Coming from the frenetic worlds of marketing, media and the creative arts, meeting and becoming familiar with Tim is a bit of a salve. It’s hard to do the right thing most of the time. When I’m near someone who appears to have that gist, who plays the notes clearly, who understates their position but you end up convinced by the natural truth of it all, I’m left flat impressed and seeking a good deep breath, a soft drink, and enough quiet time to count my lucky stars.

Wise Elephant (WE): In brief, how did you come to the position you have now?

Tim Steele (TS) : On the one hand, I’ve worked hard over the years and I like to believe a strong work ethic is the main reason I’m where I am in my career. But, to be completely honest, there’s always a measure of being in the right place at the right time and finding great bosses who have supported my career ambitions.

I arrived at the COO level by proving myself as a capable project manager, demonstrating the willingness to take on more responsibility, taking the initiative to learn new skills on my own time and often at my own expense, and by listening constantly reminding myself that my job is really to make sure that every team member under my supervision succeeds in their jobs.

WE: How much control have you had over your career vs. it taking you with it?

TS: While I believe there’s always the possibility of a surprise that’s out of your control, I have a strong sense of responsibility and control over my life and my career.

WE: Was being a COO an early goal, or was it “learned” as you advanced in your career?

TS: It was “learned” as I went along and gained more and more responsibility.

WE: If “feel/gut” is on the left and “intellect/reason” on the right, where in the scope of things (generally) could you put yourself when making your business decisions?

TS: Having completed a number of those types of measurements, I can safely say that I’m right in the middle. Most recently, I completed the Herrmann Brain Dominance Index (HBDI) and found that I’m almost exactly balanced between their four quadrants. While this seemed to surprise the appraiser a great deal, I think it’s almost the perfect profile for a Chief Operating Officer who’s responsible for a great deal of detail and process, but also tasked with grasping and bringing to life the vision of the CEO. The COO needs to be able to see every problem and opportunity from every angle, rally the troops when necessary, help teams of diverse employees work well together, and manage the enthusiasm and ego of driven entrepreneurs.

WE: Was there a job you turned down you wish you didn’t?

Nope. I have few regrets in my career. Are there jobs I could have taken that would have turned out well or differently? I’m sure there probably are. But I’m very happy with every major job pursuit I’ve undertaken.

My most recent job change (accepting the position I’m in now) meant a significant pay cut, an expensive move (largely at my own expense), and the expense and inconvenience of living apart from my partner with each of us traveling back and forth from coast to coast.

I had another job offer that I turned down that would have netted me about the same amount of money (or more) and would have been less stressful on me personally and on my relationship with my partner. But I wouldn’t have experienced all that I have in the last eight months by living in Manhattan and working in Brooklyn. I also have the satisfaction of really making a positive impact on a company that needed my skills and seeing that company moving back to financial health after a very trying period. And every new job provides additional experience and learning that may no longer be possible in a job that you’ve “mastered.”

WE: How much does your environment influence you and your work (your office,staff, available food)?

TS: It’s incredibly important (though I admit I wouldn’t have thought of food in that list). While I was recently whining about the crowds, weather physicality, and cost of living/working in New York I suddenly realized, “that’s MY LIFE” and if I’m not happy with it, I should give those things serious consideration.

Of the things you listed, I’m least worried about my office. I’ve worked in open spaces with no privacy or “prestige” and corner offices with the best views. It’s human nature to have some ego, but I believe it needs to be kept in check.

Staff? That one is incredibly important. These are the people I have to spend time with every day. I read several years ago (in Entrepreneur magazine I think) that every manager should go to work tomorrow morning and fire every person who doesn’t make them smile every day. Sure, that’s ridiculously over-simplified but the longer I work in my position, the more I believe there’s truth to that approach. People make me smile when they’re pleasant to be around, trustworthy, and competent. Take away any one of those and I smile less – and I believe there’s legitimate reason to wonder why I continue to employee them.

WE: How significantly has your career been influenced by the internet?

TS: Quite a lot – and I didn’t expect that to be true. In my last position, one of our biggest clients was Cisco Systems (I was in Silicon Valley prior to New York). One of our clients said, “if your services aren’t available to your end users via the internet, your company will be in serious jeopardy in the next five years.” We didn’t even have a company website at that point!

Being a boutique professional services consulting firm, we were all about high-touch personal one-on-one sort of work. I scoffed at the guy behind his back. But he was right on target – if anything, he was conservative. A few years later half of our work was being delivered online and we all had to educate ourselves about what that meant and how to do it.

WE: What else (if anything) do you want to be doing?

TS: I took all of 2006 off and loved every minute of it. I traveled, recorded music (I’ve played piano for years, but who knew I could play drums and violin and trumpet with the magic of the right software?), tended to the 42 palm trees in my California backyard, took classes, and spent more time with family and friends.

I’d like to be doing more of all those things in 2008 than I did in 2007. Settling into a new job and living a bi-coastal life has prevented me from doing as many of those things as I’d like while at the same time presenting me with other great opportunities.

The one thing that I’ve made as an absolute commitment for 2008 is living in the same state/city/house with my partner. We’ve both agreed that this is the highest priority for us next year – above careers or money or other interests.

From a career perspective, I’m doing what I want to do – I believe I’ve found my niche. I’m a great “second banana” for an entrepreneur who’s a visionary and sales engine. I can free up the owner of the company to pursue new ideas and new clients without worrying with the myriad of details that need attention “behind the scenes” in HR, Finance, Legal, IT, Facilities, etc.

WE: Is there a key lesson(s) for managers to learn in order to have their team succeed?

TS: Hire good people and listen to them. A good leader will set vision/goals, provide resources, and clear obstacles.

I also believe that every single employee comes with their own “price” that’s above and beyond their compensation plan. Whether it’s the need for praise, the desire for a weekly on-on-one with their supervisor, or the need to be left alone, everyone’s got something. The manager needs to figure out what that is for everyone (since it’s different for everyone) and then to determine if they’re willing and able to meet that “price” or if it’s too”expensive.”

WE: Does enthusiasm and ego = ambition?

TS: Hmmm. I hadn’t thought of it that way. Is that really how I see it? In our society we often attach value judgements to words. Enthusiasm seems to be good. Ego is often construed as a negative term (though “confidence” might be practically the same thing at times and that’s usually considered good). Ambition? Is that good or bad these days? Whether accurate or not, “ambition” sounds like the desire to “get ahead” (which I see as the need to look good) instead of the drive to succeed and accomplish things (which I’d say is motivated by the need to feel good). Pretty subtle difference perhaps, but important I think.

I might say that enthusiasm and ego = drive.

I think it’s thrilling to see someone with drive. But it needs to be directed (by them ideally, by their manager if not). Questions like, “how do you measure success” and “what’s your ideal job and how can I help you get there” can help a manager and employee determine whether or not the employee’s drive is directed and in line with the company’s direction.

WE: Is ambition acquired or inherent?

TS: I’ve had this conversation a number of times with successful people (and who coincidentally have usually been parents) – discussing whether or not we believed we could instill things like ambition in our children. I’ve never reached a solid conclusion.

From my perspective, I certainly had great role models – parents who believed and communicated that there was nothing one person couldn’t do (and do well) if they worked hard enough. So, did I “acquire” it from their example or did I “inherit” it in my DNA? Not sure.

Whether it’s nature or nurture, I believe it can be helped along or squelched by role models – whether or not their influence was intentional on their part. A careless word to a child who is role playing about being “silly” might be harmful to that child’s creativity. On the other hand, a manager who supports a person during failure might encourage beneficial risk taking that’s helpful to ambition.

WE: With so many personal hurdles what was it about your current job that made you take the leap? The experience? The challenge? (you touch on this briefly but I’d like to expand if we can).

TS:Several things intrigued me about the job.

1) It gave me a chance to “save the whales” and make money. Okay, so we do fundraising for the performing arts and that has nothing to do with whales actually. But in the past, I always worked for for-profit companies and, most recently, my job was really to help other for-profit companies make more money. I’m certainly a capitalist and see nothing wrong in making a profit. But it didn’t meet other needs I’ve got to contribute to society at large. So, I did volunteer work to strike that balance.

In this position, I can feel that I’m contributing to the arts AND make enough money to further my personal goals at the same time (though, admittedly, not as much as I could make in some other markets).

2) New York. I had just hired a recruiter before finding out about this job through my network of friends and associates. I’d told the recruiter that I wanted to stay in Northern California or move to Europe for the adventure. When I heard New York, I immediately said, “no thanks.” I obviously reconsidered (heck, New York is as “foreign” to me as Paris and I don’t have to learn French).

3) But most important to me – I felt that my experience and skills could really contribute to this company. Feeling I’m making a difference is a real driving force for me.

WE: It feels like, in this very competitive business market/culture that on a scale, with corruption and greed/money on the left and sacrifice and altruism on the right, it takes some corruption to bring in the big bucks. What advice can you give managers who fear they need to steer a bit towards corruption to keep pace?

TS: Are there greedy rich people? Of course there are. But I’d say there are greedy poor people too. And altruistic examples of each too.

Putting sacrifice/altruism on one side against corruption/greed makes sense to me – so that’s the question I’ll answer.

I believe that people often believe they can circumvent hard work with shortcuts to profit. But I’m old fashioned and believe that shortcuts almost always come back to haunt you. Despite this, I certainly look for ways to work smart instead of hard when possible. And, yes, I’m frequently tempted to do something unethical – c’mon, admit it, you are too. But temptation isn’t the same as doing of course.

So, why don’t I yield to the temptation? Well, there’s the answer I’d give to my employees to inspire, and I’ve often told this story. Before he was killed in a back-country skiing helicopter crash at the age of 62, Frank Wells was the President and COO of the Walt Disney Company. He once wrote in Disney’s annual report that he wanted to be remembered for his character and not his accomplishments. And yes, I admit I’ve paused to think about that during a moment of temptation and realized that I wasn’t willing to risk my reputation for the specific concern at hand. So, yes, I’m sincere when I say I want the same thing that Frank Wells wanted.

But if I’m 100% honest, I guess I’d say that the real thing that keeps me on the straight and narrow is that I believe it works better for the long term than all the other options. During their heyday, executives at Enron would certainly have disagreed. But they might be inclined to agree now. Of course the cynic in me suspects that they’re sitting in their various prison cells right now (the very few who actually went to prison vs. the many who should have) and they’re simply thinking of how to cheat the system (and their employees) better next time so they won’t get caught. So, can I say that I stay honest for good reasons? Or could you argue that I’m actually motivated by greed?

And I’d respond, “does it matter?”

WE: Do you feel/think that your business culture is leaning towards a holistic approach, where the outside life is an important balance?

TS: Yes, I do believe that. I believe it probably always has. And, while this won’t make me popular with my co-workers, I believe perhaps a little too much. I’m surrounded by artists of various sorts. Some of them took jobs with us for flexibility – so they could go on auditions and such. And I want to support that.

But, just as I fought against a culture of 80+ hour work weeks in Silicon Valley, I think it’s my obligation to fight against 35 hour work weeks here. I don’t have any problem with people working “flexible” hours – but that seems to evolved into “fewer” hours for many here right now. I want to be careful not to appear that I’m measuring productivity strictly by hours worked. But I think it’s a valid measure sometimes and I don’t always feel like the company gets its money’s worth.

I don’t believe people need to work their minimum 40 hours all at the office

– I’ve been pushing for us to consider not only flexible work hours but flexible work places – and I believe that can go a long way toward providing work/life balance.

WE: Internet, good or bad?

TS: Well, I’m not sure that a medium qualifies for that sort of question in general. The IMPACT of the medium can be judged so, I’m going to answer that question instead.

This is an age-old question. People have complained for years about the quality of television programming. Some complain there’s too much violence or sex. There is some evidence that television has a played a role in childhood obesity. And I think there’s no denying that Paris Hilton and her peers owe a lot of their “fame” to television (though certainly to the internet and the National Enquirer too).

On the other hand, television showed the first steps on the moon, the ugly truth about war, the resignation of a disgraced American president, Germans tearing down the wall that had separated them from their friends and family for decades, and numerous other significant moments in world history.

I think we could create a similar list of pros and cons and attempt to determine the overall impact of the internet on the world.

Shopping is easier. Credit card fraud has grown. Information is more readily available to all of us. Including lots of inaccurate information that people believe (and porn that 13 year olds would have had to work harder to get in the past)

The list goes on and on and on.

Chainsaws can be used to cut people out of the rubble of a fallen building or can be used to destroy old-growth forests or, according to a certain genre of movies, provide the gruesome end of life for unsuspecting camp counselors.

The variety of uses for every tool are limited only by the creativity of people. Fortunately, there’s no shortage of that.

——

end

Tim Steele is COO of DCM

Positive, forward-thinking ideas, uplifting style, true professionalism = Suzanne Sease. It’s always hard to define what is “good”. It takes an open mind, a skill for listening and identifying the milestones, and a willingness to be truthful even when it hurts. Suzanne stands within all the creative worlds at once, new school, old school, post-school, enabling her to tell it like it is, guiding her clients down the best fitting path, and setting the record straight. Who else to seek input on the state of things to come for image-makers, magazines, and the importance of ideas.

Wise Elephant (WE): What defines a “good” image? a “great” image?

Suzanne Sease (SS): I have been in this business since 1985 and have seen my fair share of images and changes in this industry. I have seen many images that could be shot by anyone and I have seen only a few images that could only be shot by a few people. That is what separates the great photographer from the good one. A great photographer produces great images, these are images that stop you in your tracks. Images that have their own style- something you haven’t seen before. I remember when I first started as an art buyer in 1987 and saw Aaron Jones’ work for the first time- wow!!! no one had done that before- and he went on to sell his secret machine, the “hose master” to masses. I remember seeing Joyce Tennison for the first time in 1989, wow! polaroids that took up a whole room or during my career as an art buyer the work of Harry DeZitter, Nadav Kander, John Huet, Raymond Meeks, Rodney Smith, Jim Erickson, people who stood out with great images. And in today’s market new talent has emerged with great images. The main thing is that you remember the great images verses the good ones. A great image usually offers a technique that makes it stand above the others. The photographer has pushed the envelope with the image creating something unique, something great.

WE: With the advance of digital photography does that great technique apply to “retouching”? or is the technique in the ideas? The creativity?

SS: It can be all those things combined but to me it more about pre then post- in other-words, it is the idea of the image and the creativity to pull it off. Techniques in retouching are trends and need to continue to be re-invented as those are always trying to copy the ones who are successful!

WE: Have all the agencies titled towards stock, or has it always been this way?

SS: No, actually I think clients are realizing that unless you have an exclusive on an image, your competitor can use it- therefore diluting their message and all their advertising dollars. I have seen many companies that have used stock for years hire photographers to shoot “libraries” of images that create a brand for their company. Stock images can create a feel but they can not sell a product and a client who is “product” based where the product needs to be seen to sell. (think food products and accessories). In addition, sometimes a rights managed image can cost more because of the media buy than shooting this image that is specific for that client. When I was an art buyer, I remember educating my clients with two estimates, one stock estimate and one shot, with the fact that no one else would use the shot image, the client realized it was worth the costs, if only slightly higher. It is the responsibility of the art buyer to educate their account team.

WE: In your opinion then is then the hunger for penny stock driven by smaller shops and sole proprietors who can now afford images where before the costs were too high? in this regard is penny stock an answer or a problem?

SS: Penny stock may be the answer for the smaller shops (and even larger clients are using them) but they risk their competitors using the same or very similar shot therefore canceling your advertising dollars- so you have to ask yourself- are you really saving in the long run? Great ads that used original images have made the impact in the long run- made history and won awards- that increased this visibility (for free).

WE: what would you like to see more of in the industry?

SS: I would like to see photographers stand together with the usage rights and fees and stop saying they do and then out bid each other. The industry will never change until then. I have seen so many photographers swear they are united and I remember as a buyer, those were the ones giving their rights away. I would like to see older or more successful photographers be more of mentors to the younger or less successful photographer. Many photographers are self trained and need the business do’s and don’ts’ that come from experience. And many photographer’s are trained at schools where tenured professors have no idea of what it is like on the outside because they have been teaching for years. I would like photographer’s on chat rooms forums to stop bitching and realize that they are the only ones in control of their career- stop moaning about things and get out and do something positive to change things if you are not happy about what is happening with your career.

WE: Should we start a photographer’s union? Or do the organizations need to get better at this stuff?

SS: I think the organizations and their leaders are doing a great job it is the angry photographer who doesn’t want to own up that business has changed and you have to change with it. The reality is the creative buyer whether art buyer or art director is over worked and communicates electronically. The day of the one on one portfolio review is harder to get, having a service like wise elephant (NOTE: this was an unsolicted plug) to make the calls for you- this keeps the photographer from getting frustrated with the calls but still gets them in the door.

WE: will print magazines all migrate/meld into online properties? is print dead?

SS: Someone asked me about this the other day and I had to stop and think, is print dead. My conclusion, there may be less of images being actually printed but the still image is not “dead” it may find a different medium to “display” itself but it is not dead. I think we are visual and tactile people and always want to touch things so I think still images will always have a place. I also think that the camera industry would not continue to invest millions in new still technology if the industry was going to obsolete. As we are going forward with a more electronic world, the still image will find itself displayed in electronic mediums. I think the photographer needs to diversify themselves and know that the fine art world will not be going away any time soon and therefore the art of the print will have its place there.

As far as the future of the magazine- look around you, not all publications are getting thin- this month along, the majority of the mags I have are surprising thick for February. Remember the magazines biggest months for advertising are March and September. November is a close second for the holiday advertising. But many magazines have seen a decrease in sales and are no longer available like Home & Gardens (but I understand there is another reason for the ceasing of this pub that is more political) so sometimes it is not about decrease in sales. Art buyers are continuing to be hired so that tells me that print is alive and well. I know of several agencies who are looking for art buyers so maybe we were in a loll and am no longer.

***
Suzanne reached out to a magazine executive with our question. The executive asked to be kept anonymous and provided this answer:

Print is not dead. We feel that it is the best way to reach an upscale audience, in a manner that is wholly compatible with how that audience consumes the media. In other words, most TV/Radio/Internet viewers/users see ads as being clutter, and separate from their experience in watching/listening/searching/etc. to the content they are seeking. Print users, especially within magazines, tend to view ads as complementary to the editorial experience – relevant and informative and creative.

Also, for certain types of advertisers, print is the only way to communicate a detailed message, at a speed that the reader can follow and comprehend (think Pharmaceutical, or Financial Services, in print vs. on tv). And, for most print publications, we know who is receiving the publication (subscribers with names and addresses). The other media (particularly TV) have measurement based on relatively small samples extrapolated into a national audience. On the internet, there is no consensus no how to extrapolate the data, so websites’ measures of audience differ from advertisers’ measures of audience, for the same sites!

That doesn’t mean the other media aren’t important – they are. Just that print is going to be around for a long time. Some brands will disappear. The strong will evolve and survive.
***

WE: Right, “upscale audience.” This seems to be the tack, that magazines are only going to survive if they cater to the luxury class. Which makes the thing that the growth is in portraits and product shots. Can photographers survive on these two rails?

SS: No, it covers all type of photography- automotive, landscape, lifestyle, interiors/exteriors, portraits, food and product- where does it say that “upscale” only applies to people and the items they wear?

WE: What do you see as the next break-through in photography and/orimage-making?

SS: This may sound extremely crazy but I remember going to a gallery in New York in the early 80’s that featured holograms. I thought they were the coolest things ever and thought back then, this is the future. Since then it seems as if every “futurist” movie features advertising as these free floating holograms. Holograms rely on printed images so this where I see the future of photography. The interesting catch here will be whether holograms will be able to incorporate digital. To see how holograms are made, watch: http://www.planetvids.com/html/Making-Holigrams.html.

WE: How would you define current image/art/commercial culture?

SS: Okay, time to get myself in trouble. I think the current culture in print advertising is boring. As a consultant, I see some of the most amazing images and then I open up magazines (I have 10 subscriptions) and all I see are boring ads. Why are the advertisers not using this great photography. My thoughts are that advertisers are playing it safe but with a recession coming (yes, folks, face the facts) advertisers start to spend money to get those who have money to spend to spend it on their products and to get noticed, they take chances. This has been the case when I was in the agency world. The best and most award ads were created in a panic situation not when things were easy. So I look forward to that part of a recession. I feel the art buyer (except for a few great ones) are not trained artists and do not understand the art of photography. They are not able to educate their account team on what an image is worth because they don’t know. They come from an age of entitlement where everything has been handed to them and don’t understand why a photographer has overhead and therefore to stay in business, their fees must be such and such. And that their fees are based on the usage and when asking for some much, it is going to cost them. They chose to get a job done with the least amount of waves instead of fighting for the best for the creative team- internally in the agency and the photographer and crew.

In the fine art culture, I am seeing the trend towards shock value- instead of amazing images that say fine art we are showing gritty images of things that are representative of a car wreck- we don’t want to look but we just have to.

So in conclusion, am I looking for a new career instead of being a consultant. Not at all, I think the existent of print photography is here for a long time to come. So grab your cameras (digital) and go out and make that “GREAT” image.
——
end

To learn more and to contact Suzanne Sease please visit her website at: http://www.suzannesease.com/ ]]> http://jasonempire.com/2009/06/19/suzanne-sease-creative-consultant/feed/ 0 http://jasonempire.com/2009/06/19/adria-petty-filmmaker/ http://jasonempire.com/2009/06/19/adria-petty-filmmaker/#comments Fri, 19 Jun 2009 21:10:56 +0000 http://lunasphere.com/?p=151

Adria Petty: Filmmaker

In a recent All Things Considered Au Contraire opinion piece on NPR, the freelance writer Lionel Beehner focuses being Green discussion on the age old structure of rich vs. poor. Using the holidays as his cloak he complains about marketers and the luxury class using Green to satisfy their charitable conscious. Ho ho hum. In our era of rich complexity this point of reference treads water where we should be swimming downstream (Mr. Beehner had a few weeks earlier reported on ski lodges -and their use of “green” for the NYTimes travel section and we wonder if that soured him on the luxury class a bit).

To support Mr. Beehner, if you seek information within broadcast and print media on green-ness you tend to find pieces geared towards attracting a purchasing (luxury) audience rather than point out the real life choices all types of socio-eco individuals are making. Green-ness can be used by marketers to sell products, that doesn’t make them or the people who buy them evil, nor should it be a reason for those who feel left out of the marketing plan to fall back on safety nets. There are a great many under-reported individuals, organizations, and forces, that are working within the realm of green, doing great works, and pushing for sustainability. Many of whom are not in it for the marketing, nor for the luxury lifestyle.

Tyson Domer, is one of these folks. A Green Building Consultant who focuses on sustainable living within communities. Through his company Hundred Year, he supports and promotes green and affordable housing, empowering smart choices that serve the entire demographic, making being green a choice for all of us, not just those who can afford the high ticket items marketed to the luxury market.

Wise Elephant (WE): In brief, how did you come to the position you have now?

Tyson Domer (TD): Once my partner (Sarah) and I knew we were moving from Seattle to Indy, I decided to shift my focus from one-off custom residential contracting work to community development consulting. I specifically focused on affordable housing development (done mostly by CDCs – community development corporations) as an entry point to jump starting more widespread green residential building in the Indianapolis area. I created “A Community Guide to Green Affordable Housing in Indianapolis” as a primer and position piece for CDCs and local government. The forthcoming DMD (Department of Metropolitan Development ) Green HOME Guidelines is an offshoot of that. The City finances the development of over 50 affordable homeownership opportunities annually through the federal HOME Investment Partnership program, so the reach of green building at the neighborhood level can expand very quickly as CDCs jump on board with this new City incentive program. The pilot program will be a great educational tool for smaller residential builders.

WE: Why Green Design/Build?

TD: Building and operating buildings accounts for ~40% of our natural resource consumption in this country. It makes sense to focus in buildings in the context of addressing climate change. The rest of that equation is how development patterns impact transportation energy intensity. Green urban infill makes a lot of sense to me.

Urban Density. Crowded cities are a “glass is half-empty/half-full” argument. What are important positives of urban density, ones a public might overlook as they look towards urban expansion and suburbanization?

increased housing density…

…creates the economic base for attracting providers of goods and service
…creates the tax base to pay for public improvements (infrastructure, parks, transportation)
…creates the ridership base for mass-transit, which hastens further development
…often leads to a mix of housing type, which increases diversity diversity is attractive to the creative class the creative class is attractive to employers employers create jobs and provide good and services

increased urban density….
…helps protect and restore water, our most precious natural resource (wellfields, aquifers, water bodies, wetlands, watersheds)
…preserves open space, natural beauty, habitat & wildlife diversity
…decreases the transportation energy intensity of development compared to sprawl
…leads to increased walkability, which is positively linked to better health outcomes

infill development…
…increases density
…requires thoughtful design and planning
…hastens cleanup of brownfields
…hastens adaptive reuse of vacant buildings and greyfields adaptive reuse conserves embodied energy of existing buildings

WE: What steps are needed to draw investment back into “fill-in” type of redevelopment; new building and reclaiming of older neighborhoods that have fallen on hard times?

TD: We need to make infill projects as easy and lucrative for developers as greenfield development. In Indy we are competing with Hamilton County, specifically Carmel. We need to establish a one-stop-shop where developers can plug into all of the resources that the City of Indianapolis has to offer. That list is extensive, but there is no single-point source of information and assistance. I think that’s the key to attracting high-quality developers, and high quality development. Offer added value in the form of development liaisons. We already have the Great Indy Neighborhoods Initiative (GINI) which marshals City resources under the guidance of a community vision to effect Comprehensive Community Revitalization. We need to make sure that we are actively courting developers and businesses that want to piggyback on the focused planning and investment that has come out of his initiative.

WE: Should we bulldoze the old and build the new? Are we all too nostalgic?

TD: Not as a matter of course. Preservation provides a tangible link to our collective past, conserves resources and creates character. There is “something” about old buildings that people connect with. It’s the human scale. This goes back to the issue of design. Today, human scale gives way to the bigger is better aesthetic, which manifests itself fully in greenfield development where there are no natural boundaries, like smaller infill lots and existing buildings. Granted, universal access is an issue, and people are fatter. In many cases, they not only “don’t build ‘em like that anymore” they “can’t build ‘em like that anymore.” I think the challenges of infill construction (irregular lots, existing buildings, design concordance) lead to higher quality design.

Preservation is renovation and rehabilitation. Renovation is inherently green. You’re not sending the whole building to the landfill. You’re not expending energy and resources to manufacture new materials and get them to the jobsite. It’s the ultimate in recycling, or upcycling in many cases.

Neighborhood revitalization models that prioritize preservation are more difficult to implement because you have to deal with two big unknowns: old buildings, and the people that live in them. I think the end result is more satisfying to the community, however, and creates more added value in the long-term when done well. It requires careful, thoughtful planning and design. There’s that word again.

WE: Should there be more sidewalks in the world?

TD: In a word – yes. Sidewalks are an important component of a complete multi-modal transportation network. Increased urban density relies on devoting less space to cars (widening roads & highways, increasing turning radii, creating parking) and more space to other transportation options for pedestrians, streetcars, bikes, scooters, buses, trolleys, light rail and trains. Projects like the Cultural Trail are the first step toward creating a more dense, walkable urban core. The project was sold based on the economic benefits of linking “cultural districts” (read retail districts.) We’ve managed to take space from cars and devote it to walkers and bikers. It’s only the first step. The health benefits of walking are also well documented.

WE: How much control have you had over your career vs. it taking you with it?

TD: For me it was finding a way to continue working in my area of expertise -green building- while responding to the realities of my locale – Indianapolis. It’s been a push-pull situation. Custom construction is rewarding, but the impact is relatively narrow. Affordable housing development isn’t as sexy, but it serves a very real need, reaches a wider audience, and is just as rewarding.

WE: If “feel/gut” is on the left and “intellect/reason” on the right, where in the scope of things (generally) could you put yourself when making your business decisions?

TD: Feel/gut informed by intellect/reason. Decisions mostly involve people and relationships, so that’s guided by feel, with a healthy dose of reason and ethics.

WE: Do you feel/think that your business culture is leaning towards a holistic approach, where the outside life is an important balance?

TD: I don’t drop work at 5:00 and commute home to the suburbs. I am directly linked to the people and neighborhoods where I work, so there isn’t a lot of separation. It’s very holistic. Community development work is about people and places, so it’s difficult to be disconnected and still be successful. I try to achieve balance through effective time management – making time for other activities -but I’m not always very successful.

WE: It feels like, in this very competitive business market/culture that on a scale, with corruption and greed on the left and sacrifice and altruism on the right, it takes some corruption to bring in the big bucks for decent projects. Do you agree?

TD: Not at all. The economic benefits of green and sustainable development, “green tech”, “clean tech”, etc. are well documented. It means taking a longer view when calculating ROI, and taking a broader view of “returns” on investments. Both altruism and greed are agenda driven…someone else’s agenda. Corruption is a political concept. Political realities in terms of platform priorities, funding and subsidy focus, and taxation structures affect private investment, of course.

WE: What else (if anything) do you want to be doing?

TD: I have my hands full now! I want to see some projects that I’ve been working on through to fruition, then reevaluate. There are always opportunities to teach more, reach a wider audience more effectively, etc. That’s a natural part of the process.

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Learn more about Tyson Domer at his website here: LINK

Listen to Lionel Beehner’s op piece here: LINK ]]> http://jasonempire.com/2009/06/19/tyson-domer-green-building/feed/ 0 http://jasonempire.com/2009/06/18/caspar-newbolt-version-industries/ http://jasonempire.com/2009/06/18/caspar-newbolt-version-industries/#comments Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:18:22 +0000 http://lunasphere.com/?p=120 Caspar Newbolt’s Version Industries makes nice-looking stuff; web sites, print design, motion graphics, etc. I’m tempted to call their work “slick”, but its more complex, I want to say post-post-modern, but what’s in a name. Maybe it’s the subtle layers to their work, or sometimes not-so-subtle. Pizzazz? Panache? But with great craft. Can a design be both reckless and well-crafted?

The Version crew is inventive in the melding of visuals. There is a rotoscopic nostalgia to their work and an outside vs. the inside juggling. The skin of idea might seem rough, harsh, punk, but the inside is pure charm, captured through the flickering lights of a Radio City Metropolis. Either way the root of what they do lends itself well to clients seeking ideas a bit more radical than the middle way. If presented with the right budget and a dream the Version crew could build a new virtual machine with platinum parts, a silent engine, and the whisper of a ghost that prefers standard 72s over any MP3.

Wise Elephant (WE): Why Design?

Caspar Newbolt (CN): Good question – you see I really wanted to make films & still very much do. However design just seemed to be what I was always doing in my free time & eventually someone called me out on it. I got paid a lot more than I thought I deserved for a small job back in 2001-2 and well, it got me thinking of the possibilities. Basically the whole time I was fighting with the idea of doing film but getting increasingly in debt & unhappy, so almost by attrition I started shifting over to the design world and doing more & more of that & less & less film. You think you’re stronger than you are sometimes when it comes to money and happiness. Suffice to say I’ve tried very hard not to sell out too much since then!

WE: Film, what type of film(s) do you want to make? Is it the silver screen that is intoxicating (visuals), where you are overwhelmed by the bigness of it, or is there a narrative (texts) you’re seeking?

CN: It’s funny – even though I design for a living, it’s not the visuals I get excited about first, it’s definitely the characters and the script!

When I first started writing scripts with a good friend of mine it was all very biographical. We wanted to make David Lynch / Larry Clark / Kevin Smith style things based on our own experiences. You know, where you peel back what appears to be pretty and reveal something darker underneath. Typically it was about self discovery through sex, drugs and rock n roll. I mean those kinda movies like ‘Fire Walk With Me’, ‘Dazed and Confused’, ‘Requiem For A Dream’ and ‘Kids’ are still my favorites and I think that’s because there’s a magic in the “naivete” of youth and given a chance to relive experiences is cathartic.

These days I don’t think my interests have changed in terms of core ideas, but I have also had a chance to think of stuff that’s less biographical and more fantasy purely because I have experienced more now & gained more confidence. In fact I have two ideas right now that I really want to develop and just wish I could find the time to.

WE: Why a design business?

CN: It just made sense. The money was coming in & the guys I set the company up with were both amazingly able at handling bank accounts and business decisions on top of their other worthy skills. Plus as friends we found it a fun way to pass the time, pay the bills and live near each other in the ever expensive London. On top of that of course came the rush of actually being creative for a living, which I think is all any of us would ever really let ourselves do, so it was a perfect marriage.

WE: How much control have you had over your professional career as a designer vs. it taking you with it?

CN: Another good one. Actually I think I’ve had quite a lot of control in one way & yet none in another way. We’ve certainly controlled the kind of work we’ve chosen to do & even turned down bigger jobs because it didn’t feel right or felt dishonest / fake / corporate. Which is ridiculous in a way because it’s not made it easier – in fact I think we’d all be a lot richer if we’d been less concerned about that.

But on the other hand, you can’t pretend you really control that stuff. So much of it is luck I think. We’ve met people in elevators who have given us work and we’ve got friends who put in a good word for us too. So yeah, it’s a bit of both. The only thing I make sure of is that we do the best job we can & that we never do the same job twice – I think this keeps us fresh, an interesting prospect in the eyes of others & also stops us hating our work. When you hate your work you stop doing it well … at least I do.

WE: If “feel/gut” is on the left and “intellect/reason” on the right, where in the scope of things (generally) could you put yourself when defining what you like?

CN: Well I’ve never given my intellect or reasoning ability a great deal of credit. It’s like a dice-roll for me mostly when I try, so I’m definitely happier trusting my feelings & gut on things. Especially
design / creative things. To me it feels like I just keep hunting for something that gives me that little rush. Same applies to other people’s work or my own. You know when you see something good because it drops all pretense and smacks you hard where it hurts. In fact that’s what bothers me most about a lot of stuff I see every day online or offline – it’s all so elaborate and high-tech and tasteful or clever and minimalist, but rarely does it make you really feel anything. So yeah, I guess I’m way to the left … way into those feelings & guts etc. Maybe there should be a creative fight club of some sort. You know, to weed out all the copycats and aesthetic posers & get things back to making you really laugh & cry & believe.

WE: Was there a gig/job you turned down you wish you didn’t?

CN: I’m sure, yes. I remember feeling that way a lot when we had nothing on the table and bills to pay, though I can’t recall specifics. But yeah, looking back & cursing blindly about some gig that never came through is definitely not foreign to us, haha. But right now I’m very happy with the jobs we have gotten and the great people we are getting a chance to work with … so yeah, fortunately nothing comes to mind right now.

WE: How much does “New York City” influence you and your work?

CN: A vast amount. Funny you should ask this question really. I am in love with this city. As a brit who was born in London and spent his first working years there, I only made it over here every 3-4 years at best. But each time it gave me a glimpse of something that I found very enticing. Then when it came down to it, London had basically worn me thin and so coming here with a company that was finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel was exhilarating.

New York has everything I got out of London / England and then so much more. The people are outspoken, eccentric and welcoming, which appeals to me massively somehow. Then there’s the film and the music – two things I care about almost more than life itself – and they are on
fire in this city. Last of all you have the insanely decrepit & decaying sprawl of it all … to this day nothing gives me a bigger rush than walking through this city at night with my headphones on,
struck dumb by the lights and the cinematic wash of everything.

All of it makes me sit down to work with an energy I haven’t yet found anywhere else.

WE: You mentioned ” insanely decrepit & decaying sprawl of it all”. What is it about decay that is inspirational? Is it building a phoenix that rises from the ashes, or seeing the whole life-cycle of things in a fairly compacted space? What is it for you? What is the energy you feel?

CN: Well it might be your life-cycle idea. New York’s subway for example is like this forgotten element of a city that tries to be as flash and glamourous as it can. You think you’re paying for a cheap ticket downtown and what you really get is a guided tour of New York’s rotting core. And what a core it is! It’s iron, porcelain, plastic and glass at war with mould, rust, trash and rats.

Firstly this seems to be stark reminder that too many people have ‘bigger’ issues on their minds and are therefore failing to deal with what really matters. It’s an idea that’s pervaded everything I do and that I think really drives me. You see I fear giving into certain rotting ideals and I see people doing it all the time. My “favourite” film makers, bands and artists all lose it for one reason or another at some point and I’m constantly trying to figure out why and what drives those who still haven’t yet.

Secondly (& perhaps more immediately relevant here) there’s an undeniable beauty in the rust, mould, rot and crumble happening beneath the constant barrage of lights, people and fumes. In fact it verges on apocalyptic at times to the point of being cinematic and captivating. So all you have to do is walk around in it by yourself with your walkman on and it’s not hard to feel like something amazing is about to happen.

WE: How much has your career been influenced by internet (if not entirely)?

CN: Haha, probably entirely. I did Archaeology at university and sat all night on the internet realizing there was a major disparity between my studies and my urges. One was deep into the past beyond all imagining and one was deep into the future of communications and networking. The internet even now is the most ridiculously exciting thing. It’s a censorship free, 24/7, plunge-pool of ridiculousness and to be able to take these creative urges I have and shape it for people to make a
living … well that’s pretty cool.

WE: What design trends do you see? If you could identify and/or define contemporary design what would it be?

CN: Hmmm … well, contemporary design is too often tied heavily to commercial production. This means that design trends concrete themselves thick and fast because the companies that commission them are rarely brave enough to try something new. They are investing lots of money so they want what is tried & tested & all of a sudden you get a million things looking the same. Which¬†also means that designs can’t be too challenging either and that complete rip-offs are found more & more.

So using that logic we now have one great design becoming a template. This template is then watered down & down to the point where it’s making as much money as possible for it’s multitude of users and eventually it loses the spark that made it great in the first place (and those buying them often have no idea it’s been lost).

Enter advertising.

Advertising takes what was left of good ideas and design trends and strangles them slowly to death. Gone is the notion of using ideas to reveal truth and touch you emotionally. Instead you have ideas created to lie to you and to make you feel things for things of commercial value.

Now whether you think that’s a good thing or not is beside the point – those, to me at least, are the trends and hallmarks of design today.

WE: What else (if anything) do you want to be doing?

CN: Well something I never do enough of is thank the amazing bastards I work with every day for believing in this thing that we do & somehow sticking with it day in & day out. No matter what I think or believe, I would not still be thinking or believing it without them.

Outside of that, it’s definitely films. Sure I’d love to make music, be in a band and all that … but I can’t. I know however that I can make films and still very much want to. That’s the next step, though when … I know not.

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end

Visit Version Industries here: LINK

What’s an icon to do? Diversify? Learn some new tricks, or rely on their skills and name-recognition? There’s no easy answer. With the creative market ever-changing as audience behavior shifts like undertones from print to web and back, splintering into smaller and smaller audiences, the places for “good” illustration/design seem like springtime icebergs, molting and calving. Are magazine covers the last outpost? Pharmaceutical ads?

We ask Mr. Doret about his carer path, design, and his craft, and he answers with the bold color swaths found within his illustrations.

Wise Elephant (WE): Font face, type design, letterform. What led you to focus on this art/design
form?

Michael Doret (MD): I can remember even in High School doing an anti-litterbug poster where I drew a crumpled piece of loose-leaf paper and you could see the distorted and fragmented words on the paper spelling out the headline. I don’t remember how I figured out how to draw those letterforms, but I can see now that even back then I was fascinated with the drawn letter.

Who knows how we respond to certain stimuli as we grow up—why certain things will affect one person one way, but somebody else completely differently. I grew up in 1950s Brooklyn in a neighborhood near Coney Island. I would ride my bike there with my friends to get a hot dog at Nathan’s. I recently found an old photo of my brother and me in front of the Tilt-A-Whirl. In the photo I’m surrounded by the incredible signage and banners that Coney Island was known for. I’d never really thought about it before, but when I found the photo I had an epiphany…that being around this stuff growing up must have had an indelible effect on my brain. My Dad worked in Times Square, so I’d find myself there quite often—again surrounded by incredible signage, billboards, sights and sounds. I realized that most of my work would feel right at home above a Coney Island shooting gallery or on a billboard in the Times Square of my youth.

Somehow in school (Cooper Union) I seemed to gravitate towards things typographic. After school I apprenticed with my typography teacher in his type shop on West 26th St. My first job out of school was at a place called Photo-Lettering, which happened to be (at the time) the world’s largest photo typesetting house. After that I held a series of staff design positions, but took on freelance design work at night. For some reason I could never find the fonts I was visualizing for my designs, so I started drawing what I saw in my head. One thing led to another, and here I am.

WE: It has been said that speaking is natural to human brains, and that writing
is unnatural, that it is a forced and uncomfortable skill. Why is it that
well crafted letterforms are so imperative?

MD: I don’t think I’ve heard that before. Perhaps it’s true. I don’t think of my craft as having that much in common with the act of writing. What I do is much more deliberate and more akin to sculpture or illustration, where I start out with an amorphous sketch, and then in stages, hone in on it in ever tightening drawings until it’s something like the configuration I’ve visualized. It’s not so much writing as solving a visual puzzle.

Until I started creating fonts (just the last three years) well crafted letterforms were not my focus. Sure, I did lettering, but the style of letters was never as important to me as the overall “constellation” I was creating. In other words it was more important for me to create a thing, a conglomeration, a configuration, which most often consisted of more than just letterforms, but could contain illustrative elements as well, all working together harmoniously. So the style of letterform for me could be interchangeable and not as important as the “gestalt” of the whole. It’s more important that the piece I’m working on creates the right mood and has the “look” I’m going for, than for it to correctly reference “Bodoni” or “Cheltenham”. That the whole is well-crafted for me goes without saying. Perhaps that is just part of my obsessive compulsive nature.

WE: Guy Kawasaki, an early Mac engineer, stated that desktop publishing saved
the Mac computer. Did desktop publishing ruin or reinforce letterform
design?

MD: I’m really not sure about how to answer this. The people who do desktop publishing are not my market. I do think that the pervasiveness of personal computers in general are helping to make many artistic specialties appear to be irrelevant. As far as what I do, I believe that many are incapable of perceiving the difference between my work and something they can concoct on their computer by setting type and applying a few Photoshop filters. Most people are now free to think of themselves as “designers” despite their ignorance of the subject. The results are apparent everywhere. Cheap imitations abound.

WE: What new markets do you see that could/would benefit from letterform design?

MD: I can’t answer this question specifically, but what new market couldn’t benefit from just plain old good design in whatever form that was relevant to it?

The problem with the PC is it seems to be a large factor in enabling a march of mediocrity. Now everyone can be an artist, everyone can be a critic, etc., etc. I think some good can come out if it too, but on the whole I think it’s a mixed bag that, in my humble opinion is a bit weighted towards the negative.

WE: From our current interview with Tyson Domer, he identifies that there is a deficit in a general public understanding of “design” which leads to the mediocrity. Thoughts?

MD: I believe that any “deficit in a general public understanding of ‘design’” comes out of an almost complete ignorance of and lack of respect and awareness of the arts in general—and I’m only speaking of the public here in the US. “Art” is generally thought of here as the something one dabbles in on weekends—usually by dilettantes and communists. Art is not part of peoples everyday lives as it is in Europe, and it is not understood how important it is in terms of everything around us, from the lowliest paper clip to the tallest skyscraper. Art is not ingrained in our society, and very little importance is placed on it by our educational institutions. Is it any wonder that our cities look the way they do? Taking a walk around most parts of LA would depress the hell out of you.

One has only to look into Steven Colbert’s concept of “truthiness” in our culture in order to understand why people also “rely on a basic instinct or “feel” to describe whether they like or dislike a particular place, and leave it at that.” One doesn’t need any in-depth knowledge of anything—all you need is to feel it in your gut.

WE: What can you do as a designer to provide the viewer with the realization/entry into the fact that your designs are top-level. Is it in the craft itself? The type of clients you work for?

MD: I don’t believe there’s anything I can do in that respect. Many people will look at my work and somehow “feel” that it really works. But they don’t understand what’s behind it. Many think that if they set some type and apply some Photoshop filters, they’d have a close approximation of my work. And many can’t tell the difference anyway. I think for many the only way that they might understand that someone’s work is better than others is to incessantly drum it into their heads by either constant promotion or by constantly being praised by “authority figures”. Most people know who Picasso or Andy Warhol were, but go a little deeper and mention names of respected artists that haven’t been drummed into their heads, and you’d probably draw a blank stare.

WE: Do you use “feel”? How much is your work feel vs. intellect?

MD: Contrary to what I wrote above, there is a point beyond which one’s art education cannot take you. When doing a piece I do follow certain formulas, but there are many cases where I have to depart from what I “know” is right and follow my feelings. For example, I can’t explain why but I think of color in terms of musical chords. I might look at a piece I’m working on and realize that it doesn’t “sound” right. So I’ll adjust the color until it has the right “tonality”. I can’t really explain it with words better than that, but I do know that those decisions are still informed by what I know and what I’ve learned.

What is inspiration? Where do ideas come from? Are they “feel” or “intellect”. If they’re from pure intellect, then computer could be artists. If they’re from “feel”, then anyone could be an artist (and clearly that’s not the case!). It’s probably a strange brew of the two.

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Learn more about Michael Doret by visiting the following websites:

http://michaeldoret.com/

http://illoz.com/

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end