The World by Us

Hello friends! Here we are at the end of another month (Is it really December already?!) and so we bring you a selection of tunes we’ve had on repeat in November! Enjoy…

Don’t move – Phantogram

Tender Mercy – Au Palais – A brother/sister Candadian duo based in London, these guys are releasing their first EP in the UK today. Given how much we adore this one, we’re dying to hear the rest. Grab it here.

Sometime – Dive

The Last Time – Oliver Tank – 21 year old Sydneysider whose song ‘Last night I heard everything in slow motion’ was featured in GetUp’s recent marriage equality ad. You can stream/buy the entire eerily beautiful EP here.

We Don’t Eat - James Vincent McMorrow (Adventure Club Dubstep Remix) – It’s taken us a while, but we are slowly coming round to dubstep…

Little man - Little Dragon (Tycho remix) - two artists we love & an infectious beat.

Hailing from sunny Cape Town, Katie Thompson is a ‘hoarder of all things useless, impractical, broken & shiny.’ And what could she possibly do with all those useless & shiny things, you ask? Why she built a whole successful business out of them! Putting her interior design degree to use and channelling her passion for old junk, Katie began transforming discarded suitcases, hat boxes, and broken typewritters into beautiful AND useful home decor.

In 2009, REcreate was born and since then her unique range of recycled and revamped furniture & interior accessories has been featured in Elle Decoration, German Cosmopolitan and Australia’s Frankie Magazine.

The good news is REcreate ships overseas! The bad news is delivery will cost you a pretty penny. But for some of these beautiful, one-of-a-kind pieces, it may be worth the splurge…

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With over a million views in just 48 hours and attention from the likes of Huffington Post, Stephen Fry, and Andrew Sullivan (The Daily Beast), the latest video from our good friends at Australian advocacy group GetUp! has quickly touched hearts and minds around the world. All the more proof that it is indeed time….

If this moved you (or even brought you to tears as it did us!), why not  help GetUp! get the ad on TV by donating here?

Let’s end marriage inequality.

We all love to hear it – A sincere thank you can induce that warm and fuzzy feeling, make us feel wonderfully useful in this world and leave us eager to do more to make the lives of those we love that little bit better.

One of our favourite contemporary photographers, Ryan McGinley, has delighted us again with seven new photographs for his latest exhibition. If you are in London, you can catch Wandering Comma at Alison Jaques Gallery from 24 November  - 22 December.

My photographs are about removal: bringing people to nondescript locations, to places that aren’t recognizable, removing their clothes, capturing them with a very limited style palette. I try to think about how timelessness, isolation, and style interact.

Ryan McGinley, Artforum, September 2010

Check out more from Ryan here.

Jessica Jackley had us at hello. Not only is she half of the brains behind the wildly successful micro-lending platform KIVA and the co-founder and CEO of ProFounder, (a new venture bringing the crowd-funding model to entrepreneurs in the US), she is also a refreshingly honest and genuine human being who believes passionately in the the potential for good in our world.

You may have seen Jessica candidly share her story and the inspiration behind KIVA at TED last year. In a moving talk, she speaks about the transformation she experienced in her approach to poverty -  a shift from obligation, guilt and the belief that ‘they’ need ‘our’ help to an understanding of the poor as ‘strong, smart hardworking entrepreneurs…doing things to make their lives and their family’s lives better.’ - An approach not very unlike that of another organisation we have a special affinity with! [Cue shameless Spark* plug] So naturally, we love it.

And to top things off, she brings us to tears with her own beautiful display of emotion at the close of her talk as she expresses her belief in our potential to love and believe in each other, do amazing things in the world and help ‘perpetuate hope and good things for all of us.’

Jessica has since moved on from KIVA, met a new man, and fallen pregnant with twins. Twelve weeks into her pregnancy, she shared the news with her team and investors at ProFounder. While most responded with enthusiasm and congratulations, one investor expressed concern, beginning a valuable conversation about a ‘dirty little thought’ that popped into his head:

‘How in the hell is this founder going to lead a team, build a company and change the world for these businesses carrying a kid around for the next few months and then caring for the kids after?”

Along with many others, Jessica responded and her reply provided us with even more reason to rave about her. First acknowledging the importance of the dialogue and her investor’s honesty, she then brings up a concern of her own:

I think it’s very unfortunate how often this line of questioning is focused on women alone. I’ve never heard someone ask the same of a Founder/CEO/Dad, worrying about a slightly different dirty little thought: “An expectant father / CEO will fail his company.” The idea that mothers are the de facto “foundation parents” to a new baby (or two) perpetuates the stereotypes and structures that make it more difficult for anyone, male or female, to balance work and family in the first place.

She goes on to explain how she would have responded to Paige if they’d had more time to speak before his post & the benefits of a strong work-life balance – something she and ProFounder Co-founder Dana Mauriell0 have made a huge priority:

I would have said that I have an incredible cofounder and an amazing, talented team. They believe in my leadership, my ability to serve them and our vision – with or without kids. I would have talked about my strong support system, including a husband who is a true partner and my greatest champion. I would have mentioned that I am fortunate enough to be able to afford full-time help if/when we need it….

When my titles expand from just Founder/CEO to Founder/CEO/Mom, I may have a different kind of load to bear than that of other entrepreneurs, especially if we’re talking about ones who fit the old Silicon Valley stereotypes… I’ve tried forcing myself to fit more into this profile during other seasons of my life and would like to report that, shockingly, there’s really no correlation between eating take-out everyday or skipping that 30-min jog again and great entrepreneurial success. If anything, I’ve found the opposite to be true.

…I desire to live a life that is rich in relationships both in and outside of work. I desire to reap the many different rewards that are abundant in my job, working in this incredible start-up every day. I want to surround myself with a team, including investors, that challenges me and helps make me better. I want to live my life transparently, and if being a happy, successful Founder/CEO/Mom serves as a helpful example to anyone who wants to use me as such, great.

This is not the first time Jessica has faced obstacles as a result of her gender. In a recent interview she playfully admits to having considered beginning an anonymous blog to document the challenges she and Dana have endured as female co-founders. But through Profounder, they are dedicated to seeing this change and supporting more women in the entrepreneurship space:

‘I wish selfishly that there were more people that looked like me…. I’m not wearing a suit, I’m not a guy… it would be nice to encounter more women. I think in about 70 plus meetings with investors, we actually only met with 2 who were women as we were raising our seed & our bridge rounds. It would have been nice to talk to more women. But we’re going to make that happen.’

We’d certainly love to see many more Jessica Jackleys calling the shots in our world…

- Pedro Salinas

(A pretty little film by South African company Green Renaissance, shot  in 11 hours on 11.11.11 as part of the One Day on Earth Campaign – an effort to document the world’s story.)

A few weeks ago, we were lusting over 1920′s Paris thanks to Woody Allen’s latest film. So we gathered a few tips to help you indulge in the era of Josephine Baker, Cole Porter, and Hemmingway. THIS week, for those of us who would settle for Paris regardless the era, we’ve compiled a short list of our favourite films that are sure to transport you to the city of love & light!

The man we’ve all fallen in love with this year doesn’t say much. But we don’t mind. That pensive silence and gorgeous physique have us enchanted. Ryan Gosling stars in Funny or Die‘s latest spoof – Quiet Ryan (Sometimes saying nothing says so much):

Made with recycled traditional textiles which are hand-woven & naturally dyed by indigenous Mayan women of Guatemala, these chic yoga accessories are sustainable, stylish, and functional. 

 Designed by yogis for yogis, they are brought to us by I AM - a for-profit design company based in San Francisco who are serious about making the world a better place. A company driven by a philosophy that encapsulates everything we love about our generation:

I AM. is an idea that we no longer have to live in a world of blind consumerism. An idea that the power of business can be used to provide, and not just profit. An idea that the value of a product can be measured by the benefit it brings many, not the image it brings to one. An idea that by connecting like-minded people around the world, we can make a real difference.

Due to the influx of cheap mass-produced products, Guatemala’s Mayan weavers have found their art and livelihoods dying out. With the help of I AM, these women will receive access to a self-determined living wage, funding for infrastructure projects in their communities, and the ability to continue this traditional practice – an important part of their daily life, culture, identity and history.

At the moment, I AM is counting on all socially conscious consumers to help bring their idea to fruition! Pre-order your yoga bag or strap on Kickstarter before November 22nd and they’ll have the funds to set up the natural dying facility required to get their project off the ground.

‘Every time you make a purchase you cast a vote to the kind of world you want to live in.’ –  I AM 

Check out the video below and pre-order your bags/straps/t-shirts/etc here!