EDOM 6: Holidays are here!
the '''peacewhere''' store • Council gifts • a year in review
Happy holidays and a merry welcome to all, and especially the new EDOM readers! In this issue we have an update on the tie-dye operation, a review of this year past, and a review of the most recent Council (and what a Council actually is).
In a few days, I’m off to visit Momma Kranz and the family for Christmas on Oahu. Sadly, snow is not forecasted. Anyway, you will read the next EDOM issue in the new year
‘’’peacewhere‘’’ fledges
The ‘‘‘peacewhere’’’ project is a clothing line featuring tie-dye t-shirts and (eventually) stylish accessories. Proceeds from ‘‘‘pw’’’ item sales will fund the Magical Office of Peace so that it may pursue its mission of planetary peace. When ‘’’pw’’’ was announced in EDOM 5, the title was ‘‘‘peacewhere’’’ takes flight. Upon reflection, a better title would have been ‘‘‘peacewhere’’’ hatches.” We’re still not ready to leave the nest, but fortunately we’re one feather closer to our first flight: the webstore is now (mostly) open. Let us go on a digital shopping adventure starting at the moop.earth homepage.
There’s only one thing to click on (which we will imagine ourselves doing momentarily), but note that in the future there will be links to w4vp.com, Each Day, One More, Akron’s Got Heart and other projects walked by the MOOP. So for now, we’ll check out this quote-on-quote-on-quote ‘’’peacewhere’’’ thing.
So we’ve entered the ‘’’pw’’’store and, wow, the colors changed from black-on-white to white-on-black. Talk about variety! There’s a title, a tagline, an extremely brief explanation of what ‘’’pw’’’ is, and the assertion that every item has a number on it. What’s not included is an explanation as to why that assertion is important. But we will assume it must be very exciting.
When we scroll down our eyes indulge in the glory of the collection itself. We see a picture of each item on a grey card. On the card is a big and bold number, a garment size, a price, and a button that says “deets”
If we explore the deets of ‘‘‘pw’’’ 5, we are taken to a page all about that shirt. We have a big shirt picture, two smaller and enlarge-able pics of the labels, a brief description, the date the shirt was made, the initials of who made it, and a set of four-letter codes paired with a number. While it is currently extremely obscure, these code-numbers contain information about how the shirt was folded, tied, dyed and processed. Also on the page there’s a button that reads “get it.” Hypnotized by the spiral patterns, our inhibitions dissolve and we press the button.
Immediately upon the button press, a self-proclaimed cart appears. With it brings the vision of material acquisition and the associated neurochemical delights. However, upon clicking “checkout” a horrible message informs us that we may proceed no further. And disappointingly, our shopping journey must end without that sweet, sweet post-purchase dopamine hit. Such is life.
Once I set up the payment processor we can proceed. Until then, let us ask ourselves
what’s the point of “‘peacewhere’” ?
The point of ‘‘‘pw’’’ is, as mentioned above, to generate profits to support the generally un-profitable MOOP projects, such as Walking for Vice President. In this effort, it is important that we ensure that the means justify the ends. Imagine that the ‘‘‘pw’’’ store was an alluring, but fraudulent scheme that would entice you with the promise of stylish garments only to mail you notes that say “you smell bad” after securing payment. Sure, it may successfully raise funds for a good end, but in this case utilizing fraud was not itself a peaceful means.
So how can our clothing line be peaceful? A few ideas come to mind. We can avoid the temptation to use manipulative marketing tactics by acknowledging that the items for sale—while very nice—are not things that we need and won’t solve our existential problems. We can be transparent with the cost of goods, the labor involved and where profits go. We can give credit to the artists that inspired us. And we can present our processes so that others may learn from our work.
We will focus on that last point. What would happen if we publish detailed instructions to replicate our core product? Our hypothesis is that giving up our secret sauce will result in stronger connections with customers and the established industry. And that the benefits from these peaceful connections will far outweigh what the business might suffer from competition with adversarial agents. Sharing knowledge will be a cornerstone of ‘‘‘peacewhere’’’.
Before all that, of course, is to sell a single shirt.
Between writing the previous sentence yesterday—which I meant to be the final sentence of the article—and publishing today, we sold our first shirt. I will tell the story of this serendipitous first sale tomorrow at Council 8.
2023 at-a-glance
As it is the season for wrap-ups and summaries1, I thought it fitting to make a list of some major events in my life, the W4VP campaign and the MOOP.
(Jan-Feb) w4vp.com got updated with the Library (my reading list) and the Slap art collection.
(16 Mar) The first Council was held.
(6 May) I published Fortune Report 1, which is a 45-page report on my financial habits for 2021 and 2023.
(July - Oct) I worked with GaeaStar as a process engineer consultant.
(18 July) Each Day, One More was revived as a digital newsletter. Four more issues followed.
(30 Aug) I enjoyed my first solo backpacking trip in Yosemite
(Oct) Helped my mom recover from a fall
(throughout the year) I was blessed with insights from wise teachers at the Church of Clown
I’m looking forward to setting ambitious goals for 2024 and the joy of your company in the pursuit!
MOOP Councils: a reintroduction
The Magical Office of Peace Councils are online meetings where MOOP matters are discussed. Hosted on Discord, they last around 45 minutes. I give a presentation about new developments and I ask for ideas, feedback and help making connections. Participation is appreciated but not expected (feel free to lurk). Late arrivals and early departures are welcome. Please come!
Councils are now held regularly on first and third Wednesdays at 15:00 PST with some exceptions—namely the next Council (C8) which will be tomorrow (a third Tuesday). Council 9 will return to schedule on Wednesday, 3 January 2024.
If you’d like to be a part of Council but the time or day don’t work for you, let me know! I’d love to find a way to include you. :) Also, they are recorded, and you can listen to Councils past in the archives—that is, once I make the archives.
Council 7 Review
Council 7 took place on 6 Dec 2023. Attendees were Jonathan, Jordan, Brad, Rob and myself. We focused primarily on the idea behind ‘’’peacewhere’’’ —it is “slow fashion”—and the fundamentals of the process— dying, labeling, cataloging, and selling. Then we took our first look at the webstore. I shared an estimate on material costs, labor and price points. I got some feedback on reducing operational costs and that I should talk to Rob’s uncle. We also considered if there might be a better name for the Councils. I.e., does that word imply greater organization than is actually happening? Responses were generally indifferent, so the MOOP Councils will remain MOOP Councils. MOOP Labs was the leading alternative. To end our meeting, I shared an update about my mother who’s recovered from her fall a bit, but still needs mobility assistance.
Council Gifts
Another thing we discussed are Council gifts. The gifts started as a way for me to share my gratitude for attendees’ time and energy. It started after Council 1 when I let the first attendees (Jonah, Brad & Tim) select a unique Slap art piece from my collection. (the Slaps will be a future EDOM topic.) Gifts for additional attendees included a patch, lapel pin and—for 5 attendances—a ‘’’peacewhere’’’ t-shirt of their choosing. I love giving the gifts so I will continue doing so. And this is the new schedule(*):
1st attendance: hand-written thank you note that is signed, dated and stamped
3rd: a Magical Flag of Piece embroidered patch (2” x 3”)
5th: a Slap art piece of your selection
7th: a ‘’’peacewhere’’’ t-shirt of your selection
For your attendance to be counted, you must at the very least identify yourself at the Council. Nothing else is required. You just being you and showing up is more than enough :)
Council 8
Tomorrow at Council 8 we will go over the first-sale story mentioned above, as well as projections for MOOP operations in 2024. I will invite attendees to answer a question: How do you bring/share/make peace in your life? The goal is to have a discussion about how we define peace on large scales (ending wars) and on scales in our local domain (befriending a neighbor, or forgiving a family member).
Hope to see you there!
Tuesday, 19 December 2023
15:00 PST / 18:00 EST
MOOP Discord server
peace & love,
Stephen James
According to my music streamer, my top artist for 2023 was Steely Dan. My top album was Steely Dan’s “Can’t Buy a Thrill”, and 8 of my top 10 songs were, shockingly, by Steely Dan.