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Chalk It Up

I know little about chalk, what it is made from, who found it or the market forecast for its longevity.  I’ve learned a lot from chalk and I’ve been utterly embarrassed by it…  It turns out there’s an N & I in organism, tough lesson for a pimply teen at the front of the science class.  I can tell you that chalk was an everyday encounter for many growing up and when used properly could brighten a day or a future.

Education, expression and play can all be achieved by using chalk whether in the classroom or on the neighborhood streets.  Sure, it’s just chalk but more than that it’s a vessel for enlightenment.  We, the TIMBERCOAT team, share the same dilemma when creating a slogan for our vessel the AVONTUUR.  We offer sustainable sea transportation but additionally we are challenging the norm, actively addressing climate change and confronting industry standards.

We’ve debated slogans in our container office, over dinner and with complete strangers.  There are no bad ideas but we’ve definitely had some belt busting funny ones.  Trying to articulate what we do, who we are, what we offer, why we’re doing it and our vision is a real challenge in few words.  We want to invoke wonder without being compartmentalized as ubiquitous.  I must admit, this reminds me of that dinner party “so, what do you do?” question.  That makes me chuckle every time because it has transformed into a professional query.  I understand that many people identify with their profession but we as individuals are so much more than our workday.  The exact same can be said for TIMBERCOAST, we move cargo but that’s only a slice of who we are.

Chalk has become a niche item with disposable felt markers and projectors with opt in two year warranties the new norm.  You can’t replace the feeling of using chalk nor can you deny the necessity for Cargo under Sail.