Re:Made by University of Minnesota Hubbard School of Journalism & Mass Communication

RE:MADE

T h e C u l t u r e O f I nve n t i o n

CONNECT

VISUALIZE

IMAGINE

CREATE

VOLUME 1

SPRING 2013

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

EDITOR Alexandra Sobiech

Stephanie Laumer

We live in an age of tension between old and new. Writing turns into computer code, code turns into millions of reproduced images on a screen. Videogames make political statements and iPhone applications let you kiss someone thousands of miles away. Yet, as we move to the future, we look back at simpler pleasures such as urban farming, crafting, biking, and bringing nature back into smog-ridden cities. We reserve as we restart. We take remnants of the past and transform them. Throughout the creation of Re: Made, our staff underwent a “remake,” often due to reasons outside of our control. As the editor-in-chief, I was called to bring the staff together, to lead a group, and have a vision for a cohesive product. But when my brother’s terminal illness took over my life, I decided it was time to reevaluate and reinvent myself. Life, I discovered isn’t always about the brilliance of tomorrow, but the all-too-real now. I had to be a present-tense editor so to speak, running one day at a time and feeling grateful that I had it. I decided to be more of a sister to my brother. And I decided that a staff hierarchy was less important than a working team. The best leaders, I learned, are those who bring out the best in other people. They also know when enough is enough and that it’s time to come up with entirely new solutions. These are the people we feature in our magazine, which is dedicated to the visionaries of today. Through crafting and selling on Etsy, revolutionizing entrepreneurship, rethinking the digital culture, restarting a life through immigration, and painting through spirit instead of sight, our stories feature people defying limits and using the features of the here and now to reinvent the world. That’s why Re: Made provides a window into the culture of invention. We hope that each story will inspire you to reevaluate yourself, to think deeply about the world today, and make decisions to change.

EDITOR-IN-CHEIF Alexandra Sobiech MANAGING EDITORS Katie Askew Stephanie Laumer ART DIRECTOR Leslie Olson WEB EDITOR Andrea Tritschler EDITORIAL

SENIOR EDITORS

Erin Lengas Janice Bitters Julianna Fazio Laura Getzke

ASSOCIATE EDITORS

Kaitlin Walker Leah Smith Shane Lueck

STAFF WRITER

Megan Gosch DESIGN

ASSISTANT ART DIRECTORS

Kelsey Crocker Rachel Chazin Soonmin Lee

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS

Ryan Sandberg Zoë Lenker WEB

WEB ART DIRECTOR

Samantha Fernandez

WEB ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Joseph Fishbeck

WEB BLOGGER

Lauren Regnier Taka Inukai We would like to thank the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota, Elizabeth Larsen, Jeanne Schacht, Scott Dierks, Wally Swanson, and Dr. Tims. This publication is made possible by the Milton L. Kaplan memorial Fund.

Contents

RE: IMAGINE Lifehacking....................................................................................................................2 DIY Wedding................................................................................................................3 Paint by Faith................................................................................................................4

Page 2

You + Me and Technology...........................................................................................6

RE: VISUALIZE The Anatomy of an App.............................................................................................. 7 Out of Hand..................................................................................................................8

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Linked Up....................................................................................................................10

FEATURES Consumer CTRL........................................................................................................11

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Growing City...............................................................................................................15 Pass the Controller.....................................................................................................18 Writing Rebound........................................................................................................22 The New Urban...........................................................................................................25

RE: CONNECT

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Around the World in 80 Minutes.............................................................................28 A Life Revised.............................................................................................................30 Lend a Hand................................................................................................................31

RE: CREATE

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Green Jeans..................................................................................................................33 From Paper to Screen.................................................................................................34 Spinning Back Around..............................................................................................36 Back to Black...............................................................................................................38 Finding Tomorrow.....................................................................................................40

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SPRING 2013

Re: Imagine

Lifehacking WRITER Ryan Sandberg

101 ways to reuse a toilet paper roll and other creative solutions to your personal problems. A phenomenon called lifehacking has emerged into the public consciousness. What is lifehacking? As the definition says, a lifehack can be a small or large way an individual can alter certain parts of his or her life to make it easier. Having trouble knowing which key is which on your keychain? Use nail polish to color the tops to tell them apart. Need an impromptu phone charger while on a trip? Most hotel televisions contain USB ports located on the back. Most lifehacks come from an everyday annoyance that can be fixed using a commonplace item. The goal is to repurpose the item by changing its function in a way that makes life simpler, thereby remaking your day-to-day life. Sites have popped up promoting different types of hacks. Lifehack.org, Good.is, and Lifehacker.com provide useful references for people looking to enter the world of lifehacking. Re: Made found five inexpensive and simple examples to start with.

Lifehack 1: Use a

clothespin to hold a nail while hammering. Using the clothespin will get your fingers out of the way.

Lifehack 2: Cut a hole

in a toilet paper tube just large enough to fit your phone. The tube acts as a speaker, increasing the volume of the music.

Lifehack 3: Use metal Definition of lifehack:

binder clips to keep various charging cables organized and within reach.

(noun, informal) A strategy or technique adopted in order to manage oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time and daily activities in a more efficient way. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Oxford Dictionaries Online

Lifehack 4: Trouble

Photos by Ryan Sandberg

carrying a large amount of bags up stairs? Use a carabineer to collect the bags onto one easy handle.

Lifehack 5: Use a can opener to easily open blister packaging.

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SPRING 2013

Re:Imagine

DIY Wedding WRITER Rachel Chazin

From the location to the dress, couples make the big day their own.

Pinterest as Planner DIY wed-

mann says. “They might get ideas like finding a bouquet they love and having a florist recreate it, or finding DIY project ideas for the wedding. DIY is a great wedding cost saver if brides have the time and the friends and family to help.” Pinterest provides creative ideas like filling flower vases with baseballs for a sports-themed wedding, using mason jars filled with photos as centerpieces, or having the bride and groom tie an actual knot on a rope during the ceremony to signify “tying the knot.” A Relaxing Reception The pop-

ular wedding planning website, TheKnot.com, says roughly one in four couples who tied the knot in 2011 chose a destination wedding. Whether it’s on the beach or in the mountains, destination weddings are gaining more popularity. “Couples are trying to make their weddings feel more casual and relaxed as opposed to formal,” Baumann says. She says she’s seen more unique venues like barns, restaurants, and museums. Baumann remembers one outdoor wedding featuring a “made in Minnesota” theme. The ceremony was held in the woods. “All of their details were Minnesota themed, including lots of red tartan plaid and woodsy accents. They thrifted vintage vessels and old beer cans to hold flowers,” she says. “They created a fishing cabin-themed photo booth for latenight pictures. It was creative and really well done.”

ding planners are now turning to Pinterest to plan and generate ideas. Pinterest is a digital bulletin board, and the wedding section boasts glossy spreads seemingly ripped from a magazine. Each picture links to the original website, where users can either buy the product or learn more about an idea. The website makes it easy to scope out every last detail of the big day, including DIY invitations, reception themes, dresses for certain body types, and, of course, the food. Pinterest replaces IN FULL COLOR According to Baumann, non-white dresses are an expensive wedding planner. “Pinterest is a huge trend,” Bau- gaining more attention. “The blush remademagazine.sjmc.umn.edu

Photo by Leslie Olson

A blushing bride walks down a rose-covered aisle wearing an ornate, white ball gown as the church organist plays “Here Comes the Bride.” This once standard scene is transforming with a surge of do-it-yourself wedding ideas. Sarah Baumann, editor of Minnesota Bride magazine, says creating a unique and personalized wedding is becoming very popular. “Everyone is trying to think out of the box to come up with unique elements that no one has seen before,” she says. “They want to make weddings uniquely ‘them.’ I see this in absolutely every aspect of weddings, from dresses and catering, to desserts and décor.” Re: Made talks with newlywed brides on their DIY wedding ideas and the incredible customizable details that could be overlooked. Yes, even the wedding cake topper can now feature mini look-a-like replicas of the bride and groom. Tradition, as we know it, is no more.

color for a wedding dress is huge right now,” she says. “Red dresses and sequin dresses are gaining some attention. Even Vera Wang did a black Witchcraft bridal dress collection.” Non-matching bridesmaids dresses are also more common and brides are allowing their bridesmaids to choose their own dresses. Natalie Sandberg, a recently married 22-year-old from Plymouth, created a Facebook group for her bridesmaids to give input on dresses. “I was in a wedding where I was forced to wear a horrible and uncomfortable dress,” she says. “I thought I’d let my bridesmaids choose a dress that they felt comfortable and beautiful in.”

A Casual Take on Cake Theresa

Vasek, a 26-year-old from Minnetonka, ditched the traditional wedding cake and placed cupcakes on stands resembling a typical tiered cake. Vasek says her guests couldn’t stop raving about the cupcakes from Yum! Bakery in St. Louis Park, Minn. “I thought the huge white cake would take forever to cut,” she says. “Having my favorite cupcakes was much easier and also more personal to me.” Baumann says brides are skipping the customary white wedding cake in favor of other desserts like pie or cookies. Mini dessert tables and candy tables are also a recent craze that kids will adore. SPRING 2013

Re: Imagine

Beauty is in the Hands of the Beholder WRITER Rachel Chazin

Legally blind artist Annie Young redefines the process of painting.

Minneapolis artist Annie Young doesn’t need to see her canvas to conceive her artistic vision. After going blind twelve years ago, the 49-yearold turned to painting to express her wildly creative mind. Re: Made talked to her about how her faith helps her find inspiration to fill the canvas. Re: Made: How did you learn to paint? Annie Young: I don’t know if I ever

learned to paint, or if I just experimented with texture, weight, movement and, yes, color. RM: Can you describe the process of how you paint? AY: The image dictates the process

and sometimes the supplies dictate the process. More often than not, I have an image, an experience, or a memory that is itching to get exposed, to be known. And then I paint it. I use my fingers mainly because I like the intimate relationship and control I have with the paint, and the surface, and knowing what is being placed where. But, then again, depending on the subject matter, I have been known to give way to the fluidity of the now and just let the randomness of the moment be. It is a beautiful experience. RM: How do you judge good art versus bad art? AY: I don’t judge it—I experience

it. It can make us feel something or not. It can make us think or confuse us. Experiencing art is uniquely individual. We see it not as the artist may have, but as we have seen or experienced life. Art is very telling and can be very powerful, sometimes hu4

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“Lolliteen Gang” by Annie Young

Photo source Annie Young SPRING 2013

Re:Imagine

morous, sometimes sad, and sometimes just confusing. RM: How is your job different than someone who isn’t blind? AY: I don’t have a job. I’m a creative.

But like other “creatives,” I have my own way of making into reality that which tugs at my imagination. It just happens that in the process of bringing my visions to reality, others can feel what I feel or see what I feel. RM: What are your biggest inspirations? AY: Inspiration is largely founded in

my faith and relationships. People and the memories made through interacting with one another give me the greatest inspiration to create. I also am inspired when I am outdoors. I could be swimming in the lake, on a long run, or riding my bike when I hear the wind in the trees or smell the aroma of the spring lilacs blooming. My mind just gets carried away. I also love words—bible verses and quotes. Such picture images come to mind as I love to pair my paintings with quotes. One of my favorite quotes is from [dancer] Eleanor Powell: “What we are is God’s gift to us. What we become is our gift to God.” This quote is especially meaningful to me because it challenges me to think about what and how I am using the gift of this life.

“Dancing Queen” by Annie Young

“I love this piece! It was inspired by my sister-in-law who passed away from kidney cancer. She was an amazing woman who never let anything get her down. She fought for years and always maintained a beautiful loving attitude. She was incredible!”

Photo source Annie Young remademagazine.sjmc.umn.edu

SPRING 2013

Re: Imagine

You + Me and Technology WRITER Erin Lengas

Apps keep love alive in long distance relationships.

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so I can always remember what we’ve done together.” Stacey Lin and Richerd Chan have been in a long-distance relationship for two of their four years together. Lin, who lives in Calgary, Canada, uses the list feature to plan things to do and places to eat when she visits Chan in San Francisco. “In other applications, you don’t go back and look at the history,” says Chan, “It creates an emotional connection that you don’t get from typing.” And it’s not just these couples

who are turning the tide toward technology. In 2012, over 13 million people per month used their smart phones to enrich their love lives, compared to over 5 million per month one year earlier. According to Shayla Thiel-Stern, assistant journalism professor at the University of Minnesota and communication technology specialist, people are becoming more demanding of their technology and less demanding of one another. When you have no choice but to be demanding of technology due

to distance, it makes apps like Couple even more powerful in terms of communication. The appeal is in the convenience. Relationships used to rely on letter writing and phone calls which were slow and expensive. Today’s free apps allow for more flexibility and create technologically dynamic relationships. “Convenient used to be a stigma to staring at your phone,” says Thiel-Stern. “But now it’s less of a social faux pas and more of our daily existence.”

Illustration by Ryan Sandberg

Relationships take work. Whether partners are doing long distance or living in the same house, communication is key to upholding the spark that initially brought them together. And now, there’s an app for that. Couple, an app meant to aid long-distance relationships, is reinventing the way we think about communication. In 2012, founders Oleg Kostour, Anton Krotiansky, Michael Petrov, and Aswin Rajendrian developed Couple in order to fill a void in their lives. The four men moved from Canada to California to compete for a grant to make their own iPhone app, and were suddenly disconnected from their partners. It wasn’t long before the separation became too much to bear. Luckily, the men won the grant and created a unique platform to communicate with their beaus. Couple was born. “The first thing we were trying to figure out was how to make two people who are separated feel more intimate,” says Couple co-founder Oleg Kostour. The Thumbkiss was the solution. The app shows where the other person is touching the screen, and vibrates when the thumb prints from both parties match. Couple also has familiar features like messaging, video calling, and picture sharing, and unique aspects such as shared to-do lists, date reminders, and a shared sketch pad. “To have something that’s completely just me and my girlfriend, the type of content is much more open,” Kostour says. “All our communication history is in one place,

SPRING 2013

Re: Visualize

The Anatomy of an App

Sweep. Even after initial development, applications are never completely finished. Sweep says he is always taking and applying feedback from users. “My apps continue to receive new features, performance enhancements, and bug fixes,” Sweep says.

WRITER Soonmin Lee

Hits Despite the low rate of success

It’s Technical Smartphone appli-

cation technology is ever-evolving, so it is important for developers to constantly update their skills. “It would take four to six months to become proficient enough to develop a fairly professional application,” says Chris Minnick, president of mobile application development company Minnick New Media. While there are various existing programs for the development of mobile apps—Apple Xcode, Eclipse, and Adobe Dreamweaver—schools are integrating application building classes into their curriculum. The University of Minnesota School of Journalism and Mass Communication recently offered a class where students learned to create an application for the Weisman Art Museum. Companies that need more workers who can create apps have begun offering classes to train employees. National Public Radio offers a course through Codecaremademagazine.sjmc.umn.edu

demy, which provides skills classes to build apps. Soft Skills While technical knowl-

edge is key, communication, design, and promotion are equally important to making applications successful. Applications can take a number of months to develop, according to

and fierce competition, the future of the app business is bright. According to a study by The Nielsen Company, a global information and measurement firm, almost half of Americans own smartphones which enable them to access the Internet and apps anytime. Based on a study released by Lookout, a mobile security application, nearly 60 percent of smartphone users in the

The global apps business is expected to make $25

bilLion in revenue this year, up 62 percent from a year ago.

The average smartphone user spends two hours a

day using apps, more than double the time spent two years ago..

Sources: Wall street

journal, flurry analytics.

Illustration by Leslie Olson

When software consultant Seth Sweep, 31, was developing apps, he spent his days and nights hunched over his computer hard at work. Unfortunately, the long hours didn’t always translate into dollars. “It is a very difficult business to make a living in,” Sweep says. “Very few apps are as successful as Angry Birds, and competition in the App Store is fierce.” Research conducted by Flurry, an app analytics firm, shows application technology is a vital industry. Smartphone users spent nearly two hours a day using apps. That demand means sleep-deprived developers are trying their luck in the rapidly growing industry.

United States check their phones every hour. Madison Graves, a speech-language-hearing-science senior at the University of Minnesota, says she depends on her smartphone apps every day. “With apps I spend less time searching for things and more time informed in ways such as calorie counting, banking information, and checking movie times,” she says. Sweep appreciates his ability to impact lives through app development. “We live in such a fantastic time,” he says. “Powerful, pocket computers and small, straightforward apps can make such a significant impact in people’s lives.”

SPRING 2013

Re: Visualize

Out of Hand Re: Made’s Twin Cities gift guide. WRITER Laura Getzke PHOTOGRAPHER Zoë Lenker Wood From the Hood For the environmentally conscious hipster

$ Wood From the Hood is on a mission to stop deforestation and filling landfills. They use locally sourced, reclaimed wood to create unique items like picture frames, growth charts, and bottle openers. Cribbage boards made by Wood From the Hood are great handmade, unique gifts— no two look alike. Their items can be found online and in stores like Bibelot in Northeast and Peapods in the Saint Anthony Park neighborhood.

For a complete listing of retailers carrying Wood From the Hood products, visit woodfromthehood. com 612-581-0252

I Like You

For the die-hard Minnesota fan $$ We like I Like You. We liked them even more when we saw that there was a place for kids to play within the store while parents shop. You will find anything and everything here: 100 percent vegan, handmade artisan cosmetics made by The Elixery, Up-cycled wearable art by Christine Porter, recycled sweater hats by Heidi Jo, and Minnesota everything. This store has hipster appeal with artistic and handmade quality. Leaving I Like You empty handed is not an option. 501 First Ave. NE Minneapolis, MN 55413 612-208-0249 ilikeyouonline.com 8

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I Like You

Corazon

Paper Hat Co.

Typo

For the art connoisseur $$ Paper Hat is a mecca for handmade. Jewelry, bath and body products, knit hats and scarves, kitchenware, cards, and stationery—if you can think it, Paper Hat probably has it. Highlights include goods from Twin Cities artists, like ink-dyed coasters by Gail Dahlgren and handspun ceramics from Elycia Camille. Want to learn how to make your own gifts? Owner Greta Norlander hosts craft happy hours every Thursday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. where customers can create art and swap crafty tips. 2309 W. 50th St. Minneapolis, MN 55410 612-886-3892 paperhatco.com

Honeyshine

For the DIY home redecorator $$$ Honeyshine is rooted in a unique concept: You can buy almost anything you see. Like that shelf displaying glasses? It’s for sale. Think the light fixture would look better in your home? You can leave with it. Along with major furniture pieces, the store boasts a variety of smaller handmade gifts including birch bark candleholders, decorative hand-carved deer heads, pint glasses, and even chicken foot place card holders. In short, this place is anything but normal, but that’s why you’ll love it. Can’t stop at one or two items? Honeyshine offers home design services and will redecorate your entire living space. 2720 W. 43rd St. Minneapolis, MN 55410 612-377-7300 honeyshine.net remademagazine.sjmc.umn.edu

Honeyshine

For the Guys

For the broke college student $ Typo will get your artistic juices flowing with walls resembling an art project—several are covered in faux leaves and vines. A perfect stop to amp up back-toschool shopping, the store offers stationery, cards, and painted lanterns. Other goodies include artsy travel pillows, pencil bags, and cell phone covers. This is the place to buy a gift and the wrapping. Call Typo your onestop local gift shop.

Custom Fishing Rod Handles by Steve Peck

For the fisherman in your life $$ Fishing rod handles are completely customizable and make “great gifts” for men who live to fish in Minnesota. 13175 Panorama Ave. Stillwater, MN 55082 651-439-8381 rodsandhandles.com

132 North Garden Mall of America Bloomington, MN 55425 952-854-5873

Vine Park Brewing Company

For the aspiring brew master $$ This is a great place to go with larger groups for birthday parties or celebrations. There are also junior options, like root beer.

Corazon

For the world traveller $$$ If you are looking for handmade gifts from around the world, Corazon is the destination. From Polish pottery to Peruvian household items, this store presents some of the best internationally-made goods in town. Not only do they feature different Minnesota-based artists every few months, but they also showcase an entire section strictly dedicated to Minnesotamade products. In-store gems include locally made jewelry, toys, signs, Wood From the Hood designs, and Aesthetic Apparatus art. Even though Corazon is on the expensive side, it is well worth the trip. 4646 E. Lake St. Minneapolis, MN 55406 612-276-0198 corazononline.com

1 Homemade earrings, I Like You

2 Gold hearts, Corazon 3 Letter Necklaces, I Like You

4 Q&A books, Corazon 5 Ceramic squirrel,

Honeyshine. Photo by Adam Braun

6 Handmade clay bracelets by Mary Lapham, Corazon

7 Handmade clay owl lamp by Mary Lapham, Corazon

1254 W. Seventh St. St. Paul, MN 55102 651-228-1355 vinepark.com

Handmade Ties for Men

For the guy who needs fashion help $ Bow Ties By Ben serves up handmade bow ties with enough colors and prints to fit the personality of any man. etsy.com/shop/BowTiesByBen

Handmade By Emy $$

Searching for a gift for a much younger man? Handmade by Emy has “little boys’” formal wear covered. etsy.com/shop/HandmadeByEmy

SPRING 2013

Re: Visualize

Linked Up How social networks enhance the job search. WRITER Kaitlin Walker

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Profile A LinkedIn profile allows

job seekers to expand on their resumé by adding interests, areas of expertise, projects, volunteer experiences, and even a full list of college courses. “I almost look at it as personal and professional branding,” Timmins says. “Users can comment on the things that are important to them.” It’s not enough to simply add lists of past classes, says John Tritschler, one of the leaders of Acumen Resources recruitment company. Companies and recruiters search for keywords in candidates’ profiles when looking to fill a job, he says. Both Tritschler and Timmins suggest searching the site for jobs that interest you and using strategic job terminology into your profile. “You want to be like a brochure,” says Tritschler. “A successful profile will have a headline and summary that appeals to the community you’re looking to work for. Use the lingo.” Most of all, Timmins says, it’s about working through to 100 percent completion on your profile. The site makes it easy by encouraging users to update job descriptions and profile banners, which run along the top of the page and describe the user. Tritschler says this is where keywords are most important, but they don’t replace one secret ingredient— a picture. “You get a better response when you put a picture up,” he says. Connections Building a network is

critical for all job seekers, says Timmins, and students should start by looking at the people they’ve met throughout

their academic careers: professors, supervisors, other students, and even family. These contacts are often overlooked and underappreciated, he points out. Journalism major Beth Leverich started connecting on the site last summer and already has over 200 contacts. She says building a network takes time. “It’s not like Facebook where you can just add anyone,” says the University of Minnesota senior. “It’s a reflection of you as a professional. You don’t want to connect with someone you barely know.” Timmins says the next step to building a network is joining LinkedIn groups and participating in their discussions. He says joining conversations on the site is a great way to keep up with industry trends and be recognized as a professional.

The benefit of a large network, Tritschler says, is easier access to company officials—like the hiring managers. While digital networking has made the process easier, the ultimate goals remain the same. “The real goal of job hunting is to get to the hiring manager, the person making the decisions,” Tritschler says. “That’s the person you want to see your resumé.” Though LinkedIn is a vital part of the career search process today, job hunters should still focus on making good impressions in person. LinkedIn may be digital, but Tritschler says the techniques for success comes down to old-fashioned networking. So, make a profile on LinkedIn, but don’t toss your business cards just yet.

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Illustration by Leslie Olsen

In just 10 years LinkedIn has grown from a small site based out of a cofounder’s living room to the largest professional networking site on the Internet. It has transformed how job candidates look at networking and the job hunt—allowing a person to stay connected in a way that was never possible before. Before the advent of the Internet, job hunting consisted of sending out resumés on textured paper and trading business cards. While those are still important aspects of a job search, LinkedIn has taken this process and made it faster and easier. With over 200 million users worldwide, the site has become the go-to for companies looking to fill positions. In February 2013, the Wall Street Journal reported the company’s stock soared, surpassing those of Facebook, Zynga, and Groupon. According to LinkedIn, students and recent college graduates are among the fastest growing demographic with 20 million users in that category in 2012. At universities across the country, students can get advice to perfect their profiles through Career Services. Counselors help students focus their job search, prepare for interviews, and beef up their resumés—including their online presence. Paul Timmins, the College of Liberal Arts Career Services director at the University of Minnesota, says once students figure out what they want to do, the biggest hurdle is communicating student life as relevant experience to the professional world.

Consumer CTRL Creating a business in the digital age. WRITER Shane Lueck Kira Bundlie quit her professional life. After a number of soul-sucking day jobs and unreliable freelance projects, she changed her career and created a platform where she and her team of artists could explore their art form—and, better yet, be valued for it. With the help of a Kickstarter campaign, Bundlie cofounded Hourglass Footwear, a company that designs hand-painted shoes. For those dedicated enough to be self-starters, the landscape has changed thanks, in part, to the Internet and crowdfunding. Websites like Kickstarter and Etsy rely on contributions from the public, either through donations or purchasing a product, in order to fund a project or business. These platforms garner increasing public attention as growing numbers of entrepreneurs use them to make a living. Kick Start the Country Since Kickstarter’s launch in 2009,

over $500 million has been pledged by more than three million people, and funding more than 35,000 creative projects according to the website. Elizabeth Gerber is a professor of mechanical engineering and design at Northwestern University conducting research on design and innovation, human-computer interaction, and crowdfunding. She confirms a rise in the use of crowdfunding websites. “Individual producers are attracted to crowdfunding because it allows them to maintain creative control and get direct feedback on their work from consumers and supporters,” Gerber says. Bundlie’s Seattle-based company, Hourglass Footwear, began as the result of a Kickstarter campaign started by her and cofounder Lisa Strom. The company’s nine artists hand-paint footwear to order—customers simply choose a design and heel height, or send in shoes to be painted. “Kickstarter is a fantastic way to test the waters,” Bundlie says. “We were pretty sure our shoes would be a hit; Kickstarter confirmed it.” Hourglass Footwear was fully funded just days before the 45day campaign was scheduled to end. That was a nerve-wracking remademagazine.sjmc.umn.edu

1 SPRING 2013

experience for these artists, since Kickstarter campaigns are an all-or-nothing project; all of the funds must be raised within the given timespan or else the company or project receives none of the funding. “I love that Hourglass is giving us the opportunity to create a place that we, and our incredible artists, can do what we love and have job security, too,” Strom says. Since the campaign ended, Bundlie says the business has grown in leaps and bounds. Strom echoed those thoughts. “The response was really overwhelmingly positive, and it gave us the confidence to move forward. It really allowed us to hear feedback from our backers, which changed some aspects of our business plan.” Bundlie says feedback for their campaign came in the form of requests for more variety of shoes as well as design ideas, which the two later implemented. In return for donating money to the cause, the funders of a Kickstarter campaign receive a reward, which could include a copy of the finished product, signed memorabilia, or discounts. The rewards vary depending on what level of funding a backer subscribes to. Hourglass Footwear backers received painted shoes, t-shirts, prints of the artists’ work, postcards, and more. Matt Stenerson, the director and producer of the Minneapolis-based film Death to Prom, offered top Kickstarter contributors dinner with the film’s producers and any available actors. He found the all-or-nothing platform motivational for the backers, as well as the production team. “The sense of urgency kept us up at night, but it also got us to really sing for our supper,” he says. Jeremy Wilker, the cinematographer and a producer of the film, heralds Kickstarter as a great resource for indie filmmakers. “You’ve got to build your audience from day one, and day one starts as early as you can make it, which is usually when you are fundraising and starting pre-production,” he says. And Wilker says finding funding through Kickstarter is easier than finding qualified investors and dealing with legal paperwork. Spreading the Word Word-of-mouth and social media ven-

tures prove to be the best way to create publicity surrounding crowdfunding campaigns. Professor Gerber’s research high12 RE: MADE

1 Product arrangement by Elizabeth Aleckson. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Aleckson

2 The Hourglass Footwear team. Photo courtesy of Kira Bundlie 3 One of the most popular offerings at Hourglass Footwear. Photo courtesy of Kira Bundlie

lights the importance of social networks in any crowdfunding venture—something both Hourglass Footwear and Death to Prom used. “In this sense, it’s been around forever,” Gerber says. “People perceive it as ‘reinventing’ entrepreneurship because [social media] is online where we are potentially able to access many more people in many different networks to exchange a greater variety of resources, but it’s still the same concept.” For Hourglass Footwear, a team of ten artists all helped to spread the message. Death to Prom, by comparison, relied solely on the two coproducers. “It was a daily thing and it was pretty difficult not to get burned out,” Stenerson says of the social media campaign. “You definitely can’t post it once on Facebook and walk away. Emailing and social media avenues were crucial for us.” Getting the word out became a time-consuming second job for the film duo. Using the web for a crowdfunding campaign is not merely an online venture. “If you aren’t also doing some real-world offline promotion as well, you are probably missing out,” says Wilker. “I would never ever say that Kickstarter, or any other crowdfunding option, is an ‘if you build it, they will come’ type of situation. The huge successes you may have seen are the outliers. The typical campaign is smaller and takes all you’ve got; if you haven’t established yourself online before launching, you will be in for a disappointment.” Despite success stories being brought to the forefront of the media attention, Gerber warns crowdfunding is not to be confused as an easy way to start a business. Her research suggests that very few people are able to make a living using crowdfunding. SPRING 2013

4 Gilded agate coasters. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Aleckson. 5 One of the home goods sold on Expofacto.co. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Aleckson. 6 Glassware. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Aleckson.

“More people may dip their feet in the waters of entrepreneurship because the perceived costs appear to be lower,” she says. Gerber believes that some people’s preceptions have changed, but the reality is that raising money, drawing in clientele, and being self-employed is very difficult. A customer base for crowdfunding is similar to the target audience for charities, according to Gerber. An entrepreneur needs to make sure they are able to draw in the desired clientele. “People are likely to give [money] because they believe in the cause, the person behind the cause, or are excited to get the reward for giving,” she says.

No More Brick and Mortar Stores Expofacto.co owner Eliz-

abeth Aleckson worked as the Breed Junior Chair in Design at Northwestern University before transforming her hobby into a business. She started to collect and sell vintage home design pieces through Craigslist, and her business eventually expanded to multiple shops on Etsy. “It really came down to the fact that Etsy was so well known within my social group, and was very easy to begin selling,” she says. “Having a shop on Etsy is like having a booth at a huge flea market. I instantly had a customer base that, for the most part, understood the vision of buying vintage and handcrafted pieces.” Initially, Etsy made it extremely easy to set up a shop—Aleckson had a running storefront online in less than a day. “They also provide a good amount of statistical feedback that is very accessible and built right into your shop owner access,” she says. “There isn’t a lot you have to know or learn to make your shop at least somewhat successful.” But it wasn’t long before the sparkle of starting her own business wore away. “I think one of the most frustrating experiencremademagazine.sjmc.umn.edu

SPRING 2013

es for me has been realizing that Etsy is really there to serve its buyers, not stand by its sellers,” Aleckson says. “Some days it can feel more like you’re an employee and Etsy is your boss.” Etsy has an extensive handbook of policies each seller must follow. Similar to sellers on eBay, many Etsy sellers have reported problems with what they see as unjustified negative feedback harming their business. Many buyers glance at feedback when making purchase decisions in order to feel secure when making a transaction, which is bad news for the seller. “Unfortunate-

time job and subsequently my full-time income. I had to learn the hard way that while it may seem like you’re a small business owner, when you sell on Etsy, you do not own your shop. They are able to take away your business as fast as you built it.” Since then, Aleckson launched two independent websites for her home design business ventures. She admits that it has been tough rebuilding a customer base, but the freedom of owning her own business makes up for it. “Looking on the bright side, losing Etsy turned out to be a great turning point for me,” she

“I had to learn the hard way that while it may seem like you’re a small business owner, when you sell on Etsy, you do not own your shop. They are able to take away your business as fast as you built it.” ly, some buyers understand this concept and try and use that as leverage for discounts or freebies. I’ve had this happen to me and it’s a tough one,” Aleckson says. It wasn’t long before Aleckson realized Etsy would not provide any support for the problem. Since she was not operating her own website, there was little she could do except live with negative reviews and hope it didn’t impact sales negatively. The trouble didn’t stop there. One day, Aleckson received a notice from the website’s ethics team notifying her that one of her shops would be temporarily shut down without an explanation. “Once a day or so, I would receive some questions from Etsy asking me to send photos of myself with my pieces, or describe where I found my items and how I determined the age,” she says. “It was hard not to break down at that point. Etsy had become my full14 RE: MADE

7 Appliquéd animal skulls are one of Aleckson’s many unique store offerings. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Aleckson. 8 Graphic book coverings. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Aleckson. 9 Aleckson’s studio space. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Aleckson.

says. In addition to her own websites, Aleckson still maintains shops on Etsy. “I’ve just learned to use Etsy as a tool for extending my brand, rather than relying on it to support the weight of a growing business.” The future of crowdfunding platforms as a launching pad for entrepreneurship looks much like its corporate equivalent. Gerber believes crowdfunding will become specialized by market demographics. “Ultimately a few big players that have optimized operations will consolidate the little players. I suspect an ‘Amazon of crowdfunding’ will emerge,” she says. Whether it is online or in a physical store, entrepreneurs face a long road ahead. Aleckson’s advice? “Just make sure that you are willing to accept the risk of any decision you make and do your best to enjoy the rewards.” SPRING 2013

Growing City What will a return to traditional farming techniques mean for the future of the urban food supply? WRITER Megan Gosch PHOTOGRAPHER Samantha Fernandez

If Jim Bovino is right, our future daily meals will be nothing more than a tasteless lick of paste from a tube or a handful of corn-like kibble. â&#x17E;?

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As the operator of the California Street Farm in Northeast Minneapolis, Bovino is considering the implications of a global food crisis that economists, ecologists, and agricultural scientists predict will be upon us within the next several decades. “It might sound ridiculous, but by the time this ride comes to an end, something like that could be entirely possible,” Bovino says. “If something doesn’t change, we’re headed for a very dark, unattractive future.” Global industrial agricultural production is failing to keep up with the world’s agricultural demand. According to the World Food Programme, 70 million people worldwide are currently undernourished, and several of the world’s major crop yields are stagnant or decreasing. The world’s population is expected to reach 9 billion by 2050, and global dietary changes indicate that the world’s demand for meat may double by that time. Without major changes within the agricultural landscape, these problems will reap devastating economic, environmental, and social consequences. “The problem is that we’re essentially in the midst of a crisis. It’s not necessarily at our doorstep, but it’s coming,” Bovino said. “We need to be making changes now if we have any hope of finding a meaningful solution.” Global agricultural production needs a sustainable solution, fast. As a complex global issue, debate about the right solution has produced several varied theories. While some, like Bovino, feel that a 16 RE: MADE

solution will be found in seemingly unconventional methods—like urban farming—several experts believe priority should be given to developing hyper-efficient fertilizers. Others argue that international agricultural policies, like trading crop futures should be the first to change. Where to Start? Finding a strong and sustainable

solution to a global dilemma like food security will be no easy feat. Although a definitive answer remains unclear, what is evident is the need for a new perspective toward agricultural production. In the past, high food prices caused a need for a political intervention. Under Nixon, the nation underwent a complete agricultural revolution and encouraged farmers to focus efforts on large commodity crops like corn and other grains. Farmers strived for maximum production and utilized efficient harvesting methods, which pushed smaller farms out. In the end, the nation’s agricultural production rested on the success of large-scale operations. This led to consumers believing big farms are responsible for feeding the masses. This ‘get big or get out’ mentality allowed society to be distanced from the food producing process. According to Bovino, one of the most important changes will come from consumers who acknowledge this mentality and work to change their role within the system—a change that should include growing their own food. “Individuals have a responsibility to be part of the solution,” he says. “More SPRING 2013

“Individuals have a responsibility to be part of the solution, more people need to be growing more food. It’s that simple.”

people need to be growing more food. It’s that simple.” Urban farming is a step in the right direction, says Eric Larsen, an owner and partner of the Stone’s Throw Urban Farm in Saint Paul. Though it’s a relatively recent trend, the idea has spread across the nation as consumers feel the effects of inflated beef, egg, and dairy prices. The process and impact of urban farming takes a 180-degree turn from most of today’s conventional methods of agricultural production. “Its benefits are multi-fold and have become increasingly relevant as problems like food security begin to impact consumers,” Jensen says. Farms are often built on converted vacant lots in the midst of an urban landscape and operate on Community Supported Agricul-

The North End Urban Farm is a community farm in St. Paul.

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ture. Under CSA, food is grown and distributed to members who buy shares in the farm for each growing season, sold at local farmers markets, or used in local restaurants. With more people feeding themselves, and decreasing their reliance on largescale farming operations, many positive changes can be made to the current agricultural landscape. Will it Be Enough? Urban farms revitalize city

space, build community, decrease pollution, and fuel the community’s economy. Although these much needed benefits easily explain the rising popularity of urban farming, one glaring factor has many experts doubting its relevance within a global discussion of food security: urban farms are dwarves compared to giant agricultural producers. Deepak Ray, a postdoctoral research scholar for the Global Landscapes Initiative through the University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment, says he doesn’t see how a trend like urban farming can hurt. “But it certainly doesn’t operate at a level that is needed in the present day,” Ray says. “We need to be looking at big-picture solutions that will feed the world, not just a city.” Ray has spent the last three years studying the world’s largest crops to understand the growth and decline of global crop yields—information that may prove crucial to the matter of food security. Yields are decreasing in some of the world’s most populous nations like China and India, which indicates a need for a change. The use of this research could aid in determining why these crops have stagnated and how current methods of agricultural production could improve to prevent future supply problems. Limited by space and resources, urban farmers do not have the means to function as today’s factory farms do. Large farms will still be needed to fill in the gaps. “Projects like urban farms will certainly contribute, but that’s not a long-term solution,” Ray says. “You can grow your own tomatoes, but where are you going to grow your wheat?” Larsen agrees that urban farms, like Stone’s Throw, won’t be an end-all solution to the massive undertaking. “Big farming will still be a necessity on some level and continue to shape our agricultural landscape,” he says. “Urban farming opens up that model and provides some room for change.” He says that although urban farming may not completely eradicate a need for factory farms it will help to move the focus away from big farming. “These smaller operations have the capacity to make change,” Jensen says. “There just need to be more of us.” SPRING 2013

The recent relaxation of local city zoning regulations has allowed urban growers to sell their produce, sanctioned the use of hoop houses, and cleared the raising of chickens. It’s possible that in time, this theory could be tried. Urban farming is on the rise and continues to pop up nationwide. The recent relaxation of local city zoning regulations has allowed urban growers to sell their produce, and sanctioned the use of hoop houses, a kind of greenhouse commonly used by urban farmers. As a result, the Twin Cities urban farming community has expanded significantly. These farms, including California Street Farms and Stone’s Throw Urban Farm, have been welcomed with local support through memberships and shares in the respective operations. What Are the Benefits? Aside from the agri-

cultural benefits that come from locally growing food, there are numerous environmental, economic, and social perks to urban farming that will encourage the practice to grow. Urban farms have the power to stimulate local economies, reduce a city’s carbon footprint, reuse vacant space, build community through a shared endeavor, and increase food diversity. “These farms are relatively small, but the benefits that a community can pull from this is incredible,” Bovino says. David Pellow, a sociology professor at the University of Minnesota, believes that a rise in urban farming in the United States could potentially counteract the political problems and issues of equality that are caused by industrial agriculture. “From a sociological standpoint, a locally beneficial practice like urban farming could have positive outcomes down the line,” Pellow says. “As a significant player in the production of the world’s food supply, changes within the American system could influence the international political and social landscape.” A return to a focus on locally powered agricultural production could help those who have not benefitted from the current system, namely those in countries where poverty and hunger have remained large problems. A return to locally powered operations could provide the opportunity for individuals to dictate their own futures, rather than rely upon the current system. 18 RE: MADE

“Urban farming may seem more like a hobby than a solution to a problem this size,” Pellow says. “But the benefits of this practice have great potential and shouldn’t be counted out.” What is in the Future? As research contin-

ues, it’s impossible to know how food will be grown or whether there will even be enough to feed the world. While urban farming could be left behind for more efficient technological advances or innovative methods of production, a change is imminent. “Feeding the world will take more than farming. That’s not to say that it’s not a possible solution, but what’s most important is that we take steps toward changing the system

we’re living in today,” Bovino says. “If we don’t rethink and restructure, our future is looking bleak.”

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Pass the Controller How video game developers are giving power back to the people. WRITER Kaitlin Walker The video game industry is changing. The power is back in the hands of the players, and the revolution is allowing small companies to find a foothold against AAA companies—those with large staffs and even bigger budgets. There are an estimated 211.5 million gamers in United States alone, and more of them are turning away from the big name corporations and reaching for titles produced by smaller operations. Independent game developer Jordon Justice says some of the bigger companies are making poor decisions by playing it safe. Players are tired of playing the same game, and companies are losing employees who are sick of coding the same content. Big John Games founder Ken Patterson says his company’s

Justice says it’s a “tumultuous time in the industry.” THQ, one of the largest video game companies in the United States, went bankrupt this year and was auctioned off piecemeal. Meanwhile, Nintendo, once known as a powerhouse in console gaming, is losing its grip in the market. Now, it is catching up to the film and music industries, both of which have already experienced the rise of indie. “We’re the last industry to do this,” he says. “Technology has finally caught up to allow it and people don’t want to have the same restrictions anymore.” The first-person shooter became such a popular, well-selling model that publishers are having trouble stepping away from

“Indie games have put a bigger focus on their story....That’s what’s exciting to me.” intimate 12-person staff and broad range of games has been their formula for success. The company, based in Edina, Minn., has produced everything from Roller Coaster creators to casino games. “We have a broad portfolio,” Patterson says. “Some companies focus on a genre or a specific type, but we have ideas in a lot of different areas. It helps in employee retention because people get bored making the same game over and over again.” remademagazine.sjmc.umn.edu

what has worked in the past, even as consumers are choosing other games. AAA companies have a much harder time bouncing back from a flop than smaller operations, Patterson says. His smaller company doesn’t have to spend as much to produce a quality game, and even if it doesn’t sell well they can recoup the lost money. Big companies can’t always bounce back from a 15 million dollar loss, he says. SPRING 2013

“People who are from the big side of things stretch what indie can do.”

“It was the right decision for a long time,” Justice says. “But they’re not necessarily right anymore. That’s what is pushing people away.” Many designers are going on to open their own companies, or innovate in other ways. The computer and Internet are crucial and they are what have made the indie game revolution mechanically possible, Justice says. Video game industry veteran Julie Uhrman is banking on the flexibility of mobile and Internet platforms to revolutionize console gaming with the OUYA. Built on the Android platform, the OUYA console is open to any developer to publish games. Companies like Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo have released development platforms, but Justice says you still have to jump through some hoops to get published. Every OUYA console comes with an Android software development kit with features special to the system to get developers started. OUYA touts low prices—the console will retail under $100 and all games are free-to-play at some level—and complete customization. The console itself is meant to be changed. Hacking it will not void your warranty, unlike most other systems, and it is built with standard hardware, making it easy to upgrade. Gamers will get a console with a custom user interface and game store. The company says it will be powerful enough to play games in HD as well as support other Android apps. And after a decade in the industry, Tim Schafer jumped ship to start his own production company, Double Fine Productions. The company has successfully pushed out a couple games per year, something that is relatively unheard of in the indie world, Justice says. Double Fine also beat the record for highest-earning video game project on Kickstarter last March. “People who are from the big side of things that are moving away from that toward indie, they stretch what indie can do,” Justice says. Patterson says companies like Steam, an online game store, are expanding the digital market. The store offers AAA titles and indie games for immediate download at competitive prices.

Steam has also put the decisions in the hands of the gamers: the community votes on independent games, and the ones that are green-lighted go up for sale. “There’s an access to consumers through digital means that just wasn’t there five years ago,” Patterson says. “Because of things like iTunes, consumers are more comfortable buying digital copies, where they used to want a hard copy.” Justice says he’ll sell his game—tentatively titled Heisters — independently online, and plans to submit to Steam. Eventually, he would like to see the game on the Xbox market, but getting published through Microsoft means jumping through hoops, and the game could easily be buried by the mass of other products available. The Internet provides easy access, he says, and is one of the best places for independent developers to get recognized. “Access to information is a big part of it,” he says. “When I’m done I can just put a link to it on my Facebook.” Getting recognized can be one of the biggest obstacles to a small developer, says Cal Robinet, a University of Minnesota student and game coder for the university’s Video Game Development Club. Players can be hesitant to pick up a game from a company they don’t recognize, he says. Companies producing AAA titles have the support of a marketing staff, and the money to buy advertisements and endorsements, something indie developers can’t always do. There are solutions, however. Sites like Kickstarter are helping developers find funds. Obsidian Entertainment, a gaming company based in Irvine, Calif., raised over 3 million dollars for their game Project Eternity, with over 73 thousand contributors. Every person who donates to the project gets something in return, from a “backer badge” for the game’s forum for the lowest donation amount, to a full package for donating at least 10 thousand dollars—an invitation to the launch party, a chance to play a game at Obsidian, digital downloads of the game, your own character in the game, a custom weapon, and a custom portrait.

1 Project Eternity graphic. Photo courtesy of Obsidian Entertainment 2 & 3 Photos courtesy of Ken Patterson at Big John Games

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“There’s an access to consumers through digital means that just wasn’t there five years ago.”

Money raised on the site is usually used to support the development team, Justice says. But costs overall can be quite low—as a one-man show, Justice doesn’t have much overhead. His only equipment is his computer. However, he’s keeping Kickstarter in mind for down the road. While he’s been able to do everything else himself, Justice says he will be looking for someone to bring his game mechanics to life by illustrating and designing the games. “[Kickstarter] is instrumental to indie games,” he says. “It’s so powerful for the consumer to decide, and you’re getting something good for it. You’re just prepaying essentially.” What continues to drive the rise of the independent game is the player’s need for originality. As special effects technology advanced, Robinet says there was a push toward larger games with a flashier look. “But people aren’t as impressed by special effects anymore,” he says. “They look for good story and gameplay.” Plot line is something that major titles don’t place much emphasis on, Justice says. He was told by developers at companies like Treyarch and Rockstar that a vast majority of the time story gets the least amount of attention. “There is a great opportunity in that indie games have put a bigger focus on their story,” he says. “That’s what’s exciting to me.” Heisters will be a flat 2D heist game with anthropomorphic animals and a cinematic flair influenced by his film background— a filmmaker while in college at Columbia College Chicago, Justice worked in production and sound after graduation, but has since turned to video games. He says he wanted to make the game follow a timeline like you experience in the movies. The walking from place to place is cut out to focus on the action of the heist. “You have to picture one of the Oceans movies,” he says. “In the movies you only see the cool parts. There’s the real world timeline that runs through the whole thing and then the timeline that the audience sees that’s not always in real time. Things happen simultaneously.” The game is all about planning—players pick a team and

then strategize to pull off a heist in a set amount of time. They place their characters in rooms on the map, and then control the characters through different activities like picking safes, hacking computers, and taking photographs. Justice says the heist is broken down into chunks of time: for instance, during a two minute heist, a player will control characters during 20 second blocks. While they work with one at a time, cycling through each character on their team, the actions all supposedly occur simultaneously within that block of time. Justice has been designing Heisters alone using what he picked up in programming classes at Columbia. He says he’s about halfway through the core mechanics of the game; he has systems for character movement, interacting with objects, inventory, conversations, and even artificial intelligence. His characters will wander and if they see something that interests them, they’ll gravitate toward it. Certain enemies will search for you if they become alerted, he says. The choice to use animals came out of wanting to make it a lighter experience. “The game is not taking itself too seriously,” Justice says. “I didn’t want to have any question of racism so this way there’s no connections to that. And also any violence that happens is taken in a different light.” All that’s left is smaller parts of the game, like a stealth system, systems for the activities in each room (like picking locks), and the final art. He says that while many of them haven’t been implemented, they are all planned out. “I planned as much as I could ahead of time,” Justice says. “Most of it is on paper. It just has to be built.” The video game industry continues to stretch to all platforms, especially mobile devices. Justice says he’s planning a separate mobile game that will be available for Android and iPhone. Robinet says that while the gaming industry is changing and expanding, he sees it as a good thing. “Part of the ubiquity of gaming is that it’s not just based in the consoles—it’s everywhere now,” he says.

4, 5, & 6 Images courtesy of Ken Patterson at Big John Games

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The New Urban 22 RE: MADE

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How cities are revitalizing metropolitan landscapes. WRITER Megan Gosch

A small office tucked away in the basement of the University of Minnesota’s College of Design is buzzing with activity. Ignacio San Martin is oblivious to the commotion around him. Separated by a wall of glass, San Martin is consumed by the designs laid out before him, cluttering his desk and worktables. San Martin, an architecture professor at the University of Minnesota, Dayton Hudson Chair of Urban Design, and Director of the Metropolitan Design Center, has been working with a team of urban designers, community leaders, and city officials to develop the Urban Design Framework proposal for the University District Alliance. The Alliance is made up of the Como, Marcy Holmes, Prospect Park, and Cedar-Riverside neighborhoods surrounding the University of Minnesota’s campus. The aim is to develop unused and inaccessible riverfront property. As he runs his fingers through his graying curly hair and smoothes his thick mustache, San Martin’s face brightens as he finds the words. “In order for a city to succeed, we need to completely rethink the way we’ve been doing things. We absolutely, without a doubt, must rethink everything we thought we knew about urban design,” he says. “Our innovation will determine the success of our city’s future.”

Patrick O’Leary

All the Wrong Ideas According to San Martin, our cities

have been built based on all the wrong ideas. “They’ve been built around ideas of expediency, industry, and efficiency only. It’s not surprising that this model is failing us now,” he says. Many of America’s once-thriving cities were developed around a defining industry with specific economic interests. This industry-focused strategy failed to account for the cultural and aesthetic elements that allow a city and its residents to thrive. Detroit has become a prime example of the nation’s economic downturn due to failed structural development. The city once boomed where the auto industry was born, and Detroit grew to be the nation’s fourth largest city by the 1950s. Production soon became the main focus of the area’s growth and development. But, as oil prices inflated and markets moved toward international auto imports, Detroit began to crumble in the 1960s. The city’s population since then has drastically diminished, and those who did not move, suffered from unemployment, poverty, and mass foreclosure. Because Detroit’s industrial production was so integral to its culture, landscape, and economy, little was left to keep the city alive once industry recession hit full-force. The structure from which Detroit was built—a structure that has left the city virtually an industrial graveyard—also plagued dozens of other American cities like Cleveland and New Orleans. remademagazine.sjmc.umn.edu

Building a Sustainable Structure The forward-thinking

nature of Twin Cities development projects has kept the area from complete disrepair like other cities that have fallen victim to bankruptcy, unemployment, and failed industry structures. This proactive problem solving attempts to build elements that San Martin and other urban designers find to be the key to a successful city: diverse cultural identity, public spaces, effective transportation, and ecological opportunities. According to San Martin, each of these elements works to appease what is most important in cities—the people. Although Minneapolis and Saint Paul have not experienced the disrepair seen in Detroit, projects of progress and recreation have been implemented to make the Twin Cities a vibrant, sustainable metropolis. Cultural Identity A city’s identity is constantly in flux with its

residents. San Martin says that’s a good thing. “If people are the most important thing about cities, the landscape, the resources, and everything needs to reflect the people,” San Martin says. “Their interests, desires, and needs must all be accounted for.” The Twin Cities’ most successful transformation was the creation of the Midtown Global Market. The market, which was built within a vacant Sears building on Minneapolis’ Lake Street, opened in 2006 as a gathering space for local entrepreneurs to house their budding businesses. Since opening, the market has blossomed into a mecca for ethnic goods and community events. The project has been nationally recognized as a successful revitalization project. Midtown Global Market met the needs of current residents by adapting to the area’s new immigrant populations. “The market shows the best of who we are today and what we can accomplish,” says Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, who led the project. “From the start, we wanted to create something that would help entrepreneurs who lacked support and builds off the neighborhood as it exists today.” In addition to its unique wares, the market has created a safer, healthier neighborhood, provided opportunity for the financial success of young entrepreneurs, boosted the local economy, and employed local residents. “The market has allowed this neighborhood to grow economically and culturally,” Rybak says. “It’s become a one-of-a-kind collaboration that represents a one-of-akind city—a new Minneapolis.”

Ignacio San Martin

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Public Spaces Unlike previous design movements, much

of today’s urban design is taking a people-first approach, and metropolitan development is tailored to the interests and enjoyment of the residents. “The social aspect of design is just as important as any other element. Public spaces can be powerful in bringing a community together, providing a place to gather, mingle, and generally enjoy the city,” Martin says. “Well-structured public spaces can take a livable city and allow it to thrive.”

in June 2010, Nice Ride has grown to include 145 stations with 1,300 bikes, logging a total of 575,000 trips. Nice Ride’s marketing director, Anthony Ongaro, says the program is working to make the Twin Cities a more accessible, livable, and connected community. “This program is offering a way to get around that has numerous health benefits, economic benefits, and it’s a chance to get out of the car and actually experience the city and all it has to offer,” he says. “You get to be an urban explorer instead of an observer.”

“Successful cities are designed to make the quality of life better, which is an ongoing process. There must be a desire for progress and a willingness for change.” Elements that create vibrant and satisfying public spaces include implementing street lighting and community gardens. The key factor is these elements allow people to interact, like the Central Corridor Public Art Plan. The mission of this public art plan is to enrich the communities along the Central Corridor light rail, while aiming to rethink the way that residents interact with public art. “This project is about the way artists and their work can frame questions, get people to rethink the way they look at their surroundings, and connect with it in a new way,” says Todd Bressi, an urban designer and art planner involved with the project. Work from the artists ranges from video installations to interactive sculptures. The project is based on a community-based approach. “I think artists working on this project have a bit more freedom to work within these communities and that will go a long way to create lasting, changing, meaningful social discussion,” Bressi says. “This project is rethinking the reach of public art and its ability to generate meaningful conversation. This is public art as it should be practiced.” Transportation Transportation is not only crucial to a city’s

function and efficiency, but also to its health in general, San Martin says. While cars and busses easily deliver passengers from point A to point B, these methods are costly, harmful to the environment, and physically limiting. “These methods box us in and prevent us from interacting with the city,” San Martin says. “They disrupt the natural landscape, and are not sustainable.” As fuel prices continue to rise, sustainability is becoming a priority within modern city planning and design. Many cities have begun to structure themselves around more viable means of transit, like bicycling. Already recognized as one of the best areas in the country to cycle, the Twin Cities has continued to advocate for the healthier habit with the implementation of the Nice Ride bike-sharing system. The local community supports the program, which docks sturdy bikes for public loan at pay stations throughout the Twin Cities. Since its first day of operation 24 RE: MADE

Ecological Experiences Many question the importance of

meaningful ecological experiences—parks, arboretums, and gardens—in a region often described as frigid and inhospitable. San Martin argues that satisfying cities don’t merely comply with the natural landscapes, but enrich environmental assets, and should blend the man-made and natural features of the landscape. San Martin and his team have created a vision in the District Alliance’s proposal that will transform the Mississippi riverfront. Changes include additional access points to the river, expanded public lighting, additional viewing platforms, and extra miles of bike paths. Land currently disconnected from residents along the river will also be revamped as a beach destination for sport and social gatherings. The proposal will revamp industrial spaces with an emphasis on creating an environmental experience by building greenways. Instead of just walking down a sidewalk, greenways provide a more pleasant experience and will include elements of environmental landscaping such as gardens, parks, and seating. These walking and biking paths will connect the neighborhoods that make up the Alliance through repurposing abandoned rail lines. “Providing these social and ecological experiences make cities more than just places to live,” San Martin says. “They allow cities to become communities, create pride, and find an identity.” Looking to the Future While there is no exact formula for

designing a thriving city, San Martin says that there is always one concept to keep in mind, “Successful cities are designed to make the quality of life better, which is an ongoing process. There must be a desire for progress and a willingness for change.”

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WRITING REBOUND

With selfpublishing, authors reinvent their industry. WRITER Leah Smith

The Writing Road to Publishing In 1991, Joshua Glenn, a

senior at Williams College in Massachusetts, wanted to find a way to publicly explore his interest in popular culture, science fiction, and a philosophical theory known as semiotics. He learned about zines, or self-published magazines, and realized these often hand-photocopied pamphlets would be a perfect format for his ideas. The result was called Hermenaut. Created in 1992, it offered a heady take on anything from science fiction author Philip K. Dick to Beverly Hills 90210 and had a cult following amongst the mainstream and alternative press. Glenn published Hermenaut until 2001, although it became more of a hobby and less of a moneymaker over the years. But his work with zines earned him a job in Minneapolis as an editor at Utne Reader, an alternative magazine that covered politics, culture, and new ideas. Still, Glenn could not stay away from self-publishing. As web publishing gained popularity, Glenn moved back to Massachusetts to work for a new company called Blogging did not Tripod, where he showed users how to set up their completely replace own website without using HTML text, a zines, Glenn says, complicated form of internet coding. He also but it did to zines developed some of the first blogging tools. Afwhat television did ter that, Glenn worked to radio. for The Boston Globe for five years in their Ideas section, where he edited, wrote, and blogged. Now, Glenn writes for magazines and newspapers, does market research and consulting, and runs HiLoBrow, one of TIME’s Top Ten Blogs of 2010. “I can never seem to get away from self-publishing,” Glenn says. “I love the freedom to write exactly what I want and when and how I want it.” Blogging did not completely replace zines, Glenn says, but it did to zines what television did to radio. Despite this change, a young writer named David Solomon stuck to his zines. remademagazine.sjmc.umn.edu

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Solomon is the author and publisher of “Travel On 3,” a 32page zine about the year he lived in northeastern Minnesota as part of a conservation crew. Through the use of journal-like entries and hand-drawn illustrations, Solomon describes his time felling trees with chainsaws, carrying out directed burns and wildfires, and killing invasive plants. Solomon discovered zines while studying creative writing in college. After getting nothing out of college workshops and facing the daunting competitive literary market, he decided to take a road less traveled. “Most of my writing never saw a reader,” Solomon said. “It’s really discouraging if most of what you write is never published anywhere.” That’s when Solomon decided to write zines. “I like how cheap and easy it can be to make a zine,” he said. “I like being involved in every step from writing, to designing, printing, and distributing. It gave me motivation to keep writing.” At first, Solomon only gave his zines to friends because he thought they would make good parting gifts, but he eventually learned to expand his market. He sells them on Etsy, an online marketplace of handmade goods, and in local bookstores. All you have to do is ask the store, he says. “My goal is to break even, because people rarely turn a profit with zines,” Solomon said. “You have to love it.” Glenn agrees with Solomon, and says that zine writers and bloggers must have a second job to pay the bills. He prefers blogging to zines because blogging is free, so he’s not as worried about turning over a profit. Glenn also shared in Solomon’s struggles of distributing his zines. “It’s kind of like being a professional athlete,” Glenn says. “Everyone wants to go to the Olympics, but very few actually make it.”

emergence of e-books created an even bigger ocean for aspiring writers to get lost in? E.B. Boatner, the author of M-o-t-h-e-r Spells Murder, a murder mystery, has been in the writing business since 1975 when his first article was published in Harvard Magazine. Boatner, the editor emeritus for the Twin Cities GLBT news magazine Lavender, wrote the book in 1988 but had not succeeded in publishing it. Several months ago, Boatner learned “I like being involved in every about a website called iUniverse which helps step from writing, to designing, authors publish their work. The company printing, and distributing. It offers numerous packgave me motivation to keep ages that have helped self-published authors writing.”

Print To Electronic, Author to Publisher While the

concept of electronic books existed as far back as the 1970s, when the internet was still in its infancy, the advent of e-books was another revolution in the publishing industry. Today, the Amazon Kindle store has over one million e-book titles, and you can read a novel, magazine or newsletter on most electronic devices. But has the 26 RE: MADE

Mickie Turk, author of “The Deliah Case.” Photo courtesy of Mickie Turk SPRING 2013

since 1999. Boatner fixed up his book the way he wanted it to look and read by selecting the type of package he wanted. iUniverse gives a chart of the different packages and services, which include a book launch, live and phone interviews, distribution to journalists, line-by-line editing, and other services included in each package. iUniverse designed Boatner’s cover with his input, he did his editing, and chose the quantity and quality of his printing. Three thousand dollars later, iUniverse sent Boatner five author copies ready to be distributed and read. He bought seven more to send to the media, and then placed an order of 100 copies. “I wrote to everyone I knew, trying to get them to read my book,” he says. “I advertised it on Facebook, LinkedIn, and writers’ groups. The Internet helps a lot.” Besides advertising his book using his network on the internet, Boatner admits that having some recognition as an editor and reviewer from Lavender helped. Along with the process of publishing, marketing and generating good publicity can be very difficult for self-publishing writers to face beAlong with the process cause of the struggle to gain of publishing, marketing recognition, readers, and make a profit from their work. and generating good Mickie Turk is a self-published writer who used Amapublicity can be very zon to publish and distribute difficult for self-publishing her debut novel, The Delilah Case. Turk did not start out with a reputation as Boatner writers to face because did, so she started at square of the struggle to gain one with Amazon. Amazon is remakrecognition, readers, and ing the way authors edit and distribute their work make a profit from their through CreateSpace and the Kindle. CreateSpace, a work. member of Amazon’s companies, helps authors who want to sell their books in print form through Amazon or other channels. Amazon also uses their Kindle device to allow authors the choice of publishing e-books, which can be viewed on any device that has a Kindle application. Because the books are not printed on paper or published through a well-known press, the publishing is fast and free, the royalties are high, and the writer can set the price. In less than a day, the book will appear on the Kindle store, ready to be bought anywhere in the world. With Microsoft Word, workshops, proofreaders, and readers, Turk was able to edit her work into tip-top shape. “I learned how to do things that I didn’t know Word could do,” she says. After Turk published her book, she hoped the hardest part might be over. The downside is that authors are responsible for remademagazine.sjmc.umn.edu

advertising, which is usually limited. “I made a few paid appearances, did a few book launches, and received good reviews,” Turk says, “but then I flatlined. I didn’t get anything for a while.” Turk began to create an essential network of librarians, authors, reviewers, friends, groups, and websites. She sent out free copies of her book in hopes of a good review that might bring her closer to gaining enough recognition to make a profit from her work. “It’s a numbers scheme,” Turk says. “Say you give your “Little by little, the book away for free in the Kindle store. Forty people might recognition builds until get it and read it, then twenty the book starts making might rate it, and five might pass it on.” a profit.” Little by little, she said, the recognition builds until the book starts making a profit. The Making of a Magazine As a recent English graduate

of the University of Minnesota, Jamie Millard noticed a demographic that wasn’t being served by Twin Cities’ magazines. Having worked for Ivory Tower, an undergraduate literary magazine, and with five internships under her belt, Millard knew what a literary arts magazine could look like. She and two fellow classmates created Paper Darts, a literary arts magazine that showcases comics, music, art, fiction, poetry and more. “We were just out of school and facing unemployment,” Millard says. “Since there was no literary arts magazine in the Twin Cities, we decided to create one from scratch.” The three English majors never took a technology course, and they relied on Google to help them build their website, which launched in September 2009. A few months later, Paper Darts decided to move their successful website to print. “We used a home printer with the finest quality paper we could find and a sewing machine to put together our first magazine,” Millard says. “People love the aesthetic.” Almost four years later, the magazine has a strong following. The website now gets around ten thousand unique monthly visits, and Paper Darts has sold over four thousand magazines and books, according to Millard. Most of the profit comes from the large amount of traffic on the website because the print form of the magazine only comes out once a year and usually cost 12 to 22 dollars. Paper Darts only has volunteers for which Millard says they are never lacking. “Any money Paper Darts makes goes right back into publishing Paper Darts,” Millard says. “We all have regular jobs now but we love this magazine and will continue to publish it.”

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“We exist to develop and maintain a public market that builds upon the economic, social and cultural assets within the surrounding communities, and welcomes the diverse peoples of this community to share and celebrate together the healthy foods, arts, crafts, and other aspects of their heritages.” —Midtown Global Market Mission Statement 28 RE: MADE

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Around the World in 80 Minutes Scenes From Minneapolisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Midtown Global Market. PHOTOGRAPHER Ryan Sandberg

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“You have a brand new canvas and

A Life Revised From Taiwan to the Twin Cities, Arwin Chan redefines her future. WRITER Janice Bitters It had been a couple months since Arwin Chan came to the United States from Taiwan. She still didn’t understand the English conversations around her despite her best efforts. But she was ready to immerse herself into a strange new world— Minneapolis. In a brave venture to the Mall of America, Chan had a devastating encounter with the cashier. “She was talking so fast, I couldn’t understand anything, not even how much it cost,” Chan says. “I just handed her my 100 dollars and waited for the change.” Chan was not alone. In 2002, the year she came to the United States, there were over 300,000 non-immigrant admissions from Taiwan. Chan, a college graduate in Taiwan, came to the United States for the sole purpose of becoming proficient in English. “When you first come, you think, ‘Yes, I can do it,’” she says. “But when you get here, you really don’t know what most people are talking about. Your self-esteem just crashes.” Though the language was proving to be more evasive than she’d hoped, her adventure to the United States started to look up when a new man appeared a couple months after arriving. The night the two met, Chan’s United States house-mother had taken her out in Minneapolis. “She was ordering a drink and my [now] husband butt in between us,” Chan says. “I thought, ‘How rude of this person!’” Despite his indiscretions, she found herself dancing with the man to polka music in the basement of Nye’s Polonaise bar in Northeast Minneapolis. He called her the following day and asked her to ac30 RE: MADE

company him to the Mall of America. Chan never made it back to live in Taiwan as she’d planned. Eleven years later, she has created a new life in Minnesota with her polka-dancing husband and their two young children. Chan is working to figure out how to reinvent the life she had planned before moving to the United States Though she is happy in Minneapolis, she must consider the best way to pass her heritage on to her children, who will likely grow up in the United States. The only language spoken at home is English, but their 5-yearold son attends a Chinese immersion daycare during the day. “For me, the reason I wanted him to learn Chinese is so he can talk to my family,” she says. “We just went back this January and he was able to talk to my parents.” Chan says the language lessons her son receives at daycare have been meaningful to her parents who know very little English. “They were very worried they would not be able to talk to their grandchild,” she says. In addition to learning the language, the Chans’ keep their Chinese heritage alive by celebrating traditional festivals. “You have a brand new canvas and you get to paint the picture you want. Sometimes it may not be perfect, but you’ve made a choice,” she says. “It may not be a big accomplishment for some people, but for me, it is something that I have set for myself and I am making it.”

you get to paint the picture you want. Sometimes it may not be perfect, but you’ve made a choice.”

Chan lives in Minnesota with her husband and their two children: 4-year-old Elijah and 18-month-old Ariel. Photo by Leann Manning Photography.

Arwin Chan married Zack Kirris in the United States in 2004. They traveled to Taiwan for a second ceremony in 2007. Photo by Asia Star Wedding Company.

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Lend a Hand Twin Cities nonprofits connect consumers to international crafters. WRITER Julianna Fazio Feed My Starving Children Feed

My Starving Children is one such organization. Located in Minnesota, Illinois, and Arizona, Feed My Starving Children aims to accomplish the task in its name—feeding the starving children of the world. The organization gathers local volunteers to handpack specifically formulated meals for malnourished children. The food is then shipped off to countries that need it most. Although the meals are helpful, Feed My Starving Children understands that change must come from within as well. To fight the problem from both ends, the organization opened “The Market Place.” The small shop, located online and at all Feed My Starving Children

Photos by Kelsey Crocker

It’s Saturday morning, and a small, unique store sits quietly at the end of the street, ushering wandering eyes into the door. On a shelf inside there sits a woven pine needle basket. The vibrant colors and detailed stitches would make a great addition to any home. What’s more, the purchase of that basket helps lives halfway around the world. Stores all over the country are bringing in new international suppliers in order to change the world. These international vendors allow artisans in underdeveloped countries to sell their crafts in first-world markets. This provides a straightforward opportunity for underprivileged families to support themselves.

A worker at Feed My Starving Children prepares the rice for packing.

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locations, sells handmade goods such as jewelry, coffee, and hot sauce. The items were made by the very people Feed My Starving Children works to help, putting the power back in the hands of the underprivileged people. “The impact the Marketplace has had on these families is that they can now have some source of income and put their talents to good use,” explains Emily Schmitz, a Feed My Starving Children team leader. “They can then take the money they get for the items they make and use it so they are not reliant on FMSC’s meals, but rather can be sustainable on their own.” Ten Thousand Villages Anoth-

up front, which allows the artisan to actually have money to live on while they are making the craft.” Ten Thousand Villages’ first artisan partnership originated in Puerto Rico before the word ‘Fair Trade’ had even been coined. “Fair trade represents 0.01 percent of all trade,” McGinley explains. “Ten Thousand Villages has seen it go from the invention of the term to where we are starting to see it emerging in large, national corporations.” How You Can Help Buying fair

trade products directly helps the artisans. If you want to do more, companies like Feed My Starving Children and Ten Thousand Villages are always looking for volunteers. You can find more information about either of these companies at fmsc. org and tenthousandvillages.com or go to volunteermatch.org to find opportunities near you.

Photo by Kelsey Crocker

er Minnesota-based company, Ten Thousand Villages, shares the passion for supporting the less fortunate abroad. Ten Thousand Villages is a local nonprofit that features handmade gifts from around the world. Artisans in India, Kenya, Indonesia, the Phil-

ippines, Guatemala, and other countries produce fair trade jewelry, crafts, baskets, and other items. The World Fair Trade Organization is a partnership between artisans and consumers that is based on transparency, dialogue, and respect. It is a movement that seeks to establish greater equity in international trade. The Saint Paul store started 31 years ago, and is now part of a national organization of 120 stores. Ten Thousand Villages runs on a relationship-building basis, finding artisans and working with them for long periods of time. “One of my favorite things about Ten Thousand Villages is how we appropriate the funds back to the artisans,” says Kathy McGinley, manager of Ten Thousand Villages. “We negotiate what would be a fair wage or price in that local economy, and we have to do our homework. Once the price is determined we pay 50 percent

“One of my favorite things about Ten Thousand Villages is how we appropriate the funds back to the artisans.”

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Green Jeans

3. Levi’s – Commuter $

The Commuter line from Levi’s applies the slim fit trend in cycling-specific clothes utilizing performance fabric and design. Under the slogan, “Form. Function. Cycling.”, the collection consists of “performance fabric,” which is elasticized and stretched, and it appeals to those who want practicality and comfort. The Commuter line is perfect for those who seek multi-functional performance clothing with a slim fit. Check out 33 the new Commuter line by Levi’s online: us.levi.com.

Environmentally friendly fashion hits the streets. WRITER Soonmin Lee The fashion world is responding to the recent eco-friendly trend with apparel that is not only fashionable, but also allows consumers to transition from biking to business with ease. According to the United States Census Bureau’s 2008 American Community Survey, the number of bicycle commuters has almost doubled between 2000 and 2008. In an effort to become more functional and trendy, exercise clothing has been reinterpreted and re-invented. With this new trend, it has become easier for cyclists to be more fashionable in performance-based clothing. The increase in concern for the environment, fitness and convenience has created a new paradigm for exercise clothing. This enables people to commute on their bikes, while still remaining in style. Here are some noteworthy brands for everyday bicyclists.

2. Osloh $$

Osloh offers stretched clothes with a less formal, gentler style. With unique prints and graphics on its items, Osloh creates funky clothes that appear more like street apparel than exercise gear. Osloh also provides specialized and characterized products with a special philosophy towards clothing that highlights convenience and practicality. Coast Twill Trousers, Pedal Denim Jean, Spoke Jean, Cog shorts and Hub shorts are featured items available to cyclists. Find optimized items available to the everyday biker at osloh.com.

4. Freitag $$$

5. Oat Shoes $$$

1. Betabrand $$

Betabrand is an online-only clothing store that designs, manufactures, and releases various types of clothing for people who are physically active. Bike to Work Pants are Betabrand’s featured item. With different colors and styles, Bike to Work Pants satisfy the style and functionality wishes of commuters. The pants secure durability by adding a gusset, a piece of fabric that reduces stress in tight-fitting clothing, and reinforces functionality with several pockets with hidden zippers. The store releases new items every week and you can order the latest items at betabrand.com.

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Under the mission of the company, “Recycle and Recontextualize,” Freitag has produced bags that are made out of used seat belts, air bags and bicycle inner tubes, mostly containing strong nylon. The classic Fundamentals and the new Frietag Reference are two lines produced by Freitag. Vivid colors and unique graphics are two of the most exciting aspects of the brand. Be part of recycling at freitag.ch.

Due to the popularization of fast fashion retailers and private label apparel brands, such as H&M and Zara, people can now buy products cheaply and then throw them away easily. Because of an increase in environmental awareness, OAT Shoes has proposed a new model. OAT Shoes are made with biodegradable materials, which means they can be buried and then will decompose naturally. The unique soles of the shoes, which strongly resemble a tree branch, are the signature style of the brand. You can find not only high-top shoes, but also slip-on and low-top sneakers in the Second Skin Collection and Virgin Collection II. Find out more about “green and style” at oatshoes.com.

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From Paper to Screen Re: Made talks to four Twin Cities artists about the future of illustration. WRITER Zoë Lenker

Zoë Lenker

James Henkel

Technology is transforming the way artists create. Although the mouse and computer screen have replaced pen and paper, the creative goal to inspire has not waivered. Re: Made magazine speaks with four Twin Cities artists who have updated their techniques, but not changed their vision.

Allegra Lockstadt

Debra Frasier

Re: Made: What mediums do you use? Allegra Lockstadt: I usually make a bunch of parts. When I say parts, I mean I’ll take a piece of paper and a paint brush and make a bunch of different brush strokes with different angels or textures. Then I’ll scan it. The programs I use the most are probably Photoshop and a little bit of Illustrator. For coloring, I’ve found you have to be able to change things per the client’s request, so I’ll assemble the color digitally. Using digital media affords for more flexibility.

Re: Made: What is the best part of being an illustrator today? Debra Frasier: My favorite part is that I still get to do this. In this day and age I still make picture books. It is something that requires no batteries. You can go to the library. You can tuck it under your arm. You can open it up. That moment when you open a picture book, I get to be there.

25 years old Freelance illustrator

RM: What is the best part of being an illustrator today? AL: I think it’s a lot easier than it was in the past. All my work is [eventually digitalized], which is mostly good because there are a lot of things you can change. I like the ease in connecting more quickly to people. RM: Where do you see the industry in 10 years? AL: I think that there is a huge gap that’s becoming less wide between self-projects and clients. The two are much more equal now because we have things like Kickstarter and Etsy. I think it’s really cool that before Kickstarter, people had to either wait for a funder or take out a loan to start a new project. Now artists can make a book on Kickstarter and be funded in a month. That’s crazy!

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60 years old Children’s book author and illustrator

RM: What mediums do you use? DF: I still make all the pictures by hand but I now shoot them into a digital file. I’ll put them into Photoshop and move things around, adapt things, and change colors. There’s some finessing now that happens, which is newer to the industry. I’ll also use Keynote, which is a sort of PowerPoint show program used to tell stories about the making of a book. I know now that story is just as important to tell to young people as the book itself. RM: What is the most difficult part of being an author today? DF: The transformation of the book business makes it hard to make a living. It’s challenging to keep reinventing how to trade what I do for enough money. That’s the biggest challenge right now: how to be creative about the ways to continue making stories and still be able to afford the time to do it.

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Zoë Lenker

Greg Wanbaug

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Lauren Stringer

Sherwin Schwartzrock

Re: Made: What is the best part of being an illustrator today? Lauren Stringer: The gift of being given someone else’s story and getting to live with it. It really is an honor. You read books and you see pictures in your mind as you read them, right? I get to actually make the pictures that go with the story. To me, that is the most marvelous thing in the world.

Re: Made: What mediums do you use? Sherwin Schwartzrock: I’m a little bit of old school, a little bit of new school. I use all of the Adobe software, but I still have a light table, which is what I learned on. Then I’ll take a sketch, scan it in, and start building it digitally. For certain projects I still use pen and ink, but most of my work is on Illustrator.

56 years old Children’s book author and illustrator

RM: How do you think the craft has become easier or harder in the digital age? LS: It does seem like it has become easier because more people illustrate with a computer. I don’t, I paint with a brush. But if I’m not sure how I’m going to paint it, I’ll scan the drawing on my computer and try different colors before I paint. RM: What is the most difficult part of being an illustrator today? LS: I think the hardest part will be keeping up with all that’s going to be happening. Picture books are becoming e-books, but I’m not convinced that there are very good e-books yet. Right now, when I make a picture book I work with a publisher, an author, and a designer. Everybody’s heart and soul is going into making the best picture book ever. Then it gets handed over to a company that turns it into an e-book and you don’t have the editorial, artistic, or illustrator input anymore. They lack the soul that is put into a really good picture book.

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43 years old Manager of Schwartzrock Graphic Arts

RM: What role does technology play in creating your images? SS: Technology is our business. Sure there will always be print, but it’s not the currency we live with today. In the graphic design and illustration world, creative thinking is powerful. Critical and strategic thinking is much more valuable than learning how to use a tool, though we need to know how to use the tool too. RM: How does working with pen and paper feel different from digital drawing? SS: A pen and paper doesn’t stop you. You don’t have to learn anything. I still like old school sketching, because a sketch captures the most emotion. Often I sketch out an idea then go to Illustrator, and find that it doesn’t capture that essence this whimsical sketch had first.

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Vinyl finds a new audience in the digital age. WRITER Kelsey Crocker Jeffrey Pederson has been listening to vinyl records ever since his dad played Bob Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde on their record player when he was a kid. Now the 40-year-old from St. Cloud has close to 1,000 records and is constantly searching to expand his collection. “These records instill memories,” he says. “I remember my grandparents listening to them, then my own dad getting up to flip the record and grabbing my mom and dancing in the kitchen.” Pederson collects vinyl because each one tells a story. He can pick one up and look at the cover, remember when it was made, and what was going on at that time. Pederson says people can’t really do that any more with digital music. Vinyl records have been around since the late nineteenth century, but the modern LP as we know it was introduced in 1948. They slowly started to die out when cassette tapes were introduced in the ‘60s, and it seemed like the final nail in the coffin with the introduction of CDs in the ‘80s. With the ease of music sharing in the digital age, vinyl records seem to be doomed. But maybe not. Vinyl record sales across the country have grown every year for the past five years, according

to the Star Tribune. In 2012 they hit an all-time high at 4.6 million, rising 17.7 percent from 3.9 million the previous year. Electric Fetus is one of the most popular record stores in Minnesota, with locations in Minneapolis, St. Cloud, and Duluth. Carrying a large stock of CDs, DVDs, and LPs, the store has provided music junkies with everything from local up-and-coming musicians to mainstream artists since 1968. Kendall Wolf, who works at the Minneapolis Electric Fetus, says the appeal of owning records may have to do with the lull in the ‘90s, when many titles were not available on vinyl due to the

rise of digital media. Now, he says, listeners prefer vinyl over digital downloads of albums because of the nostalgia of a lost medium. “I also think that to certain people, vinyl has become a new fad or trend to be a part of today,” says Wolf. “Our sales here at the store have increased by three percent and we have a decrease in our stock on CDs. We have even opened a whole new section catering just to vinyl records.” Ben Butter has worked at the Duluth-based Electric Fetus since 2010, and also recognizes the rise in vinyl records, due to millennials’ interest. “I just sold a few records to a 15-year-old boy who was excited to play these on his record player that his dad gave him,” Butter says. “It was refreshing to see that youth is remaking the old format of music and, in a way, making it new again. I really think remademagazine.sjmc.umn.edu

that people of all ages miss the hard copy in the whole digital phase.” A benefit to vinyl is that listeners get a better idea of what the artist wants to express, he says. “There is a clearer and more expansive range of sound,” Butter says. “Plus, with vinyl records, it also comes with a digital version that can also be downloaded to any computer so it’s a win-win situation.” Not only have vinyl records increased record stores’ sales, but musicians are also interested in recording on vinyl. Minneapolis-based indie folk band Chants & Seas hope to have one of their albums produced on vinyl, but it’s expensive. CDs only cost artists about one dollar a piece to produce, says Chants & Seas founder Channing Alto. Vinyl costs five times that, he says, at just over five dollars per record. “It’s funny that when CDs first came out people only were buying vinyl because it was cheaper. Now it’s the opposite,” Alto says. Alto founded Chants & Seas with his friend Cecelia Erholtz, who saw him playing on the sidewalk in Dinkytown in 2011. Since then, they have added members Max Graham and Charlie Bruber. Alto says to expect their first full-length album in July, although the vinyl edition will have to wait. “Since vinyl has become more popular, they have remade older albums into new vinyl records giving it an even clearer sound,” Alto says. “DJs I know actually now prefer vinyl because the direct manipulation of the medium on the record player is easier to use rather than with a CD or cassette player.”

According to The Nielson Company and Billboard magazine, the top ten selling vinyl albums of 2012: Blunderbuss by Jack White Abbey Road by The Beatles Babel by Mumford & Sons El Camino by The Black Keys Sigh No More by Mumford & Sons Photos by Kelsey Crocker

Spinning Back Around

Bloom by Beach House For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver Boys & Girls by Alabama Shakes 21 by Adele Bon Iver by Bon Iver SPRING 2013

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B AC K TO B L AC K

Jef Van Syoc brings new life to an old craft. PHOTOGRAPHER Ryan Sandberg

For Jef Van Syoc, blacksmithing isn’t just an art of the Middle Ages. Originally a carpenter from Rochester, Wisc., Jef Van Syoc decided to take up the age-old skill with a modern twist. Van Syoc met his mentor, Michael Jones, at a wedding. After being taught some tricks of the trade—making a barn spike—and a few beers later, VanSyoc asked for an apprenticeship. “We wrote up this curriculum, six months of working with [Michael] this many days a week, we’ll study these things, and by the end of this, you should know it,” Van Syoc says. At around the two-year mark he started working with him, and accompanied him to hired jobs. After he had acquired enough skills, Van Syoc opened his workshop in South Minneapolis in 2001. Van Syoc still worked as a carpenter, but he did blacksmith projects on the side. In 2005, carpentry work began to dry up around the Twin Cities. Van Syoc decided to make the switch to blacksmithing full-time. He hasn’t worked for anyone but himself for eight years. In addition to the autonomy, he also enjoys the elasticity of the medium itself. “That’s the best thing, being able to take the thing and completely manipulate that material,” says Van Syoc. “Bring it to life, the sculpting process of it. Heating it up. Stretching it. Curving it.” Van Syoc’s work varies widely in style. His pieces consist of everything

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from standards such as candleholders and railings, to more modern pieces like parts for motorcycles. “You can do so much with wrought iron,” says Van Syoc. Although trained in traditional blacksmithing, Van Syoc has also learned other methods of completing projects over the years including arc welding and a gas forge. Van Syoc not only uses wrought iron, but also bronze, copper, steel, and aluminum. He considers some of his pieces to be a mixture of both old and new techniques. “I make all my own tools, do my own designs,” he says. When it comes to designing a piece, Van Syoc takes time to create the right look for each customer. He sits down with design books and searches the Internet for examples for customers to see what is possible, and decide what direction they want to go with for their piece. After a basic idea is set in place, VanSyoc goes about designing his own twist on it—in his words, “Getting to be creative with it.” Van Syoc says that there is no average price to his work. “It really depends on what you want,” he says. The price for a simple candleholder sits around $300 and a railing runs between $100 and $700 depending on the level of work. “I’d always been doing art, I took a lot of art classes in high school,” says Van Syoc. “That’s what I wanted to do.” Van Syoc’s company VanMadrone Metalworks is located on 3555 5th Avenue S., Suite 109 Minneapolis, MN 55408. SPRING 2013

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1 Shop The shop is adorned with pieces of art, and echoes with heavy metal music.

2 Hands Plans for the next project. 3 Anvil Van Syoc either makes or finds most of tools. 4 Sparks Sparks fly as Van Syoc hammers a weld into a bar of iron. 2

5 Heat Van Syoc heats up the metal before hammering the weld together.

Arc Welding Welding that uses an electric current to help join metal, rather than normal blacksmithing, which only uses heat. Gas Forge Instead of a large coal fired forge to heat the metal, a gas forge uses gas to heat metal.

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remademagazine.sjmc.umn.edu

SPRING 2013

Re: Create

Finding Tomorrow Minnesotans study trends to forecast the future. WRITER Shane Lueck

Futurist meeting.

40 RE: MADE

The recent trend of health care company mergers did not catch the Minnesota Futurists off-guard. That’s because the members of this forward-thinking group investigate historical and current trends in economic, technological, and political subjects to anticipate changes the future might bring for society. Nothing catches this group by surprise; preparations have been made and they know what’s coming. Forecasting society’s future is standard protocol for the Minnesota Futurists. “Futurism means addressing wild cards and anticipating breakthroughs that can impact the future,” says Brian Toren, a founding member of the Minnesota Futurists. “One then looks for possible, probable, and preferable futures that may result from these events and breakthroughs.” The futurists, who meet every Saturday, invite anyone to participate in their weekly discussions. “Take a test drive,” says David Keenan, president of Minnesota Futurists. “We invite speakers to present to the group on any topic that might be titled ‘The Future of [dot dot dot].’” Keenan sees futurism as a thoughtful consideration and study of what is to come. He says change is a normal part of daily life. In a world full of complex systems and interconnected networks, Keenan says everyone has a stake in the future. However, the Minnesota Futurists have noticed that futurism has failed to catch on with younger generations. The majority of the group’s members are older males. The lack of interest in the group’s discussions by younger generations troubles Toren. “[The issues we discuss] affect where they may live, what they need to prepare for scholastically, even what kind of car to buy,” he says. “All of these decisions affect their future lives.” According to Toren, the hardest part of gathering data about future events is ensuring the integrity of the data in a presentable form. Toren forecasted worldwide telephone communications about five years before it happened—although he thought it would be entirely over communication satellites, not cell phones. “My forecast was right, only the implementation was wrong,” he says. So how do we hone our futuristic planning skills? According to Toren, the first step is to change our mindset, “They need to think seriously about setting goals in life based on where they want to go.” Next step—be informed. Thinking futuristically entails investigating where society is going, what politics is saying, how future technology will affect the job market, and what new technology may be coming. Toren recommends looking into the World Futurist Society’s website, or that of the Minnesota Futurists, to begin discovering futurism. “Above all, get involved. The more you do, the more you’ll be in a futurist mindset,” he urges. Being a futurist is not just about observing what is happening, it’s about being proactive and making a change. “If you see a disturbing trend and can look closely at how and why it seems likely, then step back,” says Toren. “Begin to consider alternatives, as many as possible. Groups are very helpful for this stage. Finally, choose a better path and begin to work toward that goal.”

SPRING 2013

Re: Made is a Twin Citiesâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;based magazine and website through the University of Minnesota School of Journalism and Mass Communication that explores the culture of invention. We provide a vision into arts and entertainment, business, handmade projects, and international and local topics through the people who lie at the core of creation in a time when mass production and consumption is rampant. Our goal is to inspire those who innovate.

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