Here’s what we do

April 20, 2010 in Clever ideas, New launches, Trend | 46 comments


Photo by Banyon1964

This is an open call to designers, writers, photographers, illustrators, art directors and anyone else who is stranded by the ash cloud, and would like something to do.

If there’s one thing my ol’ ma taught me, it’s that when life gives you volcanoes, make magazines. And so we shall.

If you’re out there and interested, email me and tell me what you do. I’ll then give you an assignment to complete today/tomorrow. Depending on how long this thing lasts, we’ll work the rest of it out from there. The copyright will remain yours on anything you produce, I just ask for permission to include it in the currently-untitled ashcloud magazine (working titles include Grounded, SkyFail and Someday We’ll Fly Away.)

If you’d like to be a part of the core creative team who will put together this impromptu publication, let me know as well. The only criterion for any contributor is that, like me, you have to be stuck somewhere unintentionally.

If all goes well, the results will be published, probably via MagCloud and/or the Newspaper Club, and any proceeds sent to a charity that helps mitigate the effects of climate change on human populations. After all, we have to repent somehow.

Who’s in?

If you’d like updates on the magazine, including information about when it comes available, fill in this form:





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UPDATE: Here’s also a short survey for all stranded people, for inclusion in the magazine.

(Please pass this along)

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  2. luisa’s avatar

    luisa on April 20, 2010 at 6:01 am

    we’re a little far from the volcano, but if we can do something, here we are open. We are in southern espana
    regards,
    luisa

  3. John L. Walters’s avatar

    John L. Walters on April 20, 2010 at 7:44 am

    sounds like a great idea – please keep us posted

    (TED organised an impromptu conference, TEDxVolcano, from people stranded in London last Sunday – they talked about making lemonade out of lemons)

  4. jasmine’s avatar

    jasmine on April 20, 2010 at 8:13 am

    Love the idea, hope it comes off, Will look out for the results. Have passed on to some stranded creative buddies

  5. Siamak Adib’s avatar

    Siamak Adib on April 20, 2010 at 8:21 am

    I like that, I’m in London-UK.

  6. Laura Rittenhouse’s avatar

    Laura Rittenhouse on April 20, 2010 at 8:58 am

    I’m not stranded YET. I have 1 1/2 weeks before I fly on to Germany. Please tell me I’ll get on that flight so I’ll be inelligible to contribute. Surely the ash will go someplace else by then. If the worst happens, you may be hearing from me :-}

  7. Tobin’s avatar

    Tobin on April 20, 2010 at 9:05 am

    Sounds great. Love to be included. Philadelphia artist stranded in Camden town London. Let me know what you need

  8. lily mccallin’s avatar

    lily mccallin on April 20, 2010 at 10:07 am

    Hi I’m a jewellery designer from London ‘stranded’ in Korea! I’m interested.
    Lily.

  9. Tom Taylor’s avatar

    Tom Taylor on April 20, 2010 at 12:00 pm

    Hello, I’m from Newspaper Club. What a great idea – let us know if we can help at all!

  11. Tom’s avatar

    Tom on April 20, 2010 at 12:18 pm

    I like it Andrew!
    I made this the Digital Media Minute Pointer of the day: “Event-Driven Media”.

  13. Raines’s avatar

    Raines on April 20, 2010 at 12:47 pm

    Does playing host/tourguide to stuck people count? I have been showing some UK cohousing folks around our equivalent Northern California ‘intentional neghborhoods’.

    If not, i may become part of the oppressed masses shortly if i can’t make it to Amsterdam/Stockholm/Copenphagen/Berlin as planned for early May.

    BTW i checked last night, and PainInTheAsh.com was registered in 2006 but just redirects to an insurance broker.

    I am working on an article on how coworking spaces are helping folks stuck because of the cloud.

  15. Jess’s avatar

    Jess on April 20, 2010 at 2:24 pm

    Writer stranded in Cambridge, England. I’ve missed two flights so far (one from Paris to London and one from London to Toronto, Canada). I’m stuck here till at least Thursday. This idea sounds fantastic. Count me in!

  16. Steven Farmer’s avatar

    Steven Farmer on April 20, 2010 at 2:37 pm

    Interested about hearing from Americans who are stranded in Iceland, and from Icelanders who are stranded in America or Europe.

  17. Alexis Madrigal’s avatar

    Alexis Madrigal on April 20, 2010 at 2:50 pm

    I would point you to Robin Sloan’s http://ashcloudtales.tumblr.com/
    Where many of us have submitted fiction. (@robinsloan)

  18. Patty Tulloch’s avatar

    Patty Tulloch on April 20, 2010 at 2:52 pm

    Great idea Andrew! We are happy to help in anyway we can. We’ve also spread the word for you through our Twitter and Facebook channels!

  19. Mary Sharratt’s avatar

    Mary Sharratt on April 20, 2010 at 3:41 pm

    Wonderful idea, Andrew. I would love to participate. I am an author stranded on booktour in Minnesota, hoping to fly back to my (expat) home in England.

  22. Fanni’s avatar

    Fanni on April 20, 2010 at 5:45 pm

    This sounds like a fab idea! I would love to help out but I am afraid I might not be eligible anymore!?… We were stranded for 4 days… due to fly home to London on Thursday night last week from Rome (on the last day of our honeymoon) but have since managed to take every mode of transport available to man (well except a bicycle) and arrived home late on Sunday via Paris and Dieppe. I have a few photos from our journey. Do let me know if I can be of any help at all with the putting together of the impromptu publication. :) .

    All the best to everyone still trying to get home!

  23. Martin Castellani (www.doylacara.blogspot.com)’s avatar

    Martin Castellani (www.doylacara.blogspot.com) on April 20, 2010 at 6:28 pm

    I´m from Argentina, so I get stucked so many times. Subway, Traffic, Trains.

    If there´s anything to be done, please tell me!

    Best reggards
    Martin Castellani

  26. sarah’s avatar

    sarah on April 21, 2010 at 7:13 am

    I can’t use ‘being stuck’ as a route to being involved in this imaginative project but am a designer, with a huge addiction to magazines & a proactive streak that would love to participate.

    Please let me know of any further projects that I am eligible for. (or this one..)

    Sarah Plant

  27. mariana’s avatar

    mariana on April 21, 2010 at 12:12 pm

    Hi there,
    I am a digital art director, stuck in Madrid. Please contact me, I want to try to help this project, but I couldn´t access your email address,
    Thanks,
    Mariana

  28. Chella Quint’s avatar

    Chella Quint on April 21, 2010 at 12:55 pm

    Awesome idea! My partner Sarah and I write and produce print zines so this is right up our designy-writey-stranded street! We’ve had two NY/Heathrow flights cancelled and can’t leave until our next flight on Sunday (which should be good to go, depending on which way the wind’s blowing).

    To make matters worse, and even more surreal, we were robbed a week ago and had to visit the consulate twice for emergency passports (the same one twice – the first one expired because of the delay!) and we had to cancel cards etc. and spend loads more cash than intended. As a result, though, we’ve managed to find all sorts of interesting free things to do instead.

    Let us know how we can help!

  34. Alison M’s avatar

    Alison M on April 23, 2010 at 9:00 am

    Hi there,
    I’m one of the victimes. It took me 5 hours to get to Moscow and 5 days to get back… I have some tale to tell which apart from train and plane, mishaps also includes visa issues that far exceed the transport trouble… all because of the Volcano.
    A