Vibrato June 2012

Table of Contents

QR Code Steers Users Wrong:

QR codes are being misused. how can we correct this?

Mentorship Through Social Media:

mentorship seems to have been lost in our modern culture. A history of mentorship

through the ages and how social media can help us to regain it.

Home: A Definition

personal profile on owners of “our place,” a local boutique.

Urbanized:

Review of gary hustwit’s documentary film on urban planning, “urbanized.”

Sister Act:

personal profile on set designers anna and rachel tabor.

Events Page:

local charlotte, nc events for the upcoming month of june.

Orphic Grove:

a collaboration of mystical photography and tales

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Innovation. Arts. Fashion. Character.

Think of these as examples of what vibrato

wishes to specifically address. Vibrato, as a

magazine, was crafted to represent life

presenting culture as a whole in the best of

light. Each article has been crafted to show

truth, beauty, and goodness in its content. If

you feel that these three things are not being

presented or, more importantly, that they are

being specifically gone against feel free to

complain. Suggestions are welcome.

-hannah moyers-

contact:[ twilafey@gmail.com ]

[ facebook: /lifeisavibrato ]

Editor-in-chief: Hannah moyers

Artistic consultant: Bekah Chaney

2

Charlotte Events

June 1

Noda Gallery Crawl – 6-10pm.

http://www.noda.org/arts.cfm Dante and the Delta – 6-9pm

Doma Gallery

http://www.domaart.com/home.htm

Jazz at the Bechtler – 6-8pm.

Bechtler Museum of Art

http://www.bechtler.org/Learn/Jazz-at-the-bechtler June 5

Avicii – 8pm

Fillmore Charlotte

http://fillmorecharlottenc.com/event/0E00489A9CD4606B

June 7

Blind Pilot – 8pm

The Neighborhood Theatre

http://neighborhoodtheatre.inticketing.com/events/197218

June 8-10

Taste of Charlotte - 11am-11pm (fri-sat) 11am-6pm (sun)

From MLK Jr Blv to 6th St.

http://www.tasteofcharlotte.com/ June 23

Charlotte Bayou Festival – 12-8pm

Independence Park

http://www.charlottebayoufestival.com/

June 26

Beauty and the Beast

NC Blumenthal Performing Arts Center

Final Show: July 1

http://www.blumenthalarts.org/default.asp?blumenthal=59&objId=2486

Entire Month of June

Fairytales, Fantasy, and Fear Exhibition

Mint Museum of Art Uptown

Ends July 7th http://www.mintmuseum.org/news/153/85/Fairytales-Fantasy-Fear-will-open-March-3/d,MintNewsDetail.html

Events in the Month of July

Coldplay - July 3

Time Warner Cable Arena

http://www.timewarnercablearena.com/page.aspx?section=events&pagetype=events&id=5511

Kaskade – July 11

Fillmore Charlotte

http://fillmorecharlottenc.com/event/0E00486CD1B09DBD

Passion Pit - July 19

Fillmore Charlotte

http://fillmorecharlottenc.com/event/0E0048A8EE86ADE2

3

www.etsy.com/shop/ZineJewelry

Bracelets: $8.00

Necklaces: $20.00

Zine {zeen} -noun

Non-profit organization

selling magazine wrapped

bead jewelry for support

of mission work.

Ginny is the founder of the local

clothing boutique, Our Place. Yet, she

is so much more. She is the kind of

person who makes a home everywhere

she goes. Her story with Our Place

ended in its current Phillips Place

location, but began in a renovated pet-

shop within Providence Square Shopping

Center, both located here in Charlotte,

NC. I anticipated a story of a mother,

Ginny, passing the family business onto

her daughter, Michelle Melissaris. But, I

discovered a legacy of community. A

community which grew up around the

lives of two women that went out to

find their places in the world, only to

make their own – Our Place – into a

“congenial environment” which has,

and does, serve as home to many who

were and are searching.

Home, what meaning does the

Home: A definition

So, when Ginny Summerell exclaimed, “We made friends. We gave people a

home!” I believed her whole-heartedly.

word possess? Its meaning is very

subjective. In the Merriam-Webster

Dictionary alone there are six

definitions. Perhaps the best definition

for our purposes would be “a familiar

or usual setting: [a] congenial

environment.” Whether that familiar

setting or congenial environment is

created by a certain place or a specific

set of people, the idea remains true.

For some, home is where the heart is.

For others, home is with their friends

or in a specific environment, like a

coffeehouse. However, the fact

remains: the best homes are often

created by the people who inhabit

them.

5

Starting a business is not an easy

thing. It’s not just the planning and

organizing, but the responsibility,

which make it a rather unattractive

prospect. Ginny never planned to

chase after responsibility.

Responsibility, however, chased after

her. During the mid 1970s, Ginny was

a diligent employee. So diligent, in

fact, that many of her friends

encouraged her to start her own

business. She even recounted one of

her friends saying “you worked very

hard for so many other people, and

should put that energy into your own

business.” Eventually, Ginny

acquiesced to her friends’

encouraging words. She moved to

Charlotte, away from her residence in

High Point, NC, and started Our Place

with her now ex-husband.

Picture it: 1977, a new city, a new

job, and no real home. Ginny was her

own manager now, a stark contrast to

anything she had known before this.

She had a vision for Our Place,

though. It was a plan to shape a

store which was offbeat and non-

traditional: selling clothing which is

the opposite of the type of staid

clothing which saturated the

Charlotte market at the time.

Thankfully, this vision fit their

resources, allowing them to start Our

Place on a shoe-string budget. They

opened the store with, as Ginny said,

“not much.” Not the best location,

but, as Ginny said: “I remember

thinking, ‘If I can make it here, I’m

fine.’” The little store had other

hindrances, though, like the recession

which Charlotte was going through at

the time. If any upstart entrepreneur

made it, it would be a miracle.

Interior of Our Place at Phillips Place; front entrance

photo credit: www.our-place.us

6

Miracle it was, the home emerged.

Located in an up-and-coming shopping

center within a transitioning southern

city, the timing worked to their

advantage. During the late 1970s and

early 1980s, many northerners were

coming to Charlotte in search of work.

Yet, a soul does not thrive on work

alone; it needs a home to nourish

growth. Many of these people were

seeking acceptance, a place to lay down

their worries. So, when people stumbled

upon Ginny’s little store after their

weekly grocery trip, conversation would

ensue. At the time, the store wasn’t

really about clothes.

As Ginny said, “We developed relationships. Relationships were the key.”

Her daughter, Michelle, reinforced this statement by saying:

“They had found a home away from home with my mom.”

Which is all well and good, but was it a

true home, as defined earlier in this

piece? Or, perhaps, was it something

else? A home, as defined earlier, is

merely a congenial environment. Yet,

it’s more than that. It is a locus of

activity, activity performed by a

community of people who support one

another in their various endeavors. So,

did Ginny create an environment where

she supports people and they, in turn,

support her out of love? Her later

assertion certainly seems to back up this

claim. As Ginny put it, “People came

into our store when it didn’t look good,

when the merchandise wasn’t that

great, but they still bought it.”

Once again, her daughter, Michelle,

clarified: “They came to support her.”

They came to support her like they come

to support Michelle today. Granted, the

location has upgraded and so has the

clothing, but it’s still the people that

make the home. Ginny came to

Charlotte, misplaced and with no real

home, but she made a home out of Our

Place. In the same way, Michelle was

often misplaced in life. Like all children,

she went through a time where she was

not accepted. Michelle has beautifully

rich olive-toned skin, and this worked to

her detriment. By living in a city which,

during her formative years did not have

an ethnically varied population, Michelle

was in the midst of a world of rejection.

Even at the age of seven, she lived in a

world where she didn’t belong: at school

and in her community. Yet, the store,

the business itself, helped her to craft

the home she has now made Our Place

into herself. So, when Ginny took her to

New York City to visit the showroom

with her – Michelle found her home. She

was captivated not just by the clothes

on display, but the people milling

around. The people were all different,

from all walks of life, and yet, all got

along. At just seven, Michelle looked up

at her mother and said, “They’re like

me!” Indeed, they were.

7

Continuing on her path to find

“home,” Michelle worked in the store

in her early years, but ultimately left

to find retail experience elsewhere.

She worked at various boutiques,

while expanding her clientele. The

years changed and Michelle grew,

interacting with all walks of life. In

2006 she returned to the family

business, bringing her expertise with

her.

Today, Michelle has taken over the

store and adapted the job, expanded

it, to encompass a familiarity with

people which goes beyond

networking. She reaches out to a

large range of people, always

attempting to please them. She will

stop at nothing to make a person

happy. Which, for some, might seem

like a disadvantage, but for Michelle

it is her greatest gift. Like her

mother, she too has made a home out

of Our Place.

Once again, this makes us ask, what

is the practical outworking of a

home? People do things for family and

friends; they do things for people

who mean something to them. That is

exactly what Ginny became, someone

her customers cared for. She wasn’t

just an arbitrary salesclerk or

manager anymore; she was their

friend. In the same way, Michelle has

developed a solid customer base of

varying ages through her own

relationship-building.

As I look at these two women, I see a

love in their eyes. Not love for just me,

but a love for people as a whole. I have

seen them interact with the people

around them in the little café where we

met. Both knew a few of the customers

and stopped to say “hello.” They

weren’t close friends, necessarily, but

they were worth the few minutes it took

to say “hello” and ask about family. A

typical, polite gesture, perhaps, but one

executed by both women with the

deepest sincerity. This attitude of caring

for anyone and everyone is what sets

these two women apart. Third

generation family members are still

coming back, some that started coming

Our Place in the very beginning. They

come back for the clothes and the

community with Ginny. It sets her apart

as a community-builder. Michelle, too,

has made a home for all clients; she

embraces the old and the new as

another community-builder. Love: it is a

gift that, once given, produces

relationships, community, and most of

all, a home.

Our Place;

Exterior

Perseverance, patience, and

Teapots? How could teapots possibly

cause such a kerfuffle? Well, friends,

Romans, countrymen, these are no

ordinary teapots. Try crafting teapots

out of paper-mache and you will find

yourself learning patience,

perseverance and adaptability too.

Throw in a small-scale Chrysler

building replica along with a fake

fireplace, both constructed out of

foam board, paint, and various other

embellishment materials, and you’ll

see not only a kerfuffle, but a frenzy!

But, such is the life of a set designer.

When Anna and Rachel signed on to

be a major part of the set design this

year for the Carolina Youth Chorale’s

Players, a high-school musical theater

troupe here in Charlotte, they knew

they had their work cut out for them.

What they didn’t know is that they

would learn enduring lessons in the

realms of perseverance, patience,

and adaptability along the way.

adaptability, these are all noble

qualities for a person to obtain. Yet,

they do not come easily. Sometimes,

working diligently to overcome life’s

obstacles can help to build these three

character traits. Such obstacles can

come in the most unlikely of forms.

Take teapots, for example… they can

provide colossal difficulties at times.

Difficulties, so surprising, that they led

two local high school students, Anna

and Rachel Tabor, to the brink.

Sister Act

9

Teapots: Small, delicate, and

troublesome. The head directors told

Anna and Rachel that they wanted

tea sets for the scene, “Tea for Two,”

but offered no handy solution to the

problem of not being able to use real

tea sets. Fragile porcelain and rushed

stage hands simply don’t mix. What

was to be done? A few people

suggested plastic tea sets, the kind

children use. The idea seemed

abominable to them because it

violated the last of three stage design

guidelines, which provoke the

questions:

Is it lightweight and portable?

Is it compact, or will stage hands have to disassemble it before

storage?

Does it look authentic?

“Does it look authentic?” was answered

with a resounding “No!” at the suggestion

of plastic tea sets. So, the girls began to

think. “My brain took me back,” Rachel

recounted, “back to years of Grecian urns

in history class and piñatas: paper-

mache.” When one thinks paper-mache,

one thinks upside-down bowls covered in

a goopy mess. How could the girls

possibly turn that into beautiful tea sets?

They needed to make seven teapots

and fourteen teacups, with nothing

beyond the idea of paper-mache to

save the day. Rachel began to

experiment, like all good evil

scientists in their basement or garage

laboratories. What she finally settled

on were balloons. Air-filled balloons

for the round portion of the teapot

and balloons stuffed with cotton balls

to form the spout and handle. The

teacups were formed with air-filled

balloons as well. A rather ingenious

answer which required, also, as Anna

said, “tape and tape and tape.”

Indeed, as I viewed the pieces up close,

every inch seemed to be wrapped in

clear packaging tape. But, from the

audience’s perspective, it gave each

piece a nice sheen, like that of glazed

pottery. Rachel had succeeded, with

Anna at her side, in creating lightweight,

portable, durable, authentic-looking, but

compact tea sets. No assembly required,

at least, not for the stage hands.

Ironically, the tiny tea-sets took the

longest time to create, helping to

build up the Tabor girls’ patience and

perseverance. The largest piece, the

Chrysler building replica, required not

just time, but a substantial amount of

teamwork. As a result, the Chrysler

building helped to develop the girls’

capacity for cooperation, a form of

adaptability.

The girls’ father, Mr. Tabor, helped

them with the planning of the

building. He suggested the girls make

an exact, but small-scale, twelve-foot

replica out of pink foam board.

Working in construction as part of his

career, Mr. Tabor was able to give

helpful advice regarding making the

piece lightweight and portable.

However, the girls had to give up on

making the piece an exact replica and

adapt his plans. It was a grand idea,

but a bit too grand for the time

allotted. In this, the girls learned how

to take their father’s advice and

adapt it, but still cooperating without

anyone getting their feelings hurt.

CHRYSLER BUILDING REPLICA

PINK FOAM BOARD – PAINT – BLACK TAPE – SILVER CELLOPHANE

12 FT. TALL

Speaking of budget, what do people

do when they are working on one?

Well, most people find a way to use

items for multiple things. For the

Tabor girls, this meant turning the

Chrysler building replica into a

double-sided piece - like dresses

which can be turned inside-out to

reveal a different, interior pattern.

Slide the Chrysler building around

and, “Voila!” you have a fireplace.

Each individual painted brick filled in

to perfection, complete with fake fire

and wood… lightweight, durable and,

above all, convincingly-real.

Originally, the girls had planned to

insert a colored flashlight amidst the

fake fire so that it would literally glow

onstage, but complications arose

concerning the stage-lights and the

idea had to be quickly forgotten.

Work in all shapes and sizes can

affect your life permanently, if you

just allow it. In other words, every bit

of adversity in our lives leaves us with

a choice. We can suit up, carefully

fastening each piece of armor, and

face it head on. Or, we can dig holes

like moles and peek out as adversity

mows us down. Acting as set

designer is a big job. But, Anna and

Rachel Tabor took up the challenge -

each developing their own helmet of

creativity, breastplate of patience,

shield of perseverance, and sword of

adaptability. They conquered. In the

meantime, they will hold onto their

armor to help protect against all

adversity in the future. If people as a

whole learn to face adversity like this

then work, of all shapes and sizes,

will become less of a dragon and

more of a lizard. So what if it’s

boring? So what if it seems

impossible? Did the boss give you a

deadline that can’t be faced or a

problem that is simply unsolvable?

Think again. Nothing is impossible,

just build up the armor and find out

for yourself.

CHRYSLER BUILDING REPLICA

TOP PIECE.

Photo by Hannah Moyers

12

Is the distance between a building and the road designed or does it just happen? What about the number of tall buildings allowed within a certain district or the space between security checkpoints in a city? Hustwit shows us, with real-life examples, just how much of the practical, urban world around us is planned and designed. By doing so, he is able to create a vacuum that we are sucked into, a gaping hole that Hustwit fills with new knowledge for the audience to think on, question, and explore. As Hustwit showcased different scenarios, taking us through Mumbai, Beijing, Brighton, Stuttgart, Detroit, etc, he used each to display a different urban difficulty. My favorite of these was one of the solutions to growing crime rates. In Khayelitsha, South Africa, they were experiencing a large amount of destructive crime that crippled the community. Gang activity was especially prevalent in large, open areas where no one could seek help.elp.

The Rialto Theater in Raleigh, NC, encases its willing viewers like a womb. Meanwhile, the curving horizontal lines along the walls create a calming effect as the audience bubbles up with expectation. As time progresses, the lights begin to dim and a hush falls upon the crowd. Gary Hustwit, director of the documentary film, Urbanized, walks to the front of the room and accepts the microphone from the man awaiting him. He introduces himself and then the film, Urbanized. Hustwit mixes a few pleasantries and mild jokes with his statement before handing the microphone back to the man at the front, signaling the start of the show. The room falls silent directly before a soft hum fills the room, a cityscape lit upon the grand screen. And so it begins.

Rialto Theater

Urbanized.

Urbanized.

A documentary film by Gary Hustwit.

Modern World: City Planning

Rialto Theater

13

Growing crime is often addressed by stiff military or police action. This is the natural response, but it is often ineffective. However, in Khayelitsha the community rose up and petitioned to have ‘safehouses’ built to protect their own. These ‘safehouses’ were not manned by military or police, but by men and women of the community. They act like security checkpoints that are present every five-hundred meters, just close enough together that people are ALWAYS in sight of a checkpoint as they walk the roads night and day. As a result, the murder rate in Khayelitsha has been reduced by 40%. What does this show us? This shows us that a community pulling together to protect and care for its own works in reality. It is not just a principle which America’s founding fathers talked about, but a principle which is relevant even today. Large governmental attempts to fix crime rates by force often are ineffective, but a community gathering together to protect its own through accountability is effective.

The rest of the film dealt with issues ranging from transportation to grassroots economic growth. It addressed real-world situations which occur in cities throughout the world. The most fascinating thing is that in each situation where people were taking personal responsibility and acting as cohesive community, there was healing and growth.

I encourage you to watch it once it is released, even if you aren’t interested in city design, because by the end of it you might change your mind. Ideas will be roused within you after viewing the practical application of these basic principles. And yes, the design of how close a building is to the road DOES have an effect on an entire street, just like the rehabilitation of an old elevated rail-line can nurture an entire community. Hustwit paints an excellent picture of how seemingly small changes can affect a larger whole – an ordinary man [or men], living an ordinary life [or lives], can make an extraordinary difference.

Khayelitsha

Gary Hustwit

14

Alexandra Rose Photography

Portrait

-----------------

Couples

----------------

Fashion

CONTACT:

[foreverdork14@bellsouth.net]

[704-936-8918]

[fb: /alex.dworek]

Orphic Grove

A collection of

mystical photographs

and tales.

photography: hannah moyers

writing: bekah chaney

models: hannah chaney

emma buckingham

bekah chaney

lily baker

left: hannah chaney right: bekah chaney

Statuesque

Tall, contrapposto, bent at the knee.

I focus on standing, but tremble.

“Be still,” she told me.

I listened, and failed.

Classical, portrait,

Clothed in blue silk.

I am a statue,

A relic of old.

Grown up out of virtue

And steeped in good manners,

like each proper young woman.

But somehow,

I tremble.

Nothing to stand on,

“Be still,” she told me.

I listened, and failed.

left: hannah chaney right: emma buckingham

Storybook Dreams

Bekah Chaney

Fast falling evening brings dim dreams;

Softly broken bird calls echo overhead.

Drowsy fingertips circle the ring of a belt -

savoring aftertastes of red wine,

foretastes of wine-red sunset.

An open mouth

breathes flavors of lichen-shrouded bark

and musty meadow-grass

mingling with the warm scent of chocolate.

Wood sprites

tousle dark locks:

spur on Storybook imaginings;

A mischievous call to myth and magic

sounds

over the still afternoon.

model: lily baker

Swiss Chateau

First the fork,

Then the knife,

And don’t forget the wine.

A dash of curry,

A snip of parsley,

A table set for two.

I light the candles,

Grab the platter,

And head out to the sound.

The sounds of shuffling,

Feet go by.

I call out, “Darling!”

He walks my way, I blush.

“What’s this,” he says,

“a dinner set for two?”

model: lily baker

Secret Garden

Bekah Chaney

There is, in each young maid, a hidden window

Reaching to caress another world

And when the cloaking curtain plummets downward

Each will find the dancing Fairy girl.

A tousled beauty flows down round her shoulders;

Sunlight passes gold all through her hair.

Her feet tap unknown, yet familiar, patterns

Deep into the spying maiden-fair.

Unknowingly observed, she dances ever

To the soul-cry sounding far and wide:

To be seen truly, loved when we stand gaping,

Finding we need never flinch or hide.

To watch such rich abandon, pure, yet untamed

Wakens all the grace and fiery zeal

That lies within a budding woman’s nature;

Stirs the heart to face what’s been revealed.

And so, it is the Fairy child that capers

Clear-eyed all across her garden ground

That kindles, sparks the glow in each young woman

Opens doorways to what may be found.

left: emma buckingham right: bekah chaney

Night Visitor

Waiting in the darkness,

Waiting for a name,

“Think he’ll ever come, miss?

Or was it all a game?”

I looked off in the distance,

Searching for his gait.

He’d promised us each tickets,

If we would but wait.

But wait all night,

For circus fair?

Without a light,

Within the air?

“Stella, look, is that him there?”

With limp and cane,

But with not a care,

He came alon, right down the lane.

model: hannah chaney

Ruby

Bekah Chaney

Emerging from

rough bark -

a bas relief

stepping from its frame,

becoming whole.

Dapples.

Eruptions; sunbursts of light,

fireworks exploding.

Pockets of shadow fight

to hold their ground.

Rust-tinted Queen –

Keening.

Voiceless.

model: bekah chaney

Reaching for Dewdrops

Up and around, just one more step.

Twist and extend, reaching above,

Not for an apple, nor for a peach

Just for a faerie-girl,

Perched right out of reach.

Smiling, she whistles,

Flapping her wings.

She zips away quickly.

I follow,

Swift in pursuit.

Kicking off heels,

Ripping my skirt,

I’m all out of breath.

At last she stops,

And beckons.

I step forward,

Peering at her.

She flies up, close,

And drops but a dewdrop,

right in my hand.

model: emma buckingham

Wildfire

Bekah Chaney

The indefinable spark -

Effects visible to the human eye,

yet the formula of owning it

slips away like

water through a clenched fist.

Latent or active,

its mystery taunts and tantalizes

each time it strikes.

Where is the secret well to draw from?

Where, the one movement a spark blooms from?

In the curve of a lip?

The dart of an eye?

The arch of a brow, tuck of the knee,

Or duck of innocent modesty,

Peering from behind a strand of hair?

Not one, but many.

But without one, all is lost.

Layer upon layer of tiny movement

melts

into one

resplendent manifestation of inscrutable humanity.

model: emma buckingham

Awakening

Bekah Chaney

A delicate

fingers-weight

of pressure and iron

bends.

Preening against dusky

skies,

faded feathers ruffled

by chilly breezes.

Commanding magnificence juxtaposes

the

simple beauty of

unconscious grace

Spreading wings embrace

new growth.

model: emma buckingham

Penumbra

Walking with the darkness,

And fading into grey,

Dropping bits of starlight

All along my path.

Sunlight dapples through the trees,

Searching out an audience.

But every step that I shall take,

Shadow will extend.

For night, I draw,

Like a curtain,

Over rock and rose,

O’er all living things.

I am penumbra,

Shadow before the darkest,

Twilight before night.

Dropping bits of starlight,

All along my path.

model: lily baker

Skip to M’Lou

Drop, Skip, Hop, Trip,

Down she tumbles along the dale.

“Hello Grass! Hello Trees!

Hello Sun!” she cries.

Miss Jenny Lou,

The birds are a-twitter,

All for you.

left: hannah chaney right: lily baker

Dulcet

Syrup-sweet sunlight,

Bathing each visitor in a heavenly glow.

Each ray providing a glimpse,

Just a glimpse, of home.

Watching a myriad of earthy creatures,

Delia and Mary prolong their visit.

A housewife, each, dreading return,

Return to reality, to house, not home.

To cleaning and prepping,

To dressing and primping,

To each daily duty,

This is the menace they fear.

But honeyed hair, nut-brown tresses,

For now, are safe in their home.

At home in the forest, this Orphic Grove.

Yet, return they must, Delia and Mary.

Return to the daily drone.

important in our culture. Most emerging technologies are important as tools for society, and social media on the whole is no exception to this rule. However, like all tools, it can be used for good or evil. Its potential for good is quite substantial, especially since it can act as a conduit for regenerating the use of mentorship in our society. But, first, let us define what mentorship is and establish how it was largely lost in the first place.

But, there is another integral element which helps to drive mentorship. This is the portion of mentorship which has not only been partially lost, but entirely. Mimesis, the practice of mimicry as an act of memory, has been lost. Mimicry seems like an odd thing to pair with mentorship, but it is quite necessary for growth. When one is being discipled, the protégé learns from the mentor by mimicking much of what he/she does. In this way, the protégé can pick up many of the mentor’s good habits. This practice stems out of a human trait, it’s our natural response. Children copy, or model, their parents from the very beginning, mimicking them. It is this same trait which philosophers and great leaders have been taking advantage of since the age of antiquity as a teaching tool, much like the Socratic method.

However, the Socratic method lasted for much longer than the practice of mimesis – mimesis was lost somewhere between the 13th and 14th century with the invention of the Gutenberg press. But, during antiquity, many schools of philosophy relied on the practice of mimesis to teach their students.

Social media has become very

Essentially, mentorship is a series of exchanges during which emotional support, intellectual stimulation, and wisdom are imparted.

MENTORSHIP THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA

Mentoring, as defined in “Toward a Useful

Theory of Mentoring: a Conceptual Analysis and

Critique,” is: “a process for the informal

transmission of knowledge, social capital, and

the psychosocial support perceived by the

recipient as relevant to work, career, or

professional development; mentoring entails

informal communication, usually face-to-face

and during a sustained period of time, between a

person who is perceived to have greater relevant

knowledge, wisdom, or experience (the mentor)

and a person who is perceived to have less (the

protégé).”

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Oratorical patterns developed in order to make it easier for protégés to copy their mentors, the philosophical masters. They were expected to memorize large portions of oratory and historical records like students today are expected to be well-read. It was the only way these men could grow to be knowledgeable thinkers in the classical sense. It was the way in which men like Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, etc., passed their knowledge and wisdom onto the younger generation, their protégés.

As reading became more popular and oratory diminished, books were still read aloud so that the illiterates might also be educated. In this way, mentoring exchanges and mimesis on a whole were still encouraged. By the 4th century A.D., however, this was lost. St. Ambrose, the Bishop of Milan, like most monks, could read. But, unlike most monks, Ambrose read silently. His protégés were fascinated and perhaps even a bit alarmed by this practice. Being educated in the practice of mimesis, however, they mimicked their mentor. After that, many people started to read quietly and, as a result, oratorical mimesis of the written word began to slowly drift away. By the time the Gutenberg Press rolled around in 1440, the practice of reading aloud, except in certain set contexts, had been almost entirely forgotten.

With the creation of the Gutenberg Press illiteracy decreased. Rapid publication and distribution of books and pamphlets led to quick spread of knowledge and ideas. This literacy created the independent man by eliminating the need of community to share knowledge. A man no longer needed to ask someone else for information. Instead, he might just pick up a written record of it. This rid the world of plenty of miscommunication, but it also separated knowledge from wisdom. The two need not go hand-in-hand any longer. Previously, when knowledge was passed down, it was often communicated within a casing of wisdom. However, as stated above, ideas spread like wildfire.

First, The Gutenberg Press brought the Renaissance, a flowering of thought and idea returning to the Classical age: a rebirth. Second, it helped to further the Enlightenment movement, which came biting on the heels of the Renaissance. The Renaissance was an exploration of ideas while the Enlightenment was ideas put into action.

Gutenberg Press;

invented c.1440

by Johannes Gutenberg

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Descartes, an Enlightenment philosopher, made this statement and it has not yet left the focus of our culture. Thought is what makes a man: personal, independent thought. Books encouraged this by spreading ideas rapidly, but not forcing mentoring exchanges between people in order to spread these ideas. In other words, knowledge could then be exchanged without wisdom being passed down too. Mimesis has been lost because no one need mimic others in order to remember facts and stories. One just picks up a book where the information is recorded or, more likely in our modern world, Googles it.

Knowledge without wisdom, how does that work? Surely books communicate wisdom? It is true, books can communicate wisdom to a certain extent. But wisdom, at its heart, is a result of intense, long-term observation. It is a way of looking at the world which cannot be directly communicated by a few short sentences, but must rather evolve through many years of observing the world. It is very unlike scientific facts and mathematical formulas, which can be memorized and applied in short order. Mimicry, too, encourages observation. Mimicry, in the classical sense, is very much like our modern word, “modeling.” Mimesis, or mimicry, can be defined as the observation of another in order to obtain knowledge and imitate their actions. In psychology today, the term modeling is defined as: “a form of learning where individuals ascertain how to act or perform by observing another individual.”

Mimesis was more involved than merely a passing of knowledge, it was a passing on of wisdom. And today, it has become less and less practiced due to the rise of literacy and independent thought.

How, then, can social media, a seemingly disruptive technology, bring observational mimesis back?

Essentially, it encourages web-based “stalking,” stalking being the practice of obsessive observation. Again, people should remember that technology can be used for good or evil!

“Cogito ergo sum.” I think, therefore, I am. ~Descartes

Well, what is social media? Social media

is defined as: “web-based services that

allow individuals to (1) construct a public

or semi-public profile within a bounded

system, (2) articulate a list of other users

with whom they share a connection,

and (3) view and traverse their list of

connections and those made by others

within the system.”

URBAN DICTIONARY

Facebook Stalking Definition:

When an individual scours another individual's

profile, frequently checks their status updates,

or reads their wall posts to and from other

people. Usually done because the individual

wants to know as much as possible about the

individual whose profile they are reading.

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Sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Tumblr, and Flickr allow “following,” and, consequently, “stalking.” They not only allow it, but encourage it. Following people on different social media sites is commonly used to keep up with the activity of friends and family. However, it can be used as a form of mimesis, as well. There are people in everyone’s lives who are admired for their ideas, knowledge, mannerisms, fashion taste, etc. Social media gives one the chance to observe others online and learn from them. Although a person’s online profile can be drastically different from who they are offline, this is not typically the case. So, the practice of mimesis (i.e., observation and mimicry) can be used in the online world.

For instance, reading an article posted by an author and then reading his/her analysis of the article – like on a blog or Facebook – is not very different from studying under a master at a school of philosophy in the ancient world. When Socrates, Plato, or Aristotle would teach their students, they would discuss an ancient story or idea and then give their opinion, or discerning wisdom, regarding said knowledge. The students would observe and, ultimately, mimic in accordance with the pattern of mimesis. In other words, following the “great masters” of the modern world on their social media profiles can be just as fruitful as traveling many miles to attend a renowned school of philosophy or academy of art in the ancient world.

Regarding art, using visual platforms like Pinterest, Flickr, Instagram, or Tumblr as a place to discuss or analyze art and other images could be akin to following a master artist around during the Renaissance and listening to his critiques of the art around him. Blogs, too, can serve in both these areas: written and visual art.

Today, the people you follow in social media don’t have to be famous, either. This can provide an even more intimate and personal mentorship than following someone outside of your close social circle. The person need only be someone which you look up and want to learn from. By seeking mentorship within your own community, discussion online, and offline, can be one-on-one and relate to specific issues within your life. Mentorship, a practice which requires both mimesis and conversation, can be rekindled. It can be rekindled, first, by observing and mimicking those worthy of admiration and, second, by conversing with such people. Social media promotes following and conversing. Many sites have platforms encouraging both. The best of these are Facebook, Twitter, and blogs. The others are either more geared towards following or conversation – one or the other.

Mentorship: requiring both mimesis and conversation.

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QR Code Steers Users Wrong

“It’s just a square, but it takes me to

websites, photos, messages, and even

contact cards – it’s like a genie in a bottle

for advertising!” exclaimed my friend,

Sarah, as she sat in awe of the webpage

loading on her iPhone. She had just finished

her first encounter with the joys of Quick

Recognition (QR) code software. A quick

scan of a computer-generated, two-

dimensional square code and then, “Voila!”

new content displays on one’s mobile

device!

By implementing these small squares in ad

campaigns, companies can communicate

practically unlimited amounts of

information. Even the common man, not

just techies of the cyber world, can create

and use QR codes to expand the

information conveyed through their

business cards. Why, then is such a simple

tool taking time to catch on with the

general public?

QR codes offer major flexibility, but such

freedom encourages people to forget the

logical rules of using mobile-devices. Smart-

phones and tablets simply don’t play nice

with “non-mobile-friendly” websites. But,

people who generate QR codes often forget

about this little war between web and

mobile technology. Whether slightly

computer literate or a computer-code

expert, people handling advertisements are

often guilty of this multi-media

One word: misuse.

It is easiest to forget about the tech war

when adding a QR code to business cards,

which never have enough space to share

information. Two of my business associates,

Charis and Peter, use QR codes on their

business cards to take care of that “never-

enough-space” problem.

Charis is a tech-savvy graphic designer who

has her QR code linked to a mobile-friendly

site that displays her portfolio. Peter,

however, is an independent artist who has

linked his QR code to a website that is not

mobile-friendly and requires Flash. The Flash

requirement alone leaves all iPad, iPhone,

and iPod Touch users unable to access Peter’s

work. Ironically, Peter, an iPhone user,

cannot access his own work.

This issue plagues not only the common man,

but also big businesses. I was waiting in line

at a chain restaurant recently and scanned a

QR code which was printed on one of their

hanging banners. However, the QR code led

me to content that was not

mobile-friendly – the

restaurant’s YouTube

channel.

Did I have time to view a five-minute video

while waiting in line for my food? No, and

neither does anyone else. This kind of

situation shows that even big business

developers do not always carefully consider

the context, which in this case was a busy

restaurant with time constraints connected

to viewing experiences.

The technological issue, not linking to a

mobile-friendly site, is simple to fix. This is

not the death of QR codes.

AUTHOR: HANNAH MOYERS

The death comes when developers and

independent businessmen alike, fail to consider

context – like we see with the restaurant chain.

A more useful approach for the chain might have

been to direct QR users to a “Deal of the Day”

site or to a simple, informational page regarding

advertised bakery items. However, the

developer’s attempt to milk the QR code for all it

is worth violated the KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid)

principle.

Meanwhile, the average Joe might use a QR code

on his business card to repeat the same

information on his business card or redirect you

to his LinkedIn page, which is not mobile-friendly.

Always be sure to consider the context. Use the

QR code to communicate information with sleek

presentation (i.e., a mobile-friendly site) that

users might not find on their own. The best of

these often redirect viewers, not only to a simple

one-page site, but to a website which showcases

one’s work and then links the viewer to other

sites which also further one’s cause.

Hopefully, this new “genie in a bottle for

advertising” will catch on as people learn the

rules which govern it. Of course, part of the

reason has less to do with learning the rules and

more to do with the fact that not everyone has

smart-phones and other mobile devices which

can access QR codes. But, as new technology

makes outdated hardware obsolete, QR codes

might possibly become the new standard for

communication.

The simple fix for effective QR codes asks four questions:

Will the viewer be interested in the information provided?

Will the viewer have time and be in the proper environment to appreciate this information?

Is it direct and to the point? (Remember KISS)

Is everything linked to the QR code properly formatted to be mobile-friendly?

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