Di-a-logue, An American Mosaic

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.