February 2012
3 posts
3 tags
#19: Own Up
So many of us move about Iowa and the rest of the world talking about Des Moines and it’s many shortcomings (I’m guilty of it. I’ll own up to that) But when I think about it, I treat my fair city an awful lot like I treat my three sisters: I can point out their faults, but as soon as you, whomever you are, start trash talking, I’ll want to throw spoons at you.
It’s time, in 2012, to start...
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#18: Supporting Local Filmmakers; Supporting Our...
For the last year we have been plagued with reports about the Iowa Film Scandal. But there is some good news about Iowa film that many have overlooked: the independent filmmakers. While the big studios and stars may not be making cinema here, thousands of Iowans are, and that means some much needed dollars for the local economies of several Iowa towns. Crews need places to stay, food to eat and...
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#17: Serve Someone
Des Moines is a great place to live; it’s not so big that you get lost in the shuffle and it’s not so small you know everyone mentioned in the Des Moines Register. This presents an ideal setting in which to serve and make a noticed impact on our community. And by focusing on an area you’re passionate about, you’ll find rewards to be great than expected. You’ll also...
January 2012
16 posts
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#16: Break The Routine. Explore!
It’s easy to fall into the daily routine of life. We often find ourselves going to the same places, with the same people, and attending events produced by the same organizations. Familiarity is comfortable. And, let’s face it, your warm couch feels very cozy on a winter night too! When we get in these ruts, Des Moines can start to seem like a small town with nothing new to explore. This simply...
4 tags
#15: Do
I grew up in Ankeny, Iowa. I graduated from Ankeny High School. I went to college at the University of Northern Iowa. I worked for a video game production company in Cedar Falls, Iowa. I worked for a rock’n’roll band based in Des Moines, Iowa. I launched a tech startup (Tikly) in Des Moines, Iowa. Childhood, awkward teen years, college choices, video games, rock’n’roll, and Tikly all happened...
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#14: Might As Well Make Something
If you are reading this, you are probably a human. And one of the characteristics of being a human is that you will die. You only live one life, and, again, if you are reading this, you are probably living that one life in Des Moines, Iowa. Wow. What’re you gonna do with it? Might as well make something, right? I believe that what you make is what you are. If you want to make something of...
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#13: Repeal City Rules & Bring Street Food to DSM
I stand for cuisine mobility.
Des Moines needs lunch trucks.
Des Moines needs food carts.
Carts, I say! Street vendors parked hither and yon, providing yummy morsels for the bar flies and suit’n’ties alike. Never again shall we exit a tavern and scream into the Iowa night: “Who is hiding all the falafel in this town?”
Unless you’re perpetually satisfied with pizza, and I got nothing against a...
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#12: Find Your Next Frontier
People think that frontiers don’t exist anymore. Not true. Especially, in Des Moines. I explore everyday looking for new and exciting things to do and see. My mind is constantly churning. What do I see in Des Moines that other people don’t? Who can I collaborate with to create something more extraordinary than I could alone? Des Moines is a maiden market of talent. People are...
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#11: Intentional Discomfort
Who else wants to shake things up a bit this year? I made a painful observation about my self this past year. In fact, its one that I haven’t even fully come to grips with just yet. To explain, I’ll first say that I’m a huge advocate for “putting myself in situations that spawn opportunity”. That usually means trying new things, meeting tons of new people, and getting a little creative in...
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#10: Introduce People
Des Moines turns that whole “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” concept on its head. Here, instead of six degrees of separation, its not unlikely to meet someone and within the time it takes your coffee to cool, come up with half a dozen ways you’re directly linked. I get how people compare our city to a small town, and social circles can start to feel like an almost concentric Venn diagram. Sometimes...
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#9: The Roles We Play
I think of myself as being a member of several communities; I am a musician, a lawyer, a partner in a recycling company, etc… I have my musician community, my legal community, my “green” community, my friend community, and many others. When I stopped to think about this, I noticed how intertwined these different communities were and the roles that individual members filled within these...
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#8: Use Des Moines' Size To Your Advantage
Des Moines isn’t a big city, but it isn’t a small town or suburb, either. It’s easy to get hung up on the disadvantages of living somewhere this size. No, we don’t have a major-league professional sports team. No, Guns N’ Roses didn’t stop here on their most recent tour. But living in an honest-to-God city that isn’t overwhelming has its benefits, too. On...
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#7: Use Your Voice: to build, not ruin
As an educator, I have a platform with an audience of impressionable teenagers 40+ hours a week. First hand, I see how words can be extremely powerful if cultivated correctly. Too often in our society words are used to hurt rather than heal. In a neighborhood struggling to find a positive identity, I have, with the help of other passionate teachers, however, worked to create opportunities for...
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#6: Make People Smile
When asked to do this blog, I imagined the indignation I could muster – pay attention to politics, be nice, and source your food. But I was afraid I might sound a little like the preachy friend on Facebook, posting petitions to ban the use of carcinogenic cleaners in schools. So here’s my resolution and advice: Don’t be the social heavy. Be the friend that chooses to make people smile. Dance at...
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#5: Coexistence
It’s so fun and rewarding to be a part of Des Moines these days. There is such a surge in people working together, improving the world around them. No aspiration is too grand, and no impact too mundane. It all matters.
There is a pair of dichotomies that seems to hamper connection sometimes, though:
Downtowners seem reluctant to go west of 63rd, and suburbanites find it more convenient to...
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#4: Collaborate.
The word “collaboration” first appeared sometime in the 1870s, deriving from the Latin word collaborare (made up of com and labore and meaning, quite literally, “to work with”). In The Incomplete Manifesto for Growth, Bruce Mau comments: “The space between people working together is filled with conflict, friction, strife, exhilaration, delight, and vast creative potential” – and it is in this...
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#3: Revisit Your Vision
The context of why we contribute at all is compelling to revisit regularly so we remember the things that really matter. For some that may be people, lifestyle, or culture. For me, it’s sustainability. What makes us excited to wake up in the morning is what we should never go more than a week without reflecting on. Context is inspiring, exciting, fun… and it can shake us out of almost any...
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#2: Pretend You're A Tourist
My favorite city to visit is Washington, DC. My wife and I try to travel there at least yearly and love to see friends, family and the unique sites that make our nation’s capitol such a special place. Every time we go, we make sure to do the trolley tour and make a point to visit at least one museum that we’ve never been to before. Despite our familiarity with the city, we always arrive with...
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#1: Keep In Touch
As we push forward each day and fill our schedules this year, it is important we keep in touch with each other.
We have a community of artists, musicians, writers, entrepreneurs, idealists, athletes and chefs (and more) in Des Moines. If we lose touch, instead of being a community, we would simply be a bunch of people who do things.
Truly, the way we connect here is what makes Des Moines a unique...