The end of the year is a time to reflect on where you have been and where you are going. I try and do the conventional stuff: Results review against goals, future planning, and a team celebration.
I also try to look "around the corner" for what is next in life and things that could take things to a new level. The Key word = NEW. Different. Break-through.
My Process:
1) Take a hard look at where you have BEEN. Where you are TODAY. What works? What does not?
2) Based on where you have been, what is realistic for what the future COULD have in store?
But first.....
What's in A Name? The Start of Who You ARE, What You Do....
I love a good name and tagline for a business. The combination of both elements should describe the business, while also creating a touch of intrigue to learn more.
I'm biased, but I think PAVERART captures what we do.
Our tagline: imagine. create. beautify.
That leaves a bit more to the imagination. A destination.
PAVERART is in our 22nd year in business. Our origin story and first project, multiple intersections in Wildwood NJ still remain to this day. It was proof that we can not only create ART where it typically is not found, but that we can make it Built To Last.
In short, PUBLIC ART became our origin story.
Internally, I've often thought long and hard about our name PAVERART, how we behave, and if the PAVER + ART are equal, lopsided, etc.
ART is in our name. Without ART, the community that appreciates it, we simply do not exist. Every single $ we have generated over 22 years has ART at it's core. But truth be told, the PAVER portion tends to consume us. The material. The weight. The equipment. The problem solving. The team that turns PAVERS into ART. In short, ART is why we exist. But the PAVER tends to consume us, our energy and our days. And I've always had a nagging feeling that the scales need to swing a bit more to the ART side of the equation. I thought this on day 1 of my ownership, and I think about it today.
So what does this mean, "ART" becoming more integral into our daily work at PAVERART?
A few things come to mind:
New, fresh designs we spend MORE time developing, sourcing and creating vs waiting for the world to come OUR way
The celebration of Creators, Artists, Architects, Designers and the people that appreciate all forms of ART.
Proactive engagement in the ecosystem that brings new Public Art into the world.
But there's a challenge and brutal reality.
22 years is great. But "breaking out" and innovating for businesses that have been around is not natural.
We live in the gritty world of manufacturing.
We are a small business.
Small + Manufacturing + 2 decades and trying to innovate? That is a Formula for One heck of a combo if you are looking to innovate.
A quote comes to mind, often MIS-attributed to Albert Einstein:
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting a different result.
Said differently, a DESIRE to innovate is not enough. You need real, different changes in behavior. USUALLY new investments in people, processes and focus among key people. In other words, you need a real plan that looks and feels different from how you've been operating.
How are we handling this challenge to get ART more core to what we do?
A new Business housed under PAVERART.
With a dedicated resource tasked with leading it, Dominic. He's worked with us for 6 years and has touched multiple areas of the business from 12 years old to the ripe old age of 17. He'll be joining us full-time once his senior year of High School wraps up, until then, he develops all that is needed to launch a business, like product development, website, social, etc. He is going against the grain by not pursuing the conventional 4 year college path, despite a stellar transcript and test scores.
The name has a nice, familiar name to it don't you think?
The tagline is interesting too:
OWN YOUR OBSESSION.
A post for another day.
One day Dominic and I were walking the 4 dogs (another long story!), and he asked an interesting question:
What if BeyondArt was also BeyondArt productions, focused on celebrating the ART, the creators, their stories, struggles and triumphs?
In other words, get to the core reason and passion behind what it is we do at PAVERART. It got my wheels turning.
And there happens to be a project that SCREAMS too many things to count:
ART, & The ARTISTS
Community
Re-Development
Investment
The project?
The Sacramento Dixieanne Clean & Green Alley Project
Dominic and I have the opportunity to dive deep into the project with a 5-day visit jam-packed with interviews and the unveiling even in the neighborhood. We have an estimated 20 hours worth of video, so now the hard work begins to make it all useful!
I've captured a handful of pics which I'll share prior to our video recap. 5 collage slides are included to provide a preview of the project.
In short, picture a neighborhood with MULTIPLE alleyways, all in various stages of disrepair. Overgrown weeds, flooding, some alleys gated off from the public at the request of the neighborhood residents.
A grant was awarded to re-furbish 3,000 linear feet with permeable pavement to address storm-water runoff and overall usability. In addition various sections of fencing was repaired/replaced.
Beautification! A call to local artists was conducted to drive the design of the artistic bollards and PAVERART designs at the beginning and end of each alleyway.
On our visit we met with many of the people that touched this project, including a wonderful non-profit called Sierra Service Project who was instrumental in bringing the designs to life as well as the fencing enhancements.
Enter The Call For Artists!
Public Unveiling of the Alleways: 11/23/24
5 Installed Designs
5 Installed Designs
Dominic & Mark In Sacramento, on Location To Go Beyond Art.
Some projects are special, and take some time to fully appreciate. Our friends in Sacramento certainly fall into this category and we look forward to capturing the video and sharing.
In short....
To innovate .......one must go BEYOND.
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