No One Wins Unless We All Win

I first heard the above quote in 1984 at a Bruce Springsteen concert in (where else) New Jersey. He used to use this line as his lead in before he played his most famous song, ‘Born To Run’.  I suppose I’d heard this line before in some other fashion or from someone entirely different, but it’s the first time it stuck with me. It seemed like a noble ideal, but the more I pondered it, it seemed, quite frankly, an impossible ideal. Something too big to strive for. Which lead me to think that why should I, or anyone for that matter, bother striving for something when the chances of reaching the goal seemed so out of reach? I wondered if Springsteen himself really bought into this concept of no one winning unless we all won. Sounds mighty powerful when you pitch it in front of 65,000 people across three continents night after night for two years, but was this something he believed in and worked for? I’d like to think he did and still does, but I digress. I didn’t ponder the ‘no one wins unless we all win’ philosophy until 2002 and once again music was the motivator. This time it was a song sung by Solomon Burke off his stellar cd ‘Don’t Give Up On Me’. Burke, the self proclaimed King of Rock & Soul won a Grammy for this disc which featured songs written specifically for him by the likes of Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson, Van Morrison, and Tom Waits. The song that caught my attention was ‘None Of Us Are Free’ co-written by Brenda Russell, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. The self same folks who also wrote such chestnuts as, ‘We Gotta Get Out Of This Place’, ‘On Broadway’, ‘You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling’ and a host of others. The song’s chorus goes, “None of us are free if one of us are chained, none of us are free.”

This one was of those song moments where just as you finished listening to it, you pressed reverse (well, in ye olden days of technology you did, now we simply press play again!) and listened to it again and then repeated the process for the next hour. So where am I going with this? We here at DIGS, well actually me here at DIGS wasn’t always one of those ‘reach for the stars’ type of folk. My thought process usually leaned to the ‘if it seems impossible, don’t even try’. Well, my thought process has since changed and I think what I’m trying to communicate is that no matter how difficult something seems or insurmountable it might appear, there’s still a great deal of nobility in mounting up and doing whatever it is one can do to make a change. In this case I’m speaking about our environment and how utilizing sustainable materials plays such an important role. Try as we might (and by George we are trying!) to spread the word concerning sustainability around the globe, we realize we’re up against factors much greater than ourselves. This in fact is daunting, but on the flip side is all the more motivating. So we’re doing our small part; linking arms with our sustainable brothers and sisters across the globe. We’re simply one small link in the chain, but it’s most gratifying all the same.

I’ve always posited that a good song could make you late for work, but a great song could make you quit your job. In this case a great song, like all great songs can motivate one to a higher goal. Take a listen to “None Of Us Are Free”.

dave

Cairo Forum 2010

[caption id="attachment_112" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Cairo Forum 2010"][/caption] The International Forum on Handicraft 2010 hosted by the Egyptian and French Govenrments was very enlightening and the 20+ Design installations that were held in conjunction throughout old Cairo was very interesting to see, I hope they keep it up and do it again next year.

See our photos from Cairo on our Facebook page.

Lima in Spring

We've been working in Peru for a few years now mostly in FSC Certified wood and in by-product felt. We will be adding a few more collection this Fall and we are very excited of the new collaborations... stay tuned to hear more.

Founder's Letter

Letter from the Founder of D.I.G.S., Rhea Alexander I had dream, a thread that ran thru my life since childhood, later thru my career and business, a passion that became a mission to use design as a tool by which to create a more just and verdant world.

I didn't know that at first, when I started DIGS, I was practicing design and architecture after studying it in school. I was in my twenties, fascinated with materials and how we made things. I was living in New York City in the 80's. Time off, I apprenticed at welding studios, learned from artists to slump glass, cast metal and so on...I traded drafting for time in the shop ( I'll tell you about the scrap metal shop and the Sesna, a bit later).  I was obsessed with making things, some ideas would come to me in my sleep other I labored over. I made one off's of art furniture mostly from found objects and scrap. Slowly I began to see the thread, the link.

Through my art and designs, I was always trying to fix something in society, clearly seeing a better way without hesitation to obstacles (definitely a sign of youth).

Over time, that process led me on an international quest, working with many non-profits in-country, who had similar missions but whose business models and lasting impact were sometimes hard to quantify.

I was longing and hoping to build a positive force, an international community of like-minded spirits where we could commune over many issues we face, collectively and individually as consumers and as professionals in the home decor sector.

As a woman and mother, that feeling only intensified when my son was diagnosed with sensory delays, committing us to intensive therapies, evaluations, specialists and, lifestyle changes. The desire to challenge the norm, to take charge, to look at our role as designers and producers within the context of sustainability and now health. Through that multi-faceted prism, how fair-trade and ecological philosophies could work hand in hand to improve...all in the hopes of living and finding a better way. What do I mean by a better way? Simply, through my choices, our choices, I hope to create a more sustainable, healthier way of going about things. Creating impact slowly like a ripple effect eventually turning the tide. I'd like to actively assist in  building a sustainable methodology that works hand in hand with other socially sustainable methods is medicine and agriculture to eventually alleviate hardship and hunger in less fortunate areas. I'd like to actively assist in preserving regional identity through sustaining and encouraging handicraft, bridging the gap between design and the hand-made. As a family and business, we would like to consume less destructive stuff and consume more natural, local products or products that benefit the planet and its people, by using organic materials when possible, questioning functionality vs. beauty vs. convenience vs. sustainability vs. good business sense. Back then, they called it a Tall Order, they said I was idealistic artist type, today they call this social enterprise, back then it seemed anathema to "good business" today de rigueur with some of the top businesses espousing these values.

Twenty years later, the confluence of timing my personal life, a dash of zeitgeist and a whole lot of work on many folks parts internationally and, voila: www.DIGS.COM and DIGS Dirt, places where we can dig up ideas and share thoughts, inspirations and experiences on the lifestyles we lead, necessities and frivolities, choices we make, rant about those decisions made for us, while musing and digging for the nuggets of buried treasure in all our lives...hopefully, having fun, learning and supporting each other along the way.

Come join me in the sandbox and let's dig together for life's buried treasures, those moments of satisfaction derived from doing something you love, sharing your talents and exchanging ideas in an equitable respectful place, all while building something sustainable. Hopefully enabling us to pass the baton or dare I say shovel onto generations to come.