I’m on my way home from the slums of Nairobi, Kenya after working on our second documentary film. I’m exhausted, and my head is continually spinning. To put it simply, as with every Africa trip so far, I will not be the same. I was hoping to post every day while there, but with limited web access and two great writers, Bob Davidson and author Kelsey Timmerman on the trip, I decided to simply photo blog (via Facebook) and spend the majority of my time trying to run the crew as best as possible and fully soak in the experience.

It’s hard to explain or express what an experience this trip to Africa has been. Filming a documentary in the slums is bound to change you, but I was not expecting this. I had been to Kibera (Africa’s 2nd largest slum) and Mathare (Nairobi’s oldest) before, but not up close and personal.

We spent seven straight days trying to get to know the slum residents, seeing what they see, walking, touching and smelling their environment. The location was different than our last documentary project (This is My Home), but sadly many of the same issues exist, all of which are simply not right. Dangerous living structures, no roads, unhealthy water, no sanitation, no waste removal, lack of education, no health care, crime, fear, HIV/AIDS, loss of hope, and the vulnerability of children to simply name a few. It was a rare day when you didn’t turn your face to cry for a few minutes.

The issues of the slums are so complex – government corruption, health concerns, religious culture, commerce, structural issues, etc… And the fact of the matter is that us Westerners tend to think we actually live in an Extreme Home Makeover world. If we build this, or fund that project, all things get fixed and fall in place. But that way of thinking is simply not accurate, and it inevitably continues to add to the issues. The reality is that we need to help battle the biggest monster of all: generations of slum residents with mindset that slum life and its living conditions are acceptable. But, hopelessness cannot be an option.

However, it was a feeling that continued to surface wherever we went. Mathare Valley (a section of the Mathare slum) is without question the worst place I have ever been. With a contaminated river, treacherous pathways, raw sewage, horrible living conditions, and water not safe to drink – it’s simply an awful place to try to survive.

I will be sharing more stories and details related to the slums leading up to our documentary premiere (this Fall); however, I will leave you with a few facts, thoughts, and stories from this week: Read the rest of the entry >

Interview 20 is with creative pal Von Glitschka. I met Von a couple years ago at the Boston HOW Conference while having lunch with mutual buddy Scott Hull. We soon found lots of things in common and I have enjoyed getting to know Von, watching his work, and cracking up at his blog posts and tweets. I respect him as a person, treasure our friendship, and love that his work and illustration is inspiring. In fact, we are going on an adventure soon by working together on a documentary for Life In Abundance in the slums of Kenya, but that is a post for another day. Until then, enjoy getting to know The Vonster™.

1: Where are you Vonster?
Most often you can find me hovering some where in between slightly abnormal and creative lunacy. Most commonly referred to as Oregon geographically.

2: When did you know what an illustrator was?
I suppose I should clarify that I think of myself as a designer first and an illustrator second. The vast majority of what I do illustratively is in the greater context of a design oriented project. This is why I refer to myself as an “Illustrative Designer.” I leverage both skill sets in nearly every project I work on.

But my first inclination of what an illustrator was could loosely be pinpointed around the age of 9 when I first discovered MAD magazine. Understood it clearly when I went to art school in 1986. Never really officially considered myself fitting that category until around 1996. Read the rest of the entry >