What if you were lost and no one found you?

Posted by random olio

A colleague at work alerted me to Benjamin Kyle. Have you heard of him? I had not. Benjamin Kyle is not this man’s real name. His real name in unknown. He was found in 2004 behind a Burger King, with amnesia. He had no identification on him, and since he does not know who he is, and the government has not been able to determine who he is. He does not have a social security number and until someone hired him, he was not able to work. You will want to watch this short documentary video of what has happened to him between 2004 and today. No one has claimed him, or has sent out a missing person alert for him. Authorities have named him Benjamin Kyle. That is who he has been for the last 8 years.

Learning about him made me ask the question: “What if you were lost and no one found you?” Quite the deep and slightly depressing question. Yet, it makes you think about belonging, connections, friends, and family. What would it be like if we did not have our friends and family to check on us? To know if we were missing, or if something happened to us? I am sure there are plenty of people out there that have lost their friends and family and do not have others to check in on them. Do you know anyone like that? If so, have you checked in on them recently?

That is part of what makes Benjamin so interesting. It is an anomaly for someone to be lost, then found, and not be claimed. It is against what we feel should happen to others. It makes me grateful for the family and friends in my life. To know that I would be missed.

Portrait of Benjamin Kyle

I want to leave you today with an awe-inspiring portrait of Benjamin Kyle. It was done with over 2 million ink dots. You can find a few more images of this portrait and further background details at this link on Colossal. The artist is selling 200 limited edition prints of Benjamin Kyle. “50% of all proceeds made through this limited edition will be dedicated to helping Benjaman Kyle retrieve a new SSN and to get his life back on track.”

An amazing story of a man finding his identity. Please share his story.

Games, Linchpin, and no more Candyland

Posted by random olio

I just finished reading “Linchpin” by Seth Godin. There are so many amazing nuggets in this book. I could write a very long blog about all the ideas I gained from this book, but one in particular really has me thinking. I love playing board games. Growing up it was one of the few things I remember we did as a family. We did not go on vacations, to sporting events, movies, etc. So playing board games is what I remember as “family time.” Games were also how I became competitive. As the youngest, I often felt left out. As the baby of the family, I thought that if I learned each and every game, and could even win ones that maybe other members in my family would make sure I was included and got to play. I did not want them to have to hold my hand and help me along. I wanted to play and win on my own merits and skills.

I have never thought anything of the actual games we played or what they were teaching me. When I was younger we played Chutes and Ladders, Candyland, Memory, and eventually moved on to Monopoly, Tripoly, Poker, Parcheesi, Trivial Pursuit, and Yahtzee. I have not played any of these in years. Most recently I have played Cranium, Tripoly, and my favorite is Taboo. I enjoyed the competition, the family time, and the laughter and fun. So when I read this section in “Linchpin” it made me rethink all the games of my past, and quite frankly how I would want to approach games with my family in the future.

“Author Steven Johnson hates the board game Candyland and all board games like it. I hate them even more than he does.

‘I realize that games of pure chance have a long history, but that doesn’t make them any less moronic,’ he writes. He’s how Candyland is played: You pick a card and do what it says. Repeat.

This is early training in agenda following. Indoctrination in obedience. We teach kids that the best way to win is to mindlessly pick cards, follow instructions, and wait for it all to turn out okay.

Sheesh. What a disaster.

My decree: If you own a copy, burn it. Replace it with Cosmic Encounters or chess or a big box filled with wooden blocks. Please don’t look at school or even board games the same way again. If they’re teaching your kids or future employees to be map readers and agenda followers, make them stop.” Page 193

To give you more context, this section in Godin’s book discusses not being a cog that just takes orders and follows direction, but to become someone who creates their own map and paves their own way. I wonder what games help kids to create their own map. I am still processing and thinking about what those games could be. Any ideas?

Do You “Steal Like An Artist”?

Posted by random olio

A colleague at work told me about the book: “Steal Like An Artist” by Austin Kleon. I read it a few weeks ago. It is such a great book. It reads a bit like a Hugh MacLeod book (see gapingvoid.com). There are so many inspiring ideas in this quick read. You can easily read it in an afternoon.

Ever since I read it, the idea of “Steal Like An Artist” has come up often in the last few weeks. Leveraging ideas that have already been put forth, but altering or updating for a specific audience. For example, infographics are all over the Internet. Many companies and individuals use the “infographic” idea and repurpose them for the needs of their audience. Infographics are a compelling way to break down a story and show a visual image of the data and details in a consumable way. Does that mean that we are plagiarizing or stealing the idea? No, it means that a good idea can be transferred, altered, and made better with each use.

An example Kleon shares is with art and painting. When we are young and are taught how to paint, we look at the great painters, Pollock, Klee, Picasso, etc. We look at their form, color, and technique. We make our own paintings by trying out what these famous painters did. We find our own technique and skill. We might not have ever learned to paint without stealing from these artists. Kleon goes on to clarify that there is a difference between taking a poem word for word, which is plagiarizing, and using a poem to inspire one of your own.

my most recent “almost finished” painting

Above is one of my recent paintings. I cannot decide if I am done with it or not. I have loved learning from artists that have come before me. “Steal Like An Artist” is a definite must read!

Do You Watch Jeff Lewis?

Posted by random olio

I was talking with someone last week about Jeff Lewis. Have you ever seen either of his shows? His first show was: Flipping Out, and his more recent show is: Interior Therapy. Both are on Bravo and are about designing homes. Jeff Lewis is a character. He is direct, crass, and definitely not politically correct. I am not sure I could ever work for him. I do not have the patience that Jenny (his assistant) does. He would definitely fire me quickly, because I would have to tell him how horrid he is to his employees.

Having said all that, he is hilarious to watch, and he has impeccable design taste. I would live in one of his designed homes in a second (if I could afford one)! I decided to Google him a bit, and found his Facebook page. I had fun seeing all his candid photos of random people or things he finds while out in Los Angeles. Of course I had to “like” it so that his random posts will show up in my Facebook feed and I can smile, laugh, or roll my eyes.

Flipping Out is a show about flipping homes that started a few years ago. When flipping homes slowed down with the economy and real estate plunge, Jeff shifted the show towards his design expertise and helped individuals redo their internal spaces, rather that flipping large homes. The theme that was thread through the show was that Jeff also would flip out at his clients, employees, and subcontractors. All the time. As with a home that is being flipped, time and effort improves the home. The same has happened with Jeff. Over a few seasons, he flips out less. A new season of Flipping Out has just started. Try it out. (I also included part of a random episode below).

You might find it is one of your new favorite shows, or you might find that Jeff’s design skills rank way above his people skills.

The Infinite Uses of Creative Thought

Posted by random olio

Over the Labor Day weekend we were walking through the Annual Art in the Pearl festival in Portland and saw this quote on a nearby gallery window:

on a window in Portland…

It really resonates with me. “Inform and delight.” If you do not know Milton Glaser, you can check out his website. He is most known for creating the I (heart) NY slogan. I love this idea that art should: inform and delight. I can get behind that. We all have ways that we are creative in our lives. Do you ever wonder if you are an artist? Does being creative inspire you?

There are so many ways to be creative in this world. You can be a jeweler. A baker, a candlestick maker (just kidding – well I guess you could be). A designer, a cake maker, you can design fonts, or logos, or PowerPoints. You can design rugs, or blankets, or scarves. You can be a food photographer, or photograph people, or landscapes. You can be a painter (visual) or a house painter. You can be an architect, or a builder, or a landscape designer. You can be a product designer, or a graphic designer, or a product engineer. You can be a chef, or make pastries, or develop the grapes for a fine wine. You can design a website, or an app used by the multitudes. You can design furniture, or appliances, or cars. You can sew, or be a ceramist, or work with metals. Oh the mirad ways to be creative, and I have just named a few.

You can be a writer, or an editor, or a strategist. All require some effort of design.

Whatever role we fill each day, try starting your day using your creativity to “inform and delight.”