Today we’d like to introduce you to Scott Marintsch.
Scott, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I am founder and executive director of The Tribe Project and just to set the table, I’d love to start things off with the punchline: We believe in a more creative and more meaningfully connected community!
Before the inception of our nonprofit organization, my wife and I were noticing a couple of things. First, we were observing how much easier it has become to stare at a screen, escape, and consume rather than create. Our phones, Netflix, social media, the list goes on, right? The majority of us are on a ‘high screen diet’ and it has never been easier to escape down these paths of addictive consumer behavior. And I’m not saying technology is bad because it’s often a utility that serves us in a myriad of ways, but everything in moderation, right? When we’re not using our phones in useful ways, they have the ability to become these ‘modern day shields’ protecting people of all ages from their fears and I feel that through the turbulence of 2020, the lens is really starting to come into focus on how technology is transforming the way we look at other people, who we connect with and how we are creatively expressing ourselves.
The second major catalyst for us was monitoring the descent of meaningful human connection while social isolation alarmingly climbs. Even prior to this year’s quarantining and stay-at-home orders, this was already a massive problem we were facing and I’m afraid that the current pandemic might be pouring gasoline on the fire. We live in a day and age where you can feel alone while sitting right next to a stranger or even a friend. I think we’ve all seen this: Set the scene, eight teenagers out on a Friday night and every single one of them has a phone in their face. They’re all sending each other Snapchats, messages, “Hey check out this cat video”, instead of just… talking! There was a nationwide survey of 20,000 people that found 54% respondents saying they felt no one actually knows them well and 40% saying that they felt their “relationships aren’t meaningful”. So this is not just anecdotal, these are very real statistics. There’s a quote by John Cacioppo, who was a Professor at the University of Chicago and founder of the field of social neuroscience, and I feel like it really hits the nail on the head. He said, “Loneliness isn’t the physical absence of other people, it’s the sense that you’re not sharing anything that matters with anyone else.”
I can definitely relate with these current trends as well. I’m a music producer and I’ve found that it has become both easy and necessary to create remotely through digitized relationships. Over time, I’ve felt that doing this has caused me to live in an inspirational vacuum, robbing me of more effective collaboration and more meaningful human connection which would have otherwise been gained in the shared trench of our artistic endeavors. I truly believe that there is an irreplaceable aspect of working together in the flesh, on the battlegrounds of a creative project that taps into our DNA, our reptilian brains, and provides us with what we need for our own happiness and health.
This is where we heard the ‘call to serve’. We give people the chance to share something that matters within a meaningfully connected community. Our organization wants to help every single person avoid spiraling down the path of escapism using screens and phones as modern day shields. We want to help them avoid living their hopes and dreams through the voice, narrative, journey of others, and we want to inspire people to get up off the couch, put down the potato chips and begin creating something that they’re obsessed with within a connected and loving tribe. Connection through creation. Though to be fair, I do love my potato chips, so no shots fired, but everything in moderation, right?
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think it’s fair to say that 2020 hasn’t been a smooth road for anyone and this can certainly be stated for nonprofits. I remember at the end of 2019, everyone I spoke with was saying 2020 was going to be ‘their year’. The year where they would do all those things they’ve been wanting to do. Things like going to Coachella to see Rage Against the Machine, finally making that trip to Burning Man, or taking that international trip they’ve been saving up for. And then it all came to a screeching halt with COVID-19 and everyone got vertigo as the focus quickly shifted from living their lives to looking out for the health and safety of friends and family.
For The Tribe Project, we had a busy year scheduled including our primary fundraising series, a migration to a new studio space and various programming operations, but unfortunately our momentum had to take a backseat, with the car in park I might add, to focus on the health and safety of our community. However, we have adapted by implementing digital fundraising campaigns and we are doing everything that what we can to provide value to artists and the community in a safe, inclusive, and positive way.
Please tell us about The Tribe Project.
The Tribe Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit creativity accelerator and transformational art space in Venice Beach designed to feel like an oversized sandbox where people from all backgrounds can come together to collaborate, get inspired and experiment with composition, storytelling and community engagement.
The Tribe Project is obsessed with helping artists and community members find their own authentic voice, tackle their own unique obstacles and traverse through their phases of creative self-discovery. We believe in the value of living your own ‘hero’s journey’ and narrative rather than living secondhand through others by way of consumerism and escapism. At The Tribe Project, our vision is to inspire consumerists to become creators and then provide creators with the elbow room necessary for authentic, artistic expression.
Our flagship Artist Accelerator program is a three-month incubator designed to build the creative and entrepreneurial muscles of industrious, enterprising artists. As an art agnostic organization, our goal is to have creators from all different crafts and backgrounds collaborating and cross-educating to break out of their creative tunnel visions for a broader artistic perspective.
A huge focus of ours is to accelerate artistic projects, but I feel the most important aspect of what we do is enabling artists to become the medium between our mission and the community. Through the mantra of ‘artistic reciprocity’, the creators in our programs gain the scaffolding necessary to unearth their vision and in return, they act as the mechanism to bridge creativity to the community at large. Our hope is that this translates into health, happiness, creativity, and more meaningful human connection.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I think the most important element is always the people. Casey Strenski, my wife and our Chief Mission Fulfillment Officer, has been such an incredible guiding light for the overall direction of our organization. She brings this high level of optimism and brilliance to our programming and she has been instrumental to the progress we’ve made thus far.
Additionally, all of the local Venice artists involved are so crucial to the fabric of our mission. Gary Weizenecker Jr., painter and Budman Studio manager, has consistently been a community-focused creator that helps inspire others around him. Emmitt James, an LA-based rapper, brings such a fresh take on authenticity to his work that is absolutely magnetic. Ara Bevacqua, a Venetian sculptor, creates these breathtaking pieces that put a fire underneath community members to really explore what the local art scene has to offer. This list goes on. I think having them here to support the community creatively while the community supports them via buying local art creates a beautiful symbiotic effect. I believe this is what makes Venice Beach such a unique place to explore.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thetribeproject.org
- Phone: 713.208.8213
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @tribevenice
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TribeVenice
- Twitter: @TribeVenice
- Other: https://thetribeproject.org/donate
Image Credit:
Casey Strenski, Chief Mission Fulfillment Officer, Gary Weizenecker Jr., Painter, Emmitt James, Rapper (PC: Nick Jackson @nickjacksonphotos), Ara Bevacqua, Sculptor
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