of cartoons a day at the time, so maybe my taste was really catholic.

How do I see it in 2018? It’s on YouTube.

youtube

A four-hour-a-day diet of cartoons was probably on the lower end for most of my peers. I grew up during what I believe is commonly known as the Garbage Age of Animation, which you can trace roughly from The Aristocrats in 1970 to The Little Mermaid (or The Simpsons) in 1989. The quantity of animation was high, and the quality was low. Those twenty years were a wasteland for Disney, and even though I have fond memories of a lot of those movies, like The Black Cauldron, they’re a pretty bleak bunch compared to what was sitting in those legendary Disney vaults, waiting patiently to be released on home video.

Other than low-quality Disney releases, the 1980s were highlighted mostly by the post-’70s crap was being churned out of the Hanna-Barbera laboratories. Either that, or nutrition-free Saturday morning toy commercials like The Smurfs and G.I. Joe. Of course there’s also Don Bluth, whose work is kind of brilliant, but whose odd feature-length movies seem very out-of-step with the times. Don Bluth movies seem now like baroque Disney alternatives for weird, dispossessed kids who didn’t yet realize they were weird and dispossessed. (Something like The Secret of NIMH is like Jodorowsky compared to, say, 101 Dalmatians.) Most of the bright spots of those years were produced under the patronage of the saint of 1980s suburbia, Steven Spielberg. An American Tale or Tiny Toon Adventures aren’t regarded today as auteurist masterpieces of animation (or are they?), but they were really smart and imaginative if you were nine years old. Still, the idea that cartoons might be sophisticated enough to be enjoyed by non-stoned adults was probably very alien concept in 1985.

In the midst of all of this, though, scattered throughout the world were a bunch of programmers and animators working out the next regime. Within ten years of Tony de Peltrie, Pixar’s Toy Story would be the first feature-length CGI animated movie, and within another ten years, traditional hand-drawn animation, at least for blockbuster commercial purposes, would be effectively dead. That went for both kids and their parents. Animation, like comic books, would take on a new sophistication and levels of respectability in the coming decades.

I love it when you read an old newspaper review with the benefit of hindsight, and find that the critic has gotten it right in predicting how things may play out in years to come. That’s why I was excited to read in Saunders’ review of the Tournee that he suspected animation as an artform was showing “signs of moving into the movie mainstream.” His sense of confusion (or wonder, or some combination) at the computer-generated aspects is charming in retrospect, too.

Tony de Peltrie is a landmark in computer-generated animation, but its lineage doesn’t really travel through the Pixar line at all (even though John Lassetter himself served on the award panel for the film festival where it was first shown, and predicted it’d be regarded as a landmark piece of animation). The children of the 1970s and ‘80s grew up to revere the golden era of Pixar movies as adults, and the general consensus is that not only are they great technical accomplishments, but works of great emotional resonance.

As much of an outlier as it makes me: I just don’t know. I haven’t really thought so. I think most Pixar movies are really, really sappy in the most obvious way possible. The oldest ones look to me as creaky as all those rotoscoped Ralph Bakshi cartoons of the ‘70s. Which is fine, technology is one thing -- most silent movies look pretty creaky, too -- but the underlying of armature of refined Disney sap that supports the whole structure strains to the point of collapse after a time or two.

Film critic Emily Yoshida said it best on Twitter: she noted, when Incredibles 2 came out, she’d recently re-watched the first Incredibles and was shocked at how crude it looked. "The technoligization of animation will not do individual works favors over time,” she wrote. “The wet hair effect in INCREDIBLES, which I remember everyone being so excited about, felt like holding a first generation iPod. Which is how these movies have trained people to watch them on a visual level...as technology.” There’s something here that I think Yoshida is alluding to about Pixar movies that is very Silicon Valley-ish in the way they’re consumed, almost as status symbols, or as luxury products. This is true nearly across all sectors of the tech industry now, but it’s particularly evident with animation.

One of my favorite movie events of the year is when the Landmark theaters here in Minneapolis play the Oscar-nominated animated shorts at the beginning of the year. Every year, it’s the same: you’ll get a collection of fascinating experiments from all over the world, some digitally rendered, some hand-drawn. They don’t always work, and some of them are really bad, but there’s always such a breadth of styles, emotions and narratives that I’m always engaged and delighted. They remind you that, in animation, you can do anything you want. You can go anywhere, try everything, show anything a person can imagine. Seeing the animated shorts every year, more than anything else, gets me so excited about what movies can be.

And then, in the middle of the program, there’s invariably some big gooey, sentimental mush from Pixar. Not all of them are bad, and some are quite nicely done, but for the most part, it’s cute anthropomorphized animals or objects or kids placed in cute, emotionally manipulative situations. I usually go refill my Diet Coke or take a bathroom break during the Pixar sequence.

Yeah, yeah, I know. What kind of monster hates Pixar?

I don’t hate Pixar, and I like most of the pre-Cars 2 features just fine. The best parts of Toy Story and Up and Wall-E are as good as people say they are. But when you take the reputation that Pixar has had for innovation and developing exciting new filmmaking technology in the past 25 years, and compare it to the reality, there’s an enormous gap. And it drives me nuts, because if this is supposed to be the best American animation has to offer in terms of innovation and emotional engagement, it's not very inspiring. Especially placed alongside the sorts of animated shorts that come out of independent studios elsewhere in the U.S., or Japan, or France, or Canada.

Which brings us to Tony de Peltrie, created in Montreal by four French-Canadian animators, and supported in part by the National Film Board of Canada, who would continue to nurture and support animation projects in Canada through the twenty-first century. A huge part of the enjoyment -- and for me, there was an enormous amount of enjoyment in watching Tony de Peltrie -- is seeing this entirely new way of telling stories and conveying images appear in front of you for the first time. Maybe it’s because I have clear memories of a world without contemporary CGI, but I still find this enormous sense of wonder in what’s happening as Tony is onscreen. I still remember very clearly seeing the early landmarks of computer-aided graphics, and being almost overwhelmed with a sense of awe -- Tron, Star Trek IV, Jurassic Park. Tony feels a bit like that, even after so many superior technical accomplishments that followed.

Tony de Peltrie doesn’t have much of a plot. A washed-up French-Canadian entertainer recounts his past glories as he sits at the piano and plays, and then slowly dissolves over a few minutes into an amorphous, impressionistic void. (Part of the joke, I think, is using such cutting-edge technology to tell the story of a white leather shoe-clad artist whose work has become very unfashionable by the 1980s.) It’s really just a monologue. The content could be conveyed using a live actor, or traditional hand-drawn animation.

But Tony looks so odd, just sitting on the edge of the Uncanny Valley, dangling those white leather shoes into the void. Part of the appeal is that, while Tony’s monologue is so human and delivered in such an off-the-cuff way, you’re appreciating the challenge of having the technology match the humanity. Tony’s chin and eyes and fingers are exaggerated, like a caricature, but there’s such a sense of warmth underneath the chilliness of the computer-rendered surfaces. Though it’s wistful and charming, you wouldn’t necessarily call it a landmark in storytelling -- again, it’s just a monologue, and not an unfamiliar one -- but it is a technological landmark in showing that the computer animation could be used to humane ends. It’d be just as easy to make Tony fly through space or kill robots or whatever else. But instead, you get an old, well-worn story that slowly eases out of the ordinary into the surreal, and happens so gradually you lose yourself in a sort of trance.

As Yoshida wrote, technoligization of animation doesn’t do individual works favors over time. To that end, something like Tony can’t be de-coupled from its impressive but outdated graphics. These landmarks tend to be more admired than watched -- to the extent that it’s remembered at all, it’s as a piece of technology, and not as a piece of craft or storytelling.

Still, Tony is the ancestor of every badly rendered straight-to-Netflix animated talking-animals feature cluttering up your queue, but he’s also the ancestor of any experiment that tries to apply computer-generated imagery to ways of storytelling. In that sense, he has as much in common with Emily in World of Tomorrow as he does with Boss Baby, a common ancestor to any computer-generated human-like figure with a story. When Tony dissolves into silver fragments at the end of the short, it’s as if those pieces flew out into the world, through the copper wires that connect the world’s animation studios and personal computers, and are now present everywhere. He’s like a ghost that haunts the present. I feel that watching it now, and I imagine audiences sitting at the Vogue in 1986 might have felt a stirring of something similar.

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visualandpublicart · 3 years

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Students can register with their school account and use the code STUDENT to get free access to the event.

Join Virtual MMA for a live conversation with artists Amy Díaz-Infante and Angelica Muro on April 8th at 4 PM, as they share insights about their creative practices and their personal journeys as artists and educators. In our dialogue with Amy and Angelica we will explore their experiences teaching, leading, and creating and discuss how to advance equity in the art world and museums.

Amy Díaz-Infante is a visual artist living and working in San Francisco. Díaz-Infante is a full-time faculty member in Printmaking, Drawing, and Design at the City College of San Francisco. She holds a BA in Art from Yale University, an MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design, and a Collegiate Teaching Certificate from Brown University. She has exhibited nationally and within México and is an alumna of the Djerassi Resident Artist Program. Community engagement has been a key component of her arts practice; and as an educator and administrator, she has been active in the fields of youth arts and youth leadership development.

Angelica Muro holds an MFA degree from Mills College and a BA in Photography from San Jose State University. Recent exhibitions include Photo ID, Santa Cruz Museum of Art; Chico & Chang: A Look at the Impact of Latino and Asian Cultures on California’s Visual Landscape, Intersection for the Arts, San Francisco, CA; Chica\Chic: La Nueva Onda/The New Wave of Chicana Art, California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco, CA; You’re Breathing in It: Exploring the Studio and Alternative Art Strategies, Riverside Art Museum, Riverside, CA; Domestic Disobedience, San Diego Mesa College, San Diego, CA; Better to Die on My Feet, Self-Help Graphics, Los Angeles, CA; and FiveXFive: Artist, Writers & Social Justice, Southwest School of Art, San Antonio, TX. She is the recipient of the Herringer Family Foundation Award for Excellence in Art, the Trefethen Merit Award, and the Champion of the Arts Award, Arts Council for Monterey County. Muro’s curatorial projects have been awarded grants from the Center for Cultural Innovation through the Creative Capacity Fund, the James Irvine Foundation for Intersections: Adobe Youth Voices, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Robert and Florence Slinger Fund, Community Foundation for Monterey County, and the Walter and Elise Creative Work Fund. These projects include Public Space, Space 47 Projects, Chafismo: New Artforms of Art Post-Raquachismo, and Yo Soy Chinatown/I Am Chinatown: Cultural Revitalization and Urban Public Space. Muro is Principal and co-founder of Public Space/Chinatown, Director of the Visual and Public Art Gallery @ CSUMB, and Chair and Associate Professor of Integrated Media and Photography in the Visual and Public Art Department at California State University, Monterey Bay. Muro teaches photography, media analysis courses, and community engaged practices.

https://montereyart.org/event/two-journeys-a-conversation

Zoom link will be sent to participants by email on Wednesday, April 7, please contact [email protected] with any questions.

General Public $15

Members $10 with discount code MEMBER (memberships will be checked upon registration)

MMA is committed to making our programs accessible to all regardless of ability to pay. If you would like to attend but require special accommodation, please email [email protected] for a special code.

Image: Angelica Muro, Agricultural Workers in Gucci (from EPA: Guide for Agricultural Workers), 2007-2017, mixed media on archival pigment prints, triptych (one of three panels)

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angelicamuroinfo · 4 years

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Two Journeys: A Conversation with Amy Díaz-Infante and Angelica Muro

Date: April 8, 2021 | Time: 4:00 – 5:15 pm

www.amydiaz-infante.com/

www.angelicamuro.com

Zoom link will be sent to participants by email on Wednesday, April 7, please contact [email protected] with any questions.

General Public $15

Members $10 with discount code MEMBER (memberships will be checked upon registration)

Image: Angelica Muro, Agricultural Workers in Gucci (from EPA: Guide for Agricultural Workers), 2007-2017, mixed media on archival pigment prints, triptych (one of three panels)

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canihldthemic · 4 years

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Mirrors and Reflections: Calling out America's Social Systems Through Hip-Hop Activism

We black folk, our history and our present being, are a mirror of all the manifold experiences of America. What we want, What we represent, what we endure is what America is. If we black folk perish, America will perish. If America has forgotten her past, then let her look into the mirror of our consiousness and she will see the living past living in the present, for our memories go back, through our black folk of today, through the recollections of our black parents, and though the tales of slavery told by our black grandparents, to the time when none of us, black or white fold are not blood or color, ans the ties that bind us are deeper than those that seprate us. The common road of hope which we all travelled has brought us into a stronger kinship than any words, laws, or legal claims.

Richard Wright, 12 Million Black Voices (1941)

I was never nonviolent. Never. I thought we should get our rights by any means necessary. I am just one of the people who’s sick of the social order, sick of the establishment, sick to my soul of it all. To me, America’s society is nothing but a cancer, and it must be exposed before it can be cured. I am not the doctor to cure it. All I can do is expose the sickness.

Nina Simone, What Happened Miss Simone? (2015)

Dismantling the Dichotomy

Since conception in the early 1970s, Hip Hop music has served as more than a music genre for pleasure within African American communities. Throughout time it has proven to be a source of liberation for the Black American community by: (1) giving black artists free-range to create sounds as eccentric or refined as they desired and (2) allowing them a space to express various narratives illustrating Black life in America. Critics of Hip Hop culture fail to recognize its multidimensionality by restricting it to a crude dichotomy between materialist rap and righteous rap. Additionally, they make the genre responsible for the many disparities experienced in Black communities. The purpose of this essay is to prove that claim incorrect by arguing that: Hiphop is not only a refined contemporary artform but also a vehicle for social activism and a reflection of African American realities. My paper will continue as follows. First I will discuss the implications caused by socio-historical oppression of African American people. Next I will briefly discuss the history of Hip Hop and discuss the importance of music to people of the African Diaspora. Next, I will survey Hip Hop’s specific contributions as a mechanism for contemporary social activism and storytelling.

Nihilism + Stereotypes

It is apparent that social, political and economic systems in America institutionalize the oppression of Black people. Cornel West’s Race Matters: Nihilism in Black America, surveys the discussions surrounding the plight endured by Black Americans. In this paper he categorizes two schools of thought which provide reasoning for the plight. First, are the liberal structuralists who focus on the structural constraints imposed on the life chances of black people. They argue a sociological perspective that claims the root of disparities in Black communtites rests in slavery, Jim Crowism, job and residential discrimnation, skewed unemployment rates, inadequate health care, and poor education. Their solution for this problem includes full employment, health, education and childcare programs, and broad affirmative action practices. Second, are the conservative behaviorist who highlight the behavioral impedements “on black upward mobility”. These theorists believe “the waning of the Prostetant ethic -- hard work defer gratification, frugality, and responsibility — in much of black america '' is responsible for Black plight. Their solutions include promoting self help programs, black business expansion, and non-preferential job practices.

West takes these arguments a step further by claiming that these theories and solutions ignore three key components which make up this “crucial debate”. First, he says that (1)“we must acknowledge that structure and behavior are inseparable, that institutions and values go hand in hand.” Second, he claims that culture is also a structure which contributes to economic and political development, “.. the economy and politics are not only influenced by values but also promote particular cultural ideals of the good life and good society.”Finally he argues that we can’t ignore the psychological impacts that socio-historical occurrences and present prejudices have imposed on Black lives: “we must delve into the depth where neither leieral nor conservatice dare to tread, namely, into the murky waters of despair and dread that now flood the streets of black America. To talk about depressing statistics of unemployment, infant mortality, incarceration, teen pregnancy, and violent crime ….”, all of which contribute to a lack of hope, a sense of belonging and a disregard black life and property. At the intersection of these three concepts lies nihilism in Black America which West defines as: “.... the lived experience of coping with a life of horrifying meaninglessness, hopelessness and (most importantly) lovelessness. Black people as both individuals and a collective nation have endured countless and constant experiences of oppression. These experiences have consequences to the individual (i.e. mental and physical health implications like depression and diabetes), the community (i.e intracommunal othering and internalized racism) and those outside of it (i.e. stereotypical misconceptions of Black people, social/economic/political inequalities between races, discrimination and racism). West argues that throughout time oppressed communities have developed “cultural buffers” which are “cultural structures of meaning and feelings, religious institutions that embody values of service and sacrifice, love and care, disciple and excellence.” The creation of buffers serve as barriers against the threat of nihilism. Music and storytelling has always served as a buffer in Black culture.

History of Hip Hop: Traditional Storytelling to A Larger Than Life Culture

Hip Hop’s legacy began in the neighborhoods of the Bronx, NY in 1973. DJ Kool Herc is accredited to be the first person to popularize the genre with his innovative DJing techniques he performed at parties. By the mid-1970s, Hip-hop had had its first hit “Rapper's Delight” by the Sugar Hill Gang. From there, rap had evolved into a culture which included breakdancing, graffiti, and MCing. The musical component of Hip-hop culture is a combination of a number of African American music styles like jazz, soul, gospel and reggae. A deeper look into African history reveals a close relationship to the lyrical styles of African American rappers and African storytelling, “ While rap's history appears brief its relation to the African oral tradition, which provides rap with much of its current social significance, also roots rap in a long-standing history of oral historians, lyrical fetishism, and political advocacy.” (Blanchard,n.d). Furthermore, oral traditions hold great significance in West African religion, “ At the heart of the African oral tradition is the West African idea of nommo. In Malian Dogon cosmology, Nommo is the first human, a creation of the supreme deity, Amma, whose creative power lies in the generative property of the spoken word. As a philosophical concept, nommo is the animative ability of words and the delivery of words to act upon objects, giving life.” During the years of slavery, rap-like story telling was used as a mechanism to overcome subjugaton as slaves passed messages to one another by using metaphors and rhyming which crated negro spirituals. Once African Americans were freed from slavery musical storytelling was used to spread news, address issues within Black communties and served as a primary from of entertainment. During the Reconstruction era Blues and Jazz was utilized to protest poverty and social injustices, uplift communities and establish a sense of pride in being Black. During the Civil Rights Era soul music told stories of strife in Black communities and gave us hope to carry on following the death of Martin Luther King. Analyzing the songs from the aforementioned genres will reveal the realities of thousands of African American people of that time. This concept carries over to Hip Hop.

Hip-hop culture and rap music adapts these traditions to Black working Americans lifestyles and serves as a thread combining communities throughout the African Diaspora. As we reach recent years rap artists and performers have been able to make their platforms/personas as eccentric and creative as they so pleased. Over time the breadth of personas, lyrics and rap styles have grown from the syncopated funky electronic sounds of African Bambaataa, the nostalgic storytelling of LL Cool J, politically conscious artistic vibes of A Tribe Called Quest, cool street-hustler styles of Biggie, flashy and sexually liberating rhymes of Lil Kim, the profoundly limitless low-slung funky hits of OutKast, the visionary productions of Missy Elliots to the groundbreaking everchanging genius of Kanye West.

Many Hip-hop enthusiasts, academics and rappers alike would agree that Hip Hop culture has lost its touch in recent years. Many accost that to the commodification and appropriation of the genre by record labels and the music industry. With the intentions to make Hip-hop more palatable to the masses, the music industry reframed Hip-hop culture which also stripped the genre’s historical function and value. But still, many rappers, both past and present, have consciously made efforts to use their work to protest against social, economic and political injustices. For example, OutKast's fourth studio album ,Stankonia, included their platinum selling single, B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad), which still holds an immovable spot as Song of the Decade according to The Atlantic. It would take 1000 ears to dissect this song at first listen as it includes bombastic bass drums, a fast tempo, witty lyrics, a funky groove and not to mention a guitar solo. Initially you would think the song is talking about the international political actions taken by the U.S. in Baghdad, Iraq. However, a close look at the lyrics would show that the rap duo is actually talking about the poor living conditions they experience in the ghettos of Atlanta which include drug abuse, poverty and the poor health of the people who live there. Either way you analyze the song the two rap geniuses imaginatively take their listeners to their reality; which isn’t that pretty but somehow , through artistic expression, Outkast managed to create a hit that remains popular today. This sort of ability to be both creative and inciting social/political change is a theme that has not changed regardless of rap performers persona or their era in Hip-Hop history.

Even though Hip-Hop music instrumentilizes the same practices as other African American genres it is still regarded more negatively. So, what’s the difference?

Staring Into the Belly of the Beats: The Circulatory Relationship Between Rap and Society

The above question is quite loaded. Depending on the perspective of the person there can be a number of answers but the most widely agreed upon reason for Hip-hop being viewed so negatively is that it is a form of popularized media that perpetuates preconceived ideas of African American culture. Non-Black Americans who don’t share the Black American experience have a difficult time understanding our cultural practices, struggles and lives altogether. Moreover, widely distributed caricatures of Blackness in the media help to create stereotypical conceptions of Black identities. Hip-hop music and artists often time embody those personas which, without context, can be understood as the root for a lot of social issues (i.e. violent crimes, rape, robbery and sexual promiscuity). Linguist and scholar John McWhorter article, How Hip-Hop Holds Blacks Back, claims that:

“Many writers and thinkers see a kind of informed political engagement, even a revolutionary potential, in rap and hip-hop. They couldn’t be more wrong. By reinforcing the stereotypes that long hindered blacks, and by teaching young blacks that a thuggish adversarial stance is the properly “authentic” response to a presumptively racist society, rap retards black success.”

He goes on further by saying:

“How is it progressive to describe life as nothing but “bitches and money”? Or to tell impressionable black kids, who’d find every door open to them if they just worked hard and learned, that blowing a rival’s head off is “real”? How helpful is rap’s sexism in a community plagued by rampant illegitimacy and an excruciatingly low marriage rate?”

“Anyone who sees such behavior as a path to a better future— anyone, like Professor Dyson, who insists that hip-hop is an urgent “critique of a society that produces the need for the thug persona”— should step back and ask himself just where, exactly, the civil rights– era blacks might have gone wrong in lacking a hip-hop revolution. They created the world of equality, striving, and success I live and thrive in.

Hip-hop creates nothing.”

These arguments are very misleading as many rappers have been documented saying that they were against violence, especially within the Balck community. Also, this argument holds the victims of the oppressive institutions in this country responsible for their own misfortunes. For instance, McWorther purports:

“Now top rappers began to write edgy lyrics celebrating street warfare or drugs and promiscuity. Grandmaster Flash’s ominous 1982 hit, “The Message,” with its chorus, “It’s like a jungle sometimes, it makes me wonder how I keep from going under,” marked the change in sensibility. The ultimate message of “The Message”—that ghetto life is so hopeless that an explosion of violence is both justified and imminent…”

This take on hip hop is quite contrary to the actual message in the song. The lyrics are not justifying violent behavior instead it is expressing the natural reaction of frustration to living conditions which seem insurmountable. Furthermore, stigmatizing the entire genre because of a portion of the song types which discuss violence, sexism, homophobia and the like is unreasonable. Tricia Rose’s Prophets of Rage: Rap Music and the politics of Black Cultural Expression argues just that:

These cultural forms are especially rich and pleasurable places where oppositional transcripts, or the "unofficial truths" are developed, refined, and rehearsed. These cultural responses to oppression are not safety valves that protect and sustain the machines of oppression. Quite to the contrary, these dances, languages, and musics produced communal bases of knowledge about social conditions, communal interpretations of them and quite often serve as the cultural glue that fosters communal resistance.”(p.100)

Some aspects of Hip Hop culture may reinstate the negative aspects of Black culture, but it is not the start nor is it the reason for disparities in Black communities; the systems are. These songs can serve as transcripts accounting the intimate realities lived by Black people everyday. Being that they are available to the public (and not as community-based as Jazz, Blues or Negro Spirituals) and aggressively critique the systems and corporations which opress them, they are more prone to be scrutinized. At the center of this scrutiny is fear of destabilization of the power structures and dominant social discourses of this country that are motivated by white supremacy, patriarchy and capitalist exploitation.

However, American culture combines politics and popular culture which results in Hip Hop artists being some of the Black communities best social activists. There are several Hip-hop artists who have started and supported movements dedicated to serious issues like police brutality, massive incineration, and the HIV/AID epidemic.

Conclusion

“Hip Hop is not just a mirror of what is; it should also be a reflection of what can be”

- Barack Obama

In doing my research I found an alarming amount of white musical artists critiquing the styles, impact and quality of Hip hop music. In 2017 rapper Post Malone did an interview with Poland’s NewsOne where he gave his take on Hip Hop music:

“ If you're looking for lyrics-- if you're looking to cry ya’ know. If you're looking to think about life,don't listen to hip hop. There's great Hip Hop songs where they really talk about life and they really spit that real shit but right now, ya’ know, theres not a lot of people [rappers] talking about shit. Whenever I wanna cry I’ll sit and listen to Bob Dylan. I don’t listen to hip hop because hip hops fun… it brings people together in a beautiful happy way. Hip Hop is happy. I think this is a positive movement for hip hop because theres so much musicality in it now. You used to have people just talking.”

In a matter of 90 seconds this platinum selling white rapper dismissed the work of his predecessors. Granted, Post Malone was referring to present day hip hop lacking emotion but that claim in itself is incorrect. The same year that he did this interview also marked the year that Jay-z released 4:44 and Kendrick Lamar released DAMN, Both of which involve intricate critiques on contemporary social justice issues, black masculinity, and race. In early 2020, white singer Billie Eilish’s Vogue cover story featured her critique on “rap posturing”:

“There’s a difference between lying in a song and writing a story. There are tons of songs where people are just lying. There’s a lot of that in rap right now, from people that I know who rap. It’s like, ‘I got my AK-47, and I’m fuckin’ . . .’ and I’m like, what? You don’t have a gun. ‘And all my bitches. . . .’ I’m like, which bitches? That’s posturing, and that’s not what I’m doing.

Both Eilish and Post Malone are Grammy Award winning, chart topping artists and playmakers in popular culture. Their opinions have the breadth to reach thousands of people and it’s quite disheartening to see that they are discrediting the very genre that has made them popular. Even though his observation is disappointing it is not surprising. Their positions on Hip hop are reflective of the overall erasure of contributions that Black Americans have made to all arenas of this nation for centuries. Their privilege as white culture contributors allow them to appropriate and capitalize from African American culture and still benefit from having white skin all while negatively critiquing an artform that has been the foundation for Black culture for 50 years.

To the outsider, which includes all people who don’t live through or have proximity to the Black experience, Hip Hop culture and rap music is processed as a mechanism to propagate violent, oversexualized, sexist and materialistic lifestyles. It is quite dismissive for cultural critics, white americans and Hip-Hop adversaries to negate the power that lies in hip hop as not only an art form and a way of political/social critic.Hip Hop culture is the materialized reality of the Black experience which can be both beautiful and ugly. Throughout time, Hip Hop artists have perfected the artform of capturing the vulnerable contemporary Black narratives and repurposing them to motivate social change within our communities. It has also served as a mechanism for thousands of Black artists to reach economic heights that they would otherwise be unable to reach if Hip Hop wasn’t as commodifiable as it is within this society.

For every time that we have contributed to society there are times where this society has deemed our lives insignificant. Throughout history we have been advised to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps to gain economic and social standing within this country. However, the products that come from the monetization of our resources, talents and connections are depreciated. Kanye West’s “All Falls Down'', analyzes the woes of living as a Black person in America and the ways in which we have worked to overcome them. The second verse of his platinum single (fact check) corroborates with my conclusive claim :

Man I promise, I'm so self conscious

That's why you always see me with at least one of my watches

Rollies and Pasha's done drove me crazy

I can't even pronounce nothing, pass that versace!

Then I spent 400 bucks on this

Just to be like nigga you ain't up on this!

And I can't even go to the grocery store

Without some one's that's clean and a shirt with a team

It seems we living the american dream

But the people highest up got the lowest self esteemThe prettiest people do the ugliest things

For the road to riches and diamond rings

We shine because they hate us, floss cause they degrade us

We trying to buy back our 40 acres

And for that paper, look how low we a'stoop

Even if you in a Benz, you still a nigga in a coop/coupe

Oh when it all, it all falls down

This nation and its institutions have inflicted psychological, physical and systematic burdens on Black people. Throughout time we have adapted to these burdens by being a part of the very system that is breaking us down. Whether we cope by resisting and critiquing the oppressive system we are a part of through music or submit to the systems, we are torn down.

On a progressive note I think the study of Hip-Hop music history as a means to educate students on sociology and social justice would be beneficial to the 21st century student. The intricacies of rap music will allow a critical perspective on Black life that can’t be portrayed in pictures, books or speeches. Perhaps understanding social injustices in this culture from a Hip-Hop perspective will motivate more of our young leaders to be pioneers for change.

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theteenagetrickster · 5 years

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All That Is Sound Merges Business Techno

Picture from Twitter

"The idea of development have to be grounded in the tip of catastrophe. That factors are actually 'status quo' is actually the catastrophe."-- Walter Benjamin, The Arcades Venture

Keep an eye out over any type of big city's sky line and also an uniform certainty is actually made crystal clear. Mies vehicle der Rohe skyscrapers or even duplicates are universal, defending city room along with Norman Foster's unusually formed, reflective symbols to global funding. IKEA's striped tackle mid-century present day furniture is the de facto internal style for the young expert collection, while the clean line and also low-key color-driven layout of the Swedish furniture corporation is common in chain restaurants, website design, as well as every little thing in between.

The promethean, optimistic innovation of the 20th century has mostly atrophied under 40+ years of neoliberal order, now resigned to art publications and also culture web sites. Aptly laid out by architecture as well as lifestyle movie critic Owen Hatherley, innovation is actually right now specified due to the "proximity in between on its own and also the everyday." Hatherley's as well as , posted in 2009 as well as 2015 respectively, functionality as earnest and sincere examinations into the makeup of the modernisms of the final century. Probing the design, literature, film, movie theater and also national politics of the very early innovative Soviet Union, commercial England, Weimar Germany and extra, each amounts recover pieces of understanding from past forms.

An earlier amount, Marshall Berman's , released in 1982, carries out a comparable job, probing right into modernism's genesis instants (Goethe, Baudelaire, the development of St. Petersburg) to extend the oppositions and also breakdowns of uneven advancement in Russia, mid-twentieth century Nyc, as well as a burgeoning austerity condition under Reagan. Berman comprehends originality as a "maelstrom of continuous dissolutions and revitalization," and also only with interaction, discussion, and dialectic thinking can easily the goal where "the complimentary growth of each is the ailment of the cost-free growth of all" end up being fact.

Adhering to the growth of international financing and its ensuant postmodern social logic, Hatherley and also Berman's systems are essential pointers of what was the moment feasible: a craft that really did not do without the day-to-day, politics in the street, and a concept for a planet after commercialism. Numerous of the innovations contacted by each-- Brechtian idea, early Russian constructivist architecture, Marx's "complimentary development of bodily as well as religious energies"-- still really feel incomparably to life today and are actually worth digging deep into for their importance to present-day life, in addition to analyzing in their own right. That stated, innovation's vigor comes from its connection to the here and now, to humanity's "capability for reoccurring self-critique as well as self-renewal" and with a readiness to "wake up out of this goal, along with its spreading of phantasmagorical items, right into a totally new globe."

Electronic songs, being a much a lot more recent social progression than the artforms discussed above, possesses a much shorter and much more laden arc via modernity. Relying on your vantage, digital music's contemporary time period either began or ended with the rise of residence music as well as techno in the 1980s, came to a halt in the mid 2000s along with the abating of UK hardcore continuum appears, or even is going solid in to the 2020s. It is actually also a form linked totally to the technological progressions of the final fifty years-- the Internet, economical hardware, program, increased ease of access of air trip-- installing it as a vital motorist and also individual in the nutrition of a swiftly transforming social garden.

Also when considering its broadscale connect technological universality, it is actually easier to pinpoint localized minutes or movements of modernist powers-- Chicago's assemblage of dancefloor action coming from home to footwork, gqom quickly transmitted over Bluetooth and also sloppy report discussing technology in Durban, jungle's proliferation through pirate broadcast in London-- than it is actually to connect it to greater, trans-continental sonic movements. Despite this slipshod developmental style, the rhythmical and building progression changed recent many years has actually led in an astonishing summation of sonic street talks.

In spite of this conflagration of modernist powers, a specific pop or even calcified innovation- more similar to a coffee table publication rendition of a very early 20th century futurist action than the motion itself- is actually dominant in dancing songs today. In a handful of way too pricey urban areas, dancing songs's unit of currency is actually all very usually spent in retro consumerism, nostalgia and also pastiche, while a consensus-making values that stresses elegance over all else powers supreme. The consistent pattern of category fads, undergirded through a rotten facility of industrial residence as well as techno, is actually the absolute most illustrative element of this malaise: an online carousel of one of the most dehydrated top qualities of the moment radical popular music coming from 10, twenty or even thirty years back.

That's not to say that festivals, report tags, as well as publications don't focus on powerful songs: merely that addition usually happens at the rear side of a consensus-making task that sublimates progressive performers into the much more retrogressive mass. Steps have been actually made in the direction of and also historic awareness of dance popular music's , yet equity for those communities hardly complies with. When equity is given, it includes disorders of dishing out creative liberty to organizations who have actually consistently been on the wrong side of past.

In the situation of marvelous historic narratives, a lot of this discordance could be connected to the movement of modernist powers. Simply put, advancements in rhythm, sound layout, as well as dance are much more very likely to happen away from the traditional centers of Berlin, Greater London as well as New York. That those urban areas are actually still residence to the large majority of dance popular music's companies causes both intended as well as accidental rubbing. On the nastier side of that sphere, you possess club nights paid attention to African songs with no African musicians on the costs, or document labels that make use of the absence of popular music sector know-how on the part of performers who haven't been actually supplied the appropriate sources.

Even more typical, and also perhaps even more damaging, you have a hype pattern that switches its concentrate on a scene, whether it be baile funk, gqom, or singeli, for a quick time period before discarding it entirely. This is certainly not a grand conspiracy, however an inescapable consequence of a market important to sustain existing companies and gather capital. It takes some time and also cash to assist in the facility of a healthy and balanced performance, but it is actually relatively simple to assign a few longform features, a club night or 2, and also probably a BBC or NPR focus hr. Just as long as tickets as well as drink purchases proceed in Berlin, London and New York City, there is actually no reason that the market would certainly treat developing performances as everything yet a novelty.

The market logic that drives this reality is actually neither outstanding, neither unexpected. It likewise seems to become growing and also prospering as business end of dancing songs increases in freedom as well as self-confidence. DeForrest Brown, Jr. a piece detailing the changes in the popular music economic situation far from album purchases and also towards a version of as placed out by Nick Srnicek. A lot more specifically, Brown, Jr. suggests the consolidation of a dance songs customer market, serviced directly via streaming products, nightclub evenings and also magazines, but likewise offered to marketers as a secure market per se.

Deindustrialization of sector and the financialization of the economy has actually led to the massing of youthful folks in city facilities as tasks completely dry up elsewhere. Dancing popular music's increase in attraction has actually exemplified that post-recession populace inflow, ending up being the soundtrack for a gentrified night life in the process. Along with the market consolidated, branded "experiences" and also nightclubs that use a classy, easily accessible choice to bottle service surplus are actually right now located together with getaway spaces, breweries and also red wine tastings as a risk-free, alternative activity. Much more alarming, those without the product resources to access a warm night life funds are actually more probable to 1st involve with dance popular music by means of a delibidinized, and also , system like Central heating boiler Room.

In the After that to Militant Innovation, Hatherley turns down a "trip by means of the stunning ruins" and the tip that "having the right garments as well as the ideal manuals" equals a fealty to as well as an interaction with the innovations of the 20th century. His unyielding examine the commodification of the moment extreme cosmetic as well as political movements is actually additionally extremely relevant to contemporary dancing music, where all also typically the right documents, samples, and also graphic design pinch hit a real interaction with the past times as well as a determination to push via it to something brand-new, tough as well as likely terrifying.

The lesson obtained from reading The only thing that Is Actually Strong Melts Into Sky And also Militant Innovation is actually certainly not that the optimistic 20th century movements were actually rashness. In these myriad tries, several of which fell short wonderfully, to come to be both the subjects and items of innovation, mankind has generated brand new etymological codes, visual languages and city configurations. Especially, craft that does certainly not avoid the quotidian as well as welcomes the contradictions of contemporary lifestyle is actually required to combat spiritlessness as well as withdrawal.

New modernist formulas are needed to have and also dance songs is swarming along with potential. In an essay released a couple of weeks back, I outlined examples of current launches that exemplify what Fredric Jameson described as intellectual applying. In the upcoming component of this essay, I would love to plunge even more into songs that exemplifies a brand new, plentiful modernism. All over many essays, the overdue Mark Fisher, clarified a conception of a pulp modernism that accepts the grotesque, the odd as well as a "heteroglossic confusion of designs as well as moods." Fisherman's authentic essay described The Fall, yet the concepts within could be applied to a much more powerful assortment of modern music. Extra about that tomorrow.

This content was originally published here.

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williamjworld · 6 years

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Project Brief- Typography part 2

University of Cumbria BA(Hons) Graphic Design/Illustration Year 1 Module: GRAP4070 Communicating Ideas

Project 4 Letter Exchange

“A typographic hierarchy expresses an organisational system for content, emphasising some data and diminishing others. A hierarchy helps readers scan a text, knowing where to enter and exit and how to pick and choose among its offerings. Each level of the hierarchy should be signalled by one or more cues,

applied consistently aross a body of text.” Ellen Lupton, Thinking with Type

Brief

This brief is about extending the typographic knowledge and skills you started to look at two weeks ago into a larger piece of design using more information. You will be creating a typographic image and then combining this with a body of information which needs to be organised using a hier- archical system. You are tasked with producing a poster for a conference on creative typography called Letter Exchange.

Required elements

Your poster must contain: • an image/illustration made from type/lettering, which captures the idea of typography as an exciting, creative, experiemental endeavour • the full text about the conference (see document Letter Exchange Copyon Blackboard) • the poster must be A2 in size • you may use full colour • you cannot include any other kind of images

The brief divides into two parts:

1 The typographic image

We want to see lots of exploration and experimental play here, to develop an engaging and exciting typographic image which makes the audience regard typography as a creative artform and the conference as an inspi- rational event they would like to participate in. This can be made through any medium. Consider analogue materials and processes as well as digital methods: paints, inks, stencils, playing with the scanner and photocopier, projection, cutting, tearing, folding, sticking, collage, monoprinting, mixed media...If you can imagine doing it, then try doing it. This should be FUN! The only criteria is that it should be made from letterforms (which don’t necessarily have to spell anything). There will be studio workshop sessions to help you to develop your image and you may use any of the workshops for which you have had an induction eg. printmaking, metal, photography,wood etc. But don’t spend longer than the first week doing this.

2 The layout and typographic treatment of the information

Once you have your typographic image/illustration you need to turn your attention to the composition and typographic treatment of the information. How are you going to successfully compose the image and text content together? Remember that the overall layout must be well structured

and lead your reader’s eye through the information. As in your previous project, there are headlines, sub-heads, intros, main body text etc. There should be an evident typographic hierarchy to distinguish these levels of content. How do you use the elements within the type family to do this? (size/weight/u&lc/italics and other variants etc.) We want to see lots of control and attention to detail here. Initial layouts and compositions need to be considered as thumbnail sketches on paper before you start working on screen.

There are no restrictions on the number of typefaces, weights or colours you can use, but be discriminating about how many variants you really need. Is working within one type family, or a limited number of typefaces, going to produce a more coherent piece of design than throwing every- thing at it?

Assessment Criteria

1 IDENTIFY – Demonstrate an understanding of the need to identify appropriate research/source material in order to progress ideas/ concepts. 2 STRATEGIES – Select approaches and strategies that communicateideas and intentions to others in an effective manner. 3 SEQUENTIAL – Understand how to visualise ideas/concepts sequentially and selectively in order to arrive at creative solutions. 4 SORT – Identify an evaluative ability in shifting/sorting/testing/examin- ing in order to further develop ideas and concepts. 5 APPROPRIATE – Demonstrate the appropriateness of a design solu- tion to the demands of a set brief.

Deadline

Thursday 14th March 2019

My tutor Tony and Rhiannon, show some of there own of typography, to get some idea of what me and my group could do with our own typography.

There is also some of artwork from college where I did some typography in one or two projects and my Pinterest board with typography ideas.

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/willsjacksonroc/typography-style/

This has given me ideas to do a poster design with what I asked to do in this project with some inspiration from other typography artists:

Letter Exchange

A design festival for people who use type

7th – 9th June 2019 Cinema Teatro Sarti Via Scaletta 10 FaenzaItaly

Letter Exchange is the first international conference in Italy dedicated solely to contemporary typography, with talks, workshops and tours focusing on where typography is today and where its future may lie. The conference will be held in Faenza, a medieval city in the north-east of Italy, home to an ancient tradition of design and craftsmanship.

Conference Speakers

Sarah Hyndman A British graphic designer, writer and public speaker, Sarah Hyndman asks lots of questions, has become an accidental specialist in multi-sensory typography and is known for her interest in the psychology of type. She is the founder of the innovative Type Tasting studio; driven by her passion for changing the way we think and talk about typography. Sarah is also known for her thought-provoking and highly entertaining typography workshops, events and books including Why Fonts Matter and the type dating card game What's Your Type?

Laura Meseguer A freelance graphic and type designer from Barcelona, Laura Meseguera’s studio works for international and domestic clients but also in self-initiated projects. As a typographer and type designer, she has specialized in all sorts of projects involving custom lettering and type design, for branding and publishing. Her design approach is to create unique solutions for every assignment, based on the concept, the content and the context, always in close collaboration with art directors and designers. She designs and produces typefaces which are distributed through her own digital type foundry Type-Ø-Tones, that is also a member of TypeNetwork. She is the author of TypoMag: Typography in Magazines, published by IndexBook, and co-author of the book “Cómo crear tipografías. Del boceto a la pantalla”, published in Spanish by Tipo, and translated into Polish, Portuguese, English and soon in Chinese. She is a board member of the ATypI since 2017. She also teaches type design and typography in different schools. Laura’swork has been featured in several publications and exhibitions such as Graphic Design Now. She also holds awards from the ADG-FAD (The Art Directors & Graphic Designers Association, Spain), and TDCs for her typefaces Rumba Lalola and Qandus.

Ken Barber Ken Barber is the typeface design director and chief lettering officer at font foundry and design studio, HouseIndustries. His work is in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum and the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation. Ken has also been honored by the New York Type Directors Club, Association Typographique Internationale, and Design Museum London. In addition to teaching at The Cooper Union in New York City, he regularly leads workshops on the practice of hand-lettering. Ken co-authored House Industries: The Process is the Inspiration (Watson-Guptill, 2017) with Andy Cruz and Rich Roat.

Lance Wyman Design legend Lance Wyman creates graphic systems for cities, events, institutions, and transit systems. Fifty years ago, his groundbreaking identity for the 1968 Mexico Olympics helped establish the modern practice of environmental design. He is a member of AGI, an SEGD Fellow and a recipient of the AIGA Medal. There are three major books published on his work.

Veronika Burian and José Scaglione Choosing and using typefaces has become increasingly complex in recent years. The different kinds of licenses, the large number of fonts on offer, and the variety of pricing structure and language support on the market result in ascenario where type users can get easily lost. In this presentation TypeTogether’s founders, Veronika Burian andJosé Scaglione will discuss how to curate high quality, flexible, and scalable typeface libraries. Learn how to go about selecting and combining fonts, how to judge language support capabilities in an increasingly global market, and how to use typeface customization as a powerful graphic design tool.

Toshi Omagari Toshi Omagari is a type designer at Monotype. He studied typography and typeface design at Musashino Art University in Tokyo, where he graduated in 2008, and went on to obtain an MA in typeface design at University of Reading in 2011. Since he joined Monotype in UK, he has released a number of revivals of forgotten classics such as Metro Nova and the Berthold Wolpe Collection. He has also been involved in many aspects of multilingual typography and font development, including work on various scripts including Greek, Cyrillic, Mongolian, Tibetan, and Arabic.

Ellen Lupton

Ellen Lupton is curator of contemporary design at Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City and director of the Graphic Design MFA program at MICA in Baltimore. Her latest exhibition is The Senses: Design Beyond Vision (April–October 2018). She recently published Design Is Storytelling with Cooper Hewitt.

Workshops

Playing with a Heidelberg: Damiano Bandini’s letterpress workshop Damiano Bandini loves letterpress, and movable type. This is why he still runs an old letterpress workshop in downtown Faenza, carrying on the passion and knowledge handed down from father to son. La Vecchia Stamperia isa historic workshop (Bottega Storica dell’Emilia Romagna): everything started in 1920, so this workshop has been printing movable type on paper for more than 90 years – and counting. He has one of the largest collections of very rare metal block-prints and unique artistic wood type in use.

One day workshop, 5thth June 2019, 10.00am

La Vecchia Stamperia

Via Giulio Castellani 25

Faenza (RA)

Straights and Rounds

Richard Bailey and Bruno Maag will explain an effective and efficient approach to designing a typeface (family).

Participants will learn how to define the requirements, aesthetically, technically and linguistically, and how to set up

the design process.

Bruno began his career with an apprenticeship as a typesetter at Tages-Anzeiger, Switzerland’s largest daily

newspaper. He then studied Typography and Visual Communcations at Basel School of Design under Wolfgang

Weingart and Andre Gürtler amongst others. After graduating, Bruno emigrated to England to work for Monotype

where he established their ‘custom type department’, creating fonts for the New Yorker magazine, and others.

Recent highlights are fonts for Rio2016, multilingual type for Nokia and HP, and a lovely serif font for luxury hotel

brand Faena. He is currently investigating type and emotion, with a special interest in the physiological aspects.

Richard Bailey’s background is in corporate services, but since joining Dalton Maag he’s diversified into developing the design service offering and improving the client experience. Recent highlights include Ducati, USA Today, andAmazon. Richard holds the position of Operations Director, and is based in Dalton Maag’s London office.

Sign Painting with John Downer This class will focus on rendering a few particular styles of capital letters and scripts that were commonly used in European sign painting during the 19thth and 20th centuries.

The Original Champions of Design with Bobby Martin and Jennifer Kinon Join Original Champions of Design partners Bobby Martin and Jennifer Kinon and the OCD team for a behind-the- scenes look at their process, their work and their love of type. Since the branding and design agency was founded in 2010, OCD has partnered with a wide range of clients such as the Girl Scouts of the USA, Prospect Park Alliance, The New York Times, the National Basketball Association and The Studio Museum in Harlem to ensure their growth and creative goals. Evening talk, 8th June, 5.oopm Cinema Teatro Sarti Via Scaletta 10 Faenza

Micro Typography with Tânia Raposo In this 1 day workshop you will acquire typographic skills on the micro level — how to solve intricate typographic hierarchies, and how to fine-tune long passages of text. You will learn how and when to use various kinds of dashes, get acquainted with OpenType features and get to know all the strange characters in your glyph palette.

For further information and to register for the conference visit the website at www.letterexchange.com

Two day workshop, 6th-7thth June 2019, 10.00am

Biblioteca Comunale di Faenza (1st Floor)

Via Manfredi 14

Faenza (RA)

Two day workshop, 6th-7thth June 2019, 10.00am

Biblioteca Comunale di Faenza (2nd Floor)

Via Manfredi 14

Faenza (RA)

One day workshop, 8th June 2019, 10.00am

Biblioteca Comunale di Faenza (1st Floor)

Via Manfredi 14

Faenza (RA)

Better get planning.

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armstrong48-blog · 5 years

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The War Against Wrestling

Especially whenever there's a pay-per-view one week away with numerous championships at stake. You may opt not to wrestle freestyle. Some could envision themselves standing on the surface of the podium in 1st location. The song selection is fine. Following that, take your pick through the dumpster so far as very good tag teams go. There are some fundamental differences in freestyle making it an enjoyable and strategic style to take part in. The Wrestling Cover Up Rayne is attempting to make separation. The shoulder has to be in alignment with the arm to prevent injury. The aging fighter is not unusual. To get additional details on john cena cardboard cutout kindly visit https://www.superstarcutouts.com/john-cena-cardboard-cutout. Nakamura may be called up and create the challenge his very first night (highly unlikely). While Lesnar will be searching for revenge, there are a number of other clashes in the night to seek. Well, pro wrestlers are absolutely efficient and masters in regards to doing physical improvisation. Life, Death, and Wrestling In the event the wrestling community is ready to reveal this, it would be quite tricky to vote against it. Wrestling, like every sport, has great results on long-term and short-term wellness. Women never understand what they want. None of it appears real yet. Individuals interested in training for skilled wrestling may opt to call the organization they eventually aspire to work for, such as WWE, and request a list of wrestling schools they scout. Locate wrestling classes which are offered in the are you reside, you may generally locate some gyms that are particular to the sport or combined with different sports like mixed martial arts as they too have become very popular recently. Wrestling Explained When you have that, you are able to keep working on it to the point at which it might have been okay' turns into damn I truly wish he had won'. For now, things are as they ought to be. If you stay near a beach, it's something to be on the lookout for as it may be coming to your town. Ruthless Wrestling Strategies Exploited Braun angry Big Dog not wish to have match. Deciding on what's ideal for you. To start with, one reason I stand by Reigns is the guy can do the job. Wrestling Options There's nothing cushioning the slam. The promo Orton cuts is totally ridiculous. The fans in attendance weren't only counting in the last 10 seconds of a moment but in the center of a minute too. What You Should Do to Find Out About Wrestling Before You're Left Behind Limit the quantity of things people can register for ahead of time. Even in the event the early phases of a career, a lot comes to the company that is kept. Some even altered the surface of the business entirely. Both of these guys are both doing some of the greatest work of their careers at the exact time, in the identical firm. The strange and ever-changing world of pro wrestling is a tricky place to comprehend initially, particularly in this case with a ton of language and cultural barriers. With each match that you compete in you're gaining valuable experience, even if it's the case that you don't know that it's happening. restling: the Ultimate Convenience! The ranking was the sole thing close. Perhaps better than anyone else, the business used the emerging communications tools of the web to amplify the interactivity which makes pro wrestling such a distinctive and captivating artform. If you want to start out your search with a reliable company that you are able to try out Resilite Wrestling Mats. Then you'll have a better idea when it actually counts. The following thing is they will need to make a determination on what skills they need to concentrate on. The response is it would ring false with the audience. Wrestling Wrestling won't miss you. Freestyle youth wrestling resembles folkstyle and a lot of moves may be used for both. It is exactly just like this. Blanchard dumps Rayne from the ring. Brock Lesnar is easily among the most protected Superstars in WWE history and he's got a WWE huge contract which likewise will come with limited dates. Some wrestlers can have a lucky tee shirt. The Debate Over Wrestling Champions have an absolute urge to win. It is one of the sports that provide entertainment for the viewers or fans. For non-wrestling fans, it's simple to compose professional wrestling for a joke. Jackson's best season for a football player would arrive in 1989. The game appears to be a compelling combination of old and new talents of WWE superstars. Match-3 games were the king of the cell gaming hill for a lengthy time, with games like Bejeweled and Candy Crush making MILLIONS of dollars each week. Wrestling and Wrestling - The Perfect Combination In the past few years, mixed martial arts have come to be ever more popular for kids and adults of all ages. In just two or three short decades, girls wrestling in Colorado has come a very long way. Things have changed over time. The End of Wrestling There aren't any running collisions which can lead to concussions and as a result of the fluid nature of wrestling there aren't any repetitive motions that can result in major joint damage like in baseball. If you're looking to receive absolutely free energy in castleville then you've reached to the proper place. Don't starve yourself, just make certain you eat healthy though or else you'll have a challenging time cutting weight and not have a lot of energy whatsoever. Grip training to enhance hand strength on a sustained period will directly impact a wrestler's performance very fast and ought to be added to each program. Each day was dedicated to a particular portion of your entire body. The program contains a string of exercises each performed at several stations in the gym. Braun angry Big Dog not wish to have match. The particular fan The New Day attracts is the sort of fan who would like to be the meme. To start with, one reason I stand by Reigns is the guy can do the job. What You Should Do to Find Out About Wrestling Before You're Left Behind Help contribute to the website! Western nations also have developed series using that specific style. WWE is going to have particular hashtag for each sector of the show, thus following Jayar Donlan's promise to its fans of producing content they want on a platform they want. Then you'll have a better idea when it actually counts. First principles thinking isn't straightforward ifthenthinking, has the capability to reorient and release complexity. If you would like to succeed in indie marketing, you're likely to need to be a little bit of a spectacle. Ruthless Wrestling Strategies Exploited The freestyle season might be a time that seems a little more relaxed. Fast and simple spot to acquire the gear you demand! The only slight distinction is that often the face or heel signfier isn't a universal description. A show is only going to contain block matches from one of both blocks. Like golf and tennis, it's only likely to attract a certain kind of fan. The larger picture was obviously the match for a whole. What the In-Crowd Won't Tell You About Wrestling Not everybody can be their very own hype man. Factions and a good deal more six and eight man tags would help protect a great deal of their feuds for larger shows. You are able to guess who the decent guys are. Ideas, Formulas and Shortcuts for Wrestling One particular interesting facet of wrestling is what it requires to prepare for your matches. If you think like many individuals, the very first thing you imagine when you think about wrestling is the violent, choreographed mayhem of WWF-style expert wrestling. The majority of people have a general understanding of sumo wrestling games. The following suggestions will help you develop your wrestling strength and stay it throughout the season! When you take a youthful child to tournaments throughout the place make sure it is fun for him. There's tons of room on earth for one more side scrolling indie platformer with a large headed protagonist in a scary planet, but only as long as you're prepared to further innovate on such a concept. The Pain of Wrestling You may simply rehearse the moves and skills you would like to improve upon for as long as you desire. The punt kick isn't creative in any respect. So, practice doesn't need to be drudgery. Grappling or wrestling is a fundamental portion of defense, and can allow someone that has been brought to the ground to acquire the upper hand. To Suzuki it is not enough he wins a match. Okada can acquire cocky, though. Top Choices of Wrestling Wrestling in a number of spring freestyle tournaments can offer you many opportunities to work on your takedown abilities. The aim of our presentation was obviously to find approval but also to demonstrate how far girls wrestling has arrived. Beach wrestling gives people the chance to keep on participating in a sport they love. If there's a school that the business endorses, athletes may benefit from attending the advised wrestling school in order to better their odds of stardom. It's this sort of weight-loss that has made athletes choose different sports rather than wrestling. Their chemistry for a team is legendary. Vital Pieces of Wrestling There are lots of rules which are almost on the border of ridiculousness, like the simple fact that wrestlers are banned from driving their own cars on account of the chance of a significant accident. To put it differently, deliberate practice takes a considerable amount of work and is not enjoyable. There's always a plan in place, and even though we might not always see it, WWE is trying to create relationships with different companies due to the fact that they know in order to keep on top they will need to think long-term. Basically the ideal collection of wrestling stuff you're going to find in the region. The matches are predetermined but of course that's the whole purpose of the company. Grabbing hold of any industry share in an industry that's been dominated by WWE for decades are going to be a tall job. Introducing Wrestling Cena's reputation for a man is one which has never been tainted. Breaking the rules can lead to fines and in certain cases suspension. WWE makes a whole lot of questionable decisions. What's Truly Happening with Wrestling From that point, Barrett's WWE career appeared to be full of lots of false stars and non-finishes. A great deal of wrestlers have a tendency to jump around to and from other promotions but The Undertaker proved to be a massive portion of WWE for his whole run there, 27 decades. The match with Reigns here showed exactly why Balor belongs on the principal roster and once more, I cannot discount the operation of Roman Reigns. Because wrestling is fixed, obviously a few of the wrestlers will have to lose. Brock Lesnar is easily among the most protected Superstars in WWE history and he's got a WWE huge contract which likewise will come with limited dates. Some wrestlers can have a lucky tee shirt. Up in Arms About Wrestling? One of my finest friends once told me the difference between a fantastic booker, and an amazing booker. It can be hard at times to come across an idea that could be successful and you will love doing at exactly the same moment. In the world today, life is outside the home. The Key to Successful Wrestling There aren't any running collisions which can lead to concussions and as a result of the fluid nature of wrestling there aren't any repetitive motions that can result in major joint damage like in baseball. If you're looking to receive absolutely free energy in castleville then you've reached to the proper place. Don't starve yourself, just make certain you eat healthy though or else you'll have a challenging time cutting weight and not have a lot of energy whatsoever. You can't wrestle if you don't have any energy. Freestyle provides a small change of pace from folkstyle and you might not be as concerned about maintaining a particular weight. Ideally, in case you have chosen the proper exercises, participants ought to be in a position to experience an entire cycle 3 times. You are going to be more able to dodge or slip from a tight hold. A pin can be turned into anywhere. The match wasn't perfect, it was not a travesty either. A show is only going to contain block matches from one of both blocks. In addition, it's simple to create a tag team online. When you watch the chess match that's Freestyle, the smaller details might be lost on the typical fan. The Hidden Treasure of Wrestling In the past few years, mixed martial arts have come to be ever more popular for kids and adults of all ages. My very first love was music and have been in the business for twenty decades. Fighting for an advanced age is apparently a trend. New Step by Step Roadmap for Wrestling Being on the top of WWE ranking can be accomplished with the exemplary training and very good gaming strategy. It is one of the sports that provide entertainment for the viewers or fans. Beach wrestling is fun for everyone. Therefore, you've been playing cityville for some time now or perhaps just started. To the extent you've got an interest in playing wrestling on the web, you're going to be very happy to hear you can now play these games without actually having to pay any money. There's tons of room on earth for one more side scrolling indie platformer with a large headed protagonist in a scary planet, but only as long as you're prepared to further innovate on such a concept. Wrestling at a Glance If, say, you need to capture your entire body, you'll need a screen that trails along the ground with a lengthier length based on how far away your camera will be and how much is shown. There's a big quantity of discipline that comes with the lifestyle you're choosing when you sign on. Don't starve yourself, just make certain you eat healthy though or else you'll have a challenging time cutting weight and not have a lot of energy whatsoever. You can't wrestle if you don't have any energy. Freestyle provides a small change of pace from folkstyle and you might not be as concerned about maintaining a particular weight. Ideally, in case you have chosen the proper exercises, participants ought to be in a position to experience an entire cycle 3 times. Top Choices of Wrestling Lifting weights should also be useful for your forearms. The standing arm wrestling appears to be somewhat simple but its not. The aging fighter is not unusual. The Battle Over Wrestling and How to Win It A number of the anime series had a massive influence on the cultural aspects as people started to learn more about Japanese cultural influences. Western nations also have developed series using that specific style. WWE is going to have particular hashtag for each sector of the show, thus following Jayar Donlan's promise to its fans of producing content they want on a platform they want. The Do's and Don'ts of Wrestling The decade of destruction is really as soon as the streak began to get steam. To put it simply, Brock Lesnar remains in the majority of ways undefeatable, unless of course there's some type of interference or outside assistance, the same as Undertaker appearing at Battlegrounds when he fought Rollins. There's almost always a fresh roster which never loses credibility. Most Noticeable Wrestling If you merely practice your favourite moves to be able to earn practice enjoyable then you might not continue learning and improving. To put it differently, deliberate practice takes a considerable amount of work and is not enjoyable. There's always a plan in place, and even though we might not always see it, WWE is trying to create relationships with different companies due to the fact that they know in order to keep on top they will need to think long-term. Type of Wrestling Tons of different states are creating an increasing number of opportunities for girls wrestlers. Mental rehearsal can possibly improve your skill development. Hager isn't alone in locating another career in actual combat sports. It ought to be part of every significant strength training regime for wrestlers. It's this sort of weight-loss that has made athletes choose different sports rather than wrestling. Their chemistry for a team is legendary. A Secret Weapon for Wrestling It's also called Folkstyle wrestling on occasion. The wrestling ring has come to be the key scene. Therefore, attempting to use periodization for wrestling may appear impractical. But What About Wrestling? The Aerial Assassin is already so utilized to the greatest heights, he can just live comfortably there whenever the time is proper. Bubba finally receives a tag and downloads. Miguel was extremely valuable. The Basic Facts of Wrestling Finally, it's an established actuality that John Cena is the best wrestleman to get ever lived and would be an even greater father. Jericho's promos and segments build until the moment where someone is going to wind up on the list, or will receive this, or will get called a stupid idiot. The movie actually offers two stars trying to escape their TV roots for the purchase price of one.

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neptunecreek · 6 years

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Why and How Rituals Build Resilience in the Nonprofit Workplace

Last week I presented a session at the Nonprofit Technology Conference called “Activating A Culture of Resilience for Sustainable Impact,” with fellow NTEN board members, Ananda Leeke & Meico Whitlock as well as Carrie Rice.

We each tackled a different aspect of resilience. I presented and facilitated a small group activity on rituals.

The Power of Workplace Rituals To Nurture Resilience

Rituals are intentional small, tangible acts done routinely and carry meaning. Rituals have been performed for centuries and are an important part of human history – from religious ceremonies to common rituals like saying hello or shaking hands. Rituals are also used by professionals to boost personal productivity because rituals capitalize on our brains’ ability to direct our behavior on autopilot, allowing us to reach our goals even when we are distracted or preoccupied with other things.

Workplaces are tapping into the power of ritual to create a sense of community, build relationships in the workplace and reduce stress. And if that wasn’t enough, rituals can also encourage innovation by reducing the fear of failure.

If you think about it, our nonprofit organizations already have rituals — from the boring everyday activities like coffee breaks to larger events such as annual meetings and holiday parties. Now that we know what the research says about the benefits of rituals, nonprofit leaders should view the creation and fostering of rituals as essential, whether for the entire organization, your department, or team.

Here are some examples:

Rituals to Celebrate Success

Completion of Fundraising Campaigns or Big Project: Did your organization just complete a successful fundraising campaign or maybe you just launched a new web presence or database. Celebrate that milestone with anything festive that fits your organization’s values, is inclusive, and everyone finds enjoyable. This could be a pizza or taco party or giving comp time.

Employee of the Week or Month: Did someone on your team or in your organization make an extraordinary contribution to your organization’s programs and went above and beyond to make it a success? Having a formal and consistent way to recognize staff who work hard can motivate others. One organization has a silly banana statue that they give to the “Top Banana” for the month. Others have created a “whiteboard of love” with written praise or staff accomplishments, provided reserved parking space, or take time to praise staff at monthly meetings. Of course, a raise or bonus is nice, but it is the public acknowledge that helps builds community.

Rituals to Promote Growth and Learning

Weave reflection Into Meetings: Incorporate formalized reflection activities such as “After Action Reviews” for large projects and campaigns. This can be done in less than hour and can reap many benefits. Another way to practice reflection is to incorporate a five minute reflection at the end of every meeting to reflect on meeting norms.

Removing the Stigma of Mistakes and Failure: I’ve written extensively on how nonprofits can remove the stigma of making mistakes or failed projects. Some of my favorites include having staff wear something silly like a pink boa when they do an after action review of project that didn’t work or doing failure bows.

Lunch and Learns and Field Trips: Inviting outside experts to lunch at your office to learn about their work can make professional development an experience that also builds community. Another way to promote learning is to organization a field trip to visit your organization’s programs in the field or another organization to learn from their work.

Rituals to Build Relationships

Recognize Birthdays and Work Anniversaries: Look for a fun way to celebrate birthdays and work anniversaries. Give them a cake or have everyone sign a birthday card with a small gift. You can decorate their office door, give them a birthday hat, or sing happy birthday. One nonprofits gives the employee a comp day off on their birthday or work anniversary. Some workplaces also celebrate the birth of children and weddings. And, upon the death of a loved one, find an appropriate way to express sympathy in the workplace. All this can help humanize your workplace.

Schedule regular staff social events: Plan regular times to get together to talk about the team or just to socialize. This could be over a meal, or might involve doing a fun activity together outside of work, such as a hike. One of my favorite nonprofit examples is “Crock-Mondays” where the nonprofit staff sign up to cook a meal for everyone in the organization’s crock pot. Name this event something fun such as, Taco Tuesdays or Pizza Fridays. Researchers led by Kevin Kniffin, of Cornell University, discovered that communal meals can help with team building and more effective work together. Some might view preparing and eating food together or what is called “commensality,” as not meriting management interest. But Kniffin and his colleagues point out that eating is such a primal behavior that it can be an extraordinarily meaningful ritual if done together.

Give A Unique Welcome To New Employees: Tech companies in Silicon Valley have made onboarding an artform, for example at Google new employees are called Nooglers and given a prop beanie to wear. Your nonprofit doesn’t need to invest in new hats for new staff, but simple activities like assigning a buddy, decorating their workspace, or special welcome events can make new employees feel welcomed on their first day (or week.)

Rituals To Build Mindfulness

Quiet Time: Noisy and busy offices can be stressful due to interruptions that can keep people from getting work done. Some nonprofits declare organization or department wide quiet time for planning. One example is “Stop Days” where there are no meetings and people plan for the next month. Other nonprofits have established norms and cues to minimize interruptions, especially in an open office.

Time off: Some nonprofits give employees time off, whether it is leaving early on Fridays during the summer or closing office during the holidays. For example, World Wildlife Fund wants its employees to feel inspired to save the planet’s natural resources, so, every other week, it gives the staff a day off. Known as “Panda Fridays,” this bi-weekly break gives employees the opportunity to spend more time with their families or pursue outside interests.

Workplace Flexibility: Whether you have remote staff who work from home or staff that reports to same physical office everyday, flex time can help staff with work/life balance while still maintaining optimum productivity. Having a workplace flexibility policy can facilitate it.

Rituals to Build Creativity, Gratitude, and Joy

Play Time: Playworks, a national nonprofit that supports learning by providing safe play at schools, has a daily ritual of staff “recess” which is a meaningful way for employees to collectively exemplify the values of the organization. They give 15 minutes at 3 pm which helps keep staff morale high and helps employees feel connected to the mission. Kiva, the microfinance organization, gives a monthly 30-minute recess to enjoy unstructured “play time” at the office.

Gratitude Rituals in the Workplace: There is a whole field of scientific research about the power of gratitude practice for not only individuals, but also in the workplace. There are also lots of ideas for different rituals that your nonprofit can establish.

Designing and Implementing Workplace Rituals

It is also important to think about what will make a ritual stick. Why will people want to participate? Can it start organically and catch on, or will people look to certain leaders to model it first? Designing a ritual that will sustain over time requires tuning in to the organization’s existing culture, beliefs, and behaviors. One important step is to get feedback and ideas from staff that helps create that important buy-in. Here’s a more detailed description of a process.

There are many examples of workplace rituals that your nonprofit can initiate. A well designed ritual will reinforce mindsets and behaviors in a way that feels authentic to the nonprofit’s mission and people. What works at one nonprofit, might feel awkward at another nonprofit.

To get started, look at your organization’s mission. Then, ask yourself and others how that can be played out in a day-to-day realistic way. Nonprofit staff because they have a passion for what they do. So, find simple ways for employees to demonstrate their passion in the workplace and tying it to the work week.

Does your nonprofit have workplace rituals that help build your resilience? Share in the comments below.

from Beth’s Blog https://ift.tt/2Webstx

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