by | February 13, 2014 · 10:04 AM

Perfect handwriting

Make it Happen Headquarters received news today from Sam, who we met at Kio Stark’s teach-in at Studio X in September.  Sam is a graphic designer who told us he wanted to become an illustrator.  He has the most perfect handwriting I’ve ever seen.

cropped sam

Sam reports that he is both “in the midst of making it happen” and also has “not made it happen” yet.  He explains:

“Participating made me verbalize my desire to do this.  It was helpful to communicate with an unattached 3rd party.  I’m       currently taking classes at the Art Students League and loving it.  I’m actually working on some very interesting projects at my design job and I’m learning to value graphic design (my field of training) as well as illustration.  Keep making Make It Happen happen.”

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by | December 31, 2013 · 1:00 PM

Contracts are in the mail!

2013-12-31 12.13.06

Contracts from the September 2013 edition of Make It Happen at Studio X are in the mail, with feedback postcards enclosed.  We look forward to hearing back from our clients about how far along they are in the process of making it happen.

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by | September 21, 2013 · 1:58 PM

Who is doing what at Studio X?

We met with a select group of clients at Studio X on September 12 to celebrate the publication of Kio Stark’s Don’t Go Back to School.  As usual, clients approached the Make It Happen team with some ambitious and achievable goals.  They included…

  • Creating domestic, photovoltaic, high-speed rail in the USA
  • Becoming a technical illustrator
  • Creating a blog called “How to talk to everyone”
  • Finishing a first draft of a book
  • Physical movement three times a week, concentrating on yoga
  • Having three honest conversations about money
  • Finishing a book about non-expert innovation and why it is important because more diverse producers lead to more diverse products that are more effective at poverty alleviation than international aid.IMG_0192

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by | September 16, 2013 · 1:49 PM

Ready to serve.

Photo by Jonathan Taylor

Photo by Jonathan Taylor

David, Sarah and Tracy preparing to meet with clients at Studio X.

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by | September 13, 2013 · 9:57 AM

Setting up at Studio X

Photo by Carlos Solis-Keyser

Photo by Carlos Solis-Keyser

David, Sarah Mac and Tracy setting up for Make It Happen at Studio X to celebrate Kio Stark’s Don’t Go Back to School.

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by | September 11, 2013 · 12:10 PM

Don’t Go Back to School party and teach-in on Sept 12

It’s Don’t Go Back to School Season, and we’ll be at Kio Stark’s party & teach-in to celebrate her new book!

Thursday September 12, 7-9pm
Studio-X
180 Varick St. Suite 1610

Here’s Kio’s description of this exciting event!

“This is going to be an amazing night of celebrating, teaching, and learning. One of the biggest lessons I discovered in researching and writing Don’t Go Back to School is that learning together is the way people learn and create. I’m on a mission to make that better known and more possible, and this party is all about doing that.

I’m gathering some of the smartest people I know to talk about getting started learning things like creative writing, coding, cooking, loving art, and graphic design. Plus there will be beer and snacks. Come learn with us and stand up for independent learning!

Clay Shirky on being an autodidact (there’s a catch)
Nick Gray (Museum Hack/Hack the Met) on art appreciation
Keira Alexandra on graphic design
Jacqui Maher (New York Times) on learning to code
Kristen Taylor (Saucy Magazine, Al Jazeera Fault Lines) on cooking
Peter Richardson on learning new things really fast
Madhu Kaza on creative writing”

The Make It Happen team will also be on site doing consultations!

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Make it Happen on the subway

Maybe they’re on their way to Studio X?

Make it Happen on the subway

 

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by | August 24, 2013 · 9:55 AM
by | August 19, 2013 · 4:47 PM

Don’t Go Back to School

Make It Happen rides again!  We are very excited to be participating in an event for Kio Stark‘s wonderful new book Don’t Go Back to School at Studio X in September.  The book is full of inspiring stories about people who figured out how to do things on their own.  Details here!cover-683x1024

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by | May 10, 2011 · 4:35 PM

we love you too, kevin! and you too, oriana!

And we’re pretty fond of Oriana, who interviewed one of the Lost Horizon Night Market masterminds, Kevin Balktick, on her blog Brooklyn Spaces.

Kevin tells Ariana that he found Make It Happen to be one of the most memorable trucks at the Lost Horizon Night Market.  Read the whole interview at http://brooklyn-spaces.com/2011/05/lost-horizon-night-market/

While we didn’t bring our Make It Happen talents to the most recent night market, its always possible that we will make it happen at the next one.  Meanwhile, I just signed up to volunteer at an art happening that will involve lots of interaction with perfect strangers, for an exhibition by a big white museum that shall remain nameless but that arguably resembles a giant white toilet.  They’re looking for more volunteers, so email me if you’re interested.


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by | March 4, 2011 · 2:57 PM

artistic pride/wine pride

More feedback today from a Make It Happen client, and frankly I’m not sure what to make of this.  A client who uses a very distinctive name writes that his dream was to make “Artistic Pride” happen, by August 19 2010.   He writes

“I think I got sidetracked by different pursuits and I’m unsure of what I really want to achieve most.”

I remember talking to this client, and at the time I remember not being entirely sure what artistic pride really meant.   I think he meant that he didn’t take pride in the work that he was doing as a musician.  I can’t help but think of an article I read in Wine and Spirits (stay with me …) about California Syrah producers who had stopped drinking the wines that they were making.  Their wines were big, fat, hot, sweet, and clumsy.  They didn’t like them any more, and finally one of them had the guts to make subtler, lighter, more interesting wines.  Maybe this client has the same problem — he doesn’t like his own style.  He needs to try something unlikely to be popular, something weird, and something he likes better.

My advice to this client is to drink some of the weird, funky, cloudy, iconoclastic wines that Joe Dressner imports, especially those from the Loire in France.  Those wine-makers are definitely making art that makes themselves happy.

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