Mistake Monday: Forgetting To Do Pro Bono Work

Date: December 13, 2010  Author: Marlynn 2 Comments

For the first two years of my career as an entrepreneur, I made a conscious effort to remember to do one pro bono project a quarter. It could be something as small as designing a web ad for a non-profit or as time consuming as redesigning an outdated logo. Whatever it was, I did it for free, and because I believed in the cause, the people working tirelessly behind the scenes, and I knew I needed it to not only feed my creative soul but the soul that yearned to do more good in the world, for the world.

Soon it became too difficult to do pro bono projects quarterly, so I moved to twice a year. Then once a year. Then…

What happened? Was it the economy? Was it that I was too busy with paying work to notice? Was it that I wasn’t getting as many requests from non-profits as I had in the past?

To be honest, I’m not quite sure. I think it’s a little combination of all of the above. One thing is for sure: I’ve missed it. I miss donating my time & services.

We all know the good that non-profits get out of having services donated, but do you know what happens to you as an entrepreneur when you do work for free for good causes? You are able to create, to innovate, freely. You step out of your everyday worker bee shoes and put on your Super Genius hat and pull rabbit tricks out of hats that didn’t exist. You get better at managing your time because you have to in order to keep up with paying work (most of us can’t work for free completely, after all). You learn a million new things about the way the world works through the non-profit world. You gain good friends and help good people. Your heart grows a thousand times bigger, your smile widens, your step gains a little lift.

I need it. I really, really do. Pro-bono work is my crack.

A fantastic non-profit in NYC contacted me last month to work with them on a fun project and I was SO excited! I gladly said my time would be donated, but in the end, they unfortunately had to hold off due to lack of funding for the other components of the project. Yet the excitement I felt once again reminded me that for the sake of my work, I need to make a conscious effort to do more pro bono projects.

The other benefit that impatient worker bees who shun pro-bono work often overlook? After pro-bono projects end, you usually get paying work out of it. Somehow, through three or four degrees of separation, it comes back to you.

So here’s what I’m doing: I’m working on a system to launch in February 2011, where I actively seek non-profit pro-bono projects twice per year. I’m still working out the details, but I know it’s going to help me stay focused so I can get back on track and do the work that I love, for the causes I love, so that I can continue to love -and thus thrive- in my work. It’s the circle of the entrepreneurial spirit.

When is the last time you did pro-bono work for a great cause?

Blog Follow Friday: Poppy Talk

Date: December 10, 2010  Author: Marlynn Leave a comment

First, I love the name of this blog: Poppy Talk.

Second, it makes my eyes & heart happy with regular postings of inspiration that I don’t often find on other sites.

Poppy Talk is where I found out about Emily Ryan, who designs clothing I like to pretend I am cool enough (and tall enough) to wear.

Like this ultra rad dress:

emilyryan

{photo from Emily Ryan}

…and that I may someday be bold enough to decorate in all white, like this:

winterwhite2

{image via Living Etc}

If you have an eclectic design style and are looking for a wide variety of design inspiration, from decor to fashion to stationery to product packaging, check out Poppy Talk.

Wonder Woman Wednesday #4: Dayna McErlean

Date: December 8, 2010  Author: Marlynn 2 Comments

Wonder Woman Wednesday #4: Dayna McErlean
Websites: www.yakuzalounge.com,  www.docpdx.com
Occupation: restaurateur, developer
Companies: Itisness, LLC. Yakuza Lounge, LLC. DOC/Platina, LLC. Bullshead Management, LLC

Dayna McErlean

Description of occupation/business
I’m a mom, restaurant owner and real-estate developer.

Yakuza and DOC, my two restaurants, are located in the Concordia neighborhood in NE Portland. Yakuza is a food-lover’s bar inspired by the Japanese izakaya concept of great food and drinks best shared with good friends. DOC serves farm-to-table food that celebrates the seasonal flavors of Oregon produce, wild forages, meats and fish paired with an incredible wine menu. My real estate projects include a 25-unit small footprint community in St. John’s (with Works Parntership) and a modern home development in Linnton (in partnership with Skylab Architects). My background is in the arts so I try to infuse my business projects with a sense of creativity and the excitement that comes from turning something old into something new.

Her story
Native to Staten Island, New York, I’m the baby of seven and the blond sheep of a family of builders. I always knew I would venture far away from my motherland to find where I felt I belonged and could flourish, but it wasn’t until my mother passed away, when I was 24 years old, that I picked up and moved just about as far from NY as I could, to Portland OR, sight-unseen in 1996. Shortly after arriving in Portland I established itisness, a 3000 sq ft all-purpose, multi-transformable art studio and warehouse space, where I also lived, in what was considered the Portland netherlands of NE 30th and Killingsworth. I had been living in Baltimore, Maryland for 5 years prior (attending Maryland Institute College of Art) so it all seemed like a very safe and clean place from what I had experienced there. After 4 years of living in Portland my father then passed away and my very unfortunate fortune made it possible to purchase what was probably the most rundown building in NE Portland. I began the 6 year process of gutting, redesigning and completely rebuilding the site. In 2004, I moved into the building and, along with chef partner Micah Camden, opened Yakuza. A few years later I bought the building next door and built-out and financed the space that would become Beast, another stellar Portland restaurant, and the following summer I opened DOC just up the block. I live upstairs from Yakuza with my 3 year old son Bishop in an apartment I designed so I’m always close to the restaurants. I’ve lived in Portland for 14 years and ironically enough, haven’t moved but a block west of where I first landed!

Her passions:
Being a mom and friend to my 3 year old son, Bishop
Creating environments that feed inspiration, comfort and intrigue
Sharing great food and drink
Preventative, proactive health
(Okay that’s four!)

Who she is:
Persistent
Generous
A creative problem solver

Her life motto:
If you’re bored you must be boring (my mom taught me that one!)

Her inspiration:
My late father who was a Viking of a man. He spent every Sunday holding his mother’s hand.
My late grandmother Lydia who was a single mom of two during the Depression.
My late mother who was a single mother of three before she met my father and had me.
Me, a single mother of one, who learned how to be strong-minded and independent from my parents. They taught me that I could do anything I put my mind to. Their memory inspires me and lives through me everyday.

The best piece of advice she was ever given:
Listen more talk less.
If you want something to happen, first visualize it.
And, if you step in dog shit… take your shoes off.

She cannot live without:
Bishop Valentine, my health, a really hot bath

Where you can spot this Wonder Woman:
Hanging out with Bishop at Yakuza
dayna@itsiness.com
Facebook: Yakuza
Facebook: DOC
twitter: @yakuzapdx

Other tidbits:
The new Yakuza Kids Happy Hour starts Sunday December 5th. Every Weds, Thursday and Sunday from 5-6pm we’ll  be serving the Kids 1-2-3 Menu with 1-2-3 items for 1-2-3 dollars. It’s a great way for parents to experience the full Yakuza dinner menu without having to get a babysitter. And for date night – DOC’s 5-course tasting menu with accompanying wine pairings is not to be missed.

My personal note:
I’ve never met Dayna in real life before, but just learning about her inspired me. She’s a single mom of a young child who owns FOUR businesses, folks, and two of those being the toughest type of businesses to run, in my opinion: restaurants. I’ve dined at Yakuza and can see her touches throughout: it is the perfect place for both a date night and also for a night out with the whole family. There aren’t that many restaurants that can blend the two types of atmospheres as well as Yakuza can. Thanks for being a Wonder Woman, Dayna!

Facebook rolls out new look to Profile page

Date: December 5, 2010  Author: Marlynn 2 Comments

Get ready for your Facebook profiles to undergo a quick makeover: Facebook just announced it is rolling out a new look to profile pages starting now.

Here’s a screen shot of my new profile page:

facebooknewprofile

What’s new:

* At the top of every profile, there is a quick snapshot of your work & education history, relationship status, where you live, and the option to add a hometown and language.

* Below that quick summary is a rollbar with photos in which you’ve recently been tagged.

* To the left is a new, slimmer vertical navigation bar similar to the one already found on the News Feed page.

* Increased ability to edit and pump up your education and work history section.

* More thumbnails in the Interests section.

Read more about the changes from Facebook’s Josh Wiseman.

I do find the new look & organization of profile pages to be more in line with how my own mind organizes information visually, but I have no doubt that there will be – as with every change users endure – grumbling among the masses. From a communication standpoint, I find it positively refreshing that a large company with such a tremendous audience isn’t afraid to operate like a small business: flexible, nimble, agile. It isn’t afraid to continue to learn from its users, to grow, to move in new directions.

I like the changes just fine. I don’t think they’re groundbreaking nor do I think they will frustrate users by being too difficult to adapt to. They’re very simple changes that, from a communication design standpoint, make sense to this social media junkie.

What do you think about the new look of Facebook profile pages? You don’t have to wait: click here to update your Facebook profile page look now. Then come back & leave a comment with your thoughts. I’d love to hear your feedback of the changes!

Follow Friday: Inhabitat – green design will save the world

Date: December 3, 2010  Author: Marlynn Leave a comment

You know those awesome sites that post a few dozen times a day and overwhelm you? That’s Inhabitat for me, but in a good way. I am overwhelmed with the awesomeness they share in their posts, which focus on sustainable designs. Eye candy, mind candy, soul candy — it’s all there.

inhabitat

Inhabitat‘s tagline is “Green design will save the world,” and every post – whether it be about architecture or technology or fashion – has some sort of eco design slant to it. Love it.

Where else would I have learned about the Philadelphia Eagles’ eco upgrade? How wicked cool is THIS, my friends? Solar panels on a football stadium that will power 26,000 homes?

That’s just as cool to me as this Dwell Studio finger puppet book.

Ok, the stadium and board book are mildly different, but both are high on design and on sustainability. That’s what makes Inhabitat tick.

Want more? Where else can you learn about Harvard studies using methane in laptop cells & batteries…

toilet-computer

Or about Audi’s planned installation of 7,500 more solar panels (they already have 11,600) on their German plants? Speaking of, we have an Audi, and love how their plants are as cool as their cars.

audiinhabitat

So I highly suggest Inhabitat as a follow, but do be aware that you will most likely never be able to keep up with every ounce of awesome information on their site. Your head may explode.

But, in a good, smart, eco-friendly way, of course.