Fifty People, One Question

Fifty People, One Question: London from Fifty People, One Question on Vimeo.

Beautifully done!

The Fun Theory

Hmmmm... There is really something here. This idea can go so many places!

Strategy

Loving this from my friend Nicole. She is off in London with WK Platform and learning all kinds of things. Check out her blog for the full download of her notes, but here are some of the highlights from Paul Coleman:

-With no strategy, it’s just art.

-Don’t count the people you reach, reach the people that count

-Don’t take what people are doing & just reflect it back – lead, inspire, guide them where to go.

-Find the truth, tell it delightfully

-Dig. Talk to real people

-You shouldn’t have to explain why it’s good. You should feel it.

-Don’t obsess over insights

-Strategy IS execution.

Keep sharing Nicole, so proud of you!

Oregon Humanities

Digging this. Great work from Jelly Helm for Oregon Humanities.

The Web as Random Acts of Kindness

Beautiful Life

A Scientific Treat

Carl Sagan - 'A Glorious Dawn' ft Stephen Hawking (Cosmos Remixed)

Infomercials Never Die

Awesome. I have always been addicted to infomercials. They are awesome. I like guessing how much they will slash the price towards the end. I love that they are a great excuse to cast absolutely ridiculous people. I love that my father actually bought an Abtronic and walked around the house shocking his abdomen. Here are two previews of some good ones I have seen recently, thanks vacation!



"Mmm! This is delicious! My taste buds is going wild! You were right, Darla! That was fast!"

Analog Blog Part II: What is OUR Brand Culture?

If you have checked out my blog recently, you might remember my Analog Blog experiment. I think it went over pretty well!

Here are some responses from the Analog Blog:


The response I thought was the most interesting:



So we brought it up in our last few Brown Bag meetings:
Redington happens to be one of our clients and we can thank them for the matching outfits.


We are pretty good at explaining brand culture to our clients, but we were having a hard time articulating what our own brand culture was, and so we spent some extra time talking about it. In fact, two of our Brown Bags and one Company Conversation was dedicated to it. Here are my notes after yesterday's Brown Bag, I think we are getting somewhere.


Our brand culture is about conversation, community and discourse. It's about partnerships and working together to bring forth internal and external congruency, for our clients and ourselves. It's about honoring trust, respect, process and thoughtfulness. It's pretty a pretty good culture if you ask me.


After all, this is what Full Sail had to say about it:

Is That Art?

Last night I went to see a screening in Portland for the documentary, Died Young, Stayed Pretty. It was a really interesting look into the world of poster making. I myself have always had a love for posters and I find myself fascinated by the artwork done for the shows of my favorite bands. I guess it was always something I was curious about and I didn't really know where it was all coming from.



Overall, I would say this film was pretty good and did a great job focusing on the artists- those who have actually been the unknown part of the poster subculture. I loved that it gave them a face and a voice, but there were some other things I would have liked to seen in the film. I would have liked to have seen the fans, the people who collect posters to better understand what it means to them and if they were connecting to the message or not (maybe that just wasn't the point of the film though). I would have liked to have seen a point of view from the people who oppose posters (this was brought up, but not really explored). I really enjoyed the shots of production and the look into the ink factory, I would have loved a more detailed look at the process, but I can't say it wasn't there- I just would have preferred more.

The director Eileen Yaghoobian and some of the artists featured in the film held a discussion panel after the screening which was also interesting. A major topic up for discussion was whether or not poster making was an art form because of its use of borrowed content (remediation of images, the name of the band if they weren't being commissioned etc). It was hard to tell where to draw the line- If it was art, could it be a commodity or is it simply a gift to the public? If it's not art, does that change anything?

This thinking led me to a book I have been meaning to get to and I finally began reading it today.

The Gift by Lewis Hyde
Creativity and the Artist in the Modern World:


Because I am only 20 pages in, I am completely unable to provide any real synopsis of meaning; however, according to the introduction, Hyde aims to discuss the theory of "the gift" by exploring the idea of art as a gift and the problem with the market, through the study and criticism of cultural anthropology, philosophy, storytelling and ethnography... and probably more.

"The first half of this book is a theory of gift exchange and the second is an attempt to apply the language of that theory to the life of the artist."

I have a lot of thinking, reading and absorbing ahead of me- I am excited for this book, I have no idea why I have waited so long to read it.

Russell Davies: How to be Interesting

Russell Davies came to the UO once and he changed our lives forever. This advice became so valuable to our program, we found ourselves coming back to it time and time again. When Andrea and I were getting ready to lead Allen Hall Advertising our senior year, we gave everyone a moleskin to use as an idea book and included Russell's timeless advice. As I was cleaning my room, I came across the moleskin and the paper and thought I should share.

Incase it's hard to read from the scan:
1. Take at least one picture everyday. Post it to flickr.
2. Start a blog. Write at least one sentence every week.
3. Keep a scrapbook.
4. Every week, read a magazine you’ve never read before.
5. Once a month interview someone for 20 minutes, work out how to make them interesting. Podcast it.
6. Collect something.
7. Once a week sit in a coffee-shop or cafe for an hour and listen to other people’s conversations. Take notes. Blog about it. (Carefully)
8. Every month write 50 words about one piece of visual art, one piece of writing, one piece of music and one piece of film or TV. Do other art forms if you can. Blog about it.
9. Make something.
10. Read.

Thank you, Russell Davies!

The Coolest Thing on Youtube

The Year of Tomorrow: A Ronald Chevalier Fanfiction for Gentlemen Broncos

Gooooood morning!

High five Jared Hess.

He also directed one of my favorite Wexley moments:

Ballmer Lab: Always a Special Place in My Heart

2 am in Ballmer lab.... often called for ridiculous chair dancing.. or Disney sing-alongs.

Good times.

You People Impress Me

The one man band... Holy crap. Music is the most wonderful gift, completely blows me away. Check out Theresa Andersson, she is absolutely amazing.



Beautiful.

I Dated W+K London for 3 Minutes

Welcome to Optimism!
-W+K London



This is from some notes I took when Richard Ward came to hang out with us one day last year, at the UO. Richard is a good friend of the "family" within the SOJC advertising program. Each year he puts on the Executive in Residency program, which allows us to spend quality time with interesting professionals in the industry, bringing them to the UO for a week long stay. Because of Richard's tremendous support and belief in our program, I have had the pleasure of working with Russell Davies, Nils Anderson, Kevin Swanepol, and Merry Baskin during my time at the SOJC. Anyway, getting back to the quote, I also had the pleasure of getting to know Richard. He is one of the good people who has taught me that you have got to think positively in this business, breath optimism and to never be an asshole.

I came back to this thought as I was flying home to Portland today. I was trying to think of ways I could sum up the last few days, and I found this quote appropriate. Why? Because on Friday I had the privilege of dating W+K London for 3 whole minutes in NYC! Speed dating that is! Well, the speed dating was just part of it- I was honored to participate in the Platform US open day. Out of 187 applicants, 40 were invited back for open day (which also took place in London and through the almighty powers of the interweb).

The day was really a great experience. Walking into a room at W+K to see your work hanging on the wall was one of those moments that make you pinch yourself a little and ask, "Is this real?"



Sam and Lucy were our hosts and what an incredible pair. Sam has this infectious personality, she is confident and put together, and genuine. Lucy is down to earth, thoughtful and really observant. She is also a female creative director, what a dream come true! The words female and creative director aren't often used in the same sentence and it's really exciting for me whenever I meet women who have made it happen. It's always exciting to meet strong women in the industry and these two were striking examples. Both funny, with a strong vision and extremely passionate about what they do- very inspiring individuals.

Everyone who participated in the day really blew me away too. I was surprised that 7 strangers who are all very different people could work so well together. We were broken up into groups to work on a brief for 45 minutes. The brief: How can Nokia help spread awareness of Peace One Day to 3 billion people by 2012. Yeah, no big deal. It was like someone saying, "Hey, go solve world peace, we'll meet back here in 45..." =) Reminded me of a good ol' Deb assignment, "Hey, go change the world." (the exciting news is, we are going to change the world)

The day didn't feel like a day of competition, rather it felt like a day to celebrate our opportunities and to of course, put the work first. By the end of the day everyone felt like a friend and that is important. So my biggest take away from the day? The more I dive into this industry, the more I see how interconnected it is. It's most important to make good friends and that is all this day was, an opportunity to meet good people.

At the end of the day, we had our speed dating session. One at a time we were asked three questions with one minute to answer, and that my friends, is how I dated W+K London for three magical minutes.

Side note:
This was a great application process. I wonder what would happen if all jobs required this kind of dedication and thoughtfulness rather than a simple resume?

Update: I didn't make Platform this time around. But the good news, I will continue speed dating... let me know if you want my number ;)

Congratulations to my dear friend Nicole Karalekas who will be moving to London town in a month!!

This Is Good Advice

"I only have learned from doing things the wrong way mostly
...and it still worked out for me" -Jelly Helm

Analog Blog

Today we had another Brown Bag Lunch at ID Branding. These company conversations are really interesting to me, especially as an intern. Today's topic was more focused around our own internal culture and was in response to the agency's blog, and a particular post specifically (that has since been removed). The post wasn't removed because it was wrong or inappropriate, but was maybe just poor timing and not necessarily reflecting what everyone felt. What sparked today was a conversation about understanding and living our brand culture. We talk about brand culture a lot, it's what our agency is all about, it's our philosophy and it's what we deeply believe. On the topic of blogging, not a lot of people are blogging on the ID Branding blog, even though there is a desire for the conversation to reach a wider audience within the agency. What we found out today was that not everyone likes to blog or cares to share their thoughts with an audience in a published manor.

So I came up with a solution that I hope will have everyone speaking openly, sharing creatively and spreading ideas! The solution? The Analog Blog. There is this awesome room in the back of our office that really doesn't get a lot of use... and I have no idea why?! It's a great room! I learned today that its name is Bon Vivant. Bon Vivant used to be the room near the kitchen, before that space was leased out, but the name stayed in the office. And so lives Bon Vivant!

Bon Vivant has a chalk wall, a massage chair, a whiteboard, tons of books and these great yellow curtains in the doorway.



At first I thought I would adopt it as my own personal office, maybe hire another intern to do preform my responsibilities and then I would have time to conquer the world. Anyway, I let that day dream go and instead, I turned it into an open forum space for the agency. I hope it will become a place to share ideas, post thoughts and in return we can document our process and by doing so, create content for the blog that is truly owned by everyone.

Here's the start:



I'm excited about this. I sent out an email and left everyone an invitation to the Analog Blog on their desk this afternoon. It was around for an hour and is already getting some love.

Alternative Transportation

Every day I catch a ride to my internship with my parents and then have them pick me up at the end of the day on their way home. It starts feeling a bit like high school, especially when my mom packs my lunch and puts it in a brown bag. I am not complaining, all of this is great- carpooling is good for the environment and lunches from mom are just wonderful! But this last week, it's gotten even better- I am at an all time high as far as transportation methods go.

My internship granted me a bus pass, which is AWESOME. This way I don't always have to ride home with my parents and it gives me a lot more flexibility downtown, especially because I can take the MAX and streetcar. I feel as if I have regained some sense of independence.

Next, I convinced my parents to listen to the radio in the morning... and not just any radio, they even approved the 94.7 Eight at 8:00. We've also been listening to NPR a lot, so to say the least, the morning commute is going well.

Now the icing on the cake. Not just one, but two days in a row, my mom gave me $5!! I think I'll retire when they do, life is good.

WK Platform Application Video

I have been working on the WK Platform brief, here is my entry:



You can find Project One: The DMV here

and here

UPDATE:
I made the first cut for Platform and I am participating in the final interviews next week in NYC! I am so excited! I am also excited that my friends have started stealing and sending me airplane safety instructions! I got a set today!! THANKS KIM =)

Brown Baggin' It

Today was my 3rd day interning at ID Branding and I'm already learning and soaking up a lot. Day 1 I had the back and forth feeling of knowing what I am doing and feeling confident, to taking deep breaths and feeling like I know nothing at all. Day 2 things started to click a lot more and I definitely got to know more people. Everyone is really friendly and I feel really comfortable- I think that is extremely important. Also, everyone is really smart- the kind of smart that makes for great conversation and work.

Today was especially good because we had a Brown Bag Lunch. Basically, everyone gathers for an hour during lunch every other Wednesday to talk about brand culture in a constructive and educational manor. Conversation today was about the brand culture of Wal-Mart. We talked about would it mean to us as an agency, what it means to us as individuals and what it means to the Wal-Mart audience. We also talked about the original Wal-Mart vision and as we discussed we got off on some tangents, but I felt that was where it started to get really good. I loved that everyone came together to share their insights, ask questions and think as a community. How refreshing! I am so glad that this happens in the real world- Deb would love it.

At one point, we started talking about the quality of living and our cultural standards, which brings me to my next topic. On Monday I ate lunch at Pizza Schmizza, where I found this 1962 educational pull-down which visualizes economic standards of living... based on our choices.

Wow 1962, you're hilarious!

And just because I haven't been very good at keeping up with the blog lately: