Virtual Magpie (the equivocal adventures of Megan M.)

I absolutely adore the look of Kelli Bickman’s site. It’s incredibly gorgeous, entirely due to her awesome, awesome artwork. It actually reminds me a little of the development work I did for Kelley Cunningham — and fine artists are incredibly enjoyable to work with, because so often they know exactly what they need.

I found Bickman via Neil Gaiman’s blog, and I can’t seem to get enough of her work. I really love this sort of thing!

PS. Neil also added the following, in case anyone out there can help!

(And Kelli says — Neil.. S.O.S. i’ve recently fallen prey to a real-estate con-artist who is trying to steal my rent stabilized apartment/studio of 12 years and I don’t have the resources to fight the court battle. Is there anyone out there who can help find me a pro bono real estate attorney in Manhattan (or will barter art)? or if there is anyone out there who has considered buying my work or commissioning a painting but hasn’t gone the distance, now is a Very Good Time. Help me save my home and squash this con artist. A court date has been set for July 23. Thank you ten billion times for your help. kelli bickman - www.kellibickman.net I’ve known Kelli for about 15 years, she’s a great artist and a very nice, kind person, so I’m happy to post this. Any New York lawyers who like art out there?)

Man, we have been busy around here.

Early this week we launched Cloud Nine Staffing’s website, as part of their expansion. This company is awesome — and the people behind it are some of the same people you’ve already heard me talk about, especially if you read my personal blog. I’m over-the-top excited to have been a part of their growth as a company, and I’m going to tell you about them!

Cloud Nine is a staffing solutions company that sort of does what temp agencies do… without all of the crap you expect from a temp agency. They’re a human enterprise, engaged in caring for their clients and employees past the point where most temp agencies fall (horribly) short. They’re engaged, point of fact, in changing the industry. From their announcement:

At Cloud Nine Staffing, we have been on both sides of this industrial coin; we’ve been temps and we’ve managed temps. We’ve felt the frustration at having unmotivated and inexperienced workers who come and go with a moment’s notice. We’ve felt the irritation at being underpaid and underappreciated, and worried about losing our job at an employer’s whim. We’re dedicated to not just improving these issues, but making them obsolete! At Cloud Nine Staffing, we are changing the face of the industry, one Admin Angel at a time!

Their clients get a staffing solution that won’t jerk them around in the name of profit. The “temps” get fair pay, benefits, and a company that actually gives a shit. And we’re thinking to ourselves, why on earth hasn’t someone done this sooner?! Because exactly what they’re doing is unprecedented, as far as I know.

Furthermore, the co-owners are two of my favorite people. Ragen Chastain is a brilliant businesswoman whose other incredible project is Total Administrative Solutions (which you will no doubt hear more about soon); Kyeli Smith is compassionate, people-savvy, and a complete communication guru (as well as being part of The Usual Error, which you’ve all heard me rave about). Working with them over the last month and a half, it’s fabulously clear to me that they will do well by clients and employees alike. They’re the kind of company I want to work with, and hell — in another life, they’re the kind of company I’d want to work for.

Speaking of hell, Cloud Nine has a sort of sister site: Horror Stories from Temp Hell. Temp Hell gathers submissions from those who have dealt with the usual, run-of-the-mill temp agencies, and posts them for everyone to read and enjoy (and be horrified by). The concept is something like this: It’s good to be able to laugh about the things that went wrong, and at the same time make the changes that are necessary so that the industry is better both for those who work as temps and those who hire them — and the Cloud Nine “temp” is a whole new breed of, well, Angel.

More of what I love about their announcement:

Our mission is to support our clients by providing administrative assistants who are experienced, professional and motivated. We make our business a success by helping our clients and Angels to accomplish their dreams and goals. By nurturing and supporting our clients and our Angels, we nurture, support and grow our business.

Doesn’t that just give you glee? It makes me happy in so many ways.

I have to mention, too, how much I enjoyed the project itself; I looked forward to those weekly meetings like nothing else, and I always felt wonderfully, positively driven to help them in the best way I could think of. It makes a huge difference when you’re working with people you know to be not only enthusiastic, excellent communicators, but really great at what they do. (And Pace Smith, who functions as CTO, managed to keep up with my insane timeline the whole way. It was amazing.)

I’ve been so impressed by their angle and dedication. Knowing I’ll be working with them more in the future is a little like getting a prize.

So, go and take a look at their new site: Cloud Nine Staffing! (You might browse through Temp Hell for a gasp or two and, dude — if you have a story, send them one!) I vouch for their utter awesomeness, and can’t wait to see what else they have up their sleeves!

Ragen, and Kyeli, and Pace: Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for allowing me to help you out. As I’ve said many times… You rock.

Part of the forward motion of Virtual Magpie From Scratch — a challenging recipe that historically results in charred dishtowels — has been organization and documentation, boxes that say “TAKE ACTION!” and “FILE!” and the whole process of dealing therewith. And it’s strange how excited I get, immersed in these things, how they even spill over into other parts of my life. For in fact, this afternoon I stood in my bedroom and looked at the clean folded clothes on the bed, and the worn ones in a pile, and thought, my laundry needs a “TAKE ACTION!” box, and a “FILE!” box…

Even more strange, it feels like the kind of thing I’m going to do.