Category Archives: Building Community

What small thing…? (the power of difference, & neighbors gathering)

As I prep for an ABCD Training for the Public Library Association next week in Chicago, I am moved to revisit some of my favorite stories I’ve encountered of people changing the world starting right outside their front door, acting … Continue reading

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Neighbor Moment: Nancy Called…

Phew! Another long & satisfying day… Passed a major milestone in building our company (updates on that soon!), made it outside to plant a half-box of black-eyed peas, and blasted through tons of communications. I’ve been challenging myself lately to … Continue reading

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LocalRoving: Green Foods Market (& the power of detours)

Today, on the way home from a meeting in Melbourne, I took the opportunity to check out a place I’ve had my eye on for weeks now – a little white and pale-green house tucked on the corner of Malabar … Continue reading

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The Art of Gift-Making: a Process Rife with Abundance

Gifting can be hard… really hard! In 5 Ways to Reclaim the Holidays, I explore ideas for using holiday gift-giving to build community while also producing kick-ass, original presents that will bring joy to your friends & family. Here, I’d … Continue reading

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5 Ways to Reclaim the Holidays ~ from Consumers to Producers

“Angels we have heard on high, tell us to go out and buy” So goes Tom Lehrer’s “A Christmas Carol,” which rings strangely relevant today despite the fact that it was written over 50 years ago. As Lehrer says, “Christmas time … Continue reading

Posted in Art, Building Community, Graphic Recording / Sketchnotes, Neighborhoods | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

A Bloggy Conundrum

OK y’all, this is an audience participation blog.  Get ready to share! I’ve been grappling with a conundrum of late, and am at that point of inner stalemate that begs for outside feedback. As my husband and I have gotten … Continue reading

Posted in Being an Artist, Building Community, Uncategorized | 5 Comments

The Keepers & the Makers

The tradition with me and my folks is that, come Mother’s / Father’s Day, Xmas, and sometimes birthdays, I draw them something. The themes vary…  sometimes, it’s a drawing based on a meaningful photo.  More often, it’s my own drawn … Continue reading

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“Close enough”

Today as I was running errands, I caught some of Terry Gross’s “Fresh Air” on the radio. In today’s installment, Gross interviewed Lynsey Addario, a photojournalist who has been shooting in war zones for over 10 years and, after surviving … Continue reading

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Polka Rising / Our Leadership Lens

I love when a new generation grabs onto old traditions and swings them back into life.  I love even more when they don’t grab it so hard that the older generations get left by the wayside. I was stoked, therefore, … Continue reading

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Tweet! Awakening to Twitter

Woohoo! Day Two of my Blog-a-Day rhythm. So here’s something hopefully very useful: my learning from a learning session about using Twitter for social change I attended earlier this week. Ironically, the reason this blog is happening is because of … Continue reading

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