Ryan's Blog

Moved, please follow

2011-12-13T18:46:00.001-08:00

I've moved to ryanchatterton.com

Please follow plox. :D

Idea School Chronicles

2011-09-17T11:58:00.000-07:00

What you do is you create awesome content and give it away.

In the spirit of GIVE, one of our classes, I'm hitting this full force. All of my down time is going to build the new, interactive site, with sweet free content.

I always thought it would be really hard to do this, but I decided to subscribe to Lynda.com, which has thousands of modules on all types of computer based software, programming languages, and inspiration interviews with design firms. Really cool.

Check out this awesome video on sharing:

Idea School Chronicles

2011-09-15T10:55:00.000-07:00

Idea School is a little over 1 year old now.

The journey has been tough. Really tough in fact. If you know about it, what we're doing is building a creative project school, which is about entrepreneurship, art, and community. We believe in fun, hands-on experiences that allow us to create our callings instead of train for a job. It's about collaboration and creativity. It's about making a difference and having the coolest experience while doing it.

Over the last year we've been working on different projects, started by other individuals, trying to impact them in every way possible. Trying to make them real. At Green Urban Lunchbox, we learned; at Ripple Effect, we tried to force alternate action; and now, at The Granary District, we're going to try ninjas.

Recently we proposed hosting micro-events to add some splash to the neighborhood and tout it as a cool place to hang out. However, it's become clear that we need to be more involved or else we'll be stuck holding an event every few months, which won't build the community as it has been envisioned. We're assembling a team to do this and we'll do all the work, all in order to support the project founder.

The lesson here is that massive collaboration is so important. Following is important. We have to support our leaders without being asked to.

Awesome job fair and polar bears.

2011-08-25T11:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I ran a booth for Idea School at the Jobs/Volunteer Fair and the outcome was fantastic. I made a lot of awesome connections, both student related and community related.

At first, I was pretty nervous, but my old sales skills kicked in and I was on fire for the whole day. Met a lot of interesting and cool individuals who will hopefully spread the word about our work.

Really should do more events like this. Anybody who says event marketing doesn't work is wrong. Really just comes down to how much will it cost me and what is the audience. Pretty simple.

As a side note: going to Alaska the day after tomorrow. Came up quick. I'll be back on the 5th. Cross your fingers that I don't get eaten by a polar bear.

Just came across this book:

2011-08-22T09:34:00.000-07:00

Class Warfare: Inside the Fight to Fix America's Schools

In a reporting tour de force, award-winning journalist Steven Brill takes an uncompromising look at the adults who are fighting over America’s failure to educate its children and points the way to reversing that failure... -Publisher's Summary

Disappointing... no, wait. It's more than that. It's actually upsetting.

I'm not knocking what the author has done. We need initiatives like these to help move that movement forward. What I'm upset with is that year after year, week after week, it seems that the public is mostly bent on helping only children have a better education. Granted, this is a real issue. Children don't really get a choice in life.

But there is a big failure that everybody ignores. That failure manifests itself in the children already grown. The young adults of our country who grew up being told that everything would be okay. They would graduate and get a job and have a happy life. Maybe get married and have kids. Become a millionaire and get the chance to travel extensively.

*Sirens going off*

What's that?! Oh wait, it's the bullshit alarm. Let me turn that off for you. Sorry about that.

Here's the reality:

The truth is hard to swallow. The reason nobody is setting out to 'rescue' the young adult, college kid crowd is pretty obvious. It's hard. A lot harder than helping kids in elementary school. Children have to go to school.

Try convincing a college kid to try something new, work hard, be creative, accept criticism and blame, and be generous. Schools are going to continue teaching us the same old things because its easier than trying to get us to actually give a shit, confront inevitable failure, and make a difference.

Here's even more reality:

It's not actually their job to get us to do those things. It's ours. We have to make the choice to care about our art, our work. We have to choose to make a difference and find our own purposes.

The troubling part is nobody wants to help us. The encouraging part is it will make us stronger. Would you have it any other way?

This could have been a book about that. It could have been a book about what to do when you graduate and there are no jobs. It could have been a heartfelt book about creating your own career, starting an initiative, and making your art, while overcoming resistance.

Instead: read The War of Art

Great City Weekly Article by Beth Clifford about higher ed.

2011-08-19T10:51:00.000-07:00

This article about what to do after graduating hits it right on the head:

http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/article-405-14511-the-backup-plan.html

Enjoy.

Genres Are Vehicles, Not Content

2011-04-13T13:45:00.000-07:00

I realized something interesting today. There are a lot of similarities between books of different genres. Seriously, way more than you think. I hope this post will convince you to search outside your traditional genre for something you didn't know was there. The results will surprise you. Read on...

For a long time I've read pretty much exclusively non-fiction, business books. I read a lot about personal development and the exploits of others. I also have read a lot of philosophical fiction, my favorite being Paulo Coelho, a brilliant Brazilian author. (He wrote The Alchemist).

A favorite business author of mine is Seth Godin, author of Tribes, The Dip, and Purple Cow, among many others. He also happens to have the most widely read business blog in the world.

What I noticed astonished me. The entire premise of The Dip, which is about getting through the tough parts to make it to the wonderful success at the end, was very similar to a lot of the things Paulo Coelho talks about in his books.

Here's an example:

Coelho writes about Beginner's Luck in The Alchemist. Basically he describes it as the Universe wetting your appetite with success. What usually follows are incredibly tough times and heartache. (I know this, I've been there personally). Eventually, if a person perseveres long enough he/she will fulfill their Personal Legend.

Now, lets get away from Coelho's spiritual and somewhat cryptic speech and move toward more pragmatic language.

Godin, in his short book The Dip, writes passionately about starting something new, whether a new project, career, business, or skill. At the beginning, things seem to be fun and awesome and moving along smoothly. Then, you hit a wall and the fun goes away and suddenly everything becomes difficult. The part that makes everybody else quit. This seems to get more impossibly difficult until finally, you're on a rapid upswing. The persistence pays off, and you have your success.

Both are simply different formats for telling the same story. I know I've noticed this before, yet now it's flooding me.

A genre is merely a vehicle for understanding, not the content itself. Remember that.

The alternative to failure

2011-03-22T15:16:00.000-07:00

How many times did I fail at making gnocchi dough before it came out right?

The answer really doesn't matter, the point is that I failed the first few times before getting it right. Each failure was a lesson, but most people don't really look at it that way. In fact, let's scratch out the word ~~failure~~.

~~Failure~~ is a bad word. A lot of writing these days has been devoted to reinventing the way we look at ~~failure~~, though perhaps the use of the word itself is the source of the problem. Next time you find yourself using the word ~~failure~~, replace it with something else.

Here are some suggestions (some are made up): I explored, I insighted, I poked, I learned, I experimented...

(by the way the answer is 2)

Green Urban Lunchbox

2011-03-17T23:37:00.001-07:00

Idea School posted a new blog post today about Shawn Petersen's Green Urban Lunchbox project. You should go over and check it out: http://www.theideaschool.org/blog/

True Freedom

2011-03-15T22:45:00.000-07:00

In a recent conversation I spoke about the decision to sell my car. The conversation proceeded like this:

"[Walking] is actually pretty nice. Plus there's always the bus"

"Yeah and trax. Idk that would probably be a good financial decision but I feel like I'd lose freedom"

This got me thinking. What exactly is freedom? And is the freedom that you think you have really freedom at all? I'm going to turn this one upside down.

I propose that most of us live with the illusion of freedom. You think because you have a car and the freedom of mobility that you actually have freedom?

(sorry for using you as an example friend, I'll cook you dinner to make up?? =D)

The friend I had this conversation with is afraid of losing her overall freedom, but really by selling her car she could be expanding it. I know, because I've lived it.

Before I sold my car last August, I was spending about $240/month on payments and $160/month on insurance, plus gas and maintenance.

Here's the facts:

Owning a car meant a car payment, which meant I had to work more hours just to own the car

suddenly my decisions about my time are being dictated by how much money I have

It also meant having to pay insurance, which meant more working, and thus less time.
As a side bonus, driving was a huge crutch activity for me. I could drive around for hours, subsequently wasting gas and time while accomplishing nothing.

The elimination of all these things amounted to the expected $240 car payment and the $160 in insurance, but there was an extra $200, which came as a huge surprise. I realized that by owning a convenience good (a car in this case) I actually allowed myself to waste more time, thus netting less overall productivity.

The decision to sell prompted me to move downtown, closer to work in order to make my commute negligible. Finally, I reached a balance: limited, but free mobility. I'd learned new skills, such as using the public transit system, cabs, and re-learning to ride a bike. The latter of which has great physical implications. Also, I now have tons of extra money because I've allowed myself to work more, I never get parking tickets, I'm usually early to things, and I spend all my extra time on Idea School and my extra money on it as well.

Were I not to sell my car and limit my mobility, it would not have forced me to focus and define activities that were actually important.

If you're stuck, try making life a little less convenient. It will at least get you thinking.

Jacqueline Novogratz speaks about immersing yourself in your life.

2011-03-08T21:20:00.001-08:00

Confilicting Advice

2011-03-05T15:14:00.000-08:00

There are a lot of ways that people over-complicate the process of doing something awesome!

Here's some shitty advice:

You need money to start a business or change the world
You need to write a business plan in order to succeed
You have to have a degree in that field, or at least a degree in something
You have to be experienced in your industry
You have to interrupt people with your marketing
You have to work really hard
You need to give up your life

The above menu of 'advice' is typically doled out as soon as you mention your little idea that will actually change the status quo and make a difference. Been there, I promise it's true. Now, to be honest there is some truth to each of these statements.

This, in my opinion (take it for what it's worth to you) is a better list of to-dos:

You need to invest in your business or world-changing idea.

You need to spend some money, but you need to have a reason for spending it. Don't let the bad advice people give you cause a panic in your heart! The amount of money you need can vary greatly and can be raised (I recommend you raise it by working) over time. It doesn't need to be raised in one lump sum

Business plans are dumb.

Do what works for you. Never do something because somebody says you need to
I clarified my goals and path by deciding what they were and doing them.
It wasn't easy to just do it; it took a lot of beating myself up about making the 'right' decision, but I got there eventually
Plan your own way. Pictures, videos, writing, whatever works. The point is that it works for you

What does a degree qualify you for anyway?

A piece of paper doesn't qualify you to do anything.
Build a reputation instead by doing free work for people or volunteering with them and leading them.

If the experience myth were true, nobody would do anything

You gain experience by taking action over time. Period.
The clock starts ticking when you take your first action.

People like being engaged more than they like being interrupted

Try finding people that need something or want to be led somewhere and help them!
People will follow you and your message if you are generous, bold, and will take risks for them.

You need to work hard doing something that inspires you

Anything less will cause you to give up and possibly go bat-shit insane
"Interest and energy both wax and wane." Timothy Ferris, The 4-Hour Workweek
You need your inspiration and excitement to fuel your work.

You don't need to be as generous as, or live like Mother Teresa

For a long time I had a hard time with this, I still do. I'm human. I thought that figures like Mother Teresa were the only legitimate world-changers. And that I must emulate their lifestyle. NOT that I compare to her work in ANY way. She's a badass++. That's a double plus if you were wondering.
I'm pretty sure (about 99%) that you don't need to give up your own personal happiness or satisfaction in order to change the world.

The point is, do what you have to do and be as giving as you can be. In the long run we're here to help you. Just drop us a line.

Tim DeChristopher saves the world (or a part of it).

2011-02-25T16:35:00.000-08:00

Who is he?

A badass.

Why?

Let me explain in an annunciated, 11 point bulletin:

In 2008 there was a Utah land auction being held for about 22,000 acres of public land.
Among the bidders were several major oil companies including ExxonMobil and Shell.
See, the auctions weren't exactly fair because, well, not everybody has a couple hundred thousand $$ to toss around. And, it was public land, yet, the public wasn't getting much of a say where it was going.
Obviously, environmental activists were wildly outraged. Among them, Tim.
Whereas most protesters either write condescending (read: stupid) letters or show up on game day and cheer for the opposite team, Tim decided to take a third route that landed him in environmental rock stardom.
On auction day, Tim shows up and registers as a bidder (why not?).
He then proceeds to outbid every other bidder on every piece of land, netting a bill of $1.7M.
Shit balls!
Working a part time job and going to school, Tim didn't exactly have the cash laying around.
Without the money to pay up, the auction was delayed for months and, with the presidential administration change the following January, the land sale was rescinded.
Thusly, Tim got exactly what he wanted, stopping the land sale, by forging his own map and taking the path less trodden.

Fucking awesome. If you want to help him stay out of jail read this:

Word is, he's being convicted of a couple of felonies (I think).
The trial is Monday, February 28th.
There is a march going on Monday morning @ 8AM at Pioneer Park.

Ryan

Been reading a new book. I think you'll like.

2011-02-24T15:37:00.001-08:00

The book is The Art of Non-Conformity by Chris Guillebeau. Since reading... spooky things have been happening. Good spooky, not bad.

This link is ridiculous... lol.

2011-02-09T23:23:00.000-08:00

http://privateschool.about.com/cs/startingaschool/ht/startaschool.htm

All the information in this is BS. ESPECIALLY the time expectancies.

Like, what the hell doe this mean:

What You Need:

A Planning Committee
A Head of School
A Business Manager
A Business Plan
Dynamic, effective fund raising
Professional marketing

IMHO, it means absolutely nothing. These words are nonstarters. They don't bring you any closer to realizing the goal of starting a school, something I can attest to completely. I hereby announce that I am writing a blog/book/short story about how to start a school. For that matter.. how to start anything. People so overcomplicate things...

Student Signups

2011-02-06T13:06:00.000-08:00

We're trying to get student signups at the Idea School site, but so far none have trickled in.

I'll hold class regardless of whether we have students or not. We will not give up just because of slow starting.

If any of you have ideas on how we can get more students to sign up please let me know. Check out our website as a reference: www.theideaschool.org

Great video in which Dale talks about makers. The basis of Idea School.

2011-02-04T08:49:00.000-08:00

Idea School's new website!

2011-01-28T04:40:00.001-08:00

Take a look here!

Make sure you refresh your browser cache :D :D

Are students learning much in college?

2011-01-19T20:12:00.001-08:00

Check it out here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110118/ap_on_re_us/us_college_learning

An Open Letter to Educators- Dan Brown

2011-01-14T03:03:00.001-08:00

2011-01-12T15:49:00.000-08:00

2011-01-10T11:55:00.000-08:00

Please watch this INCREDIBLE video.

2010-12-29T00:17:00.000-08:00

it may be a Honda promotion, but you won't regret it.

Dreams

An old email and an Ex Girlfriend. Ha ha.

2010-12-21T13:06:00.001-08:00

Ha ha ha. I just came across an old email conversation with an ex. Its very interesting going over an old part of your life. Remembering the things you did and said and thought.

Ha ha I made myself crazy over this girl and looking back it makes me laugh. Not because of who she was or because I think badly of her, but that its amazing to see the ridiculous stuff we say when we're totally infatuated with somebody.

Linchpin Meetup Successful! And a tidbit on Unschooling

2010-12-07T22:10:00.000-08:00

Hey you guys!

Just had the 'official' 'unofficial' Linchpin meetup at SLC Roasting Co. As you may know, or not, Linchpin is a fantastic book written by Seth Godin.

Anyways, it was very exciting to meet with people who think similar things as I (and a lot of you) do. The great thing is that there was a very broad mix of people at the meeting. People who'd owned companies previously and retired, but now want to get back into the action; people who own successful companies looking to go to the next level; and people who are just starting their entrepreneurial/career journey.

Some great stories were told about people sneaking on to Hollywood sets to get jobs (which worked! Ha ha) and others about how to manage employees while keeping them excited about their jobs and performance.

It wasn't all business, of course. There was a lot of talk about education and the education revolution. Jeremy, one of the other Linchpins, talked about 'unschooling', a new learning model that borders on what we're implementing with Idea School.

Here's a random unschooling website I found, not sure if it's the group Jeremy was affiliated with. Basically he was working to develop a new learning model for children that seemed similar to home schooling but with a twist, students completely directed their own learning. "It's not a democracy," Jeremy said. "If four kids want to do something, 3 want to do another, and two want something completely different, then we do all of them."

The similarity to Idea School is that students direct their own work.

Anyways, it was fun. Maybe some of you should come to the next one? Ya, I thought you's say yes. Here's the group we'll be continuing with: Idea School's Neo Entrepreneurship Exchange. The group is geared toward entrepreneurship so if that isn't your thing, probably not going to be fun for you.

Ryan

Hey, it's my favorite stuff!

2010-11-22T22:25:00.000-08:00

This is really the best way to know me:

-Seth Godin (Linchpin and Tribes)
-Tony Robbins
-The Four Hour Workweek (by Tim Ferris)
-The Secret (cheesy, yes, scientifically accurate, no, but still beneficial to think about, definitely)
-Three Cups of Tea (about Greg Mortensen, look him up)
-Making Ideas Happen
-The Art of Possibility
-Think Big and Kick Ass (Donnald Trump and Bill Zanker, two awesome dudes)
-Architecture
-Blake Mycoskie (founder of Tom's Shoes)
-Inc. Magazine
-Style and Design
-Learning

True Place and Right Place

2010-11-18T16:22:00.000-08:00

I was given this card recently by somebody very dear to me. It's old, but here's what it says:

"There is a vital difference between your True Place and your Right Place which everyone should understand.

Your True Place is the place where God [or whatever you believe: nature, destiny, etc] intends you to be. In that place you will have great happiness, good health and real prosperity, and you will be living an active and interesting life. That place is waiting for you somewhere, and the wonderful thing about it is that no one else on earth, but you, can fill your True Place adequately.

Your Right Place in life is the place you are actually in at the moment, whether it is pleasing to you or not.

You are always in your Right Place because you are always in the place that corresponds to your mentality at the moment; but this may not be your True Place. If your conditions are unwelcome, it means that there is something in your mentality that needs to be changed. Change it, and then the outer conditions will change too.

The sick man is in his Right Place in bed, because he has a sick mentality, but it is not his True Place, and his business is to change his mentality, heal his mind. When he is healed, bed will no longer be his Right Place. The man in the bread-line is suffering the natural consequences of having a poverty consciousness at the moment, but that is not his True Place.

You glorify God [or life] by working upon yourself until your Right Place and your True Place become one."

My latest pet peeve and how to fix it...

2010-11-08T14:25:00.000-08:00

... began when I started reading non-fiction.

You see, the problem with the non-fiction genre (particularly self-help)- not that the genre is problematic, but it has one big problem- is that there are a lot of self-proclaimed 'guru's' out there that are itching to dole out utterly meaningless and repetitious advice. Here I'm going to give a couple brief examples:

Business: "Planning is very important if a business is to survive. By taking an objective look at your business you can identify areas of weakness and strength. You will realize needs that may have been overlooked, spot problems and nip them before they escalate, and establish plans to meet your business goals."

Depression: "Learning how to deal with depression is no easy task. There will be ups and downs and many people will feel like giving up along the way. You deserve to be happy and for that reason it is important to know exactly how to deal with your depression."

The first example makes me cringe. Do you gain any actual information from what you read there?? My guess is probably not. I know I didn't. The second example is a meaningless introduction to the idea of depression. News flash: if somebody is reading that page, it's likely that they already know what depression is! That's why they are there!

This self-aggrandizing babble must come from some desire for attention. That is my only conclusion.

My advice here is that finding good advice takes time, but never ever ever stop looking for it. The best advice on where to get advice comes from other people. I love sharing these inspirational sources with all of my friends and those close to me. You should check them out too:

-Seth Godin
-Hugh Macleod
-Anthony Robbins
-Paul Graham
-Blake Mycoskie
-Tony Hsieh
-The Zanders
-Donnald Trump
-and more to come.

YOU need to give...

2010-11-07T22:15:00.000-08:00

...and so do I.

A photographer by the name of Thomas Hawk is is extremely successful. He takes tens of thousands of pictures and distributes them under the Creative Commons license. They are free for anybody to use.

Is Thomas hurting for work? Not at all. But I'll let you be the judge: http://thomashawk.com/

If you want further convincing read this book: Linchpin

Winning

2010-11-02T01:49:00.000-07:00

I can't think of a creative story to exemplify this point, but I'm pretty sure that true winners don't view what they do as a competition.

Winning does not exist for them. The only "win" is constant, never-ending improvement.

They play in a league of their own.

Ze Frank's web playroom

2010-10-24T18:47:00.000-07:00

Inge Missmahl brings peace to the minds of Afghanistan

2010-10-17T00:09:00.000-07:00

Remarkable.

A note on self worth and Values

2010-10-10T21:26:00.000-07:00

I hit a point recently where I realized I've been selling myself short recently on my abilities.

I've been doing a Tony Robbins program over the past week and still have a little over a week left.

I've recognized the things I've let get me down in the past and my beliefs associated with why those things happen. Its incredible to see how out of whack your beliefs get when you let them run rampant for a couple decades.

For the first time, I'm in control of my life. I get up and exercise at 6AM because I know I can and that it makes me feel alive first thing in the morning. It then allows me to free up the rest of my morning for development, personal and business. I work hard because I know that the purpose of working isn't a vague line that somebody has fed me (like "to get ahead"), but something more specific: to occupy every moment of time with something that will decrease the time to launch Idea School. I work hard because working hard makes me valuable. It makes everything easier.

There was this incredible moment I had recently. There was a situation with a friend that I was pretty concerned about. Essentially, we had grown very distant. This came fairly unexpectedly and I couldn't really understand what had happened. I found myself trying to find ways to 'fix' it.

A strange epiphany happened. I realized that I can't 'fix' it. I know what you're saying: "This is the worst story ever, what do you mean you couldn't fix it?" I couldn't control the situation, but I could control what I did and how I acted toward it. I just decided that whatever was going on didn't have anything to do with me personally. I would just continue to be supportive and be myself. My new self that is. But still myself. I decided I'd give it some time and see how things turned out.

I knew that I had a lot of self worth so if I gave it time and just kept being a good guy that things would work out. And if they didn't, it would just be something I couldn't control and I still maintained my integrity.

Sometimes, you drive yourself crazy trying to think of how you can fix things in relationships, but there is one true thing you can always abide that will keep you on track long term. Your values. What values do you hold yourself to that will shape you as a person?

Values are supremely important.

David McCandless: The beauty of data visualization

2010-08-29T13:39:00.000-07:00

Creative Fundraising Ideas (for madmen only)

2010-08-25T17:02:00.000-07:00

Tired of trying to come up with that great fundraising idea? After rolling around the internet for about an hour I became frustrated with the lack of ideas out there. My question is: why search for other people's ideas in the first place? It's time to get creative.

First, I'll tell you some of my ideas I've thought up, then I'll tell you how you can come up with some custom fundraising ideas of your own.

The Restaurant Idea

Partner with a local fine dining restaurant, in my case, the Metropolitan, who will supply the location and the food for the fundraiser.
You, the organizer, identify a contact source. This is somebody who has the contact information for a lot of people. This should be an organization that is bigger than you, more influential than you, and is aligned with your values, but may also be interested in fundraising. Form an alliance, which is valuable in and of itself.
Utilize the resources of your contact source ally. Use them to get the word out.
Book attendees at a price that far exceeds the cost of the restaurant, otherwise you will not raise any funds for your cause.
Create a fun and exciting night. Get creative! Have fun! Have some live music. You can hire a local band for less than $200, which will be more than worth it if you raise several thousand or more.
Don't skimp on materials. If you need to design a website for the event, do it with posh and pizazz. Flyers? No way. Go full on with invitations. If you want to save money, go minimal. Minimalism looks expensive, but really isn't.
Everything should be prepaid and non-refundable, after all, it's a donation. There are no refunds for donations. People understand this.

T Shirt Idea

Design bad-ass tees and sell them around town and online.
Pick a theme. Ideally the theme should be centered around your fundraising cause, but please do not put your logo or name on them! This is the worst mistake. Nobody want's to buy your ill-designed swag.
Design a cool graphic. Get creative and clever. Need inspiration? Check these out:

Threadless
The Best Design
Just Creative Design - Jacob Cass recommends a lot of other great sites that have awesome design inspiration.

The first critical part of doing some fundraising is identifying a cause. So important! If you're raising money for your own pockets get the hell away from my blog and go chop your own head off! Ass. So what is your cause? Are you raising money for homeless pets? A school? Your business? An art project? Music? Whatever it is, make it big! The bigger and more altruistic your cause the more people will be willing to participate in your fundraiser. (Something to keep in mind: If you're raising money for a business, be sure to try to tie it to something social, needs-based, or really cool. Otherwise you won't have to chop your own head off, somebody will do it for you.)

The second critical part is to identify somebody to foot the bill. You can foot the bill initially if you want, but this is less than ideal. You want a fundraiser that is free to you but makes money for your cause. Here is where your fundraiser partner comes in.

What is a fundraiser partner? It is the person you team up with that also benefits from the fundraiser. If it's a restaurant, the restaurant needs to make a profit, unless they are donating their services. However, you'll have more of a chance of getting them to do the fundraiser in the first place if you make it beneficial for all parties.

The last part is to make it fun, energetic, and creative, but to always remember your audience. Think about what you are bringing to the table for the people giving you money. If you're giving them a sweet sweet T shirt, they will give you money, but the T shirt has to be awesome. If you're doing a restaurant event, the night has to be fantastic and fun and very social.

Ryan

Needs-based and Social Business

2010-08-25T16:16:00.000-07:00

Coming Soon!

Good Quote

2010-08-16T14:44:00.001-07:00

“Change is the essence of life. Be willing to surrender what you are for what you could become.” Winston Churchill

NY Times article. Colleges are "Failure Factories"

2010-08-10T11:05:00.001-07:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/09/business/economy/09leonhardt.html

An excerpt:

...Yes, inadequate precollege education is a problem. But high schools still produce many students who have the skills to complete college and yet fail to do so. Turning them into college graduates should be a lot less difficult than fixing all of American education.
“We could be doing a lot better with college completion just by working on our colleges,” as Robert Shireman, an Education Department official who has read an early version of the book, says....
- David Leonhardt, New York Times

Entrepreneurs are Puzzle Solvers

2010-08-09T20:54:00.000-07:00

So what is an entrepreneur?

A puzzle solver.

Any entrepreneur worth respecting utilizes vision as his greatest resource. The job of an entrepreneur is to put together the pieces, in any order, to create his vision. That's it, simply put. There's a large range of flexibility with puzzles and the same goes for visions of businesses or movements.

The process of a puzzle is exploratory by nature. You try, you do something wrong, you try again, and eventually you complete the puzzle. The pieces may be set, but you don't know what they look like until you find them. You need X, Y, and Z pieces, but you only need them eventually.

The same principle applies to entrepreneurship. Do you have a vision for something? Take one step. Then take another. Keep going like that and you'll be far ahead of the pack.

Now look at the picture on the box and pick up a piece.

New Idea School Blog

2010-08-09T19:36:00.000-07:00

The Idea School blog has been set up and you can find it here. The progress of the school will be posted there and this blog will remain focused on education, learning, and entrepreneurship in general.

Please stop by the Idea School blog and follow it. We'd love your support and feedback on the school's concepts and actions. Thank you!

Opinion Social (food provided)

2010-07-24T10:59:00.001-07:00

Saturday, July 31st @ 10:00 AM.

RSVP now to attend. Foot and beverages will be provided. The menu is soda and pizza! :D We're capping this one at twelve people and we have several slots full already.

Address of the event: 2260 Foothill Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84109

To get there from the North:

Take I-15 South to I-80 East

Follow I-80 East until you reach Parley's Way Exit (just before entering Immigration Canyon)

After taking the exit, stay in the left lane which takes you onto Foothill Drive

Turn left at the first traffic light (Stringham Ave.)

Park anywhere that is uncovered, and walk to the Leasing Office (as indicated by the many signs)

We are located upstairs, above the leasing office.

Call Rob at 801-589-2157 if you have trouble finding it.

To get there from the South:

Take I-15 North to I-215 East

Follow I-215 east, and it will turn toward the north

Continue on I-215 until you find Parley's Way exit (near the mouth of Immigration Canyon)

Take Parley's Way exit, and stay in the left lane which turns into Foothill Drive

Turn left at the first traffic light (Stringham Ave.)

Park anywhere that is uncovered, and walk to the Leasing Office (as indicated by the many signs)

We are located upstairs, above the leasing office.

Call Rob at 801-589-2157 if you have trouble finding it.

Focus Group Result

2010-07-23T20:50:00.000-07:00

We had a very productive meeting today and went over many aspects of the school!

I was so inspired for the rest of the day. It felt great! After the meeting, I spoke with my mentor, John, and he's going to introduce me to a gentleman who teaches entrepreneurship at the University of Utah so that I can ask him questions and if he'd like to be involved in any way. I'll also see if its possible for me to sit in on one or two of his classes and observe his method. Based on his background, and the description I received of his class, I think he'll be at least somewhat interested in participating with Idea School.

Also, news. We will be moving our efforts for the school to another web address that will be just for the Idea School, while this site will focus mostly on future projects and great ideas.

As a little tidbit for all you you, check out this school to see if it peaks your interest. George Wythe University and Idea School have some similar agendas, though not all the same. We also have some similar methods, though not all the same. I really enjoyed their site and it gave me some great insights.

Some of the differences for Idea School are:

Strong focus on business and starting your idea implementation/exploration from the get-go
Very little focus on writing for writing's sake
A lot of community involvement
Less class/"homework" time. (when I say homework, I mean traditional homework (see next post, coming soon))
Less 'rigorous' application process

Some things I love about what I've read about George Wythe:

Student-centered curriculum
small class sizes
Colloquiums (essentially discussion formatted classes)
Critical Thinking as a primary subject matter
Simulations (though I don't think you can replace real world experience, they are trying to get close and I commend them for that.)

You can check out more at gw.edu.

Have a good night ya'll.

Ryan

First Focus Group for Idea School

2010-07-22T18:34:00.000-07:00

Address of the event: 2260 Foothill Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84109

To get there from the North:

Take I-15 South to I-80 East

Follow I-80 East until you reach Parley's Way Exit (just before entering Immigration Canyon)

After taking the exit, stay in the left lane which takes you onto Foothill Drive

Turn left at the first traffic light (Stringham Ave.)

Park anywhere that is uncovered, and walk to the Leasing Office (as indicated by the many signs)

We are located upstairs, above the leasing office.

Call Rob at 801-589-2157 if you have trouble finding it.

To get there from the South:

Take I-15 North to I-215 East

Follow I-215 east, and it will turn toward the north

Continue on I-215 until you find Parley's Way exit (near the mouth of Immigration Canyon)

Take Parley's Way exit, and stay in the left lane which turns into Foothill Drive

Turn left at the first traffic light (Stringham Ave.)

Park anywhere that is uncovered, and walk to the Leasing Office (as indicated by the many signs)

We are located upstairs, above the leasing office.

Call Rob at 801-589-2157 if you have trouble finding it.

Why? How? What?

2010-07-16T12:04:00.000-07:00

Why:

Students enjoy learning when it is fun and inspiring.
Students enjoy designing their own path through school.
Our world needs new, inspiring, big ideas because we have new, inspiring and big problems that need to be solved.

How:

Through student centered curriculum and project based learning, I want to create an environment that allows inspired learning, that creates better businesses, that believes that anything is possible. Open minded teachers, open minded students. Flexible tuition payments. Learning for learning, not for GPA.

What:

Idea School

Support us.

Crowdfunding

2010-07-15T13:46:00.000-07:00

I'm starting a crowdfunding project soon, where you can contribute to building the school. I'll toss out rewards based on what you donate! Exciting stuff! Very cool rewards coming your way!

I'll update with details in a few days.

Don't write a business plan... almost...

2010-07-13T01:33:00.000-07:00

I read this fascinating article by Jason Cohen.

In it, he explains why writing a business plan is best case scenario if your intention is wasting time. Mostly, he proposes, sticking to your plan is about as likely as winning the lottery. "At the beginning you don't know anything about what your business will look like. Your product will evolve to fit the market." writes Jeff.

I tend to wholeheartedly agree with the following exceptions:

There are people who need to write things down. Not everybody, but some people do. Sucks for those people, but there are a lot out there that can only organize their thoughts in a long, drawn-out description. I would say that if this is how you think, you are at a severe disadvantage in business. You have to be able to think on your feet and juggle a lot of information in your head.
Writing some things down is necessary. It's good to have basic concepts written down so that others can read them, however this is far from what most business plans would look like. A short two-pager is sufficient for many investors. Spend the rest of your time working on your concept, networking, and most of all, believing in yourself.

I strongly recommend that you read Jason's blog. It is a fantastic resource for the entrepreneurial mind.

The school we are building...

2010-07-06T00:19:00.000-07:00

The school we are building is not:

A business incubator
A traditional higher education institution
A mentorship program

It is, however:

A community that brings together students with great ideas, aspirations, and empathy for the purpose of creating sustainable platforms (business systems) that benefit the community and the world.
It provides hands-on education, new theory, practical counseling, and communal support to create innovative gadgets, services, and movements.
It encourages all things lateral, even bypassing itself. There is always a workaround. There is always a way.
It gives as much as it can. All proceeds go to growth, to help the school reach more students.

We are destroying barriers to entry..

2010-06-27T12:03:00.000-07:00

If anything, the open source model has shown us that it works far better than restricted source.

Take a look at the Wikipedia model and Linux. More problems are fixed faster and for free! Let's give students access to the source of their education and see what they do with it. Let them "develop" their own schooling. Let's help them get to where they need to go by giving them tools and guidance that ease the path.

The era of open source learning is upon us. There are no more gatekeepers and no more hoops. It's time to adjust or die.

Charles Leadbeater on Education in the Slums

2010-06-26T11:08:00.001-07:00

Barbecue Meeting.

2010-06-16T17:09:00.000-07:00

Last night my team and I had a barbecue at my house in Millcreek.

I invited a bunch of friends who aren't involved in the project as well. This essentially served two purposes, one which I planned, and the other I didn't.

First (planned): This would be the first time any of my staff members had met each other. It needed to feel fun and comfortable. This is fun and, while we're dead serious about accomplishing our goals, we don't need to act serious all the time. We want to always have the ability to kick back at the end of a hard day, relax, and have a good time. That's what life is all about.
Second: My friends and family, some of which were the biggest skeptics, were able to identify a little better with what's going on and, in some sense, feel involved in it. This ought to quiet their destructive criticisms for a while.

I think a lesson I learned from this is:

Get the non-believers involved.

Here is what we discussed during the meeting portion of the barbecue:

Recruiting students and marketing ideas.

If you see people running around in banana suits downtown, don't worry, bananas have not taken over the world. It's just us.
Mostly, we believe so strongly in our mission that we know it will infect others. We are doing something because it matters and that's the best job in the world.

Designing in-class curriculum.

While students will design their own path, we need to have a solid base of stuff to teach them.
The subjects we teach need to be based on real examples, from real business owners/social innovators.

Financing

Still a lot to do in this area.

I have an optimistic idea that if we build it they (investors) will come, but it would be a lot easier with money.
Not sure if I want to deprive myself of bootstrapping though. I sort of want to see what we can do with next to nothing, especially since our students will have next to nothing when it's their turn.

A critique of a job posting...

2010-06-13T14:04:00.000-07:00

I feel compelled to point out one major flaw with this post:

Immediate opening for a long-term, full time Administrative Assistant.

The successful candidate will possess:

• Mandatory Website experience --editing and creating
• Compliance Regulation
• Accounting Skills Strongly Recommended
• Strong Excel, Outlook and Word skills
• Strong attention to detail and organization
• Strong multi-tasking skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to work in a fast paced environment and adapt to change

Schedule: 9 AM to 5:30 PM
Compensation: $11
No Benefits Available

Please fax resume to: 1-866-953-4157
• Ability to work in a fast paced environment

Schedule: 9 AM to 5:30 PM

Compensation: $11
No Benefits available

Please fax or resume to: 1-866-953-4157

Flaw:

Fax? I find it astonishing that people still use this technology.

Dan Pink, different context

2010-06-11T00:43:00.000-07:00

School should be...

2010-06-07T01:10:00.000-07:00

Fun!

Idea School Premises

2010-06-06T18:33:00.000-07:00

Our school, yet to have an official name (we're currently running with Idea School), is operating on several premises:

Students most easily learn what engages and inspires them (interest based)
Students need more real-world experience while attending school.
Students will be motivated to accomplish something great and world/community changing if they are provided a supportive, yet challenging environment.

Based upon these things, we believe we can change the world. We are currently hiring teachers and are recruiting students. We have little money, no building, and a lot of work to do. However, we have a vision and a mission: "To greatly improve higher education by providing our students with a supportive community of active learners and teachers, who's aim is to create value while solving real-world problems. We do work that matters."

Ryan

Idea School Method

2010-06-05T00:01:00.001-07:00

The school is student centered and project focused.

Students will come up with projects or business ideas that they want to enact. We initially require them to put it down on paper so that we can work with them on the idea, though teachers are discouraged from criticizing the idea itself. We want to see what happens when we turn our students loose.

After the student puts down the idea they meet with their "home teacher" who is much akin to a guidance counselor, though much more. The student and the "home teacher" discuss which classes would be best for the student to take with the student making the final decision. Classes could be:

Marketing
Human Resources
Accounting
Business Theory

Legal Entities
Fund Raising
Networking
The Ethics of Outsourcing
Singing
Painting with Acrylics

We actually want to stray from teaching subject matter technically, but instead provide a learning environment for a particular subject.

The classes are meant to supplement the student's knowledge so that they can test the skills and information necessary to complete their project, not just learn about them. The project could be a business that the student wants to found, it could be a non-profit/community organization, or it could be a way to fund and expand the influence of their art or music.

This is an exploratory school as well. Students are encouraged to test particular paths they are interested in, which is why classes are to be 1-2 months long (as opposed to 5 months) and why classes will be between $80 and $300 instead of $500 to $5,000.

When the student "graduates", they do not receive a certificate of any kind (this may change when we begin to do professional/vocational training, 1-2 years out) Instead, the student accomplished something real! Either their business is off the ground and they are now obtaining funding (VC, Angel, bootstrapping, etc.), or they have a sustainable platform for their art or music projects via fund raising and networking.

UWC very interesting

2010-06-04T01:25:00.000-07:00

UWC

UWC's mission: UWC makes education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future

Hiring teachers!

2010-06-03T11:50:00.000-07:00

If you or anybody you know is interested here's the ad:

Our organization is looking for open-minded teachers to work with us while we develop a new education model. We are targeting collegiate students:

-College Dropouts
-New entrants
-Business Students
-Art Students

Teachers should possess the following qualities:

-Specific area of expertise (business, art, finance, etc.)
-Teaching experience or management experience
-Effective Communication
-No degree required

Compensation:
-Varies
-$20-50 per day
-2-4 hours per day
-1-4 days per week

In order to start the interview process we will need you to email a resume and cover letter to me at rr.chatterton@gmail.com telling us about yourself. Student-teachers are welcome to apply. You will be a key member of our organization going forward. We are looking to hire 3 teachers initially. If you are currently a teacher, this is fine. We will be delivering classes after hours in the afternoon and evening as well. This will be a very different teaching position compared to what many of you are used to and we hope you are up for the challenge.

A call to action....

2010-06-02T01:41:00.000-07:00

Our students need expert help to go... well, somewhere. They don't know exactly where they are going, and neither do we. Yet we keep asking them...

What are you going into?
What are you studying?
What do you want to be?

We need to stop. This is an uncomfortable question for most students, probably because they have no clue as to what they want to do with their lives.

I propose that students are explorers. They encounter new territory and search around for meaning. Once meaning is found, they set off to another place.

Students need to explore. They need to learn so that they can explore some more. Our students are charting new territory. There is no map to where they need to go. There never will be. So we need not teach them them how to better read maps, but how to better make maps, and navigate without them.

Exploration does not consist of taking a known path to a known location! On the contrary, it requires us to open our eyes, test the waters, and proceed boldly in the face of uncertainty. If we misstep, then we correct course and move along.

Our organization is engaging students here locally and helping them formulate and implement their ideas. We have to. It's the future.

There is no model for this movement. How could there be? We're still exploring and still creating it. I hope you create something similar in your community, or hell, copy it exactly (I'll post regular updates). We need it. The world depends on it. Go. Do. Now.

Watch this.

Our Manifesto

2010-05-29T12:48:00.000-07:00

We're bored.

Let's be honest here. We're just bored. The way school works right now is boring.

Our friends tell us, "School isn't supposed to be fun. It's not meant to entertain you." They misunderstand us though. We're not saying that school should be like a video game (though maybe it should)we're saying that school shouldn't be as boring as it is now.

There is a difference.

We believe that school can be better. We want to learn in an environment that puts us in the real world tackling challenging problems that we care about. We do not want to sit in a classroom learning (or not learning, depending on how tired we are) about something that we do not care about. Why would we? We also understand the counter-argument to this. That maybe it doesn't matter what we care about, because society needs us to learn the things it teaches us, otherwise we won't know how to do things.

Wrong, dead wrong. We actually know that we will learn just as easily while being engaged in something that inspires us and changes our community. We want to change the world, and do homework that makes a difference.

We know that in order to engage our youth, we need to give them something to do that matters. It is no longer sufficient to tell us to tough it out. The world is changing, and we no longer accept your methods.

Day 1: First find, University Venture Fund

2010-05-26T18:52:00.000-07:00

The Eccles School of Business has a special program called University Venture Fund. UVF is a student-run private equity fund that began in 2004 and raised $18 million from investors who are limited partners, meaning they depend on the work of the students to select investments that deliver a fair return on their money.

“When I sent out my resume consulting companies told me they were cutting back significantly on new hires, so I knew good grades alone would not get me the job I wanted, I needed work experience too… The experience just gives you a ton of confidence,” said University of Utah honors student Alexandra Weiss. “As a student, you can’t get that direct business education anywhere else.”

Only a handful of students belong to this organization and it seems to focus mostly on teaching students how to pick start-ups to invest in.

This is interesting to me. It shows that there is a desire to be a part of and to implement innovative programs where students are the performers and there are real stakes, not just theory in the classroom. This program seems small though, at least as far as student participants. However, they do claim to have been approached by a couple hundred student entrepreneurs across the United States. Which is not surprising considering that they can relate to each other on a student-student level.

Check it out here.

Ryan

The Quest...

2010-05-26T17:56:00.001-07:00

Today, I'm starting a quest to discover what exactly is offered by the MBA program at the University of Utah. I will log my discoveries here and publish them as I go. Let's see what we find.

Ryan

Dan Meyer: Math class needs a makeover

2010-05-19T21:05:00.000-07:00

The US K-12 and College Problem Part 3

2010-05-13T20:55:00.001-07:00

Slides by Whitney Tilson

The US K-12 and College Problem Part 2

2010-05-13T20:54:00.000-07:00

Slides by Whitney Tilson

The US K-12 and College Problem Part 1

2010-05-13T20:48:00.000-07:00

Slides by Whitney Tilson

Step One: Identify Problems

2010-05-13T18:58:00.001-07:00

In our current education system there are many areas for improvement. Listed below are those which I have identified as being the most important:

Time: School takes up a lot of time. It can take up to ten years of somebody’s life to finish the schooling they need to start a specific career. Why does it take so long? Should it really take as long as ten years to input that information into our brain? Are we learning things that we will just forget anyway?

Money: School costs a lot of money in most cases. Is what we’re spending really worth what we’re getting, especially when students are increasingly borrowing for school tuition and other expenses? Is there a way to make learning less expensive? Is there a way to make learning free?

Purpose: The purpose of a university is generally agreed upon. It is to prepare you for your career from which you will derive a standard of living. People go to school to increase their standard of living. The question then becomes: is there a faster, less expensive, more fun way to increase your standard of living? Is there a more effective method? We go to school to become experts, to gain credibility. The degree you receive from a college is your credibility slip. It says to people, “Look at what I’m capable of!” But what are you capable of? Does a degree in Political Science tell me that you’re qualified to run my political campaign? Most people would, of course, say no. We would all typically look to a person’s specific experience in running or working on political campaigns to make such a distinction. So, therefore, the four year degree in poly-sci has lost a proportion of its value. Then what is the value of a degree? Is there a better return on your investment working in a chosen field for four years, gaining specific experience?

Platform: School is a platform for knowledge. It is a place that allows us to learn in a structured environment where otherwise it is likely that we would drown in the vast amounts of knowledge that surround us. Let’s face it, there’s a lot of clutter out there. How do we know what types of information we need to know to improve our standings in life? How do we know what we need to learn to advance in our career? Let’s assume we are a low-level sales employee working for a manufacturing firm. We’ve made sales calls for years trying to get people to carry our products. We’ve made a modest commission from all of our sales. Now, we’re hungry for more. We know we’ll never get promoted unless we get better at certain skills like management and leadership. We need training. But how do we know what to learn in order to become a leader or a manager? This is where we insert the platform for improvement. Traditionally this role has been held by college, though in some cases this may not be true. We decide to go to school for business administration, specializing in anything that has to do with management. Four years later we get our promotion to a mid-level manager position. What would happen if we replaced that time with a different platform for improvement. Maybe instead of attending a traditional college, we decide to read a couple books on leadership and even catch up on some of the latest trends in manufacturing sales. We take the initiative and start implementing these in our daily tasks, helping our coworkers with problems, becoming a mentor to our peers, and helping others succeed. We keep a log of our activities and in a few months we report them to our boss and our boss’s boss. Our boss’s boss receives the cc of our logs and decides to have us promoted because he can use somebody with our foresight and drive in a leadership position. This, we’ll say, took a full year. We can think of countless other platforms that may be better than a traditional four-year degree.

The issues with self-learning are great, though. It takes a lot of discipline and drive to teach ourselves something and have the guts to apply it. A social setting is more beneficial, especially for those striving to be entrepreneurs. We want to bounce our ideas off people. We want feedback and we want to meet people who think a little like us, and also those who challenge our assumptions. Thus, it would be too simple-minded a solution to tell everybody to teach themselves what they want to learn. Not to mention, there would be no real system for checking if what you were learning were actually going to be beneficial. Some people need an external source of direction. Some people need a way to measure their progress. Having experts give you a general direction and a few pointers can save a lot of headache and frustration.

Therefore a social setting would be more ideal. A personal setting where students can learn from and teach each other. Perhaps an expert can be present, but what merit is there in having one person teach a whole class? That is a top down approach. What if we built knowledge from a foundation of students who wanted to learn and apply their knowledge in the real world? What if we had a brick and mortar building where we could meet and exchange ideas and explore ways to make them? Then, once the ideas were talked about and expounded upon, we could try them in the real world. Perhaps the process could take only a week from idea formation to idea trial.

What if the platform for learning were driven by ideas and questions instead of a set of curricula?

Still here

2010-05-13T11:09:00.001-07:00

I'm still around. No worries!

Right now I'm doing research so new blogs will be coming soon!

Architecture School..

2010-02-25T14:21:00.001-08:00

That's where I'm headed this summer.

The hard things in life are never easy...

2010-01-17T12:14:00.000-08:00

So it turns out that doing the right thing is much harder than it sounds, which maybe is why its so easy to avoid doing.

I had to make a tough decision the other day because logically it seemed the better thing to do. For once, I actually took the advice of somebody else! (something I'm working on trying more) Though, the problem is that it's not really what I want; not at all. I suppose I'm trying to have faith that the advice of others is something to be trusted when you don't know what to do yourself.

The only problem is that every hour that goes by, give or take a few where I'm feeling particularly excited about something I'm doing, feels like I'm needlessly and mindlessly beating myself up with a crowbar! Why should something, which everybody tells me is right, feel so fucking awful?

Educating Children

2010-01-14T13:37:00.001-08:00

Project Avoidance

2010-01-09T12:06:00.000-08:00

The real reason I'm writing today is because I have a large canvas next to me that is unfinished, but lack the actual free time to get into it. Day jobs..... go figure.

Our new school should be about engaging every student primarily. Each student should have an equal opportunity to learn, which means first learning what they want to learn. Students should have an option to customize a curriculum to themselves, while still achieving standards of learning in a given field. It's obvious that in fields such as medicine and law there are a lot of classes that perhaps a student might not want to take, but is still pertinent to their field. What I aim to get rid of are the classes that are considered 'general studies' and by definition have nothing to do with what a student plans to specialize in. Another 'do-away' would be classes that may be pertinent to your overall field, but not to your specialty. Hence, maybe there is no reason for a patent lawyer to take classes in criminal law. I'm not positive, but it seems slightly redundant, right?

Secondly, students should be able to customize their workload to learn in a way that is most effective to them, not to a general body of students. If you're a quick learner, but have a hard time with homework, and excel at tests, then why ought you do homework if the purpose of the homework in the first place is to give you practice for the test. Maybe a student doesn't learn well by reading. If the student can find the information online in video lecture format, all the more power to him/her. Also, if a student can read the book, never attend class, and pass, who cares?

My main case here is that there is a divide between what schools teach and what students want to learn. There is a divide between how schools teach and how students learn. Initially I thought it was a small minority, including myself, that felt stifled by the Higher Education system, but as I ask more people I realize that many students feel the way I do. I guess they have better coping skills... :S

Our school focuses on customizing each student's learning experience to themselves through multiple mediums in an engaging and social environment, where each student is responsible for his/her own education and is personally compelled to work side by side with their peers from all walks of life.

Why we want to teach...

2010-01-08T12:25:00.000-08:00

We've all been through a lot. Some have been through more than others, but what's important is that we all have different experiences, and none of us has the same lessons to learn from life. That's just the way it is.

Yet, constantly, we are trying to teach others what we've learned. Why? Why don't people take our advice? Why can't others understand all we've been through and avoid the same pain? After all, we are telling them how it is! We've been there!

My answer to this is simple, its because we don't want to.

We, as humans, want to learn in a way that is engaging and fulfilling to us, which may not necessarily be the way our peers have learned. We want to experience life, not be told about it. As I look back, I remember that my favorite teachers were always those that engaged me and wanted to know what I thought. They were also typically the teachers that most of the students enjoyed. These educators understood the power of experience. Experience, it is said, is the great teacher of people. The school system is built with the idea that we will enter an environment that will allow us to learn, but what happens if the classroom does not give a student the correct learning experience? What happens when the experience is counter-productive to students' learning?

The system falls apart, students leave, students fail. Not that it was actually the student that failed, but because the school failed. It failed to give the student the proper experience he/she needed to learn.

Now, the bigger problem?

Only the student knows what experience will lead to proper learning for him/her. Only the student knows how best to educate him/herself.

Now, the biggest problem?

The school is to structured. It has too many rigid edges. It's too stiff.

The solution?

A school that is malleable. A school that can bend but not break. A school where the object is to create experiences catered to students, not to some, but to all.

Soon there will be art...

2010-01-08T11:48:00.000-08:00

The new piece I'm working on started of as a shitstorm... quite literally. Ha ha. I was trying a format that I was uncomfortable with, believing it would just come from me, as if I would already know how to do it. The format would have been more realistic. I wanted the painting to be in the form of flowing silk cloth. Different sections would be different colors. At this moment I am reminded of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Fuck me....

I soon realized that I have no idea how to paint realism, so the painting turned purely abstract, mostly to save what ego I had left in the project, but also because this is a $100 canvas and simply can't afford to waste it *concerned faux-smile*. At the point where I accepted that I wasn't going to pull a semi-realist painting out of my ass the project took a turn. A near 180 degrees in fact.

I started making obscure, small brush dabs at certain locales on the canvas, on top of splotches of color that I'd previously painted. They reminded me of people off in the distance, all grouped together, but I'm not sure why. There is a sense of defiance and maybe a hint of sadness.

After that, I washed my brushes, thinking I was done.

Why?

So I picked up my brushes and my favorite color to paint, which is red and began creating filled red boxes and rectangles in random places and sizes through the center-right of the painting. This fulfilled my need of minimalism on top of my previous failure. It gave me a sense of returning home. Though not finished, I'm thinking of dubbing the painting: "Your red boxes can't make us leave, we were here first!"

Thankfully home,
Ryan

2010-01-02T10:18:00.000-08:00

Basically finished. Just needs some touchups. Two interlocking circles that are different in many ways, yet still cling together. Maybe just because it feels right. To the circles, thats enough.

The Warrior

2009-12-16T18:54:00.000-08:00

The Warrior came to a fork in the road and made camp. He contemplated which path to choose for what seemed like an eternity. One path he had trodden before, the other was uncharted.

After many sleepless nights the Warrior awoke early, inspired by a dream. He knelt and spoke aloud.

"I remember the horrible weather I encountered on the first path," he said to his heart. "Though it taught me the lessons of preparation and patience, I worry that it may be as harsh the second time around and I am weary from my travels. On the other hand, the second path is unfamiliar and I fear that I will learn little by walking it, or that it may end prematurely, or that it too will be harsh. Which path ought I to choose?"

The Warrior's heart listened with interest just as it always had. "I have weathered your struggle with you and I too ponder this question," his heart said. "To me, it is a question of desire. In love and war it is impossible to predict everything. A true Warrior knows this and does not let his fears dictate his actions. The important question is this: 'which path do you desire most?'"

The Warrior stood and looked out upon the horizon. The sun was beginning its ascent into the gray sky, bringing with it the wisdom and eternity of a new morning. The Warrior gathered up his belongings and set off down the Path.

The route he chose is unimportant. What matters is that whichever way he went, it was his choice. The ability to choose his path is what gives the Warrior his strength.

This material was inspired by novels by Paulo Coelho. Here, I am merely reflecting on my own life through some of his lenses. In no way do I intend to make a profit from, distribute illegaly, or plagiarize any of his material.

Sorry!

2009-12-11T10:23:00.000-08:00

I've been on a road trip, taking some time for myself, hence the downturn in the blog writing. It was a great trip down to Phoenix. I took the road through Hurricane to Flagstaff on the way down and there is some incredible scenery along the way. If you ever need to heal your soul, I reccomend the drive. There is no heart that good travels cannot mend. I spend a couple days with my father and his girlfriend, which was nice.

The drive back up was interesting, I felt troubled and didn't have the same calmness about me that I did on the way down. I took the route through Las Vegas this time.

It may have something to do with returning home, to the familiar, to the problems, that made me feel so disheartened. I felt I did not appreciate the world around me as much as I had on my way to Phoenix. The whole drive left me mostly bored and uninspired until I arrived at the Virgin River Gorge, which was incredible as dusk was giving way to night. I arrived at Hurricane that night and stayed there.

I woke up insanely early the next day and hit the road. The inspiration and the calm finally returned when I was driving through Beaver County. I came over the crest of a hill, between two mountains, and descended into the most beautiful sight I'd ever seen. The mountains, blue and white in the distance, were covered in snow and the valleys followed suit. It was as if I was in a completely different part of the world, where time and distance no longer mattered; where the world was endless. Vast plumes of fog rose up out of rivers throughout the valley. It was the most incredible sight I'd ever seen.

So, that was my weekend.

Ryan

The Record Industry and Higher Education

2009-12-03T08:41:00.000-08:00

Many people talk about the continued demise of the record industry. The record industry is failing because they want to use old models to push the same product that people can now get for free online or other methods.

The company CD Baby has found a great way to make it in the new world of record publishing. CD Baby allows individual artists to sell their albums on their website without all the big wig, Record Company bullshit. Its revolutionizing the way music is sold, and its much cheaper. Many artists are resorting to giving their music away for free, and making money of something substantial, such as tours and merchandise. In our new era of free information, this only makes sense.

The higher education system has its own demise ahead. I'm not saying we'll stop learning, but I am saying that the way we learn is changing. People are realizing that they can learn many things they learn in school without going to school, simply by reading and/or trying to do that which they want to do. They are also learning that there is a lot of waste in the current education system. We take so many classes that are supposed to make us well-rounded, but end up becoming frustrated because its not what we want to be learning. And we should be learning what we want to! After all, its our money we're giving them...

Where is the free prize in the education system? Where is the CD Baby?

Could it be us?

Art 6

2009-12-03T08:33:00.000-08:00

An updated version of the previous painting. Still not done, but I'm getting excited!

Art 5

2009-11-29T11:58:00.000-08:00

A new painting I just started on. I'm excited about this one. I'm not sure how it will finish. But I bet it will be a fun one!

The New College. Orientation.

2009-11-26T10:10:00.000-08:00

Week 1

I want to change the way you think about learning. I want all of us to be able to learn in a fun and engaging way. In a way that is inexpensive, fast, and effective.

I imagine a school where on the first day you are greeted by fellow students and staff alike. For orientation, we are provided keynote speeches by some of the world's most influential thinkers and then invited to meet and greet where all students will be able to interact with leading professionals and innovators in varying fields. All wallflowers will be pulled into rigorous conversation. The fun starts on day one.

On day two, we will start with a refreshing breakfast and the entire student body will be asked to divide into different categories based on their general interests. For the next little while, students will be led by group leaders to flesh out their true passions and their personal drivers. This will continue until the entire student body is essentially singled out. This is when we recognize and celebrate our individuality. Students are asked to spend the rest of the day thinking about their ideas and passions until the sun sets. This is a day dedicated to soul searching and cross-student interaction is forbidden for the rest of this day.

On day three students will be encouraged to form loose groups, with the help of group leaders, in a way that is strategic to the needs of their ideas and their passions. This will take a lot of getting to know one another, and will require intense student interaction for most of the day. After the sun sets, students are made to interact with their group and explore their different ideas in an open and hospitable environment. On this day, we celebrate as clusters of interest and ideas.

Day four will find us waking to a refreshing breakfast yet again, and a new agenda. Today, all students are put through "group leader" training. In this way, we will ensure that students will always have somebody to talk to when they need advice or are questioning their own convictions and are about to settle. Group Leaders will be taught how to invoke people's curiosity and their passions. They will be taught to communicate effectively and openly and give constructive criticism. They will be taught to be facilitators of idealists. All students are expected to give time to other students on a regular basis, though with no stringent expectations, for there are incentives: The more time given means even more time exploring worlds that are foreign to us, where we will learn some of our most profound insights.

The rest of the week will be made up of "free time". This is time meant for idea exploration, rough planning if wanted, meeting new people, and solidifying relationships with fellow students. It's important to note that immaturity in the form of social ostracism will be punished. We all want to work in an environment of harmony. We are here for ideas, passion, and creativity. Popularity contests will be checked at the door. This calls into question a specific problem:

Social awkwardness. I define this as any person who lacks that certain charisma that others may have and therefore has a hard time meeting new people. Perhaps a day could be built into orientation for this issue. Or perhaps we could do a pre-orientation week, where students who have awkward tendencies can socialize and try to break past their fear of social situations. It would be impossible to succeed in our new college by hiding under a rock. We are social creatures.

Week 2

On week 2, day one, students are made to work on their ideas and passions with other students in the form of interactive questioning. Students are asked what they envision themselves doing and what that person doing them would be like. Students will interact all day with their groups talking, in turn, about their ideas and others are requested to give constructive feedback, while not allowing anybody to settle for less than is absolutely possible, no matter how remote.

On week 2, day two, students will begin mapping their ideas and how they imagine getting there, noting the things they need to learn, the obstacles they will encounter, people they'd like to meet. Today is dedicated to exploration. Students will actually be mapping their future the way they see it and mostly identifying the things that may be required for their success in what they've identified.

On week 2, day three, students will solidify the things they need to try their idea, make their creation, or pursue the path they've chosen. On this day students will work with each other and their group leaders to find as many ways as possible to pursue these things and we will give constructive feedback, listing the many ideas, eventually in descending order of appeal to the student.

On week 2, day four, students will start. They will start with the student body at their side, yearning for their success as much as their own. They will set out to make whatever they are making, with a large social network at their side, making connections, and learning from the process itself. They will learn via the process instead of about the process.

The leadership of the college will comprise of a group of students based on the college's size, elected directly by the student body in a democratic direct election. These leaders will be responsible for making connections with other institutions, media channels, businesses, governmental authorities, and big-thinking persons. They will be our ambassadors. For this position, the leaders may receive some compensation, but any compensation or gifting from third parties with whom they may be interacting on behalf of the college, will be strictly prohibited and immediately and severly punishable. They will also be the final authority on punishable offenses for students.

This is the roughest form of my dream. Most of the details are flexible and I generally intend for the college to have little structure. The students will have autonomy, just as the current system provides, which is essential, but will have extensive coaching, not just by staff, but by fellow students, who will comprise the staff.

Patrick Awuah

2009-11-21T12:40:00.000-08:00

Art 4

2009-11-20T12:45:00.000-08:00

An older piece. This one features solid colors and bold lines and shapes. After some suggestion from a friend, the lines were made straighter to a much better effect. Minimalist and cubist themes.

Unquestioned Optimism...

2009-11-18T21:56:00.000-08:00

As we've seen with the recent banking crisis, everything we do effects everybody, its just a matter of how much or how little. In this current financial problem, we've realized that the problem had actually been accruing for over thirty years, it was merely covered up by an optimistic, yet unrealistic, mentality. We thought the world would keep getting better and better, that we could keep borrowing and spending, getting deeper into debt for things we knew we couldn't afford. We thought it was our right to own the things we went into debt for. So we just kept buying and borrowing, thinking it would all be okay, when we were actually setting ourselves up for a big lesson in humility.

What happened was the financial collapse. It didn't really collapse, it merely self-corrected. It was a big correction to say the least. You see, things (e.g. houses, cars, commodities, etc.) were inflated. Inflated means that the price went up, but the actual value did not. Many economists would argue with me, but in my opinion, inflation is bad, so is deflation. Things should only have a price based on their actual value. By actual value, I mean the value based on the things' inherent qualities, situational qualities, and emotional qualities (i.e. what is it made of? Where is it located in time or geography? and how do I feel about it?). If we look at the housing bubble, for example,we see that the stuff they were made of didn't change, they were still in the same place, and how I felt about houses remained the same (a house feels warm, smells like grass I just mowed, is time-comsuming to maintain, is an expensive canvas) However, your emotions about houses may have changed and caused the entire bubble. Shame on you. ;)

For argument's sake, we'll assume that your emotions did not change, but that it was our ideas about houses that caused the housing bubble. Our ideas were that houses would go up in value, everybody had the right to own a house, houses were a no-risk investment, and that we didn't need to worry about our ARMs because rates would never go up (what?! rates go up? no way!)! Well, guess what happened. We've learned that houses don't always go up in value; people lose jobs; our privilege to own a home is forfeited when we borrow for more house than we can seriously afford; there is risk in every investment; and ARMs are horrible, but if we do get one we should be prepared for the rates to go up (save, save, save!).

What we discovered, was that our ideas were severely out of line with reality.

So what really caused the banking crisis and this current recession? One thing is blind optimism... I believe this mentality and the mentality surrounding the environmental debate are quite similar.

I need to note here that I may be making a couple foolish assumptions. I am not an expert on the environment or the economy, nor to I care to be. I'm simply making an observation and a link between two situations because a similar mental pattern correlates to both problems.

It may be that people do more to help the environment than I am actually aware, but, being a layman, I'll adopt the popular theory, which is that humans do a lot to harm the environment and our planet. Many link global climate change to human activities. Many give us only decades left on this planet, some give us more.

Here is what I'm going to say on this issue, having adopted this popular theory:

If we are going to continue using the earth's resources and land, let us realize that they are finite in quantity, though possibly replenishable. Our existence on this planet is not a right, it is a privilege. If we treat this world the way we have treated our finances, eventually our human system will collapse, the world will support us no longer. We will see deflation of people. The problem with this system collapse is that the recovery wont cost us in dollars, it will cost human lives.

So what do we do? Do we try to avoid the problem and let the system correct itself? Do we allow ourselves to be consumed by each other?

I would argue that nihilism is not the answer, but I would also say that starting to be responsible now is not enough. David Deutsch argues that if scientists generally agree that it is too late for any preventative approaches to have much affect, then we need to adopt a mentality of "problem fixing", not "problem avoidance".

"If you get punched on the nose, the science of medicine doesn't consist of teaching you to avoid punches." -David Deutsch, an amazingly brilliant man

We ought to find a way to fix our environmental problem while being responsible with our resources. These should happen simultaneously. Even further, I would argue that we ought to constantly be innovating new ways to better utilize our resources and gather them from multiple sources. As with finances, we ought to be responsible, fix our problems when they happen, and improve our financial stability and standards all at the same time. They are all equally important.

How it all ties together:

Finally, as with everything, we'll tie in to education... Our education is becoming commodified and this commodity is inflating. Sir Ken Robinson, whose TED video I posted recently, agrees that the inflation of education is a reality. The reality is that the jobs that required a BA ten years ago now require a PhD and jobs that required no degree now require a BA. Eventually degrees wont be worth anything.

We no longer have the luxury of treating our education like we have been treating our environment or our finances. Though superficially different, these things are fundamentally similar in how we ought to treat them.

Our education is finite, we only have until we die to learn as much as we can. Education does not always go up in value, the value is proportional to what you learn and how you apply it. In education there is value in differentiation. Education is a privilege, we must be willing to give with what we learn and constantly question what we know, otherwise we've learned nothing. When we learn, we are taking a risk, because we never know where that knowledge will take us. We don't need to borrow money to learn, we have many ways of learning. Some spending is likely, but if you are a patron of your local bookstore it will make your life easier. Libraries can be unreliable as far as supply goes.

If we can transform our ideas about education and learn better ideas in our educational system, we can change the world of finance and the world itself. Knowledge begets all things, including the way we treat our world and our trade. With a new way of learning we can take control of the future, and with it, do something that matters.

If you want evidence....

2009-11-17T00:24:00.000-08:00

Liz Coleman

Bill Gates

Sir Ken Robinson

Daniel Pink

Seth Godin

Girlfriends make good mirrors...

2009-11-13T12:55:00.000-08:00

An email message I sent to my girlfriend in response to her inquiries about my posts.

NO, NOT AT ALL! :D I love your feedback. Though some of it felt a little harsh, it is justified because of the harshness of my posts. It is important to note that the posts are reflections of how I feel about my life. They aren't necessarily true for everybody and I should be sure to clarify that in the future. Points you have made me reflect on today that I will explore in the near future:

Commodification of Education. This is a topic that almost sums up my entire problem with the Higher Education system. Though I still believe the owner/founder of the college should be rewarded, I have a major problem with treating education like a good to be bought, borrowed for, and stolen.
By a reward for the founder/owner, who could actually be the student body itself, that could mean any kind of kickback. Mostly to cover living expenses and to perpetuate the growth of the college.
Academics vs Administrators. This is a big one that I'm surprised I overlooked. I remember many professors that despised the way the system worked and many that hated homework and papers as much as I did. Partly because they didn't want to grade them (ha ha), but also because they felt it didn't contribute to learning. Learning should happen in the classroom. I identify with this a lot and almost feel ashamed that I put the blame on the academics. By academics I really meant the administrators, and those academics that do like the system the way it is because it keeps them their job. So really there would be more than one type of academic and lumping them into one category was a mistake on my part. This will likely be my next blog post and I intend to edit the one where this was posted.
Scarcity creates value. It's apparent that this point requires much more conversation. While this principle is a backbone of capitalism it is also entirely true in real life. Remember that capitalism is a system that emphasizes a particular set of physical, social, and theoretical facts that already exist. Capitalism is just the system that takes advantage of certain aspects of our society and world. It doesn't necessarily create them. Scarcity does create value and overabundance creates disinterest. Notice that the world wasn't interested in Global Warming until the polar ice caps started melting. My main point here is that if a large portion of the population went to school for the same degree, like business administration (which is one of the most overpopulated) or psychology (another overpopulated degree) there would be little value in the degree itself (which in these cases is very true) because if a company or an organization doesn't hire you they can just hire the next person. This is what brings me to the idea that it's our personal experiences after college that differentiate us, not the college experience itself. My argument is that, yes there are ways to differentiate yourself in college, but its not the main goal of the current "system". The problem comes with standardization and, as you mentioned, commodification. The market wants everybody to come out the same, but the students all want to come out different. This is a major gap in the education system that really needs to be addressed. And I intend to.

I'm sure there were more, but I have to go get my paycheck and go to work! Love you so much!

Stoplights and Freeways. Part 3

2009-11-12T14:14:00.000-08:00

This is the part where I offer improvement; the part where I dream; the part where the real conversation begins.

If I were to sum up the problem with the Higher Education System in one word it would be:

Lifeless

The ideas and passion that put it there are long expired and no longer satiate our needs as a society. We need more than just existence, we need life.

Some will say it helps us get jobs, but I say that employers are dumb for requiring a degree at all, and they know it.
Some say it helps us train for our career, but I say that you'll be retrained your first day on the job anyhow.
Some might say it weeds out the lazy and the stupid, but I say it weeds out the creative and the genius.
Some say that's just the way it is, and I dream about the way it can be.

Anything that stagnates too long dies, maybe not in a physical sense, but in an emotional sense. The paradigm held by the college system elite is that we should make college difficult and challenging to create the best doctors, lawyers, politicians, and businessmen possible, but I say this top-down approach is archaic. I believe every person is best in their own right, in a given set of circumstances. Every student should be challenged, yes, but not to the point of ostracism. The new system should thrive on each individual's characteristics and each person should be able to develop and grow within the system. This is the best approach. Actually, it's the only sustainable approach.

This theory needs to be grounded. What we need in the real world is a system that has a dynamic structure. One where there are guiding principles, not stringent rules. A system that is governed by its students, whose experiences are what make the system work in the first place. The system will not abide grades, standards, nor meaningless tasks, but experience, learning, and growth! As individuals we may succeed by our individual agendas, but in that, be unified as a school. A school dedicated to the things that really matter in life.

So maybe its not that we need a new freeway built, but perhaps we need to completely re-invent the transportation system as we know it.

A summary of points:

The current system is lifeless. There is little excitement in it.
Anything that stagnates too long dies.
Who knows what kind of people are being ostrasized by the "system".
"I believe every person is best in their own right, in a given set of circumstances."
The current system elites are bent on shutting people out. The new system will bring everybody in, help them through, and encourage them to grow.

This is not about me talking to you, this is about us talking about the future; our future.

Stoplights and Freeways. Part 2

2009-11-09T23:22:00.000-08:00

The second problem arises in the fact that you have multiple people getting off at the same exit, but that have entirely different destinations. Many times people miss their exit and have to get off at the wrong one (a change of Major is a good example).

Overall, this creates congestion. People only have or know of (college) one way to get to where they want to go, so they get on the "freeway". The problem is that the freeway only has capacity for so many people. Eventually there are too many and nobody is going anywhere.

This is when smart, and confident people get off the freeway and take the side roads. It's a risk, and we know that, but it's better than just sitting there. At least, if we fail, we learned something, saw something, or stopped for a latté. But many people do choose to just sit there. Why? What's the point?

The point is that they have faith in the "system". They have faith that the freeway is the fastest way to get them where they want to go. They have faith that it will speed up. They believe in what the freeway was designed for. But its not functioning anymore... so they wait. They wait until the congestion goes away. But the congestion of the college "freeway" won't go away. Not until a change is made.

This congestion is due to the fact that more and more people are required to go to college to get certain jobs. The jobs that require you to have master's degrees now didn't require them ten years ago and the jobs that require lesser degrees now didn't require any at all before! More and more people are going to college because they see that the people with the degrees are the ones getting the good jobs. It's not that we needed more training to do the same job, but that the perception is that if you have a degree, it makes you a better person, and distinguishes you from everybody else. This is a problematic assumption because in some ways it does make you more accomplished, but in other ways it doesn't, and it no longer differentiates you. Let me explain.

A degree is a certificate of accomplishment, nothing more. It shows that you did something that other people did not do. It shows that you put up with a lot of bullshit and made it through. In a lot of ways, college is a big endurance test. How much time can we make you waste? How many demeaning projects can we make you do? How many ways are there to read a book; write a paper; pronounce tomato? The system is designed make some people quit and others stick. It is not particularly designed to help you learn or gain experience.

Since the system is not necessarily designed to give you the knowledge and definitely not the experience needed to make it in most jobs, employers have resorted to requiring extra on-the-job experience for employment candidates. Employers know that a degree doesn't really mean you know what your doing. Also, in response, as I've mentioned, they now require more and more schooling for the same job. I'm not sure why they continue to buy into this system, but I'm not them. I can't really answer for their misdeeds.

Here's the big problem with this: Eventually the returns for going to school will be so dismally low that it won't be worth it... and people will notice. Imagine having to spend even 4 years in college just to pick up a minimum wage job. Imagine 10... 20. Extreme? Of course, but it is where we are headed unless change happens. Which is why change is inevitable. Obviously we will never let this happen because nobody wants to spend half their life learning how to live the rest of their life. Change will happen eventually...

... so lets get a head start.

Summary of points:

Just like on the freeway, congestion is a major problem in college
Scarcity creates value
The current Higher Education system creates diminishing returns. (any entry economics, stats, or sociology class can show you this)
If everybody is getting on at the same place and getting off at the same place, what differentiates them in the post-graduate job market? Without specific experience, nothing.
Employers want that something special that makes you stand out. College can't give you that.
Eventually the system will collapse if change is not made.
It's quicker, and less painful, to peel the band-aid off quickly.

An idea...

2009-11-08T23:58:00.000-08:00

It has occurred to me that maybe tearing apart the current education system may not be the most efficient way of going about the major change that is needed. While I will still continue to criticize, I will offer constructive suggestions from now on. It is my dream to recreate the educational system from the bottom up, starting with the student. We are all individuals and we need a way to learn and become our best selves in a way that reinforces our individuality, but at the same time, unifies us. This is our dream.

Stoplights and Freeways. Part 1

2009-11-06T12:15:00.000-08:00

Turns out the "road of life" is a pretty good metaphor. On the real road, the one you drive on every day, there are stoplights and freeways. You essentially have two choices if you want to go somewhere. You can take the side roads and pass through multiple stoplights or you can take the freeway. Both have advantages and disadvantages.

Stoplights are slow, every time you have to stop at one you're actually stopping because you need to make a decision. Will you drive straight, turn, or even flip around? The great part is that the choice is all yours, nobody can make that decision for you, but it comes with a heavy cost. The more stoplights, the slower you go. Sure you can get to your destination with pinpoint accuracy, but its a slow road if its far away.

That's why we invented the freeway system. Freeways get us roughly where we want to go, but much, much faster. You see, the speed comes from the fact that there are limited choices. You can take the I-15 to the I-80 to the I-215 if you want to get to Cottonwood Heights, but you could just as easily take the I-15 to the I-215. Both are about the same speed but there are only two ways. However, they are both very fast and are much faster than taking the stoplight approach.

These concepts make a great metaphor for life. If success or happiness or freedom is our destination then we have many ways to get there. Since the topic of this blog for the moment is about higher education, we'll use that as an example. So in that, we have a freeway, which is college. College is a freeway because it is considered the expressway to success and to a career. College is fast, and in general gets us where we want to go...

...except sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it takes us to places very different than we thought it would. I think there are multiple reasons why this could be and why many graduates finish their college career lost and confused, not to mention college dropouts who recognize this confusion earlier on (oh, we of little faith). If we look at a freeway, which college is one, we can see that it's basically a set path with limited alternatives. You can get on and off at certain places but there is much less choice involved than in the stoplight approach. So you have people getting on wherever they get on and people getting off wherever they get off.

The first problem with the freeway is in its form. A set path rarely gets people where they want to go. In Salt Lake City for example, our real freeway system is mostly limited to the upper east quadrant of the valley, making it slow-going anywhere west and south. In life, college does this same thing. For those of us that don't enjoy or want to make a career out of academia (e.g. Accounting, Law, Medicine, Teaching) the college system has little to offer us but a piece of paper and a pat on the head. It simply doesn't get us where we want to go, so we find ourselves graduated or dropped-out with a long path ahead of us still. I've uploaded a shoddy diagram to illustrate:

Yes, the "system" doesn't actually look this simple, but give me a break, I made it in Paint! On the actual college "freeway", there are definitely multiple paths, and differing destinations, though not as many as there are stoplights.

People will argue with this I'm sure, but those of us that feel this way know why its true. It's because the system isn't catering to us, nor is it actually leading to education or learning, not the way it needs to be. It's catering to the academics that hold the institution together because it's their institution and that's the way it's always been. *** edited***The academics have no reason to change the "system" because it helps them get to where they want to go. I'm not saying that we shouldn't include them in the new system, but it shouldn't be all about them.*** edited***

*excerpt from future post*

"Academics vs Administrators. This is a big one that I'm surprised I overlooked. I remember many professors that despised the way the system worked and many that hated homework and papers as much as I did. Partly because they didn't want to grade them (ha ha), but also because they felt it didn't contribute to learning. Learning should happen in the classroom. I identify with this a lot and almost feel ashamed that I put the blame on the academics. By academics I really meant the administrators, and those academics that do like the system the way it is because it keeps them their job. So really there would be more than one type of academic and lumping them into one category was a mistake on my part. This will likely be my next blog post and I intend to edit the one where this was posted."

*this is the end of the editors comments*

As you can see from the above diagram, some of us have destinations in life that would actually be better reached by (currently) not even thinking about the "freeway". In my mind, these typically involve the arts, creativity, entrepreneurship, innovation, and non-mainstream sports (e.g. tennis, golf, ping-pong, sumo wrestling(maybe)). There are schools out there for these things, but the main idea behind these areas is the more you try and, yes, the more you fail, the better you'll get and the more you'll learn. (These areas cannot be standardized; not if you want to be exceptional.) The real learning in these areas does not come from books, but from experience. And the books that do give you insight are not the books they give you in school. I commend the school that is passing out books by Seth Godin and Jim Collins. I'm sure they exist, but it's not the mainstream. Not to mention you may have just paid several hundred to several thousand dollars to buy a book you could have picked up for $20 at Barnes & Noble.

A summary of points:

"the road of life" is a pretty good metaphor. What others can you think of?
Stoplights are great when you need a decision, but if you don't they just slow you down.
Freeways sometimes get us where we want to go, fast and painless, but they are somewhat boring and you could fall asleep at the wheel... and sometimes they don't
The college "freeway" is basically a set path. It gets some people where they want to go but not all.
If you're an academic and really like college then that's fine... for you. But for the rest of us, we need a change.
Never stop learning. Learning doesn't stop with college, nor does it start with it. It starts with you.
I paint better than I draw in Paint.

This is merely the start of this conversation. I have more to follow, but for your sake, I'll keep this one short and post more on this next time. No story today, sorry. =D

Ryan

Art 3

2009-11-06T11:37:00.000-08:00

This art piece features straight lines, solid colors, and scalable shapes. The colors and shapes balance with the white space. At the moment this piece is to be given to another blogger who pointed me in a good direction.

Art 2

2009-11-04T21:27:00.000-08:00

My first piece. The birthplace of my love for minimalism and abstract art. Features solid colors and abstract concepts.

Foolish Assumptions

2009-11-02T13:15:00.000-08:00

'Same thing goes with school, you need to jump trough the hoops and play the games in order to get your degree. In order to do the things you truly want to do you need those things to progress in "the system." It's just the way the world works.' - a comment from a previous post.

In order to progress in "the system" you must jump through hoops. And "...its just the way the world works". These are very true statements and I would be a fool to disagree. However, the statement is not entirely factual because there are a few assumptions that have been made.

The first assumption:

"One person can know what another person truly wants."

No other person can know what drives us or who we are one millionth as much as we do. And many people don't even know what it is that they themselves want in the first place. Until we know what we really want, we can't even tell if we'll succeed in this current system or not. The first step is to find out what you actually want out of life. For more information on this please read my previous post, "What drives you?".

A story:
A few years ago I worked at a high-end jewelry store in the sales department. For the most part it was pretty boring, but I remember a story my coworker told me.

Down the street from us there was a high-end men's clothing store. The average suit there cost probably around a thousand dollars or more. One day, a man walks in wearing very dirty clothing and begins to look around. Not the kind of guy you'd find in a luxury clothing store. As the other sales people ignored him, knowing he was probably just a bum, one decided to give it a go. End result: the man purchased over five thousand dollars in suits and accessories from this salesperson.

While the other salespeople saw a bum with no money and dirt on his face, the one who made the sale that day saw nothing, a blank slate. Turns out that the guy had just been doing yard work that morning.

It's my most memorable example proving it's rare that we know somebody better than themselves. Remember not to assume you know what motivates people or what they want out of life. It's better to ask.

The second assumption:

The current "system" is the best and only way to achieve what I've determined I truly want.

The old addage goes: "All roads lead to Rome." This isn't to say that all paths lead to success, but merely to show that just like there are multiple roads to Rome, there are multiple paths to self-fulfillment. There are countless people who have found their personal path to happiness, success, and even financial wealth via a different road.

As with all things the first step in changing something for the better is admitting that there is something wrong with it. We know the status quo is not sufficient. The price for admission is not free, the ride is not utterly mind-blowing, and the end result is that you leave without the giant stuffed teddybear. The carnival of college doesn't just need some new décor, it needs a massive overhaul! This assumption of the "one size fits all" has some damaging effects, and they are visible everywhere!

Above all else this assumption has caused many "alternative thinkers" to live a life of quiet desperation*. It has caused them to become addicted, not to drugs or alcohol (though still likely), but to mediocrity. This leads to...

The third assumption (inferred):

Mediocrity is okay.

Wrong. Dead wrong.

A summary of points:

If you want to succeed in the current system, then go for it. Nobody is stopping you.
Never assume you know what anybody wants; its probably not the same thing as you.
If you're in sales, don't judge. Ben Franklin might just be your new prospects best friend.
All roads may not lead to Rome, but you can bet there are at least two of them.
Why settle for anything less than the best. If college were free, fun, and there was a definite, big prize when you finished wouldn't that be great?
I don't live in the real world. The real world is boring.
If mediocrity comes a knocking, I hope you have your walls boarded up, a 12 guage shotgun, and a chainsaw because this mother fucker is hungry.

Ryan

* "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation" -Henry David Thoreau, Walden

Art 1

2009-11-02T12:47:00.000-08:00

A painting I've mostly finished. I've got some detailing to do but otherwise it is finished. My art features minimalist themes including few colors, straight lines, and simple shapes. To me it's not that the shapes and colors need to be complex to make a piece of art complex. I'm much more into how things are laid out, where they are placed, and what their proportions are.

What drives you?

2009-10-30T18:13:00.001-07:00

This question has been something I've pondered over and over again for myself and for other people. Our own personal drivers are more important to us, I believe, than any education you can receive or experience you can gain. My reasoning for this is that I believe that our personal drivers are what determine how we can be educated and how we interpret certain experiences.

As an example, I'll take my own personal drivers into account. As always, I'll start with a story:

While in high school, like most students, I was put in a boring, white-walled room, made to memorize equations and take tests. Needless to say, it wasn't terribly stimulating, but I was used to it, so I put up with it. Since I've always done really well in mathematics and science, I succeeded pretty easily (the funny thing is: I was horrible at art and anything dealing with creativity, but look at me now). As I began to notice my obvious proficiencies and deficiencies, I began to wonder why in certain classes I performed really well and why I found other classes completely aggravating. It wouldn't be until several years later that I would answer this question.

As I stepped on to my college campus for the first time I still had that high school mentality. I was used to doing work because it needed to be done and I rarely asked questions. However, as soon as my second semester came around I realized something quite profound: for the first time in my entire life, I basically had complete autonomy at school. Rarely, if ever, was I required to attend any given class and tardiness was typically a non-issue, but the most amazing revelation was that professors hardly gave two shits if you passed or failed. Whether you turned in your papers or showed up for the test, none of it mattered! Of course, we were all told this would happen before starting college, but the reality of it is an experience all to itself.

This finally leads to my point: I realized that in order to succeed in school, I would need to feel personal fulfillment in each and every task and personally motivate myself to complete work. At first this wasn't too difficult because the revelation hadn't fully set in yet. Though, it wasn't long before my GPA started slipping and my attendance began to fall. There's still a slight sting in my heart when I think back on those days. Partly, I think, it's because I felt a great sense of failure in my actions at the time. However, the sting is only slight now because it's just a memory. I realize that the sense of failure was entirely due to my interpretation of the events through a lens that I no longer look through.

My new lens looks a little like this: If I'm personally responsible to motivate myself to enjoy the work I do, then I want to do the work that I personally enjoy. I'm not going to pay somebody or exert much effort to perform menial tasks that I find utterly aggravating*. What I'm going to do is make a personal investment, whether it be time, effort, or money to learn about and perfect the things that I find personally fulfilling in a way that is efficient plus engages and inspires me. But the current collegiate system doesn't allow for that so I decided to leave it.

After leaving, as I've mentioned before, I entered a period of self discovery like I'd never experienced before. No, it's not this profound moment where you truly discover your inner self. For me, at least, that's not at all how it worked. While there were definitely moments of profound personal revelation, I actually hit the books harder than I ever had before. I reflected and wrote and reflected more. I analyzed myself in a very critical way over a period of several months and discovered my personal drivers: Aesthetics, style, beauty, art, creativity, big ideas, and, above all other things, making a difference.

Once again, probably a mishmash of ideas and points, but here's what I'm actually getting at:

Personal Drivers are extremely important! Find out what they are and use them to take your to new heights in your life!
Nobody can motivate you, only you can do that through the use of your personal drivers. What do you honestly, truly attach personal meaning to? What actually inspires you?
If you aren't ready to write off the current "system" like I have, at the very least find out which classes don't match up with your personal drivers, and try to find a professor that is more in tune with your needs.
Personal drivers are not static. They are dynamic, which means that they change. They change because you change. Are you the same person that you were ten years ago? Probably not. That doesn't mean that you need to change them. If you want to keep 'em, keep 'em.
For me, the current "system" hasn't met the needs of my personal drivers. I would be much more happy investing my time in a system that was built to utilize my personal drivers and help me grow in a fulfilling and exciting way. That's what I would pay for.
When I observe and talk to anybody I'm always wondering what their personal drivers are. So, what drives you?

*It is important that I note that my father was paying for my tuition at the time. It's important because many of you out there pay for your own, which makes you more invested than I was. As a result, my insight may have a more or less profound effect on you. If I felt this way while not paying a dime, how do you feel?

Welcome to life...

2009-10-29T14:21:00.001-07:00

Today is the day we start. As with most things, I like to start with a story.

In high school, we all thought about college as the big leagues. Once we got there, we would be "in it". Life would really start. That, to many of us, was when we would become "real" people. I think to most high-schoolers this sounds quite compelling and exciting. All this hype has created a kind of reality that college life is expected to live up to. Through summer, from graduation day to the first steps on campus, we twitched with energy. For some, we made it well through our first semester before we realized something was terribly wrong. It wasn't apparent at first because the college hype was still there and we were clinging on for dear life. If you're like me, and I think you probably are, you woke up one day with this terrible feeling that something was wrong... and ignored it.

I did this because I had so heavily attached the quality of my life and my relationships with other people to succeeding in the "system". Now is the part where many rebels start taking drugs and drinking heavily, and possibly starting a rock band, but none of those things ever strongly appealed to me (well, maybe the rock band). No, I didn't turn to a life of excess, but I did quit school.

Its worth taking a moment here to mention that the social ramifications from friends and family can be quite real for taking this step and I had my share of them. But from the moment I clicked the "Submit" button to drop my courses, I felt true and utter freedom.

Back to the life of a college "dropout". Not only did I not turn to a life of excess and rock, I got a second job, started catching up on bills, and did possibly the most important thing I could have done for myself: self assessment. It was during this period that I began to discover my true passions for design, art, creation, and what I truly feel will make an effective entrepreneur. It led me to discover many authors that I've come to love and areas of knowledge that they not only don't teach you in college, but that actually are counter-intuitive to their system.

Now this first blog post is probably a mishmash of ideas and strings of arguments that make little to no sense so let me paraphrase:

The higher education system is one system
The higher education system is not all-encompassing
There are alternative ways to learn about any given area
The collegiate system does not and cannot teach you who you are, nor can it teach you what's important to you.
If you feel lost and confused other people will blame you, but I don't, I understand that you fell into the same trap I did and I'm here to tell you that there is light at the other end of the tunnel and there are multiple paths to success

Many points contained within will require further converstation. I know that you'll follow me as I explore these ideas and where they can lead us. I know because self growth and fulfillment matters to all of us. And we all deserve it...

Ryan