Posts Tagged ‘faith and fortune’
Foursquare user? “Check in” to luck out this weekend.
Friday, July 23rd, 2010
Tags: check in, faith and fortune, foursquare, free t-shirt, SoWa
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Slacktivism; are you guilty?
Thursday, March 25th, 2010
I was reading an article the other day covering a well known charity that had just won a funding contest, pumping about $1 million into their resource pool. Very cool stuff. The reason I mention this, is because the founder was asked something about the “level of involvement from volunteers” or something along those lines, and he used the word “slacktivism”. My curiosity was immediately piqued, so I Wiki’d it (yes, Wiki is a verb now). I was not all that surprised at the definition;
Slacktivism: The word is considered a pejorative term that describes “feel-good” measures, in support of an issue or social cause, that have little or no practical effect other than to make the person doing it feel satisfaction. The acts also tend to require little personal effort from the slacktivist.
Examples of activities labeled as “slacktivist” include signing internet petitions, the wearing of wristbands (“awareness bracelets”) with political messages, putting a ribbon magnet on a vehicle, joining a Facebook group, posting issue-oriented YouTube videos, altering one’s personal data or avatar on social network services, or taking part in short-term boycotts such as Buy Nothing Day or Earth Hour.
When I first read this, I had a good laugh thinking about those “lazy fools” who consider themselves to be doing good from the safety of their own computer. Bracelets? Facebook Messages? Please. Give me a break. What I’m doing is so much…er…I mean, I kind of….crap; I’m a slacktivist. They are talking about me! No! The horror, the humiliation, the shame!
The truth is, the connected world we live in today makes this type of “activism” not only easy, but normal. I will freely admit that I expect to be able to do just about anything I want from the comfort of my computer. Stay connected with friends, make a quick donation to a cause, promote an event I know I will never, ever attend. Look what we’ve created!
This is not all to say that those above things are bad, or even inadvisable. In fact, they are one of the perks and major benefits of the Social Media driven world we live in. The viral nature of the social networks we live in are major players when it comes to spreading the word about anything, good or bad.
So what’s my point, you ask? My point is that those things need to be in addition to actual, physical, self-sacrificial actions. Things that make you a little uncomfortable, a little nervous…a little scared. I say this b/c when we retreat back to the safety of our homes and desks, we now have actual flesh and blood relationships on which to build those online initiatives, and this time it’s with a very different perspective. We’ve gotten our hands dirty. We’ve looked into the eyes of the individuals in need. We’ve broadened our perspective, and ultimately bettered ourselves for it.
What does this look like you may ask? It doesn’t mean you need to start your own charity. It doesn’t mean you need to adopt an entire village of needy people. You don’t need to build a soup kitchen (by all means, if you’d like to please do!). It can be something as simple as getting a group of friends together to make a meal for a homeless shelter. Go through your closet and donate some old clothing. Participate in a “green up” day. Just do something already!
In closing, I offer this directive not from a soapbox, but standing right beside you. I too am guilty of this slacktivism. It’s actually one of the major reasons why we founded Faith & Fortune. We want to use something we are passionate about to help others, even if in some small way. We may sell clothing and great designs, but we’re selling something even greater. The community. People being part of others lives. In the end, that’s what it’s all about, right?
Tags: charity, faith and fortune, slacktivism, volunteer
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Faith & Fortune Visits the Hope Lodge
Monday, February 22nd, 2010
For those of you who have been following us on our Facebook fan page or on our Twitter page, you know we had been recruiting volunteers for a visit to the Hope Lodge in Boston last week. Our plan was to host a simple ice cream night, just to give their residents a break. Well, they were incredibly thankful for the gesture, and so much so, we were left wondering why we hadn’t done it sooner!
For those of you not familiar with the Hope Lodge, it is a 40 suite, outpatient residence for those who live at least 40 miles away from the hospitals in which they are receiving cancer treatments. It provides an opportunity for some sense of normalcy and comfort while undergoing some very challenging times. They have done an amazing job of building a warm, comfortable, accommodating place.
They even have a theatre!
Faith & Fortune’s hope with volunteer opportunities like this, is to force ourselves and our community to step out of our comfortable daily routine. I’ll admit that it’s easier, and certainly more predictable to go about my daily schedule thinking only of myself. Having said that, those times that I do force myself into opportunities like this I end up realizing how much personal growth I gain. Additionally, it just become easier and easier.
Faith & Fortune in the Hope Lodge kitchen
Going forward, we’d love to have you involved in some way. Keep an eye our for different events that we will either be hosting or taking part in and don’t hesitate to drop us a message. Also, if you have a charity that you are regularly working with or would like to see Faith & Fortune get behind, let us know! If we can work it into our plans, we’ll do our best!
Tags: apparel, boston, faith and fortune, hope lodge, volunteer
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Meet the F&F lead designer Grant Hanna
Friday, January 15th, 2010
Every business is composed of many cooperative, moving parts. It’s a balance of weighing one’s strengths and weaknesses, creating ways to fill deficits without compromising one’s objectives. Doing something you are passionate about, with people you believe in. Those relationships are NOT often easily found. It is in that spirit that we would like to introduce you to our lead designer, head of creative, branding expert extraordinaire….Grant Hanna.
Approx 3 years ago when we (Jason and Jim) began hashing out the idea for Faith & Fortune, we were presented with one MAJOR issue; we have zero graphic design background. This was a slight problem which needed addressing. Enter Grant.
A world class guy and a supreme talent, we knew immediately that we had the potential for a special relationship. One look at Grant’s range of work will attest to the fact that this is one, incredibly well rounded artist who takes great pride in his projects.
We feel blessed to have come to know Grant not only as an artist, but as a person.
1) For the record, your name and where you are currently at school and what your area of concentration is there?
I’m Grant Hanna, Faith+Fortune’s featured shirt design artist. I got my undergrad degree in sculpture and graphic design at Gordon College in Wenham, MA, and then spent three years working as a web editor before I moved on to grad school. Currently I’m an Illustration MFA candidate at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta, Georgia.
2) Why are you an artist, and how did you first decide that art was your path in life?
I think there are a lot of different answers I could give to this one, but the most basic is that I love to draw. The feel of moving my pencil across the page, and controlling and finessing the line until it creates something new and perfectly formed, is very powerful. I have a big imagination and getting stuff out of my head and onto the page is really exciting for me.
3) How would you describe your style?
A lot of people have described my style as very Asian influenced, which makes sense as I grew up overseas in Thailand, a country with a very rich visual tradition and a pervasive cultural sense of design that flavors every aspect of life there. Other influences are Art Nouveau and anime. I guess the broadest thing you could say about my style is that I find delight in the details.
4) What artists have influenced you, and why?
Probably the first artist who influenced me was Beatrix Potter. My mother used to read us Beatrix Potter books all the time, and if you smell my personal work, the scent of small furry animals living in the British countryside is one of the basenotes. Probably the first artist that I looked at consciously as an art-maker to emulate was Alphonse Mucha, the father of the Art Nouveau movement in the late 1800s. Nowadays the two artists that I think about most are probably the Japanese painters Hokusai (the greatest designer who ever lived? maybe?) and Takashi Murakami, whose contemporary works deal with Japanese pop culture and global greed.
5)How does fashion related design differ from more “traditional” artwork? What challenges are presented here?
One of the biggest differences is that my fashion designs are for a wide audience and are 100% commercial in purpose. Yes, I do things that I think are beautiful, and try to weave meaning into the designs, but ultimately these images have to have a broad enough appeal to sell to a varied audience. Of course I hope that my personal work will sell too, but I make it for me and then hope that someone will like what I did enough to buy it. With apparel design you have to be aware of trends in color and imagery, and of how the design will interact with the body that wears the final apparel. Unlike a painting that hangs on a flat wall, these designs are draping and moving with human bodies, and you have to take that into account when you design, especially here at F+F where we’re rebelling a bit against the ‘design in the center of the chest’ norm of the t shirt.
Grackle from the series "Ex Nihilo"
6)What other interests do you have (besides art)?
Cooking! I love cooking and eating with friends. Cooking and then eating a meal with people you love is one of the greatest things there is in life. I also dabble in songwriting, but most people don’t hear those.
7) How have you handled the business side of being an artist?
The most important thing for me is to never be afraid to ask questions. I would say that most of the clients I’ve had have never worked with an artist before, and are happy to have as many questions and details hammered out as possible before they seal the deal. You might feel awkward talking about money, legal rights to your work and other “business” matters at first, but it’s way less awkward than having to do it afterwards if you or your client feels that something has been unfair. Also, get yourself a copy of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines, put out by the Graphic Artists Guild. It covers everything.
8)What advice would you give to artists just starting out?
Buy art books – they can be expensive but they are totally worth it – and study the art of people who inspire you. Hang out with other artists. Talk about your work and their work. Draw or paint or whatever you do EVERY DAY. Art is a discipline and it cannot grow without community and hard work. Sometimes art will not be fun. Do it anyway. Gummy bears will help. Your art does not exist in a vacuum; it is part of a conversation going on with your peers and with those who have gone before you. The richest art comes from internalizing this conversation and using it to feed and build your own skills and ideas.
You can see more of Grant’s work by visiting his website
Tags: artist, faith and fortune, grant hanna, interview
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