Three recent eras in the US of great possibility; the New Deal, the Space Age and the Obama Hope years are balm to my distress with the constant deluge of so much ugliness and struggle. As a media person - words and images - my mission is communicating, catching one’s eyes and tickling the mind and tugging the heart. The New Deal era powered a patriotic can-doism; the Space Age (the years when I grew up) was full of wonder at science and technology; and the Obama Hope era, which we are currently still in, (maybe) promises Green technology for a better future for us all. Greener, cleaner, more abundance for the planet as a whole, inclusive.

So, how to appeal these awesome possibilities to an often cynical population? The accomplishments that make all our lives better, more comfortable, cleaner - smart phones, GPS, AI, robotics, renewables etc - we quickly get used to these amazing advancements. It is only human nature to focus on bad news and there’s more than enough of that. Yet, the future will continue to get better and better - if we commit to it. So why is this message not articulated more persuasively? Well, we can start with a giant well-funded propaganda machine here in the US driving hate and negativity, which most pointedly derides all things government. But that doesn’t cancel out the positive and inspiring, the ambitious and audacious. Of course there will always be elements that drag us down. I will grapple with imagining and image-ing this promise of a better future.

There are many exciting thinkers out there today. I just love listening to ideas for how to solve x and y. I am finding this in (mostly female!) economists such as Marianna Mazzucato, and engineers such as Saul Griffith. So how to put this messaging into a graphic? There are lots of great media that effectively reach people, especially the short (Youtube or Instagram) video, but my jam is the poster so that’s where I will be. Here’s a start.

Dear Reader, I am open to suggestions. Words are not my strong suit. Help me out here peeps!