Strands of Genius: How *NOT* To Run a Panel, Being a Great Ally, Affordable Art That Supports Artists, Our Masked Future
plus our thoughts on why we create, our design internship, 125 black-owned businesses you can support right now
WRITING FROM | Greenville, SC
WORKING ON | http://schoolofstolengeni.us
LOOKING AHEAD
June 26: Book Club Discussion with Faris, on Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World
**free for Apprentices, ticketed event for others
:: WHAT’S NEW & WEEKLY GRATITUDE ::
We find ourselves starting to field requests for in-person work with clients. We’re not sure if we’re ready just yet, especially as we see COVID cases rise as cities around America re-open. It’s hard to believe that 3 months ago today we were checking in to our flights headed from London and Nashville to Mexico City, and that 3 months ago tomorrow, we were not boarding those planes. Has the time flown by, or crept by? For us, it’s been both.
This week, we’re especially thankful for:
kiddie pools & sour beers, sunshine, fantasy novels to get out of our heads, Mario Kart (eiiiiiiiiiight), blooming myrtle trees, squash plants taking over our gardens, little nubbins of shishito peppers, dalgona coffees (they’re pretty fun, y’all), and the swamp rabbit trail.
We’re looking for a design intern to support our growth and development of the School of Stolen Genius.
Interested? Help us design the internship :) Write your own job description detailing your availability and involvement, and tell us how you’d like to be compensated. Include a few examples of your work. Send it over to hello@geniussteals.co and we’ll reach out to continue the conversation if it feels like there could be a good fit.
:: THE LINKS ::
IT’S PRIDE MONTH — HOW TO BE A GREAT ALLY
From our friends Asad (Strategist @ Grey & Creative Strategist for London Pride) and Dan (LGBT+ Co-Chair @ Kings Hospital London), we’ve got a short and snappy one pager on how you can be a better ally. This is one of those downloads we’re making available to everyone, regardless of if you’re a member of The School of Stolen Genius, because we think it’s important. Two-thirds of LGBT survey respondents avoided holding hands with their partners because they’re fearful of the negative reactions they might be exposed to. Thanks to Asad and Dan for thoughtfully curating something that gives us both some background, and ways forward.
HOW *NOT* TO RUN A PANEL
There are occasionally great panels. But more often than not, there are shit panels. And y'all. It DOESN'T HAVE TO BE LIKE THIS!! Here are some easy ways to make sure your panel doesn't suck, from The Atlantic. (The Atlantic)
AFFORDABLE ART THAT ACTUALLY SUPPORTS THE ARTIST
RoomFifty was launched back in 2017 to bring affordable art to the masses, while bringing a fair chunk of change to the artist. But they didn’t want to start another print on demand shop a la Society6 (What is it with these NounNumber art shops?!) and so instead they curated a list of 50 artists who produce an image each season, with 50% of the profit going directly to the artist, and high quality contemporary art prints going on your walls. Also cool is that as an added bonus, you can even send them a picture of your space (with the measurements) and some prints you like, and they will design a bespoke gallery wall for your space, for no additional charge. Sounds like you won’t be needing those ZOOM backgrounds anymore… (RoomFifty)
OUR MASKED FUTURE
We use our mouths to communicate -- but not just orally. They give others hints about the type of pearson we are, and how we might be feeling in that given moment. With the rise of masks, Vox asks “What does wearing a mask to to a person?” and explores the barriers we’ll have to overcome alongside some historical references. (Vox)
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:: WHAT WE’RE THINKING ABOUT: ANOMIE AND IMMUNITY ::
Our friend and collaborator, Dani, contributed their Covid Planning Lessons [Part One] to SoSG and mentioned as a cultural framing the concept of anomie: "the collective feeling that there is nothing ruling society and that everything we known is now on the spotlight to be evaluated, rethought and transformed.”
Anomie, popularized by sociologist Emile Durkheim, “is a societal condition defined by an uprooting or breakdown of any moral values, standards, or guidance for individuals to follow,” a sense that the prevailing narratives have fallen away, which may occur because of a “conflict of belief systems.” It feels very apposite at the moment, as trust and the assumption of competence in government has eroded substantially, especially in the countries experiencing the gravest tolls.
It seems to operate at many levels at once. Obvious falsehoods and policy paralysis from those in power shake our beliefs in the (oh-so-comforting) idea that someone responsible is “in charge of things.”
At the same time, behavior from those in power suggests strongly they don’t consider themselves beholden to the rules they espouse. Driving a wedge between groups and demonizing the media create perfect conditions where “anomie arises more generally from a mismatch between personal or group standards and wider social standards, or from the lack of a social ethic, which produces moral deregulation and an absence of legitimate aspirations.”
In some ways, this is by design. The modern Republican party in the USA, and their political ideologues globally, have worked to diminish the state. This takes the form of politically underfunding departments that do things they would prefer to be privatized, with the consequent liquidity event for their friends. Ronald Reagan made this very clear in the 80s when he said: : “Government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem.” As is usually the case, the problems in question where exclusively economic. This has created an interesting paradox, in which the inclination of the right is to reduce government and taxes and leave things to markets, whilst at the same time using the levers of power and judiciary to force through social issues they consider important, under the ever evolving concept of personal freedom. However, pandemics highlight very clearly that markets reliably fail in certain, predictable, situations — and that personal freedoms directly challenge freedoms of the majority to not be infected and die.
There is hope that those people who have contracted and recovered from Covid-19 will develop immunity, but that is still only a [well evidenced with prior information but tbc] hope. However, other kinds of immunity currently operate in the USA that maintain existing power structures and keep them from oversight. Qualified immunity in the USA makes it close to impossible for police offers to be punished for obvious crimes, which supports that idea that those in power hold themselves to different moral values and standards. It has become a flashpoint in the ongoing protests around police brutality, for obvious reasons - and the GOP has made their point of view clear. “From the Republican perspective, and the president has sent a signal that qualified immunity is off the table. They see that as a poison pill on our side.” The conflict of belief systems continues, and needs to understood as different than politics as usual.
There is no attempt to deploy the “art of compromise” politics requires, in which both sides accepts the validity of their opponents point of view within an existing system of laws and values. Politics is always a fight between competing ideas for a country. This is a fight between different ideas about how the system should operate and for whom. And in this fight, no one is immune.
:: AND NOW… 125 BLACK BUSINESSES YOU CAN SUPPORT ::
“There are lots of ways to support the struggle against police brutality. You can donate money to a local, grassroots organization. You can join a protest, if you feel you can do so safely. You can educate yourself and, if you are white, talk to other white people about racial justice. But one of the most direct and sustainable ways to support the black community is to shop at black-owned businesses, many of which have also been disproportionally affected by the coronavirus pandemic.” (via NY Magazine)
If we can ever be of help to you, even outside of a formal engagement, please don’t hesitate to let us know.
rockON,
faris & rosie & ashley | your friends over at geniussteals.co
@faris is always tweeting
@rosieyakob hangs out on instagram
@ashley also writes for deaf, tattooed & employed
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It's called Genius Steals because we believe ideas are new combinations and that nothing can come from nothing. But copying is lazy. We believe the best way to innovate is to look at the best of that which came before and combine those elements into new solutions.
Co-Founders Faris & Rosie are award-winning strategists and creative directors, writers, consultants and public speakers who have been living on the road/runway since March 2013, working with companies all over the world. Our Director of Operations is nomadic like us, our accounting team is based out of Washington, our company is registered in Tennessee, and our collaborators are all over the world. Being nomadic allows us to go wherever clients need us to be, and to be inspired by the world in between.
Hit reply and let’s talk about how we might be able to work together :)