Saturday, May 28, 2016
Monday, May 16, 2016
What is My Why?
Excuse the lateness!
This was really tough for me, because my goals were mainly about myself and didn't really require enlisting others. I wanted to be sure I got something out of the assignment and having myself as my customer seemed almost like cheating. Douglass suggested using one of the many social justice causes I work on, which I thought was a good idea. The problem is that I tend to focus on building self-sustaining communities, and my work comes from the community itself. In other words, I insert myself where there is an expressed need, so I don't have to convince others to sign on (in effect they've convinced me to sign on).
As I thought deeper about this, I realized that one of my many creative projects might be a better fit for this type of assignment. These projects typically have a social justice lens, and for the project to be successful, people have to sign on: viewers, grantors/funding sources, actors, directors, etc. For a while now, I've been dabbling with a web-series script. I submitted it to one contest (it was rejected) but haven't done anything with it since, despite the fact that I'm sure I want to continue working on it. The series is (tentatively) called Cash & Cookies and follows the story of 4 women of color living in Portland, who work tech jobs.
I don't remember whether this is something Anton came up with or something we were supposed to do, but I liked the idea of defining the project with five words. This is what this project means to me:
Creating Opportunity By Exposing Bias
This was really tough for me, because my goals were mainly about myself and didn't really require enlisting others. I wanted to be sure I got something out of the assignment and having myself as my customer seemed almost like cheating. Douglass suggested using one of the many social justice causes I work on, which I thought was a good idea. The problem is that I tend to focus on building self-sustaining communities, and my work comes from the community itself. In other words, I insert myself where there is an expressed need, so I don't have to convince others to sign on (in effect they've convinced me to sign on).
As I thought deeper about this, I realized that one of my many creative projects might be a better fit for this type of assignment. These projects typically have a social justice lens, and for the project to be successful, people have to sign on: viewers, grantors/funding sources, actors, directors, etc. For a while now, I've been dabbling with a web-series script. I submitted it to one contest (it was rejected) but haven't done anything with it since, despite the fact that I'm sure I want to continue working on it. The series is (tentatively) called Cash & Cookies and follows the story of 4 women of color living in Portland, who work tech jobs.
I don't remember whether this is something Anton came up with or something we were supposed to do, but I liked the idea of defining the project with five words. This is what this project means to me:
Creating Opportunity By Exposing Bias
In terms of the deeper purpose within what I'm trying to do- I'm tired of the narratives around black people in Portland. We're spoken about as if we're the great buffalo who no longer roams the majestic plains. We may suffer, but we're not a tragedy. We've been targeted, but we're not just victims. We are individuals with unique lives and our real stories deserve to be told. Gentrification is real, and does continue to push out people of color to the margins, but Portland is also rapidly diversifying- 40% of kids in school are POC, and that number's expected to rise to 60% in only a few years.
There are black folks here. We have unique experiences that deserve to be recognized and amplified. I see this project as part of making sure marginalized voices are heard. If marginalized voices don't have representation, and the narrative of the oppressed non-white Portlander continues, we may face a disempowered majority and economic apartheid in the near future, which affects crime rates, neighborhood livability and a host of other factors.
If a story is told really well, it can resonate with another, whether that person's privileged or marginalized. I want to put privileged viewers in this person's shoes, so they can start to see the perspectives of their coworkers and colleagues who might be experiencing the same issues. Hopefully, showing our shared humanity can break up the power of stereotypes and assumptions. I also want to show people how, well-meaning as they might be, they are still contributing directly to the suffering of others.
Worldview, who is it for, what is it for:
The goal is to create a web series about the experiences of 4 black women in tech, living in Portland. When I was working in tech, I wrote down a lot of my experiences as a coping mechanism of sorts, and I found when I retold the stories to others, they naturally took a humorous lens. It was a way to process the constant micro-aggressions in revitalizing ways, through laughter and shared community.
I run a Meet-up group for POCs in tech that has also reinforced for me the power of shared community in acting as a protective barrier in hostile situations. Community is a tool for resiliency. One of the purposes of the show is to not only shed light on the experiences of women of color in tech, but to show how their shared bond protects them. I'm aiming to write this series for people who might experience similar issues in a way that'll allow them to see their own stories reflected in the characters. The characters have their own unique personalities, but they are archetypes- they represent a compilation of experiences that often happen to the marginalized in these environments.
Who is it for: It's for marginalized people who may feel out of place, and who feel the constant discomfort of being the only one. Also for young millennials who think it's their parent's racism, not their own, that keeps people down.
What's it for? For marginalized people to finally get recognition of their struggles and the courage to move forward from negative experiences. When I worked tech, the leadership at the company where I worked did their best to gaslight me and make me feel worthless. I didn't think I could do better so I stayed and put up with the BS. It was not until after I left that I realized my worth, and I would not want that to happen to someone else.
It's also to help progressive, well-meaning liberals recognize the part they play in upholding oppressive conditions.
Who is your customer? What is the story she tells herself, who does she think she is, what does she care about?
The viewer is two fold- a marginalized person in tech, who doesn't see a lot of people like them at work or at tech events. They think they're alone, but they're not. They care about their career, to some extent they enjoy being pioneers, and they want to show people they are a credit to their race, but not be defined by racist assumptions.
The viewer is also a race-conscious liberal, who feels secure in their anti-racism. They care about being a just person and living in a just world.
Then, from her perspective, what is your service or product or idea for? How does it transform her?
For the marginalized person, this show is for the relief of knowing they're not alone. For the comfort of shared community experiences. This might function the same way "Church" does. It transforms her by knowing she's not alone (empowerment through community). It shows them that these experiences are neither normal or acceptable. She can point to the experiences shown and say "that happened to me!" and begin to talk about those feelings, rather than suffering alone.
For the liberal: the show is to allow them to recognize patterns of unconscious bias in a comedic, non-threatening way. Unconscious bias and inadvertent racism does as much harm as it does because it is invisible, and the people who experience bias/racism and call it out often are retaliated against, despite strict legal anti-retaliation policies. These experiences often lie in a "gray area" and because unconscious bias and inadvertent racism is difficult to prove, it often goes unaddressed. HR departments know the company is not liable legally and so they choose to do nothing. I want to shine a light on unacceptable practices and actions so that they become socially taboo, since waiting on laws (designed for the benefit of white men) to catch up to sexism and racism's changing face is untenable.
The show has the potential to turn perpetrators of unconscious bias and racism into valuable allies against it. It will be in their best interest to speak up, since they will improve their relationships with their peers (at least the marginalized ones, who are slowly becoming the majority of the country), which will prepare them to thrive in a diverse world.
The connection between your (1) WHY, (2) who your customers want to be and (3) and what your product does is the magical utility. How can you provide magical utility to others?
Why: Empower POCs to make their workplace better, show non-marginalized how to be allies and not perpetrators of injustice
Who: POCs & women in tech and other fields where they are marginalized. They want the perks (high pay, freedom) of these jobs without having to give up their dignity. They want opportunities to rise to the top and to find support along the way.
Possible allies in those fields as well. They want to be a cosmopolitan, just person, a world citizen. They want to thrive in a rapidly changing world and they want to contribute to a justice world. They want diversity, creativity, unique experiences.
Magic Utility: The show shows marginalized folks in tech that they are not alone, and empowers them to stick up for themselves, fight for what they deserve. I hope to normalize these conditions without naturalizing (shows that although this is common, it's not ok). I'm hoping it shows how well-meaning people can still be perpetrators of racism, how even "friends" and good people sometimes have to be called out.
For allies I hope to show common instances of bias so they become recognizable to the general public, increasing the likelihood of people speaking up.
The goal is to create a web series about the experiences of 4 black women in tech, living in Portland. When I was working in tech, I wrote down a lot of my experiences as a coping mechanism of sorts, and I found when I retold the stories to others, they naturally took a humorous lens. It was a way to process the constant micro-aggressions in revitalizing ways, through laughter and shared community.
I run a Meet-up group for POCs in tech that has also reinforced for me the power of shared community in acting as a protective barrier in hostile situations. Community is a tool for resiliency. One of the purposes of the show is to not only shed light on the experiences of women of color in tech, but to show how their shared bond protects them. I'm aiming to write this series for people who might experience similar issues in a way that'll allow them to see their own stories reflected in the characters. The characters have their own unique personalities, but they are archetypes- they represent a compilation of experiences that often happen to the marginalized in these environments.
Who is it for: It's for marginalized people who may feel out of place, and who feel the constant discomfort of being the only one. Also for young millennials who think it's their parent's racism, not their own, that keeps people down.
What's it for? For marginalized people to finally get recognition of their struggles and the courage to move forward from negative experiences. When I worked tech, the leadership at the company where I worked did their best to gaslight me and make me feel worthless. I didn't think I could do better so I stayed and put up with the BS. It was not until after I left that I realized my worth, and I would not want that to happen to someone else.
It's also to help progressive, well-meaning liberals recognize the part they play in upholding oppressive conditions.
What is your WHY? Will people trust your why?
My why is a more racially equitable world. More representation of alternative perspectives in popular media benefits us all. The marginalized benefit from having their voices heard and non-marginalized people love creativity and novelty. Using creativity to fight dominant narratives and change minds is something I've always wanted to do.
My why is a more racially equitable world. More representation of alternative perspectives in popular media benefits us all. The marginalized benefit from having their voices heard and non-marginalized people love creativity and novelty. Using creativity to fight dominant narratives and change minds is something I've always wanted to do.
Who is your customer? What is the story she tells herself, who does she think she is, what does she care about?
The viewer is two fold- a marginalized person in tech, who doesn't see a lot of people like them at work or at tech events. They think they're alone, but they're not. They care about their career, to some extent they enjoy being pioneers, and they want to show people they are a credit to their race, but not be defined by racist assumptions.
The viewer is also a race-conscious liberal, who feels secure in their anti-racism. They care about being a just person and living in a just world.
Then, from her perspective, what is your service or product or idea for? How does it transform her?
For the marginalized person, this show is for the relief of knowing they're not alone. For the comfort of shared community experiences. This might function the same way "Church" does. It transforms her by knowing she's not alone (empowerment through community). It shows them that these experiences are neither normal or acceptable. She can point to the experiences shown and say "that happened to me!" and begin to talk about those feelings, rather than suffering alone.
For the liberal: the show is to allow them to recognize patterns of unconscious bias in a comedic, non-threatening way. Unconscious bias and inadvertent racism does as much harm as it does because it is invisible, and the people who experience bias/racism and call it out often are retaliated against, despite strict legal anti-retaliation policies. These experiences often lie in a "gray area" and because unconscious bias and inadvertent racism is difficult to prove, it often goes unaddressed. HR departments know the company is not liable legally and so they choose to do nothing. I want to shine a light on unacceptable practices and actions so that they become socially taboo, since waiting on laws (designed for the benefit of white men) to catch up to sexism and racism's changing face is untenable.
The show has the potential to turn perpetrators of unconscious bias and racism into valuable allies against it. It will be in their best interest to speak up, since they will improve their relationships with their peers (at least the marginalized ones, who are slowly becoming the majority of the country), which will prepare them to thrive in a diverse world.
The connection between your (1) WHY, (2) who your customers want to be and (3) and what your product does is the magical utility. How can you provide magical utility to others?
Why: Empower POCs to make their workplace better, show non-marginalized how to be allies and not perpetrators of injustice
Who: POCs & women in tech and other fields where they are marginalized. They want the perks (high pay, freedom) of these jobs without having to give up their dignity. They want opportunities to rise to the top and to find support along the way.
Possible allies in those fields as well. They want to be a cosmopolitan, just person, a world citizen. They want to thrive in a rapidly changing world and they want to contribute to a justice world. They want diversity, creativity, unique experiences.
Magic Utility: The show shows marginalized folks in tech that they are not alone, and empowers them to stick up for themselves, fight for what they deserve. I hope to normalize these conditions without naturalizing (shows that although this is common, it's not ok). I'm hoping it shows how well-meaning people can still be perpetrators of racism, how even "friends" and good people sometimes have to be called out.
For allies I hope to show common instances of bias so they become recognizable to the general public, increasing the likelihood of people speaking up.
Thursday, May 5, 2016
Seven Steps of Goal-setting
My original goal was something nebulous along the lines of "systematize my life" but obviously that's too vague to really be helpful. So I thought a little harder about how and why I want to create systems and came up with three main goals:
Obstacles: I have storage but not a lot of drawer space so I basically have to change out my wardrobe according to the seasons. This is a tedious process that often doesn't get done, which means my clothes end up in large piles around my room. Also, having always been messy I think it'll be really hard to change my mindset in the way required to maintain a clean room. :/
Skills Required: Organization skills- I think I have these, but my problem is that I tend to get too in the weeds. Like I'll end up organizing smaller things that are more interesting to me, instead of the things that actually need to get done.
People/Groups: I'm pretty embarrassed about the state of my room so no one in person, but I belong to a local Facebook group for people looking to organize their homes. I turned off the notifications because I felt bad about never completing the challenges but I guess I should turn them back on.
Plan: On one day, go through clothes (This Saturday?). Divide into the following piles: dirty, clean + in season, clean + out of season, giveaway. On another day, go through desk clutter (Sunday? During the week?). For the next week I'll pay attention and document my day, deliberately noticing when I am losing things, searching for things, picking things up and putting things down, then one day (Next Saturday or Sunday?) I'll create a organizational system so it's not just going back the way it was.
Deadline: May 20th
Obstacles: Have a hard time writing about myself and defining tasks
Skills Required: Design & organizational skills
People/Groups: My goal group? (Haven't been meeting lately so setup meeting?)
Plan: First divide skills into categories (design, marketing, event planning, fundraising, etc). Then put organizations/projects under each category. Then ask for testimonials? Once finished share on social media channels and ask friends to share.
Deadline: June 1st
1.) Clean my room & create a system for where things go based on my daily activities (like putting my keys, shoes, clothes in certain places when I get home, and planning out stuff like outfits in advance).
Benefits: I live in a small space and am often fumbling around my room trying to find things or tripping over stuff. Obvious this is a huge hassle and causes unnecessary stress in my life.Obstacles: I have storage but not a lot of drawer space so I basically have to change out my wardrobe according to the seasons. This is a tedious process that often doesn't get done, which means my clothes end up in large piles around my room. Also, having always been messy I think it'll be really hard to change my mindset in the way required to maintain a clean room. :/
Skills Required: Organization skills- I think I have these, but my problem is that I tend to get too in the weeds. Like I'll end up organizing smaller things that are more interesting to me, instead of the things that actually need to get done.
People/Groups: I'm pretty embarrassed about the state of my room so no one in person, but I belong to a local Facebook group for people looking to organize their homes. I turned off the notifications because I felt bad about never completing the challenges but I guess I should turn them back on.
Plan: On one day, go through clothes (This Saturday?). Divide into the following piles: dirty, clean + in season, clean + out of season, giveaway. On another day, go through desk clutter (Sunday? During the week?). For the next week I'll pay attention and document my day, deliberately noticing when I am losing things, searching for things, picking things up and putting things down, then one day (Next Saturday or Sunday?) I'll create a organizational system so it's not just going back the way it was.
Deadline: May 20th
2.) Finish my Portfolio/website.
I realize this isn't particularly obvious in terms of how it fits into systematizing my life, but I need a way to catalog all the projects I'm working on to make sure I'm not dropping the ball, and I figure listing it on my website would be a good way to do this. I also want to start blogging but not before my portfolio is finished. Once it's complete I intend on creating a communications/media plan based on the content of the rest of the site.
Obstacles: Have a hard time writing about myself and defining tasks
Skills Required: Design & organizational skills
People/Groups: My goal group? (Haven't been meeting lately so setup meeting?)
Plan: First divide skills into categories (design, marketing, event planning, fundraising, etc). Then put organizations/projects under each category. Then ask for testimonials? Once finished share on social media channels and ask friends to share.
Deadline: June 1st
3.) Document my daily schedule/activities.
The purpose of this is three-fold:- To manage my expenses, which I've always been terrible at.
- To document how my time is spent, since it seems like I never have time and I want to figure out ways in which I'm wasting time.
- To document what food I'm eating to make sure I'm eating healthy(ish) and within a budget
- To create a list of recurring tasks that I can outsource to a VA, so I can take on even more work.
Obstacles: I have tried to do something like this before and I have a terrible memory when it comes to remembering to document this stuff.
Skills Required: Analytical
People/Groups: Maybe try to find accountability buddies? At least for documenting food. Tell my financial advisor to send me periodic texts/emails?
Plan: I'll set period alarms throughout the day to help me notice what I'm doing and when. I'll also attempt to write out a day plan in the morning, then at the end of the day I'll take note of what differs from the original plan.
Deadline: May 15th
RS:
Whoops, I totally forgot to list the benefits of the last two goals. For finishing my portfolio- it'd be nice to have a website that reflects the digital skills that I supposedly have, haha. It's also be nice to be able to intake potential clients (when I'm ready to start taking them that is). For tracking my habits the benefits are being able to manage these aspects of my life a lot better, because as the old saying goes- if it's not measurable it's not manageable.
This weekend I filled in a planner I forgot to use with the things I did over the past few weeks and the benefits of this activity were incredible, affirming my hypothesis that tracking my time could be a keystone habit for me.
I definitely "waste" a lot of time mind-wandering, but it's what propels my creativity so I don't want to be totally rid of this time. I just want it to be manageable. I hate when I suddenly look up and realize nothing's been accomplished all day, but since I intended to work I couldn't enjoy the day as if it were a day off. (I have waaaay too many of those days) I need to get better about creating boundaries between I'm relaxing and when I'm working.
As for blogging, it's a task I find wholly unenjoyable, and to be honest I am not really planning on making a true habit or living out of it. In fact I'll probably outsource the task as soon as I can. Really I just want something to document all the things that I am doing and working on. Who knows though- maybe if I start doing it I might actually come to enjoy it, so I'm going to give it a try.
As for long terms goals- I have plenty, but I thought the purpose of this was to pick goals that were accomplishable in the timeframe of the class? Let me know if I'm wrong though.
- Stephanie
Skills Required: Analytical
People/Groups: Maybe try to find accountability buddies? At least for documenting food. Tell my financial advisor to send me periodic texts/emails?
Plan: I'll set period alarms throughout the day to help me notice what I'm doing and when. I'll also attempt to write out a day plan in the morning, then at the end of the day I'll take note of what differs from the original plan.
Deadline: May 15th
RS:
Whoops, I totally forgot to list the benefits of the last two goals. For finishing my portfolio- it'd be nice to have a website that reflects the digital skills that I supposedly have, haha. It's also be nice to be able to intake potential clients (when I'm ready to start taking them that is). For tracking my habits the benefits are being able to manage these aspects of my life a lot better, because as the old saying goes- if it's not measurable it's not manageable.
This weekend I filled in a planner I forgot to use with the things I did over the past few weeks and the benefits of this activity were incredible, affirming my hypothesis that tracking my time could be a keystone habit for me.
I definitely "waste" a lot of time mind-wandering, but it's what propels my creativity so I don't want to be totally rid of this time. I just want it to be manageable. I hate when I suddenly look up and realize nothing's been accomplished all day, but since I intended to work I couldn't enjoy the day as if it were a day off. (I have waaaay too many of those days) I need to get better about creating boundaries between I'm relaxing and when I'm working.
As for blogging, it's a task I find wholly unenjoyable, and to be honest I am not really planning on making a true habit or living out of it. In fact I'll probably outsource the task as soon as I can. Really I just want something to document all the things that I am doing and working on. Who knows though- maybe if I start doing it I might actually come to enjoy it, so I'm going to give it a try.
As for long terms goals- I have plenty, but I thought the purpose of this was to pick goals that were accomplishable in the timeframe of the class? Let me know if I'm wrong though.
- Stephanie
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
Hello everyone!
My name is Stephanie Duncker. I grew up in New Jersey but escaped to the deep south twice, once for undergrad in Tallahassee and again for grad school, in Memphis. I went south because I wanted to to experience something different, which surprised just about everyone I knew. After all, I was the most liberal person my friends and family knew- I hadn't eaten meat since middle school, I was involved in my protests since my early teens and I was probably very outspoken about opinions that were not widely shared.
As a (typically Jersey) upfront person with not a lot of social graces, I think they figured I would alienate everyone in the south and run back to the NE, frightened by the "real world". What they didn't expect was for me to thrive and grow wherever I landed, no matter how conservative, no matter how white or male dominated the environment. Admittedly I did hate places at first, but I learned two very important skills that helped me move beyond barriers- adaptability and finding community in the most unlikely places. Each time I left not only did I come back a stronger, better person, I was also somehow more sure in my beliefs and values. As a philosophy major and a woman of color in an underrepresented field, I got used to not just defending my opinions but persuading people that maybe my opinions weren't so radical after all, and maybe they themselves share the same perspective deep down, but were afraid of the consequences of embracing such a perspective.
When not studying at schools in the south, I found myself back in Brooklyn, where much of my friends and extended family live. I moved to Portland from Brooklyn in June of 2014 and haven't looked back since. I love living here because there's so much opportunity to make a difference, maybe because everything's so new. On the east coast the bureaucracy and entrenched institutions make it difficult to make change and incredibly frustrating for wannabe change-makers like myself. There are so many opportunities to make a difference here, especially in terms of racial equity, which is probably the cause most important to me.
The issue of mistreatment of tech workers (particularly workers of color) has been on my mind a lot lately (b/c of my own personal experiences and those of friends) so I'd recommend this article:
https://medium.com/process-design-thinking-for-engineering-and/does-care-work-matter-in-the-tech-industry-no-but-it-should-32134874d5e6#.hcxj8b9a5
Right now I'm reading Octavia's Brood, which I would recommend even though I've just started it, as well as Octavia Butler's whole catalog.
In terms of a video, I love Beyonce and was tempted to share a video from the recently released Lemonade album, but I think this song probably expressed my mentally moreso than any of the songs on that album:
Looking forward to meeting all those I haven't met yet!
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