Everyone is creative. Creativity is not limited to paint, to pen, to piano, to pottery. Every day, each one of us creates our life. There are many things we cannot control, but the way we perceive those events and the physical objects around us affects how we perceive ourselves.  In turn, our perception of ourselves creates—colors, fills in, and molds—the world around us.

Children are almost universally considered to be ‘creative.’ Why? Because they simultaneously live in—observe, consider, utilize every object in—the world around them and they believe in their ability to determine—to create—their own world on that canvas adults call ‘reality.’

A few years ago, my 5-year-old niece was talking to Pumpernickel (what she calls my mother, because in a child’s world if you think a word is cool, then it’s perfectly logical to call the person who teaches you that word  ‘Pumpernickel’ instead of ‘Grandma’). When my niece asked her what college was, my mother explained “college is a place you go to learn new things and become whatever you want to be.”

My niece thought about this for a minute, then announced: “When I grow up, I am going to go to college to be a butterfly.”

To a child, who fully lives in a world where there are always new wonderful sensations and beautiful sights, who also believes that people can ‘make’ the world around them and themselves into anything they want, this is a practical, feasible, and excellent ‘ten-year-plan.’

At some point, that changes. Each day you, me—every single one of us—wakes up and creates the world we live in by how we perceive and interact with the objects around us. But when we lose our awareness of the sensations and sights that surround us, we lose our sense of creatively engaging with the world…that magical knowledge that we can affect change. It is all too easy to fall victim to listening too well when we are told what that world is like, what we should want to be, what we are. We learn “you can’t” instead of believing “I can.”

How can living in—being in—Detroit change that?

Sometimes when I walk through the city—when I see the Ren Cen towers sparkling against the sky, the Penobscot beacon illuminating the night, the GAR Building—I am an architect. When I pass the Woodward Windows project, peer through the Long-Sharp/Curis Gallery windows at night, I am an artist. When I hear the crescendo of the fountain in Campus Martius, the voices of people on café patios mixing together in harmony, the People Mover changing in tone and pitch as it approaches, passes and recedes, I am a musician. During the day when the Greektown Hotel’s windows are sapphires and emeralds, I am a fashion designer. Mornings, walking down Monroe surrounded by the scent of fresh baked bread, and afternoons, watching cooks do their stuff through the windows of American and Lafayette Coney Islands, I am a chef.  When I see all the excited faces buzzing in and out of D:Hive, I am an entrepreneur. Entering a room of people gathered to network, to work together, to make their ideas reality, I am a Captain of Industry. (Alright. That one is a stretch. But I have always wanted to be a Captain of Industry. Seriously. That is the coolest job title. Ever.)

But, and now truly seriously, living in the city (observing, considering, utilizing the countless objects around me) gives me ample opportunity to believe in my ability to determine (to create) my own world. I am reminded of everyone’s ability to create their world. And I want to live in that—in your—world, as well as in my own, all imprinted on the same incredible and inspirational canvas that is Detroit. I see it around me already, daily. Worlds that are building—changing—growing—becoming.

When I walk out my front door I see a city that is not a shell, but a cocoon. A space where people can nurture their dreams. A place where people go when they want to, where they can, be butterflies—or anything they want to be….

Did you ever wonder what it would be like to dine with a Professional Chef? Maybe a little like playing ‘catch’ with Justin Verlander? Thrilling, daunting, educational…sure! And, overall, just downright fun!

Well, we’ve asked Chef Tom (Tom Teknos, Executive Chef and co-owner of The Hudson Café) to give us his picks from the menus of restaurants participating in this year’s Detroit Restaurant Week! While this Classically Trained French Chef won’t be there to pass the bread, we thought it would be fun to have him guide our choices on what seemed like a daunting task of picking just one selection per course.

It didn’t start off real helpful.

“Dang, all this stuff looks so good,” was Chef Tom’s first comment after a perusal of the menus. Gee, thanks, Master of the Obvious. Even we knew that…which was why we went to him for advice in the first place!

But then he got down to business. And let me tell you, for a professional chef, reading menus is serious business.

24 Grille. Chef Tom said he would definitely start with the Thai Mango Salad, which is prepared with sugar vinaigrette, mango, cashew and sprouts because “the acid of the mangos will go well together with the sugar.” (Who knew there was actual science behind ordering?!) While we only asked Chef Tom to pick one item from each menu, he zoomed right on to the Hand-stuffed Walnut Ravioli, served with artichoke, lemon, brown butter and Pecorino because “he loves Mediterranean” and “always goes for it.”

Andiamo. The Suppli al Telefono, which is seasoned Italian risotto rolled and filled with mozzarella di Bufalo and topped with tomato sauce, was his first pick because it is “cream on cream.” But, wait, don’t take that plate menu away yet…we were ready to move on to the next restaurant, but Chef Tom began explaining to us that he would also choose the Involtini di Melanzane, which is grilled eggplant rolled with roasted vegetables, fat-free ricotta cheese and herbed tomato sauce because it reminded him of Greek Mousaka. This was all beginning to sound a little like Greek to us (which was the reason we thought of going to an expert like Chef Tom in the first place) when suddenly he said something we understood perfectly. “And the Homemade Cannoli…because my mom loves cannoli and you can’t go wrong with what mom likes!” (Awwww! And, yep, we agree!)

Angelina Italian Bistro. Chef Tom’s reason for his choice here made total sense to us too. The Fresh Mozzarella Appetizer, which is housemade and served with Mediterranean olives, arugula salad and balsamic glaze because he “doesn’t know too many places that actually make fresh mozzarella.” It was like we had donned a tall white hat ourselves…we don’t know anyone who does that either!

Atlas Global Bistro. The Amalfi Crab Cake, a jumbo lump crab cake, tarragon oil, blood orange, fennel and shaved onion would be Chef Tom’s choice because he “loves when people infuse their olive oil.”

The Caucus Club. Chef Tom’s choice of the Balsamic-marinated London Broil, which is broiled beef flank steak served on toasted rye with Cabernet mushroom jus and lyonnaise potatoes, because “you don’t see too many places that have London Broil anymore” led to a very interesting discussion about the reasons for marinating meat (especially pork or a thin steak) in vinegar or lemon (or something else he named but we have forgotten that had acid in it) because the acid breaks down the muscle and tissue and makes the meat more tender. This was actually interesting in only an intellectual capacity as we have no intention of cooking our own London Broil…but we are definitely on-board with ordering it! (Why we love Detroit Restaurant Week!)

Cliff Bell’s. The Duck Confit Crêpe, prepared with wild mushrooms and fresh herbs, was selected by Chef Tom because he “loves the fact that it’s something different.”

Cuisine. Here, Chef Tom reversed course and went not with something different, but with one of his favorite foods, skatefish. More specifically the Brioche-breaded Skatefish, which is served with blood orange butter sauce and English peas.

The Whitney. Gazpacho. “It’s seasonal” and Chef Tom “loves spring soups.” We were too humbled to ask what exactly a spring soup—other than Gazpacho—is, but it doesn’t really matter: The Whitney had us at ‘avocado-lime crème fraîche’…which is what their Gazpacho is served with…

Mosaic. Chef Tom returned to his Greek roots here and chose the Yemista, which is Greek Stuffed Vegetables: tomato, zucchini, and eggplant stuffed with rice, raisins, rosemary and feta. It’s his “favorite Greek dish in the world.”

The Rattlesnake Club. Thus far it has been Chef Tom saying he “loves that…”  This time, we want to be the first to say we love the reason he gives for his choice. Chef Tom would order the Spring Michigan Asparagus, prepared with soft Brie, frisée and spiced pecans and white balsamic reduction because he “loves everything made in Michigan. We support local growers and producers at The Hudson Café…I like to support them elsewhere when I can too.” Did we mention we love this reason?

La Dolce Vita. Here again, we learned something. And at first it kind of creeped us out. We are a fairly daring diner, but every once in awhile we have a line we just aren’t sure we’re ready to cross. Apparently Mahi-mahi Cheeks Piccata Grand Marnier actually refers to literal ‘cheeks.’ Not a cheeky, smart-aleck fish. Not a way of filleting a fish that is just called the ‘cheek’ by whoever names what things we eat are called. But actual little fish cheeks. First, we didn’t know fish even had cheeks. (And we think everyone under the age of 10 would delight in this visual almost as much as we did.) Then we realized that La Dolce Vita, a restaurant we love, was asking us to eat little fish cheeks. But this is where we learned something.  The cheek of any animal is the “tenderest meat,” which Chef Tom went on to describe as “you can literally cut it with a spoon.”  After just a few more minutes spent listening to him explain more about we are also now fully on-board with this selection and can’t wait to try it. (As well as ‘wow’ our friends with our knowledge of cooking and food-anatomy!)

Opus One. Maine Lobster Tail with Grilled Shrimp and Sea Scallop, served with angel hair pasta and haricot verts, finished with lobster Champagne sauce was a homerun because Chef Tom noted “it is a trio of fish” and he “loves the fact that you can get all three.”

Michael Symon’s Roast. More fun food facts we didn’t know: “the fat when you  make sausage from lamb just makes it that much better”…so Chef Tom would definitely choose the Grilled Lamb Sausage, served with lentils, grilled peppers and onion at Roast.

Iridescence. Here we got to learn something about what Chef Tom cooks for Chef Tom. He would choose the Sautéed Lake Superior Whitefish, which is prepared with saffron-braised Yukon Gold potatoes, creamed spinach, prosciutto di Parma and sauce beurre rouge because “saffron and fish go well together” and when he cooks fish for himself, “fish is the only thing I’ll put with my saffron.” It was at this point we realized Chef Tom was referring to a caliber saffron we ourselves had probably never seen on our own kitchen shelf. We’re now very excited to go experience the true and full flavor of this spice at Iridescence.

Detroit Seafood Market. Chef Tom chose the Lobster & Shrimp Hush Puppies, which are served with pink dipping sauce because he “loves Hush Puppies” and “hasn’t seen them on a menu for probably 20 years.” This brought a slightly nostalgic look to our guiding chef’s eyes—and we were quite pleased to discover that professionally trained chefs, with all their skills, still sometimes order something based on emotion not knowledge—as he went on to reminisce about “a place I used to go called Seafood Bay…it’s not there anymore…but we’d get their Hush Puppies…that’s a favorite in my house.”

We had one last menu to ask Chef Tom about. But we apologize in advance. His answer here will be of no help to anyone.

Fountain Bistro. Chef Tom looked at it, looked up, and said decisively, “I would eat all of this…just because of my French background.”

Hmmm. But wait. Maybe there is something to this once. What if we looked at it a bit like a Double-Dog Dare. All of it? Every item on the three-course menu? Yep. We think we just might be able to do it. It may take the help of a friend or two, it may involve some sharing of plates, and it may require multiple trips to Campus Martius, but we’re all good with that. Because that is why we love Detroit Restaurant Week: sitting down with good friends to eat a delicious dinner and having the chance to go to our favorite restaurants…again and again…

A couple of weeks ago, Karen Dumas posted a Facebook status that encouraged people to “Break a barrier…speak to a stranger.” A short post.  But a powerful one…one that has continued to resonate for me.  (Evidence of its power? Consider how many of friends’ posts you recall after they have trailed off your ticker, much less weeks later?)

Why do I find this suggestion of Karen’s so compelling?

Well, the first reason is that it caused me to consciously contemplate something I have always been—and I am sure you are—unconsciously aware of: every single person in my life, excepting my immediate family, was initially ‘a stranger’ to me.  Aside from Mom, Dad—and then when I was three—Little Brother, I did not initially ‘know’ a single one of the people who have since become friends, mentors, lovers, bosses. They were all strangers to me at one time.  But Karen got me thinking: What would my life be like now if I had never ‘talked’ to any one of those people, had never gotten to know them so they could play a role in my life, making me who I am today?  And, if I look around me in any given place, at any given time, I am surrounded by people—‘strangers’—who could play similar roles in making me who I will be tomorrow.

For as long as I can remember, I have always said “Hello” or at least smiled and nodded  to people I pass— whether it be in a hall at school or work, in a restaurant or lobby, or on the street. Perhaps some of this comes from where I grew up. In a small town, you become aware at a very young age that even if you don’t recognize the person, they are probably one of your parents’ friends, the mom of someone-you-know, one of your friends’ brothers, someone who moved away and has now come back or someone’s out-of-town visitor. And you know you will almost certainly run into them again: in the grocery store, around someone’s dinner table, bringing a side-dish to a barbeque in your own backyard, or at someone’s wedding.  Then you will be introduced to them. As a kid in a small town, you have this awareness that even as you pass these people on the street, they aren’t really a ‘stranger’… you just don’t know who they are yet.  So you speed up the process, cover your bases, with a “Morning” and a smile.

And this brings me to another quote—not a Facebook post this time, but the Blanche DuBois breathily whispered, “I have always depended on the kindness of strangers”—and to another time and place in my life. I no longer live in a ‘small town.’ I live in Downtown Detroit. Yet, since my childhood, I have never lived in a place where the kindness of strangers—and the speed at which people you just don’t know yet become people who play a role in your life—has been so prevalent and so apparent to me on a daily basis.

As you pass one another on the street—people heading to work, people walking their dogs, people on their way to meet friends down the block—you smile and you nod. Over time—and not much time, a matter of days and weeks—you strike up conversations. You see each other with an arm full of bags, so you open doors for one another; you run into each other taking the dog out or walking to the store, so you stroll along together, making mundane observations on the weather and moving onto more engaging topics like how the Tigers/Wings/Lions are doing; you find yourself in line together somewhere, and you exchange notes on where to get the best mid-afternoon coffee fix or the new restaurant opening on the corner.  You may never progress to sitting down around someone’s kitchen table together or dancing at the same wedding, but you realize that even if this person isn’t one of your friends’ moms, aunts, or brothers, they are someone’s mom, aunt, or brother. And they are your neighbor. You may never know their ‘name,’ but living here—together—you have this city, your home, in common…and you find you are no longer strangers.

Opening day.

It’s always a day full of hope:  a new beginning, everyone starting out 0 and 0.  But this year is different. Not only is there hope, there’s expectation.  Coming off a great season—with the playoffs and record attendance last year—and with the Tigers’ ‘princely’ additions to their roster this year, it should be a great season at Comerica.  But since we can’t order our World Series tickets yet, this week all the attention is on a great Detroit tradition: the Home Opener.

The Tigers always sell out on opening day—this year perhaps a little more quickly for the reasons listed above, but essentially because it’s…well, it’s just a great day.  So great, in fact, that a simple ‘search’ for what is going on can turn into an overwhelming number of options. Whether you’ve got tickets to the game or you just want to show your support and join in the good times as our city cheers on ‘Our Boys,’ here are just a few of the things happening on Thursday!

• Right outside Comerica Park, in Grand Circus Park, is the annual 97.1 The Ticket Opening Day Block Party, from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.  Admission is free and, thanks to 97.1 The Ticket and 99.5 WYCD, country singer Matt Stillwell will be performing live on the Music Stage before the game.
• Don’t miss Opening Day Fest in the Detroit Opera House lot! A huge fenced-in lot with heated tents will offer 13 DJs, 50 inch LCD TVs, festival games such as Beer Pong, and Beer & Food Tents. Starting at 9 a.m., 21 and up are welcome, and tickets are $10.
• Inside the Detroit Opera House a second Opening Day celebration will be going on in the Cadillac Café, in conjunction with WJR, this party is free of charge and begins at 9 a.m. They will be serving food & drinks and have music by DJ AMF!
• Party in the Park at Fountain Bistro restaurant in Campus Martius! Free admission will include multiple outdoor bars, live music and a park-wide audio broadcast of the game—and organizers have ‘teamed up’ with six of the area’s best-known food trucks and vendors: El Guapo Fresh Mexican Grill, Ned’s Travelburger, Treat Dreams, Chow Catering, Concrete Cuisine and Jacques Tacos. There will also be a VIP tent with private bar service, TVs, & front-row seating for the bands (VIP seating is limited, with a $20 cover per table, which includes four chairs). Festivities begin at 11 a.m. and will continue well after the game!
• The Park Bar will have an outdoor tent on Elizabeth between Park and Woodward, with food from Slows Bar B Q, The Pie Guy, and tacos, along with beer, cocktails, and live music.  The festivities will be starting at 9 a.m. and there will be a small cover charge, but the exact amount has yet to be announced.
• Cheli’s Chili Bar is having an Opening Day Party right across the street from Comerica Park with live music from Mustache Baby and The Hips, and DJs Mark EP, Nick Nader, and Kenny Ken.  The celebrations begin at 7:30 a.m. and they will have Indoor/Outdoor & Deck Seating!
• The Old Shillelagh will open at 7 a.m. and go all night with Black Koala in the tent and on their outdoor, heated rooftop deck and Black Mist will be doing classic rock and all your Irish favorites on the second floor.  There will be a small cover charge that has yet to be determined, but most large events at the venue are a $10 cover. 349 Monroe, Detroit.
• Foran’s Grand Trunk Pub will open at 8 a.m. and serve a special breakfast menu until the first pitch at 1:05; then they’re “switch hitting to a special baseball themed lunch and dinner menu” that will be served until midnight. They will also have an Opening Day Starting Line-up of MIP and Arbor Brewing, with a host of other Michigan Craft Beers On-Deck! 612 Woodward, Detroit.
• Bookies Bar & Grille, which can claim the “Best Bar before a Tigers Game” vote for 9 years in a row, will open at 7 a.m. to serve breakfast before their Game Day Specials! With a 16-Foot Projection TV, 12 HD Plasmas, tented parking lot and patio, there will be plenty of space to watch the game and enjoy drink specials, such as 4 Shots & a Pitcher for $15 if you don’t head to Comerica on their roundtrip shuttle! While Bookies hasn’t set exact times, early admission will be free, and later the cost will be between $5 and $10 a person. The tent will be free the majority, but not the whole, day! 2208 Cass Ave, Detroit.
• Baseball brings out the ‘kid’ in everyone…so why not support an award-winning nonprofit organization that makes a difference in the lives of young people by offering school-based mentoring programs and workshops for middle school and high school students in Southeast Michigan?  Winning Futures is hosting an Opening Day Fundraiser Event at the Gem Theatre from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m.  There will be food, drinks, and large screen TVs, along with a one-hour specialty Martini Bar. Michigan Sports Hall of Fame members will host a Live Auction! Tickets are $150 each and raise monies to support Winning Futures.  333 Madison Ave., Detroit.
• It’s a Triple on Montcalm with 3 Parties on 1 Corner hosted by The Town Pump, Centaur, and featuring an outdoor tent. Both bars and the heated outdoor tent will have food & drink specials  (including a McClure’s Bloody Mary Bar) and TVs to watch the game. The parties start at 8 a.m. and there will be a small cover charge that will begin at $5; this will go up later in the day, but the time and amount for late admission is yet to be determined, so get there early! 100 W. Montcalm, Detroit.
• And don’t miss the opportunity for a Double-Header of your own with a pre- or post-game stop at American Coney Island and Lafayette Coney Island!

And that’s just some of the happenings planned for Thursday! One of the perks of living right Downtown is being able to decide what to do on the fly. I’ve made plans to do ‘something’ with other residents of The Lofts of Merchants Row and we all have friends coming to town to join the celebrations.  But as far as planning goes, we might just go around the horn. Why not? From early morning until late night, there’s going to be something ‘going on’ everywhere we turn, so no matter how we round the bases, Opening Day is sure to be a home run.

So, I am not sure if this is an epiphany or just silly…but I am going to start keeping a new list. Not of To-Do’s (I have about a billion of those lists), but a list I am calling “Ta-Done’s.”

Here’s my rationale: I love my “To-Do” lists.

I love having them and I love making them. But I have to say, at the beginning of the day, when I look at my To-Do List, I sometimes get a little de-motivated and a little stressed out by the length of the list. (Unlike chocolate and peanut butter, de-motivation and stress is not a good combination!)

And I have a lot of days where I am busy all day long doing things, but where, at that end of the day, nothing on my To-Do List has gotten ‘crossed off.’  On those days, the To-Do list is de-motivating and stressful—and, heck, it’s downright depressing—at the end of the day too!

So I asked myself, what would happen if I kept a “Ta-Done” List?

On this list, I would keep track of everything I did do that day. Not all that different from the tracking sheets attorneys and corporate employees with multiple clients use to track their time and tasks (all of their time and tasks) throughout the day so they can bill their client and get paid.  And while for me this isn’t for ‘billing’ purposes, I think it will pay off.

Not in a monetary sense per se, but in terms of self-awareness and a sense of accomplishment.  Okay. I realize I may not get that warm-fuzzy feeling right off the bat, but at least it will help to eliminate that sinking sense of ‘failure’ at the end of those days when the tiny voice in my head gets to pipe up and tell me how little I got done on the To-Do list that I should have been striking thick, bold, black lines through.

And I think there will be other pay offs. For one thing: I will discover how my days actually ‘work.’  Initially, I will go about my days as I do now. But after a week or so, I will be able to look back at that list of what I did and when, and see how my days really go—when I am most productive, when I get tedious chores checked off, and when I find myself most inspired and do my most creative work.

Examples: I already suspect I put out too many fires too quickly. I abide by ‘if there’s smoke, there’s fire,’ and I’m on it immediately. Maybe I will learn to schedule—to block out—time in my day where I don’t allow myself to rush right in to the rescue…at the cost of the tasks on my To-Do List. Would all those seemingly urgent issues really burn to the ground if I didn’t respond for just one hour? And I definitely know I am too ready to help others with their To-Do’s and that the price I pay for this is my own time, time where I could be striking bold, black lines…  You get the picture. No, I won’t tell friends and colleagues that I ‘can’t do something’ (that is not in my nature, and I don’t think the world would be a better place if people stopped giving each other a hand), but with a better understanding of how my days actually work, I will be able to let my friends and colleagues know that while I will help them, I will have to do it on certain days at certain times, rather than ‘right now.’ And I’m guessing I will be even more helpful to them when I’m working on their projects or problems when I’m at my best for that type of task.

I am interested to see how many things I actually do get done over the course of a day, rather than reflecting back on what didn’t get done. I think the sense of accomplishment will allow me to see what ‘has to’ be done, align my priorities, and amp up my energy and creativity for tackling the next day, the next set of “do’s.” And anticipating this new outlook on my day got me thinking about how thinking in terms of Ta-Done Lists could change our outlooks on everything around us: our businesses, our families, our communities, our cities….  We all know the things that need to be done to improve—or simply keep on track—each of these components of our lives.  But what if, along with the To-Do’s, we also stopped for a moment and reflected on what each of those—our business, our family, our community, our city—had done, had accomplished, at the end of the day?

I haven’t implemented my new plan yet, but I am already looking forward to how quickly, when I look at my day—and my business, my family, my community, my city—I will see how that stack of Ta-Done’s rises above and towers over the pile of To-Do’s…

Your mission, should you choose to accept it…? 365 days living, working, playing in and giving to the city of Detroit.

What’s to be gained from it? Not just one year of experience for your résumé, but the experience of a lifetime…  And that’s not just for those selected to participate in the Challenge, but for the city itself. Through this holistic experience talented young people, ‘Tomorrow’s Leaders,’ will engage in and with the community as they also grow as individuals, further their leadership skills, and make connections—connections with businesses and business leaders and with the individuals who live in, work for the good of, and love this city.

Challenge Detroit, an initiative of the Collaborative Group, is designed to give participants the opportunity to know and care about the city so that they are further inspired to want to make a difference in Detroit. While they are working in the city (about 32 hours per week) and gaining professional experience to further their careers, they will also be enjoying the city and its amenities by living and ‘playing’ here. Basically discovering just how much there is to do, how many things are going on, and all the places there are to go to every day—ballparks, restaurants, museums, galleries, festivals and more!  And they’ll learn that these things are all right here, in your neighborhood, when you live in the city.

And, just like we all learned from Mr. Rogers (and as State Farm now reminds us), neighbors and neighborhoods are important.  So Challenge Detroit is designed to bring participants together with the people who already live here. The ‘Giving’ component of the initiative? That doesn’t refer to money.  It will be ‘intellectual capital and elbow grease.’ In other words: ‘Giving’ here means not parting with something, but ‘taking part in’ something. So participants will meet with community members and leaders to learn what the community wants and needs and then they will have monthly ‘Team Challenges’ that tackle those community issues.

What can you do to be a part of this excellent program and play a role in making our great city an even greater city tomorrow? First, apply. Be a direct participant in the ‘Challenge.’ Information on the application process can be found below. And, remember, the initiative’s name is ‘Challenge Detroit.’ This doesn’t just refer to location…this is something that everyone who cares about our city can be involved in. You can post a job, donate, or volunteer your time and skills to the program.  The Collaborative Group believes it is important for the community to be involved at all stages and has information available on their website on how all of us, as residents and people who care about the city of Detroit, can contribute directly to the Challenge Detroit initiative as well as ways to play a bigger part in the Detroit community.  And, you can play another role in building community by forwarding this on to friends, family, and colleagues!

The truth is, if you live here, if you work here, if you care about our city, you are already a part of the community. Challenge Detroit is designed not only to create and cultivate the future ambassadors of and advocates for our city, but to make us each aware of the ‘challenge’—and the rewards—of playing a bigger part in our own communities.  And how do we do that? We live, we work, we play, and we give. Things we all do already. Challenge Detroit is just the opportunity for us to do them, to do even more, together.

The Application Deadline is March 25^th. To Apply or for information on Donating, Posting Jobs, or Volunteering, visit the Challenge Detroit website at  http://www.challengedetroit.org/

I, like everyone else in the immediate reach of any medium of communication with the outside world—internet and radio if not cable TV—heard about the speeches given by the recipients almost as soon as the words were out of their mouths and the little statue had been whisked from the podium.  One of the criticisms leveled at those being awarded is the overstatement of who the winners thank. Past examples include recipients who declare they are ‘king of the world’ or who thank ‘everybody I’ve ever met in my entire life’  or who thank their parents—not for raising them in a way that helped them get to the red carpet, but for the very act that brought them into the delivery room. Definitely an instance of: Too. Much. Information.

But this got me thinking. Who would I thank? Not for receiving an Oscar—that will never happen—but for, say, helping me to achieve something that was really important to me, for making it possible for me to accomplish something I worked really hard at and am equally proud of, for helping me to get to where I am today…  The answers to these questions were incredibly enlightening and informative. To me.  Not to you. So I won’t bore you by thanking all those people here.

But, it got me thinking: What if everyone were to imagine themselves getting a little gold statuette for what they consider their most important endeavors…?  And what if everyone then asked themselves, who they would thank…?

And then, rather than Angelina Jolie’s right leg, I pictured this: What if everyone—if they haven’t done so already—went and thanked the people who helped them along the way to that success?  What if they told those people how each of them inspired, maybe even ‘pushed’ (because sometimes we all need a little push to move forward), or helped them toward that imagined ‘award’? People who may not even know how pivotal they were to a success or an endeavor would now know…and maybe do the same thing again for someone else.

But my imaginings didn’t stop with the ‘speeches,’ they carried forward into real possibilities. Real possibilities that would have even more real outcomes.

Picture this: What if, everyone didn’t just thank the people who helped them along the way, but then decided to now strive to be that person—the same person who mentored, assisted, or simply cheered them on—for someone else? What if everyone decided to play the same role for another person that someone once did for them…for each of us?

Yes. I admit it. Much as I tried to shun the Oscars, my thoughts had led me to a real Hollywood ending.

But they had also led me to realize that what is missing from so many of those award ceremony acceptance speeches that get criticized for over-thanking: the very essential act of being thankful.

When you give thanks, you show your appreciation—which is important. But when you are thankful, literally full of thanks, you show that by passing it on, acting on that gratitude and giving others reason to feel the same way. Grateful for their success. And that, that’s not a Hollywood ending, that’s a real world in which everyone walks away from the podium with a gold statue.

You tell people you live in Detroit and the initial response is often a ‘Really?!?’ which can be either pure surprise or suggestive of some slight confusion…

The next thing said by the person you tell this to varies: ‘Do you like it there?’ ‘COOL!’ and ‘What’s it like?’ are pretty typical. ‘Where do you work?’ almost always follows.

I generally have to repeat myself when I tell people I work 30 miles outside the city.

Yes. I am one of those (delighted) commuters buzzing UP I-75, actually able to go the speed limit (or faster…this is the Motor City and we do love our cars!). So, why, other than the chance to roll the dice on a speed-trap, do I live where I do when I don’t work downtown? Because every day after work, I come home…and Detroit is where I want that home to be.

Let me explain. Things I love: Good food, sports, art, music, people, never being bored…

I walk out my door and have so many great restaurants to choose from the decision making process has to start with what kind of food I want because there are so many options. Almost every type of cuisine imaginable is available within a matter of blocks. And, if I’m feeling lazy, I just choose the restaurant that’s less than 5 feet from my front door.

Ever been to a ballgame with your dog? I walk mine a couple of blocks to Comerica and stop to watch the game from the street. When friends and family come over, we can be from my place to Comerica, Ford Field or the Joe in less than 10 minutes. That’s ten minutes walking.  And, if the mood strikes and you live Downtown, you can walk over to the box office and get a seat for any game on any given night, no ticketing fees, no planning ahead.  (Alright. With the way our teams are playing right now, that may be changing in the future! No matter: season tickets make a lot more sense when you can get from your living room to the game so easily!)

Between summer festivals, year-round shows (from classical at the Opera House to Kid Rock at Comerica to Indie at The Fillmore), free concert series on the Riverfront during the summer, and the fact that there is always something going on at Campus Martius Park, I can’t tell you how many shows I have not seen—but that I would have wanted to if time allowed—that were right in my neighborhood.

Oh. And don’t forget, living Downtown means no post-event traffic.

Living Downtown means art is everywhere. Literally. There’s the DIA—I bought a membership to support one of the best art museums in the country, but I didn’t have to. If you have the right zip code—read: a Detroit zip—you’re in on Fridays…for free. And there are the Long-Sharpe/Curis, Studio Couture, MOCAD… Well, quite frankly, there are so many galleries that I can’t name them all, but they are all right here.

Okay. Going for my run is more dangerous down here…but only because it’s hard to remember that I should look down at the sidewalk every so often! There are so many beautiful buildings with some new detail that I never noticed before, the skyline, the people…these will all be distractions to the serious runner. But they will make that run go by faster than you can imagine.  Oh, and while the Riverwalk is wonderful for walking, it’s also great for running, biking, or rollerblading.

While I could find something interesting and fun to do every day of the week, when I’m not out-and-about, I enjoy my loft which overlooks a constantly changing city skyline—it’s not only new businesses and renovated historic buildings that make for this change, but the sunrises and sunsets that reflect off Comerica Park, Ford Field, Greektown that continuously change how those and all the other buildings in-between stand out in different perspectives. As the light changes—from hour to hour during the day and throughout the seasons of the year—I see our city differently.  But one thing doesn’t ever change. I always see it as HOME.

So, when people ask me ‘why’ I live in the city, I tell them it’s because I live in the city. I don’t think everyone always ‘gets it.’ But I’m guessing the ones who actually enjoy and live life do.

A fantastic perk of being a Lofts of Merchants Row resident are the amazing events hosted by the Lofts. This month we met in the Merchants Row lobby and jumped on the People Mover to head to Joe Louis Arena to watch our record breaking Red Wings! Community events in Detroit… what more could you ask for?

There are a lot of quantitative reasons why artists and creative people are moving to the city of Detroit. But there are also qualitative reasons why everyone, even if your ‘profession’ isn’t considered ‘creative,’ can find the same inspiration for life while living in the city. We all, no matter how ‘technical’ our job, need and benefit from creativity in our lives—both professionally and personally. And what is creativity? It is looking at something and seeing it differently, either differently from everyone else or differently from the day before. And Detroit offers that. In droves.

First, you see change everywhere: new buildings going up, new businesses going in. And yet the backdrop, the architecture, remains largely the same, while dreams are being painted onto the canvas of the city. And that affects you, gets you considering your dreams and ideas. The very sameness of the iconic aspects of the city can allow you to discover some new detail, some new perspective, something you had previously missed all the other times you walked by or took in the skyline at night. And that affects you, gets you seeing the details in the things around us that seem so fixed, so static, in our daily lives. And when you live in the city, you’ll find that you continuously meet new people, but—like the children’s song—‘you make new friends, and keep the old,’ and that silver and gold will pave your way to achieving your creative ideas and inspire you to new possibilities.

These intangible assets of city life to creative living are not found in any of the statistics on why artists are moving to Detroit. But where they can be found and seen is in what people achieve while living in an energizing atmosphere that sets your mind reeling with possibilities and new ways of seeing the world…even in your own home. And who couldn’t do with a little more creative juice to fuel their professional or personal lives? Move to the city, and you’ll see lots of new and interesting things. But most importantly…you might just begin to see yourself differently.