Stefan Sagmeister: World-Renowned & Grammy Award Winning Designer

Stefan Sagmeister formed the New York based Sagmeister Inc. in 1993 and has since designed for clients as diverse as the Rolling Stones, HBO, and the Guggenheim Museum. He has won two Grammies for the Talking Heads and Brian Eno & David Byrne package designs. He also earned practically every important international design award. He teaches in the graduate department of the School of Visual Art in New York and lectures extensively on all continents.

@sagmeisterinc
www.sagmeister.com
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Find out more about Plywood Presents 2012.
Register for Plywood Presents 2012 Now.
Sign up for our give-away.
Submit your Problem Solving Idea.
Download Problem Solvers by Jeff Shinabarger. 

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Recently on the Gift Card Giver you may have noticed that we have been featuring, stories of people and organizations that have donated gift cards to us.  We also recently featured a post that demonstrated how much more we could be doing with all the unused gift card money floating around in people’s wallets and purses. The truth is that we have barely scratched the surface.  In 2011 we took in over $17,800 in unused money on gift cards. In that same year, we actually gave away over $19,100, which is awesome.  But we know that the amount of money out there that is not being used is in the billions of dollars and we know we can do more.

We need your help.

$0.50 at Target or Home Depot or Walmart is only $0.50 until it gets added to the other cards coming in from people all over the country.   House parties and gatherings where cards are collected are one of the main ways we receive cards to be able to meet great needs.  These are great opportunities for you to tell others about what Gift Card Giver does.  Once people know about Gift Card Giver and have the chance to donate a card or two at an event, they will be more likely to continue to send us cards in the future or even to host parties of their own so we can meet even more needs!

Summer is coming and we know that there are lots of folks out there that want to hang out in the backyard with a grill and some friends.  There are Moms, Dads, and Grads to celebrate, so maybe you already have a party planned. Why not give your celebration an added purpose. Ask your guests to bring a gift card to the gathering, and you can be apart of giving for good.

We want to challenge you in the month of June to help us reach a goal of 5 parties to benefit Gift Card Giver. When you send in your gift cards, we promise that they will be used to help someone in need.

Here’s where you can go to find information on hosting a party of your own.  Follow the instructions and email us to register your party.  The first 5 people to register their event will get the party kit from us for free (normally they are $25) and the very first party planner to email us gets a special bonus prize with their party pack.

We can’t wait to keep doing what we love which is helping people in need.  Amazing that we can do this with money that is usually wasted.  We just need you to help get those cards to us.  Thanks and stay tuned!

Also, find us on Facebook!

Cara Bowen- Writer and Dreamer.  Desires to love people well.  Espresso is a part of my everyday, as well as watching at least one episode of Friends.  Hope is the essence of my story.

I expected to be married with a white picket fence by the time I graduated college. I expected my dream job to be easier to find. I expected him not to hurt me. I expected that project to be the lead to my promotion.

Expectations are a good and natural part of life, but expectations are where a lot of our hurts and disappointments are surfaced. So does that mean that expectations are actually bad? Maybe “expecting” isn’t the enemy, maybe it is the degree and pressure of expectancy we are putting into circumstances and people that is failing us.

We put expectations on others and ourselves whether we realize it or not. Some are good and healthy; some are not. Sometimes we hold people to their pasts, not expecting them to change. Sometimes we hold people to expectations that are unrealistic for them to meet and we are eventually let down. We cannot control how or what people expect from us, but we can control what we expect from ourselves.

I want to be the type of woman who is true to my word, where people expect me to do what I say I will do because I always do what I say I will do. It is only my job and responsibility to live to that expectation of myself. We teach people by our behavior and actions what their expectations will be of us.

When you challenge someone’s expectation of you, whether good or bad, it brings about change in behavior and change in perspective. Someone may be expecting you to not meet a deadline. When you begin meeting deadlines, and meet it consistently, their expectation of you will change and eventually expect you to meet deadlines. Someone may be expecting you to always answer his or her phone call. When you begin missing their call, whether on purpose or not, they will eventually expect you to not answer their call.

I want to challenge us to begin setting healthy and realistic expectations for ourselves. We may not always meet that expectation, and we may disappoint a few people along the way, but let’s strive to be men and women who live with positive expectancy of others and ourselves.

Read More on Expectations:
Hope and Expectation
I Expect Hot Coffee.
Expectations Are Our Energy Drinks

“We will be known for the problems we solve.”

Have you wondered what Plywood People is all about? We pretty frequently receive questions about who we are and what we’re up to. Jeff Shinabarger, founder of Plywood People answers some of those questions in the article linked below. Jeff breaks down our mantra, and gives a clear explanation of who Plywood People hope to be known as and how we’re pursuing it. Take a minute to read the article and tell us what you think.

Problem Solvers by Jeff Shinabarger
Download the article here. 

Find out more about Plywood Presents 2012.
Register for Plywood Presents 2012 Now.
Sign up for our give-away.
Submit your Problem Solving Idea.

For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by art. The idea of taking a blank canvas and filling it with imagery that, if done well, can make viewers feel something – be it through recalling past experiences, evoking new emotions, inspiring hearts with hope, or even motivating people to take action – is of great intrigue to me. Through this act of creating, it is almost as if I am connecting with something bigger than myself; it is as if the nature of a creative divine essence echoes through my desire to put paintbrushes to paper.

Of course, I did not think about art in this way when I was a kid. Art was just my natural reaction to filling voids in my day. I would let my pencil wander as the teacher explained something to the class and, before I knew it, I would have a flood of doodles spilling across my math homework. Or in church, once the preacher started hammering away at some alliterated bullet points to distract my parents, I would loosen my clip-on tie and sketch hastily on the pew’s attendance cards, trying to finish my works of art before the “invitation song” required me to snap back to attention.

It wasn’t until I grew older that I realized that the world of art extended far beyond the margins of the loose-leaf pages in my trapper-keeper. I discovered that there were thousands of other artists out there; there had been many before me, and many more will come after I am gone. I humbly learned to recognize that there were many artists who were much better than I am, and that my favorite styles and subjects were not always the favorites of everyone else. I know now that art means a lot of different things to a lot of different people.

And yet this does not trouble me, as an artist, at all.

Instead, it gives me cause to celebrate. It is an incredible thought that so many people have struggled to produce meaningful pieces of art in order to present something beautiful to our world. In this, they make the world better – even if the work is never critically acclaimed or sold at a great price. They make the world better simply because they contributed something representative of and subjective to a part of their individual life stories to the greater community of human history.

In a sense, then, we are all artists.

Maybe the only thing that you can draw is a stick figure, but in a larger context you are still an artist. Your life story paints a picture that uniquely contributes to your community in some way. All of your actions and words matter because they are brushstrokes on the canvas of humanity. Your life matters and imprints your story on the world in some way, whether you realize it or not – but I am not writing this for the purpose of a self-esteem boost to anyone. I am writing this because we need to realize that the human community stretches beyond our individual lives – your life, my life – and that there are beautiful stories around the world being added to the canvas that we have not even seen yet, and that

we need to open our eyes

to the full tapestry of the humankind’s masterpiece and shine a light to the rest of the world on those lesser-known brushstrokes. It is great to try and find personal meaning and beauty in our own life stories, but my hope is that we would also begin to hold up the beauty in the stories of the women in Rwanda as they seek to better their villages by selling their crafts, or the stories of those working in Guatemala to build houses for widows in need. In part, this is what Plywood People is trying to do, and I think that this is a great thing. But if we are all truly contributors of blessing through story to our world, then this revolution of beautiful community will extend into our day-to-day lives. We will celebrate the diversity of good things happening around us, promote the stories of all men and women, and look for ways to add something every day to the greater narrative of life.

What that practically looks like will be different for every person. Maybe, for some, it will mean sponsoring a child; for others, giving regularly to a charity, helping someone in need, or comforting someone caught in the tension of sorrow and despair. But for others it could just mean baking some killer brownies for the kids on the block. Whatever good you can find to do, do it. And whatever good that you see others doing, find ways to help them continue in it.

And in this we will awaken a movement of global compassion, justice, and hope.

In this, we will create an image of beauty to hold up to the world and inspire change for the better.

[Originally Post]

Donald Collins: I consider myself a quick sketch artist trying to capture the feel of the moment, and social activist for peace and understanding of the human condition we all share. I paint as a personal journey into my own inner reality as shaped by my external input. I believe the eidetic images we use to form our belief system shapes our entire view of life and should be examined regularly in order to understand who we are and why we are where we are in life. I have illustrated three books, donated pieces to Mission Year, Redeemed Ministries, and Living Water International, and have pieces on six continents ..  PEACE !!!! LOVE IS !!!!  PEACE!!!!

Catalyst Dallas from Jeremy Cowart on Vimeo.

This piece was created on Thursday, May 10th 2012 at Catalyst Dallas. Photographer Jeremy Cowart met artist Donald Collins the day before, after he saw Donald drawing people. They decided to collaborate and create this piece together. All proceeds of this print will go to buy Donald new art supplies, including a new scanner to scan his drawings.

Don says “My art is what keeps me alive. I’m fighting for my life with my art.”
Please support Don’s work by purchasing this piece of art.

• Printed, signed & mailed directly by artist
• Limited-edition of 50
• Size: 11 inches tall x 17 inches wide on a 17×22 inch sheet of paper
• Paper: 325g/m Hot Press Bright (Museum Quality)
• Printer: Epson Stylus Pro 4900
• Ink: Epson UltraChrome HDR Archival Ink

© Jeremy Cowart Photography, Inc.
Images and Prints are not to be used without permission of copyright holder.
All rights reserved.

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AJ is a Operational Consultant and has worked as an Investment Banker for over 20 years.  AJ is originally from Grove City, Ohio. Jo has been a stay-at-home mom since the birth of AJ VI, and was previously a Compensation Business Analyst. AJ and Jo married in May of 2006 and currently reside in Orange County, CA.  They have 2 boys, their oldest son is 5 year old AJ Sexton VI, and his younger brother, Aiden Joshua, is 3.

The Sextons are very active in their home church, Mariners Church in the city of Newport Beach. Jo is past Core Leader of Mariner’s Women’s Reach Ministry for Outreach and volunteers in the Resource Center. AJ is in the Associate Elder’s Program and volunteers on the Safety Team. As a family they volunteer for Feed The Hungry, Free Medical and Dental Clinics and have been on various Mission Trips to Mexico, as well as El Salvador.

Plywood People: What led you to start We Will Serve?

Jo Sexton: My husband lost his job in 07′ and we went from living the OC lifestyle to literally living in a tiny 1 bedroom for the 4 of us.

In need of baby items for our newborn and 2 year old we began searching for items on the free section of Craigslist and where overwhelmed with the amount of items available.  I looked through the wanted ads and the needs were just as great.We began collecting as many free items as possible and matching them to those wanted ads, and within a couple of months we had over 100 families come through our garage to take the items we didn’t have need of. Families in need contributed by bringing in their children’s clothing and baby items they had outgrown and exchanged for what fit their children currently.

Plywood People: What has happened since you began your project?

Jo: Since we began this organic ministry out of our garage in November of 08′ we have grown into more then just a place that meets tangible needs of families in our community.

We have served countless families but most importantly through our own testimony we have been able to wrap ourselves around so many of them and meet spiritual needs they didn’t even realize they had.

We were blessed to be able to establish our non-profit and are now in a small warehouse space. Families and churches/organizations are continually referring those in need to us.

Plywood People: What is something unexpected you’ve learned about those in need? 

Jo: Going through this experience for us suddenly put into focus that a person in need doesn’t necessarily live in a low income neighborhood, is receiving government assistance and so on. Families like ours living in affluent neighborhoods have been gripping onto their material possessions for so long through this downfall of the economy, hoping that it would rebound quickly. And in the process have lost everything. Many of these families don’t have the slightest clue of how to access resources such as ours and ask for help because they haven’t ever had to.

To be able to come alongside these families specifically and help them realize that truly what they are losing is their pride, and are gaining how to live a life of grace, compassion and humility by being able to empathize with others in need.

Plywood People:  How has this project helped you through your own struggle of joblessness and financial worries?

Jo:  Looking back at where we were and where we are now, it doesn’t stop amazing me at how provision has been a constant.

From clothing for our children, diapers, formula and so on, to partnership with an amazing food ministry that has provided fresh food for our family weekly for almost three years.

We went through 2 incredibly difficult years, but God restored us and our finances. By the end of our 3rd year we had completed the Dave Ramsey challenge and paid of $15,000 in debt, and have $10,000 in savings.

God knew exactly what He was doing and now that we again find ourselves in a period of setbacks in my husbands job there is no fear or anxiety.

We both say to each other “we have been through this before, and God never abandoned us, it is simply just a season. God has gone before us and is victorious in our battles.”

Plywood People: Would you share a story with us of someone who’s made an impression on you through this project?

Jo: Christmas of 08′ we received a call from our church that there was an envelope waiting for us. We picked it up and there were 2 huge Christmas stockings full of toys for our boys.

I knew whoever had donated them knew of us, but didn’t truly know us because the toys weren’t age appropriate.  As much as I wanted to be grateful in all honesty I was a bit bitter because of our struggles and didn’t open the card for several days.

The day I opened it our refrigerator was completely bare and I was microwaving a variety of canned food.  On top of the microwave was the envelope and out dropped over $500 of a variety of gift cards for grocery stores, gas etc.

About two years later a friend of mine posted on her Facebook that her family was at the end of their rope, and asked for prayer.  I wrote her and asked how we could help, and she wrote back with details of financial struggles they were facing.  We met up and I took food and other necessities over and as we chatted about what was going on she made a comment saying “Isn’t it crazy how we have come full circle!”

I had no clue what she was referring to and she realized this and shared with me that she had organized friends and family to bless us that Christmas in 08′.

This friend is who planted the seed in our hearts of serving others and coming alongside them and because of that experience I continually share with others how coming alongside someone in their time of need is life changing!

Kaylee Page:  Organizer and Planner. Dependent on caffeine – sadly. Favorite words: joy, peace, community, embrace. Devoted Wife. Proud Mother. Finds the best in everything.

Something expected. That’s one of the definitions of expectations. Seriously, I just googled it. So then I googled expected. And expected means “regard as likely to happen.” That essentially means expectations are something we imagine, anticipate and believe will happen. But we all know that what we expect to happen doesn’t always happen. In fact, often does not happen.

I’ve been thinking about this and what’s funny to me is that expectations lie in the future, something we surely cannot fully control. Yet, to some extent, to some degree we can. So it’s tricky. But I think we tend to rely too much on the “likely” part and often forget that we create our expectations for ourselves. Expectations are sort of like our dreams, goals, hopes. And we usually dream for the best – but let’s be honest, expectations often have our best interest in mind. Which is great, but since we tend to tailor our expectations to match what we want from people, from life, we tend to leave a great margin of possible error when it comes to our anticipated outcomes. Among us, billions of expectations collide each moment, each hour, each day. When they collide they may go our way or they may go another’s way, and sometimes they all go together. But we don’t know how our expectations will play out until they actually play out.

So, I’ve learned expectations need to be managed. And here’s how I manage them:

One | I expect things of myself: I try and be the best version of myself, to be honest, to be patient, to be kind, to complete what I do to the best of my ability. To be a faithful wife, devoted mother and loving person. I have expectations for myself, for the person I want to be and how I am going to live my life. I expect excellence of myself. That is, the best foot I can put forward (some days that’s a really springy, full of life and successful step and sometimes my best step is a tired, worn out, not so amazing step, but the best step I can put forward will go forward!)

Two| I expect to have expectations. I don’t want to be the person who lowers my expectations thinking that by doing so, I’ll never be disappointed. We need expectations. We really do. I like Tonya Hurley’s way of saying it:

If you expect nothing, you can never be disappointed. Apart from a few starry-eyed poets or monks living on a mountaintop somewhere, however, we all have expectations. We not only have them, we need them. They fuel our dreams, our hopes, and our lives like some super-caffeinated energy drink.

Three | I expect to be let down. By people, by events, by changes to my anticipated future. Expectations can be lethal. They can limit our vision of the endless opportunities that lie ahead. They can keep us from enjoying what life brings. They can hold us back from moving forward, from stepping into the present. Stubborn to step into our un-anticipated plans we cling to what we had expected, stuck paralyzed somewhere between the past and present. Just stuck! A dreadful place to be.

Four | I expect my expectations to require grace. There’s a quote by Donald Miller, “When you stop expecting people to be perfect, you can like them for who they are.” (Nice, Don, I like it!) When we stop expecting our version of perfect it creates space to like and enjoy what has come to be. We can do our best to lay out the the vision, the dream, our plans. We can do our best to work every corner, every detail, every step of the process. But to some extent every endeavor we take on has a bit of mystery to it. We do everything we can, but at some point we must simply watch as it evolves, unravels or progresses. I think that’s scary… and well… kind of fun. To the very nature of the fact that humans fail, to the outcomes we don’t plan on, the changes we don’t anticipate and the crazy way the wind blows… grace must be more than ever present. It must flood our minds, dominate our thinking and guide us through the sometimes unexpected, cloudy, confusing and unanticipated paths we travel.

I just saw a phrase, and I think it ‘bout sums it up: Expectations must be reasonably grounded.

To that I say, Amen and Bravo!

Read More on Expectations:
Hope and Expectation
I Expect Hot Coffee.

Guest Post by Tindell Baldwin-Tindell was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia with her three brothers and loving parents. She went to Auburn University where she graduated with a degree in Communication and a dream of writing. After becoming a Christian in college, she decided she wanted to dedicate her life to telling lost teenagers about the life she found in Christ. After graduation, she married and moved to Houston where she spent a year writing her story of being an unsaved teenager.  In Spring 2013, her first book “Popular” will be published by Tyndale House Publishing. In the meantime, she enjoys blogging on topics relevant to today’s teens and volunteering with Young Life in Atlanta where she and her husband reside.

This Mother’s Day I honor my mom, who spent one night on her knees in Aruba praying: to save my life.

Dear Jesus! was all she could muster.

My mom told me later those were the only words her heart knew to say. There she was, on her knees in the entrance of our bungalow at 4 a.m., after discovering I had snuck out with my friends.

This wasn’t the first time my mom spent herself in prayer for me. Like before, I found myself in more trouble out of the country than in the States.

On this particular night, I was partying in Aruba, when a guy approached me. He was tall, cute enough, and offered to buy me a drink. Quickly, my ex-boyfriend was a faint memory.

Meanwhile, my mom prays. She doesn’t know why, just that it’s important.

More dancing and way more drinking but finally it is time to head home. Its 5 a.m., and the sun is dangerously close to rising. As I gather up my friends to leave, he pulls my arm.

Where are you going, he asks.
Home, I respond, rather annoyed.
No, come with me, he retorts—and I get more annoyed.
I have to get my friends home, I respond and pull away.
I will find you tomorrow! he shouts, and before he leaves, I ask him his name.
Joran Vander Sloot, he says.

At the time the name means nothing. Today it means everything.

Joran is the number one suspect in Natalee Holloway’s disappearance and a convicted murderer in another case. That could have been me.

You can imagine the shock as I sat in my cozy home in Atlanta, watching his face run across every news channel on TV. Then a few months later, my parents found a picture of me and Joran from that night, and my mom burst into tears. What she told me next I’ll never forget:

“Sometimes God wakes me up just to tell me to pray for you. And that night in Aruba, I spent hours on my knees.”

I owe my mom more than words can ever say. My mom battled for me in prayer, not just that one night in Aruba. But countless times she stayed up when God told her to pray. If she hadn’t, I doubt I would be alive today.

Every Mother’s Day I often reflect on where I would be without a mother who prayed for me, fought for me, and loved me no matter what. She has created in me a burden to do this for my own daughter someday.

Because of the impact she’s had on my life, I am taking the opportunity to honor her today. I know many girls have been robbed of having a vital support system like I have in my mom.

After attending Passion 2012, and then through friends and family, I heard about girls enslaved in India without any mom to battle for them. My heart fell. I learned about an organization called As Our Own who rescues girls from poverty, slavery, and exploitation. They promise to parent them as their very own daughters—for the rest of their lives. They are parents battling in prayer daily for their daughters.

If you have an amazing mom like I do, you’ll want to celebrate her in a unique way this Mother’s Day. In honor of your mom, make a donation to support these young girls in India who have been rescued and will one day be moms themselves. Your donation will make a tremendous difference in the lives of these girls, their children, and their grandchildren. Follow this link to donate and download a card that explains the gift you’ve made in her name.

Learn More:
Friday Five // Bryson Vogeltanz
Street Grace
Love Gives Way
Plywood Morning with ONENINE Images and Wellspring Living
Unique Wedding Registry

If you haven’t heard, we have announced Plywood Presents 2012.

It will be an incredible event with brilliant presenters, and a great opportunity to let collaboration happen with the people you’ll be meeting.

We have 3 amazing partners that we wanted you to know about, because their products are being highlighted in a giveaway.

Lamon Luther: Brian Preston is the founder of Lamon Luther. He’s creating a bridge between consumer and craftsman. He’s teaching woodworking to some guys that he met, and they’re creating amazing furniture from reclaimed wood.

ZPM Espresso: Their mission is to make great espresso affordable and accessible, and they believe that through open-source software and affordable manufacturing techniques, they can get more people in touch with their inner coffee geek.

Thrive Coffee: THRIVE Farmers will not only transform the lives of tens of thousands of coffee farmers and eliminate unnecessary layers in the coffee supply chain, but revolutionize the coffee industry.  When you “know who grows” the premium Arabica coffee that starts your day, you can enjoy your cup in a new way.

SO, if you enter the sweepstakes you’ll have a chance at winning a chalkboard from Lamon Luther, an Espresso Machine from ZPM Espresso, and a coffee package from Thrive. How awesome is that!

Enter for your chance to win.
Find out more about Plywood Presents 2012.
Do you have a great idea? Fill out the Essay form for your chance to have your idea funded.
Register for Plywood Presents 2012.

SWEEPSTAKES: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Sweepstakes open to legal residents of the state of Georgia, age 18 or older. Begins 12:00:01 a.m. ET on May 1, 2012 and ends 11:59:59 p.m. ET on August 14, 2012. Subject to Official Rules, available here; void where prohibited. Sponsor: Suffered Enough, Inc.