Story
The Blip Institute was founded by Phillip Norman in the Spring of 2024. After spending two years building up his own oral history practice, Phillip wanted to formalize the network of collaborators who had helped him realize several successful projects about grassroots social action. Experiencing the challenges of conducting a freelance creative practice alone, he took a page from the playbook of the community leaders he works with, and decided to pursue power in numbers.
Adopting the model of an artist collective, the Blip Institute is an evolving network of creators and community leaders who share a commitment to social change work. Our projects draw strength from an accumulation of diverse skill sets and life experiences. We don’t like transactional relationships or anonimized gig work. Forging personal connections between independent creators and grassroots leaders, we assure that our artistic process is as transformative as our creative products. By committing to a culture of mutual uplift, we’re fortifying a freelance economy in which ambitious people too often lack the support they need to turn their creative passions into stable careers.
As an ever-expanding network, the Institute is open to collaborating with any organization committed to social change work, and any individual with the ability and ambition to lend their creativity toward struggles for justice.
Testimony
Above all, our work is about relationships—the inherent value of knowing and caring for one another, and the limitless potential of combing powers to alter our shared reality.
Here are just a few of the folks we’ve been proud to collaborate with:
Carmen Daniels, Boardmember, Nehemiah Homeowner’s Association
Narrator on From The Ground Up: Oral Histories of the Nehemiah Homes
“Phillip Norman is a master at the craft of creating Oral History. He uses a gentle and seemingly unobtrusive technique to question and evoke memories that leave the subject totally immersed in a new reality. His finished product is a testament to his love of people and the stories they have to tell. These stories paint unforgettable pictures in the minds of the listener. Phillip is excellent at creating memories with the stories he shares with others.”
Dr. Press Robinson, Civil Rights Advocate, Together Baton Rouge
Narrator on Toward A Larger Freedom: 10 Years of Citizen Power Organizing with Together Baton Rouge
“Phillip is an amazing young man with keen writing and reading skills. His dedication to preserving the oral history of members of the Baton Rouge community, and especially that of Black Baton Rougeans, is nothing less than astonishing. The work that he has done stands out as authentic, thought-provoking, interesting, and not likely to be found in any other source.”
Phillip approaches his research and interviews with a thoughtful balance – there’s structure to ground the process in project objectives alongside flexibility to capture the essence of people and their stories. It’s been a pleasure for me and NRDC’s community-based partners to collaborate with Phillip to create resources that center and celebrate the grassroots organizing, relationships, and movement principles central to environmental justice advocacy.”
Anna London, Organizer, East Brooklyn Congregations
Collaborator on From the Ground Up: Oral Histories of the Nehemiah Homes
Sara Imperiale, Director of Community Lawyering, Natural Resources Defense Council
Narrator on “Speak Out”: NYCHA Tenants Fighting to Breathe Better at Home
“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Phillip for a few years now. He is deeply curious, hardworking, and relatable. Phillip creates beautiful work while building strong relationships of trust and respect with those he works with. I could not recommend him more!”