News SPLASH

While we didn’t make it to the Oscars this weekend, my friend Robin and I did hear author Kelly Corrigan read from her new book, Lift.  A benefit for the American Cancer Society, it was an intimate group and Kelly had us laughing and crying as she told personal stories and read excerpts from her original best-seller, The Middle Place,  and her likely soon-to-be hit, Lift.

You may have read my blog post back in December 2008 -- I had just seen a very moving video on YouTube, a reading by Kelly from The Middle Place and had a feeling this video would take off.  I tracked the “hit” progress.  In less than 24 hours, the video climbed from 4,000 views to 16,000.  Today, more than 4.5 million people have watched it and The Middle Place is a New York Times best-seller.  From the connection Kelly had with her audience – and what I’ve read so far (the book is in the form of a letter to her young daughters) -- it looks like Lift will also soar.

One marketing strategy I find extremely interesting is her partnership with retailer Talbots.  Kelly was featured along with nine other women in a spread in the recent catalogue showcasing how ordinary women integrate one great piece (from Talbots) into their wardrobe for a signature look.  Additionally, on her book tour, Kelly is giving a number of readings in Talbots stores.  It seems like a win-win for both:  driving traffic to the stores and selling books.  They pegged the demo -- I know for a fact there were at least a few Talbots shoppers at the reading we attended.  And, a little fun fact:  Kelly revealed she has a small but “tasteful” tattoo on her ankle which, by intent, you will not see in the Talbot’s catalogue. 

What cross-marketing initiatives are working for you?

P.S.  I have a signed copy of Lift I’d love to share.  Interested?  Post a comment here with your favorite method for firing up your creative side (some of mine:  scanning a paper/magazine, talking to a stranger, taking a walk).  Tomorrow morning, we’ll randomly pick a winner from those who posted comments here or on the Splash Facebook Fan page (we welcome you to join if you haven’t).  Good luck!

Here's a shot of Kelly and Kyle at the reading.

Don’t mind the photo – it has nothing to do with this post except to place you in Hawaii which we serendipitously left less than 24 hours before the tsunami warning sirens started.

While there, on the island of Maui, we had our fill of delicious fresh fish: Ono, Ahi, Opakapaka, Mahimahi.  We ate so much fish in fact, that on our last day, we decided to have a burger.  The kids were thrilled. 

So, while Cool Cat Café got high marks from the locals, we knew we had to return to Cheeseburger in Paradise.  Maybe it was the restaurant’s beachside location in Lahaina that drew us there or the siren call of Jack Johnson and Dire Straits coming from the guitar player upstairs (or the fact that we first ate there on our honeymoon).

Or, since we are a family of entrepreneurs, perhaps it was the story.  The menu reminds us, “No Guts, No Story,” and this is a story we love.  In a nutshell:  Two restless Southern California girls explore paradise, eat expensive fish every day and one declares, “I sure would like a great big gooey, five napkin Cheeseburger.”  The first Cheeseburger restaurant opened in 1989 and today there are 8 locations.  The Lahaina restaurant serves 1,200 guests per day and 18,000 “cheeseburgers with an attitude” a month.

What’s your dream? 

Via today’s SmartBrief on Leadership, I saw an inspiring blog post, “50 Ways to Foster a Culture of Innovation,” by Mitch Ditkoff of Idea Champions.  Here are some of my favorite tips:

#4. Always question authority, especially the authority of your own longstanding beliefs.

#8. Help people broaden their perspective by creating diverse teams and rotating employees into new projects -- especially ones they are fascinated by.

#12. Instead of seeing creativity training as a way to pour knowledge into people's heads, see it as a way to grind new glasses for people so they can see the world in a different way.

#30. Stimulate interaction between segments of the company that traditionally don't connect or collaborate with each other.

#41. Don't make innovation the responsibility of a few. Make innovation the responsibility of each and every employee with performance goals for each and every functional area.

But don’t stop here.  Read all 50 tips and be inspired to move innovation to the top of your to-do list in the New Year.

At a recent Jersey Mike's Subs meeting, I talked with franchisee and area director Dan Burrell about a creative project he was working on that, as both a parent and a writer, just blew me away.  I asked him if he’d share details with us about this project “Teens Talk…Will You Listen?,” an original play produced in Ojai Valley (California) designed to get teens and parents talking.  Here Dan discusses how the project, created with the Ojai Valley Youth Foundation, came to be…while juggling his day job. 

News Splash (NS):  Tell us about the Teen Forum Night project. 

Dan:  The Teen Forum Night started with a challenge:  how do we get parents more involved and educated about what the Youth Foundation does for teens in Ojai?  My thought was that we would have to get the real truth out so the parents can really understand what issues face teens, and what is important to them. That would mean putting teens on stage, with material anonymously submitted from other kids, so the truth can be told but no teen would be responsible.  I also thought the parents should have a chance to ask questions they would have a hard time asking their own teens about, again anonymously.  Beginning this process, and moving through it, we never strayed far from my first vision, and in the end, we had an amazing, real, truthful presentation of actual teen concerns, without any teen having to take responsibility. The night accomplished so much, and I know from reactions that some relationships started changing right away.  

NS:  What were some of the questions asked by parents? 

Dan:  Why do you hate me?  Should I read your texts?  How can I support you in appreciating the arts?  Why do you have to smoke pot?  Why don't you confide in me like you do your friends?

NS:  How did you transform so much data into a cohesive and moving story?

Dan: We asked English teachers in the eight local high schools to give their kids an assignment:   “Dear Mom and Dad” letters.  We asked the kids to be honest, and tell their parents about who they are and what problems they are having themselves, with friends, or with their parents.  We collected over 400 responses, some one or two words, some fully written double sided letters, some poems, some free writes. These were molded into responses.  Remember two or three teens can think differently and answer questions differently, so there could sometimes be 4 to 5 different answers to the same question.

NS: What did you learn from this project?

Dan: I learned how amazing teens really are, that they can go as deep as adults. I learned that we, as adults, have a lot to learn from teens. I learned that teens understand us better than we understand them. I learned that every adult has been a teen, yet every teen has yet to be an adult, so why do we expect so much from them? I learned that teens want to be treated as individuals, and yelling and screaming and always trying to be right does nothing for your relationship with your teens.  I also learned that teens will come and contribute, and that bringing Jersey Mike's Subs to every meeting is perfect for attracting teens to be on time.  

NS:  How did you fit this creative project into your daily routine? 

Dan:  This project became my daily routine. Actually, because this was a 6 week project from start to finish, it made it easier that it came about so quickly.  It was worth the long days, and nights, and I received 20x more than I gave out. 

NS:  What inspires you?

Dan:  What inspires me?  Any opportunity to make a difference in someone else's life.  I love to see people laugh.  I love to see people treat each other with respect.  I love happy endings. That inspires me.

Flowers For Hope, Eliane Markoff

This News Splash interview is with Eliane Markoff, businesswoman, painter and founder of Art in Giving, a powerful customer appreciation and employee recognition program that blends business, art and philanthropy.  Here Eliane talks with us about her Foundation, the concept behind Art in Giving, and her own creative process.  

News Splash (NS):  Tell us about Art in Giving. 

Eliane:  Art in Giving was launched in May 2009.  Eleven artists offer their art to encourage organizations to use art as a gift to thank clients and guest speakers and to reward executives and other employees. Fifty percent of the proceeds are donated to The Rachel Molly Markoff Foundation, a 501 C3 non-profit that funds brain tumor research and pediatric cancer programs.

The mission of Art in Giving is to make people feel good by doing good. Art in Giving offers organizations a new and creative way to express appreciation to their clients, partners, employees or any individuals they want to honor and thank.  Art in Giving allows people to feel good on several levels.  When someone receives an Art in Giving voucher, he or she feels honored.  When that person realizes that 50% of the proceeds will be donated to a good cause, that person feels even more recognized.  The experience of selecting the art and visiting the studios is also a gift. The piece of art will last a life time and so will the honor.  It is recognition combined with philanthropy and art. 

NS:  What gave you the idea? 

Eliane:  During the past decade, individuals and organizations participated in an earlier version of Art in Giving.  Boston Private Bank, for example, bought 50 prints of Flowers for Hope (pictured here) my signature piece, to present to their most valuable clients.  Equity Office commissioned me to create a painting in the lobby of its headquarters in Boston.  Jonathan Davis of The Davis Companies bought two of my early paintings which are hanging in his offices on Appleton Street in Boston.  The National Brain Tumor Society uses Blue Passion Prints to recognize volunteers, donors and employees during its annual meeting.  Friends and contacts would buy my art to give as presents to others.   

I recently attended a board meeting where someone was honored.  That person knows about Art in Giving and said to me, in private, that although he appreciates the engraved crystal piece he received, he would have enjoyed a piece of art as his gift!

The support and interest of these individuals and companies gave me the idea to use art as a recognition and award program.  Once I joined the SOWA Artists Guild in Boston last year, I was happy to share my story with other artists who showed interest in participating. I originally asked for 20% of the proceeds to go to The Rachel Molly Markoff Foundation. I was very moved when the founder of the Artists Guild, Stephen Silver, suggested the greater amount of 50% be applied to the Foundation and that everyone else was very supportive.

NS:  How was The Rachel Molly Markoff Foundation created? How is Art in Giving evolving? 

Eliane:  The Foundation was created when people wanted to buy my art. Since I began painting mainly due to the loss of my child, the proceeds went directly to the Foundation. It became very therapeutic for me.  The original Art in Giving was formed in 2000. It included my art only. I am delighted 10 other artists are now involved and we hope to add more next year, once we have a few more clients.  One of the new additions, I hope, will be my daughter Audrey, who shares the studio with me and has done some beautiful mosaic pieces and other pieces using yarn. 

NS:  You are a successful businesswoman and extraordinary artist – how do the two work together? 

Eliane:  Thank you for the compliment.  For the most part, they work well together for me.  It is my business background combined with my motivation and drive to make a difference that make me successful.  I love presenting the combination of art, business and philanthropy to organizations especially those concerned with delighting their customers, partners, donors as well as those concerned with motivating and retaining their employees.       

I wish I could say that every company or organization we approach participates in the program immediately.  Although we have received wonderful feedback on the idea and concept, it is challenging getting immediate commitments. I believe that we are planting the seeds for greater success in the future. That is what I need to focus on.  

NS:  How do you fit your creative side into a busy schedule? 

Eliane:  I make the time. I love spending the time in the studio with Gary’s [husband] old shirts and an old skirt covered with paint. If I am lucky, my daughter Audrey will be in her space next to me creating her art pieces made of yarn or mosaic.  A cousin of mine made many CDs for me so I listen to French, Middle Eastern or Greek music and let my creativity take over. I also find myself thinking of new business ideas while I am in the studio.   

NS:  What inspires you? 

Eliane: I am inspired by the simple blessings in my life.  I know Rachel painted three flowers while she was waiting at the Jimmy Fund Clinic one day.  I would like to believe it was a happy painting.  It had a sun in it.  The painting is now the logo for the Foundation. 

I am inspired by a hug, good conversation and sweet words from my daughter; a happy phone call from my husband; a backgammon game with my mother; a trip to Jerusalem with my brother; a note from my sister; a peaceful week-end in Maine looking at Lake Sebago and a vacation in one of the islands.  For example, the Bird Bath painting was created after a trip to Bermuda. My ocean scenes are painted mostly in Maine.  I am also inspired when I achieve a goal I had set for myself. I am inspired when paintings sell or when I am commissioned to do a new piece.  I am inspired when I have something to look forward to. I am inspired by the support I receive from other artists and from all my friends and family.

Last night, I caught the end of the animated flick, "Meet the Robinsons," with my son and noticed a quote from Walt Disney (the man) before the closing credits. Here it is:

"Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long.  We keep moving forward, opening new doors and doing new things...and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."

The movie celebrates imagination so the quote is a good fit.  Even better, it's an important reminder that while we should learn from the past, we need to "keep moving forward."  Stay curious.

Photo Credit: Constance Koons

This News Splash interview is with Patricia Fargnoli, former Poet Laureate of New Hampshire and author of six collections of poetry including her just-released book, Then, Something (Tupelo Press). I had the pleasure of working with Pat on a statewide initiative she created during her Poet Laureate tenure that celebrated children’s poetry.  As she talks about her creative process, I see many lessons for business people such as “letting go” to conjure innovation, discovering inspiration all around you, about the hard work of honing a good idea until it is ready for prime time, about the importance of feedback and more.  Read on and be inspired!   And, for anyone local, stop by and hear Pat read from her new book at the Robert Frost Farm in Derry, NH, on Thursday, Sept. 10, at 6:30pm as part of the Hyla Brook Reading Series.    

News Splash (NS):  When we worked together for the statewide Children's Poetry in the Libraries program, you were anything but a stereotypical lost-in-the-clouds artist.  You are an amazing project manager:  very strategic and organized while rallying a big volunteer work force.  Are these traits that help you approach your creative side as well?

Pat:  Thank you, Kyle.  That project was such a joy to work with you on!  One of the things that made it so much fun was that I got to use some long dormant skills of mine that I acquired in my first years as a social worker when I administered a YWCA program for young women in trouble with the law…and later when I worked as the supervisor of a team of technical workers at Aetna Insurance Company. 

But strangely…or perhaps not…I am utterly unorganized and “lost-in-the-clouds” when it comes to writing poetry.  I write best when I can let go of the need to control the words and the direction of the poem, and try to get into a kind of “loose-mind” state and just write.  I think, for any artist, there are three kinds of “work.”  One is the creative part where you try to access the deeper (perhaps subconscious or dreamlike) parts of yourself.  Or where you try to “see” a thing (a mountain, for instance, a deer, a city, etc.) in a way it's never been seen before and then give it a new language.  Or where you try to give a language to a feeling or thought that seems to be almost beyond words.

The second kind of “work” is revision when the conscious mind with all its knowledge of craft and technical skill steps in and begins shaping the piece, much the way the sculptor chisels the marble to find the shape within.  The third “work” is the business of poetry…knowing the potential markets, writing cover letters, networking, getting poems sent out.  My “business skills” of course come most into play with the third “work”  but also with the second kind where one has to know the tools, believe in oneself and ones art, be motivated to work hard and stick to it.

NS:   I've always been fascinated by how many poets come from a business-type background.  You are a retired therapist, Dana Gioia was an executive at General Foods, Wallace Stevens was at Aetna, T.S. Eliot spent several years at Lloyd's Bank of London.  Why do you think this is?

Pat:  Hmmm.  These days far more poets come from academic jobs, primarily as teachers in the colleges and MFA programs.  In general, poets from the business world have to work harder and be luckier to be successful.  The hard fact is that being a poet doesn't pay and all poets need a “day job.”  Those with corporate jobs in general are better off financially than those who teach.  I have, recently, seen a fair number of poets emerge from the medical professions. William Carlos Williams was a doctor, Courtney Davis has edited an anthology of poems by nurses, C. Dale Young, the editor of the New England Review, is a doctor.  I guess the bottom line is that poets can spring from anywhere and work at any job at all to sustain themselves.  But regardless, all of us share a love of the language and the desire to express our vision of the world.

NS:  Why is poetry important? 

Pat:  Because it constantly redefines reality and expands our understanding of the worlds...both those we live in and those beyond us.  Because it translates the unsayable into language.  Because it connects us to the creative spirit in the universe.  Because it informs us about and connects us to our common humanity...in all its beauty, flaws and frailty.  Because it is a source of joy.

NS:  Tell me about your creative process.

Pat: I read a great deal of poetry by other poets, not only for enjoyment (though that is key) but because it both inspires my own, and teaches me techniques and strategies I didn't know before.  Often I read poems to start my writing day.  Then I either sit down with a pad, or sit before the computer, and begin with whatever is on my mind or happening right outside my window, or right in front of me (once I wrote a poem about a bug that was sitting on my computer).

I usually just try to keep writing without worrying very much about whether it's a poem or not (nevermind a good one).  A friend calls this the “garbage page.”  Later I type it up or print it out and start cutting and shaping.  After that, I put it away a few days, then revise some more and when I've got the poem as far as I can take it, I'll show someone (usually people in one of my workshops) and ask for feedback.  Then more revision.  Often a poem will take months, even years before I feel it's done.

But there are other ways poems come into being too.  Perhaps I'll see a bunch of words or a magazine article or something that intrigues me.  Or some event will happen and I'll rush home and write about it;  or I'll be driving and see something I don't want to lose and so I'll write it down on a napkin or something on the steering wheel (which I don't recommend).

NS:  Do you have any tips for business people who want to more fully tap into their creative side?

Pat: The famous German poet, Rainer Maria Rilke, in his poem, “Archaic Torso of Apollo” says that once you have seen the power of art “you must change your life.”   I agree.  Making a space for poetry in my life has totally changed my life and given me a wealth of friendships and immeasurable happiness.  It is indeed possible to combine a business life and a creative life.  One simply needs to shift priorities enough to create the space/time for making art in one's life.  There is a wonderful book/workbook called The Artist's Way, by Julia Cameron that lays out a complete plan for making that happen.  I was once in a workshop group with 30 artists and we worked with that book together. It was life-changing, and I highly recommend it.

NS:  What inspires you?

Pat:  Mountains, ponds, deer, foxes, the color blue, things of the spirit, all things mysterious, the questions for which I have no answers.

Earlier this week, I posted a story from The New York Times about new research showing that Americans appreciate free stuff, like a surprise cup of coffee.

Well, yesterday, I got surprise brownies (last post about brownies for awhile, I promise) and they made my day.  The package came from one of my favorite places:  Dancing Deer Baking Company as a thank you for filling out a survey for them.  Now I am a long-time admirer and customer of Dancing Deer.  Not only do they offer delicious all-natural goodies but they know how to build a brand.  I love their products, philanthropy and personality so when the recent survey came across my desk, I was happy to oblige for no other reason than that I want to see them prosper.

They didn’t have to do a thing as follow up.  In fact, I forgot I even filled out the survey.  Yet they used this simple gesture to solidify a relationship with a good customer.  Thanks Sarah Nichols and all The Deers for a sweet treat!

What are surprising ways that you can share the love with your customers? 

Here are two recent examples of how using seemingly unrelated subjects like bike riding or card playing can effectively convey valuable business lessons.First, read this interview with Annie Duke, professional poker player recently seen on The Celebrity Apprentice.  She speaks with USA Today management reporter Del Jones about parallels between playing poker and conducting business.  Think bluffing, negotiation, perceptions, risk and more.

Second, best-selling author Seth Godin writes about business lessons learned from riding a bike.  He says, “It’s very difficult to improve your performance on the downhills.”  He uses this as an effective metaphor for why tough times (difficult circumstances, the unexpected, poor economy) often provide the most significant opportunities.

Trying to convey a business lesson or philosophy to employees, customers or others?  Use a metaphor.