THE MORALE DEPT is a working experiment. Our hypothesis is as follows:

We can find work where we create, experience and share JOY! Make enough MONEY to meet our needs and allow for MOBILITY so that we may stay connected to our far-flung families.

2022 ANNUAL REPORT

2022 ANNUAL REPORT

The following report will lay out our methods of experimentation, the results, the conclusion and finally, our plans and goals for 2023.

METHODS OF EXPERIMENTATION
(aka: the work we did for money)

Income per work category:

  1. Interior Styling: $6165

  2. Sheldon & Sons: $4655

  3. Retail Therapy: $44100
    *85% of this came from one steady client

  4. Notary Services: $50

  5. Tell-a-gram Telegram: $2150

  6. Advice: $500

To rigorously test our hypothesis, we followed these steps:

1. We identified our objective/top goals. We considered what we wanted, what we valued and what we were willing (and not willing) to do for work.

2. We made a website. The process of writing copy for the website was wildly clarifying. Naming and categorizing our skills and offerings gave us a much needed structure and something to reference as we proceeded 

3. We made an instagram account. This enabled us to continue sharing our love of Street Vacuums and swimming with folks that connected with us via the @shopnoun (RIP) account. We find instagram to be pretty gross overall, but we will use the tools available to us to share and encourage joy. 

4. We designed a business card. This further clarified our message. It also provided a bit of tangible, irl grounding to our dreamy and disparate business. And it gave us something to show our Dads. 

5. We told EVERYONE about our business. Truly. The teller at the Advantis Credit Union, the guy who pumps our gas, our dentists, neighbors, former customers and on and on. Attempting to clearly communicate our hopes and dreams was so informative and we got better at it the more we did it! Listening to people's responses, feedback and questions was helped us refine our messaging. This concerted effort led to people ACTUALLY offering us work!!!! 

6. We took the jobs! And with the help of our Top Goal Venn Diagram, we refused a few, too.

7. We collected data from said jobs. We were looking for the biggest overlap of money, joy and mobility and what conditions fostered it.

8. We analyzed the data as we went along. We had quarterly check-ins to ensure we still had the financial and emotional resources to continue our testing. We were in danger of being shut down at least once, but thanks to therapy and our support systems, we were able to continue. 

2022 ART PROJECTS:

• Sponsored and installed “You are on the precipice…” mural on the corner of 33rd & Belmont. Sept 2022

• Re-homed The Mini Museum of Sound to Lovett Salvage Shop ensuring future public access. July 2022

• Impromptu Street Vacuum Performances around the city. Jan-Dec 2022

• This business. Jan 2022 - ongoing.

• Wrote and produced a zine titled “YOU’RE INVITED” for A Sometime’s Gallery paper show. May 2022

• Sponsored Poems At Sunset Out A Window with Oregon’s Poet Laureate. Apr-Oct 2022

• Public Presentation of The Morale Dept. Annual Report with Temporary Nuts Reprisal and gallery of artifacts. Dec. 2022

RESULTS:
(emotional and financial)

Total income in 2022 was approximately $57K.
Total non-payroll expense was approximately 15K.
Total payroll expense was approximately $29K.
That leaves us with about $10K in the bank that will pay us each in January and give us a little spending money for art projects and expenses in 2023.

How does one live in Portland off of that amount of money?
For Jen, the answer is many years of practice, OHP, food stamps and access to secure housing.
For Steph, the answer is a nest egg from closing Noun, a supportive and loving partner with a job and willingness to be terrified.

Did we find JOY?

STEPH: Kind of?! She assumed she could architect her way into joy/out of discomfort, but it turns out it all just shows up when it wants to, regardless of her best laid plans.

JEN: Yes!!! In equal parts with the discomfort of personal growth.


2022 FUN FACT: we broke up with 2 clients, 1 client broke up with us

CONCLUSION:

Were we able to create work that provided MONEY, produced JOY and allow for MOBILITY?

Yes and no. We made money, but not enough. We were able to move and travel as we needed but found the lack of structure in our schedule to be something we missed. We certainly found joy in the process of creating the business, meeting new people and pushing ourselves in new directions, but that was often tempered by managing bouts of insecurities, imposter syndrome and interpersonal mis-alignment.

We find that the work we most enjoy doing together (shorter, temporary, BURSTS of work) are not plentiful enough to sustain us both. If The Morale Dept. was a one-person company, it would totally work, financially-speaking. But if it was a one-person company, it totally wouldn’t work, joyfully-speaking.

Going forward, we have decided to take the financial burden off of The Morale Dept. and get jobs/work individually (outside of TMD) that provide us with the income we will live off of. The Morale Dept. will shift its focus to pursuing only our favorite kind of work (short bursts of advice, design, organizing and joyful assaults!) and use the income generated there to fund our artsy stuff.

LET'S KEEP GOING!

LET'S KEEP GOING!

2023 Goals, Plans & Intentions:

• vacuum emoji proposal & approval
• more FUTURE MUSEUM projects (location TBD)
•be hired as party attendees (Steph CAN sabrage a bottle of champagne!)
• solve a scooby-doo level mystery
• host a letter writing night at The Pretzel Factory
• continue to collaborate with like-minded folks in art and work and life
• goals for Jen: Mediation training, CPR training, create and host THE game show, Brimfeild w/Sandstorm
• goals for Steph:  A New Mini Museum of Sound Installation and website, more sewing, less stressing

THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING FOLKS WHO HELPED US IN WAYS BOTH BIG AND SMALL AS WE CREATED THE MORALE DEPT.
YOU BELIEVED IN OUR VISION, ENCOURAGED OUR ANTICS, GIFTED US WITH YOUR TALENT & TIME
AND NEVER ONCE SUGGESTED WE MIGHT NEED A BACK UP PLAN.
WE COULDN’T HAVE DONE THIS WITHOUT YOUR SUPPORT!

ANIS • THOM • CUBE CLUB • JARON • KATE & DER • REISSE • NIKKI • HUGO • OUR THERAPISTS