I recently was asked by my friend Charlene to guest post on her blog. So of course, it’s only right of me to ask her to do the same. Besides, she’s been complaining that I never shout her out on my blog anyway, so what the hell, right?
In all honesty, Charlene is a very very good friend of mine. One that I have known for (I’m pretty sure) over 10 years now, making her one of my oldest friends. She’s been incredibly successful in the ad game out in Cleveland, and has been kicking ass over at Twist Creative for a while now. More than that, she’s a true Cleveland chick, through and through, and damn proud of it.
So, what did I want her to impart upon my friends here? Simple. I wanted her to give her take on what it means to stick it out for your city. I see a lot of people around here with little or no faith at all in what this city can provide, where it’s headed, and what it seeks to become. Not all of us may be around to see the city come into its own, but those who do will enjoy something the rest of us were hoping to see. So…with that, I leave you all with the guest post.
Long before LeBron James returned to CLE, before Kevin Love put on a Cavs jersey, before we had Money Manziel, before Michael Symon (the love of my life) was popular or before there was a resurgence of jobs (including those in my industry), I was a Cleveland fanatic…but it took me awhile to see the potential of the city (outside of the hope that one year a sports team would bring me a championship).
I left for college but returned for work – even though I had offers in other cities. And to be completely honest, Chicago was looking better and better even five or six years ago. But for me, it was important to be surrounded by friends and family. Just in the short ten years since I’ve been home, Cleveland has changed.
Ten years ago, I probably wouldn’t have ventured around Downtown Cleveland by myself, lived in the city or had a list of my top five favorite restaurants to take out-of-towners to. I wasn’t spending money in the city the way I was in the ‘burbs. Hell, I wasn’t even working Downtown because, to be honest, jobs were lacking in the city.
That was then though.
Today, Cleveland is a completely different city. I spend more time Downtown and in the “inner ring” than I do in the suburbs (driving more than 10 minutes now makes me anxious). I live in the city, work in the city and entertain in the city. Downtown residences are almost at capacity. We’ve become known as a foodie city thanks to a few fabulous chefs who have given the city national recognition through shows like The Chew, Iron Chef America, The Next Food Network Star and The Great Food Truck Race. We’ve always have had a well-known orchestra but now our arts district has become the spot to be with a number of museums and national recognized artists coming to the city.
Our theater district has continued to drive revenue for the entire city by bringing in Broadway musicals (plus – we are second in sales only to New York City’s theater district). All things I never imagined happening a few years ago.
Working in advertising often means seeing things that aren’t quite there yet for your clients. It could be a big idea that no one has imagined, a new messaging platform that explains your clients’ business in a unique way or artwork that is crafted in a way that brings you home an ADDY Award (our version of the Emmy Award). For some reason, I never took my knowledge of advertising and marketing and applied it to my city.
Now, I see never-ending potential. Whether it’s a city block that is getting a boutique hotel, new entertainment options, restaurants or a new block of condos, I can see what’s not there yet, but will be soon. I see the continual job growth and I get to experience it. I have potential clients calling from outside of Cleveland because they know that Cleveland advertising agencies are strong and growing. We constantly are being looked at for conventions and events (The Gay Games this summer and the Republication National Convention). We have advertising agencies that are winning National ADDY Awards, tv journalists who are front and center on CNN talking about Cleveland growth and companies that are looking to relocate to Cleveland and surrounding areas.
Don’t get me wrong – Cleveland is far from perfect (I mean…The Drive, The Fumble, The Decision…) but I see more and more the possibility of the city.
So don’t lose hope Fort Wayne. It takes time, it takes strong civic leaders and it takes big ideas. You can either sit on the sidelines and complain about what your city doesn’t have, or you can look at what it does have and determine how you can make the best of it. It may not happen in a year, or five or even ten, but if you see the potential in your city, foster that potential by being involved, eventually there’s going to be an upswing and things will change.
I mean, who knows, maybe the Cavs will even bring home an NBA Championship for Cleveland.
You can catch more of Charlene’s writings and musings on her blog Life in the CLE.
Until next time; keep ambition in your heart, logic in your mind, and allow yourself to continue the pursuit.
The Pursuit of Somebodyness 