A New Way: Part Two

Every morning for the past two years I have featured a "Fort Wayne Site of the Day" on this site.

It's part of my contribution to a New Way of sharing and building our community.

But this evening, I want to continue with an essay from someone else who is trying to establish a New Way of working in Fort Wayne. This is from the OurSpaceFW.com site:

We Must Maintain Our Woods

Sunday afternoons are reserved for the woods. I enjoy hiking on several trails within Northeast Indiana, observing animals, swatting bugs and identifying plants. Together, the squirrels, deer, mosquitoes, butterflies, elms and maples make up the ecosystem. Some species are small, while others are large, but together they make up an incredible force.

Attorneys, accountants, engineers, educators, nurses and doctors are like mature trees within Fort Wayne’s landscape, as they seem to be the occupations that have stood tall within this city. Their roots run deep as these traditionalists have provided necessary services and employment opportunities to area residents. However, as the wind has begun to blow, new occupations are being prized within this city and beyond. Photographer, film maker, writer and social media optimizer are the seedlings in the area that are being coveted, as there is the notion of the right-brain uprising. Consider this interesting fact, the number of professional photographers taking senior portraits and wedding shots I have seen downtown this summer, have equaled or surpassed the number of medium-large sized legal firms within the same vicinity; in fact, the number of new business filings, obtained from the City-County Building within the last three months show there zero law firms formed and six photography businesses developed.

Visionary entrepreneurs are like the paths in the woods; they are steadfast, taking individuals from point A to point B, allowing participants to engage with the trees and seedlings. These business professionals, elegant yet edgy, create work of arts that embrace modern technology and utilize talented professionals. Ultimately, they guide leaders to the destination not yet recognized, but well-liked when obtained.

Trees, seedlings and paths all make up the woods. Naturalist understand to leave a legacy, we must nurture the seedlings and maintain the paths, while caring for the trees, or the woods will suffer from corrosion and no one will be able to enjoy it. Together, if we wish to see the unprecedented level of artistic businesses and visionary entrepreneurship continue, we leaders must provide ongoing education, tax incentives, community ties and overall support, or like a hiker on a Sunday afternoon, these individuals – who Fort Wayne has dreamt about – will pack their bags and hop in their vehicles and leave for the next available town, where the naturalists deeply care about their woods.

Pretty insightful!

Read more here.