An exploration of the idea of artifacts by Emily Johnston Anderson [gallery link="file"]
A Trio of Chairs in Granada
A trio of chairs against a gorgeous wall of colorful tiles and Arabic inscriptions at the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. I strolled through this lavish Moorish palace one hot day in August, and this shady spot was a lovely place to escape the sun and take in the architectural splendor and rich history of Andalusia.
Erin Loechner: Stories I've Only Told My Mom
If you didn't already know the incredibly talented and just plain sparkly Erin Loechner from Design for Mankind, then maybe you recognize her from her HGTV home renovation column, or maybe it's from her brand new site Design for Minikind (it's just as smart and stylish as Design for Mankind, but for littles and their parents). In any case, Erin is one of those people who exudes warmth and positivity. She's also incredible at supporting people in becoming their best selves (case in point: resource parties), a mission we can fully get behind here at the Equals Project. In honor of Mother's Day, and mentoring, and the bravery it takes to claim the path that's right for you, Erin is letting us share this piece she wrote for Stories I've Only Told My Mom. If you are a mom, you have a mom, or you've ever sought wisdom other women's stories, we highly recommend you download this beautiful anthology, edited by Sarah Bryden-Brown.
Stories I've Only Told My Mom by Erin Loechner
Dear Mom,
It was Tuesday and I think I was 7. I know it was Tuesday because I was wearing my day-of-the-week underwear and we both know how dutifully I relied on my unmentionables to celebrate the passage of days.
I don’t know that I was 7 for sure. They didn’t make undergarments for that sort of thing.
I told you I wanted to be a receptionist when I grew up. I had seen a classified listing for a receptionist in the newspaper that afternoon while we snacked on Little Debbie’s Zebra Cakes (my favorite) and Walnuts Brownies (yours). I’m not sure where my sisters were -- probably playing basketball at the neighbor’s house like normal children. I liked to read newspapers and eat treats littered with high fructose corn syrup, watching you grade your students’ English essays and circle typos with a red Papermate.
You peered over your Sally Jesse Raphael style glasses and smiled. “A receptionist for whom?” you asked.
It hadn’t occurred to me that this mattered. I would be typing, talking on the phone and greeting people daily. I would be The Gatekeeper Of The Office. The Hostess Of The Lobby. The Fixer Of The Fax Machine. Every day. And I would get paid for it! $17,000 dollars. Every year. What else mattered?
“Who you work for always matters,” you answered as you corrected a 4th grader’s misspelling of the word “tomahawk.”
Do you remember saying that, Mom?
It changed my life.
I did, eventually, as you know, become a receptionist for a high profile music executive in Los Angeles. I was paid much more than $17,000 a year and was, indeed, The Gatekeeper Of The Office. But after four months of collating concert paperwork and babysitting Sharon Osbourne’s countless canines, I remembered your words.
“Who you work for always matters.”
I quit that day, Mom. Somewhere between papercuts and expense reports, I knew I wanted to live my life with integrity and do work that mattered, for someone who mattered.
Someone like myself.
Since that day, I’ve had many odd jobs as I attempted to supplement an income that could support the life I wanted to live --- inspiring creative artists, designers and writers to pursue their dreams.
As you inspired me to pursue mine.
And along the way, I never accepted a job from someone that I didn’t believe in, and in doing so, created a professional life of integrity. Your words of wisdom on that Tuesday have shaped the way I present myself as a business owner, entrepreneur and writer.
I am now, proudly, The Gatekeeper Of Encouragement. The Hostess Of My Life. The Fixer Of Un-Inspired Souls.
Thank you, Mom.
p.s. Want to know a secret? I made exactly $17,000 working for myself. Dollar for dollar.
p.p.s. I loved every Tuesday of it.
K's maternity
[gallery link="file"] One photographer captures another's pregnancy through the lens of their friendship.
A Word or Five About Our Design
I don't know about you, but I take on many roles. I'm a mother, a daughter (and daughter-in-law), a friend, a surrogate aunt, a wife, a sister-in-law, a business partner, a cousin, a niece. When we started to think about The Equals Project, it was important for us to visually think about the constant straddling that women do. While at the core of our beings, we are equals — equals to men, equals to each other — we often live with one foot on either side of an invisible line. Our logo brings that line to the surface. Equals straddles a solid line, indicative of the many divides we encounter—men/women, work/life, child/mom, abundance/poverty, old/young, privileged/
In our minds, while we are always on one side of the line or the other depending on the situation & circumstances, we are never complete without the other side, whether that other side represents an opposing idea or different people. It's the other side that makes us who we are as much as our own side. We are what we are because the dichotomy exists. This brings it back around to The Equals Project's mission and purpose—to widen the discussion about women's experiences. None of us are who we are without the experiences of others, and by understanding others, we gain a deeper understanding of ourselves. We hope that while we all peruse, read, and discuss, coming into contact with stories, opinions, and experiences that are different than, or similar to, our own, we can gain that deeper understanding.
Welcome!
It was a dark and stormy night—no really, it was. Our boutique creative agency YOU + ME* was in need of a retreat/vision quest/mini sabbatical/whatever you want to call it and we decided the perfect location was Salt Lake City in January. We weren’t there to seek inspiration at Sundance or on the slopes (though that would have been a solid plan following the storm that blew through town). Instead, we flew three quarters of the way across the country to attend the Altitude Summit, lovingly referred to as Alt, a design and social media conference that attracts creative powerhouses from all over the country. If you think boondoggle when you hear conference, it might not be obvious why we expected to forge a bold new path for our business from the lobby of the Grand America Hotel. But forge we did. It was time to step away from the glare of our computer screens and into the warm glow of shiny notebooks and neon pencils. We wanted to liberate our brains from practical matters like business taxes and invoicing systems and let our minds wander toward our biggest dreams and grandest plans. Most importantly, we needed to meaningfully connect—with old pals, new friends, and each other.
Over the course of our four-day trip, we had a blast (um, as you can see), extended our wheelhouse with a few new tricks, and figured out the next step on our never-ending quest to create a business that reflects our values and leads to fulfilling personal and professional lives. We stayed up late into the night discussing the fact that our internet circles are closing, rather than widening, comparing our experiences of the world, and chatting about our desire to connect women to each other in ways that extend beyond what our houses and weddings look like, what we cook for our families, and how we conceive of and present our outer selves. We downed coffee after coffee contemplating the fact that the online world has been one in which women have been framed as tearing each other down rather than building each other up. We lamented the dearth of online content for women that acknowledges that we are more than our outfits, our homes, and our consumption habits.
From that, the Equals Project was born.
And it looks like others have been thinking along the same lines. From the growing "Things I'm Afraid to Tell You" movement among bloggers, to the focus on meaningful gatherings in Kinfolk magazine, to people sharing incredibly thoughtful stories online with the sole intention of helping other people achieve happiness, it's clear that the internet is evolving from a place where we store and showcase our (often-unattainable) goals into a place where we can be real, multi-dimensional people. As we slow down and think about what we are really consuming on the internet, it seems as if we as a society are aching for meaning and process, rather than destinations and results. We hope you will find here a collection of stories, discussions, and art from women across the country (and across the world) that compels you to think, contribute your own stories and thoughts, and most of all, to act.
We are more than what we can cook, we are more than what we can create, more than our makeup, our jewelry, our aesthetic tastes. We are people with complex ideas, and conflicting thoughts, who read, travel, discuss, do, and make. We are people who are influenced and inspired by the women who came before us, and we aspire to create something greater than the sum of our parts.
After many months of work, tellingly accompanied by more grins than swear words, it’s finally time for us to make the Equals Project a reality. We still have to pinch ourselves a little bit when we think of the talent, the stories, and the passion found among this amazing group of contributors and collaborators. And we only get more excited when we think of how the Equals Project will be interpreted in print early next year. We've also taken to jumping up and cheering on an hourly basis when we think about kicking off Equals Does, our philanthropic call to action--money is not the only tool for making a difference in the world. In a short while, we’ll be announcing our first project representing Equals Does and featuring a series of inspiring projects that share a similar spirit. If you’re interested in supporting the Equals Project, you’re in luck:
- Follow us on facebook and twitter for regular updates
- Share The Equals Project with your friends, family, and every nice person you meet
- Contribute your writing, photography, or video (see submission guidelines)
- Send us a story of how you’ve used your skills, talents, or sheer gumption as a force for good in the world
Let's continue this conversation and get to know each other better, shall we?
Warmly,
Elisabeth & Miya