The Art of Gift Giving
By day my friend Gregg Mizuta is a commercial banker. And beyond, well beyond, he is a documenter (photographer with a fantastic eye) and supporter of the arts. He has a quietly big heart, too.
Turns out he also has a real knack for gift giving.
I know, because I was the recent beneficiary of his generosity.
I’ll break down Greg’s gifting genius in three parts.
Part 1
Mode of delivery – I walked into my office one day to a large USPS package on my desk, return address: Gregg Mizuta, Boise, Idaho. Interest immediately piqued. Greg works a stone’s throw away from me so he could easily have tennis shoe'd it over and dropped off whatever it was. A demonstration of the enduring power of a physical parcel delivered by the postal service for the element of surprise!
Part 2
The packaging – Just check out ALL THE COOL POSTAGE STAMPS he affixed to the plain brown mailer, making it a work of art in itself. (Or is it just me who digs this collage of postage stamps?) I especially liked the "Go For Broke / Japanese American Soldiers of WWII" stamp.
Part 3
The gift – When I very carefully opened the package with an exacto knife, it revealed poster art that demonstrated a deep understanding of the recipient.
The poster is a fundraiser to support one of my environmental activist heroes, Julia Butterfly Hill. (Ever read Richard Powers’ Pulitzer-prize winning novel, The Overstory? One of the primary characters is based on her.) As many of you know, I’m all about using art to propel a good cause, and proceeds from sales of these limited-edition posters are used to assist Julia in her work-in-the-world, along with two nonprofits.
The design of the poster itself, by Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr., "citizen printer," bowled me over. BAM! Strong, declarative graphics and lettering and coloring. Really a beauty that I’m looking forward to framing and displaying.
(Sidenote: Designer and artist Paul Kinsman, a member in my coworking space in Boise, saw the poster and said, "I studied screen printing under Amos at Indiana University." Another example of a small world that works in magical and magnetic ways.)
And that this project came to life as a collaboration sparked by Boise artist Tom Callos added the topper.
So, the gift hit major, major buttons for me:
Environmental Cause ✔️
Graphic art ✔️
Collaboration ✔️
And that it came as a surprise from a good friend was the true emotional kicker.
I’m going to try to remember these lessons and use this instance as a prompt to amp up my gift giving game.
You?
Godspeed, friends.
Russ
P.S. Reader, collaborator, fellow B Corp leader, and friend Polina Pinchevsky of Roundpeg and Unit of Impact is also at the top of the gift giving game. If you’ve ever received one from Po, you know what I mean.
💬 Think About It
"Work is love made visible." Kahlil Gibran, from his poem "On Work," brought to our attention by reader Matthew Reese.
💥 Quick Hits
• Creativity always wins 🏳️🌈 – Here in my hometown of Boise and in Salt Lake City as well, municipal governments figured out a clever way to bypass state bans on flying "non-official" pride flags at government buildings.
• The Laser Loon flag – Keeping the flag theme flying, as a branding guy with a sense of "our there" I still think Minnesota missed out in not picking the Laser Loon for its state flag.
• Step away from the flag theme – Loving this ad from the German chapter of the World Wildlife Fund. ⬇️
Find the Most Meaningful Work of Your Career
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• Crisis Text Hotline - With threats that the 988 suicide hotline may be defunded, organizations like this become all the more important. What's more, this one augments traditional mental health assistance beyond suicide and depression to include anxiety, eating disorders, and gun violence. Development Operations Manager, REMOTE.
• Sonoma Land Trust - We're big believers in the power of protecting land – whether it's wildland or farmland – through the power of legal trusts. Communications Manager, HYBRID, Sonoma, CA.
• Gates Foundation - If you've been following the news, you'll know that the Gates Foundation has accelerated its financial giving in hopes that impact will follow. Hop on and hold on. Senior Strategy Officer, Women's Health Innovations, Seattle, WA.
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