It feels like a lot posts or videos I consume these days in the brand strategy world are about how things are going wrong in the world.

Look, I’m all for embracing the hard truths that our clients need to grapple with; I don’t think anyone that has worked with me would accuse me of being a Pollyanna. But I also think it’s critically important that we bring the ideas that move us forward and even, dare I say, some hope.

So I wanted to share what I’m seeing in my immediate world:

I live in a rural area that is anchored by small hamlet towns. Every month I go to a community potluck where we learn about local businesses and plan events and volunteering moments to benefit our neighbors. There’s a growing local mutual aid group that organizes help for those most in need. Our libraries are active hubs. A local group recently revitalized an abandoned train depot that now hosts a “get together and talk no politics” event every week among many other happenings. The arts organizations are busy, constantly putting on plays, exhibits, events, even operas. This past year we had a record number of people come out for our annual litter pick-up across the region. The data center debate is bringing together people of all walks of life, all political stripes to talk about what matters to the community and get ahead of development through thoughtful ordinances. We have a local no waste grocery store and our farmer’s markets and local restaurants that get most of their food from local farmers are dope. There are pancake breakfasts every weekend to bring people together and benefit one local organization or another. The list goes on…

This is not a rich area as far as income goes. The median income of our county hovers around 53K annually and many households have to bust ass to make the most basic ends meet. This is an area that got hit hard by the decimation of small dairy farms and the opioid crisis. And more recently, our energy costs this last winter and grocery and gas prices today are really outrageous and hurting people.

So, this isn’t about throwing money at problems. In fact, I would say it’s the opposite - this is about people throwing attention, time, energy at problems. Because what I hear over and over again in this neck of the woods, is that people hunger for a return of community, of civic engagement, of taking care of the land and the people around us. And to make that happen, you gotta get off your ass and get your hands dirty.

And when I talk to other people that live in other small towns, I’m hearing about similar work and energy.

There are lessons here for our discipline, profound inspiration points and stories to tell. I firmly believe that it’s local energy that is going to be the foundation for much of the good of our collective future. And there are already so many people that don’t make the news or hit our feeds that have started doing the work.

Find them and listen to them.