Last summer, OnMilwaukee.com’s Matt Mueller introduced Thanks For The Love, MKE – a Tumblr blog that shares photos and writings that celebrate Milwaukee.
It has been eight months since Dustin Zick and Joshua Arter decided to launch the blog – which also now has a Facebook page and a Twitter account – and, much like any person in love, it has continued to grow and expand.
Recently, we checked in with Zick and Arter to get an update on Thanks for the Love, MKE and to find out more about its mission, meet-ups and Milwaukee in general.
OnMilwaukee: How did the idea for this site come about?
Joshua Arter: Dustin had tweeted how he loves Milwaukee and how it has so much potential, and I tweeted back agreeing. A conversation started there, and I had DM’d him asking if he wanted to sit down and chat about a blog idea. Funniest thing is that Dustin and I didn’t know each other personally until our first sit-down at (then) Alterra to talk about it.
OMC: What is the mission?
JA: On one hand, much like the name, we are just looking to spread the Milwaukee love. It’s a hidden gem for sure, and we just want to highlight how awesome a city it is. On the other, because Milwaukee suffers from severe segregation, we are hoping to really spread the love to areas that need it most.
Dustin Zick: We're still trying to figure that out completely. I think we've realized along the way though that much like the potential the city has, this website and "Thanks for the Love, MKE" has potential much more grand than we'd originally imagined, so we're opening our eyes to the potential.
OMC: What’s new with the site since we last checked in?
DZ: We had our first physical meet-up earlier this month at Cafe Centraal in Bay View. It was super informal, we really just wanted to see how many people were willing to come out in person. And we were absolutely thrilled with the turnout.
Also, we have T-shirts! A limited run of our first press, we're currently selling them on a first-come, first-serve basis, and then adding people to a waiting list as we run out of sizes. You can find details on how to buy one on the site. They're $12 a shirt, and feature our logo, which was designed by a local designer, Brian Matzat.
OMC: How many meet-ups are you planning?
DZ: We haven't ironed out any details yet, but we're planning to have another meetup in early 2014, this one with a bit more of an agenda, maybe bring in someone to lead a discussion about something Milwaukee, or ... well, we want ideas, so if anybody has them, please share.
We'd also like to start moving our meetups to some awesome restaurants / bars / venues in the city that maybe don't get the attention that they deserve, so we encourage our fans to throw suggestions for businesses to us for that, or if you're a business owner and think you'd like to help host a meetup for us, we'd love to talk to you.
OMC: How often do you post new material?
JA: We post daily. We queue up a lot of posts each day, and have our Tumblr set to post 10 a day. This includes photos, text posts, videos, etc. If there is a special post – someone’s love letter – we usually post that instantly and drum up interest on Facebook and Twitter.
OMC: What kind of material are you looking for? How should someone submit?
DZ: Photos, video, letters, poems. Anything about Milwaukee. I love seeing what people come up with, and there's certainly no rigidity to it. If someone reaches out to us and says, "I want to do this weird, quirky thing about Milwaukee and I'd love for you guys to help me get it out there," we're going to be on board.
JA: What I love most about Milwaukee is the hometown feel. Talking to people who have lived in Milwaukee but end up leaving, it always comes up that they miss it more than anywhere else. There is just such a sense of community here. Milwaukee is full of innovation, and it seems like everyone wants to be doing something "cool" to give back to the city and show people that we are awesome.
DZ: I always explain what makes Milwaukee so great like this: If you go to Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles, any of those BIG BIG cities, and you want to make a name for yourself, make an impact on your city, make a difference – what do you do? You bust your ass working night and day, pouring your heart and soul into what you do – but the truth? You're probably not going to get noticed, because you get drowned out by all the other noise.
Milwaukee is different. We're such a perfect size. If you want to get noticed, make that difference, that impact – and you put the love, blood, sweat and tears into your work – it will happen. You'll make that difference, your name will have weight.
I think that's a sign of the generational shift happening here. Milwaukee is much different than it was 10 years ago, 20 years ago. There's so much room for change and improvement for sure, but I feel like the mindset is there to start trying to make those changes, to improve our community as a whole so we can bring all of it up to the same incredible level that some of it is already at.
OMC: What are your plans / hopes / dreams for this project for the future?
JA: This question always makes Dustin and I laugh. We started this for fun, and it’s become quite the force. Obviously it’d be awesome to just do this for a living. Until then, we just want to spread the love and awareness that Milwaukee is a great and growing city, but at the same time, there are things that need to be addressed in order for Milwaukee to lose some of the negative connotations it has. In terms of scalability, who knows! Maybe one day, there will be a "Thanks for the Love, (insert city here)."
OMC: Tell us a little bit about yourselves ...
JA: I am 24, and I originally grew up in the Midwest. I came to Milwaukee from Atlanta to attend Marquette University. It’s the first urban setting I’ve ever lived in, and I fell in love with Milwaukee instantly. I still live close to campus, but I am moving Downtown once my lease is up.
DZ: I'm 26, and I grew up in Waukesha, finally came to Milwaukee 2 1/2 years ago and settled in Bay View just a block away from Humboldt Park. I went to Carroll University in Waukesha. Moving to Milwaukee was a big deal to me, and I've never regretted it once. It's been the second best decision of my life – my first being adopting my dog.
OMC: What else do you want readers to know about this endeavor?
JA: I just want readers to know that what we do is for them. We wouldn’t be where we are if it weren’t for them. I am a communications specialist for a company, and I’ve always been social media-savvy. Dustin’s career puts him in the same situation. Together, we just know how to connect with people. In general, Dustin and I are pretty easy-going, sociable people. I can’t speak for him, but personally, if anyone wanted to sit down and meet up, I’m down. I love this city, and I love its people. No harm in meeting new, cool people.
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
