website

A page from my portfolio but a few condensed images on my website:
www.dianafreeland.com
Still a work-in-progress... as is life.

BREAKOUT! (beta) bag of tricks

Anthony Townsend, the visionary for the BREAKOUT! festival, is showing the tools needed for a successful BREAKOUT! session with the help of his intern, Elysse. The kit is a art bag which stores a dry-erase board, markers, post its, a cable turtle to organize wires, and clip-on umbrellas (not shown) for shade.The BREAKOUT! festival is happening this September and hopes to take people outside of their offices and into public spaces for heightened creative experiences.

This was my first attempt at producing an iMovie, and for the most part it was pretty simple and straightforward. I look forward to making more.

men and women

Check out all the collaboration going on in the back! Tony Bacigalupo, founder of New Work City (a coworking site in Greenwich Village) is in the forefront of more than just this picture. He is considered one of the founders of this movement and I've heard of him for so long that it was finally great to meet. "So what does coworking need?" I ask him. "A guide for people who want to open up a space," he replies. Sure enough, I go to the wiki and see that there is no guide (a broken link), but more importantly, there is no coherent, organized web presence for coworking.

(a wide shot of the space) It's a guy's workplace with those big, comfy. dark, leather office chairs paired with a jeans and sneaker dress code. Relaxed.

Later that day, I ventured further uptown to In Good Company, run by Amy Abrams and Adelaide Lancaster. Amy doesn't really consider the space a coworking site. She says that it's a for-profit company, and when I checked, it is listed under alternative venue in the coworking wiki. It also targets a female population (although there are screened male members) and it is very apparent when you walk in. The white desked, flower filled venue is immaculate. Women in dresses and high heels with that chill of overly conditioned air that I often associate with corporate environments. Here there are cake designers, flower arrangers, life coaches, and interior designers unlike the tech businesses in New Work City.

I'm really glad that "In Good Company" does not claim to be a coworking place. From talking with Tony and seeing and feeling several coworking environments, there is something organic, laid-back, and personal about authentic coworking, which I did not realize before. It's a place where you can come and leave a mark, an impression that stays because you connected with people who embrace community and conversation. Both are fabulous places for those who feel productive in them. Again, it's about deciding what flavor you like, especially when you pay for it.

team work

This week we designed tags for the amend bags which are going into production this weekend! I did some line drawings for the informational side of the tag (shown above). I sent it to Rikki, who sent me an illustrator file (shown directly below) with what she was working on with a willingness to collaborate on the design:
Hmmm... white on yellow? Very tricky. How about eliminating the yellow stripe but still keeping the Ghanian flag colors, and making it square as discussed in our meeting? So I sent her this:
The next day, she sends these out as final designs for print:

Isn't collaboration sweet?

plastic planter

A while back, I replanted this succulent into a cottage cheese container that was laying around after lasagna night. It desperately needed fresh soil and I didn't feel like going out to buy a planter, especially since our recycling bins hold so much up-cycling potential every week. Secretly, I had the idea that one day I would wrap the shell with one of the thousands of wires we had in a box under our bed, courtesy of my gadget-loving husband. So today, I decided to put that idea to the test and took some unused, almost trashed telephone wire (who uses landlines anymore?) and hot-glued it down for a clean, modern finish and a whole lot of eco.

baby steps

I told myself that if I do a painting a day till I die I could probably end up with a masterpiece. I haven't kept up with my one-a-day (it kind of feels like exercising) but here is a friendly reminder to keep myself going! My first painting in black pigment.

hug

some tree-on-tree action taken on the pratt campus with my iphone! Yes. I have an iphone now :)

Meet At the Apartment

My wonderful classmate and Amend lead, Ingrid Fetell told me about Meet @ The Apartment. It has advertising and branding undertones, but people from many creative fields met, mingled, pitched ideas, and possibly made life-long connections. It was not the usual jelly or coworking experience that I'm used to as there were speakers scheduled all day, whose inspiring stories charged the crowd for a very engaging session. As you can see from the video, people are conversing and hardly typing or staring at their screens. In fact, Ingrid had to leave a little early so she could get some work done.

Organic

After a summer hiatus (including getting married, honeymoon, and moving in) I'm finally back in my coworking mode. And what a better way to return than with my newlywed husband?? It was the first time that Jon (my husband) has ever gone to a jelly. We were at lab247 in Stuyvesant (Brooklyn). He is a committed member of the corporate world and had an awkward time working and mingling in such hippie fashion. In the pic above he is on a conference call and had to balance his laptop in one hand as he stood outside for any form of privacy. Below are some pics taken by Jonathan Landau, the founder of the space.


There was a round-table discussion with Todd, one of the authors of I'm Outta Here, to define the future of coworking. What a perfect opportunity!


There were concerns about connecting with people in a coworking space. For example, if I were a DJ needing branding and marketing strategies, can I get help from someone in the group? The need for a coworking 'Craig's list' was apparent. The desire for after-work hour coworking sessions for those with 9-5 jobs who have side projects was also expressed.

Jon L. sees coworking as a wholistic approach to working where you can do things faster and better because you joined a coworking space. He called it an evolution, that's if you consider evolution a good thing. At Lab 247 you can start coworking with yoga to prime you for a productive day.


To me coworking is a phenomenon. I personally have a distaste for trying to over-define coworking. For me, I'm happy with knowing that it's counter-culture movement. Coworking really has a lot of colors and to try to define it, predict it or organize is like looking over an artist's shoulder and judging a painting before it's finished. It would kill the very spirit of coworking which is entrepreneurial, creative, collaborative, and maybe even messy. Perhaps an organic, brick exposed, open desk basement coworking site is not my husband's particular hue at the moment but he could definitely use something for after hours.

backpack prototypes

The prototypes from Ghana have arrived. It was like Christmas morning for all of us finding our brown paper and muslin models transformed into useable backpacks. Oh hard work, it was worth it.

Here Ayca, Vanessa, and Evan sport the 3 designs. They are all being tested in Ghana with vendors and children to see if they will sell and if they wlll hold up against the Ghanian elements. The feedback will direct our work toward perfecting a single backpack that will eventually be marketable. The goal is to end road-side traffic injuries with these backpacks because the reflective material on the bags should make children more visible to totos and other moving vehicles at dusk when many children travel to school.

space and proximity

Working among so many fashionable shoes and strangers on the 24th floor of a tall building overlooking Manhattan's upper west side was surreal. This is jelly at the Michael Antonio showroom. The environment was a stark contrast to the basement-like quality of "The Change You Want To See" space. The showroom is gorgeous. Lofty, wall-to-wall windows, eclectic adornments like the red felted pool table and the antler chandelier. A chic, modern vibe with a southern twist. However, it was harder to "jel" here. Most people were quite intent on working on their laptops. There was not as much camaraderie here because people were too physically spread out, unlike the Brooklyn jelly session where people were packed together.

I felt nervous walking in and perhaps everyone feels that way initially, but I found opportunities to chat. It was especially nice to meet an old face there. I felt like I instantly connected. I can see why coworking would be much more fulfilling than jellying. In coworking, you can actually keep rapport when you go somewhere daily and see the same people. Relationships can be built this way. It's also important to have a mix of new people into a coworking space as well because it brings fresh perspective and ideas.

Food and drinks usually get people socializing. It was around the water cooler that I had the opportunity to meet other jellyers. Jesús was one such person who I met while making some tea. He is a telecommuter who works most days from home, in his home office. He likes jellying to get him out of his routine. I think most people don't cowork because of the extra cost of renting a space, but jellying, which is free, is nice to try out. You never know who you are going to meet and how they are going to affect you. Speaking with Jesús reinforces the idea that people like to move around to work and wireless internet makes that all possible.

As for me, I read a whole book on coworking. I had met Todd, the co-author of a book on coworking at the last jelly session. He was the guy who I described (in my last post) sat next to me, took off his watch, and answered his phone. Yes! He's an expert on coworking and I was reading the e-book version. The last jelly session was quite successful because at the end of the day, everyone started socializing. I honestly think I started the conversations because as I was packing to leave, I mustered up the guts to ask the girl next to me if she was a programmer, which then got the guy next to her (a sculptor) interested and the guy sitting across from him (a graphic designer) also started listening. We then went around and announced who we were and what we were working on. That is how I met Todd.

jellying

So I'm sitting at The Change You Want To See coworking space. There are about 10 people here. Four of them are women, including myself. I think you'd feel weird if you didn't have a laptop. There does not seem to be any space to work. More people just entered. Two more guys. We are running out of space. There are two older gentlemen here. There is a guy here from Buenos Aires, who does coworking there. He's working on the couch. It seems pretty quiet. One of the founders of the space just walked in. Her name is Becca. Alexis is here but not Louise. The amount of mac users overwhelm the dell users. There is music playing. Star trek-like instrumental. Oh... Louise just walked in. This guy next to me takes off his watch before he starts typing. That is interesting. Jon does the same thing at home. I think bulky, men's watches gets in the way of typing. There is a cat here that came from the ceiling and just walked down the ladder. Her name is Tony. I think the owner just walked in as well. The space is getting tight. People are not really moving to accommodate, but there is a break-out room. The guy next to me just got a call and he's going outside to talk. Alexis just put on his headphones. The SSID and password are listed on the blackboard. There is a girl with a wacom and she is drawing.

It's not 12:40 and people are becoming more conversational. I hear more talking. Some people ordered lunch together from M. Shanghai. I'm not big on Chinese, so I just grabbed a slice. News12 videotaped and interviewed some people. I think it's showing at 5:30 pm today.

Some ideas for products is having a laptop that has a screen on the back so that you can project messages as well as create a skin for you laptop with pictures and such. It's 4:24 now. I have been working on wedding stuff all day. I guess I'm multi-tasking.... working on thesis and wedding stuff. Some people are leaving! There were about 25 people all together. I guess people like to work late. I guess you can do that when you are your own boss. Some people are now leaving and some are getting beers and coming back with it.

change you want to see

Coworking is an interesting phenomenon. It's a place where bloggers, programmers, writers, designers, and really just about anyone come together to co-habitat a space while working on individual projects. I ventured into Williamsburg today to check out the change you want to see, which is an art gallery space that is also used for daily coworking. The location seemed quite dismal but two very friendly coworkers greeted me inside - Alexis and Louise. They both were so open to converse about the space, coworking, and their jobs. They raved about how productive coworking is compared to any other job they had sitting in an office or cubicle. I imagine I would get great feedback on prototypes and concepts from these guys, which would fall in line with the premise of coworking. To foster a sense of community and spur innovation and creativity in a space where no two people are working on the same thing.

This Friday is jelly. It's a bi-weekly get-together of coworkers at higher numbers than usual at the same location and I can't wait to see what happens.

bagging it

This is the first time I have ever sewn anything and I must admit it was quite gratifying. I enjoy making things from fabric. The materials cost about $50.00 and they were sourced from all over the garment district in Manhattan. One store in particular, Elegant Fabrics, has many selections, a lot of staff, and is not that crowded or hectic like Mood. They also offer 10% discounts to students, which is great. I can't wait to tote things around in it.

laptops and lattes

I sat in Tillies today. I ordered a green tea with an energy hemp bar and pretended to do work like everyone else because cafes are anything but places to sip lattes and chat with friends. No, they have turned into pseudo offices. Places where people go to drink coffee and type away on their laptops. People will pay for multiple beverages for the ambiance, the white noise, the clutter-free table, and for the cafe energy that helps them be productive.

I sat next to a writer who told me that he was editing. He said that he needed to work at home when he's actually composing a piece, but he needs to be in this setting to edit. He said it gave him 'perspective.' I think I understand what he meant by 'perspective.' I get that feeling when I sit in airport terminals because it heightens my senses and makes me think about where I am and where I am going. It affords me time to be reflective and deep which always puts things in perspective.

The most important thing I learned from sitting at Tillies was that people need to be in different environments to effectively work. The home office may be a good way to start the day, but the local cafe may just what you need to plow through the 3 o'clock hump.

brainstorming

What kind of products can I make for the home office.

The idea of merging functionality:
a wire weight (instead of a paper weight) to hold onto wires,
a powerstrip bookshelf,
bookshelf speakers
the stable mouse
a powerstrip that is magnetic and easy to access,
a white board that is like a post it (cube, frame, desktopper)

concepts:
posture and working
exercise
ergonomics
different ways to sit
traveling

designing the office of the future

Interesting excerpt from an article in the Grand Rapids Business Journal Express:

As he (Lodato, an industrial designer working for Herman Miller) sees it, the role of office design will be to absorb or manage those elements. Much of this will come from integrating technology into furniture, but not in the manner designers have traditionally used. For example, this would likely not include building computer components into furniture. The next-generation office will likely reverse that paradigm, using technology to add value to furniture.

Technologists envision a workplace that essentially manages itself. Individual workstations could be outfitted to recognize users, adjusting climate control and light settings. A next-generation Aeron chair might remember ergonomic settings for each user.

“You could create an intelligence in the fabric that will understand your weight and chemistry,” Lodato said. “It could recognize who you are, and maybe that you’re perspiring too much and overstressed. It’ll know you’ve put in a long week and say, ‘Hey, it’s Friday, take a break.’ The chair talks to you.”

rudimentary mind map

Ingrid's wire-escape solution

A fellow thesis mate sent this my way after we discussed in class about the annoying way wires fall down when unplugged from laptops. Here she has a powerplug, a usb cable, and headphone/speaker plug held down by the space created between the frame and spring of her desk lamp. Pretty resourceful solution to such an annoying problem.

for my thesis....

It occurred to me a couple of months ago that the idea of the 'home office' reinforces the old adage that the more things change, the more they stay the same. People used to work out of their homes as farmers, blacksmiths or artisans. They used to sell their wares and/or services and things were much more local, hand-crafted, and decentralized. Along came the industrial revolution and people began migrating to labor in factories. Cities sprang up and so did slums. The economy centralized and later shifted to a more white collar workforce. People "went into" work, sometimes commuting hours to get to the office.

Now, a lot of people are working from their homes as artists and craftsmen again. They are selling their work on etsy.com and their personal websites while getting paid through paypal. The internet has made that possible. Anyone can have a store front on the web. Much more interesting is that even high-tech and financial industries are following suit.

Corporations are asking their employees to work from home to save costs on office space, retain valued workers, improve employee morale, and inspire innovation. An article in Business Week titled "Square Feet Oh, How Square" says,"By dumping square footage, negotiating flexible leases, reconfiguring shadow space, creating movable, everything-on-wheels offices, and designing 'getting away without going away' areas, companies can better leverage their talent and inspire innovation." The savings are tremendous and that is why home offices are on a rise. More and more people are telecommuting and therefore, setting up home work spaces. "For the second consecutive year, an American Institute of Architects survey of industry professionals revealed the home office is the most popular special-function room in the house." (Business Week, November 15, 2006).

The home office is a system of computers, wiring, storage, lighting, and furniture and just ripe for re-design, streamline, and innovation. I am looking forward to meeting and working with the unique personalities that make up this pajama workforce.

design by the book

I had a chance to see some of Julia Rothman's work at the Design by the Book event I went to today. It inspired me to do a little drawing before bed. I was psyched to get a little face time with Grace Bonny. She's lovely.