On this opening  night friends, family and fans of Tom Kennedy will gather at Jellyfish Gallery for a silent auction, live entertainment and celebration of his life. An ever-growing list of artists have donated artwork to be auctioned with all proceeds to benefit the Ripper Journey Foundation, a fund created to make Tom’s dream come true: to send his first art car Ripper the Friendly Shark around the world inspiring and supporting friendship and peace.

Two more events will follow on November 7 and November 12 at the same venue and each will showcase photos, art and videos about Tom Kennedy and the Ripper Journey Foundation created in his memory.   All pieces in the silent auction will also be online at www.tomkennedyart.com.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tom Kennedy Art Auction to Benefit the “Ripper Journey Foundation”in Memory of Tom Kennedy

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — October 19, 2009 — Friends and family of the legendary San Francisco artist Tom Kennedy will host a three-part benefit and art auction to benefit the Ripper Journey Foundation beginning October 28 and running through November 12 at the Jellyfish Gallery in San Francisco. The public is invited to participate and attend free of charge.

Tom Kennedy passed away April 12, 2009 while body-surfing off Ocean Beach in San Francisco. He left behind a legacy as a pioneering sculptural artist, social agitator and builder of more than twenty art cars. As a founding member of the art car movement, his works of art work evolved into symbols of political protest and peace keeping. Tom envisioned his beloved and most recognized art car, Ripper the Friendly Shark, traveling around the world with a crew called the Friend Patrol. Together they would inspire and support friendship and peace in conflict zones where people perceived as enemies live and work together. The art auction will raise money to send Ripper the Friendly Shark on this mission at least once a year.

The three-part fundraiser will kick off on October 28 with a silent auction and live performances and wrap up on November 12 with a live auction. An ever-growing list of artists have donated artwork to be auctioned with all proceeds to benefit the Ripper Journey Foundation.

Featured artists include Tom Kennedy, Haideen Anderson, Margot Duane, Karen Cusolito, Michael Christian, Brian Goggin, Dan Das Mann, Jon Alloway and Kal Spelletich.

The event will also showcase photos, art and videos about Tom Kennedy and the Ripper Journey Foundation created in his memory.   All pieces in the silent auction will also be online at www.tomkennedyart.com.

EVENT DETAILS

Venue: Jellyfish Gallery at 1286 Folsom Street, San Francisco

October 28^{th ~} Opening Night

6:00 pm until Midnight
Wine, Cheese, Music – Silent Auction begins.

A special performance by Mark Growden and Phat Mandee

November 7^th ~ Rock Star Hat Party

6:00 pm until Late Night

Everyone MUST wear a hat.

Main Act: Tom Jonesing + more entertainment to be announced.

November 12^th ~ Closing Night

6PM until Midnight
Silent auction ends at 10:00 pm

Live Auction featuring Hal Robbins and Chicken John

About Ripper Journey Foundation

The Ripper Journey Foundation was created by the friends and family of Tom Kennedy to make his dream come true: to send his first art car Ripper the Friendly Shark around the world inspiring and supporting friendship and peace. By raising money the Foundation will make it possible for the Friend Patrol to accompany Ripper the Friendly Shark on at least one journey per year to conflict zones where people perceived as enemies live and work together in the name of friendship and peace. For more information go to: www.tomkennedyart.com.

Come see this new labor of love – “RE: Invention” – stories of positive change in the economic crisis this Thursday night, 10/15 at Citizen Space, an event space in SF at 425 Second St at Howard, suite 100.

The screening is hosted by Abundance League, a monthly salon of people working on creative social change projects. Several members of the awesome film crew will in attendance.

Enjoy mingling, networking, wine and potlucking from 6:30 – 8:00 pm, followed by the screening.

Bring drinks and food to share if you like. Show up before 7:00 pm so you get the full experience.

After the screening I will host a facilitated discussion where everyone will have a chance to share their own thoughts and experiences in the economic crisis.

For more info: http://abundanceleague.org/2009/08/25/october-abu…ndance-league-sf-screening-discussion-of-reinvention/

I know this is short notice, so if you can’t make it, you can see the film at additional screenings in October and November that are currently being scheduled. Screening info will be announced on the soon-to-be-launched website on Thursday!

My San Francisco-based team of filmmakers is producing another short documentary that continues to explore how the economic downturn is an opportunity for personal transformation and positive social change. We are shooting interviews in Northern California during July 2009. We are looking for three kinds of people to be interviewed and featured in the film:

1 – People who have been directly affected by the downturn and have found the crisis to be an opportunity to reassess what really matters in life and make positive changes in how they live.

If the economy has caused you to get laid off, lose your home or investments, change your living situation, make a significant career shift, struggle to make ends meet or if you are experiencing any other consequence of the economic downturn, we want to hear from you!

2 – Professionals and advocates who work in real estate, credit counseling, career counseling, mortgage lending, social services or finance and who work DIRECTLY with people who are dealing with the negative effects of the economic downturn, and who can comment on trends you are seeing in the crisis.

3 – Authors, bloggers and cultural commentators who can talk about the meaning and significance of personal transformation in times of great social transformation.

If you are interested in being interviewed, please write to interviewopportunity@gmail.com or leave a message at (707) 317-1476.

Describe your situation and background and why you would like to be in the film. Please provide your age and specific location in Northern California. We will contact you if we are interested in learning more about your story. Thank you!

Check it out at www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8922u9f4MU

Thanks to my amazing film crew we were able to write, direct and produce the 10 minute film over the last 4 months.

It was screened in a film festival on June 11 and we won both a Member’s Award and a Judge’s Award at the film screening. We plan to produce a longer 30 minute version over the next four months and the funding will help us reach this goal. My film crew is submitting to film festivals and looking into broadcasting on public television. Our ultimate goal is to produce a feature film that continues to tell the story of how people are coping with the consequences of the economic meltdown. Through their personal stories, we learn how the crisis has become an opportunity for positive change, personal transformation and social evolution.

Please pass this link along to everyone you think may be interested, as we would like to create as much interest in the subject as possible. Encourage all those whom that you email the link to give it a rating and include any comments on Youtube about the film. All feedback will only help us to make the expanded versions of the film better.

Memoir Spool has been on a temporary sabbatical since last Spring, but last week we re-launched the event at the Climate Theater. When I say “we”, I mean the team of organizers who are volunteering to rebirth Memoir Spool back into the world. Besides Ray and I, the team includes Tim Pratt, Susan Mcneese, Will Chase and Dixie De la Tour.

The event was totally sold out and audience members enjoyed wine and beer and brownies from the little bar.  Sarah Jane Farley and Dogmom wrote reviews on their blogs.

SFAppeal, a local online newspaper, wrote a Q&A that editor Eve Batey did with me the day before the event.

The theme of all the stories was “Won’t Get Fooled Again!” so I told a story about getting robbed in the small village of Bodhgaya in India, getting paid off by the mafia/police and having my passport returned to me one week later by a mysterious little man named Suraji who operated the Ferris wheel at the local carnival.

Thanks to the magically bizarre underworld of Indian politics and the teamwork of a  Tibetan superhero named Jigme, the Dalai Lama, an Israeli girl named Elat and an armed guard who protected me from kidnappers, I managed to not only leave Bodhgaya unscathed, but with about 4,000 Rp (rupees) more than when I arrived. More importantly, I left with a newfound yet deep and abiding trust in the mysteriously abundant ways of the Universe.

I am busier and more creatively inspired than ever before. I feel like I am in a deep flowing groove of possibility and it feels amazing. Even though I still have moments of fear and worry about money or the job market, the moments pass by and are replaced with feelings of immense gratitude and joy. Being in the flow, in the moment like this seems to speed up the passage of time. Even when I get temporarily bogged down by some life obstacle, the sensation of cruising in the flow never stops.

Every morning I wake up I lay in bed and listen to the sweet sounds of birds singing outside my window. The sun illuminates the red sheer curtains and my bedroom is washed in a soft rosy light. I lay there and contemplate my day and feel a combination of excitement, gratitude and urgency…like “I love this moment so much and I can’t wait to get up and jump into it!”

Without a job I have been free to explore so many creative paths and it has been the most incredible experience. In between updating my resume and Linkedin profile, searching for a new job and going to networking events, I am taking the time to slow down and focus on applying my skills to things I love such as community building, mentoring, volunteering, storytelling and filmmaking.

I feel like I am growing immensely as a person. My leadership, organizational and creative skills are all growing at warp speed…it’s intense and sometimes a little overwhelming.

This morning my documentary film crew shot the first set of interviews with a couple named Roy & Courtney. They both just lost their jobs and are heading out on a cross country road trip. They decided to use their free time to explore and refocus…Courtney summed up her life philosophy in the 6 words that may end up as the last lines of the film…”Choose a direction, and go there!”

Below are the details of the documentary and what I am looking for.

Forward the information to anyone you think may be interested and let me know if YOU want to be considered for the film.

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Has the economic recession changed you for the better?

Have you been laid off or lost your home to foreclosure? Are you having a hard time making your mortgage payments or paying medical bills or health insurance? Do you see the recession as an opportunity to reassess what really matters, find personal meaning and make positive changes in how you live your life?

If you have a compelling story to tell, we want to hear from you! We are a San Francisco-based team of filmmakers producing a documentary film that focuses on personal and social transformation in the economic recession.

Our goal is to document how people are being affected by the recession and how the choices they make in response to crisis are transforming their lives. By taking a close look at how people are taking personal responsibility to “be the change” we will weave a story of hope, perseverance and reinvention.

Whether you are in the midst of transforming your life, or have already come through the storm and are ready to share your wisdom with others we want to hear how the recession is affecting your family, relationships and home life, your job and money and your day to day habits and choices.

If you are interested in being interviewed and featured in the film, please write to interviewopportunity@gmail.com. Provide a short synopsis of how your life has been affected by the economy. Share your age and location as well. We will review all submissions and get back to you if your story matches well with what we are looking for.

Interviews will be shot on the weekends in April. We are willing to travel outside of the Bay Area, but not out of state.

YAY!!

Since I returned to San Francisco in early January I have been maximizing my time away from work to dive deep into creative projects, network with my professional contacts and start job hunting.

Along with several other entrepreneurial types, I am co-creating a networking event that will take place on March 3. It’s called LaidOffCamp and is a community event for the unemployed and non-traditionally employed (including freelancers and entrepreneurs) to network, promote their marketable skills and exchange resources and expertise with others.

I am in charge of all media and community outreach and the response we are getting so far is amazing. We are expecting upwards of 300 people to attend. I am excited to ask attendees if and how they perceive the recession and layoffs as an opportunity for personal, social and professional reinvention.

This inquiry is still very relevant for me, as I am moving forward with the plan to produce and direct a short documentary about how American people are embodying positive change in the economic recession and in the process, transforming our culture.

More details on the evolution of the film idea and my proposal to an independent film company are coming soon…

I also was invited to apply to become a mentor for a program called Voices of Our Future.The program focuses on new media and global women’s empowerment by supporting emerging grassroots leaders who will learn to use Web 2.0 and citizen journalism as a means to become empowered and spread awareness of social issues. I just received word that I was accepted into the program and will soon begin my training to get ready to mentor a young woman somewhere in the world to become a journalist.

The list goes on – I am also in the process of negotiating with two coaching clients. One is a photographer who wants to grow her business and the other is a woman who is ready for a “real job” and has no idea what that is. I am planning one-on-one coaching sessions and a follow up program to build in accountability and goal setting.

A connecting theme is emerging between all these pursuits and I am enjoying watching it arise and take form. A full circle is forming around me, informing my next steps and infusing my time with a sense of creativity, gratitude and integrity. The next series of blog entries will document my insights.

Now it’s time for bed. Tomorrow I am attending a networking luncheon with the New Ventures Chapter of BNI (Business Networking International), and organization whose purpose is to exchange qualified business referrals. I can’t wait to learn more about how it works.

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We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that’s waiting for us.

~ Joseph Campbell

Gigantic, jubilant crowds (the largest ever assembled in the nation’s capital) enjoying the ceremonial pomp and circumstance, contemplating the meaning of Obama’s 20-minute address.

You probably heard that San Francisco’s Bush Street was temporarily renamed Obama Street – every street sign – by some clever late night pranksters. And we’ve all bid farewell to Bush as Obama escorted him to “Marine One” helicopter that took him to an Air Force base, where he boarded a jet and finally, finally flew far, far away…

We experienced all these things too, but it all happened on the ground, in the dark and cold, in the thick of the midst of the middle of it all.

For us it started the night before in Springfield, VA where we stayed with friends. After poring over the Secret Service lists of banned items we strategized how to pack everything we might need for the entire day of subfreezing temperatures into a bag that was not bigger than 8”x 6” x 4” – the maximum size the Secret Service claimed to allow. How was I supposed to pack my fancy nightwear for the inaugural ball hosted by the local Burning Man community?

The other challenge was that we planned to shoot b-roll and interviews on camera, so we needed to pack our video equipment. Somehow we managed to pack lightly even with handfuls of power bars and apples, and even though it meant I could not pack my sparkly festive tiara.

We went to bed around 12:30am and woke up at the ungodly hour of 3:30am. I barely slept, maybe one hour in total. When I did sleep, I dreamt that I was best friends with Obama and would be privy to all kinds of presidential perks like massages and pedicures… Nice!

Bundled up like Siberian weeble-wobbles, we stuffed our multi-layered bodies into a taxi that brought us to the Metro train station at 4:00am. I couldn’t see a thing because the huge Mylar American flag balloons that Christine brought took up half the back seat. We brought the balloons to float over our heads, helping us locate each other in the massive crowd.

As we exited the freeway near the Franconia-Springfield Metro station the taxi merged with a huge line of traffic. After 10-minutes at a dead standstill we abandoned ship and walked on the shoulder of the road the rest of the way to the station.

We had purchased our tickets the night before so all we had to do was get in line and wait for the train. The line snaked out of the building and wound around and around and around the parking garage, up and down multiple levels and out into the street. People wandered around looking confused, trying to figure out where to buy tickets and where to get in line. They collided into each other like bumper cars and reached out to grab passers-by to ask questions.

The scene was seriously understaffed and I only saw a small handful of Metro employees directing people where to go. Even with so much confusion and commotion, the mood was joyous and people were kind and smiley in the pandemonium.

An hour and a half after we bailed out of the taxi we boarded a train, fortunate to all get seats. I watched the sky turn from black to blue to indigo and pink as the sun rose behind the trees out the window. There were no seats left for those who boarded later down the line and people were forced to cram and crush each other tighter and tighter. Still the mood was celebratory even when a woman almost passed out and Vav jumped up from his seat and helped her sit down.

At the Federal Triangle station in DC we disembarked and walked with hundreds of others in a great smiling swarm up the escalators and into the streets. By now the sky was golden and the sun illuminated the silhouette of the Smithsonian museum. The steady calm joy we had felt up to now was broken when we realized we didn’t know how to get to the National Mall. We had maps and directions but with so many street closures, seemingly random long lines and security check points we got all tangled up. Everyone else seemed to be in the same predicament – people streaming in different directions or pooling around security checkpoints for different reasons. Finally we found our way and staked out a spot in front of a Jumbotron screen about half a mile from the Washington Monument.

It was very cold and we stuffed heat packets into our gloves and boots. Stamping our feet and shimmying to stay warm, we got our bearings. Freezing, elated and exhausted already, we felt like points of light connected in a sea of humanity. I closed my eyes and meditated on the moment. This was going to be a long day. The great paradigm shift was underway. Half asleep for way too long we – as a people – were waking up.

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Stay tuned for part two! And check out photos from the day at:

http://tinyurl.com/8kqkeo