With the new layout, navigating to your favorite pages can be a bit of a hassle. One strategy to bypass the distraction is to bookmark me here:

http://www.facebook.com/thespovangelist

Design by Gaia Borgias Brown

As a (currently) lone blogger who works (nearly) full time, I often suffer from “blogstapation” – the inability to publish articles in a timely fashion. For every hundred posts out there on the internet, another hundred sit stacking up in my drafts que.

To alleviate this problem, I’ll be using the Spovangelist Facebook page as an informal beta testing ground. This just means I’ll be posting links to topics of potential interest and will gauge the response. If there are a lot of “likes” and comments, a blog post will follow. If there isn’t much activity, the topic will remain undrafted for good. Who knew Facebook could function as a laxative?

Conversely, I’ll use the Facebook page to remind fans to visit the “real” website with little addendums to published posts.  Right now it is at 676 fans and counting, needless to say I don’t have that many email subscribers. Unlike the vast majority of pages, the Spovangelist default view is set to display your links, uploads and comments in hopes that the page will become a true community forum.

Happy Facebooking!

This often means contributions that aren’t in the form of cash, like volunteer labor, professional expertise, leadership direction, or helping to make connections or procure key supplies for a project. Obama has a taken action on the concept of volunteering as a national duty. But how do we best cultivate a culture of volunteerism locally in Spokane?

One way is to recognize, reward and thank people for their efforts. This is exactly the motivation behind the Som Show’s annual Sommy Awards production (aside from a great excuse to ride Spokane’s racing limo to the now demolished Blvd). While many local musicians are woefully under-recognized, chances are they’re far more renowned than your average community organizer. A lot of volunteerism takes place “behind the scenes” instead of up on the literal stage. People spend hundreds of hours sending emails, making phone calls and going to frequently boring meetings to achieve often invisible results. If the work was sexier there’d be a lot more people doing it.

Anyhow, awhile back we received an email from a journalist (notice: bloggers and “paid media” coexisting beneficially) about the upcoming Inlander philanthropy issue. It got us thinking, “Who are the activists we know that really stand out in areas like the Arts, Community, Education, Environment, Social Action, Wellness, Youth and Community Gardening?”

Of course no one person can know everyone that is out there. It’s the journalist’s job to comb through and compile answers from everyone who responds. Obviously there is no “right” answer. They will probably look for the best stories, try to weigh the impact of people’s work, consider how many nominations various people received, and factor in a person’s general prominence in the community (see “Where Did We Go Wrong?” respondents).

So we came up with our own angle of young people we know who are doing great work in these areas. They might not end up in the paper, but their efforts are no less worthy of recognition.

Arts – Tiffany Patterson

This is a woman who is leading our young local artists by example. She writes a blog. She’s politically active. She’s on Etsy. She does benefit shows. She does shows with other cool local artists. She’s at the Community Roots Market. She helps people with their fliers and zine covers. She has a calendar and a coloring book. She paints beautiful murals (you have to go under the Maple St. bridge to see it for yourself) in beautiful neighborhoods. What will this creative dynamo dream up next?

Community – Angie Dierdorff

Angie is a mastermind when it comes to coordinating large scale community events. She was instrumental in producing HoopFest, and has now turned her sights to Sustainable September, an entire month of sustainability-themed community events to be held in Spokane this fall. Angie goes above and beyond to make sure that her events have lasting impact, and takes pains to ensure they are geared towards building community. Angie was also a founding member of P.E.A.C.H. Local, and is a part of Spokane’s 80′s punk rock crowd.

Education – Brooke Matson

Don’t let Brooke’s sweet M.E.A.D. Alternative High School teacher smile fool you. This young lady has a hankering for change and she knows how to get it! Teaming up with the Shrinking Violets, Brooke wasted no time organizing a Radical Teacher’s Support Group “to recharge our sense of purpose and reconnect with the passions that called us to become educators.” As if that weren’t enough, Brooke went on to convene RiverSpeak, a grassroots group of creatives looking to establish a community-driven online forum for local arts and literature that will ultimately be supplemented by quarterly print reviews. Brooke also draws on her perspective as an alternative educator in contributing to Envision Spokane.

Environment – Matthew Phillipy

Matt is a science teacher at WVCS by day, and is an amateur green builder and neighborhood activist extraordinaire by night. With his super students, Matt set up a wiki for the Peaceful Valley neighborhood. But that is just the tip of the iceberg. Matt was the driving force behind the successful multi-day Peaceful Valley Parks Charrette, where neighbors came together for the first time since the 1980′s to create a community vision for their neighborhood. While he was waiting for the City to process paperwork at a glacial pace, Matt roused fellow neighborhood enthusiasts into picking up trash and taking immediate action to improve the state of the PV parks.All the while he was working diligently with his father, Keith Phillipy, to complete a green remodel on his historic (est. ~1895) home. His pad now has drought tolerant landscaping, a solar powered chicked coop, vermiculture in the kitchen and other fun features. You can support Matt’s work by purchasing a limited edition I ♥ PV T-Shirt here. When supplies run out an organic cotton version will be on its way.

Social Action – Nick Flett and Naaman Cordova-Muenzberg

Nick is wholly dedicated to his work at the Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery. He also has been known to weigh in on local politics after hours. He helped to put on the Fatherhood Conference at SCC, and is likely to be found at most any community event dealing with social justice and human rights.

Naaman works for the Inland Northwest Mentoring Partnership and always seems to have something interesting up his sleeve. Right now he’s working with friends to host a “Love-In” benefit party for PJALS with performances by the B Radicals and Black Rabbit Magic. You can RSVP here.

Wellness – Beth Mort

Partner blog Diamond in the Basalt does a pretty good job of justifying this nomination. You can vote in favor of Beth for a $10,000 Grants For Change award to establish a comprehensive bike and wellness training program for youth in Spokane. You have to log in to the Nau site to vote, but they have great design principles (see: chrysalis dress) so sign in and represent! Beth did a stint at the Lands Council and does countless other amazing things with her friends over at Pedals2People, Spokane’s hip grassroots community bicycling group.

Youth – Taylor Weech

I really hope that whomever gets showcased for this category is actually a young person. Taylor is a chalking (helped organize a community “chalk jam” in Riverfront Park) talking example of the effectiveness and need for youth-led community involvement. As the only full time staff member of the Youth Sustainability Council, Taylor helps to manage six other teen employees that help run the group’s Facebook, MySpace and blog. They also have a radio show called “Raise Your Voice” on KYRS 92.3FM. It is the only youth issues forum on Spokane radio, and can be heard every Friday at 3pm.

Community Gardening – Cricket Turgeon

Cricket took on an early leadership role to help roll out Food Not Lawns here in Spokane with some dedicated friends. Her organizing philosophy is wise and strategic. We intuit more good things to come.

Last we’d like to humbly submit two more community philanthropy categories for the Inlander. What about Politics and Religion? They might be charged topics to cover at times, but their importance to society is undeniable. We would acknowledge Chad Nicholson for his hard work on the Community Bill of Rights, and Malcolm Haworth and Jon Phillips, for advancing local interfaith events and participating broadly.

These are just a smattering of names, but they represent a strong undercurrent of positive change in our city. There are many more behind and around these dedicated and passionate young people. We welcome your shout-outs and thanks to the local heroes you know below.

Last night a cheerful lady knocked on our door to introduce herself as the “Browne’s Addition Welcome Wagon.” She had seen us working in our vegetable patch and wanted to celebrate our new status as neighbors. My roommate and I scored some strawberries, tea, pastries, seeds and a bouquet of fresh flowers, a card and contact information in case we ever found ourselves in an emergency.

Apparently once she moved to a new city and her neighbors threw a party to welcome her to the ‘hood. She was so impressed that she wanted to pay the sentiment forward in some way. Just imagine the kind of world we’d live in if more people had the courage and will to build such relationships. Maybe our neighborhoods wouldn’t feel so eerily empty in the middle of the day.

Maybe you think this display of altruism is a ploy or some kind of fluke. I suppose it depends on who you surround yourself with, but in my experience Spokanites are surprisingly generous. When we lived in Cliff Cannon we had a supply chain of three different neighbors within two blocks eager to share fresh produce from their “yardens” (a creative and permaculture-friendly combo of flowers and food plants on residential property that serves as an exciting alternative to sod).

Then there are the little things, the friend who brought us ice cream and a cookie in the middle of the day, the mixed CDs and handmade art throughout the holidays. We even received a custom box of handmade soaps from the Geriks. Incredible!

These are the kind of gestures that make a person bond with their social sphere. It creates a sense of belonging and attachment that no ad campaign could ever hope to replicate. This is because it’s a sincere and selfless expression between real people looking to connect.

So here is the pitch: What if Spokane’s Young Adult Marketing Coordinator helped organize local young adult artists to produce unique custom Spocare Packages to send to people in our peer group who we know are contemplating a move to Spokane?  They could include things like a local music compilation CD, screen printed Spokane patches, zines, booklets, stickers, creative bookmarks, embroidered coffee cozies, a copy of the Inlander or Metro, you name it, we could send it!

The effort would require a innovative partnership between grassroots creative class activists in Spokane, and an entity with a regional marketing budget like GSI. A referral network would have to be established to identify recipients who are strategic and who meet criteria for receiving such a gift. Not just anyone would be mailed a Spocare Package. Priorities could be set that reflect the kinds of skill sets that we need to bolster in Spokane’s workforce. They could also meet a certain threshold of “likelihood factors” that would make delivering a Spocare Package a smart investment.

It would be a win-win-win. Local artists would receive stipends to scale up and sell the kind of work they are already producing instead of GSI (or whomever is responsible for attracting new talent to Spokane) buying cheap branded crap from a catalog out of China. The marketing agency gets high quality, high impact goods at an affordable rate. In fact, some local businesses and artists might consider discounted or complimentary prices in exchange for the targeted marketing that the Spocare Packages offer. Spokane skeptics get blown out of the water with evidence of Spokane’s development and cultural products. They put the stuff in their apartment and their friends inevitably ask where it all came from…

If marketing is all about standing out, Spocare Packages would definitely do the trick. We could, perhaps, be the only city in the country utilizing this innovative approach. It is the kind of thing that could attract media attention, the story is just too cute. It is grassroots authentic marketing at its best. Lastly, some kind of peer review committee should be involved as volunteers to help make targeting decisions, assemble packages, and write personal notes to the people receiving Spocare Packages. It could go something like:

Hey there [or insert name],

You haven’t met us yet, but we are a bunch of [fill in the blank] in Spokane that want to spoil the secret about what kind of city we live in. Your friend [fill in the blank] mentioned that you got laid off last month and are looking for some new directions in life. Did you know that Spokane has [fill in the blank about industry specific employment opportunities in their field]? We also have a lot of new [arts, culture, nightlife, music, entertainment, recreation] opportunities that you may not have heard of before.

Next time you’re in town [most likely visiting family] if you feel like getting out and meeting some new people, give us a call. We’d be happy to show you some new places around town that have opened since the last time you were here.

Always,

[insert name]

The Spocare Package Group

I mean WOW. There are plenty of talented young people getting priced out of their apartments in urban areas that are tiring of the artificial veneer of fast-paced city life. Spokane to them could represent a haven, a reflective space in which they would be supported in pursuing their creative and professional goals. If someone would have sent me this kind of package when I graduated from college, I would have rushed home with enthusiasm and energy instead of a sense of dread and defeat.

As with any marketing strategy, one would have to conduct a pilot to determine the return on investment for the technique. Even a 20% relocation rate could be a huge improvement on where we stand today. Someone needs to determine the baseline. After receiving packages, people could be surveyed to determine if their perception of Spokane changed. My hunch is that perceptions would change significantly, and that is the key to our city’s success.

Spovangelist reader, freelance writer and Gonzaga student Brittany Wilmes beat us to the punch on this story. Read her insightful interview (excerpted below) with SPOKE(a)N(e) Magazine editors Tyson and Sara Habein.

To summarize, SPOKE(a)N(e) Magazine is a monthly .pdf publication that features the people, places and events of Spokane’s “creative community”. Taking a broad view of what that includes, SPOKE(a)N(e) goes beyond the typical music and visual arts coverage to include DIY fashion, community radio, graphic design, poetry, photography, film, offbeat theater and even news from the local comic community, to name a few.

The electronic format allows the magazine to include multiple full length interviews, an approach that is largely absent from the Inlander’s arts and culture coverage. Even better is the intriguing mix of established and emerging artists that are featured. Our favorite interview question is “What do you like about the Spokane creative community, and what would you like to see more of?” This angle gets at the heart of the optimism and dedication local creatives have for Spokane’s growing scene.

The absence of printing costs also allow for multiple page photo series that feature the work of Tyson’s YellowHouse Photography. Such prolific local eye candy makes up for the publication’s rather simple and utilitarian black/white/pink block layout design.

As with most Spokane style shoots (see Spokane Coeur d’Alene Living Feb. ’09), a subtle urban vs. rural theme runs through these sets.

What adds an extra dose of authenticity to SPOKE(a)N(e) is the circumstances under which it is produced:

T: It’s very lo-fi. We’re working with Photoshop 6 and old, ancient software.
S: We’re on a dial-up connection. We live out in Rockford.

T: There’s two of us, but I have a day job and we have two kids.

T: I like the amount of variety that’s in Spokane. We’re both from Montana, and where I grew up, in Billings, it was very rare to see something non-traditional – that is, that wasn’t oil-based landscape paintings or high school kids starting a punk band.
It’s great to see art that’s unique, like spoken word artists and folks making their own clothes. It’s pleasing to see people in Spokane who don’t mind freaking out the grandmothers of the world.
S: Coming here, in some ways, the scene is just a little bigger. The size of the city provides a greater likelihood of there being variety.
T: I think Spokane is on the cusp of being a vibrant, creative community. I think it’s looked down upon in the Pacific Northwest, but it will depend upon who decides to stay and give it a go here.

In an effort to attract more independent contributors like Lloyd Phillips and Alex Toney, SPOKE(a)N(e) Magazine is now offering 1/4 page ad space for writers to do with as they please. What would you use it for? We like that the SPOKE(a)N(e) staff aren’t afraid to self-promote and ask for revenue in exchange for the attention of their audience.

Looking forward, SPOKE(a)N(e) Magazine seems like it is here to stay. While their efforts aren’t all that sophisticated to start, simplicity is a key part of long term viability. Basic business sense is also an important part of micro media longevity. And with longevity comes the confidence and trust of the community.

• SPOKE(a)N(e) Magazine on Facebook

From behind the Pinecone Curtain emerges a new voice for the North Side Pirates, those talented yet remote Whitworthians – culled from across the world and every small town within 500 miles. As publications go CORSAIR is still in its infancy, but has the raw material to become a surprisingly successful neo-urban regional lifestyle rag.

Driven by the vision of art senior Elizabeth Johnson, CORSAIR reflects the broader desire of the Whitworth community to “delve into Spokane culture,” and not just of the S.O.B. variety. Features of non-traditional emerging artists, such as skateboarder Ruben Villarreal and multi-mediaphile Bradley Wakefield offer a welcome counter point to longstanding Lorinda Knight.

With about 20 pages of full semi-gloss color, CORSAIR offers plenty of eye candy to keep on the coffee table – and they are calling for more. A request was issued for full body shots of folks willing to be in a local street fashion feature. Interviews, venue reviews, photography and a variety of artist features are all par for the course.

CORSAIR is striving to seek out new and eclectic styling to share with readers, to inspire them to go beyond wearing jeans and a Whitworth sweatshirt every day to class. It endeavors to expose readers to local artists, both in the Whitworth community and the larger Spokane/Northwest area. It provides them with ways to experience this artwork and allows them to get to know the artists through artist profiles. The same approach is applied to the musical scene in Spokane, and the local musicians and venues. Occasionally we try to give tips on dorm/apartment décor, and ideas for designing small spaces with style.

The first run was only 50 copies, which doubled to 100 copies on the second printing. Currently the magazine is available free of charge, but donations are certainly appreciated.

The real challenge for CORSAIR is one of longevity. What will happen when linchpin Elizabeth Anne graduates and moves on? When it comes to artistic endeavors like this, delegating is easier said than done. People in creative industries are very exacting about what they produce and have a strong desire to have control over the direction and format of their work. This results in a tendency to “over initiate” projects as opposed to adapting and sustaining ones that are already off of the ground.

Spovangelist’s advice? Keep the talent in town, at least for a while. This will give the magazine a shot at transitioning into other hands, or becoming commercialized to the degree that it can support a staff of one.

Garnering local business sponsorships and charging for something that started out “free” will be challenging, but are entirely within the realm of possibility.

Meanwhile you can mark your calendar for the Third Issue Release Party May 8th. For more information contact: corsairmag [at] gmail [dot] com.

]]> http://spovangelist.com/a-breath-of-fresh-corsair/feed/ 0 http://spovangelist.com/spring-4-ward-a-four-part-local-media-series/ http://spovangelist.com/spring-4-ward-a-four-part-local-media-series/#comments Tue, 07 Apr 2009 03:39:30 +0000 The Spovangelist http://spovangelist.com/?p=152 Spokane’s exciting new crop of independent magazines.

Something aside from spring is in the air. March April and May this year will witness the launch of four (count ‘em, 4!) new independently produced interest magazines. Each has its own focus and mission, and each carries new promise for the growth and improvement of Spokane’s local identity.

We will recap, interview, praise and caution each of the following over the next four posts:

1. CORSAIR – “Whitworth’s Style/Art Magazine”
2. SPOKE(a)N(e) Magazine – “Online Guide to the Creative Community”
3. Local Hands – “A Guide to Arts & Crafts of the Inland Northwest”
4. 509 Style – “For the trendy, fashion-focused lifestyle of Spokane”

These publications are not to be confused with zines, an important topic that deserves a Spovangelist Series in its own right.

The upstarts are mostly web-based, and we will argue they pose no threat to established print productions like Spokane Metro Magazine.  There is plenty of room in our market for new micro-media experiments. The more the merrier, up to a point…

It is all a question of how well these newcomers can connect with their respective audiences, and how their production plan will ensure that they become a sustained success. Stay tuned for the inside scoop!

Then there is the slightly shorter Spokane Downtown, with music that sounds more “retirement party” than “funeral” – sorry Kevin! The image quality is worse than before, and the “up close and in your face” photo framing makes you wonder what is lurking around in those unidentified black margins…

Perhaps the most authentic and forgivable of Spokane’s tourism videos is Tour of Spokane – our city through the eyes of a troupe of 14 year old boys (as clearly dictated by the requirements of a school project). This opus speaks for itself. I’m actually rather partial to this one, in a sympathetic and understanding kind of way that only a Spokane native can afford.

In the professional category we have Our Place, NOT to be confused with Our Place. Is it just me or does it seem just a wee bit forced to stage a Native American in front of the subjugated Spokane Falls claiming “our power”? With music reminiscent of StarTrek, there’s no doubt left in your mind about the spirit of industry and Empire inherent to the region. Other than that and the creepy “come see us” voice crying out at the end, this clip seems to be fairly well meaning and representative of the people involved.

Last we have the latest and greatest of the Spokane tourism shorts. There is a lot to like here, so don’t take my skepticism out of context. First, I really like the use of antiquated video. As anyone who has watched a significant amount of City Cable 5 knows, we have a virtual treasure trove of marketing material in old city promotional footage just waiting to be rediscovered. Second, I like the shout outs to our local history, it is important to have a sense of where we came from. Finally, I applaud the celebratory nature of the film (despite the fact that shooting it was interrupting a Terrain planning meeting we were having at Zola).  The “cheers to us” angle avoids pandering and is the kind of “hell yeah!” Spokane needs and deserves. Quite a few people work tirelessly around here on behalf of the common good and they deserve mad props for what they do.

Two themes in this clip, however, rub me the WRONG WAY. First is the car-centric view of downtown. Kicking it off with “traffic to be watched out for” the overview of modern Spokane is delivered from the hood of a car. If mining and timber are on their way out due to natural resource depletion, should we really be perpetuating our transit culture of “driving shiny motor cars” that require petrocarbons to keep “rollin’ on through”? It’s weird to me that the filmmakers even included footage of a gas pump with the price meter racking up fast. Was this meant to be ironic? Surely it must be intentional?

The second reservation is only subtly reinforced. That is the message that drinking is at the heart of having a good time in Spokane. While alcohol is a popular commodity everywhere, Spokane’s drinking culture is so unconscious it reinforces young adult alcoholism that goes far beyond fun and games. While its great to support our favorite local watering holes, our creative culture should not solely depend upon or revolve around the bars. Because of this posing drinking as an integral part of our local identity is problematic, especially when combined with driving.

***

Can’t get enough of these clamoring attempts for your approval? Check out the rest of the Downtown Spokane videos here. Our advice to the regional marketing mavens that be: Don’t try and make a movie that appeals to everyone, there is no such thing. It is better to customize your message and target key demographics, including those under 35.

Handbill compliments of Dreyer Press.

If you live out of the area and covet one of these books, please send a self-addressed stamped envelope to:

Mariah McKay, c/o Community-Minded Enterprises, 25 W. Main Ave. Spokane, WA 99201

The buy direct cost is two for $3 while supplies last.

Meanwhile Blog Bible volunteers are hard at work weaving an independent retail web throughout the Northwestern US. We are looking forward to the design work of DumbGun who is creating a product poster as part of our Buy Local campaign for select locations in Spokane.

Two months, 300 emails, imposing on friends and family plus $400 later there you have it. A tantalizing little book packed with medieval graphics, URLs and distinctive descriptions for 12 of Spokane’s more active blogs. With topics ranging from photography to bicycling there is something for everyone in this user friendly hand-held guide.

Participating Blogs:

Down To Earth
Spokanarama
The Spovangelist
Cycling Spokane
7,000
Shallow Cogitations
Out There Monthly
Spokane Skeptic
Blush Response
The Inland Echo
Get Out North Idaho
Skywalk Sensations

While all the juicy details are still to follow, here are some thoughts and lessons learned along the way in bringing this project to life:

• If you think you know it all, you don’t. I wrongfully assumed I was aware of about half of the blogs being written in the area. After some digging and help from friends I realized I hadn’t encountered even 1/5 of what was out there! This just goes to prove the notion that if you look for it, you’ll find it.
• Peer group adoption is extremely important. I’d say the #1 motivating factor for getting people to buy in to the Blog Bible was letting folks know who else was already on board. The novelty of the idea, the chance to promote their writing in an alternative format, or the community building impact of the project didn’t seem to matter as much as what other people’s stance was on the proposal.
• Small groups make bigger groups less awkward. Participating bloggers didn’t just throw some cash into the pot and call it good, they got their hands dirty getting together to make wire tree display racks (to show that the Blog Bibles make excellent Christmas tree ornaments) and stapling and collating the booklets themselves. When people are focused on producing something the conversation flows naturally, even though few people had ever met each other before. Hopefully this will make the Blog Bible release party feel more like a reunion and less like an “Oh my god where did all these strangers come from?”

Last is faith. There is nothing more rewarding than watching the skepticism of those around you melt away as an idea becomes tangible and then real. People say they like gardening or building houses because they can see what they produce as they go along. Efforts to change an entire culture are the opposite.

In the realm of hearts and minds there is no beginning, no end, and no solid benchmarks along the way to measure your progress. While it might be miniscule in the grand scheme, projects like the Blog Bible show us that little things can quickly add up and become significant. Heres to building the tools for the future we want to see, as opposed to the one that is on its way by default.

If this video of Ghost Mice playing in “some North Spokane backyard” after the July 4th ’08 anti-police brutality march is any indicator, count us in!

As the Finger continues to expand it’s influence across the creative networks of the Northwest, the publication increases its value as a conduit for Spokanites to report on our scene building progress. We strongly subscribe to the philosophy “Deliver and they will come!”