Eprow Images

●  What is the origin of the name EPROW Images?
●  What is the cost to participate?
●  How did the service brands get their names?
●  How did you develop the vision for EPROW Images?
●  How did you develop the EPROW Images web site?
●  What do you see in the future for EPROW Images?
●  Why do you not accept credit cards?
●  What kind of partnerships will you accept?
●  What does your review process involve?

The name comes from another effort — a need to catalog 30 years of photographs into simple, easy-to-manage categories. I randomly selected approximately 100 photographs and studied them to see what commonalities emerged?

Even though a photo database was planned, I knew I had my simple system. Later, I realized the letters were POWER scrambled. At approximately the same time, I was grappling with client requests to establish either a new service or company to address very specialized needs. Upon analyzing the requests, I saw that most situations clients wanted addressed concerned a quest for a personal power they believed they possessed. Unfortunately they did not know how to untangle the components blocking the full expression of their power. Although I still use the cataloguing system, EPROW now became the metaphor for the new division.

Images came as an AHA when instincts told me something was missing. In a conversation, the topic of visualization surfaced. I heard myself say that humans are visual creatures; they work more efficiently when constructing pictures of what they want to accomplish. The more I talked, the more I realized that what I saw was mental images, not physical pictures. In the end, Images passed what I call the tummy test. It felt good in my stomach, not just in my brain. ...............Virginia

Both of us work on value and investment models. We value our discoveries. We value our learning. We value the stretching of our minds. We value our principles. We value the performance of our work, our creations. We value our visions of emerging and evolving futures. We both look to the long-term rewards and to the cost of not participating.

We both learned about values when we traveled, especially internationally. Dorothy hesitated purchasing an exquisite, hand-made piece of jewelry in Lebanon. She debated that she could return later to get the piece. Later never came. And, the shop was destroyed in a war.  Virginia, on the other hand, learned value when considering buying two purchases,  a prayer rug in Lebanon and a set of mummy beads in Egypt. She argued with herself about cost. With both purchases, Dorothy prompted her by asking a question, “What do you do every day without thinking about cost that you could equate to the cost of the rug?” Virginia’s answer was “Smoke cigarettes.” Although no longer a smoker, Virginia still enjoys the rug, its memories, and its symbolism. Also, she still wears the necklace from the 18^th dynasty.

Dollar investments in associating with EPROW Images as a client rests on negotiating. This discussion occurs after an application to participate has been accepted. The real cost to accepted applicants is in time and commitment needed to bring an idea to reality. Nothing, except the desire to achieve, binds the client to EPROW. ..................Virginia and Dorothy

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When naming problems confront us, we resort to “silly time” with each person safely saying whatever emerges in the brain. GAZOOGO popped unexpectedly from Dorothy’s mouth. She liked the way the word felt in her mouth. STRATEGO originated from Virginia’s on-going work with strategic engagement. The GO at the end of each word suggested our belief that, as clients grow and change, they must return to their real worlds to test their learning and discovery and to validate both.

SAGITAUR was easy. It had been the name of a previous project that never really materialized. PAPPY was originally JOIN US. Virginia, drawing on her television experience, began talking out how entertainment pitches are made. That took care of the PAP — “pitch a .....” something beginning with “p.” The PY came later as she talked about how pitches needed to belong to someone personally --- Personally Yours.

OPINEGO emerged last. Here, Virginia resorted to a practice she uses as a writer and as a thinker-trainer. She grabbed a book, opening it to no particular page. She waited for a word to jump out. Nothing happened. She opened to another page. Still nothing. The third page produced “opinion.” For some reason, the word felt just right. A quick trip to the dictionary confirmed the choice with the GO add to the root word OPINE. Opinions by their very nature bring conclusions and assumptions to the surface for inspection, challenge, revision. OPINEGO embraces the true meaning of learning and discovery. .......Virginia and Dorothy

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Although I am uncertain when the vision started emerging, I do remember a growing curiosity about what I saw happening, especially in education, around the turn of the century. As I grappled to understand the aversion to personal responsibility expressed in student behavior, I asked hundreds of questions about “What is the problem?” One day I decided no problem existed. Problems are really historical. Think of coming to a bend in the road. You see the curve in front of you and you see the road behind you. However, once you enter the turn, you no longer see what is behind you. I realized I was looking in the wrong direction. I needed to look through the front windshield to learn what was in front of me. The power was in discovery, not in recollection.

I then asked the same questions asked of everyone who applies to EPROW Images. What do I want to achieve? I wanted to work with people’s dreams. Dreams are solutions in progress. I wanted to create a safe environment where people develop their dreams. Safety became the guiding principle. Ideas are heard, not judged or mocked. Ideas progress to reality. Other people want to help with the achieving. And, no one wanted to steal their ideas, their dreams. What was stopping me? Fear! No one could tell me the right answer. Mistakes were frequent. Learning and discovery, gradually, overshadowed everything as I took increasingly larger steps toward my achievement — truly the road not traveled. ...............Virginia

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Realizing I was web-site illiterate, I prayed to be rescued. I met with a designer to explain my goal. After one meeting and many promises of a proposal, the designer would not return my calls. The second designer I hired worked for a hosting company I had selected. Now, I found someone who could brilliantly handle the coding but who had no design sense and could not understand my vision. Both designers wanted to create a “brochure” site where the content would tell you how wonderful EPROW Images really was. What I really wanted was a customer-centric site with a significant, intuitive usability. I wanted site visitors always to know where they were and to sense that a shared adventure was the real goal.

To achieve my vision, I knew I must experience each development stage. I had to learn the language of web design and development. Numerous college classes consumed me — database design, page design, content development and management, copy writing, photo manipulation, web site conventions, online marketing, site map construction, information architecture, metaphor creation and symbol selection, color usability, and, and, and.........

Then with the guidance of an accountability coach who met with me 30 minutes every week for almost a year, the planning document emerged. My learning, my discoveries, and my AHA moments were quite an adventurous journey. Finally, I submitted a 47-page planning document to a designer who understood the artistry of web site development. In approximately 90 days, I had my EPROW Images site. .............Virginia

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In addition to maintaining the commitment to a safe environment for innovative thinking, both founders see EPROW Images evolving into a gigantic virtual fun zone where serious people can go to play with ideas. Some ideas move like a Ferris wheel, going round and round so that people can see the bigger picture from multiple vantage points. Others progress like “climbing the wall,” reaching and stretching to find the next secure foothold. Still others evolve like “bumper cars” with external forces emerging to challenge the direction ideas are taking.

Everyone can choose to play. All learn from each other. No losers exist in the fun zone. The roles with any given idea change as the idea evolves. An idea generator in one situation is an idea implementer in another. An idea cautionary in one is a champion in another. A fact finder in one is a funding expert in another. An enabler in one is a catalyst in another. A failure in one situation may simply be ahead of the time for the idea to emerge.

Some ideas stretch boundaries. Others challenge traditions. Still others simply ask hard questions. At the heart of the fun zone is an ever growing trust in people, a trust that is tested in range of situations. Here people want to help each other for the sheer childlike joy of discovery of the possible and the probable. Together, across the virtual world, they learn to build better worlds.

......Virginia and Dorothy

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This policy arose from two situations. First, when I charged the cost of a workshop to the sponsors’ online credit card account, the fee was sent to the sponsor’s account. When the workshop cancelled, the sponsors returned my fee to their account-holder with instructions to return the money to me. Over several weeks, numerous e-mails told me I had to establish an account with the credit-card company before I could receive my refund. I saw no reason to establish the account. The credit card company told me that, if I did not create an account, my workshop fee would be returned to the workshop sponsor. I alerted the workshop sponsor. I told the credit card company of my displeasure. After several months of e-mail, my money was returned to the workshop sponsor. The credit card company lost a potentially lucrative client in EPROW Images. I was considering establishing an online account with the company in question. In addition, the money has yet to be returned by the workshop sponsor. Another possible relationship destroyed by bad customer relations.

Second, I experienced a family member using credit to buy a warm, fuzzy future. The instant gratification inherent in the behavior showed me that I did not want clients to develop their future achievements on borrowed money. Better to take some additional time and build a safety net. When your vision turns to reality, you do not have to repay debt. As the virtual credit industry matures, this policy will be revisited. .................Virginia

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We chose the word partnerships because of the word’s richness in its meanings, both denotative and connotative. We welcome thinking and dialogue about any possibility that has value to all concerned. Over the years, we have learned that the work of Edward de Bono, related to value, is our best guide. De Bono identifies what he calls The Six Value Medals. By separating value into its possibilities, de Bono enables us to look at any proposal more easily and more openly.

His six medals are:

From youth forward, people learn about correct answers and criticism for getting wrong answers. Hence, people are more alert to danger than to value. As we both developed and refined our personal value sensitivities, we looked at ideas for their possible value in all six areas. Today, some ideas fall into more than one value area. We explore each idea to see if we can find a way to design forward into the future. When values are unequal, we assess the significance, the levels of risk, the possible new ideas that arise from changes in perspective, and the potential to deliver new value. Then, we identify value conflicts. Where possible, we resolve the conflicts, leaving only those that might generate new ideas. Finally, we prioritize and decide. .......Virginia and Dorothy

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When an application to participate arrives, the initial screening focuses on who shall be involved in the review. Drawing on experience with lateral and parallel thinking combined with work with Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats, each reviewer evaluates the application individually to identify the information that is available or still needed together with the questions that need to be asked. In addition, each reviewer develops an intuitive reaction to the desired achievement and to the items that are stopping the applicant. Finally, in this first part of the review, each reviewer identifies anything in the application that presents possible difficulties. With the completed identification of the needed information, questions to be asked, intuitive response, and the potential difficulties, reviewers submit their assessments to the corporate office for electronic combining of findings and the dissemination of that total wisdom, without identities, to all reviewers.

While the compilation and dissemination occurs, reviewers document any new ideas that occurred to them during their individual reviews. Finally, the reviewers are asked to describe the possible routes that could be taken in moving the applicant from the current position to the desired future. Results are sent to corporate for compilation and dissemination. With this work complete, corporate schedules a series of conference calls to allow the reviewers to interact with each other and arrive at a recommendation to the applicant. Because the applicant did the initial thinking in answering the required questions, this entire process takes no more than 10 working days. .........Virginia and Dorothy

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