Love & Work
A notebook about how we work, learn, love and live.
Regular readers often comment on the sense of optimism I am able to channel in this letter. Friends, some weeks that is much easier than others. This week I am feeling such deep feelings of sadness for the loss of innocent lives in our schools and public spaces, and on battlefields worldwide. On this Memorial Day eve lets bow and honor the lives ripped asunder by fear, isolation and mental illness. We're human. We can do better.
Happy Friday.
Learning
The benefits of teetering between calmness and mayhem
Murmurations of birds also tiptoe between order and disorder. They can disperse at any second to confuse a predator. Getty Images
"Your brain is constantly perched on the edge of chaos. And it's not because you're behind on 47 laptop updates or obsessing over that typo in an email you sent your boss.
"No, because even at your most zen, your 86 billion brain cells strut along a tightrope between calm and catastrophe; serenity and disarray; order and disorder. At any moment, they could domino into disaster. But no need to panic.
"This tricky brain stunt is actually a good thing.
"It's probably why you can juggle all your racing thoughts in the first place, and in fact, scientists even believe tracking this precarious state could one day lead to an exciting new generation of mental health therapies." - Monisha Ravisetti
Article: Your Brain Operates at the Edge of Chaos. Why That's Actually a Good Thing
How We Work
Cutbacks have defined the pandemic era restaurant—but when owners invest more in their employees, everybody wins.
Daisy Ryan is the Executive Chef and co-owner of the French-inspired bistro Bell’s in Los Alamos, California.
"Like many restaurant operators over the past two years, Greg and Daisy Ryan, co-owners of the French-inspired bistro Bell’s in Los Alamos, California, sweated over how their business would survive a global pandemic. All around them owners were turning to takeout, to retail, or to closing their doors indefinitely.
"The Ryans, meanwhile, decided to spend more money—actually, a lot more money—on their staff. They hiked wages to an average of $27 an hour. They added on a bevy of new perks, including fully paid health care coverage and 80 hours of paid time off.
"Increasing costs is risky business even in good times for restaurants, where profits margins are sometimes thinner than mandolined potatoes, and the industry was on life support even before government-mandated shutdowns were part of the conversation. But the Ryans made their drastic changes back in June 2020, after a two-month in-dining closure to regroup, deciding to spend big when most independent restaurants were scrambling to meet existing costs.
It worked. Bell’s revenues and staff have more than doubled since that pivotal summer day, and now the Ryans are talking about how to add a retirement program with four percent matching funds, a longstanding goal that will also bring them in line with state-mandated legislation.
“'We said, ‘If we’re going to change, this is our time to change,’ Greg said. 'If we are not trying to be a better business, and a better business for our staff and the people that work with us, we are going to be so upset with ourselves.'”
Article: Happier Employees, Higher Profits: Restaurant Owners Spend More, and it Pays Off
History, Futures Thinking
Even pandemics and wars, horrific as they are, “cannot divert the journey of humanity from its long-term path”.
"The signal characteristic of The Journey of Humanity is its optimism. If you need an evidence-based antidote to doomscrolling, here it is. The extraordinary increases in standards of living, huge falls in child mortality, incredible gains in knowledge and technology – these are the products of inexorable forces that are not going anywhere, Oded Galor argues, and will only augment as time goes on. Even pandemics and wars, horrific as they are for the millions caught up in them, “cannot divert the journey of humanity from its long-term path”. Surprisingly, given the circumstances we find ourselves in, the book is highly persuasive: Galor builds his case meticulously, always testing his assumptions against the evidence." - David Shariatmadari
Book Review: An Optimist’s Guide to the Future: the Economist Who Believes that Human Ingenuity Will Save the World
Design
Prioritizing sustainable design before it was hip
"For design legends Ray and Charles Eames, finding purpose at work entailed satisfying three audiences: the client, yourself, and society.
"The third factor, caring for common good, is a hallmark of the Eameses’ practice. They sum it up as a constant search for the best product for the most people, costing the least amount of money, effort, and material.
"Long before sustainability became an industry buzzword, they pursued making consumer goods that were durable, repairable, and built with materials that didn’t harm ecosystems. Beyond handing off blueprints to manufacturers, the Eameses believed, designers had a responsibility to improve a product’s supply chain—from testing to manufacturing, production, packaging, and delivery.
"The Eameses also bristled against the marketing hype characteristic of the design industry, which is still very much prevalent today. In his 1986 book, Business as Unusual, Hugh De Pree, Herman Miller’s former CEO, recalls a particularly feisty moment with Charles while reviewing the decor for their New York City showroom. Spotting a banner with the words 'good design,' Charles scoffed: 'Don’t give us "good design" crap. You never hear us talk about that. The real questions are: Does it solve a problem? Is it serviceable? How is it going to look in 10 years?'” - Ann Quito
Article: The Three Elements of a Fulfilling Job, According to Ray and Charles Eames
Advertising, Persuasion
“From a scientist’s perspective, oftentimes we say facts, facts, facts. But half the time, people don’t understand what those facts mean.”
"When Melissa Burt, an atmospheric scientist at Colorado State University, made a video about the climate crisis, it included images of her daughter, Mia.
“'There’s some light within her that makes me continue to do the climate science work that I do,' Burt says in her voice-over. As she speaks, photos of a toddler — playing in the garden, sledding in fresh snow, frolicking on the beach — appear in frame. 'As moms, we care about the environment they grow up in. And for Mia, I want you to know I worked hard for the change, and to make it a better place for you.'
"What Burt does not say are phrases like 'net zero,' '1.5 degrees Celsius,' or even 'carbon emissions.' Nor does she mention polar bears or ice caps. Climate change isn’t about politics or jargon, the video implies. Climate change is about us: Our neighborhoods, our schools, our kids.
“'From a scientist’s perspective, oftentimes we say facts, facts, facts,' Burt told Climate & Capital. 'But half the time, people don’t understand what those facts mean.'
"And facts alone don’t seem to spark action.
"The video was a commercial for Science Moms, an advocacy group of scientist mothers working to communicate the reality of the climate crisis to fellow moms, specifically suburban moms — suburban moms –– a demographic that is generally not inherently climate-focused but is persuadable. Since 2018, Science Moms has launched around $10 million worth of advertising in several political swing states. Yet this is not a simple story of women scientists banding together to enlighten their fellow mothers. Launched by a sustainability-focused marketing group, Science Moms is the product of months of meticulous research meant to answer the question: How can climate communication be better?" - Jared Downing
Article: Scientist-Moms Explore Why Climate Change Messaging Falls Flat
Product Positioning
"The awakening of women who wanted their tampons to be as healthy as their acai bowls.”
Image by Katharina Brenner
"In 2015, a few things happened that moved menstruation from the margins and into the center of the cultural conversation. The term 'tampon tax' entered the lexicon. Instagram removed a photo of poet and artist Rupi Kaur wearing pants stained with period blood. Kiran Gandhi ran the London Marathon while visibly menstruating. After Megyn Kelly sparred with Donald Trump during the Republican presidential debate, he suggested she must have been menstruating. Period underwear brand Thinx claimed that its ad campaign for the New York City subway, which featured imagery of grapefruits and egg yolks juxtaposed with women, had been unfairly sctutinized by the MTA’s ad partner. In the years that followed, this shift from shame to pride inspired a bumper crop of modern period care brands predicated on the idea that a box of pads or tampons could or should be displayed on a counter rather than hidden away in a drawer." - Rachel del Valle
Article: Modern Period Brands Used to Blend In. Now, Like Everything Else, They’re All About Standing Out
Brand Positioning
Yes, the CIA has a tone of voice. No, it doesn't mess around.
"In 2021 the CIA refreshed its design. The site is now sternly minimalist and monochrome. Initially, Design Internet scoffed. Journalist Max Pearl said the new logo was basically a poster for MUTEK. The LA Times called the new look ‘black site aesthetics’. But then everyone got over the weirdness that’s always felt when an organization like this dips its toe in branding for the first time and admitted it was a huge improvement.
"Predictably, commentators focused on the visuals and nobody really noticed the tone. Which is a shame. Because the tone is sharp. Firing up the homepage now:
"‘We are the Nation’s first line of defense’. Bold, confident, serious. Like the people in the photographs all over the site, it has a kind of thousand-yard-stare coldness to it.
"But it’s the sub-line I really like: ‘We accomplish what others cannot accomplish and go where others cannot go’.
"That repetition. The way the second half of the sentence mirrors the first. It gives it the cadence of high oratory. And that ‘cannot’ is perfect. Copywriting orthodoxy these days is ‘use contractions like ‘we’re’ and ‘can’t’, they’ll make your copy sound friendlier’. But the CIA aren’t – oops, are not – here to be friendly. It’s ‘we are’ and ‘cannot’ all the way. In a home page that’s carrying no less than three portentous statements – ‘we are the Nation’s first line of defense’; ‘carry out the work of a Nation’ and ‘FIND YOUR CALLING’ – it’s that ‘cannot’ that really makes it a tone.
"Shall we check out the ‘About Us’ page? Of course. Stand by...". - Nick Parker
Article: This is What Really, Really Serious Sounds Like.
One-liners
Article: State Farm drops support of LGBTQ kids books after conservative furor
Article: Solar microgrids are keeping Ukraine’s hospitals running
Article: Neoliberalism creates appetite for inequality
Playlist
Video: Gold Soundz ~ Pavement @ The Fonda Theatre 5/23/22
On Monday, in preparation for their European tour which will kick off next week in Barcelona, Pavement played a 30-song set at the Fonda Theater in LA. This was their first live performance in almost 12 years. It is so good to see them back. I've heard them referred to as "the world's most perfect imperfect band", and the description fits.
Article: Watch Pavement Reunite In LA For Their First Show In 12 Years
Image of the Week
"Nancy Floyd has been photographing herself since 1982, with the aim of taking a photo a day. The resulting project, compromised of over 2500 images, is a meditation on the passage of time, loss and the aging female body."
Article: Nancy Floyd Has Photographed Herself Everyday Since 1982
What's Love & Work?
Love & Work is the weekly newsletter by me, Mitch Anthony. I help people use their brand - their purpose, values, and stories - as a pedagogy and toolbox for transformation.
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