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Just a sample of the many sights seen during Charleston's burdgeoning FestivALL, which has become a highlight of the summer for many in West Virginia. For some truly professional photos, see Rick Lee's On Location blog.
When we describe the creative potential of a place, the RiffRaff Arts Collective is a wonderful case in point. The Collective is a 10,000 square foot center of creative gravity that is breathing life into the once-dying Mercer Street in downtown Princeton, WV.
Robert Blankenship and Lori McKinney are the co-founders of RiffRaff. They have poured their hearts and minds into the project and built it from the ground up. It's music, art, recording and art studios...What is so important about their example is their youth, maturity and the persistence of their vision. They also happen to be the organizers of CultureFest and founded the Option 22 band. If you can develop or attract talented young people like Robert and Lori to your community, chances are good that a bright future is ahead of you.
Recently, Lori and Robert hosted a Create WV Summit for Mercer County. Over 40 community-minded folks from across Mercer County spent the afternoon learning about and discussing the potential of the creative and high-tech economy in the area. With RiffRaff in Princeton and the House of Art in Bluefield (not to mention the spanking new Chuck Mathena Center in Princeton), the region has powerful artistic and cultural momentum building.
Combine the local educational centers of Bluefield State University and Concord University (including the Rahall Technology Center), the natural beauty and pleasant high-altitude climate, and you have the makings of one of the next great creative communities on the East Coast. Watch this area in the coming years!
We've mentioned earlier how we admire West Virginians' down-to-earth nature. No matter how accomplished, famous or intelligent, West Virginians tend to be far more approachable than most. They also happen to have a great sense of humor.
My grandpa was a great example. He never made it past sixth grade before he had to go to work in a factory somewhere in Parkersburg, WV, but if sense of humor is a good indicator of intelligence (and it is), the man was a genius. He had the driest sense of humor that I know...He would lay low, very quiet during family gatherings, until - BAM! - he would quip a one-liner that had us on the floor.
I see that same smart, ornery, funny quality in Morgan Spurlock, one of the many talented folks in the entertainment industry hailing from West Virginia. Morgan was in Charleston last evening to show his latest film Where in the World is Osama bin Laden? He was kind enough to spend some time with some Create WV volunteers to discuss the upcoming October conference (keep your fingers crossed, he's hoping to make time to come).
Spurlock's film-making niche is to embed himself deeply into experiences and places (see his FX show 30 Days) most others would not want to tread. In doing so, he opens our eyes and gets us to re-think our thought patterns and biases. He takes a humorous, self-effacing approach to his work, but it is very intelligent and definitely has an agenda to question and educate.
Bill Lepp is another great example. He's a liar, and proud of it. Bill is the five-time winner of the West Virginia Liar's Contest. He's won so often that he's passed the baton to his elementary school-age son Noah, who's won multiple times himself...try figuring out who's telling the truth in THAT family.
Bill travels the nation telling stories wonderful, fanciful, made-up stories. It's an Appalachian tradition and Bill is one of the best. One of the things Bill really enjoys is sneaking in some smart stuff to throw his audience off kilter now and then. "An audience in New York or Pennsylvania is usually expecting me to play up to some Appalachian stereotypes," Bill said. "Sometimes I let them think that for a while, but then I'll slip in some references to particle physics that opens their eyes a little."
We love the humor demonstrated by West Virginians. Often we turn it on ourselves (perhaps too often?) with self-effacing hillbilly jokes. That's OK when we do it, but not so much from the Vice President. But it's not a mean-spirited type of humor. It's life-affirming, field-leveling and ultimately a wonderful element of our stereotype.
Some of us might think that everyone does not possess creative juices. Or that some people just aren’t creative beings. But guess what….you are wrong. According to Donny Deutsch, host of CNBC’s TV show THE BIG IDEA, that is just a huge myth that needs to be debunked.
The number one currency in the world today is creativity, and everyone has their own reserve that they can tap into whether you are a regular Joe or the CEO of a large corporation. Creativity is like a raging wild animal in all of us, and once released can spell a life time of success. But what holds most of us back is either we don’t know it’s there or we need help unlocking and unleashing our creative side.
There are scientific researches done to develop a formal scientific theory of creativity called Generativity Theory. Concluded in these researches is that creativity is an orderly and predictable process. Hence creativity can be engineered.
According to Dr. Epstein, researcher, professor, and contributing editor to Scientific American Mind, there are four different skill sets that are necessary for creative expression. 1. Capturing - this is the preservation of new ideas as they occur. 2. Challenging – giving yourself tough problems to solve. 3. Broadening – creativity can be boosted by learning interesting new things. 4. Surrounding – the more interesting and diverse the things and people around you, the more interesting your ideas become.
From the business perspective, Andy Stefanovich co-founder of Play, – a creative consulting agency – explained that innovation is the output of a creative process fueled by inspiration. He then went on to list two tools that are necessary to foster creativity in the work place. They are: 1. The “Thief and Doctor” strategy which “helps you find ideas by looking at other companies and entities that, on the surface, don't seem related to your objective or industry. You can "steal" from them and "doctor" the concept for your needs.” 2. Deconstruct/Reconstruct, which lets you deconstruct your objectives into smaller components as possible, then reconstruct using four lenses (exaggerate, eliminate, substitute, or simplify) to identify opportunities for each element that you deconstructed.
To recap, creativity is not a special gift endowed on special people; it exists in all of us. Once developed and realized to its full potential it will not only lead to happier fulfilling lives, but also success in the work place no matter what industry you are in. After reading this blog I urge you to at least try the techniques outlined and watch how unleashing your creative genius will better prepare you to survive in the new economy!
-Jodi-Ann-
Several West Virginians recently were generous enough to share their personal stories and perspectives with Create WV. Such profiles are great tools for illustrating what we mean by a new economy for our state -- who populates this workforce and how they see the world and West Virginia's place in it.
Look for more profiles on the blog coming soon, and please feel free to nominate your own ideas for profiles as well!
Jamie L. Miller, 30 years old, Fairmont, WV
Creative Economy Factor: Dr. Miller has a PhD in microbiology and immunology from the West Virginia University (WVU) School of Medicine. During her college studies, she spent a summer working on the AIDS vaccine evaluation group at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute, and also spent a semester studying at the National Institutes of Health, where she investigated the mechanism by which HIV kills infected cells. Dr. Miller is presently a scientist with the Institute for Scientific Research/WV High Technology Consortium Foundation; she is also the Director of Life Sciences for the Mid-Atlantic Technology, Research & Innovation Center (MATRIC), and Adjunct Faculty for the Department of Medicine at WVU. She and her husband Brad, a medical doctor, live in Fairmont, WV, with their cat and parrot.
On West Virginia in the New Economy: My overall goal is to work to develop a life sciences endeavor in West Virginia that not only improves the quality of life for those around us (through the development of biotechnology) but also creates jobs in West Virginia for people with skill sets similar to mine. I enjoy being in north central West Virginia where I am only a few hours away from the larger cities and attractions of places such as Pittsburgh and the Washington, D.C. area but still have the advantage of calling a small city home. In what should be West Virginia’s highest priority for improvement and growth, I think we should work very hard to offer competitive (technical) education opportunities and build an employment infrastructure that supports the retention of such talent, in turn benefitting our state and those who are fortunate enough to call it home.
The issue of alternative energy sources churns much debate. If you watch the new “Planet Green” cable channel or subscribe to mainstream environmental media, you might think that anyone concerned about the environment is surely of one accord on the best way to go to save our planet; and yet there is more variation in the thinking of thoughtful, committed people than you might think.
This post is designed to be the first of several on issues in alternative energy. Please feel free to post constructive comments, as well as to contact Create WV if you represent an organization with a view point not expressed here. Our interest is the pursuit of positive dialogue on the best choices for West Virginia’s future!
West Virginia in a “Post-Coal” Future
Residents of Clear Fork, Marsh Fork and other Raleigh County areas, with the support of environmental and community organizations such as Coal River Mountain Watch, the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, Appalachian Voices (Boone, NC) and the Sierra Club, recently put forth a proposal calling for the development of an industrial-scale wind farm on Coal River Mountain. Arguments are based on its long-term economic, social and environmental benefits, especially as they relate to the short-term benefits and long-term costs that will result from proposed strip-mining operations.
Coal River Mountain lies in the heart of Coal River watershed, and is flanked on its two sides by Coal River Road and Clear Fork Road, with the Town of Whitesville located at the western edge of the mountain. In the latter months of 2006, David Orr -- a professor at Oberlin College and a prominent environmental advocate and writer -- worked with Appalachian voices to commission a study of the wind potential on Coal River Mountain.
The study was conducted by WindLogics, a nationally recognized wind modeling and development firm, and it showed that the ridges along Coal River Mountain exhibited strong Class 4 to Class 7 average annual wind speeds. [Note: Class 4 winds serve as a minimum threshold for industrial-scale wind development]
In terms of jobs and revenue, it was estimated that such a wind development would create over 200 local job opportunities during the 2-year construction period, as well as an estimated 40-50 permanent, direct jobs and an additional 20-30 indirect jobs for local residents related to the operation and maintenance of the turbines. Further, based on reported estimates for other proposed wind farms in West Virginia, it is expected that a Coal River Mountain wind farm would generate over $20 million in direct local spending during the two-year construction phase and approximately $2 million annually during the operation phase, as well as contribute around $750,000 annually in property taxes for Raleigh County. These economic benefits would accrue for the life of the wind farm, which, as long as the turbines are replaced every 20 years, can be forever, thus ensuring a sustainable source of jobs, income and tax revenue for decades into the future.
Rory Mcilmoil of Coal River Mountain Watch states, “It was found that Coal River Mountain has enough wind potential and land area to accommodate 220 two-megawatt wind turbines. Calculations showed that this was enough energy to power over 150,000 homes or over 90,000 total electricity customers, including residential, commercial and industrial units.” Mcilmoil claims production estimates in strip mining permits show that mining operations will last for only 14 years.
“Once the coal is gone, there will be no more jobs available, the water will be contaminated, many of the residents will have moved out or been bought out, and the forest, another source of potential jobs and revenue, will be gone for decades to come, as will the possibility of producing clean wind energy on the scale that is currently available,” he said.
“So far, we have been in contact with two interested companies, and it also would have the strong support of both local and national organizations interested in supporting sustainable community development initiatives in Appalachia,” Mcilmoil said. “Not only would the development of a Coal River Mountain wind farm be more economically beneficial in the long term than the proposed strip mining would, it would result in the preservation of the mountain for the development of other economic alternatives, such as tourism, sustainable timber harvesting, hunting and fishing, and providing the resources for local craft and furniture production. Raleigh County could ultimately serve as a model for other counties in southern West Virginia facing a post-coal future.”
- Posted by Elizabeth Damewood Gaucher
What are your thoughts on our state’s “post-coal future”? The strongest conversation will not just oppose someone else’s strategy, but will offer your own. We hope to see your post soon!
My family and I had our first Mystery Hole experience last weekend. We've driven by several times, but it was finally open at the right time and we couldn't pass it up. If you aren't familiar with Mystery Hole, you probably haven't been in West Virginia that long.
You'll find Mystery Hole in Ansted along Rt. 60 near Hawk Nest State Park in Fayette County. From RoadsideAmerica.com:
Will and Sandra Morrison own The Mystery Hole. Original owner Donald Wilson "discovered" its mysterious powers in 1972, and did a good business from the tourists who flock to this part of the New River Gorge, which is a mecca for rafters. Time, however, was even more powerful than the Hole. Wilson closed his attraction in 1996 and died soon afterward. The Hole was left exposed to vandals and other chaotic forces.
West Virginians have always been savvy in making an extra buck. From moonshiners to oil and gas tycoons, we've seen it and sold it all.
Today, although West Virginia has a low percentage of adults involved in entrepreneurship (well, a low percentage who admit to it), we're seeing a resurgence in young people sticking their neck out to create new opportunities.
We're starting them young with the DreamQuest high school business plan competition and the statewide college business plan competition run by WVU's Business and Economics School. And we have a support community taking shape to support young entrepreneurs in the YES Network.
We're seeing a mini-blip trend in people hanging up their shingle, often in very high-tech fields. Many are moving back to the state to live their dream. We've shared before about some of these folks, but they are worth mentioning again: George Rogers and Brandon Holmes of Weldcreative.com (who have also purchased an abandoned building in Oak Hill and turned it into a LEED-certified office building), Ken Allman of PracticeLink.com in Hinton. Justin Seibert of Direct Online Marketing in Wheeling. Sarah Sable-Antry of Tri-State Audiology. Lisa Minney of twolanelivin.com.
Yes, West Virginia does lag other states in entrepreneurial participation, and it's something that we need to strengthen big time. It is the difference between a healthy, progressive economy and a stagnant one. We need to make sure everyone knows it's OK to try and fail, then try again...and again. That's how businesses get built. We need more local investors willing to put some money behind ideas that they may not be comfortable with right away.
But we need to embrace the fact that we have a growing community of new entrepreneurs and a legacy of successful entrepreneurs in this state who are role models for others. What about you? Are you ready to build your business plan and get started?
Growing up, I guess I had the impression that West Virginia was advanced in the area of technology. My reason for thinking so? As a kid I learned about the giant radio telescopes at Green Bank. I also lived in Morgantown briefly while the Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) system was being built.
The National Radio Astronomy Observatory operates the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT), the world's largest fully steerable single aperture antenna, in Pocahontas County. In some ways, it's been a mysterious part of West Virginia's technology landscape. Most of us growing up here really didn't have much of a clue what interesting things were going on there. Recently the NRAO has made a bigger effort to reach out to the community and more people are realizing what an asset it is to have in the state (despite the hassle of not being able to have cell phone towers and sometimes even minor electronic equipment near the "quiet zone").
Back in the 70's, the PRT seemed like a Jetsons-era transportation system. Although it's a tradition to rag on the efficiency (or lack thereof) of the system if you're a WVU student waiting for a car to pick you up, it's really quite a trend-setting achievement. I always took a sense of pride in the PRT since it's not something you see in surrounding states, or anywhere in the U.S. for that matter.
Later, as an adult, I began to realize that the perception was that technology trends took root in West Virginia long after they did elsewhere. But I've always run into techies of all sorts in this state. I remember after taking my first job with Microsoft in 1990 meeting a woman in Huntington who ran a computer shop there. She told me several stories of hanging out with Steve Jobs and Bill Gates at the early PC festivals around the country.
What more evidence do we need that West Virginians will embrace technology when it seems practical than the "West Virginia State Flower" (otherwise known as the satellite dish)?
The fact is, I think our desire to embrace technology for practical purposes has been there. I just think that the economics to purchase it has been an inhibitor (although, when you saw some of those giant early satellite dishes of the late 70's and 80's set up beside trailers or modest homes, you had to marvel at the sacrifices we West Virginians would make to get our must-have technology).
One of the rare lists in which West Virginia has been consistently ranked #1 is the use of technology in our K12 schools. Education Week has highlighted WV's efforts to infuse technology into the classroom in practical ways. Much of this legacy of technology excellence in the classroom can be traced to former Governor Caperton's massive investment in PC's back in the late 80's. Today, the State Department of Education has been earning rave reviews for its continued focus on 21st Century Skills.
New tech-based initiatives designed to bring real, practical value to West Virginians include Marshall University's e-learning programs, which enable rural schools with small budgets and limited specialty teacher resources to offer advanced courses, and an exciting new rural healthcare project that includes a major upgrade of broadband connectivity to facilitate e-health services. The West Virginia High Tech Consortium and the Gilmer-Braxton Technology Research Zone have helped test and move forward initiatives in Wi-MAX technology that will help fill the broadband connectivity gaps that exist in our small towns and valleys and to help first-responder units coordinate their communications.
West Virginians in extreme rural areas or at the lower end of the economic spectrum may still struggle to embrace technology in their home. But that is true wherever you are in America. West Virginians, by and large, are quick to embrace technology when it makes practical and economic sense. Heck, we're even on the cutting edge of putting robots on a backhoe. How much more practical can you get?
As I drove down Washington Street in Charleston yesterday, I saw a prototypical West Virginia scene. A driver's car had conked out in the middle of the intersection. As the light turned green, the driver had to hop out of his car and desperately try to push it out of the way as cars lined up behind him waiting to get through.
What was the response of those around him? It seemed like a competition for who could leap out of their cars and off the sidewalk to help the guy fast enough. At least five or six people immediately came to his aid, pushed the car to the side, and offered their cell phones to call for help. Not one horn blow. Not one angry voice.
This scene happens more often than not in West Virginia. And, at least in the dozens of cities I've been to around the country, it doesn't happen quite that way in other places. Sure, there are friendly people in other cities (Seattle was pretty laid back and probably wouldn't have blasted their horns like in Philly; but I don't think the Seattleites would have put down their latte to help as quickly), and there are times when you'll hear a stray horn blow in West Virginia. But that scene crystallized the experience you'll find most often.
Michael and Sheree Krause have certainly experienced it. Transplants from Oregon (and formerly Seattle, where Michael worked for Microsoft as a Software Design Engineer), the Krauses moved to Charleston just about a year ago. Michael is a Senior Technical Member and project manager for a local IT services firm.
Before moving to Charleston, they knew very little of West Virginia. They did most of their research on Pittsburgh before becoming aware the job he was being offered would be in Charleston. There was some trepidation. "We didn't know what to expect," said Michael. "We knew it was supposed to be beautiful, but we had very few pre-conceived notions other than knowing it was a smaller area."
What they found in their South Hills neighborhood stunned them. The parents of three wonderful children, they found a welcoming spirit that they had never experienced before. Neighbors streamed across the road to help them unpack. They brought food. They offered their support in whatever they needed. They invited them to their church.
"I had never experienced anything like that," said Sheree. "We don't have family here, but it's like we already have family all around us."
Sure there are trade-offs. Less shopping choices is a big one. And the Krauses aren't sure what the future holds. There aren't as many high-tech firms around if Michael's current role doesn't work out in the long-run. But based on their experience in West Virginia so far, they are hooked and hope to stay. It's not unlike most reports we hear about: once people actually experience the people of West Virginia, it's easy to get addicted to them.
I grew up in Glenville, WV, home of the West Virginia State Folk Festival, the nation's oldest festival of its type. Honestly, growing up I thought this was the biggest thing in the whole country the way our town folk talked about it. (Quick plug: Go visit the Festival this weekend! Runs Thursday June 19 - Saturday June 21).
The festival was started in 1950 by Dr. Patrick Gainer of Glenville State College "to preserve the remnants of West Virginia traditional life and culture to the end that citizens may appreciate and respect the achievements of their forbearers." West Virginians, by and large, are pretty good at taking some time to ponder and honor the past.
What I remember most as a child was the soft, comforting sounds of dulcimer, fiddle and banjo players wafting through the air from all angles. The Folk Festival is famous for its informal jam sessions. Players both legendary and unknown formed ad hoc mini-communities of joyful jamming. There seemed to be no barriers - people of different ages, economic status and parts of the country showed up and played together. I consider it my first lesson in diversity.
In the Seventies, the festival seemed to attract quite a crowd of "hippies" (whether they were all hippies or not, I'm not sure, but anyone who looked young, skinny and bearded fit the description...still, they seemed to be welcome) who camped out in various places around Gilmer County. Looking back, the crowds probably weren't as big as I thought they were then, but it seemed like the country focused its attention on little Glenville for those three days each third week of June. There were always rumors of some minor celebrity who snuck into town because they had heard of the legendary greatness of our festival.
One of my favorite stops was the Country Store and Museum. It's still one of the favorite draws to be able to walk into a different era and feel like it felt then.
But the highlight, the nerve center of energy, was at night. The dimly lit light bulbs were strewn over the street beside the downtown bank. A caller's voice would test the microphone. And then a flurry of swinging arms, legs and bodies would spin to the unique patterns of square dance calls over the fiddles, banjos, guitars and clack-clacking of shoes on the wood dance floor.
In later years, the business person in me wondered why the Folk Festival committee didn't turn up the promotional engines a bit. How about a few big-name music acts? Some billboards along the highway? So few people seem to even know about this long-running festival.
But in a way, that's the nature of the thing. It's low-key. Informal. Word-of-mouth. Not meant as a tourism revenue generator. Almost the opposite. Everyone is welcome, but big crowds aren't the point. It's remembering. It's community. It's West Virginia.
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