A practice of strategic advisory, writing, and interdisciplinary projects.
Dialogue? Projects lives through the work collected here. Companies being built. People figuring out what comes next. Films and photographs. Workshops. Writing. Products you can hold. Places to gather. Old projects finding new lives and new ones taking shape.
LANDSCAPES OF RESILIENCE
The Unexpected Similarities Between Urban and Rural Worlds
The bustling energy of the big city and the vast power of nature—we often assume these environments are opposites. They are pure in their essence—unfiltered, undiluted, and entirely themselves. The energy, movement, and inertia that arise from these environments reflect the raw nature of their origins. Beneath their surface differences, these environments share profound commonalities.
Both demand adaptability. Both challenge their inhabitants to be resourceful. Both cultivate resilience and an appreciation for the unpredictable rhythms of life...
WHY TICC?
Because mental health is the elephant in the room when working with any individual, team, or organization. How we think, communicate, make decisions, handle stress, build relationships, lead, work, and change is influenced by what we carry with us. A trauma-informed lens doesn't mean assuming everything is trauma. In fact, the distinction matters.
Aiken’s Gore produces and sells pure Vermont maple syrup under its own name, from small bottles to gallon jugs. Making maple syrup and building a maple business are two different things. Alongside the work in the woods and sugarhouse, we’ve been building the operation around it: production systems, packaging, pricing, direct sales, wholesale relationships and the experience of the place itself.
A Moment in History…
John Starks was bagging groceries just years before dunking on Michael Jordan in the NBA Finals. This abstract line drawing by artist (and founder of Artshack Brooklyn), Mckendree Key, and produced by Ely Key, depicts a classic moment in Basketball History. This shirt is a wearable vintage collectible.
An exploration of preserving the ephemeral beauty of the natural world. Forage & Press is a botanical art and design studio specializing in original pressed-flower artwork and nature-inspired home goods. Based iN Camden, Maine. The business creates fine art, licensed products, and wholesale collections for retailers, galleries, and brand partners. Every piece is rooted in thoughtful craftsmanship, sustainable practices, and a deep connection to place.
STRONGER TOGETHER SHORT FILM
“Helping build skateparks on Native reservations to create positive outlets for youth in communities facing significant mental health challenges.”
THE MAKING OF
DIALOGUE? PROJECTS
Dialogue? started in New York City in 2003.
Ely was in high school when his older sister, Mckendree, asked him to help with an art project. She was writing messages in the windows of her apartment, visible from across the street, neighboring buildings, rooftops and passing double-decker buses.
The idea led to long conversations between them.
In New York, you can live ten feet from another person for years and never speak to them. That anonymity can be wonderful. It can also create boundaries, miscommunication and loneliness.
The question was what might happen if you interrupted it
They called the project Dialogue?