Our Voice
We think a lot. This is our space to share what's on the top of our mind. We hope we don't bore you.
I've never seen Star Trek before.
Nor Star Wars for that matter.
And I don't intend to watch either anytime soon.
There.
I said it.
Yet, we happen to be one degree (think six degrees from Kevin Bacon) from Spock. Er, make that Zachary Quinto.
As we look to the New Year, each of us at The Numad Group have taken a moment to reflect on all that we are grateful for.
We have learned from you.
Grown with you.
Been changed because of you.
And are inspired by you.
This year, much was different, and yet, much remained the same—namely, the passion you bring to your missions that make us want to be better, and do more. To us, that is what being a Numad is: the pursuit of a greater good.
I still remember the moment vividly.
Around this time last year, I was walking home from a Primary Stages opening night after party for their production of Billy Porter's While I Yet Live..., and I turned the corner on 41st Street to walk toward my Priceline-deal hotel in Midtown. There, in bright lights, was the marquee on the Nederlander Theater (home to the original Broadway production of Rent) for Honeymoon In Vegas, the new Broadway musical starring Tony Danza.
But I didn't care about Tony Danza.
I've been using up my 10 free The New York Times articles on nytimes.com this week on all of the top 10 this and top 10 that lists that they've been posting (most of them have to do with the top places to visit and most read articles).
In the spirit of that, this morning I decided to dive into our Google Analytics to check-in with what has been most read by you on our new blog that we started back in August. Take a look at the most popular posts of 2015.
My partner and I have set out on an end of year trip to relax and reflect after a year that had me traveling all around the country to partner alongside nonprofits--and the people who fuel them.
We've had an opportunity to participate in some exciting things. Often times, for me, that translates into telling stories about people who transform communities, or people who are able to move forward in their life thanks, in part, to the generosity of another.
The newest issue of Scene hit mailboxes earlier this week, and I've got two piece in there--a feature on Ambrosian entrepreneurs, and the other the "definitive Brian Hemesath profile" (I've written about his work as a costume designer for "Sesame Street," "Saturday Night Live," Honeymoon in Vegas on Broadway, and "The Today Show" Halloween Costumes a few times before).
My interview with Shane Jones, a co-founder of Fooda, for "The Art(s) of the Deal" feature, which you can read here, hit particularly close to home for me.
Having never read The Great Gatsby in high school I have had a sort of felt-obligation lately to read it due to the “classic” status it has achieved. I was on a plane when I started and finished it (different planes, for the record), and was able to sink into the story while all other distractions were drowned out by the white noise of the roaring engines.
We began the keyart design for this show last winter, in the dead of the Boston winter snowstorms that dumped over 100 inches of snow on the city. MCC Theater's marketing team had the wonderful idea of writing the play's title on a snow windshield... so every time (read everyday) the snow fell last January, I donned my snow gear, shoveled our sidewalks, and then trounced to find our car in the street, try to write the words, shoot some photos, and edit it.
When we co-founded The Garage coworking space in Rapid City, South Dakota, nearly two years ago now, we hoped that it might become a place for community. For conversations. For collaborations.
A place for people to come together. To enjoy one another. To meet new friends. To do good work. To dream up new possibilities.
As I zipped down the coast yesterday on Amtrak toward New York City for a meeting on this beautiful fall morning, and spent a few minutes (okay maybe longer) on Facebook seeing what friends were up to, an article from The New York Times popped up on my feed (thanks Erica Rieder and Heather Border for sharing it). "Choose to Be Grateful. It Will Make You Happier." Here's how it spoke to me.
Matt Ehlman doesn’t really want you to meet him. He wants you to meet everybody else. He’d rather you connect face-to-face with the nonprofits, business owners, musicians, politicians, university presidents, and other folks in the Black Hills of South Dakota, around the United States, and across the seas that he works to bring together. Because, remember: people really are hungry to become a part of something that’s good. And when they join in, communities become better, stronger places.
So, I was happy to read the editorial by Sherry Ristau, the president and CEO of the Community Foundation of the Great River Bend, in today's Quad City Times. As we mark National Philanthropy Day, the editorial is a wonderful reminder of the impact philanthropy can have--in all of its forms--on transforming communities.
As the end of the year draws near, my heart and head is filled with gratitude for the good year it has been. For the people who do good things to make life better for others. For strangers who spread kindness. For friends who offer a sense of balance to the challenges we may face. Perhaps it is fitting, then, that in this season of thanks so many of our nonprofit partners we work with--and countless more all across this country--are hosting their annual gala benefits that raise money for their missions.
On Wednesday afternoon, I had a chance to fly to the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul for a meeting on Thursday. As I left my house (after about only 12 hours at home) I got a text from a friends from the Quad Cities--Clare Thompson, a former St. Ambrose University advancement officer who is now working at Ruffalo Noel Levitz, asking if I had time for a conversation about art and culture.
We're asking each of you to submit questions that you would ask President John Yellow Bird Steele of the Oglala Sioux Tribe if you were sitting in the moderator chair. Please fill out the quick form on this blog post and we'll do our best to integrate your questions into the upcoming Morning Fill Up.
She placed two ideas in juxtaposition. One being the “culture of helpfulness,” a work philosophy that says you “don’t have to know everything, you just have to work among people who are good at getting and giving help.” The other, being the “super chicken” mentality, where competition and individual accomplishment are primary motivators.
The artwork for this show was a definite challenge for me early on. As I read the play over and over again, I kept thinking about the moment before ink is placed on paper.
The second before thoughts give way to words... when the words can't stay in your head any longer and they must come out.
The time when an idea sparks an action.
If the arts are going to take their rightful place as an important weave in the cultural fabric of our towns, cities, and nations, we--as a people--must fuel our minds and our souls with the understanding (or perhaps a better word is "acceptance") that art plays a critical part in how we live our lives, make decisions, and paint a brighter future for all.
