Di-a-logue, An American Mosaic

A Gen Z talks about being brought up to be either Republican or Democrat and you fit in that box, or that box. Red or Blue.

The stakes are high in the year ahead. Staying informed will be difficult.

It's a big country. Stories from the road, people and places coming in a book.

Most of what we hear is engineered to tell us who we are, what to do, and how to think about ourselves and our nation.

Another wake up. Just when we think we know what happening, new shit happens.

A Purple grain of sand. Finding that common ground.

We all have a story. Stories are important to our understanding of places, people, and ourselves. That is the heart of An American Mosaic and project Di-a-logue. 

Individuals, corporations, churches, watch what you say. There might be reprisals depending on where you are, who you are, and how you are identified. We live in a divided country today, and not always by choice. 

Globalization is ending. How do we deal with that, do we stay divided or do we unite as a country. Living in a changed America. 

Making war on Ukraine is not going well for Putin. Does he think he can go back in time to the USSR? The rest of the world is waking up and saying no. 

We are being tested like never before. Most of the world stands with Ukraine as Putin wages war on them. This is a wake up for all who value democracy. We will have some important choices to make soon. 

Driving the backroads of America talking to strangers. America is changing, we are discarding the old, making room for the new. There are casualties along the way. 

We don't need to agree, but we can still have a conversation. Sometimes a conversation makes you feel good. That's how I feel when I listen to this conversation with Walt in Seattle. You never know what's on the other end of a conversation.

I stopped in Elgin North Dakota looking for coffee and found the newspaper office. I went in and met Jill, the owner, editor and publisher. Ever wonder about life in the little places? The newspaper editor can tell you everything. Jill covers a couple of counties and three small towns in this mostly farming area in North Dakota. 

So many people are leaving positions and not for a new one. It isn't retirement, so what's next? I am curious about what we do next and how we find a new passion or career path. I reposted a conversation from a year ago that I think is inspiring and breaks down one persons creative journey to a surprising new place. 

In this episode I am talking with Mary, the legendary Mermaid sand sculpture artist of Venice Beach California. Mary is part of the fabric in this mashup of humanity along the boardwalk of Venice. She's came to Venice as a young girl and fell in love with it. An interesting story in a truly unique place. 

It's a rap, last year is over. I'm optimistic about some things happening going forward. Setting aside the chaos of culture wars, politics, and the pandemic, there are some very interesting tech breakthroughs ahead. See you on the other side.

Creating a Portrait of America with pictures and conversations, many are shared with this podcast. An American Mosaic is ending another challenging year with these thoughts. Gen Z, Tech, Business, Elon Musk, Maria Ressa, and Living with Covid. 

A conversation with Rick Najera, actor, director, comedian, writer, and author of the book "Almost White." I am at the Studios in Burbank CA and was fortunate to get this conversation. Rick has a lot of credits to his name, Broadway Play, TV, Film, and writing. He is one of "those Mexicans", just a couple of generations from those crossing the border that we never hear about. He had a lot to say when we sat down to talk. This is a video recast from a conversation in 2018.

In a changing America, we need to understand the shifts in generations and how they think about things. Gen Z is the demographic on the minds of anyone planning for the future. I am talking with Matt a 19 year old who is in his first year of college as a sophomore. He did head start in high school and is heavy into computer science and math. Tech is his interest. I was pleased he spent the time for a wide ranging conversation and I found it insightful. 

A changed America. Has it impacted you? Listen to 10 people talking about this. This is from a short video highlighting some of my conversations around the country in the last 3 years. 

All that free stuff, services, turns out it wasn't. I'm in Seattle talking with Laura a product manager in leading edge tech. She breaks down how we gave away our personal information, and how we got to where we are today. "We are the product."

I am deep in Coal Country West Virginia talking with Sandi who runs a B&B. A coal miners daughter talks about growing up when it was a boom town, and life today. 

What people are thinking about voting.

Boom, and four years later we are still trying to figure out who we are. Part of the Mosaic. A journey of discovery.

I've had some great conversations and discoveries on the road. This is a favorite from Welch West Virginia. Who we are, part of the American Mosaic. 

Exploring roads less traveled in Oregon. And, learning to be flexible in a season of fires.

Exploring the iconic Highway 395 in the high Sierras of California. There are some awesome places to discover off of this road. This was a post Covid father, son trip to catch up on some quality time that was sorely missed. It is also the first of a reset for An American Mosaic.

Americans are taking to the road. Some are taking the roads less travelled. American Mosaic is going on the road in the Camper Van discovering places and taking notes on what is cool and where to find that special spot to stay. Of course there will be conversations along the way. 

I am talking with Florence who achieved several firsts in Philadelphia as the first woman owned broker dealer business in the country. She also was a real estate developer who renovated historic buildings. 

What if our great experiment fails? We are in a changing America. Democracy is fragile, and we seem to be questioning it. Listen to some people talking about change. 

Looking across divides to understand who we are today. I am talking with Caprice, a restaurant owner in Detroit.

A singer, song writer, talks with me about his life and view from the road. He lives in his van and travels year round performing. I met Justin "Reverend" Hylton in Austin Texas in a coffee place on South Congress Street. 

A newly minted author, Dave Mason, talks to me about how he found writing, discovered he liked it and wrote his first novel. Dave has had a very successful career, a founding partner in a Chicago design firm, and a founder of a sports software company. This is really about what we do next. 

Asian Americans are under attack, why? They have long been silent. I wanted to put up this very good conversation from the past with Clarence, a Japanese American who is outspoken about the treatment of Japanese Americans and the Internment during WW2. This is part of the conversation. 

Choosing an alternative living style is something many are doing. Living on boats has long been a dream of many. Now RV's are gaining popularity for different reasons. In this episode, I am talking with Bill who has lived with his wife on a sailboat for over 30 years. They are now considering life in an RV. 

I'm deep in Coal Country, Southern West Virginia, talking with Sam a dentist who is doing good things there.

I'm in Quartzsite Arizona surrounded by a few thousand vans, buses, and Rv's, talking with Shirley about life on the road. Living in vehicles is becoming a way of life for some. The new nomads.

The star of the Presidential Inauguration had to be Amanda Gorman, the young poet reading "The Hill We Climb". Simply amazing. 

What do you hear? What do you see?  A respectful conversation reveals a lot about who we are. I felt positive after this conversation. It's not all bad out there.

Is media controlling our brains? "It's all fake news." Eight people talking about media and social media in their lives today. 

A love of the sea, and the land. Listening to stories. Taking ideas from the past.. Growing up, choices, and what we connect with. 

A business model that worked. I talking with Levi a young Amish man, in Southern Iowa, who talks about building his business and other ideas. 

It seemed urgent. My journey to discover my country and talk to people. How this project started.

Films tell us a lot about us and the world around us. In this episode I am talking with Tova, a film curator, and essayist, who watches a lot of films.

Cowboys are as American as apple pie. Rodeo is their sport. I am in Montana at the Last Chance Stampede talking with Joe about his life as a cowboy. It is in his blood. 

This is our America. Americans have just stood up and raised their voice in record setting numbers.

Covid fatigue has put us all on edge. The government has said it is no longer taking any preventative measures, yet 227,000 have died and the count is rising rapidly. We are on our own. In this episode, I am repeating a great conversation last March, from Bergamo Italy. A reminder, we are not done with this. 

The life of a designer, and how we see things as designers. I am talking with Amy Lam, who started asking me questions about my thoughts on design. Turning the tables and creating an interesting discussion on design. 

What people have to say. I have been collecting conversations for over three years from people around the country. Listen to some highlights.