Small town living and large city life

2nd photo...
We went to several towns this day but this village Abompe was very special. We met with two women pictured here. We are trying to find a way for them to make a lucrative business with the rock from the ground under their village. They are hopeful to find a way to make a business for themselves. We brought the kids suckers and they went wild! It was really cute. Kids came running from everywhere. Kids even went to get other kids and brought back their siblings, etc. Ursula, a friend of Kate's went with us. She teased the kids and made it very fun. I cannot speak their language which is called Twi said "Tree". They also speak English in Ghana but I can tell they are more comfortable speaking Twi.

I got up from our meeting with the women to take a photo. The kids figured out I was taking pictures and ran to get in front of the camera, waving their arms and jumping up and down. I told them to wait and I would photograph them. I took some photos and more kids would come. After I took a bunch I realized they might not know I can see the picture right away. I told them to come and I turned the camera around. They went wild. It was really fun and as I type this their untouched nature brings tears to my eyes. The are very beautiful children.

1st photo
This is Ursula to the right, Kate sits across from her. They are talking to the artisans.

So you can see, I am very little help in the communication process. My strength is choosing product. We've visited four shops/situations where the product has been well beyond my expectation and the people we have dealt with exceptional and they are working with the poor as artisans. Kate, Ursula and I make fun of each other for getting too into the buying. Actually, it is generally Kate and Ursula laughing at me because I get into this process. Trust me when I say I have served Kate well in the buying portion of this trip. Choosing quantities, saying no to akwardly chested female statue made from wood. They laugh and say, "Americans wouldn't buy that?" Then I tell them, "Not our target customer." Then they laugh harder.

What I've seen
I've encountered a shepherd herding his cows backward down the highway. I feel grateful Kate took me to the country yesterday because I had a constant diesel sore throat. WOW, pollution from cars is no joke here. 10 goats running single file on a path next to the highway. Chickens and their babies running around together.

Accra looks a bit like a constant State Fair. Cars parked tightly on grassy areas wherever they can. Booths everywhere with things for sale. People in the middle of the streets selling products, giant, heavy baskets, boxes, wooden pieces on their head. These people are strong and determined. I don't think Kate and I lack for finding ambition and talent from Ghana. I suspect Kate knew this.

Respect is regarded highly in this culture. Especially with elders. At Abompe when dealing with the kids they "Listened to me." At the market today the people mobbed me and pushed and poked at me to come and look at their booth. It was hard for me.

Ghana is a cash based society. This means they pre-pay for everything.

-Cell phone minutes
-Electricity, you run out it shuts off
-You cannot afford to buy a house outright so you start having one built and stop when you have no more money. It might take a family 20 years to build a house. So consequently there are raw house structures all over the place. If I didn't have someone to ask I might deduce this is a place that is growing rapidly because of the development all around. The only thing which is strange to me is these homes are very large, equal to an American suburban home-maybe 2,000 sq ft and why don't they go for a smaller floor plan so they can finish sooner. I am speculating that the cinder blocks are inexpensive but it is the finishing that is costly because this is where most homes are stuck in the process.

I will leave you with this...I was riding through a smaller city and there is a product called "Blue Band". It looks like the equivalent to peanut butter. Blue Band's add boasts "70% fat spread."

Me Dasse (Thank you) for reading!

Amy

Obama, Michael Jackson.....Big topics in Ghana

I am in Ghana, I am having fun and also working hard. As is to be expected in a country such as this, things move slowly. However, I feel we’ve made a lot of contacts and also purchased a lot of product to sell. The purpose for my journey is to find good people who make ‘goods’ and want to change their life from good to better.


Cultural ditties- I will journal a bit about my experience and the inner workings of Ghana each time I blog.

The Cows Come Home…

Not the cows but the goats and chickens. Each day the chickens and goats go find food at the neighbor’s, at the park and out on the highways. Then at night each and every night they return to their owner’s house and sleep in their designated spot.

My Ghanaian alarm clock is a nervous dog apparently he has had too much time in his tiny, very hot kennel. Much like when Tom and I stayed in Italy and we would awaken courtesy of the neighbor’s rooster. His voice box had been ‘altered’ and now he sounded like a sick clanging bell. Like the rooster I’ve become used to my crowing dog and can sleep right through his cries and pleads.


My Arrival….
It was dark upon my arrival. A man named Prince, along with Kate picked me up from the airport. Customs is a four part process. An Italian on the plane said it is long and toilsome. I didn’t find this. It was quick and I saw him get through as quickly as me. The thing I noticed is to hang back a bit and watch what the person before me was doing. Then be prepared with your documents.

The house where we are staying is quite far from Accra. It is a gated community and I am sleeping in a bed exported from America. The air moves constantly here so opening a window to sleep is fine and the ceiling fan does the rest. It is very humid, as I type my palms sick to the computer a little. It is rainy and very damp today. I am surprised to find last night I needed a small sweater.

Today I would live the life of every class in Ghana. I was carried by a driver in a car which is brand new, whose owner is wealthy. I traveled in a car owned by a rare person of middle class and I rode the Tro-tro. This is public transit in the form of a VW bus styled vehicle. It seems much larger fitting 16 people and is made by Toyota. The side door slides and this is where the “money taker” sits with his arm out pointing as the van passes letting those waiting know where he is headed while at the same time using his arm to hold the door closed, the latch is broken. “Ashongman, Tema and Accra,” the people wait to see his signal from the roadside as the buses pass, hoping this one goes to their destination.

Waiting for the Tro-tro behind us by 20 feet was a table holding palm oil. Big, recycled jugs of great variety stand on the table. They hold red liquid which looks like tomato juice. People are behind this in a building, one stretched long on a table resting in the shade.

We board the bus squeezing into the very back. Kate says back to me, “be careful not to get cut even though you have your tetanus shot.” My eyes survey the many rough metal edges, trying to avoid them.

I move forward beyond a woman and plop next to Kate. The breeze through the van is ample. Two young men sit in front of us. The money taker calls on them to pay. The road we are traveling is lined with shops. Opportunity seeking booths line the streets in front of the shops. They sell everything from food fufu, whole cooked fish and chips, balls of sweet dough, to toilet paper.

Just before an underpass (above looks like a freeway) on the embankment there are animals, goats, cows and eating the long grass.

*President Obama will be in Ghana tomorrow. Thus, a topic of high interest in Ghana at the moment.

Five days prior

I leave for Ghana in five days. I have put art making on hold in hopes that I can do some of this on the airplane. I am keeping my head above water in most aspects of my three projects but I have to honest, today I feel like I am swimming!

A desire to learn and do many things prior to leaving is causing some stress. So, once the door on the airplane closes, it will be nap time, work time and time to get excited!

I hope I can post photos and journal/blog my travel experience while I'm away.

Patterns aren't just for Math

Sit a spell

I am trying to create a potion so we don't require sleep. Word-post death is we don't require food or sleep so how about now? Human limitations!

As can be seen, I am working on my blog appearance. Still a work in progress but I feel I am coming close. I've been spreading my time among my three projects. I looking for time to make art, I suspect this weekend.

I am nearly ready for my travels. That's about it.

I'm going to Ghana!

I have my ticket, I almost have my first set of shots. I will apply for my visa and voila I will be off! July 5th to be exact.

On the business side I will be meeting artisans, learning about resources for products and gaining perspective to create a design initiative for entrepreneur #2's project. I will take ample pictures and post some on my blog. We will travel Ghana seeking a variety of samples and head to areas known for their craft.

I am very grateful to be working on this project and going to Ghana is just a small part of how wonderful it is to work with this entrepreneur.

Installation #2 of Surtex info

As promised Jeannette Smith emailed with some websites to use as a basis for establishing your own licensing website. By the way, Jeanette Smith, here is her website so you can learn more about her.

http://www.jnetsmith.com/

Ok, here are the sites she listed and one of them I already listed so I didn't include this one. You know who you are Tara Reed who rocks the licensing world!

www.libbywilkiedesigns.com

www.postmarkpress.com

There was a topic which came up several times during the Surtex classes. This is the importance of branding. From a whole host of resources, branding defines as "Making something identifiable." Lets get more in depth than this though.....

I don't want to rip anyone off so check out this link to a definition "Branding"
http://www.brickmarketing.com/define-branding.htm

I am going to call out Kate Harper's greeting card line.

http://www.kateharperdesigns.com/

I was sitting next to my husband and I showed him Kate's site. He said, "Yep, I know those cards, I just bought one for my mom." Her style is specific within her greeting card line. The other "CASH CAKE" for Kate is these cards are universal. It is like music. Haven't you heard a song that everybody likes and wondered why? They might not understand the words but the tune reels them in. Truly, humans love composition we just won't admit it! We seek order...things that are recognizable speak to this order.

However, there is an emotional situation to branding too. The difference between a shopper saying, "I like it!" vs. "I have to have that!" can mean a big difference for the product. Of course this is speculation because it depends on the product. High end, they might have to think about it, etc.

To this point. I've been tricked by Target before. I have come to see they only order a small grouping of girls dresses (like a high end retailer might do) at the store where I shop. If you don't buy it that day you will not get one unless you travel to a Super Target. So I fall for their trick. It is not high end so "thinking" about it is not an option. They are practically forcing me to buy cute, cheap dresses. Dang it!

The last thing after reviewing my notes from Surtex is be flexible and follow your gut. If it feels too good to be true it is. In working with a manufacturer be flexible with your art and feelings about how they see your art. The bottom line is the bottom line, you are looking to make money!

Good luck!