Thursday, September 02, 2010

Coming October 5

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

September 17 is PARK(ing) Day

On September 17, 2010, the Chattanooga community has a unique opportunity to participate in PARK(ing) Day, an annual open-source global event that celebrates public space by temporarily transforming urban parking spaces in creative and innovative ways for the low cost of a few coins in a parking meter.

We’re teaming up with Outdoor Chattanooga this year to host and facilitate PARK(ing) Day.  Businesses, organizations, individuals, creatives, and engaged community members are all encouraged to participate and to attend a free, informational meeting this Friday, September 3, from 9-10 AM at CreateHere.  Coffee and donuts will be served and all ideas—partial or fully realized—will be welcomed and valued.

PARK(ing) Day began in San Francisco in 2005 when an art and design studio named Rebar transformed a single metered parking space into a temporary public park in a section of the city that was lacking public space.  Many other cities have joined in on this annual event since then and September 17 will mark Chattanooga’s third year of participation.

An event like PARK(ing) Day gives us the opportunity to demonstrate how more urban green space would make an indelible impact on the way we live, work, and play in Chattanooga and across the country.  We’re one of many cities participating and we get to demonstrate the local flavor, personality, and imagination we have in Chattanooga as it pertains to urban green space.

If you’ve been hanging around here at the blog, you’ll have noticed that less than two weeks ago we hosted City R&D, a summit of forty of Chattanooga’s best and brightest minds that focused on issues of connectivity in the city.  One of four primary discussions we had at City R&D was the use of public parking areas to generate interest in the local economy and to build community. 

The mission of PARK(ing) Day, as stated on parkingday.org, fits perfectly with this vision: “to call attention to the need for more urban open space, to generate critical debate around how public space is created and allocated, and to improve the quality of urban human habitat.”

To participate in Chattanooga’s PARK(ing) Day or for more information about CreateHere, email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). 

Monday, August 30, 2010

Client-Designer Speed Dating

Times are tight and resources are limited, but communication needs are as pressing as ever for entrepreneurs, small businesses and non-profits.  So much time can be spent researching the best (and most affordable) brand strategists and professionals that important business and marketing opportunities can be overlooked and even missed. 

With respect for a limited amount of research time, AIGA Chattanooga is hosting a Client-Designer Speed Dating event on Tuesday, September 14 at 6 PM at The Blue Plate.  Local entrepreneurs and representatives from businesses and non-profits are invited for an evening featuring The Blue Plate’s fantastic food and time to mingle with some of Chattanooga’s top-notch design talent.

This one-hour event is divided into six short, manageable ten-minute sessions for prospective clients to meet and speak with six different designers.  After that, it’s fair game for everyone to eat, drink and mingle.

If you’re interested, the only requirements are registration at the AIGA website, a $15 fee, and a one-page information sheet you’ll need to fill out to share with the designers during your speed dates (you’ll need to make six copies).  That’s it.  If you have any questions feel free to contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Space is very limited, so apply soon!

Friday, August 27, 2010

City R&D: Bright Minds, Increased Connectivity

Four potentially transformative ideas for the future of connectivity between downtown Chattanooga and Enterprise South were generated last Friday at City R&D, a summit composed of more than forty of the best and brightest minds in Chattanooga. 

Our participation in City R&D was driven by one of the most important things that we learned from 26,263 responses to the Chattanooga Stand survey: citizens are worried about pollution, traffic, congestion and other issues of growth.  Exploring connectivity between our urban core and the emerging center of commerce known as Enterprise South was a great opportunity to gather many of our city’s great minds together to think about how we might connect our city for common betterment.

While Chattanooga has a rich history of public planning and civic action, this particular civic muscle always stands in danger of atrophy.  City R&D served as a chance to remember that we are all greater when we work together across disciplines on common issues. 

In our opinion, City R&D was a win by lunch as our diverse group of business and non-profit professionals, civic leaders, artists, and architects began the day by traveling to the Enterprise South Fire Department via multiple highway, bike, and public transportation routes.  Many participants experienced their city—its problems and opportunities—with fresh eyes.  We consider the work that happened in the afternoon to be the icing on the cake for moving Chattanooga forward. 

As for how each project explored lives on, we’ll be sharing the work produced at City R&D with as many stakeholders as possible and will be looking for additional forums to explore bike lane advocacy, public art connectivity between downtown and Enterprise South, animation of public and private spaces in less animated areas, and the possibility of light rail connectivity in the areas studied.

There are many resources available if you want to get acquainted with the work done at City R&D.  Download a summary of the outcomes of our day that includes an info-graphic of our four major outcomes, check out our Flickr Stream from the day, or watch an impromptu set of bus interviews that one our teams shot during their travels.

And, of course, special thanks goes out to GOOD Magazine and the rest of our partners for helping make this event happen: AIGA, The American Institute of Architects, The Benwood Foundation, the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Association, the City of Chattanooga, Hamilton County, and The Lyndhurst Foundation.

Monday, August 09, 2010

City R&D for Chattanooga

We’re pleased to announce that on August 20, Chattanooga will play a part in City R&D, a national project sponsored by Los Angeles-based GOOD Magazine and inspired by Chattanooga’s rich history of civic innovation.

Chattanooga’s City R&D event is an all-day charrette (something Chattanoogans can apparently concoct in their sleep) facilitated by CreateHere and composed of local multi-disciplinary professionals, civic leaders, and stakeholders gathering to tackle challenges associated with the city’s urban, built environment.  The end-goal is reinvention and development (R and D)—specifically, a new way of thinking about multimodal transportation in Chattanooga and the issue of connectivity between areas of commerce and culture.

With the addition of industry to the city, Chattanooga will soon face a new set of environmental challenges.  In consideration of new jobs, City R&D will address multimodal transportation between downtown Chattanooga and Enterprise South, an issue that has been the topic of many local conversations.

In May of this year, Josh McManus, co-founder and creative strategist at CreateHere, applied for City R&D through GOOD Magazine.  “Because of the timeliness of this opportunity, the question City R&D will answer for Chattanooga is one of connectivity,” he said.  “How can we connect the downtown urban core with this rapidly emerging industry center of Enterprise South in a way that capitalizes on the rich history and environmental assets of our area?”

This question has attracted the attention of many organizations and local figures, providing City R&D with partnerships in Chattanooga and beyond.  CreateHere’s partners include AIGA, The American Institute of Architects, The Benwood Foundation, the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Association, the City of Chattanooga, Hamilton County, and The Lyndhurst Foundation.

“City R&D is an important opportunity to stimulate growth both economically and culturally,” said Councilman Peter Murphy, one of the many city leaders participating in the August 21 event.  “With new growth, Chattanooga is going to see opportunities that didn’t exist before. Those opportunities will stimulate new interaction and relationship-building between diverse people and groups.”

By the end of City R&D, participating parties will have explored existing and emerging ideas for multimodal transportation between downtown Chattanooga and Enterprise South in the form of a map depicting personal, professional, and environmental assets. This map will help facilitate powerful new partnerships. 

The City R&D summit will require its strong coalition of diverse participants to go the extra mile in establishing actions (not plans) that correspond to the multimodal transportation challenge.  “Reinvention and development are vital,” says Josh McManus, “but implementation is just as crucial.”

For more information about City R&D and CreateHere, email info [at] createhere [dot] org or visit CreateHere.org.

Wednesday, August 04, 2010

Stand & Deliver Partner Profile: Girls Inc. of Chattanooga

You don’t have to be an elected official or a city planner to think about what goes into the making of a city—you don’t even have to be old enough to vote. The girls who attended the July session of Girls Inc. of Chattanooga’s Tech-Know-Girl summer camp for girls ages 6 to 8 built a model of their very own all-girl city.

The all-girl city has many businesses including a mall, a bank, a daycare center, a restaurant, and a beauty salon, as well as The Dark and Scary Movie Theatre, a venue that only shows scary movies. The girls also planned the layout of the city’s roads and divided their city into areas for businesses and homes.  Each girl designed her own business and home.  Throughout July, the girls visited local technology businesses in Chattanooga and learned about how technology affects their daily lives. They took what they learned and made plans for a city that they later build from recycled objects they brought from home.

After construction was complete, the girls chose their roles within the city. The positions included city mayor, bank president, mall manager, business owners, and daycare administrator. Seven-year old city mayor Nia Townsend of Harrison Elementary School explained that, “We made our city out of things we don’t use anymore. We all brought it from home, and now the stuff can be used again.” The idea of sustainability was a reoccurring theme in the camp and the girls learned how important a healthy environment is to a city’s future.

The Tech-Know-Girl camp is one of the many programs that make up Girls Inc. of Chattanooga, an organization that seeks to inspire all girls to be strong, smart and bold by providing a healthy and positive environment where girls can enjoy being girls; enriching programs that nurture their capacity for personal achievement, confident adulthood and economic independence; and by advocating for an equitable society.  Girls Inc. offers informal educational, cultural and recreational activities through in-school, after-school, seasonal break camps and career academies that are age and gender-appropriate and research and outcome-based.  Since 1961, Girls Inc. of Chattanooga has served over 23,000 girls.

Building a model city, like all Girls Inc. programs, helps girls learn from an early age that they can play a role in what happens around them. Through the Tech-Know-Girl camp, the girls have learned about the ubiquitous roles that technology plays in their lives—from transportation to infrastructure—and how technology is a key element to their all-girl city.  They also learned about the many components of a city and the community they live in.  As 8-year-old Director of Urban Development, Raven Lanier of Lakeside Elementary put it, “In our city there is a bank and a beauty salon and a restaurant, but the people live all together in one place, and that’s called a neighborhood.”

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Showcasing MakeWork

Last Friday evening, we hosted The Arts at Work, one of the most diverse gatherings of artists and art lovers that one could ever hope to find in Chattanooga.  Young and old, rural and urban, visual and verbal—all were in attendance to see and celebrate the MakeWork grant process at work. 

The board and funders of CreateHere recognize that creativity and innovation are fundamental parts of a community’s success; the MakeWork arts grants are one of the fullest expressions of this sentiment.  This year, MakeWork awarded $125,000 to individual artists and their projects in a wide range of artistic disciplines, including culinary, literary, new media, visual, and performing arts.

The guests of honor during The Arts at Work were MakeWork recipients past and present.  Selected artists gave updates on their own individual artistic processes and plans for the future while audience members enjoyed food from local small business success stories such as Café Lemont, Link 41, Niedlov’s Breadworks, and La Altena.  Wendy and Brandon Buckner, proprietors of The Hot Chocolatier and recipients of one of this year’s MakeWork grants, brought their signature chocolates to the table and explained how the grant will enable them to refine their art and further learn from the European chocolate-making tradition.

Justin Wilcox, one of this year’s 16 grantees, was not able to attend the Arts at Work showcase, but he joined the gathering via video to tell how the MakeWork grant will benefit his band, Moonlight Bride, and provide them with funds for a tour.  “In bigger cities, no one cares about anyone but themselves,” Wilcox said.  “That’s not the case in Chattanooga.  It’s a great city with cool people who care.”

Other projects being completed with the help of this year’s round of MakeWork grants range from Bridget Miller‘s line of eco-clothing made with all sustainable materials to videographer Leif Ramsey‘s cultural exploration of spiritual ceremony vs. consumerism in Black Friday, a feature-length documentary film.  A vision for social change is not a requirement for MakeWork grantees, but the program encourages Chattanooga artists to operate, on their own terms, as leaders of important cultural movements.

MakeWork artists work with the shared belief that a small group of thoughtful individuals can and will make a difference for Chattanooga.  The program also proves that the arts in Chattanooga are constantly expanding.

Interested in applying for a MakeWork grant?  Contact Jessica [at] createhere.org to be notified when applications for the 2011 grant cycle are due.

Friday, July 23, 2010

The Arts At Work: MakeWork Showcase Schedule

The Arts at Work: A MakeWork Showcase Schedule
Friday, July 23
6 pm to 9 pm

\\\ Introductions will begin promptly at 6:15 PM \\\

Presentation Order:
Each Grantee will present for approximately 3 - 5 minutes.

Past Recipients
Carl Cadwell - musician
Tim Cofield - videographer
Mary Barnett - photographer
Stratton Tingle & Jon-Michael Brown - musicians
Courtenay James - painter
Dave Porfiri - videographer

2010 Grantees - 7:00 PM
Wendy Buckner - culinary artist
Aaron Cabeen - woodworker
Carlos Colon - musician
Shane Darwent - photographer

\\\ 10 Minute Intermission: 7:30 - 7:40 \\\

Matt Downer - musician
Linda Duvoisin - videographer
Caleb Ludwick - literary artist
Frances McDonald - visual artist
Mark Mcleod - visual artist
Bridget Miller - fashion designer
Christopher Oughtred - visual artist
Leif Ramsey - videographer
Winter Giamportone on behalf of Justin Wilcox - musician
Nora Bernhardt - visual artist

\\\ Conclude @ 8:30 \\\

Grantees and Guests are encouraged to stay until 9 PM to mingle, connect, and enjoy featured treats from SpringBoard Graduates and other local staples, including:

Cafe LeMont, Hot Chocolatier, La Altena, Niedlov’s Bakery, Link 41, Sequatchie Cove Farm, and Big River.

The Land of Shadow @ Loose Cannon Gallery
Friday, July 23
8 pm and 10 pm

Immediately following The Arts at Work, check out a project by sculptor and MakeWork 2009 recipient John McLeod at the Southside’s Loose Cannon Gallery.

The Land of Shadow, directed by Daniel Patrick Fay, is a multi-media experience combining object based performance; featuring puppets designed and performed by Daniel Patrick Fay, experimental music composed and performed by Andrew Livingston and installation created by John McLeod featuring original video by Will Jackson.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Stand & Deliver Partner Profile: La Paz Chattanooga

La Paz Chattanooga is the leading organization connecting the growing Latino community to the people of the greater Chattanooga area. The mission of La Paz is to empower and engage Chattanooga’s Latino population through advocacy, education, and inclusion.

La Paz advocates on behalf of the Latino community by creating awareness and building trusted relationships with partner organizations and individuals working to serve the Latino population.  La Paz educates the Latino community to become self-sufficient, engaging members of the Chattanooga community through pre-conception and prenatal care, educational information sessions, small group interaction, client consultation and referral, and language and cultural exchange.  La Paz includes our Latino neighbors into the greater Chattanooga community by introducing them to organizations/businesses that might fall beyond their cultural boundaries and/or comfort levels.

In the past several years, the Chattanooga community has seen continuous growth and influence on behalf of the Latino population. For example, the number of Latino children enrolled in Hamilton County public schools has more than tripled since 2000.  A recorded 5,116 Latinos paid a visit to the Chattanooga Health Department in 2008.  The number of Latinos employed in the Chattanooga metro area nearly doubled between 2000 and 2006, and more than 50% of the current Latino population are 25 years of age or younger.

Due to recent grant funding from several local foundations, La Paz has been able to heavily concentrate their work on the education and empowerment of Latino clients. For example, through the Entre Nosotras program, Laz Paz strives to empower Latinas by way of education and lifestyle classes on topics ranging from self-help issues to practical cooking lessons.

Last month, several women gathered to make crafts and other things with their hands as part of an Entre Nosotras meeting.  Each woman was challenged to create a card based on one question: Who Are You? Your answer will be expressed through what you put on this piece of paper.

Marta said, “I am simple and shy to demonstrate all that I am and can be.”
Norma said, “I remember my Guatemala, I carry this image with me.”
Aura said, “I was inspired by the culture and clothing of Guatemala.”
Yolanda said, “I now know I can make something beautiful.”

Simply, yet powerfully stated, these women were reminded of details from their home country and were encouraged to share their story and experiences with others. It was through a creative outlet and fellowship with other women that walls were broken down and La Paz clients were able to open up with both themselves and their peers. 

La Paz sold the cards crafted by the Entre Nosotros group to members of the Chattanooga community at La Feria Hispana, the organization’s sixth-annual fundraiser. The money raised through card sales was put back into La Paz programs, thus enabling clients to help themselves.

Through their many programs, one-on-one client management, and outreach, La Paz works to build tolerance, opportunity, and mutual understanding, so as to create an environment in which cultural acceptance can thrive.

For more information about La Paz and/or how to get involved, contact the La Paz office at 423-624-8414 or visit their website at http://www.lapazchattanooga.org.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

A few words on “Sarah’s Story”

Drew Belz is one of our creative and unpredictable video gurus here at CreateHere.  Here he reveals a few behind the scenes details for “Sarah’s Story,” reminding us yet again that the greatest creative work is all about collaboration.

Creating the stop-motion piece for “Sarah’s Story” may have devoured more time than a traditional workspace would allow for routine promotion, but we’re convinced that creative web video is not an option.

“Sarah’s Story” was an excellent example of the creative workflow our team does best. Our copywriter Alison Burke drafted a script to promote Stand and Deliver: Safety. Working with designers Melinda Taylor and Michael Mahaffey, as well as fellow videographer Grant Withington, we visualized the cardboard cutout Chattanooga and took the concept through to final edit.

Active citizens across our city are looking for ways to stem the flow of crime and create safety in our community. Stand and Deliver: Safety is an initiative from CreateHere to connect and empower individuals fighting toward that end. Check out this introduction, and see how Sarah’s story could become your story.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Stand & Deliver Partner Profile: On Point

As we get ready for Action Lab Blitz this weekend, we want to take a few minutes to introduce you to another important organization that has partnered with us in the Stand & Deliver process.  We hope to see you at Action Lab this Friday and Saturday.

On Point is a youth development program that has been serving teenagers in Chattanooga and Northwest Georgia for nearly two decades.  With a simple and direct goal—to build healthy teens—On Point is dedicated to the youth of our city. Their program model incorporates the 40 Developmental Assets created by the Search Institute with the goal of building 40 positive assets into the lives of teenagers as building blocks for a healthy future.  Students who possess these positive assets are more likely to avoid risky behaviors as adolescents and achieve success as adults, regardless of gender, race, economic situation, or geographic location.  Each year, On Point equips nearly 15,000 students with knowledge and strategies to abstain from risky behaviors.

Most importantly, On Point builds relationships with students. Educators and volunteers with On Point become friends, role models, and mentors to the teens in the program.  Better yet, teens often move on to become the program’s teachers. Chris Brown (pictured below with other folks from On Point) is one of these students-turned-teachers and a member of On Point’s Teen Board.  The following is his personal account of how On Point has encouraged him to be involved in the lives of his peers and, by doing so, shape the future of Chattanooga. 

This is the first year that I have been involved with On Point and it has changed me in ways I cannot explain. I was raised in North Chattanooga—not the “nice side” of it, but the rural part. My mother was a single parent trying to raise me the best way she could. As a child, I craved a male figure in my life who could guide my life in the right path.  At that point, I had seen my father a total of five times in my life. I never had a father figure to tell me what was right and what was wrong. I was surrounded by so many negative things and would have probably ended up on the streets.  Most of my friends did.

My mother kept me in church as I grew older and it was at Sunday school that I met an extraordinary man named Mr. Ed Hines, the head mentor at On Point.  He was the best teacher and he would talk to young men just like a father. As time went on I grew too old to be in his Sunday school class, but I didn’t want to leave him.  I needed that father-like figure to guide me in the right direction.  When Mr. Hines finally figured out that I was way too old to be in his class, I explained to him that he was a powerful figure in my life since my father was not there for me. I would become angry at my father because he didn’t love me. I had my mother, but it still felt like I was missing out on so much in my life.  I felt alone.

As time went on, I was introduced to the On Point program by one of my best friends. Right away I learned and listened and told my friends in North Chattanooga that they didn’t have to live this way—they didn’t have to steal and do drugs to survive in this world. Many of my old friends who are now in gangs ask me, “Why are you so good?”  When I think about that question, I think about Mr. Hines— that positive male role model.  I had something in my life that they didn’t have: a mentor—somebody that I knew had my back through thick and thin.

In the future, I want to be a Politician—not for political glory but to help protect and serve my community, making sure that organizations like On Point are kept alive for teens who struggle with everyday life. Young people today need mentors to guide them down the right path.  What else do we have?  We need a positive force. On Point is one of those positive forces. If we can change many, we can change more; if we can change more, we can change all.

For more information about On Point, visit liveonpoint.org or call 423-899-9188.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Will Work for Free

Caleb Ludwick is a local writer, though that introduction doesn’t do his diverse body of work justice. Here, he tells us about the benefits of working pro bono, for ourselves and for the community. Looking for a way to plug your skill-set in to a project with potential? Join us for the Action Lab Blitz this Friday and Saturday.

WILL WORK FOR FREE
How unpaid work for good causes benefits me, you, and all of us

Nearly a decade ago, my wife and I were faced with the difficult choice of choosing where we would call home. There is something brazen about the act of choosing your hometown. Many other people have done it before us, and since. You know them – the entrepreneur, the arts lover, the rock climber.

But what would make a culinary school graduate and an English major choose Chattanooga? At the time, I was in graduate school north of London; she had recently completed a Cordon Bleu course and, even more recently, given birth to our first child. The date was September 12, 2001, and the Embassy said our daughter was officially a resident of nowhere, and we should move home right away. But where was home? Nashville, my birthplace? St. Louis, where we had already completed one Master’s degree? Asheville, Chicago – any of a number of cities we love?

In the end, we threw all of our eggs in the “love” basket and chose Chattanooga, the city we love most of all – even though Chattanooga held few good prospects for a cook and a writer. Within weeks after moving here, she started baking wedding cakes (talented lady). But I had a harder time finding work, and took a temp job typing dictation at a law firm.

A year later, the firm made me statewide Marketing Director. But my days were spent writing for law seminars and attorney biographies – a rather limited scope of work. So I went to local corporations and design agencies, offering to work for cheap so long as I could use the projects in my portfolio. They all turned me down. So I started going, instead, to business start-ups and nonprofits that I thought were cool: Niedlov’s, Girl’s Inc., Zümfoot, Chattanooga Market, and others. Since they didn’t have much money, I offered to do it for free.

So it was that I became freelance and accidentally savvy, in one swoop. I had unconsciously stumbled onto the virtues of a portfolio – and how to build one with or without a resume.

I wrote free ads, marketing copy, websites, press releases, white papers, brochures and more, then took what I’d done and cobbled it into a marketable portfolio. A decade later, my writing company is so busy that we turn work down every month, and more than half of our billable hours are with clients right here in Chattanooga.

And it’s free work that got us here.

INTERNS, RETIREES AND HACKS, OH MY

Unpaid work is not only for interns and retirees. Think about a blog. You don’t write it to get rich – unless you’re delusional (and then you might, at least, get a book deal). Or you don’t post comments to a company’s blog so they’ll hire you. For the most part, any benefit to you is indirect – traffic back to your blog, third-party advertising, status.

Pro bono work is like this.  Some individuals and companies know how to benefit from indirect exposure, for public relations or marketing value. But it also brings great experience.

Part of the value of such experience simply comes from working for a variety of organizations rather than only one. The greater the variety of non-paying companies and industries into which you can speak, the greater variety of paying clients you will be able to serve, because of your ability to see – and speak – from a wider variety of voices. In today’s message-saturated landscape, good news too often gets lost in the shuffle. It is a real, marketable skill to be able to help people figure out how to share their own stories, in their own words, better than they could have said it on their own. It elevates brand awareness and perception, drives traffic to a website, even opens doors for sales. Because good news, shared in a true voice, is good business.

In some ways, being able to identify with another person – the client first, and ultimately the audience – is what it’s all about. Unfortunately, many companies shout their wares from street corners, calling for converts, telling us why we should follow, kaboom kaboom on their drum. But real loyalty and lasting change more often come incrementally, rather than after an altar call. Smart companies show and tell customers that the pathway they offer is one that suits the audience’s own story.

Creating such messages takes practice, and it’s hard to get paid to practice. But if you find organizations that you think are fantastic, and offer them free work, you’ll find that you’re building these muscles.

SOME MORE MR. NICE GUY

Of course, this is all a bit disingenuous. Yes, indirect benefit to the writer is real, but direct benefit goes to the people receiving free work. Being able to identify with others and working with them to find their own voices is all about helping people who are doing great work. For such people, we should do our own great work – with real and quantifiable value – no matter how much or little we get paid.

This act has value in itself. In today’s world there are opportunities galore for us to promote ourselves. And one of our most common mistakes – in our careers, and certainly in other areas of life – is allowing the world around us to tell us what success looks like. And from every side, we are told: you must get credit! You must be somebody, to get anywhere!

Promoting myself is not hard (although it might take work). But it’s not very satisfying, either. However, sharing the needs of others and helping them craft their own stories is a challenge, always new and exciting, and much more richly rewarding. It does cost you something – money, time, yourself. But if your goal isn’t primarily to promote yourself, then you are free in new ways to do wonderful work.

I’ve continued to give free work throughout my career – so far this year, I’ve donated an average of 25 hours per month. I’d love to see every writer in town doing the same, benefiting their own careers but, more importantly, so every good cause in town could benefit. But not only writers – whatever your skill set, it’s needed. Small startups and nonprofits could use help on everything from accounting to management consulting, Web development to word-of-mouth promotion. And in a city with so many great nonprofits and entrepreneurs, it’s easy to pick an issue you care about and find someone who is working on it.

Soon, you might find that they offer you a job or a steady paycheck. But even better, you might find that they don’t.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Meet Sarah.

Sarah’s Story from CreateHere on Vimeo.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Action Lab Blitz

On July 16 and 17, local organizations, initiatives, businesses, and individuals are partnering to present Action Lab Blitz, a collaborative community effort to reduce crime and increase public safety for our city in which there is a unique place for every kind of active citizen—from the most humble visionary to the most eager problem solver.

Through a series of City Share luncheons and strategic meetings, local citizens, leaders, and advocates have identified key crime and safety issues in our area that need to be addressed in order to make significant change.  Planning groups have formed around shared goals and visualized what it would look like to work together to reach them, thereby demonstrating the key element for increasing public safety in Chattanooga: individual responsibility.

But Action Lab is about more than already established ideas and plans.  Because everyone has ideas worth listening to, we want to give each Action Lab participant a voice. Anyone with an idea about how to make Chattanooga communities safer is invited to bring their idea to the Action Lab table, discuss it further, and get other people involved.

It all starts with ideas, but concern can only be transformed into action when great ideas are paired with individual talents and skills.  After ideas are announced at the beginning of Action Lab and become chosen focus points, teams will be formed based on the skill-set needs of each project. These teams will then spend the rest of Action Lab building a plan together. Carpenters, lawyers, writers, gardeners, actors, librarians, social workers, designers, landlords, doctors—everyone has something to contribute.

Action Lab teams will set out to spend the Blitz’s two, four-hour sessions in intensive, facilitated conversations developing their idea into a workable plan. Through the ongoing City Share series, Action Lab teams will continue to report progress of their efforts to a broad audience and promote opportunities for citizens to take individual responsibility through action. 

So be thinking: What is your idea—big or small—for making this community a safer place to live, work, and play?  What resources, skills, and time do you have that could assist in planning, incubating, and implementing the ideas brought to the Action Lab table?

Individual responsibility is the core idea behind Action Lab Blitz—and we need your help to see it through.

Please join us from 1-5 pm on July 16 and 10 am - 2 pm on July 17th at Tennessee Temple’s Lee Roberson Center (at the intersection of Orchard Knob Ave & Kirby Ave). For more information about how to get involved, email participate [at] createhere [dot] org or check out the Action Lab Blitz Facebook page.

Meet the 2010 MakeWork Grant Recipients

We’re pleased to announce this year’s MakeWork grant recipients. The individuals funded during this, the third year of the program represents a diverse cross-section of Chattanooga’s creative workforce. Fourteen individuals received grants from an available pool of $125,000, as decided upon and allocated by a team of local and non-local jurors, all experts in their respective fields.

We’ll host a showcase for these creative individuals on July 23 from 6 to 9 pm. Grant recipients will share their work and their plans for the future. Join us for a celebration of Chattanooga’s dynamic creative climate, and the projects it inspires.

We are pleased to announce this year’s grant recipients, listed below with their discipline and grant title.

Nora Bernhardt
Visual Arts (3D) // Book Arts Teaching Studio
Wendy & Brandon Buckner
Culinary Arts // A Sweet Tooth for Growth and Knowledge
Aaron Cabeen
Visual Arts (3D) // Equipment Provision for Original Furniture Production
Carlos Colon
Performing Arts // Latin Beat Percussion Classes
Shane Darwent
Visual Arts (2D) // The Flag in Our Hands: A Lens Based Look into America During 2009
Matthew Downer
Other // Slowtime Field Recordings
Linda Duvoisin
Visual Arts (2D) // Linda Edits on the Fly
Caleb Ludwick
Literary Arts // SOUTHSIDE: Eight Short Stories in the Verbal and the Visual
Frances McDonald
Other // Workshops on Public Art Collaborations
Mark Mcleod
Visual Arts (3D) // The Fiscal Asset Management Program (FAMP)
Bridget Miller
Visual Arts (3D) // Creative Eco-Friendly Clothing Line by Astronette
Christopher Oughtred
Visual Arts (2D) // Website Redevelopment for North Light Imaging
Leif Ramsey
Visual Arts (2D) // Black Friday, a 90-minute documentary film
Justin Wilcox
Performing Arts // Transportation Grant for Moonlight Bride

MakeWork is an arts grant program open to emerging and established artists and artisans within a 50-mile radius of Chattanooga. The core mission of the program is to stimulate our city’s creative economy and empower artists and artisans with the tools to succeed and grow. Artists are eligible for assistance for studio rental, tools, workshops, and those “someday-I’d-love-to” projects. In 2010, 153 Chattanooga area artists and artisans applied for these competitive grants, requesting just over $1.6 million in total.

These 14 individuals join a group 69 artists strong, all of whom have received funding through MakeWork since its debut in 2008. Since that time, the program has awarded over $575,000 to support creative endeavors.