J Thoughts

FAREWELL 2014

ayminor
farewell-2014-new-year

2014 wasn’t the year I wanted it to be. I had hoped that I would cross off the three biggest items left on my 2014 bucket list, and when that didn’t happen I panicked. Like, severely panicked. And sulked. Why couldn’t things just fall into place? How much more did I have to do? How much longer could it possible take?

It was at some point during this never-ending pity party, that I came across a quote, not unlike others I had seen before, but nonetheless one that struck a chord with me that particular day.

I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.

I thought, why not put this quote to the test — acknowledge and understand my fear, embrace it even, before taking the steps to overcome each obstacle? I had my first chance to practice out on the slopes over the weekend.

When I got to the top of the mountain, my heart dropped into my stomach. I was skiing for the first time in at least five years, and I had no clue what I was doing. On the first trip down, I was stiff, trying  to control every move. When I would start to pick up speed, I would bail out — I ended up tumbling my way down the hill. On my second time up, I took just a second to acknowledge how afraid I was. And then I asked myself, what could really go wrong if I gave way to my fear, taking the risks that warranted my feelings? I slowly let my skis guide me down the hill. With each turn, I began to hit my stride and within minutes, I had made my way down the hill without falling once.

I say all that to say, I end 2014 in fear. In fear that I won’t see the world. Have a satisfying career. Get my new beginning, in my own apartment. And yet I am taking all of these feelings, and working through them. And with all of my emotional baggage in tow, I am determined to cross off the last few items on last year’s bucket list in the beginning of 2015.

For all the things I didn’t cross off the list, there were plenty more that I did. Here are a few of my most cherished memories from 2014:

first-open-mic-ariana-grande
San-Francisco-Sausalito-boat
Made-In-America-2014-Philly-3-June-Ambrose
Kickstarter | The Road To AngelaIam TV

J Thoughts: A Look at Angela Simmon’s Failed Kickstarter Campaign

ayminor

Last month, Angela Simmons turned to Kickstarter to raise $25,000 to fund AngelaIAM TV, a visual platform for fashion, music, art, and entertainment.

As a creative, I truly believe in Kickstarter, and other crowdfunding platforms, that make it possible for the average Joe to bring a brilliant idea to life. I am very, very selective in how I spend my money (largely because as a recent college grad I don’t have any), but when I see a project I truly believe in, I can’t help but support.

Of course, with the good comes the bad. Like everything else, I hate that these platforms have attracted more than a few projects that have caused me to raise an eyebrow (most notably Spike Lee’s “Newest Hottest Spike Lee Joint” campaign).

On one hand, it seems like a no-brainer for celebs and prominent artists to turn to crowdfunding — seemingly, they have the soapbox and fan base to do a little promotion and easily get their projects funding. On the other hand, it feels as if they are intruding on a space not meant for established figures, but for those without access to big-name sponsors and prominent backers.

Although AngelaIAM TV is meant to promote aspiring international artists, which I appreciate, it was unclear how the whopping $25,000 would be used to drastically improve upon the videos she had already begun to create, and why she couldn’t use her resources and contacts to fund it herself. There were many others who felt the same; her comments on Instagram where spattered with negative reactions.

Despite my skepticism I never doubted it would raise the necessary funds, especially with the success of several other celebrity-endorsed projects.

Although Angela heavily promoted the campaign on Instagram, which is connected to her Twitter, both with over  1 million followers, had promotional videos, featured rewards, and a press release sent out to media outlets, she only received 11% of her goal — $2,766 of $25,000.

Kickstarter | The Road To AngelaIam TV

What went wrong?

Emmanuel Mensah, the producer of AngelaIAM TV, addressed the pitfalls of the campaign in an interview with Soo Detroit:

When we first launched our Kickstarter we got a lot of backlash for it. What people don’t know is that we’ve been funding AngelaIAM TV on our own long before we launched the Kickstarter. This is something we’ve been funding but we’re trying to take it on a wider scale and what better way to try to take it on a wider scale than to have people that want to see something like this happen, help us do it. This is all about the people, but it has been hard and difficult because people automatically assume: ‘Why is a celebrity asking for money?’ That’s not the case at all. We want it to be about the people and not have one investor be responsible. We want the people to be responsible as a unit for making something like this happen. (soodetroit.com)

Did the proverbial “people” take a stand? Was the project description not strong enough to gain support? Is it possible she didn’t have enough promotion?

It makes an interesting case study.

J Thoughts: Don’t Forget Your Christmas Cards This Season

ayminor
Christmas Cards

 If you admire somebody, you should gon’ head and tell them. People never get the flowers while they can still smell ‘em.  – Kanye West

I usually never send Christmas cards because I am so consumed with the end of the semester and finals to even acknowledge the holiday season. Then there was the matter or actually buying the cards and getting stamps, taking the time to write them, and getting addresses, etc. This year I decided there were no excuses, especially because my friends are all over the country and could really use a little holiday surprise as we all try to figure out this [very] “real world.” I do not write this post to pat myself on the back, but simply to say, especially during the holiday season make sure you take the time to appreciate the people you have in your life.

If I Could Go Back to College, I Would Love to…

ayminor

This fall, Penn students had the opportunity to sign up for an urban studies course that allowed students to work together in teams to collectively decide how to give away $100,000 to local charities in Philadelphia.

Each team was responsible for creating a mission statements, soliciting grant proposals from local nonprofits, making site visits and interviewing administrators. The $100,000 grant was provided by the Once Upon A Time foundation.

After reading the article, I was so disappointed that I was unable to take the course as an undergrad because it would have been great exposure to the nonprofit world that I have increasingly gained interest in following graduation.  Not that being a PPE major is an excuse, but I did not even know the course existed!

As I currently work on my first (of hopefully many) nonprofit projects, and as a future philanthropist (speaking it into existence), this course sounds so exciting.  Just thought I would share, in case any current/future Penn students happen to stumble across my blog — check out the article and the course when you begin to plan out your schedule for the semester — it truly sounds like a worthwhile semester-long experience!

Penn Philanthropy Class Gives Out $100K To Local Charities

University of Pennsylvania student Sharree Walls didn’t realize when she signed up for a course on philanthropy that she’d actually become a philanthropist at the end of the semester.

Then her professors announced that the class would be doling out $100,000 to local nonprofits. Walls said she was thrilled, excited – and “definitely a little nervous.”

“Obviously, it’s a huge responsibility,” said Walls, a 21-year-old urban studies major from Lombard, Ill.

The funds came from the Once Upon A Time foundation based in Fort Worth, Texas. Penn is among 13 U.S. colleges to receive a grant from the private philanthropy, which has quickly expanded the program since a successful pilot at Texas Christian University in 2010.

“Our goal is to expose students to the importance of giving back, and giving back in a thoughtful manner,” said foundation President Sam Lett.

But students must do a lot of learning, and legwork, before the checks are written.

The class was a perfect fit for Lett’s foundation, which offered Penn its first grant last year. Bauer said the money hasn’t changed how the course is taught, but “it makes all the information and ideas we share during the semester come alive.”

At Penn, an Ivy League school in Philadelphia, Doug Bauer and Greg Goldman have co-taught an urban studies course on philanthropy and nonprofits for more than a decade. Bauer is executive director at The Clark Foundation, a private philanthropy in New York; Goldman is vice president of development at the nonprofit Philadelphia Zoo.

This year’s class split up and created four “foundations” that would award $25,000 each. They had to devise mission statements, solicit grant proposals from local nonprofits, make site visits and interview administrators.

The first several weeks include lectures, discussions, readings and papers – all designed to teach students “how complex it is to nurture an urban community, and how critical the role of nonprofits and philanthropy are,” Bauer said.

Read the complete article here.