BLOG
Introduction
Ever since last month I have been thinking about this. When I was home in Milwaukee I felt it strongly and started this post. Now after being back in San Francisco for several weeks, I feel it much more strongly.
Last month, I overheard someone talking about the idea when I myself was at a medical facility in Milwaukee, helping my mother to get her blood drawn. They mentioned it was a space like airports, hotels, hospitals and similar facilities that are designed to be neutral and somewhat non-descript. Places people just pass through as they're going somewhere else.
It goes with the times, too. Between seasons. Between the fullness of Summer and the dormancy of Winter. November is peak Fall. Back in SF - besides the time change - there aren't too many changing colors or leaves. It is raining more and getting darker earlier. I've found myself waking up before dawn awaiting sunrise like nothing else. Then basking in it as long as my windows and the orientation of my apartment will allow. It's in such short supply that it fuels me like air, food or water these days.
Instead, it's hitting me more existentially now. Time is passing. I'm back in my zone, reconnecting.
For the past 25+ years, Persone Design has called San Francisco home. The city is a diverse melting pot of cultures and influences.
1. San Francisco
The city by the Bay has been my home and professional base for over 25 years. It's where my consultancy actually took shape, formed roots and grew into the shape it's in now. It has been the stage for everything including life, love, friendship, adventure, celebration and loss. The full gamut.
This is where I moved after leaving my agency job in New York City right as the dot-com market bust occured in the early 2000s. I started consulting and working for anyone and everyone. Over my tenure here I've worked with over 100 businesses in varying capacities. (for more on this see our Studio > History page). We had our studio in the Mission District for over 10 years, serving businesses and entrepreneurs alike. It has been a lesson in survival and business fundamentals.
1) The Activspace building where we had our studio for over 10 years. 2) The view of Twin Peaks from our former Activspace studio 403. 3) An integrated audio visual system running Ableton Live and Resolume Arena for visuals, testing the setup in our former studio and before an Art meets Tech show at Draper University.
What does San Francisco represent to me now? Creativity. Freedom. Independence. Autonomy. Growth. Learning. Technology. Business. Innovation.
However, does it feels like "home?" I'm still renting. My place is small and not cheap. I do have a phenomenal view and love my terrace garden overlooking the city and Bay. Lots of people come and go, like the dynamic, but always shifting clouds, wind and sun. While driven and talented, people here can be so overworked and absorbed in themselves, their lives and jobs that even with best friends it can take six months or more between hangouts.
My family has lived in this house in Shorewood for over 50 years.
2. Milwaukee
Home sweet home. More and more as I go back, I am struck by the beauty and tranquility of Milwaukee's North Shore. It's so picturesque with the vibrant seasons, large deciduous trees, exotic birds and abundant nature. The lake, while much smaller than the ocean in SF, still offers endless vistas of waves and sky.
There's even a fantastic coffee shop closer to my house there than to my apartment in SF, which – being on a hill - makes it great for views, but less conducive to easy neighborhood access.
Also, my Mom still lives there now. She's lived there for my whole life. But, a few years ago my Dad passed and she's been continuing to live there alone. Now, since just recently, I'm much more concerned about her health and safety considering a recent fall she had that led to a hospitalization. She's recovering, but still, getting on in years. I've experienced the death of my ex's two parents and now having lost my Dad, my Mom's continued presence here has become so much more important and in focus tor me. I want to make sure she is safe, happy and not forgotten about in the last years of her life. She has given – and still gives – so much to the world as well as to me personally. If you're reading now Mom, "Hi! I love you!" 🙋🏻❤️
