Retail Shopping Isn’t Dead…it’s Experiential

On a warm July day, my wife and I decided to take a relaxing trip into New York City and explore some new inspirational spatial designs. Our goal was to buzz around to find retail stores that specialized in making an engaging and innovative shopping experience.

We jumped onto a semi-express New Jersey Transit train destined for NYC Penn Station, a train and subway transportation hub in New York’s famous Chelsea district. Having done a small amount of itinerary planning we felt it best to first head over to the Hudson Yards, the largest private real estate development in the U.S.

Developed as a 28 acre mixed use developmemt with estimated construction costs in the billions, the project compromises of public green space, residential towers, a hotel, office spaces and a mall.

Walking across 32nd Street to the West Side it was difficult to miss the development with its shining glass skyscrapers and the Thomas Heatherwick designed stunning copper clad interactive sculpture Vessel. With over 2,500 steps on 154 interconnecting flights of stairs interwoven into a hive like structure, Vessel is a great way to get exercise while gaining stunning viewing of the City.

Heading into the Shops at the Hudson Yards, a 720,000 sq foot multi-floor mall with Neiman Marcus as the anchor, we were quickly immersed in visual stimulation.

Lighted interactive kiosks were placed throughout the mall as directories to shops, restaurants and transportation. We walked past huge video display walls with stunning visual motion graphics.

Throughout the mall were interactive art display walls of metallic fabrics and rooms for coloring to inspire creativity and user engagement. Cleverly named “Off the Walls” and created by the Culture Corps., the installations are designed in tribute to the areas past, present and future.

Wandering from shop to shop the user interactive kiosks and experiences were everywhere. From the cool techie retail-as-service store B8TA offering well designed displays of speciality products by small unknown manufactures and also offering “Built by B8TA” products.

Heading across town we headed to 5th Avenue and uptown to the Adidas Flagship stadium inspired store. Built as the largest Adidas store worldwide, the design concept hopes to develop brand identity to another generation of customer. With a stadium styled tunnel entrance, locker room style dressing rooms, and multiple floors of apparel, accessories and sneakers there is plenty immersion. Large video walls on multiple floors, stylizing kiosks, stadium seating for game viewing, tracks and field areas to try and experience the sneaker offerings.

Designed with Adidas Checkland Kindleysides and Gensler the store was sustainably designed to mimic old high school gymnasiums with exposed concrete, raw wood bleachers and large stadium lighting. A 360vR experience tells the story of the making of a new sneaker.

Jumping onto a subway headed to Nike Soho we entered the 5 story Broadway and Spring Street store. Large video screens again with Nike commercials were playing amongst racks and shelves of Nike sneakers and apparel. Lit glass display cases showcased specialized models and options.

Escalators took us floor to floor of soccer fields, treadmills and basketball courts to demo products within a real world environment.

Further down Broadway we entered into the huge multi-floored Dolby Sohointeractive store. Currently setup to promote The Lion King film in theaters at the time we decided to explore further. The front room filled with 3 of 4 walls of video screens playing a vibrant waterfall scene.

Walking room to room we experienced more Lion King videos in 360 degrees with Dolby Immersive Atmos Sound.

The 2019 CGI animated film has rich visuals with stunning blacks and high dynamic range.

With lifelike hair, water and animals movement the film is easy to get lost in. The object based Dolby Atmos sound firmly placed the viewer into jungle.

Heading to the lower floor was a DJ in Atmos as well as a screening room. Reviewing films in the screening room allowed for the testing of standard color rendering vs Dolby Cinema color.

Kiosks we’re placed on walls to display the Dolby Atmos headphones sold at a discounted rate on that day.

Leaving New York at sunset we were able to see the brightly lit City. Having for years worked in NYC this relaxed visit was a different experience. Fully immersed in the various stores spatial designs and experiential designs we left the City with a renewed faith in retail and its future experiential existence.

https://medium.com/@mcompetielle/retail-shopping-isnt-dead-it-s-experiential-2cf87587a277?source=friends_link&sk=fd7aa73c47009f4dad57c8efc1eeb992

The Building of a Cult Brand and Following

The terms cult following or cult classic are used frequently to describe innovators of products, brands or companies that have developed a faithful, dedicated and passionate fanbase. These cult innovators unique brand identity builds a loyal fanbase that exhibits brand loyalty by purchasing the companies current and future products while discounting competitors moves in the market.

Companies such as Apple are a prime example of an innovative tech company with a cult following producing luxury tech products and services. With multiple annual announcements on product developments and releases, early adopters lineup outside stores awaiting the opportunity to be one first to showcase the lastest offerings often by creating product unboxing videos, published articles in tech forums and blogs.

Competitors will race to reverse engineer the products in an attempt to develop similar products often purchased by the early majority and late majority.

With the innovators making up 2.5% of the market, early adaptors 13.5%, early majority at 34%, late majority at 34% and the laggards taking up the remaining 16% it’s essential for cult brands products to live the entire lifecycle.

So Why Join the Cult?

The products just work
Product support and updates even after product EOL
High Resale Value
Market Dominance

Cults followings are created by users of great products. Who’s best in action cams? GoPro and why? They work, they work well, they are supported, maintain a resale value and dominate the market.

Need proof ask the likes of Casey Neistat.

Casey is an innovator and a brand influencer. Does that mean you send Casey a product and you’ll receive instant sales? Well yes if your products work. If they don’t…. Not a wise idea.

Enter Lululemon

Cult following? You bet your yoga toned ass. Not a question Lululemon has placed a severe dent into the world of Technical Athletic Clothing. And just to be clear since 2017 in Men’s clothing as well. Marketing to brand influencers like yoga instructors and gym trainers, Lululemon has a cult following that fills a healthy share of the.. wellness/ health/ fitness clothing market. And for men there are active offerings including the Warpstreme active dress pants.

With a high concentration on a quality product and/or service, not discounting products, ensuring the entire product chain from design, marketing, sales and service is of uniform importance brands can obtain cult followings.

Deeply discounted goods, deceptive sales tactics and poor customer service or experiences are the demise of a brand and subsequently the possibility of achieving cult status.

https://medium.com/@mcompetielle/the-building-of-a-cult-brand-and-following-7673818dadee?source=friends_link&sk=dae7b70f395bdc6bc341179e50dafd7e

Freelance as a Maker and Enter the Gig Economy

Why your best talent should be becoming an opportunist

Online retailer shops such as Etsy and Fiver are cool ways to make a buck using your talents and skills. Post your products or talents online and wait for the requests to roll in. Chances are you’ll be working or selling to people you’ve never met, quite possibly nor will you ever. Sort of like a One Hit Wonder (many of my favorite songs and artists fit this bill) often you’ll work for a client once and possibly never again. I feel it’s because you may not have made a personal connect.

I’m not saying Freelancer or Upwork can’t get you repeat business. I’m possibly suggesting it’s doubtful you can easily build a client rapport.

Imagine if we had to go to a job interview daily.

Anxious as we try to put out the best version of ourselves as we are questioned on our talents and abilities. We often know more than the interviewer does about our skill set.

In a time where large corporations are gobbling up startups and market disrupters at an alarming pace the opportunities to enter a workforce of gainful employment, get paid what your worth and achieve long term goals is diminishing.

Mounting college loan debt that is unsecured by an uncertain job market renders the foreseeable future as depressing.

With a compulsory educational system lacking in foresight of our future job market our trajectory is bleak. Removing basic life skills, vocational and hands on electives from most schools, students and young adults are struggling with many of the simplest knowledge or experiences.

Thinking back to my childhood I recall learning mechanical drafting and detailing, how to program a CNC router, culinary class, sewing, photography and film development, wood shop, small engine repair and basic electronics. And this was while I was in high school.

Working around the house on weekends with my dad, summers as an apprentice in the families cabinet shop and working with friends as we souped up our cars, we got dirty and learned to do shit.

Sitting on a bench at a horse farm in New Jersey watching my high school sweetheart practice relentlessly in preparation for the Metal Maclay competition I was approached by the head trainer asking me if I wanted to work on the farm caring for the horses. Having absolutely no knowledge, I agreed and learned quickly how to clean stalls, haying and watering, pick the horses feet, brush them and dress them in tack and blankets.

My experience there taught me the most important life skill ever….Talk to People, Take on Opportunities.

I talked to everyone…. and whom did I meet? A Wall Street broker. And what did she do for me? Introduced me to her computer programmer husband. And what door did that open? Sound engineering, MIDI programming, computer integration, all about Jazz, diversity in communities…. Etc etc. and I was 18.

Naim grew up in Harlem in the 1970’s. Poverty stricken in a declining City he knew he needed to get away. Working as a human billboard for a barber, he was approached by someone asking if he wanted to learn about computers. He was curious and signed up for a programming course and learned computer code.

By the time I met Naim he was living in a large suburban house in Central NJ working as a freelancing consultant for AT&T clocking in a hourly billable rate of over $200 per hour.

Inside the home was a separate wing with Naim’s recording studio which consisted of a live practice/ tracking room and a control room with the mixing console, 16 track reel to reel deck, racks of outboard gear and computers.

Meeting Naim for the first time we instantly connected, he threw me a set of keys, a security code for the studios alarm and a detailed list of instructions on the power up sequence of the studio and it’s gear. I was to start the following evening at 5pm powering up the studio, ushering in the guest musicians and tuning Naim’s guitars.

We would run late into the evening jamming on Soft Jazz tunes Naim played thru his guitars that housed specialized Midi pickups which ran thru a programmed foot switch back to racks of Roland samplers.

High tech for the early 90’s and outer space for an 18 year old kid.

One evening Naim left me a note not to power up the studio and that we were prepping for the following evenings gig in a Jazz club near Newark Airport. He stated it was an African American bar but I’d be alright because “Your with the band”.

I was actually more concerned with my age which the boys in the band sort of chuckled at. I realized later no one really cared.

The next evening I loaded the band truck with racks of gear and Naim and I headed to the club. It was an industrial part of town and the club was hard to recognize from the street.

We loaded in all the gear and I setup the rig as the rest of the band arrived. Big hugs from the guys and a pat on the back from Naim subdued my anxiety.

Crowds of people began to flow into the club, the lights dimmed and Naim and crew climbed onstage. I hung behind the mixing decks assuring a proper mix and prepping for any technical issues.

I began to fall into a trancelike state listening to the band in this dark smoke crowded room.

A gentleman asked me where was my hat as I looked back at him puzzled. He pulled off his cap, threw in a $20 and proceeded to pass it around the club. Minutes later he handed me a pile of cash and said “this is for the band”.

Later that evening as I was packing up gear I mentioned the pile of money that was for the band to Naim. He divvied up the cash and divided it evenly and handed me an equal share. I was puzzled and said “Naim that’s for the band” in which he responded “you are the band my Brother”.

To this day the story brings a tear to my eyes about my opportunity and subsequent acceptance.

Years later I still think back to that experience and how I’ve always taken every gig that came my way.

Throughout my years I’ve built stores, high end residences, galleries and hotels. I’ve detailed shop drawings for Millwork shops and steel fabricators. I’ve installed just about every material imaginable and I’m never afraid to jump in and help. I’ve finished concrete on huge pours by operating the bull float and hydrostatic trowel machines.

I’ve worked on farms, designed custom interiors, build custom millwork in a cabinet shop I owned. I’ve build monster trucks and SCCA racing cars. Worked in an aftermarket Porsche shop and I’ve made donuts, pastries and bread. I’ve delivered wedding cakes and newspapers. I’ve worked on and made corporate videos, short films, web series and feature films.

I’ve hedged economic downturns building decks in freezing temperates in January and February. I’ve shoveled snow, repaired vintage synthesizers, built recording studios, restored massive factory buildings, build polished concrete countertops. Fabricated and installed stainless steel kitchen cabinets.

I’ve done structured wiring, stage wiring and live sound gigs. Soon I’ll publish my first book and start filming my own feature length documentary. I’ve worked in biker bars as a bouncer and loaded tractor trailers with electronics.

Most of these gigs have lead me to more. Most of these gigs have built my confidence that I can do just about anything. I’m always looking for new opportunities to expand my horizons, make a few bucks and meet some new people.

Freelancers often feel trapped in there own world often working in solitude. It could be that person next to you on line in Starbucks or on a park bench in Central Park.

Talk to people and take on new rolls and experiences. Help load in at a trade show or become a brand ambassador for a startup brand. Learn to become a barista or frame pictures.

Freelancing as a maker helps build your network of clients, expands your available talents and excites your creativity.

Trending in incubator spaces, co-working and maker spaces allows freelancers and makers abilities to obtain access to office space, filming locations, shop space with tools and equipment and retail space.

https://medium.com/@mcompetielle/freelance-as-a-maker-and-enter-the-gig-economy-af3f0c7836cd?source=friends_link&sk=5434fd55c819bd8b8e1eacafbb20eabf

Develop Your Brand to Sell Itself For Life

Recently I found myself in need of a new computer. Actually it wasn’t for me but my wife who recently acquired her real estate license and is a dual career sales agent with Weichert.

Mobility was important, access to listings while on the road, databases, contact forms were some of the primary computer requirements. Graphics and CPU were of some importance as some listing include virtual tours.

We decided on a base model 15” MacBook Pro which costs around $2,399. Walking into the Apple store we were greeted by a friendly sale associate that asked if we needed any assistance. We told him our interests in the MacBook which he responded with a basic question of who the computer was for. Responding that it was indeed for my wife he questioned what were her plans for the computer. We responded with our primary list of thoughts and amazingly the sales associate told us “you can get buy with an iPad and save a ton of money”.

Huh? Yes of course we could however a lack of keyboard, ports to install additional displays or thumb drives made it a no go. We then discussed the MacBook Air coming in at around $1k, we again explained we appreciated the MacBook Pro’s additional GPU, processing power and display size.

He seemed satisfied that we were certain of what we wanted and he began to ring us up. We chatted a bit a he explained he only wanted us to be happy with our purchase acknowledging it was a large purchase. I reassured him that this our 5th MacBook Pro purchase in the last 4 years he seemed to be convinced we knew what we were doing.

I started to think of the reasons why the computer had sold itself to us and reasons were as follows:

Ease of use, interfacing we peripherals is a breeze
Apples post track record on updates, service and product life expectancy
General lack of Windows based system issues such as viruses,drivers and costly OS upgrades

Our Apple purchases have been G3, G4, eMac, G5, iMac, MacBook Pro’s, AirPort Extreme, iPods, iPads, AppleTv’s, software such as Logic Pro, Shake, Aperture and most importantly Apple Stock.

For over 15 years I’ve been running on Mac’s starting with a used G3.

With a strong connection at the time to the creative sector Mac was a no brainer as I was into audio recording. Hooking up Midi peripherals and integrating into my then current Cubase was simple. At that point I was sold and with every new purchase, I’m sold again.

Mac computers are definitely not a “buy it for life product” but they are a buy it for life company.

Looking around our home I see similar Brands we follow. Both of my children have large Nike collections, I buy Avid, Sennheiser, RME, JBL, Merrell, Kuhl, Orvis and my wife loves Coach and Vitamix.

Working as a Brand Designer for a startup events business, I’m studying the brands and products we buy and attempt to analyze each product, experience and attraction.

Understanding some products sell themselves based on the “cool factor” I’m studying user experience, product design and repeat business.

This article was written on my MacBook Pro, wearing my Orvis shirt in my Kuhl Silencer pants while barefoot.

https://medium.com/@mcompetielle/develop-your-brand-to-sell-itself-for-life-7c8080144879?source=friends_link&sk=a463ec7f813ac38fd50d8e3fa01ce8ec

Near Distant Goals and How to Achieve Them

Envisioning an Ideal Future

A little over a year ago I was lucky enough to take a mindfulness course created by Google called SIYLI. Developed by a team of experts to integrate mindfulness, emotional intelligence and neuroscience the course has been used within Google as well as globally by governments, corporations and non-profits.

In a small lecture room environment seated in office chairs positioned into a semicircle my coworkers and I began the coursework. After a brief explanation of the core principals of SIYLI we were told to obtain a comfortable seated position and began deep breathing exercises while focusing intently on the breath.

Meditation

Slowly breathing in I felt a rush of oxygen fueled breath into my lungs with a tingling euphoric feeling. Holding my breath slightly I focused on my breath as I slowly exhaled. Again I slowly took in another controlled deep breath settling on full concentration as I felt the rush. Again exhaling with full focus and control I began to feel calmness and control.

While maintaining my controlled breathing exercises my mind clear and centered. Uncertain if I was falling asleep or entering into a transformative state, my stress and racing mind slowly subsided.

A metallic ring of a small brass bell broke our concentration as we were asked to regain focus with the instructor and explain our response to the meditation exercise. It seemed unanimous across the class that this exercise heightened levels of focus and clarity.

Journaling

We then began a method of meditation called journaling. Opening to a blank sheet of paper in a notebook we were guided to begin journaling our thoughts in a 5 minute timed exercise. Our writing was to be based on how we felt at that moment in a mindful honest written form. It was promised that these writing wouldn’t be read by anyone. Our instructor range the bell and we laid down our pens.

He asked us to reread what we wrote and asked how we felt after the 5 minutes writing. It was an enlightening experience as I learned how I was feeling personally after an extremely stressful year.

Ideal Future

Our next exercise was an honesty writing exercise where you wrote about our ideal future. It was another timed writing practice in which we had 5 minutes. I saw my Dream Future unfolding in written form materializing before my eyes. Immersed in my narrative the bing of the bell stopped my writing.

Completely amazed at what I had written down I was very proud. Imagine that future. The instructor broke us up into groups and told us we needed to tell people about our Ideal Future.

Telling people about your plans so they can materialize

Exchanging our ideal future ideas was relieving. As we discussed our future plans it became a bit more real.

Our instructor explained as you discuss with people about your future ideals situations start to become reality. The response of people with help and resource creates opportunities to let aspects of your Ideal Future become reality.

Everyday I’m working towards my future ideal, writing daily articles, brainstorming ideas for a new startup venture, editing feature films and some web series. New options are constantly moving me closer to my ideals.

https://medium.com/@mcompetielle/near-distant-goals-and-how-to-achieve-them-138c70440230?source=friends_link&sk=b537b7f42302cfdd9ba198f3f530cbb7

Forest Therapy And My Quest For A Quiet Place

The Japanese practice of Forest Therapy is called Shinrin-Yoku which means “taking in the forests atmosphere.” Quite simply the process is to just head into the forest and that’s about it. Well that’s sort of a generalization of the actual philosophy where you can shed stress and anxiety by spending time with nature by trekking through the woods, engrossing yourself in the silent ecosystem.

Forest Therapy or Forest Bathing is used to embrace nature and to enhance wellness and happiness. Heading into a forest and focusing on being present in the silence while engaging in deep breathing, recognizing smells and sounds can be healthy and therapeutic.

A few years ago as I was researching field recording I stumbled onto a sound course offered through Princeton University called Space and Place. I messaged the Professor to see if I could audit the course although the semester was winding down and his Princeton Arts Fellow nearing an end he was kind enough to share with me the syllabus.

I quickly purchased every book mentioned in the syllabus and proceeded to read every referenced website and article. One particularly interesting piece was on Chris Watson of the 80’s Industrial/Post Punk band Cabaret Voltaire who had since entered into wildlife field recording. Upon reading an articleon his techniques, I realized he and I had similarities in equipment I decided to try some forest field recordings.

As I began to repurpose my film audio-recording equipment and expand my collection of specialty field recording gear with some new purchases I headed off into the woods. Wearing my Kuhl Silencer pants, Merrell hiking boots, Tilley and sound recording gear I headed into the forest. Uncertain of what my expectations actually were and primarily hoping for a clean, noise free forest ambience recording I found a quiet remote location and grabbed a seat on a rock under a dense canopy of trees.

Putting on my headphones and hitting record I silently listened to the sounds of the forest. With a cool summer breeze calmly making the forests vegetation dance like a ballerina and strained to listen for the sound of the forests wildlife. What I heard while focusing was the distant sound of the outside world. Planes, lawnmowers and the distant highway spoiled my recordings.

Calmly I continued to record hoping the noise pollution would stop. The distant persistent noise droned on however as an hour had passed however I was feeling focused, calm and relaxed. The experience, alone in the forest was meditative as I was focused on my environment fully mindful and present.

My recording was essentially trash, ruined by the environmental noise pollution of the suburban forest. I Googled “field recording quiet places” in a feeble attempt to find a quiet place to record nearby my Princeton area home.

“SILENCE IS NOT THE ABSENCE OF SOMETHING,

BUT THE PRESENCE OF EVERYTHING.”

-Gordon Hempton, Founder

One Square Inch of Silence

My research lead me to the Audio Ecologist Gordon Hempton know for his nature recordings on 6 different continents while on an endless quest searching for One Square Inch of Silence.

In 2005 Gordon Hempton while recording in the Hoh Rainforest in Washington’s Olympic National Park, one of the quietest places in the world, he placed a rock on a log claiming it to be One Square Inch of Silence. Hempton defines silence as lacking in human created noise pollution.

For years Hempton has monitored his One Square Inch of Silence often having to inform noise polluters of there noise pollution and writing the offenders letters along with recordings hoping to obtain their support in creating less pollution.

Gordon’s One Square Inch website deeper explains the environmental concerns and educates in an attempt to raise awareness and maintain the silence.

While I have yet to visit Hoh Rainforest or find any location free of noise pollution, my forest therapy continues.

With today being the first day of fall the colorful foliage is about to change. I visualize the sounds of leaves falling and the crunching sound as I walk to a suitable recording spot. Hoping to immerse myself mindfully in the forests serenity.The Startup

https://medium.com/swlh/forest-therapy-and-my-quest-for-a-quiet-place-1c4804eb05f2?source=friends_link&sk=1fe5da5775f23a27e6674dd7bbfb8384

Your Cow’s Shit is Polluting Our Oceans

On the average, a dairy cow produces 82 pounds of manure per day per 1000 pounds liveweight
Source: Illinois Livestock Trail

Dairy cattle each weigh on the average 1,500 pounds while fluctuating between 1,000–2,000 pounds. According to Compassion in World Farming, the dairy cattle population is 264 million dairy cows worldwide. That equals approximately 32,472,000,000 pounds of smelly dairy cow shit. That’s 32 billion pounds of fecal matter daily which the farming industry loves to call cow manure. Only issue is this over abundance of cow dung has many of the World’s Nations recognizing that this excess is actually a toxic waste. Yummy.

We are only talking the Dairy Cattle Industry for all of you Milk Does a Body Good believers. We are only talking about Dairy cows here as the world’s entire cattle population is 1.468 billion head of cattle. Beef cattle create a bit less at around 65lbs of cow patties per 1,000 pounds of cow daily. Feel free to do the math yourself however and recognize that’s a lot of zeros. And a lot of steamy shit.

So what to do with all the shit?

Let’s re-feed it to the animals. An actual nasty process is to feed animals the dried up cow shit. Sounds delicious doesn’t it.

While much of the shit is resold as manure to be spread in fields as fertilizers, much of a farms shit piles windup in our waterways from manure runoff from these farms.

With cow patties having high nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium levels this excess of nutrients from the manure runoff enters our waterways which create Dead Zones commonly called Hypoxia which is basically a reduction in the waters oxygen levels. The oxygen depleted waters kill off most life including fish and can increase algae levels.

The United States largest Hypoxic Zone is in the Gulf of Mexico and is the second largest hypoxic zone in the world. With nutrient rich cow shit entering into the Mississippi River that dumps into the Gulf, the hypoxic zone has grown in size depleting oxygen levels.

As the Dairy and Cattle industries continue to expand cutting down rainforests and other natural habitats, this has created an unsustainable imbalance. Many species of animals, bugs and flora are being wiped out for factory farming and specifically the Dairy Industry.

Beef cattle is already well documented on its inefficiency based on the incredible amounts of feed and water required to produce just one pound of beef, however there are large segments of the World’s population that feel that “dairy cows” are a healthy source of protein and nutrients while being sustainable. None of which in reality is true.

The factory farming “Dairy Cow” is a systemwide Envirnomental issue killing off large quantities of the world’s animal species. While the USDA has been fueling the Big White Lie for generations now.

With a large percentage of our population being Lactose intolerant, we have begun marketing Lactose free milks and cheeses that are still made from….Lactose.

If your Lactose intolerant here’s a novel idea….stop consuming Cow’s Breastmilk dumbass. With the increase in plant based milks on the rise try to substitute with somewhat more sustainable and absolutely more emotionally intelligent plant based milks.

In my best Bubba Gump voice….”we got Oat Milk, Hemp Milk, Soy Milk, Almond Milk, Cashew Milk, Macadamia Milk, Coconut Milk, Flaxseed Milk, Barley Milk”….. and the list goes on.

But for fucks sake stop drinking cows breastmilk and stop wrecking my favorite beaches.

https://medium.com/@mcompetielle/your-cows-shit-is-polluting-our-oceans-2a1e4821d6db?source=friends_link&sk=61c99cbd92fea416ad041178aca76c3e

Why I Became Vegan

My empathy for animals and issues with modern farmings environmental impact and sustainability.

Photo by Michael Competielle

One summer Saturday my wife and I found ourselves in Upstate New York and decided to stop at Chuang Yen Monastery in Carmel known for the largest Buddha statue in the Western Hemisphere. With serene peaceful rolling hilly landscape with a large Temple and various outbuildings the monasteries property is perfect for meditation and escaping life’s complexities.

Weekends the Monastery serves a vegetarian lunch for a nominal donation. At the time of our visit we were still on a pescatarian diet so we knew that days vegetarian offerings would work within our existing diet. With denoted vegetarian foods cooked and served by volunteers the lunch was sure to be tasty and it did hit the spot. Our plates were lovingly filled with rice and fresh steamed vegetables and the rooms general silence was humbling.

Thinking of food entirely as natures resource and less like a commodity was a contemplated rule. Therefore by prioritizing the foods quality and less about quantity and recognizing the foods offerings would be for nutritional and medicinal purpose as part of your personal requirements was the philosophy. Your positive attitude and respect for nature and it’s resources prepared you for your food. As we ate we noticed most of the visitors were intently immersed in the meal they were eating and there was limited talking as I believe the visitors were expressing respect for the food and the volunteers for creating it.

As we finished our meal and walked around the grounds we felt a bit more mindful and at peace as we respectfully moved throughout the Temple and prayer gardens. A connection with the Buddhist philosophy and being one with nature was apparent that day.

Buddha’s teaching allowed monks to consume some meats and fish being vegetarian was not a requirement however the practice is implied. The point of reference is my experience of serene Monastery and vegetarian meal felt natural and harmonious to me.

An egg farmer friend of mine spent many hours of many days explaining to me natural farming. Having some cows, pigs and a lot of chickens his farm specializes in meats and predominantly eggs. With hundreds of Happy Chickens he makes Happy Chicken Eggs. His dedication to the craft of natural farming and sustainable process is absolutely extended directly to the products he produces that are of superior quality.

I predominately learned the complexities and risks associated with being a natural farmer, from the costs of feed and work involved to maintain a free range farm, the practice is challenging. By mostly selling direct to consumers and fending off the market ruining wholesalers my farmer friend is motived by passion and integrity. He works incredible amounts of hours nurturing his animals and respectfully selling his products.

One afternoon I went on a field trip with my farmer friend to visit a Halal Meat Market. The owner was interested in purchasing chicken feed from my friends farm as well as advice on the proper slaughter technique. My farmer friend explained the watering, feeding and slaughtering process to my market owner as I listened intently.

My farmer friend asked the market owner for a chicken to use as the example and the owner handed my friend a chicken. I watched as he respectfully petted the live chicken to calm her and then he slide her head first down into a stainless steel funnel. A sharp knife was used to cut the chickens throat while ensuring you didn’t cut the windpipe so the chicken can continue breathing as see bleeds out filling a trough below with blood.

Ironically the chicken remained reasonably calm as she took her final breaths. The chicken was removed from the killing cone and placed into a vat of hot water called a scalder which scalds the chickens flesh to simplified the feather removal. The chicken is then placed into a chicken plucker which is essentially a cylindrical vat with rubber prints and a beater that whips the chicken around removing the feathers.

As I looked at the then bald and motionless chicken I began to feel sadness. This chickens life was ended before me soon to become someone’s meal. The entire slaughterhouse sequence was understandable however I began to ask myself why?

I began to research the source of our food and gain an understanding of modern farming practices. I’d ask my farmer friend hundreds of questions after I watched documentaries such as Food, Inc., Cowspiracy and Forks Over Knives. Learning more about the techniques used to produce uniform products while maximizing yields and profits became apparent. My research was showing a different farming practice than I had witnessed at my friends egg farm or the dairy farm I helped work on during one summer.

When I was a child I’d spend summer weeks with my grandparents. They both had immigrated from Austria and had lived during the tumultuous times of World War II in Europe. With good hardworking values and an appreciation for quality we would spend the entire Saturday grocery shopping.

My grandfather and I would head out together grabbing fresh produce from a local farm stand as we headed into downtown Clifton and start with the live poultry market. My grandfather would let me choose the chicken I liked and then we would head across the street to the pork store where we would pick up cold cuts and pork chops. We would stop into the cheese store for fresh butter, milk and cheeses and fill the cooler he kept in the truck of the car.

Finally we would stop back into the chicken store and take our eggs and freshly slaughtered chicken still warm and wrapped in brown waxed paper.

Our final destination would be the bakery to purchase fresh bread, baked goods and cookies. My grandfather would lift me up to the counter to grab a paper number while we awaited our turn. I would often get to pick a cookie or a cream puff as a treat for being patient. The chomping noise of the bread-slicer cutting up my grandmothers rye bread usually was the signifier we were almost done.

We would head home and my grandmother would make up fresh cold cut sandwiches from the freshly baked kaiser rolls. Our treat for eating all of our lunch was some freshly baked cookies and pastry.

Years later I think back at this early style of shopping as we headed from specialty store to specialty store. Everything we purchased coming directly from a farmer, butcher or baker was fresh and perishable. My grandmother planned her weeks meals around the freshness of the food and had a system I’m sure she picked up in Austria.

The food store we used to purchase paper towels, dish detergent and tin foil as she would express to me “Michael that’s junk” as I’d question why we didn’t purchase our food there. In the defense of modern food stores, the food stores of the 70’s and 80’s were exactly that….Junk.

When I’d ask my mother why my grandparents shopped in such an odd way, she would tell me that’s how it was in the old country. My grandparents grew up on farms where you raised your cows, chickens and pigs for your own food. You grew fresh vegetables and only purchased the few items you couldn’t produce. This manner of shopping was the closest my grandparents could do replicate that life.

She also told me she struggled to forgive her grandfather who had her pick a pet pig only months later slaughter it for food. My mother refused to eat it.

Only years later did I make the connection to the chicken I had chosen in the live poultry market was the dinner I was eating. I’m uncertain why I didn’t make the connection but I can only believe it was to avoid the unthinkable. Armed with years of experiences and knowledge while finding much of the modern farming practices while feeling empathetic to slaughtering animals for food has led me to living a Vegan life.

This article is an outline to future articles on Buddhism, Veganism, sustainability and environmental concerns.

https://medium.com/@mcompetielle/why-i-became-vegan-8df9159e40a2?source=friends_link&sk=c1a623b41b6fe0214811fd9e757102bc

Developing a Creative Writing Flow

In the past few months I’ve made a conscious effort to reengage my minds creative thought process. I’ve developed some interesting yearend goals and try my best to keep on track. Unlike the gym membership that I hardly use or the book I may buy in an often feeble attempt to force myself to follow through and finish reading it, my new found creative outlet has been writing. And as of late “Flow” just sort of happens as topics and ideas appear in my mind and like a group of eager schoolchildren volunteering for a fun task those ideas jump up waving their hands saying “oh pick me pick me.”

As a fun challenge to my daily routine and a fusing of creative expressiveness I’ve decided to write 100 blog articles accompanied with original photography. For now I’m sticking with basic first person narrative accounts of a culmination of thoughts and concepts that will hopefully lead me down a path of a more enriching and mindful existence.

Earlier this year I felt like I was stuck in a rut as my mind was struggling to find a more immersive path. At the time I was expanding my foray into environmental field recording hoping to find a quiet location to record within an unadulterated natural habitat. With future plans to head out on a jungle expedition I decided to start locally at a nature preserve to test my equipment, clothing and technique.

The experience was enriching yet frustrating as I quickly experienced what is notably a systemic natural issue… noise pollution. Lawn mowers, cars, planes and people making substantial amounts of ruckus that essentially spoiled my field recordings.

As a side note I’ve recorded audio in various formats for over 30 years and noise has always been an issue. So much so I’ve found myself often recording and coveting noise (if I can record the noise cleanly and without additional pollutants.)

As my wife and I hiked through the muddy game preserve seeking a quiet place to record we examined the stunning landscape of forest and meadows and stumbled upon an interactive kiosk in a field. A clever weathered wooden structure with blocks of carved wood suspended on rods. Each block a unique word carved into each long side to allow a passerby to write a Haiku in a meadow. I was so inspired by the design and unique concept I thought to create my own similar designs for my own yard.

Inspired by the meadow Haiku and feeling creative I began researching Haiku and stumbled upon Courtney Symons 100 Days of Haiku article and the challenge was on. Armed with limited knowledge of Haiku and knowing I would never last 100 days I looked for a writing partner. Having someone to bounce ideas and concepts off of as well as encourage you to keep going we collectively completed 100 Haiku each placed onto 100 original photographs.

My perspective of daily activities changed as I challenged myself daily to find an inspiring and fitting photograph in which I would create an original haiku. After 100 days and lucky to have traveled and photographed New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida and Boston and using older photographs I had taken in Pittsburgh and Costa Rica I had what I believed to be the an engaging collection of original Haiku I’m planning to self publish into a coffee table photography book. The project subsequently the foundation behind the 100 days of blogging/ articles based on Seth Godin’s- Make Something Everyday podcast.

Being a Libra my life is all about balance which I juggle with on a daily basis. of foremost importance is making my wife’s morning breakfast with an Almond Milk Latte, followed by spending quality time walking my dogs. I attempt to be mindful during these daily activities however as of late I’m burning the toast and forgot to replenish the Dave’s Killer 21 grain bread that we love. Caught up in my creative process the ideas and writings next stop following as my most creative times are doing mindless activities such as washing the dishes.

My day job keeps my brain pumping as I answer hundred’s of technical questions and coordinate the design and execution of a vast amount of projects. Evenings I’m often working on sound design and editing for my production and post production company.

Next week I’ll begin an intense Design Thinking course thru IDEO. My mind is in 100% immersion with creating, designing and executing. Ideas popping into my head and channeled to my future endeavors be it articles, Brand Designs or scripts for Film.

My Mind is constantly in Flow….
Michael Competielle

https://medium.com/@mcompetielle/developing-a-creative-writing-flow-edecb747667d?source=friends_link&sk=5c2dae48a0e06ce439527a544295a6d9

Ew Your Cheese Smells Like Feet

How Removing Dairy From My Diet Changed My Sense of Smell

For most of my life cheese has been an important staple in my diet. Breakfasts often consisted of a smear of cream cheese on a bagel or an egg omelet with melted cheese. For lunch I’d love a sub sandwich with cold cuts and thinly sliced deli cheeses. Swiss, American, Provolone and Fresh Mozzarellas we’re regulars.

Evenings my wife and I would share with our slightly overweight dogs blocks of Champagne Cheddar, Smoked Gouda, Swiss and Colby Jack. For dinner we would have blends of mozzarella, parmigiana and ricotta mixed with pasta. Ravioli, Tortellini and Cavatelli with homemade sauce and sprinkled with Pecorino Romano was a weekly tradition.

Friday nights we would feast on nachos grande sprinkled with a four cheese taco blend or a large Brooklyn pizza pie. Desserts we would treat ourselves to ice cream, gelato and cheesecake.

We ate cheese daily and the chances were slim to none we could ever give up our love of fromage.

It is little over a year ago until I watched and my wife heard from our kitchen a rather disturbing video from Erin Janus on the dairy industry.

Warning:

The content in this video highlights the Dairy industry in a graphic matter and the content is unsettling. Immediately upon watching this film I had vowed to never consciously consume dairy products again. If you love your ice cream or cheese I highly suggest you pass on this video and watch some cheesy feel good videos. You’ve been warned.

Years ago while in my late teens I spent a summer in Otsego County in Upstate New York. With charming villages nestled along the 70 mile long Unadilla River and large expanses of forest the area was a perfect location to just get away. Driving up the old single lane country highways I’d pass dairy farms and cattle farms often populated with hundreds of baby calves chained to small white huts. After only a few short days I began to learn these calves, often males as they were unable to become “dairy cows” were kept in close quarters to keep their meat tender as they would soon become what we know as veal.

Veal is the meat of calves, in contrast to the beef from older cattle. Veal can be produced from a calf of either sex and any breed; however, most veal comes from young males of dairy breeds which are not used for breeding. Generally, veal is more expensive than beef from older cattle.

Wikipedia

Since that time I’ve only once (and only mistakenly) eaten veal. With such harsh living conditions and without any quality of life I refused to make veal a part of my diet.

Upstate NY was a perfect place to pick up the occasional odd job often helping farmers with haying, fence repair or working as a farm hand. Working for slightly more than gas and cigarette money, I’d work a 9 or 10 hour day at various farms. I became friendly with a family of dairy farmers, 3 high school aged boys who’s father had passed away. Afternoons and evenings I’d head on over to help relieve the boys from the 8 days a week job of running a farm.

Armed with my horse farm work experience I helped herd the heifers and female cows across the busy street into the dairy barn. Cleaning stalls, feeding and watering was my specialty as the brothers would proceed with the milking process. Tubing ran inside the barn to the milk room that contained huge stainless steel tanks of freshly pumped raw milk. Every other day the affiliated processor would send trucks to pump out these tanks. An evening treat would be a small cup full of the freshly pumped milk.

For many years I consumed milk based products with pride feeling that the dairy industry was generally wholesome. I’m uncertain at that time if these farms would have been considered organic and free range as I’m doubtful those were everyday terms of those times. I ignorantly assumed dairy cows consistently produced milk in a natural and pure way. It wasn’t until I had watched Erin’s 5 minute video did I learn the truth.

Weening myself off of dairy products wasn’t as difficult as I assumed it would be. For years I was using Almond Milk in my coffee so the challenges would be cheese, butter and cheese.

Oh how I love cheese.

My wife and I quit cheese cold turkey (oh we quit turkey too and all other meats and fish on one fell swoop). Having heard that the non-dairy or Vegan cheeses were quite simply gross, we built a revised diet around rices, beans, grains, fruits and veggies as we boycotted anything remotely similar to meat and dairy products.

Watching scores of YouTube videos and reading hundreds of webpage articles we gradually began to reintroduce and consume Vegan cheeses and pseudo meats. Our first Vegan pizza was simply delicious as we devoured the entire thin crust brick-fired pizza with plant based cheese.

Our son who only occasionally makes the Vegan switch claimed the nondairy cheeses weren’t horrible as he helped us devour vegan pizza. With plant-based diary items gaining a massive growth spurt the availability of ice creams and cheeses has increased.

Walking thru our local high end supermarket we try our best to avoid the cheese aisle. The aged and moldy smell that reminds me of old gym shoes reminds me of the horrors I saw in the above video.

Our collective efforts to remove dairy, meat and fish has been a success as we recently celebrated our one year anniversary being on a plant based diet we look where we stand and feeling complacent about our stance while happy to have made the transition.

Oh and your cheese, it smells.

https://medium.com/@mcompetielle/ew-your-cheese-smells-like-feet-bc0b8d8964c9?source=friends_link&sk=8acd86fe2c26b371fa369e5f22bee6fe