Getting crazy with your local community

I recently hand picked and moved to a new community. I am still falling more and more in love with this place every day, but I do some very specific things to actively interact with my environment.

Th back of my front door is covered in maps, fliers, menus and newspaper clippings. I figured if having a wall of stuff works for crazy people in movies to stalk girls it could help me stalk a city!

I am always on adventure in my local community, I try and go somewhere new every day. One of the first processes I started here was to take trips down town and I methodically took a picture of every business sign. Crazy, right..? What it has done for me is not only let me know exactly what is where, but I have also met a lot of people in my local community, picked up a lot of business cards, and even picked up a handful of new local clients. Also, my girlfriend and I make a game of trying to identify other designers work, just based on the merit of the graphic design and branding it's self.

So I guess the point of this article is.. obsess like a crazy person!

What is the best local community in the entire world?

Here's a hint, its the one you want to live in.

No matter where it is that you want to be living, that is the best community in the world. This is a highly subjective question, and one with as many right answers as there are local communities. Where is your best local community? What makes it so great?

As you start to answer questions like these you will start to see that the very reason you love a community is the same reason why you should want to support it. If you love it because they are great bike paths, then the more you buy from local bike shops, the more you will see a healthy biking community and social activism, which leads to even more bike paths. This is called self-fulfilling prophecy, and it really works.

I currently live in Encinitas, CA. This is a highly competitive market for designers, and I love it because there are so many designers. We support each other, we encourage each other through the very act of seeing each others work. And some of us even have a competitive streak which leads to better and better work!

Where is your community, and have you made the decision to join it?

Relationship Marketing

Who would you rather buy a widget from?

www.randomwebsite.com

or

Your 12 year old child

The quality is identical, but your childs is $2 more expensive. Either place you buy your new widget, the person who sells it to you will make $3.

The Benefits of Buying Local

There are countless benefits to buying local, here are 3;

1. Relationships

2. Accountability

3. Community

Why do you buy Local?