The journey is the destination... being inspired by Dan Eldon

Of all the collections that TOMS has made, none have resonated deeper in my soul than the upcoming spring line inspired by Dan Eldon.

Dan was an artist, adventurer and activist who lived every day as though he was creating a work of art. In 1992, amid reports of widespread violence and famine, Dan drove from his home in Kenya to Somalia to witness the devastation with his own eyes. What he discovered was a country in chaos - villages turned into war zones and kids left in the street to beg for food. The photos that Dan took were picked up by news agencies around the world, and at age 22, Dan became one of the youngest photojournalists in the history of Reuters.

Dan's photos helped to trigger a global response to the unfolding tragedy in Somalia, and he stayed on to cover the story when the U.N. began sending food and peacekeepers to the ravaged country. But in 1993, disaster struck. After a botched military raid that left hundreds wounded and dead, angry Somalis attacked journalists who had arrived on the scene to cover the story. Tragically, Dan Eldon and three of his colleagues were beaten and stoned to death on July 12th, 1993.














In the aftermath of Dan's death, his mother, Kathy Eldon, published an incredible book, The Journey is the Destination, which compiled the photography, artwork and poetry of Dan's journals. I happened to see this book at a bookstore a few years before starting TOMS and read it cover-to-cover, completely mesmerized by Dan's life. Then, in 2008, I attended an Invisible Children rally and heard Kathy speak. It wasn't until after the event, however, that I put two-and-two together and connected Kathy with Dan and the stunning book that I'd discovered several years prior. I asked the IC guys to connect us... and Kathy and I spent a wonderful day together at her house in Malibu.

Finally, about a year ago, I was packing for a surf trip to Costa Rica and once again stumbled upon Dan's book. As I pored over the book on the plane, it struck me that the TOMS community should know Dan's story and that his life and journals would be a great inspiration for a future collection.

Today, I'm proud to announce that this vision has finally become a reality. Our new collection will officially be launching in February, and I really hope it inspires you to follow your creative dreams and use your talents to become a creative activist like Dan - transforming your bold ideas into positive action. May we all live with such boundless curiosity, optimism, and wild spirit...













PS - To learn more about Dan Eldon, go to DanEldon.com. You should also check out the Creative Visions Foundation - an organization created by Kathy Eldon and Amy Eldon Turteltaub to inform, inspire and empower the next generation of creative activists.

A Voice of Change

"Words have the power to both destroy and heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world." -- Buddha

I recently had the pleasure of speaking at the Creativity World Forum - a really cool conference held in Oklahoma City. That morning, nearly 200 students from local colleges held a barefoot walk to raise awareness for the global need for shoes and clean drinking water. Before I addressed the crowd, a slam poet named David Bowden performed a piece that was so raw, and so powerful, that it gave me chills. I was so moved by the poem that I asked David if I could share his words with the entire TOMS community.

Thank you David for putting together this incredible video and for using your voice to raise awareness and inspire others. This is truly fantastic stuff...

To see more of David's work, check him out on Facebook and YouTube

An inspiring message from Aaron

One of my favorite things about TOMS is giving the joy of Shoe Drops to others. This is such an important part of TOMS culture that after the first full year of work, the company pays for employees to go to Argentina - to meet Alejo, to see where the idea for TOMS started, and to hand place shoes on children's feet.

I love this tradition because it's the ultimate reinforcement of why each and everyone of us does what we do. As TOMS has grown, we've increasingly gone from a team of generalists to a team of specialists. Not too long ago, our Creative Agency was a department of one person. Same goes for the Online Department. Now, the Creative Agency has more than a dozen people and the Online Department has folks that spend all day focusing on things like email marketing, paid advertising and affiliate marketing.

The beauty of going on a Shoe Drop is that you instantly feel how you're individually making a difference. Even though TOMS has many more people working in HQ, it's the individual work of every team member that has allowed us to give away an incredible 1,000,000 pairs of shoes. On a daily basis, we might be stressed out, overloaded with emails, or tying up details that don't seem to matter - but they do matter, because of all of our collective efforts make possible the true joy that is putting shoes on kids' feet.

I got to thinking about all this because I got an email last week from Aaron Meiojas. You probably don't know Aaron by name, but it's possible that you've spoken to him on the phone. Aaron works in the customer service department at TOMS and is a big reason that TOMS has so many fans and evangelists. When a customer calls us because their shoes don't fit right, or their package hasn't arrived in the mail, it's Aaron and his team that calmly listens and makes things right. This takes patience and a true giving spirit.

I thought that I would share Aaron's note because it truly touched me. It's messages like this that keep me inspired on a daily basis...














Blake,

I would like to personally thank you for the opportunity to participate in my first and the most recent shoe drop in Misiones, Argentina. Although I’ve been back for a few days now, I’m still absorbing this life changing experience. It’s nearly impossible to put into words just what this trip has meant to me and my family but I’m going to try anyway. So here goes.

When discussing TOMS to family and friends I frequently get asked “How does the One for One concept work?” or “Are all those shoes really being given away?” Although I could always explain the answers, I couldn’t quite understand the depth of them because I hadn’t truly experienced it for myself. The day I found out that I had been chosen to be a part of this shoe drop in Argentina, I was beside myself with excitement and most importantly pride. Pride not only because I was about to experience a new chapter in my life, but proud because I was finally going to be a part of something larger than myself and make a difference in someone else’s life. And out of all places in the world, I was going back to the country of my origin where my mother and siblings immigrated from so many years ago.

All of these feelings and emotions I had bottled up came to a head when I placed that first pair of TOMS on a child at a school we visited on that very first day. These were some of the most amazing children I had ever met in my life and I will never forget them. Many of the kids we got to know throughout our trip had badly infected feet and clothing in tatters yet the glowing smiles on their faces spoke of the true innocence they still had inside. Although the obvious visual told the story of true pain and the struggles that these children and their families must go through on a daily basis. I had finally realized why we had come so far and what our mission was. It was simple. We were there to give. Give to those that have little and give more to those that have none.

I’ve returned from this journey with a newfound understanding of what it means to be selfless and a part of something larger than myself. I’ve gained a much clearer understanding to the importance of what we’re doing here and why we must continue to nurture and grow our TOMS family so we can keep giving like this for years to come.

Thanks,
Aaron Meiojas

Reflecting on the Millionth Pair

Friends,

By now, you've probably heard that TOMS gave our 1,000,000th pair of shoes on a historic trip back to Argentina. Several weeks have passed since this Shoe Drop, and yet, I still find myself not only in a state of absolute joy and gratefulness, but also in disbelief. When I had the idea for TOMS 4 1/2 years ago, my goal was simply to help the 250 kids that I met while traveling on vacation. That simple One for One model that I founded TOMS on was nothing more than an idea, a project, a what if? I didn't know anything about shoes, or fashion or philanthropic giving. All I had was a feeling that this is something I must do.

But that simple idea attracted some curious customers, great retail partners, and some very very talented people who all together have helped me transform my idea into not only a company, but a movement, and because of that, one million pairs of shoes have been given and a new way of thinking about business has emerged. And through it all, I have been blessed with a new family, my TOMS family, that I now get to share so much love and joy with.

The trip has inspired me in new and unexpected ways. Every night we sat around the campfire and shared not only our thoughts from the day, but also from the past four years. Hearing how this journey has affected everyone from my first intern and employee, Jonathan, to our AT&T and Gowalla contest winners made me realize that TOMS is about much more than placing shoes on kids' feet. TOMS is about a mindset, a gateway into a new type of thinking, and as my friends from AT&T say, it's the opportunity to "rethink possible" - which is what I hope my words and observations will inspire you to do. So, starting today, I am going to re-commit myself to sharing this amazing journey we're on through this blog. I hope that you will join me.... and share your comments, questions and love.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then these pics just about say it all...