I live in Michigan. A state surrounded by the world’s largest fresh water lakes, with more than 11,000 inland lakes. The state is relatively rich with wildlife and natural resources, and the residents are known nationwide for their exceptional work ethic. So why is it that the state is number one in unemployment as of August, 2009? Why is it that the state’s largest city is known mostly for its urban decay? I have one guess: ATTITUDE. For some reason, the same character traits that give a Michigander a hard working, common sense attitude are easily flipped to the negative. Michigan’s sort of like a beetle. Almost indestructable and very industrious when things are right, but flip it on its back, and oh boy, forget it. I’ve had two experiences in the past year that highlighted this phenomena, and I still don’t understand it. But they’ve both re-invigorated my positivism. I’m proposing we start using the old saying “Michigan. America’s High Five To The World” as the tagline  to get things rolling. One of these experiences was when the huge pharmaceutical conglomerate Pfizer closed its operations in the Ann Arbor area. It was psychological Armageddon for the locals. The economy was DOOMED. Until a short while later of course, when Google announced they were opening an office in the area. THE MESSIAH WAS ARRIVING. WE ARE SAVED! No-one paid much mind to the fact that they were only hiring about a thousand employees. Another example of this quirkiness was when the client of a photographer friend of mine said “My daughter’s thinking about being an art photographer. What’s your advice?” I said if she worked hard she might make money as a commercial photographer and support her art, but that if I had a kid I’d be steering them toward green technologies, because it’s like the early days of the oil business right now. Her response? “I seen some o’ them new green cars. They’re all so ugly! They look like little bugs or somethin’.” I asked her if she’d heard of the Tesla, one of the better known and very sexy electrics. “Nope.” I told her about it, and her response, in spite of not knowing what I was talking about? She said “Oh yeah. I heard about them. They’re really expensive, right?” In spite of this sort of ongoing despondency amongst the populace, I keep my chippy little attitude going as best I can. But how long can I hold up? Michigan, please do me a favor. Cheer up and get to work, will ya?

Okay. Maybe we’ll need some better graphics. But you get the idea.

Michigan: America’s high five to the world