Impact Everywhere with Von Wong: Recent Episodes
Von Wong
Artist Von Wong searches for positive impact in unexpected places featuring Oscar-winning filmmakers, social entrepreneurs, and student activists.
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When most of us think about art and science, we perceive them as two separate worlds. However, according to today’s guest, Michelle Thaller, there are far more similarities between art and science than meets the eye. As a NASA scientist, Michelle’s insatiable curiosity and desire to discover fuels her, and this passion is tangible throughout the conversation.
We kick off the show with Michelle debunking some commonly-held misconceptions about scientists. From there, we turn our attention to the importance of scientific research before talking about why young people should not ignore their inner voice when deciding on a path to pursue.
Although problems such as climate change are undeniable realities, there is a role for everyone, not only scientists, to play in enabling change. Along the way, we discuss the need to push the boundaries of science, why polarization is a powerful political tool and how we can overcome it, and what we can do in our own backyard to get the needle moving on the issues that matter. While Michelle does not sugarcoat the enormity of the challenges that lie ahead for us, her message is still one of hope. She believes that by focusing on cultivating our innate curiosity, we will find the answers we need.
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Did you know, thought leaders around the world, including the current CEOs of both Microsoft and Slack, are focusing on empathy as one of the most critical skills to the business, creativity, and design. In this episode, we speak to Ilana Ben-Ari, an inventor and social entrepreneur who has devoted her life to spreading empathy by developing toys that help to nurture this practice through her business Twenty One Toys.
Over the course of 45 minutes, we cover the role that toys have played in influencing creative geniuses, how engaging in play is a catalyst for fostering creativity and how Ilana managed to package an experience into a product. Often those who originally oppose attending these workshops express how important the work of teaching empathy and creativity is.
Ilana leaves listeners with a final message: To solve the world’s problems, we need more creatives to become entrepreneurs. Listen to this episode at one of the links below to find out how Ilana is making an impact, one toy at a time.
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Read my detailed recap of the entire episode here.
Read the Medium Summary with free quotes and graphics here.
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Mark Brand is an Entrepreneur, Educator, Facilitator & Chef that brings a unique kind of energy to the room and is a master problem-solver who applies the principles of design thinking to come up with innovative solutions for ending homelessness within his own community. Over the last few years, he has helped to serve over 2.4 million meals to those in need.
In this episode, we unpack all the components that have made him successful and allowed him to pursue a life of impact. What emerges from this conversation is that true love and care for those in need involves far more than sponsoring a turkey on Thanksgiving or Christmas: it is about consistently showing up — especially on those days when no one else is around. The best way to solve this problem, Mark says, is to build your outreach into your business and to make a long-term commitment to a well-researched and well-designed project. Tune in at one of the links below for more of this exceptional conversation:
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The nebulous topics of integrity and accountability can often be hard to measure and pursue, but our guest today, Blair Glencorse, has made it his life’s work to bring more of these important values into spaces stretching around the world. Accountability Lab aims to make governance work for people by supporting active citizens, responsible leaders, and accountable institutions. Blair has received the SXSW Community Award and is also behind the TV show and social project Integrity Icon, which seeks to raise up the work of upstanding people in whatever sector they may be impacting.
One of the underlining philosophies of all Blair’s work is positive reinforcement and celebration — they really push for the idea of naming and faming outstanding people to create role models for a community. Blair has worked in the social impact space for almost two decades and did this off the back of his studies in economics. He is also an advisor to the World Economic Forum and the World Bank, institutions that he believes can be very effectual with the involvement and direction of people of integrity.
In our conversation, we cover some of the important distinctions of these topics and Blair unpacks how he views integrity and accountability fitting together before we dive into some of the challenges that arise out of the work that he and his team do. We also get into the roots and fruits of the different projects he has been involved in and how the movement and collective always precede the individual, for him. For all this, plus a whole lot more inspiration, check out one of the links below:
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In today’s episode of Impact Everywhere with Benjamin Von Wong, we hear from Nora Rahimian. Nora is a creative consultant that has been helping artists and musicians from all over the world have a more significant impact using art as a tool for change. She has been working in the field for over a decade, and she is now the founder and lead consultant at #CultureFix.
In our conversation, Nora shares her thoughts on the responsibility that we hold as individuals and brands in situations of social injustice, such as gender inequality and racism. Nora shares a story from when she was working for a non-profit organization in Liberia, where they found that music was used as a far more effective tool to connect and communicate with the youth.
Nora shares her thoughts on how and why new and upcoming artists should speak up on issues of social and environmental injustice through their music. Last but not least, she speaks to us on what it’s like to be an activist in today’s highly technology-based world and what leading businesses can and should do to promote equality. Listen to the full podcast at one of the links below so you don’t miss out so you don’t miss anything!
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The idea of ethical storytelling has come increasingly to the forefront in recent years. Sophie Otiende is a survivor of human trafficking and now works as an advocate for survivors of these crimes. She is the perfect person to speak about ethical storytelling — describing herself as a teacher, feminist, and advocate. Coming to the show all the way from Kenya, Sophie offers a unique perspective informed through experience.
She helps us understand how this work starts at a personal level as well as the importance of authentic representation. She has a passion for smaller, grassroots organizations, believing these to be the ones that actually bring about real change. Sophie talks about how work on an individual level is what creates mass movements and structural impact in the long run and that is it only through more empathy that we will see meaningful shifts in the way the world works. The conversation also covers the long-lasting effects of small actions and how a steady and committed attitude to one’s role as a positive force is the most important thing we can all do. For a truly inspirational conversation with a clear thinker and change-maker, be sure click one of the links below to hear the full podcast:
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Sophie is raising funds RIGHT NOWThe pandemic is affecting the most vulnerable. HAART has a grassroots campaign assisting victims of trafficking. Support Sophie and donate here so she can continue her work!
Learn more about Sophie at: www.sophieotiende.com
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Fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic, the workplace has undergone years’ worth of changes in a matter of weeks. We’re in the middle of what Gary Bolles, Chair for the Future of Work at Singularity University, calls a “Great Reset,” in which we’re establishing the new normal. Our conversation today with Gary is an exploration of work, what it means to find purpose, and the practical steps that you can take to position yourself for the future.
Gary discusses the need for hope in achieving your goals and how you can hone your agency by developing four key skills — Gary calls this the PACE framework. Gary reveals how purpose can exist on a spectrum and shares the various factors that lead to work motivation and how young people are prioritizing transforming how impact happens in the world.
To foster a future-proof career and increase your chance of finding meaningful work, Gary emphasizes the need to understand the what, where, and how of your skillset. After talking about shifts in the workplace, he shares his views on what the future may hold. We live in a brave new world — tune in to hear Gary’s advice on how you can find your place in it. To hear the full episode, click one of these links:
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PACE — the four skills that help you develop your agency
- Problem-Solver
- Adaptive
- Creative
- Empathetic
These attributes are what make you hireable, and developing these skills and being able to provide examples will make you attractive to employers.
Why we have ‘portfolios of purpose,’ not only one purpose in life.
For some, having a roof over their heads and feeding their family is enough to make their work meaningful. For others, they want to find meaning beyond themselves. But this is fragile because sometimes jobs disappear. Gary encourages us to not find purpose in only our jobs. We can find Purpose in family, friends, communities, countries, and the world.
How young people increasingly focus on ‘what the world needs’ over making money
The youth have flipped the traditional structure of working their way up the ladder. Instead of thinking that if they do what the world needs, even if it doesn’t make as much money, that they’ll love their work. In turn, loving the work tends to yield better work, and that can eventually get people paid more.
People are often unable to recognize their own skillsets
If we have already solved a problem ourselves, we often discount the value of what we’ve achieved and automatically think that someone else would know how to do it. It is important to recognize the different processes we use that require skills that others don’t have.
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Often the problems we see in the world appear just too enormous to solve. This week on Impact Everywhere, John Hocevar of Greenpeace provides his insights on how to look at the full picture of a problem and to find momentum in the small wins rather than despairing at the monstrosity of the issue. John has served as the director for Greenpeace’s ocean campaigns for 16 years now, and his wins include establishing the largest marine reserve in the world, persuading Japan to drop plans to hunt humpback whales, and setting ever-higher standards for sustainable seafood. In today’s conversation, we dive deep and ask John all about the inner workings of a Greenpeace campaign, the intersectionality of environmental and social justice issues, and how he stays optimistic as the oceans continue to die at an ever-accelerating rate. John is a true environmentalist with incredible insights into what it takes to drive true change. So stay tuned as we unpack the formula to successful campaigning, finding the right allies, and the importance of celebrating the process you’ve made for your cause. Check out the full podcast at one of the below links:
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Key Points From This Episode
Why the full picture is important and not just “saving the oceans”
You can’t expect to save the planet without looking at the intersectionality of issues. For example, addressing human rights issues and slavery on fishing boats is just as to marine welfare as a campaign to “save the dolphins.”
Look at the opportunities before you in terms of how they can help you become who you want to be, rather than looking for reasons to turn things down
John took a pretty large detour from his marine biology work when he was asked to help get an organization called Students for a Free Tibet off the ground. It ended up being a 10 year detour from what his intended career path was, but it gave him the connections and experiences that made him desirable for an organization like Greenpeace.
Hobby activism is not always harmful, but match your words with actions
With all of the current change taking place for racial justice as a result of the Black Lives Matter movements, many verbally say that they support a movement without actually taking action. This is not the worst thing in the world, but take action to support the organizations that have a real plan for the furthering the movement.
The importance of paying attention to what your tax dollars are funding
John was approached by Students for a Free Tibet to help their cause to prevent the World Bank from funding a “resettlement project” to move 60,000 ethnic Chinese into Tibet. Population is a component of genocide, and this benefited the Chinese government’s strategy to eliminate Tibetan culture. The World Bank is funded by tax dollars, so consider what your money is unwillingly supporting.
The formula for successful campaigning:
- Experimenting until you find the right pressure point
- Empowering those sympathetic to the cause with a variety of tools
- Don’t be afraid to try a vast array of things
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While giving can feel good, it doesn’t always impact those that need your donation the most. Today’s guest is Anya Marchenko, a research assistant at Berkeley’s Center for Effective Global Action with a passion for development economics. Anya joins us to talk about effective altruism, a powerful approach that uses evidence and reason to figure out how to benefit others as much as possible, and taking action on that basis. In our conversation, Anya breaks down the science of giving by explaining that there are different types of donating and why donating to international causes that deal with chronic problems results in the most impact. Anya explores the theory that guides development economics and effective altruism while highlighting how these cash transfers respect the agency of the people these interventions aim to help. After sharing with us the practical skills from her discipline that can benefit you in life, Anya talks about how thinking about competitive advantage can help you make better decisions about where you can do more good. Anya shares her transformative experiences of conducting field research in Kenya and how she got to see the impact of giving first-hand. Finally, Anya talks about COVID-19 silver-linings and how it’s changing the perception of giving. In this episode, Anya gives us clear examples of how small donations can do a massive amount of good in the world. Tune in at one of the links below to learn more!
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Key Points From This Episode:
The different types of donations and which donations make the most impactAnya describes four different ways people donate. First, there can be local donations vs. non-local/international. Within these two categories, people can either donate to address an acute problem like an emergency relief fund, or donating to address a chronic problem such as donating to criminal justice reform, global poverty, or HIV Research.
Why direct cash transfers are often the best form of donationsAnya and many other development economists argue that direct cash transfers are the best use of donations in terms of doing the most good for people in need. People know for themselves what their most immediate needs are, and research has shown that money given with no strings attached can significantly improve peoples’ day-to-day lives, often more cheaply and effectively than other forms of giving.
How to find organizations that are worth donating toWhen donating money, Anya recommends charity evaluators like GiveWell, which has researchers look into the efficacy of the organizations you are looking to donate to. Another option is Animal Charity Evaluators. If you are going to do the research for yourself, try to figure out what the actual activity of the charity is, read research on the intervention or think pieces by sources like Vox or the NY Times, check if their financial information is transparent, and check who is funding them. All of these factors will help you determine where your dollar will have the most impact.
How to make decisions based on comparative advantage
The economic principle of comparative advantage helps make decisions like what product is more effectively produced in what country. This can be applied to everyday life decisions too.
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This week on Impact Everywhere, we hear from Danielle Da Silva, founder and CEO of Photographers Without Borders. Her insights on decolonization, the ethics of storytelling, and having transformative conversations take on new meaning given the current uprisings in the United States and around the world. As a half white, half Muslim Indian Central Asian activist, the story of Danielle’s activism is rooted in her mixed ancestry. She describes how growing up, her parents tried to erase their culture to fit into Canada. While she has benefited from white privilege, she has also faced discrimination. Danielle advocates for the importance of decolonization in activism and using her work to amplify the voices of those she is working with, rather than drowning them out. For the full episode, check out one of the links below:
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Addressing systemic issues involves systemic change
The activist desire to change the world comes from a colonial perspective. Activists are not the experts, so those in the community with lived experiences and their lives dedicated to making change should hold the reins.
Activists should listen and amplify the voices of those they are trying to help
The idea of ‘giving people a voice’ is problematic because it implies that they didn’t have one to begin with. Rather than being the main voice, activists should be making the voice of the people louder.
Photography and Storytelling need more diversity
Both of these mediums have long been dominated by straight white men. Making space for different perspectives can quite literally rewrite history and get rid of the power imbalance of whose perspectives are represented.
Hold true to a code of ethics
The ethics of who you are working with, how you present their stories, and more are extremely important to protect the voices of the stories you are amplifying. Photographers Without Borders offers training for photographers who want to be allies, as well as a mentorship program where mentors agree to train the community on how to use cameras and other equipment. Check out PWB’s code of ethics here.
When you’re not sure what to do, listen to the leaders
With the BLM movement happening right now, listen to the experts and take action on what they ask you to do every day. Sign the petitions. Call the governors. Being an ally means listening and giving space, not speaking and taking up space.
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Today we present to you Casson Trenor, one of the most diverse ocean activists we have ever encountered. He’s a children’s author of the book Umijoo, founder of the sustainable sushi restaurant Shizen, and valiant whale defender. He explores what it’s like to have a ‘why’ without knowing how, and his input is not limited to ocean activism. Please consider his words in the context of your own lives, and especially how they are applicable to different approaches for how we can dismantle the systemic racism built in the United States and around the world.
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Tweetables:“Yeah we are selling books, but we are also inspiring people.” — @CassonTrenor[0:05:38]
“It just became more and more clear, little by little that I needed to be able to connect everything that I did every day to something that I believed in.” — @CassonTrenor[0:08:51]
“There is nothing that is impossible when you have the right team.” — @CassonTrenor[0:13:45]
“There is nothing like feeding somebody and watching their eyes light up.” — @CassonTrenor[0:15:28]
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:Benjamin Von Wong
Impact Everywhere
Casson Trenor on Twitter
Ocean Plastics Leadership Summit
Shizen
UmijooUmijoo Website
Caia Koopman
RangeDavid Epstein
Photographers Without Borders
Danielle Da Silva
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Mond Qu is a designer, animator, and digital craftsman who works between disciplines to explore solutions for contemporary issues through design. His projects and experiments upend the status quo, challenge norms, and explore a brighter future.
Mond is dedicated to building a world and future that we all want to live in and he uses waste, immersive experiences, and the physical world as touchpoints for his work. In our conversation, he unpacks his thoughts on the relationship between art and design, the role of a designer, and how he views the creative process. We chat about a few of his recent works and his current interest in sustainable homes and furniture.
Mond shares his ideas on how priorities can be mapped out, about the layers that go into good design and the need for a variety of perspectives instead of a uniform solution. Our conversation explores what the future of design looks like and the idea of overlap between the physical and digital worlds that we might witness in our lifetimes. We finish off with some thoughts from Mond on the current state of the world and how he is choosing to react to the coronavirus pandemic.
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The world of documentary film is a particularly powerful avenue for social impact. Today’s guest, Louie Psihoyos, is an example of someone that has figured out how to make a massive impact through storytelling and cinema. Louie made waves with his first film, The Cove. Sweeping awards and informing a worldwide audience on terrible dolphin hunting practices in Japan — his film helped to reduce dolphin hunting by 90%. Since then, Louie has continued to create numerous award-winning documentaries around the conservation movement that have reached millions, if not billions.
Louie was a National Geographic photographer for 18 years and was involved in helping to kickstart the recycling movement with his photography. In 2005, he started the Oceanic Preservation Society and since then has used film as his main weapon for conservation. Louie exemplifies the dream of so many filmmakers: moving hearts and changing minds. In our conversation, we do a deep dive into his philosophy towards film and activism and his rules for making an impactful piece of art. He shares the important ingredients that go into his projects and what it takes to ignite social movements — and ultimately — positive change. We cover the practical side of this and get into the pros and cons of defining oneself as an environmental activist. For this inspiring conversation with a true legend, listen at one of the below links:
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Realizing a big business ambition does not have to come at the cost of the planet’s well-being. In fact, the best way is to bring in revenue while being ethical at the same time. Today’s guest is Adrian Solgaard, whose sustainable travel company, Solgaard, removes five pounds of plastic from the ocean for every single product that they sell.
Adrian is a serial entrepreneur that has done a little bit of everything, from running a creative agency to launching bicycle locks on Kickstarter, but the reason he joins us today is because of his latest social enterprise. In it, he uses business in service of the planet by helping clear China’s Yangtze river of plastic and recycling it into products, bricks, and energy too!
In our conversation with Adrian, we talk about what it takes to get ideas of this proportion off the ground and all the lessons he has learned along the way. He is a big believer in the power of collaboration, speaking about how he couldn’t achieve his vision without finding experts to help, and how powerful storytelling is critical to winning them over to his cause.
Another big takeaway from today is that Adrian's solutions mindset is contingent on him being able to ask the right questions. We also talk to him about motivation, aiming high versus doing things step by step, and why he decided to raise so much capital on Kickstarter rather than get a regular job while penniless and sleeping on his friend’s couch!
Follow along and be inspired by Adrian’s work and ideas today! Check out the episode on any of the following platforms:
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It feels as though the major advent of virtual reality has been bubbling up to the surface for some time. Our guest today is Trent Clews-de Castella, cofounder of Phoria. He is here to give us a glimpse into the not-too-distant future and the potential impact of the VR space, as well as the adjacent technologies of augmented reality and mixed reality!
Phoria uses the latest technology in the field for therapeutic interventions to help individuals ease pain, anxiety, and drug use. They also aim to create sustained behavioral change for a variety of conservational causes! The company’s aim is to make a difference in the healthcare space as well, using VR experiences in the clinical trials framework to remove the need for anesthetic, an initiative we at Impact Everywhere find particularly inspiring. In this conversation with Trent, we get to hear about some important landmark events in the history of virtual reality technology, how a background in psychology has driven his recent work, and the centrality of user experiences in ensuring the success of projects. Trent and his team are certainly at the forefront of what is happening in the space, and the sheer amount of potential for changing lives is quite staggering. This is an episode you are not going to want to miss, so tune in (at any of the below links) to hear what he has to say!
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We can all positively impact the world and these changes can take many forms. While many of us may not have the opportunity to make large, structural changes, we all have control over the relational impact we make. This means being mindful about the way you show up daily and being intentional with your interactions.
On the fifth episode of Impact Everywhere, we hear from Eugene Wong, a Culture Shaper who believes that all of us have the power to bring about positive change. Drawing on a unique skill set and experience, he empowers people to impact their spheres of influence more effectively. He has worked as a lawyer, a social worker, a theater producer, in local government and in not-for-profits.
In this episode, Eugene talks about making a difference in the world, and shares his personal journey of how he transitioned from a corporate career to a life of service. Despite how disparate these worlds seemed, he noticed parallels between the two and came to the realization that at the end of the day, everyone wants to be seen. He shares more about his work with homeless people, the Flourishing Framework he draws on to help people live richer lives, and why he believes that everyone can be helped. Eugene firmly maintains that each of us has a light within us, and no matter how dim it might seem, it’s still shining. This was a powerful conversation, so we hope you tune in today!
Listen at any of the following platforms, or for those of you who prefer to read, see our brief summary below.
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Key Points From This Episode: The 3 ways a person can have an impact on the world:
- The glamorous way (changing world in a big way)
- Helping systems to work more efficiently, and doing it with integrity
- Improving the lives of those around you by simply being yourself (bringing positive energy improves how individuals and groups work)
6 things that every person needs to flourish:
- Having basic needs met on a day-to-day basis
- A sense of belonging
- The ability to contribute to society and feel like your contribution is actually valued
- A sense of purpose
- The opportunity to celebrate and lament communally
- Spirituality or higher sense of meaning beyond ourselves
The biggest difference between being a consumer and being a creator:
As a society we are trained to be consume, and there isn’t an actual purpose to it. When you’re a creator, there is an innate purpose for creating, versus just contributing to an economic structure. As our connectedness to things increases, our connectedness to others decreases and we can lose our sense of belonging. Thus, our sense of purpose and belonging can be derived from creating, among other things.
The transition from a corporate career to a more purposeful life:
At one point, Eugene noticed that CEOs and hustlers are not so different from one another. People just want to feel seen. We really are all the same at the core, and just have different ways of expressing it based on the different sets of privileges we are born with. Eugene worked directly with the homeless for a long time, but now with his vast education and experience, he wants to do the most good for the most amount of people by helping others make change.
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It is always difficult to measure the impact of a project or initiative, but that does not mean that going out there to affect some sort of change is not worthwhile! On the show today we have Laura François to talk about her goals of making the world a better place and how complex these issues can be. Laura is focused on inter-disciplinary social and environmental impact, using both digital and creative mediums. She is the founder of the social change agency A New Kind and social entrepreneurship academy, The Spaceship and is passionate about participating in growing ecosystems and emerging markets, and she believes in really drilling down to the base of problems instead of treating surface-level symptoms.
In our conversation, Laura unpacks her thoughts on the issues she addresses and gives some examples of fundamental concerns as opposed to their resultant indications. Her commitment to real change and the means to make this happen is so impressive; we talk about the ‘five whys’ and taking action instead of allowing complexity to stall progress. Laura walks us through the benefits of socially motivated work for businesses and corporations and how much this landscape has changed in the last decade. She shares so much of her learning and passion, you are not going to want to miss this and stay tuned to hear about the project that Benjamin and Laura worked on together!
Last but not least, Laura created a free tool tool is designed to guide anyone looking to explore how their hard and soft skills have the potential to translate into unique opportunities for creating impact. This framework encourages anyone to rethink the problems they are motivated to help solve by identifying their unique value creation and artistic vision!
- https://www.laurafrancois.com/bookshelf
Key Points From This Episode:* Why is it so hard to make the world a better place? (Hint: The world is not black and white) * The key to more Innovation in corporations, is the integration of more creative thinkers within their ranks. * By learning how to speak different “languages” to different “audiences” you can more effectively get your message across. * Businesses need to be thinking about positive impact →Young consumers care about values like sustainability and human rights more than ever before →A brand is more likable and memorable for being honest about their shortcomings as well as their steps to improve their business practices * By using the simple technique of the “5 Whys” — you can already begin to better understand your impact. (TLDR: Ask yourself at least 5 times why the problem you’re confronting is happening )
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On the third episode of Impact Everywhere with host Benjamin Von Wong, we hear from Will Mezner who offers his unique insights not only into the different ways movements can develop and grow, but also how artists can best contribute to them. If you’re interested in hearing the full podcast, check out these links:
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The power that social movements have for orchestrating change can’t be overstated, and the unique skills that artists bring to them means their help is always welcomed. For today’s discussion, we talk about the intersections between artists and movements with Will Mezner, a youth engagement leader at World Vision, Australia’s largest development NGO. Will kicks things off by giving listeners some insights into the process of how change happens in society and also talks about some of the dominant models for organizing it.
We hear about how social change initiatives can scale from petitions to campaigns and then start to take on a life of their own once they become full-blown movements. Will has a bunch of great information to share about the ratios between supporters and resistors of a cause, how these change as a movement grows, and what happens at the tipping point. Our conversation then turns to the role artists can play in these movements and we talk about art’s unique power as well as consider some logistical questions about how artists can partner with NGOs to combine powers.
Will makes a strong case for the concept of making good art first. By this, he means that art can make the most impact if it is already firmly rooted in a cause, rather than being tacked onto the cause of the NGO as an afterthought. He also speaks about his own experience in working on campaigns that collaborate with artists, and at which points in a movement’s growth an artist’s help can be of most use. In the end, the overarching message is that all parties who involve themselves in a cause for change should realize that they are participating in something communal because it is only in numbers that people can take a true stand!
Key Points From This Episode:
• Four strategies for organizing change: ‘cup of tea’, place-based, online, and distributed.
• A quick study of movements that acquire a life of their own after an initial spark through the research of Saul Alinsky
• A reflection on a commencement speech by Neil Gaiman that talks about the critical importance of an artist to Make Good Art.
• Erica Chenoweth and the two key ingredients to a successful movement: majority and active support.
• A brief introduction to Bill Moyer’s ‘movement action plan’ and the strategic frameworks that describe the 8 stages of a successful social movement.
•The Inner Game and Outer Game of how artists can collaborate with campaigns through a distributed organization strategy.
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One of Inc’s 5,000 fastest growing companies, you ought to have your eye on BRINK. Located in both Tucson and D.C., BRINK is a creative group comprised of an agency, a consultancy, a foundation, and a film distribution company. With clients ranging from corporations to causes, their purpose is to elevate their communities and culture.
On the second episode of Impact Everywhere, you’ll hear from Josh Belhumeur, Managing Partner and Creative Director of BRINK. Check out the podcast to hear his full thoughts on binaries, corporate social activism, and storytelling at any of these links:
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In a world that is increasingly controlled by machines — the fight to retain our humanity is becoming more important. The importance of taking a stance is growing in parallel with our need to hold space to hear the opinions of the other side.
Though our use of computers may not change our flesh and blood, it may be impacting our minds. Josh explains that the algorithms used to track our preferences and feed us information are negatively affecting how we view the world. Imagine the binary “1” and “0” as a simple “yes” or “no.” When you click on something, a platform like Facebook will mark you as a “yes” and continue to feed you similar content. When we are constantly exposed to the same things, it can become increasingly more difficult to have meaningful conversations with people of differing opinions. The world is not all 1s and 0s or black and white. There’s a lot of grey in there — but how do we interact with it?
Josh suggests this is not just the responsibility of media and individuals, but also other players like corporations.
“Solving these problems won’t be easy, but we have to start somewhere. We need to get back to the original intent of social media to facilitate human connection, and not simply treat people as data points for shareholders. There’s still plenty of profit to be made and room for advertisers to exist responsibly without the loss of humanity in the process.” Reference
Let’s look at the Edelman Trust Barometer. In 2020, people found businesses to be competent, but not ethical. In fact, none of the below organizations were found to be both competent and ethical. But that doesn’t make them inherently bad. This is the grey of the world.
Reference: https://www.edelman.com/trustbarometer
BRINK takes clients from these groups and helps them improve their
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Joe O’Connell is the founder and president of Creative Machines- a design and fabrication firm located in Tucson that builds large-scale massive public art installations, museum exhibits, art for children hospitals and even products for disaster relief.
Joe isn’t technically an “activist”. He doesn’t directly campaign for social or political change - yet everything that he creates - is designed to bring people together, and inspire self-confidence - and that to me is Impact.
Although some of you might find his journey a little unrelatable - after all - how many of us get to play with melting lead as a child - I encourage you to read between the lines to see how he weaves impact into everything that he does.
The three things in particular that I noticed?
- That impact can only happen after you have a clear vision of WHY you’re trying to have an impact in the first place.
- That the best way to measure the impact of art is to start with a measurable environment.
- If you want to get involved in the impact space, make sure to position yourself as a solution to a problem.
A quick and simple introduction to this podcast.
After surveying hundreds of people to better understand what kept them from integrating impact and purpose into their jobs, projects, and careers - I learned that there were three major barriers.
First, the world is complicated and figuring out what needs to be solved in which priority in what order is often really difficult.
Second, Even if you could figure out what needs to be done next, understanding how your skills can contribute is also a challenge.
And finally, even if you knew what had to be done, and how to do it, it usually would come at the expense of career success and financial stability.
As a result, I”ve decided to explore the topic more deeply. By having conversations with different people that live on the intersection of worlds - and to explore the different frameworks, possibilities, and opportunities that lie within the spheres of impact and purpose.
Learn More at ImpactEverywhere.org or UnforgettableLabs.com