EkaBlog - Site Blog for Ekaweeka the Small Business Community

Last night a group of Ekaweeka's leading users met up for a night of wine, cheese, tacos and fun. It wasn't an official event in any capacity but while catching up on our lives and filling our bellies there was discussion about our wonderful new project.

We chatted about some great experiences we had already had while using the site, and we discussed the new features like profile customization, and possible feature developments like the Eka pages.

Lots of great feedback there, possibly interesting direction for the Eka pages. As they are now, you start with a blank page, and add widgets to customize the page content. One suggestion was that they fit the format of the other pages, and have a customizable body, so one could give the page its own title, and enter whatever content/text/photos/html etc.

On styles, we found everyone was very excited about customizing their page. Yet the whole Social Network - Profile Customization phenomenon is largely supported by other people supplying users with style-sheets (CSS) to use. I've taken a slightly different approach. Considering that we don't have avid CSS designer's under our member's list yet I just gave a little direction and hoped people would figure it out.
CSS is by no means an easy editing method for non-web savvy users to pick up overnight, but I do think half providing help and half leaving it up to them to figure it out will only open up more doors and start a little Eka-styling buzz.

So let it be that last night was the first kind of sort of Eka - party. You better bet there many more where that came from.

With the shopping cart nearly in, and the search engine also completed - only waiting for final touches, we've moved on to a new list of things to be updated.

We're adding an event system, users will be able to host events through their Ekaweeka account. We're adding a photo gallery system, to improve photo navigation. And we're fixing a number of small things that you would never guess - yet need the fixing.

The holidays definitely make it more difficult to move forward. But fortunately many of our engineers are more concerned with getting these upgrades in place. Lucky us!

There hasn't been any clear and easy way to get the Ekaweeka Events rolling so to follow some of my own advice we're going to start with one small event here in Los Angeles. We'll rent out a space in
Hollywood probably somewhere between Beverly and Hollywood Blvd and Highland and La Cienga. We'll have 4-10 different users displaying their creations or information about their service. There will be live music, beverages, and some other related stuff. Considering we need to find the location, the tables, the users, and the entertainment - this should be slated for no earlier then June 20th. which gives us about 10 weeks to put it all together. If you are in LA or are going to be around then please contact us for more information on getting a table at the first Ekaweeka Event ever!

Well we may have found an organization to work with for our first event. Talks are young, plans too premature to speak of the details but it is exciting none the less. Once there is a better idea of what where and when we'll start disclosing the potential details.

In the interim all designers such as fashion, graphic, interterior and web and all creators such as artists, photographers, and crafts should contact us if you are interested in having a presence. Even if you aren't going to be in Los Angeles - the more Ekaweeka businesses we can get involved the better the event will be.

Along with the artists, shops, and services we'll have music, drinks, and other party stuff to keep the fun meter blowing through the roof.

The Summer is well under way, the craft fairs, art swaps, and trade shows are going on in every other city around. For folks in Southern California come and check out

Los Angeles AIGA Craftivism Event on Sunday August 12th from 1 to 5pm at The Santee Village Courtyard, 716 South Los Angeles St. Los Angeles CA.
Come to shop, mingle and network with fellow humans in the ideal creative environment. Join us in making a difference, one hand at a time.

Those folks who are more inland of LA should come check out The Craft Republic on Saturday November 10th, Millard Sheets Center for the Arts, Pomona Fairplex 1101 W. McKinley Avenue, Pomona, CA 91768. Craft Republic was inspired by some of the most exciting indie craft events happening around the country and the need for a strictly handcrafted only event. Formed and organized by the folks it features, Craft Reublic will be an eclectic mix of interesting and innovative artisans and crafters.

JASON PETERS, paileontology, will be on view at ROBERT BERMAN GALLERY during August, 2007.

A Reception for the Artist will be held on Saturday, 11 August, 2007, from 7-9.
Brooklyn-based artist, Jason Peters, makes his west coast debut this August, 2007, with a large-scale installation at ROBERT BERMAN GALLERY. Peters will transform his host gallery into a world of infinite darkness, inhabited by a megalithic, luminous form. Using simple industrial materials and light, the artist effaces the traditional white gallery space, and erects rhythmic structures that echo our visual notions about deep space, molecular science,planetariums, dark rides, and hallucinatory rabbit-holes. With his singular, signature style, Jason Peters conjures space in the tradition of artists such as Richard Serra, and Gordon Matta-Clark, using urban objects and surfaces to alter our perception of an artwork’s authorship, sociological place and purpose. With grace and stunning ingenuity, he follows in the legacy of those like Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray, and others who introduced and championed the use of objects trouvées in their three-dimensional works.

A graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, Maryland (1999), Peters is the recipient of two highly sought-after residencies, including one from the renowned Mattress Factory, Pittsburgh, PA, 2006, as well as an upcoming residency at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, Omaha, Nebraska, Fall 2007. His work has been included in numerous group exhibitions since the late 1990’s and was the subject of two large-scale installations: The Space in-between, Brooklyn, New York. 2005, and Continually Becoming, in Sante Fe, New Mexico, 2004. This is Peters’ first solo show in California.

German by birth, Jason now lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

*A second, unique installation by the artist will be
exhibited in the East Gallery. Supporting artworks by
animation maverick, Tawd b. Dorenfeld, and topologist,
Robert Louve will also be on view.

For more images and updates go to
www.zutiste.typepad.com

The Robert Merman Gallery is located at:
At Bergamot Station Arts Center
2525 michigan avenue, Suite C2/D5
Santa Monica, California 90404
http://www.robertbermangallery.com

Crafta Nosta - the STL (St. Loui) Craft Mafia Summer Trunk Show on August 18th from 7 pm to 1 am.
Located at (and happily hosted by): CooperElla, 2743 Sutton, Maplewood, MO 63145
http://craftanostra.com/

Vendors Attending (whom appear to be the main members of STL Craft Media):
Ahimsa Creations, Beqi Clothing, Cate Anevski, Cranky Bowler, Cranky Yellow, HouseShoe Mamas, Libra Gear, Lucky Bees, Punkin Pie, Senora Muertos, Squareville, STL-Style, and Superchick

STL Craft Mafia was started by a group of craft business owners in Austin, TX. They networked and shared resources amongst themselves and in doing so helped their own ventures grow and spread craft goodness thoughtout the Autsin area. Other cities soon wished to join and have been popping up over the country ever since. They work locally to promote the indie craft scene and grow their businesses. They are located in St. Louis , MO. They sell items on Cafe Press. You can join them is you're interested, they periodically vote as a group on new members.
They'll be at CooperElla in Maplewood representing their entire
family - it'll be an evening event with tons of hip crafts, music
& art. Come by and have some drinks, listen to music,
and shop till you drop! Get your craft fix!