What does NEO Look Like as a Global Leader in the Creative Industries? Put Your Two Cents In

Here's an email exchange between Y'Town Blogger John Slanina ( Shout Youngstown) and Ed Morrison. Read the exchange and join a growing community of trans-NEO people thinking and talking about how Northeast Ohio can become a global leader in the creative industries.

7/27 email from John to Ed Morrison:
Hi Ed,
Today I was thinking about the fact I know so little about the neighborhoods of Cleveland as a resident of another NEO city. I have had Ballpark mustard while watching the Browns in their stadium downtown, but never pierogies in Parma, or blintzes in Beachwood.

Maybe various institutions in addition to our economic development agencies throughout NEO can begin to network together. That is, if many more of our pieces are joined culturally, we can move together economically as a region.

The more connectivity the average NEO citizen sees, maybe the more they would support a regional agenda. But how can we build a regional culture?

For example, maybe that Cool Cleveland newsletter that lets me know what is happening in our biggest city every week can also have a small section on the "event of the weekend" in Akron, Alliance, and Warren. Maybe the Youngstown Symphony can provide the music for an event in Cleveland where wines from Ashtabula County are served. Maybe there can be one NEO website which can centralize every play and every concert in the region in a clickable, interactive calendar. Maybe we can have a "taste of NEO" contest where we have inter-regional competitions for the best pizza, best wedding soup, or best fried chicken as judged by the public.

Just brainstorming there for a moment, but perhaps connecting more of our cultural components can help NEO as a whole.

John S

7/27 Ed Morrison wrote to John:

Hello John:

Yes! You have the picture. A network of cultural institutions across our region will strengthen us economically. Just this week, Toronto published a strategy for a Creative City. You can view the report here.

Read an article here.

Canada has a lot of interesting work in this area: Click here.

Now let's get busy.

I am copying a bunch of people to explore how to make this happen. We have a great group of creative people in Cleveland, Akron, Y'town.

So, here is the challenge to all those I am copying on this e-mail.

1. Please spend three minutes and consider this question: How do we move John's idea of a regional cultural network forward? What simple steps could we take?

If you have time, you can view these web sites to get some ideas on what other regions are doing with their cultural industries...

Creative Clusters

Creative London

Creative Northern Ireland

Creative HQ

New England Foundation for the Arts

Dept. Culture/London

Creative Tampa Bay

The Creative Coast

2. Share your responses

3. Forward this e-mail to more people you know, and ask them to e-mail me (Ed Morrison at email: edmorrison@i-open.org) your responses.

We'll digest what we receive at I-Open and figure out a way forward.

Ed

Send your ideas to Ed, John and the rest of the community and look for next steps from I-Open. If you want to be included on the follow up and connect with the rest of the community, send your email to Betsey Merkel at betseymerkel@gmail.com and I'll add make sure you're on the network list.

CIA's Spring Show: The Tradition of Industrial Design

Business Week Online covered the Cleveland Institute of Art's 2006 Spring Show, held from May 10th to 12th , featuring the work of 50 industrial design majors, with 17 emphasizing transportation design.

Read the article here.

LIVE BLOG: Entrepreneurial Readiness: Fitness for Entrepreneurs and How to be Self-Reliant in a Networked World

Introductions...attendees represent small manufacturing, Chinese language translation, IT, small business connections, bike stations.

Mental toughness of leaders is a subject reserved not just for a military environment. Mother Teresa, for example, is probably one of the world's toughest leaders.

Jim Herget, our leader today, spent most of his time working and growing up in Xerox - a typical, first curve, heirarchical model - and understands there is a new model of leadership that involves collaboration. Corporations are learning trust is a major component of successful business development today.

Our forum today focuses on how entrepreneurs and leaders can go beyond expectations and age. Lessons are drawn from the Navy SEALS and referenced authors. (Throughout the forum, Jim suggests books for in depth reading.)

READ: Younger Next Year: A Guide to Living Like 50 Until You're 80 and Beyond, by Chris Crowley, Henry S. Lodge

With effort, discipline and taking care of your physical health, entrepreneurs can be effective in new ways. This approach represents a scaling up to meet the new demands of global market environments. What can an individual do to wind up our body, mind and spirit? Everything is about self discovery - we are born complete as human beings - but need to strengthen our physical, mental and spiritual assets.

DIET: THREE BIG IDEAS
1) Do not diet
2) Read labels
3) Smaller portions

NAVY SEAL NUTRITION The SEALS model: developed by President Kennedy. Navy SEAL nutrition. There are no bad or good foods - it is just how we make our choices. Maximize the good food and minimize the bad food. Move a little more and eat a little less.

EXERCISE: THREE BIG IDEAS
1) Get a physical
2) Long slow distance (LSD)
3) Six days a week

MEDITATION/PRAYER: THREE BIG IDEAS
1) Max the moment/"Awareness"
2) Breathing/ "Aliveness"
3) Visualization/"Openness"

READ: Awakening the Buddha Within: Eight Steps to Enlightenment: Tibetan Wisdom for the Western World, by Lama Surya Das

READ: Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life, by Jon Kabat-Zinn

Meditation exercise...

One SEAL is worth 200 soldiers; this is the exponential affect of SEALS techniques. 75% of SEALS do not make it. The valuable lesson is that people find out who they are and are not driven instead, by their dream of themselves. Live your life like your life depends on it.

IN RELATION TO SELF
1) Be a volunteer (not a victim)
2) Be Aware
3) Be Yourself
4) Be tough

Whatever you do you should be your fullest. There is nothing "laid back" about practicing Zen.

IN RELATION TO TEAM
1) Be committed (steadfast): Bound emotionally and perhaps spiritually to an idea, principle or person
2) Be an operator (anywhere/anytime): Extraordinary pro/ multi-talented/multi tasker; master the details; reliable in all circumstances
3) Be a teammate (succes is a group effort)

The best idea wins; not agendas.

IN RELATION TO SOCIETY
1) Be disciplined (trainable): trust your mentors; learn from everyone; humility helps
2) Be willing to fail (or part of success): SEALS Ethos: "If knocked down, I will get back up, every time. I will draw on every once of strength to protect my teammates and to accomplish our mission."; Be "at one" with your commitments so there is "zero recovery time" between failures; "No one can make you feel inferior w/o your consent"
3) Be interrelated/resourceful; reach beyond your team as necessary; keep it simple; be practical/improvisational

READ: Awakened Mind System 2.0, by Dr. Jeffrey D. Thompson

Humans are set up to live palenlithetically

Spiritual Awakenings

Man's Search for Meaning

Commentary:
Be mindful of the power of ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

How do we distinguish between those we can trust and those we cannot?

Be your best - dieting, physical development, etc. - and then be your best in the team. As a leader, your best contribution is to teach others to be their best. This is all about being who you are and being reliable. A SEALS motto: "Fail Forward".

There is no easy way round the hard stuff in life and business. Find your passion and move forward.

Be in line with things that make sense to you and continue to move forward.

READ: This is reinforced in Jack Ricchiuto's book, "Appreciative Leadership." Download this excellent book to your desktop here.

READ: "Unleash the Warrior Within: Develop the Focus, Discipline, Confidence and Courage You Need to Achieve Unlimited Goals," by Richard J. Machowicz

From the SEALS website: "Navy SEALs have distinguished themselves as an individually reliable, collectively disciplined and highly skilled maritime force." What if this were to describe a new breed of entrepreneurs? Teams built to collectively target and succeed in initiative objectives?

READ: "Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner," by Dean Karnazes

07-11-06 LIVE NOTES: Tuesdays@FUTURE

MIKE DeALOIA – SPEAKER: "THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON - CATALYST GAMING CENTER"

How can a city be catalyst and do something that comes out of grass roots? Cleveland is unique in virtual reality and gaming.

January forms working committee to review “best practices”, case studies/action plants to create hybrid commune/entertinmanet complex

In March – CIA, CASE & City of Cleveland present proposal to Third Frontier

Key Players: CIA/Case, NASA
How to capitalize: build some industries

WT Grant Bldg. site – downtown – 3 doors down from House of Blues (May Co. side of the Euclid Avenue). Bowling alley going in on E. 14th – comedy club – unique area for an entertainment center. Fits in with the idea of “live, work, play”. With Playhouse Square/idea center - more and more professionals moving downtown.

When you come into Center you will use a debit card – card will control everything you do. Attached to cell phone
Main station and multi stations against wall (east) to decide what to play
2 story incubator area for collaboration & gaming development - pay by the month
Poker tables
Western wall – one mainstream wall to play games on the wall. 11:00 at night will cost less than AM

Now in discussion about what kind of gaming technology will be in Center and how much it will cost. Working with Microsoft as well as other companes. This community gaming concept new in the US – already do in Europe & Asia

To build the Center it will cost $2.3 M – city has agreed to put .5M into it. The city is commited. Mike thinks grassroots can build this. Need many partnerships to make it happen.

Might also have gaming system on rooftop of building – also on E. 4th so a person could play on the street (in a kiosk).

This is not a gambling type institution. It’s gaming technology. Mike needs to educate people on commercializing gaming technology. Huge opportunity for educational applications as well. Case & Cllinic working on gaming technology for autism. Also developing videos for doctors – ex. Gall bladder surgery. The Game Hub would attract $50M to $60M in investments – Hub would be focal point of product design, development & delivery including R & D & business development, accelerate sale cycle & capital attraction for companies seeking to commercialize gaming, education, health care, financial services, aerospace & defense.

Center will not be a non profit – outsourced to a mangagement company. Outsource everything. Revenue plows back into the Center.

Open source business plan.

Also plans for a design center downtown – someone will be able create anything – office space, etc.

Music plays a very important part in gaming – should merge the two.

Show history of Cleveland – how text has changed to virtual reality