How do we change the world?
During a presentation at an elite private school here in Manhattan, the students raised their hand and ask, “how can we help.” We are barely 5 mins into the presentation and they are already picking up what we are putting down. Did I mention that the students are in the 6th grade? Why does it take adult so much longer to raise their hand and say, “count me in?!”
Hi Love,
Are you tired? I am. I'm exhausted by the speed we are moving at. We won the House but not the Senate. We flipped many districts and retook the Governor's mansion in 7 previously Republican-held states, fingers crossed for two more with GA and FL. Our victory only puts Trump in a rage and the fight continues. I keep on reminding myself that incremental progress will lead to an avalanche and remake the world. While we keep at it with small changes the drip drip at times can feel like Chinese water torture.
I did a presentation on Hello Future to a class full of 10-year-olds at Trinity, a super-elite private school in NYC. Five minutes into the presentation, a girl raised her hand and asked how they could help. I turned the question back to them and asked them why they care? Why do they want to help refugee kids that are half-a-world away?
They instinctively knew. One girl said, "We are privileged to go to this school and we should use our privilege to help others." Another girl said that it is part of our Dharma, our social responsibility. Each and every one of them understood that we live in a world that is deeply connected
I was speechless. There might be hope for us all yet.
How do we make sure we keep these kids fire going and continue to foster their innate sense of social justice?! Do you guys think about this with your kids? What is your approach? Let me know. I'd love to get inside of your head.
Keep on keeping on,
Charlie
IDEAS YOU CAN STEAL
As part of any business strategy, target audience identification is a must. How do you know what to say to them if you don't know what they are interested in? However, we frequently assume the audience; a lot of guesswork goes into who we believe would care about what we do, what we sell, what we have to say. Rather than assume the target audience for Hello Future (liberal white women), we are testing our way into clarity. You can do this too. Our approach is a modest budget, lots of research and well calibrated Google Display Ads.
If you are interested in doing this for your business, and I can help, raise a flag and let me know.
WORTH A READ
How do we change the world is a question I've been asking myself for the last twenty years. This issue of Columbia's Journalism Review has some deep reflections on how the under-representation of people of color in newsrooms across the country hinders our progress, much like the under-representation in various branches of government. I'm convinced that Obama's Netflix deal is about less about the gobs of money they threw at him and more about culture change. Nothing moves the needle quite like pop-culture and we don't have to talk about politics to change perception, advocacy and voter turn out. Grant McCracken's book, Culturematic is a great read on this topic as well as Rebecca Solnit's Hope in the Dark.
WANDERLUST
Raise your hand if you've been to Patagonia. It's late in the season but we would love to head down to El Chalten and do a long distance trek. Love to know if you've been and your experience.
#HUMBLEBRAG
Side Hustle. Yeah that's a thing. I've never only had just one job. Forbes ran a story on side hustle this week and I was featured. What's your side hustle? Do you guard it like it's a deep dark secret? Or do you proudly share it with your network?
DON'T MISS
Bohemian Rhapsody. Go see it. Bryan Singer was a little light on the story but Rami Malek's performance is top notch. This is the closest you will get to a Queen's concert. And what a joy it is. Freddy Mercury changed the world. NO DOUBT. Can you think of another song that rallies and unit the way "We are the Champion" or "We will Rock You?" NOPE. I present you, Freddy Mercury, exhibit A of social change.
GOOD IDEA OR NOT SO MUCH?
WeCroak is an app that will randomly text you 5 times a day and remind you that you will die. It is inspired by a Bhutanese folk saying that to be a happy person one must contemplate death 5 times a day. Anyone wants to try it with me?
THE DR. IS IN
Week one of THE DR IS IN has been interesting. More ponderings than questions but that's alright. Tell me what you've been thinking, should I/shouldn't I, be it in business, art, the art business, travel, communications or even love, and I will do my best.
Thanks for reading. Don't forget to vote! And if you like this newsletter and want to support it, forward it to a friend, tweet me some love or follow me on Instagram.
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There will always be a first time
I wanted to return to a weekly ritual of writing to you, publicly, about all the things I’m thinking about, musing on, and binge watching. To bring to you questions big and small, life hack and shouldn’t miss. Why? Because the easiest way for us to create intimacy and that human connection we all crave is through conversation —- even if it is a digital conversation, me speaking more and you listening/reading/watching. You will ping back when you are ready, and we can chat. In the mean time, Hi Love.
“Hi Love,” is my favorite greeting. Vu was the first person to greet me with "Hi Love!" It took me by surprise when I first heard it. Vu and I are friends and colleagues. Without a whiff of romance and being addressed as "love" seemed...unexpected. And incredibly flattering. Through those two little words, I was transformed into a personification of love, platonic love, romantic love, or simply, LOVE.
These two words establish an immediate sense of intimacy, I feel seen, safe and cared for. A little dose of optimism through a simple greeting.
I'm sorry I've been absent. I'm ready to return, in this form, a weekly note every Sunday, Hi Love, and I hope to fill it with useful, humorous, and informative tidbits for you.
Will you give Hi Love, a few weeks and see how you like it?
With love,
Charlie
IDEAS YOU CAN STEAL
This should be a softball, but I'm constantly surprised by how frequently our consulting clients are unable to answer this fundamental question, "What is your objective?"
A client engaged us to help them come up with punty funny names for new programs they are about to announce. They wanted puns that both explains the program and echoes the name of the organization. For the sake of clarity, I asked, "what is your objective? Is this for the sake of your grantees, your donors or are you trying to leverage the humor to gain traction with a greater audience?" The silence on the other end of the call was deafening.
Branding/Messaging/Strategic Planning 101: be clear about what you are trying to achieve before all else.
WORTH A READ
Scott Galloway's No Malice/No Mercy weekly note has become one of my favorite. His market analysis is spot on. For a Capitalist with a moral compass, he is walking that fine line mighty fine. And he can write. Read "Brands and Bone Saw" here and judge for yourself.
WANDERLUST
Faroe Island. Have you been? Tell me about it...
#HumbleBrag
New York Business Journal and Career Contessa both featured me and the unconventional career path from advertising photographer to refugee education at Hello Future. I know I am not the only one here with a nonlinear career trajectory, what is yours?
IRL
Opening November 8 at Gallery Henoch, Parallel Transformations, an exhibition by Kim Cogan. Much of his riveting work is about New York, or more precisely, the story of light in New York.
Joan Bankemper at Rachel Uffner Gallery in LES, NYC, in Pageant of Inconceivable, a group exhibition of fourteen artists producing ceramic works that reflect on the human condition in a variety of approaches and scale.
THE DR. IS IN
When R and I lived together, we talked about setting up a table at Union Square and field questions and quandaries as Lucy from Peanuts did. Here is a virtual version of that. Tell me what you've been pondering, be it in business, art, the art business, travel, communications or even love, and I will do my best.
Thanks for reading. Don't forget to vote! And if you like this newsletter and want to support it, forward it to a friend, tweet me some love or follow me on Instagram. But definitely vote.