We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ray Fontaine. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ray below.
Ray, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
My resilience comes from my curiosity. That curiosity took me many places to meet many people and get inspired to take action in many ways. My curiosity demanded many leaps of faith. Honestly, I have fallen flat on my face a few times, and each failed experiment taught me more than my collective wins.
The thing about taking risks and exploring the unknown, is that you develop neuroplasticity, or creativity. Building mental agility, strong character and deep confidence comes from facing complex challenges and finding solutions, over and over and over again. Having the courage to get in over your head teaches you many golden nuggets of wisdom. I’ve learned how to stick to a marathon of a plan, and when to accept the sunk cost to pivot. I’ve learned when to ask for help, and when to trust my gut. Those lessons come from practice, not from a book. There’s no faster or more effective way to grow your resilience than through the spiritual resistance training that is entrepreneurship.
I do not walk without fear, but by consistently choosing to pursue my crazy ideas with curiosity, despite the obstacles I see laid before me, I’ve learned I can handle just about anything.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Bywater Branding helps conscious companies and non-profit organizations craft their brand identity and communications strategy. We aim to be a megaphone for change and catalyst for action. It’s exciting to work with passionate people on a mission, bringing clarity and attention to their programming and offerings.
What makes my work special at Bywater Branding goes beyond who we help, but how. We kick-off new client relationships with a Get Loud Game Planning Session, where we map out opportunities for them to Get Loud and Get the Word Out. Although we produce key deliverables for communications, our process extends much deeper than designing a logo or flier. We help clients make a realistic plan to achieve their goals, and we have built a process that streamlines the experience for busy entrepreneurs and founders. One of our most popular services is the Branding Bootcamp, a 2-day intensive work session where we bang out an entire brand, in real-time with a client.
Exciting news: For the month of May, Bywater Branding is offering deeply discounted Get Loud Game Planning Sessions as case study projects. If you’re a non-profit or businesses looking to increase your reach and stakeholder engagement – book a call to see if a case study project is a good fit: https://bywaterbrandingservices.as.me/QuickFit
I do not subscribe to stories about heroes and villains, and instead dream of conversations creating collective action that rids the world of the zero sum game we play. In this way, I hope to help build a better future for the next generation.
My primary focus is to improve the quality of life in New Orleans by leveraging my communications and design skills to amplify the efforts of those putting boots on the ground, making the world a better place. We strive to aid organizations and businesses working to better the world, shape their story and shout it loud, connect with their community and reach new audiences. We plan & produce marketing, advocacy, and fundraising campaigns through branding, design, and messaging. That work can look like social media content, billboard designs, or a full brand or website refresh.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Dream Big: Dreaming could be considered a talent, a skill, or a practice. The world conditions us to believe that there are rules on how to succeed. There is no standard formula to disrupt an industry, become a thought leader, excel in your field. When you dream beyond what you’ve seen before, really dive into your imagination of what’s possible, you might just transcend the norm. If you want to disrupt the status quo, change the world, inspire others – dare to dream bigger.
A little bit of planning goes a long way: No matter how busy I get, carving out space to prioritize and plan my next steps for the week, the quarter, the year – keeps me grounded. I’m not overly rigid about my plans. Life happens, opportunities appear, and even our best made plans can fall apart or be misguided. The practices of setting goals and laying out the actions steps to achieve them takes big dreams and turns them into possibilities. Plans are pathways, channels carved out by the currents of your calling. TIdes change, and a little bit of preparation can save you a lot of heartache when you’re sailing through rocky waters.
Design Thinking: Design thinking is a mindset and approach to problem-solving and innovation anchored around human-centered design. Born from IDEO https://www.ideo.com – an industrial design firm that later moved into “innovation,” their approach focuses on listening, questioning, play, and iteration. The design thinking methodology lets human wants, needs, and use case scenarios lead design solutions.
I am fortunate to have studied in Pratt Institute’s Global Innovation Design program. The exchange program rocket launched me to Keio Media Design Tokyo and RCA/Imperial College in London to learn about media design, design thinking, and innovation design engineering. This training laid the foundation of my storytelling work.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I’m interested in connecting with individuals, artists, and institutions seeking answers to complex questions: How will humans adapt with climate change? What will capture the imagination of civic leaders, businessmen, and the general public? How can we design a runway for world-wide collective action? How will humanity integrate its past failures, and evolve?
In New Orleans, Bulbancha, a battle between Human Engineering and Mother Earth rages along the Mississippi River, bleeding into the delta and Gulf of Mexico.
This conflict drives the entire region’s withering economy and accelerates the degradation of the local ecology. We are not alone. Coastal cities across the globe face rapidly changing landscapes that will disrupt their economy, homes, and way of life. From land loss to water salinization to rising sea levels and beyond, our world is changing- and if you’re trying to raise awareness or take action on it- let’s make a plan to get the word out about your work.
My Goal: Leverage my skills in design, communications, and production to increase and elevate public dialogue about the region’s ecological challenges and the actions we can take to face them.
What: Get the word out about organizations fighting for Southeast Louisiana’s long term viability and coastal resilience.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bywaterbranding.com
- Instagram: @bywaterbranding
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ray-fontaine-/
