Wednesday, December 21, 2011

The Flip Book

Right now I am working on a book for High School students to get passionate about themselves, their ideas and the possibilities of an entrepreneurial future.  This is fun but challenging.  I keep thinking of myself at their age. As a mother of two kids, 7 and 11, I know how important it is to tell the story using the right language and emphasis to have it be understood by different age levels or better yet stage levels. The age I hope to reach is the elusive teenager.  Coming into their own this group is not quite a child and not yet an adult (sounding an awful lot like a Britney Spears song just about now).  So I am doing my research.  I met with a focus group of my target market and their teacher.  It was a frightening experience as its not the college crowd I have been around for the past 14 years, its the would be freshmen.

I really loved being that age.  It had a lot of drama and excitement.  We had our own real life soap operas going on.  Crazy weekend parties when various parents went out of town; stress of what college to apply to as we prepared to take our SAT tests, this is just one weekend I can recall.  But squeezed into that teen world of yesteryear, we also did find time to have a part-time job and do volunteer work.  This is not the reality of today's youth and their are not so many opportunities to find work let alone have it encouraged in Croatia.  This leads to an increasing importance of the theme of entrepreneurship.  Being able to push thinking and action to a new level, to go beyond what is currently accepted and see things and manifest things in new ways.

The best hope is for students to come with some kind of passion for some interest/hobby that connects them to the world around them.  From this passion could be the seed that starts them on the journey to building their future instead of waiting for it to happen.  The book we are creating will flip stories that students are familiar with and retell them with an entrepreneurial twist.  Once we have acknowledgement that the book will be published we can reveal more but for now I can just give some real life examples of people turning their passions into businesses.  Once such case is that of Ketra Oberlander, a blind painter who started Art of Possibility Studios http://www.aopstudios.com/index.php which is a cooperative of talented illustrators, graphic designers and artists who also happen to be choosing to emphasize what they can do rather than what they can't. Be inspired.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Food issues - the lunchbox pictorial

What moms pack for lunch in Japan: Custom rice creations in a Bento box
Hello Kitty and her friends make lunch more colorful and fun to share with classmates.


Offers up pretty and healthy edible storytime.


Animae in cold cuts and seaweed form the perfect superhero
fighting for a balanced diet everywhere.

Watched it on BBC's "Japan's Amazing Lunchboxes and had
to spend 30 minutes learning more about it.

Even came across the book

A book by Christopher D. Saylers which is now on my
Wish list!

Can you ever look at food the same way again and not think
about the possibilities?


Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Entrepreneurship in flight


Its amazing what a little bit of free time can bring.  On my travels to a UNESCO conference in Thessaloniki, I had to go from Zagreb via Frankfurt.  I tried to track the entrepreneurship ideas I came across in the variety of free media sources available to me.  Several inflight magazines, USA Today and the International Herald Tribune supplied me with enough to inspire a mindmap of sorts.  On the fly, and wherever you are their are inspiring ideas that can take you in new directions if you are simply open to them.  

EN ROUTE
Being inspired by beauty and traditions found in Croatia Airlines’ inflight mag
Croatian island hopping recommendations from Award-Winning CBS Producer, Pete Radovich
1. Well Known: Korcula, Hvar, Brac
2. Lesser Known: Lastovo, Rab, Vis
3. Hidden Treasures: Kaprije, Pasman, Zverniac
Every wonder where your salt comes from….well they describe the heritage of salt harvesting around the town of Nin that has been in place since the 6th century.  The Nin Salt Pans Park produces salt with all natural methods using sun and wind which expose the salt ready for the taking.
Note to self
I have been experimenting with playing music during exams….to calm the savage beast that seem to show up at exam time instead of my average student.  While this raised some eyebrows it was a great classroom management tool and even the initially resistant students asked for the calming tunes to remain on.  Then the USA Today I was given Weintraub (2011) reported that in America, there are more than 5,000 musical therapists in an industry that should experience growth.  The results of music therapy in treating everything from physical problems to mental stress and even aging has been promising. This gave me hope that musical applications for learning also need to researched and could make for interesting pedagogical studies worth pursuing.
New regime and new rules have enterprising individuals filling niches
New found freedom over daily life has citizens of Tripoli flocking to get items they were not previously allowed to consume in places they were not previously permitted to buy.  Now windows can be tinted, decorative jewelry can be worn and an abundance of fruits and vegetables are now available through many channels.  The rule of law is free as well and it will take a while to get crime, violence and traffic in order as well.  Freedom to choose also makes people have to understand the rights and responsibilities that come along side of this new reality.
ON THE GROUND
Thessaloniki tour of shops when out and about
Fine Chocalatier, Papillion Colore, was just opened on the day we arrived.  The shop was jammed with eager buyers and the chocolates were encased in dreamy glass and wood displays befitting fine jewelry.  They tasted just as good and the nut lover in me got a hand packed and hand picked items directly from the owner.  They have been manufacturing and wholesaling their products but chose to launch their own high end retail space to attract the next generation of entrepreneurs, their daughter and the next generation of customers as well.
Kids clothing, independent retailer, Angela.  The owner of the shop gave us conversation, handmade Christmas decorations, angels (ofcourse) and hugs!  The neighborhood and welcoming feel of this authentically decorated shop comforts you with clothing advice that only a real Grandma would know.
Chain excellence, JUMBO.  Upon landing in the airport and waiting for luggage, I ran into a woman just like me…an expat married to a local.  In her case, a Greek and found herself married with children.  I knew she would have the answers to my time constrained search….Where can I buy toys?  Her immediate answer was Jumbo, www.jumbo.gr.  This is one giant space that is beyond toys into the realm of everything at a value oriented price. Sold on the her recommendations, went to store, made purchases in less than an hour.  Got something for everyone on the family Christmas list.
RETURN TRIP
Athens’ innovation trends…as found in Aegean Airlines in Flight Magazine, Blue
Troofoodliberation.com is described as “gastronomy activists, raw-food enthusiasts and sworn vegetarians, this group is trying to emphasize the benefits of healthy eating” (Valatos, 2011).  Their website tagline lists…Fighting Food Crime Since 2009.
The Meet Market is a trendy mix of gently used clothing, art bargains and eco-food wrapped up into festive gathering point for hipsters.  You can find them online at www.themeetmarket.gr and also on their Facebook page where you can join their 4834 friends and counting.
Blogger extraordinaire Costas Voyatzis offers insights into his unique design sense and provides pictorials and commentary on categories ranging from architecture to V.O. W.  The latter which can only be fully appreciated by visiting his site: www.yatzer.com. He offers inspiration to those at a creative roadblock.
References:
Krauss, C. (2011, November 30). Elation and trepidation in Libya's capital. International Herald Tribune, p. 4.
Petricusic, T. (2011, Autumn). Nin's flower of salt. Croatia Inflight Magazine, 96-102.
Valatos, F. (2011, Autumn). Athens: The modern identity of an historic city. Blue Magazine, (38), 142-151.

Weintraub, K. (2011, November 30). Music can heal mind, body soul: The therapy lifts spirits while helping retrain an injured brain. USA Today, p. 10b.


Zlof, K. (2011, Autumn). Passion as a driving force: Interview with Pete Radovich. Croatia Inflight Magazine, 6-11.


Future Entrepreneurs

Teaching in higher education in Croatia for almost 20 years, I have mostly been in the private sector.  But I am happy when learners re...