#max goodman

[kendrysaneela]

I find it so I dunno kinda crazy that Max and Tristan were both talking about falling in love and having kids and now here Avery is pregnant with the child of one of them two episodes later it’s just wow. It’s something

[algopop]

Picnic, a random takeaway order to a random location, by Max Goodman

This browser-bot/ chrome extension automatically finds on EAT24.com a random restaurant to order from, selects items from the menu and has them delivered to a random location within your range. The bot then orders you an Uber to take you to that location to receive your delivery.  Max Goodman ended up having Dolmas, a Lebanese omelette and coconut water at a gas (petrol) station. You can watch the video and follow the live-tweets. The project was made at the The stupid shit no one needs and terrible ideas hackathon.

[artsinbushwick]

Starting from Scratch: Crash Course in Launching a Creative Business in Bushwick

by Max Goodman

The Brooklyn Federal Credit Union on Myrtle Avenue

I was told I had one night to move out anything that I wanted to save. It was 8 PM on a Tuesday, and I was packing my car with the haste of someone evacuating for an apocalypse--a feeling not as hyperbolic as it now sounds. Though perhaps not the kilns and tumblers, the hammers, mallets, and torches being packed would certainly come in handy to survive and build anew.

Many people reacted with a confusing mixture of emotions to the closure of the behemoth, self-important, yet vital art studio that was 3rd Ward.  I felt at times sharp loss, sharper anger, defeat, relief, as well as a rueful sense of foreknowledge, imagining myself as a Brooklyn-based Cassandra.  As a lead instructor at 3rd Ward and one of the founders of the education program there, I was heartbroken. Yet, after a series a questionable choices about classes and policy had been made and a number of huge financial risks had been taken, I doubted whether a business could be run in such a fashion. Right then, a part of me decided there had to be a better way.

Though "inside" knowledge had forewarned the closure of 3rd Ward approximately one year before its doors shuttered, as an artist with a BFA I could not have known less about starting a business. In preparation, however, the thought process and (rather extensive) leg work to learn and understand what would be necessary were undertaken. Thus, I blundered forward with equal parts ignorance, naivete, and ambition--further supported by a generous amount of help, I was on my way.

Sparse bench spaces on the first day of operation

I took advantage of pro bono meetings with lawyers via Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts.  A colleague and long-time 3rd Ward instructor of business practices helped me compose my first business plan. Referencing a couple online templates, I began to draft a press kit, a financial five-year plan, and a business identity. My first real big break came when Claudia Fernandez at the Brooklyn Federal Union--who are actively seeking local businesses in search of funding--offered my fledgling jewelry studio a $10,000 small-business loan.

Recognizing the combination of luck, circumstance, ignorance, and perseverance that allowed me to open my own studio, I decided to call it Happenstance. Before the walls were even finished, three of my long-time students were renting bench space. We were off to the races!

Students using benches at Happenstance

Teaching and making work, already full-time efforts, were givens in this new endeavor; they were not the problem. What I was totally underprepared for was the extensive number of other hats I would need to don as a business owner. Not only would I need to manage a database of clients, familiarize myself with mass-emailing platforms, and purchase enough insurance in case I blew up a building, I was also supposed to host events in high-fashion attire, tweet and post to social media daily, and churn out press releases with poppy wording in enough time to actually publicize the million events I was hoping to run. 

Images of work produced at the studio

Not surprisingly, the overworked interns who join our team seem to drop like flies. Though the studio is self-sufficient, it is by no means a cash cow--hiring employees remains an impossibility. Still, between running Happenstance and making my own work, I am able to pay my rent each month, and for this, I am quite grateful. A general understanding within the business world is that any business not running at a loss within its first five years is doing well. Daily reality can make this accomplishment difficult to remember.

Party time at an opening at Happenstance

The first event we held at Happenstance was an impromptu open house for Bushwick Open Studios in 2013. On the first anniversary of that date, it has been heartwarming to look back and realize how far this little studio has come. Housing six emerging jewelers and giving access to tools and space to many more, it is starting to become the community resource my former space at 3rd Ward once was, and more--on a good day, we are also helping to launch careers and change lives.

For Happenstance's second year in business, I hope it will continue to grow and begin to become whatever those who are making it their home need it to be. Primarily, though, I hope that my studio can be an inspiration for other creatives thinking of starting their owns business. With help and support and at least 6 months to a year of lead time invested, others can also make this happen for themselves. Doing so will likely consume your life and, some days, it will not be fun, but it is possible. After 3rd Ward, so many of us in the Bushwick Arts community felt lost. Happenstance may be one little start of one little seed of an idea--I am eager to see what springs up next for our community.

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Max Goodman is a jewelry designer and educator working in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Happenstance Jewelry Studio is located at 230 Bogart Street, 2nd Floor, inside the Community Woodshop; studio visits are by appointment only

[3rdward-blog]

Student projects from Intro to Jewelry: Silversmithing with Max Goodman!

Photos taken by Liz Clayman.