kalos kai agathos

Balancing the good and the beautiful. I've been wanting a way to swim in this kind of notion since I've been five. The world I created in secret when I was that age was beautiful, peaceful, fun, and serene.  There was only one option and it was clear, precise and perfectly right to me. I didn't think I was a little bit crazy, what kid thinks they're crazy? I loved my little weird projects of paper dolls, carved chalk dolls, and daydreams. Of course, as we get older we change. We are influenced by everything around us.  We are faced with other options, different projects, and then our daydreams even change.

Now I am here revisiting the secret world I created and today it still is beautiful, peaceful, fun, and serene.  There has only been one option for me and it fits just right.  So going back to a comment my nephew made last summer - There is absolutely nothing wrong with basking in the thought of a "world made of jello" (except the people inhabiting the world, of course).

Must reads:  Eat, Pray, Love; Top tips from women entrepreneurs: Linda Rottenberg - How I Did It

The conflicts around us

I'm a Mac ... and I've Got a Dirty Secret - The best video clips are right here

Last month I just signed a petition in support of the Congo Conflict Minerals Act of 2009.  To support accountability and transparency to the supply chain of minerals used in the manufacturing of most of our electronic devices such as cell phones.  Last month I also upgraded my phone and got myself a blackberry bold. Now I feel completely terrible! Just recently people lined up for the latest and greatest Apple iPhone  Through all my research in trying to discover ways in which my company can be beneficial to everyone vs. bottom line focused, I've become completely overwhelmed. The Sarbanes and Oxley Act had ask for transparency in corporate accounting practices.  I feel that today consumers should want to also know what conflicts companies are supporting.

An article titled, "Death by Gadget" by NY Times Op-Ed columnist, Nick Kristof talks about these "elegant symbols of modernity" and how they are built from minerals that are fueled by mass rape and killings in the Congo. He asks, "What if we could harness that desperation for new technologies to the desperate need to curb the killing in central Africa?" I ask myself, "What do I need to do and how?"

My desire to be constantly aware and to bring about awareness is what inspires the collections of my future designs. In order for me to continue on this momentum I must constantly be doing something to help even if it's just a tiny step. As long as I'm continuously making these small steps I know I can make bigger steps with my company in the near future. Conflict minerals is not the main reason for the war in Congo, but it is one aspect of it. But I believe any amount of help is still beneficial.

How we can help: www.raisehopeforCongo.org 

I love who I am and I will love what I do :)

"The dogmas of the quiet past, are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise -- with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country." - Abraham Lincoln's Annual Letter to Congress one month before signing the Emancipation Proclamation.

If you are sitting unhappily at your desk at work while repeatedly reciting the forced "I love my job" mantra then I suggest digging deep into your childhood memory file cabinet and re-exploring the most bizarre things you've done as a kid and remembering the feeling of gratification you had from it. Because that may be the ticket to your happy place! Well, it is for me.

We shouldn't limit our capacity and ignore our passions because of the uncertainties of the real world.

If you have a 1/2 hour to spare, watch these presentations: