30 DREAMS: here's a bit of our heart
We wouldn't be very authentic if we didn't share a bit of the scary-but-oh-so-beautiful dreams that reside at the center of MADE. We're not saying that these will all happen, but just being bold enough to say that WE CERTAINLY HOPE SO. They might change. They might morph. We might reevaluate in a year or two. But these dreams are a part of our beginning, and beginnings are extremely important. They're what we look back on in 2, 5, 10, 15, and 20 years when just might we need a fresh reminder of why we started and where we came from.
These dreams are at our core. They drive us. And we're over-the-top delighted that we get to look forward to them and share them with you.
We don't know how all of these will work out. Or if. But that's not the point.
We throw dreams around, even the small ones, because they are the fruit of how we felt when we started- full of passion and purpose and joy and strength and determination. And because we trust God with the outcome.
These small dreams are what propel us forward. They are packed full of possibility. And so we share them and write them down in stone (or blogposts). Because we know we'll need to remember them on the days that we're doubting or scared or when it's an uphill climb. We'll need to remember that purposeful feeling we had when we started.
20 years from now, God might call us to pick one of these dreams up and say, "Go." And our response will be, "Yes. We're in." In a month, He might make it clear that we need to set one of these dreams down- that's it's not our job to pursue it. And to that, we'll say, "Yes."
So we hold these dreams loosely. But we value them oh so much. Thanks for being a part of our beginning.
no. 1
Produce a quarterly magazine using works from our contributors. The starting idea for MADE originally involved a magazine, but we know a blog is our starting point. (Print is pretty.)
no. 2
GOAL ALERT: Have 1,000 contributors 1 year from our launch. That's September 15, 2017. Let's do this. What's better than a 1,000-strong community of people who are actively thinking about and pursuing doing what they're made for?
no. 3
Hear so many stories that we can't take them in. You know those moments where you feel so blessed you can't express it? We're honored to hear even just one story of someone doing what they're made for. And we'll take as many as God will bring us.
no. 4
Get braver along the way. MADE is small right now. But as we grow, we should get braver, not more careful. We should trust more, not get more calculated about how we do things. We don't take responsibility too seriously- we take obedience too seriously. It is not our job to maintain the success of MADE and be careful about it- it's our job to follow God bravely- no matter what.
no. 5
Grow a team. We'd love to have a full-or-part time team one day. Right now, MADE is all volunteer, which is awesome because we know that everyone involved really has their heart in it, otherwise they wouldn't be doing it. But a team would help us grow faster, farther, stronger. We'd get to do what we're made for together as we help people do what they're made for.
no. 6
Put on MADE events. Let's host events with conversations and stories and speakers. Events full of vision and struggle and discussion and community, where all of our journeys can intersect and be propelled forward as we hear from each other.
no. 7
Have meet ups in every state in the U.S. (then we'll expand from there). We'd love to make it easy for others to host a meet-up in their city, where people can gather throughout the year to wrestle through their purpose, share their break-throughs, and discuss their next steps. We want this discussion to multiply.
no. 8
See courage happen. We want everything we do to intersect with peoples' lives in such an authentic way that it really does give them more courage. We hope to hear those stories of wrestling and decision and change. And we'd love to be a part of helping them finally decide to do what they're made for.
no. 9
Have a studio. Right now, MADE is mobile. Let's have a place where we can throw all of the stories and submissions we get up on a wall and stand in awe of what God is doing in peoples' lives together.
no. 10
Host made conferences. Man, oh man, let's bring together voices of people who've had experience in finding and doing what they're made for. It'll be a weekend of processing and believing and vision-casting and hastily-writing-down-action-steps.
no. 11
Start dreaming again. We hope we can help resurrect dreams that have been long-dead in peoples' hearts.
no. 13
We want window clings. We want people walking by our studios to think about their purpose. And window clings might just do the trick.
no. 14
Espresso machine in our studio. No explanation needed.
no. 15
Uncontrollable chatter. We want this conversation of purpose to be uncontrollable and spread like wildfire.
no. 16
MADE journals. Let's create materials that help people remember and process their purpose.
no. 17
Creatives coming to us with ideas that we can say, "yes" to. We want people to constantly be coming up with ideas for MADE that we couldn't have ever thought of.
no. 18
Trust and humility. No matter what happens, we should stay humble and know that God is holding this whole thing.
no. 19
Sharing. We'd love for others to share about us on their blogs and in their businesses. We'd be honored to be a part of what they are doing and to add to their discussion.
no. 20
Make cool stuff. Satisfaction. We hope to look back on what we have made and say, "It is very good."
no. 21
We hope we never take this for granted. When we feel like we're doing what we're made for, we need to remember that there are people who haven't found it yet and not forget what that place feels like.
no. 22
501c3. Legit.
no. 23
5,000 photos. We're building our archives. 5,000 photos all from our contributors would give us some options. And that'd mean we'd get to share the work of so many photographers.
no. 24
MADE gallery. We'd love to have an artist or designer create a collection just for us- to further the discussion of living the life we're made for.. That we could share with the world.
no. 25
Trips. We'd love to take trips to get the photos and stories we need. We'll meet contributors in other states and get to have a cup of coffee with them and take pictures of our journey.
no. 26
Contributor gifts. One day sooner than later we'll send gifts to our contributors to thank them for joining the discussion and supporting MADE. (Oh, the joy of walking to the mailbox and actually having something fun in there.)
no. 27
Stay authentic. We hope to stay real and not just say things because they sounds good, but because they are good and true and real.
no. 28
Have God surprise us. We want Him in this. We want Him in this so much that we know without a doubt that we see happen absolutely couldn't have happened without Him. He is the most creative person we've ever known. And the most successful. What He wants is what we want. We need Him in this.
no. 29
Murals! We'd love to install art in cities to keep the discussion going.
no. 30
We hope we hear God say, "Well done." We want to please Him with everything, and it'd be a blessing to now that we've done His will and brought a smile to His face.
