Dec
third places
I’ve always been an advocate of a Third Place, without ever realizing I was referring to a real and studied concept within sociology. Fast Company recently published a great post about the importance of and value in carving out social moments that enrich us. I believe all creative thinkers (or all people for that matter) should genuinely invest their time and energy into creating these moments.
In the past year, I’ve had the opportunity to do so and share ideas with lots smart people. These people include Michael Surtees & his #walkingtowork project, teaching me to dedicate yourself to a project. The always smarty pants of Three Kings Co. who prove that innovative and awesome things can be done with your best friends. And of course, Steph Vorhees who every day teaches me there are no rules in life and to Crush New York.
I’m looking forward to a 2012 dedicated to meeting new people in new Third Places with loads of new adventures. (Also amped to have a new book to dig my teeth into over the holiday break.)
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The Third Place is a concept of Ray Oldenburg, urban sociologist and author of The Great Good Place: Cafes, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons, and Other Hangouts at the Heart of a Community. The First Place is your home, and the Second Place is your office. You have assigned roles and tasks at each place, and you know nearly all the people in each. The Third Place is where you meet with people you don’t know that well, or maybe at all, and you exchange ideas, learn about other people, and, as Oldenburg sees it, enrich society and yourself.
Feb
Underheard in New York
I highly suggest you follow Danny, Derrick, Albert and Carlos’ Twitter streams. Hearing their voices and seeing what they struggle with in their everyday lives is really moving. It makes you appreciate what you have and what we take for granted. Bravo to Underheard New York.
Underheard in New York is an initiative to help homeless residents in New York City speak for themselves. Providing Danny, Derrick, Albert and Carlos each with their own mobile phone, a month of unlimited text messaging and a Twitter account, they’ve found their voices by texting their thoughts, feelings and actions to Twitter. The mission is to use their social media presence to create real interaction and make them a part of our global community.
