Outdoor Art Galleries

In Santa Ana, next to the Spurgeon Building offices there are plenty of delicious places to eat as well as fun things to do. My favorite thing to do lately is to look at street and alley graffiti. There are some little areas well tucked away in alleys and backstreets that have some amazing art work. The good thing about these areas is that they feel almost like an outdoor gallery. Most are well-lit, clean and comfortable. Not to mention, the art is quite a spectacle. I did my best to capture the beauty of the few I'm featuring here but the only way to really do the art justice is to come to Santa Ana and check it out for yourself. While you're at it, have a look at an office space in the Spurgeon Building to be in the mix of this eclectic culture.   

Water

Human Connection

Human Connection 

I was reading a section in the book my sister let me borrow called, "Daring Greatly" by Brene Brown. The author provides the book with an article she wrote up for the Houston Chronicle on the subject of connecting with people. In the article she brings up a fantastic argument about the service industry going downhill not so much because of the service, rather the customer connection. She complains too many people order their food, coffee, etc. while on their cell phone or connected to their technological devices so much that they miss the human being standing directly in front of them. 

I thought this was a very interesting and important topic to touch on. I was watching the show "Good Luck Charlie" on the Disney channel over the weekend with my family. The Mom on the show was trying to have her daughter and friends make connections with each other for team building exercises and when she went downstairs to check on the girls, each was on their cell phone in their own world. She took the cell phones away from them and the reactions of the girls as they were letting go of their cell phones made us laugh like crazy. They were each so reluctant to disconnect in order to connect.

This is a funny topic to watch on TV or read about because I think most everyone can relate. When we have so much connection at our fingertips and readily available, its hard to truly connect human to human. Although its difficult, it is necessary to connect with one another in order to maintain our humanity. Brene Brown was right when she said its dehumanizing to be making orders and talking on the cell phone while there is a human being receiving those orders. Something interesting to think about. 

Collaboration

Bringing people together is almost like having a synchronized swimming team. At first, each swimmer is doing their own thing, with their own style and movement. One swimmer might join in with another and move together. This can start a ripple effect and if the movement is beautiful with combinations of swimmers, eventually every swimmer in the pool is moving according to the movement of the team. On this level, multiple swimmers moving in sync, can create a combination so beautiful it attracts spectators.
This is what it was like over the weekend collaborating with a combination of talented artists and musicians in Orange County. Each one had their own unique style to contribute to the group, making the music that was produced remarkable. With Mike Bergen on the keys, Wes, "the mess" working the beats, Brad Jones on the guitar, Brandon handling some entertainment and a few other talented people in the mix and behind the scenes, the day was made wonderful and productive.

The Spurgeon Location

The Spurgeon Location 

The Spurgeon Building is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful buildings in Santa Ana. If you are trying to have a look at the building, you need to navigate via internet or here because it is not yet on the physical map. The Spurgeon Building is located on 4th street between Sycamore and Broadway in Downtown Santa Ana. You can get there from the Main exit off of the 5 fwy in  Santa Ana. 

The building is beginning to look as friendly on the inside as it does on the outside, especially on the second floor. The office spaces available for rent vary in both size and price, but the smaller ones start at $300+. The office spaces have already started to fill with young professionals including Jouvon Michael Kingsby, whom has a museum showing coming up in August at the Fullerton Museum Center.  There is also Santanero, which is a local station for information about artists, art and the happenings around the town as well as a few other businesses. 

The area reminds me of a could be mix between New York City and Downtown LA located in Orange County. There is a parking structure located behind the Spurgeon Building if you are driving on 4th street, its located off of Sycamore. There are a few new residential spaces opening up in the area if you're looking for an office space you can walk to from home. The area is undergoing lots of positive development that is attracting young professionals looking to grow. 

Santa Ana Spurgeon

Santa Ana Spurgeon

Bike Ride in Laguna

Bike Ride in Laguna Beach
Sometimes I take mental bike rides from the Open Gate nook.