New to phycology/seaweed/kelp , but want to get involved as a career. It feels like my ikigai. Help please

[anthony_duvall8978]

Hi everyone,
I'm new to Greenwave, but have been consuming tons of information about this industry for the past month. I have a background in marine biology and farming, but have been working in the academic art space for the past few years and have been looking for a new path.
Phycology, and more specifically kelp, truly feels like my ikigai (or the ven diagram of where your passion, work and desire to help all converge). It's always fascinated me since I was a kid playing in the kelp piles on the beach in San Diego.
I have a BS degree in biology and a MFA in art. I really want to get involved in this field, and would love to be a part of what seems to be the beginning stages of a potentially larger movement in kelp across the northeast and west coasts. I don't have the financial means or knowledge at the moment to start my own patch, but would love to work for a current kelp operation or possibly even get into a graduate program researching kelp (Stony Brook University on Long Island or the University of New England seem to have some strong programs in kelp research).
If anyone has any potential leads or advice on these thoughts, I would really appreciate that! I am willing to relocate, and truly would be happiest being on the water and being part of this effort in sustainable change to not only help our oceans but agriculture and so many more industries that could be positively effected.

Thank you,

[stephen_lowery]

@anthony_duvall8978, thanks for the post.
Could you please post some of your art? Are these technical diagrams, scientific illustrations, product design, gardening or something more abstract?
A good place to start might be the Phyconomy.net website (link). It includes a database with many different companies, organized by their locations, stage of development, revenue, function within the seaweed/kelp value chain and more. It also has a job board.
Given your background (art + biology), maybe something like designing the business/product brochures & websites for a kelp products company might suit your interests & skills.
If you're feeling particularly adventurous, you could work with the teams that are designing floating towns around the atolls of Maldives (link). If I remember correctly, there are also a few Dutch companies & at least 1 Korean project (link) doing similar things. I've also heard some discussion around incorporating art and (possibly) underwater gardens into tourist experiences. Companies like Ocean Builders (link) in Panama and Arktide (link) with a facility in development in Puerto Rico may be working on that kind of thing, but I haven't heard from them in a long time and cannot speak for them.
I hope that helps.
Regards

[mica_oherlihy]

@anthony_duvall8978
I love your post. I am a seaweed farmer in Humboldt and my background is art and academia. We should talk.
feel free to reach out to me at Selkie.land.sea@gmail.com
warmly,
Mica