Wow, how time flies. Has it really been three months since I originally posted about Jamie Davis' upcoming "Twenty Three" show? All of my electronic devices say it has, and I suppose they wouldn't lie. For anyone who doesn't know, Jamie Davis is a local Michigan artist from Pontiac, MI. She paints pop art style images and her last show, "Spanning Time with Jamie Davis" was a smash at the Orion Art Center in Lake Orion, MI. She is revealing her coveted "Twenty Three" collection on Saturday, which she has been working on for the last 123 days. The show is at Workfly in downtown Pontiac on January 23, 2010 (Saturday) from 6PM - 10PM. It is a totally free art exhibit and it is open to the general public, so tell and bring your friends. Also, there is going to be a raffle at the show for the art piece that is the face of the collection (the one pictured below and on http://thepopartofjamiedavis.com.) I hope to see you there. Let me know if you need anymore info or anything.

Directions to Workfly

If you’ve never been to Leelanau peninsula and toured the fine wineries of Northern Michigan, you’ve not experienced the full beauty of this great state. One of Studio-underground’s latest clients, Willow Vineyard, is a remarkable little winery / vineyard in Suttons Bay, Michigan that sits on a hill overlooking the tropical-blue water of Grand Traverse Bay (in the summer of course.)  This little slice of Michigan is truly amazing and should be experienced by everyone who lives anywhere near it. To compound the already visually stimulating experience, Willow is home to two of the nicest vintners in Michigan, Jo and John Crampton, who serve you Pinot Noir, Chardonnay or Pinot Gris from the tasting room to enjoy as you soak in the whole experience. It’s basically heaven to any wine-enthusiast.

Inside the tasting room Jo and John play an eclectic mix of music and bartend while their guests sample the different wines. Outside, the vines stretch over the hills and carry your eyes across the vast landscape. The bay is awesome, plain and simple. The water is stunning at anytime during the day and, believe it or not, the view only gets more marvelous as clouds start to settle in over the panoramic. The surrounding architecture is beautiful. A picturesque little house sits atop the laboratory where the wine is made, and buildings seem to fold right into the hillside and can even be spotted well into the vines themselves. The whole thing is somewhat whimsical and awe-inspiring.

Willow Vineyard is part of the Leelanau Peninsula Vintner’s Association, which includes plenty of fine wineries for you to explore while in the area, including Madonna’s father’s winery, Ciccone Vineyard and Winery. Also, it’s only minutes from downtown Traverse City, where Michael Moore’s theatre resides. The place is really steeping in the culture of Michigan. If you ever get a chance to explore Northern Michigan, definitely put this place in your GPS.

The Pop Art of Jamie Davis (http://thepopartofjamiedavis.com) is a web solution that Studio-underground developed for local pop-artist, Jamie Davis. It features images of some of her work -currently peices from the Spanning Time with Jamie Davis show, which was on display at the Orion Art Center- as well as all the other standard features you would like to see in a web solution. The site also features a custom shopping cart that SU developed for Jamie, which will serve as Studio-underground's standard e-commerce solution.

Jamie Davis has an exhibition coming up, January 23, 2010, at Workfly in downton Pontiac, MI. Studio-underground will be doing all of the design / print work for the show, so be sure to check it out then. Check thepopartofjamiedavis.com for more information regarding this engagement.

The Spanning Time with Jamie Davis Collection can be found in its entirety in the book that is available in the store and can be previewed here.

As anyone who lives here knows, Michigan’s business sector has seriously suffered these past few years. Other than a few notable improvements to the professional landscape (like the film incentives that the state is now talking about rescinding) it appears things have gone from bad to worst for this state’s job market. In an effort to help businesses re-think their position in this rather unruly economy, I should like to offer some of my ideas on 21^st C. business, the Internet and how to improve your businesses bottom line.

The reason business has suffered so much in the past is simply because the people who run companies have been unable to adapt to the new way of doing things. Simple tasks that businesses used to pay phenomenal fees to accomplish can be achieved with a fraction of the resources, simply due to the innovations of the Internet. If your business sells baseball cards, for instance, rather than attempting to appeal solely to customers passing by the old shop, you now have the ability to connect with thousands or millions of people who may be interested in your wares at the click of a couple buttons. Facebook alone can connect you with millions of people who –no offense intended- basically live on the Internet, myself included.

“Baseball cards is a given,” you say. “What about medical practice?” How much money do medical offices spend sending out reminders, birthday wishes and other correspondences? What about time spent on the phone giving directions, or communication between staff? With a proper database and some Web 2.0 programming this whole process could be automated. Of course it takes a small investment to set up initially, but once it’s done you’re business has obtained a little bit of an edge that it didn’t have before. Besides, I don’t know if anyone told you, but people are comforted when they see you are keeping up with the times. After all, if you are bright enough to be my doctor, I should hope you’re bright enough to realize that this whole technology thing is sort of here to stay.

The fact of the matter is simple: I don’t care what type of business you operate; if you do not have a formidable Internet presence your days of being successful are numbered. Believe me I know technology can be frustrating, but it can also be fun, exciting and downright necessary to your business’ survival. I tell clients all the time, “your website should really make you more money than it costs, whether directly or indirectly.” This is the truth. If your website is not obviously benefiting your business monetarily, then something is not right.

I should like to suggest that the Internet is the answer to what I consider to be this generation’s Great Depression, because I know how many businesses are out there, barely staying afloat without utilizing the benefits of the Internet. If these businesses start using the Internet and stop trying to operate as their own isolated islands, the results would be more than enough to finally push our state, country and even world out of the economic funk we’ve been experiencing. It seems like a lot of people get this, but unfortunately even more don’t. To those of you who are wondering if you should invest the resources necessary to create a viable web strategy for your company, I say this: are you still watching VHS tapes on a VCR, or did you eventually join the rest of us in the wonderful world of digital media. Also, a word to the wise, HD is not going anywhere either, so you might want to stop buying DVD movies.