Dylan Kendall

The wheel is considered to be man's greatest invention. With the wheel came movement. I will argue however that the humble ball is actually man's greatest invention. The ball is one of the world's most emotionally satisfying objects and the most sustainable. Only balls with holes in them, unable to...

After eight years of working in the charity sector, I left to put feet on bowls. I can't think of a more frivolous thing to do after having saved lives (or at least contributed to their saving) than going into the home accessories industry and focusing on whimsical dishware. But,...

As we head into a new year, we each make our personal resolutions. Nonprofit organizations make theirs as well and primarily these center on meeting new fundraising and programming goals. In 2012, I propose nonprofits look at the way they've traditionally approached these efforts and turn them upside down. Try...

As the holidays approach, few ideas are more important than that of good will to all. The winter holidays are a time to remember friends and family and to share warm wishes and good tidings. This is not the time to allow kids to pick on each other so mercilessly...

I'm writing this essay with kittens wrestling next to me on the rug. I think there are few things more joy-giving than kittens. Kittens seem to be universal crowd-pleasers. Why? I think because they are miniature cats, and there is something inherently pleasing about miniature things. Unlike other animals, kittens...

Imagine after six years of calling him "dad," your stepfather kills your mother. Imagine then growing up being shuttled from relative to relative -- your biological father fails to raise you and gives you to your uncle who abandons you. And through it all -- knowing that no one really...

Brent Leary, social media expert and man about town, was seated at an award dinner for CRM Magazine with friend and work-partner Michael Thomas. Paul "PJ" Johnston, the founder of Entellium, a competitor in the Customer Relationship Management industry, was also seated at the same table. All got...

Got Milk. Evian Live Young. The Quicksilver dynamite surfing video. The rapid growth of boutique hotels.

One reason for the growth of boutique hotels, said Henry H. Harteveldt, travel analyst for Forrester Research, is a reaction by travelers against large hotels that are much the same. "Everybody pays...

As a social entrepreneur I spend a lot of time thinking about the world's problems and the best ways to solve them. As a former designer, I developed early on the habit of looking for solutions in unusual and sometimes unexpected places.

It is likely that my background in...

The media industry is without argument the world's most dominant business sector of the 21st century. Broadly defined, the media industry consumes a large part of our waking hours, when we consider the time we spend at our computers, in front of our television sets, on our mobile phones and...

I'm fascinated by cities that live. Cities where people come together and do more than shop, work and sleep behind closed doors, gates and locks. Cities where the community participates in creating living environments that respond to the emotions, challenges and needs of residents. Driven by the spontaneous and unconstrained...

Home is a complicated concept. Whatever their configuration, our homes carry important personal meanings. They convey identity and social standing, offer us privacy and become the setting for our relationships and our dreams.

That's why it caught my attention when the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce partnered with The United...

Core 77 recently sponsored Play-Doh Kicks, a design challenge asking participants to recreate their favorite "kicks" or sneakers out of Play-Doh. Wearing "my play is not just for kids" hat, I laughed at the craziness of these miniature shoes and the adventure the designers must have...

I recently bought a new toy for my cat, Rashi. This string on a stick was an instant success as evidenced by his pouncing from under chairs and running after me. After 15 minutes of following the string at break-neck speeds, Rashi was left panting but meowing for more. While...

A well-known rap star stated that on tour he always carries with him a token item that brings him good luck. On his current tour it is a small, carved elephant he picked up at a market in Thailand. When he unpacks in his hotel room, the elephant takes a...

A week ago Newsweek published "L.A. Residential," an essay showcasing the work of three prominent architectural firms tasked with envisioning a Los Angeles of 2030. The three firms were asked to consider how the built environment would influence the way in which Los Angelenos would live, work, commute...

I'm a renter. I love my large apartment with big windows, interior arches and white walls. But I don't love the kitchen. Not only do I not love the kitchen, I actually have a psychological aversion to the kitchen -- which means breakfast dishes pile up and I frequently order...

We all have aesthetic responses. Some of us cringe when we see a moldy sandwich, cry when we hear a sad song or feel more confident when we wear our favorite red jacket. Aesthetics, which Alexander Baumgarten named from the Greek word aisthanomai, simply means "perception by way of the...

On October 13, 1996, the L.A.Times quoted several prominent film and digital production executives who lamented the lack of skilled workers with basic aesthetic training. In their view, California's public schools no longer provide children with an adequate education in the arts due to the lowered standards and reduced number...

Privilege, Poverty, and the Arts: Debunking the "Basic Needs" Myth

I've met hundreds of homeless young people who steal groceries and sleep in abandoned buildings to survive. A patchwork but functional system exists to meet their "basic needs" -- to get them shelter and food. But my work has led...