NEW BLOG

Fresh start. more concise, more me.

http://myndscribe.tumblr.com/


Also follow my Pinterest board here.

http://pinterest.com/jesscelinej/sh-t-i-like/

One whirlwind later, my first set of tight roughs is complete!

Product: Airborne
Photo 1: Apple
Photo 2: Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup
Photo 3: Purell
Photo 4: Digital component 

Short Myers-Briggs Personality Test Results

I am ESFP

ESFPs live in the moment, experiencing life to the fullest. They enjoy people, as well as material comforts. Rarely allowing conventions to interfere with their lives, they find creative ways to meet human needs. ESFPs are excellent team players, focused on completing the task at hand with maximum fun and minimum discord. Active types, they find pleasure in new experiences.


ESFPs take a hands-on approach in most things. Because they learn more by doing than by studying or reading, they tend to rush into things, learning by interacting with their environment. They usually dislike theory and written explanations. Traditional schools can be difficult for ESFPs, although they tend to do well when the subject of study interests them, or when they see the relevance of a subject and are allowed to interact with people.


Observant, practical, realistic, and specific, ESFPs make decisions according to their own personal standards. They use their Feeling judgment internally to identify and empathize with others. Naturally attentive to the world around them, ESFPs are keen observers of human behavior. They quickly sense what is happening with other people and immediately respond to their individual needs. They are especially good at mobilizing people to deal with crises. Generous, optimistic, and persuasive, they are good at interpersonal interactions. They often play the role of peacemaker due to their warm, sympathetic, and tactful nature.


ESFPs love being around people and having new experiences. Living in the here-and-now, they often do not think about long term effects or the consequences of their actions. While very practical, they generally despise routines, instead desiring to 'go with the flow.' They are, in fact, very play minded. 


Because ESFPs learn better through hands-on experience, classroom learning may be troublesome for many of them, especially those with a very underdeveloped intuitive side.


-http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/86gSvA/www.usefulcharts.com/psychology/short-myers-briggs-test.html

The AWKWARD Years: Survived

Dave asked us to come up with a memory or two from the ages 9 through 12, and, of course, to include a photo. 500 words or less. Here's my response!

My best memories from the ages 9 through 12 can be summed up in two words: Lake Nemahbin. Every summer, my family and I would pack up our bags with bathing suits and sunscreen, and move into our lake house on Lower Nemahbin in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. I lived for those summers. Underneath the perfect warmth of the Wisconsin sun, surrounded by flowers, dragonflies, and open air, I would escape reality.

On top of the garage was a deck with a bridge that attached to a hill steeped in flowers of all sorts: tiger lilies (my favorite), gardenias, tulips, roses, hydrangeas, hastas, and geraniums, just to name a few. Underneath that bridge, I would camp out for hours, occupied only by my imagination. There, I built houses for fairies, not really convinced by their existence, but intrigued by the magic nonetheless.

I had two friends out at Lake Nemahbin from which I was nearly inseparable: Brighid, an adventurous and quirky girl always wanting to explore, and Quinn, Brighid’s little brother with a knack for mischief. With those two, I orchestrated a “shark circus,” an egg hunt (in our hill garden), a few spy missions, and a million multi-mile bike rides. Back then, bikes were our ticket to freedom.

One of the best parts of summers on Lower Nemahbin was the swing my dad built for Bridghid, Quinn, and I on our giant oak tree. It swung out over the hill garden, and if you got it to go high enough, you could see the lake on the other side. Secretly, without adult supervision, the one-seat swing became able to seat two.

S’mores were made, bonfires were had, and perfect Midwest summers were created.

Sadly, my family no longer owns that home, and the new owners tore down our old hill garden to build a guesthouse.

I guess only memories have a shot at lasting forever.

Challenge me

I just got home from my last Concepting class (this post was SUPPOSED to publish at 5:15 pm). Today, we found out which products would be the subject of each of the three campaigns we are required to complete this semester. Each student brought in a list of 40 products (10 luxury, 10 low-involvement, 10 service, and 10 large/durable), and from it Dev chose 3 for us to work on.

Here is my list of 40:

LARGE DURABLE

1. De'Longhi Portable Air Conditioners
2. NordicTrack Treadmills
3. Big Green Egg Grills
1. Doesn’t require lighter fluid
2. Ceramic walls
3.  Fuel efficient
4. No grease flare-ups
5. Charcoal can be reused
6. Can be used year-round
7. Won’t rust
4. GT Urban Bicycles
1. http://www.gtbicycles.com/bikes/urban/city
5. JumpSport Trampolines
6. Thule Carriers and Racks
7. Tivoli Stereo Systems
8. Tempur-Pedic Mattresses
9. Bullfrog Spas
1. http://www.bullfrogspas.com/
2. Sustainable
3. Jet Pack feature that allows for the rearrangement of jets per individual preferences
10. Toro Electric Hedge and Grass Trimmers

LOW INVOLVEMENT

1. Ace Elastic Bandage  
2. Bic Wite-Out
3.  Krazy Glue
4.  Saran Wrap
5. Airborne
6. Oral-B Floss
7. Off! Bug Repellent
8. Tums
9. Band-Aids
10. Sriracha Hot Sauce

LUXURY

1.  Spanx 
2. Prana Yoga Hiking and Lifestyle
3. Karen Walker Sunglasses
4. Hermes Scarves
5. Missoni Home
6. Tag Heur Watches
7. Giuseppe Zanotti Shoes
8. Vertu Cell Phones
9. Frontgate Outdoor Furniture
10. Louis Vuitton Luggage

SERVICE

1. Princeton Review Test Prep
2. Match.com
3. OpenTable.co
4. MTA New York City Subway System
5. Weight Watchers
6. Spotify.com
7. Yellow Cab
8. Monster.com
9. Orkin
10. Netflix

The products that are listed in bold were some of my favorite options before today's class. The products that are listed in maroon-colored type-face are the products Dev (my Concepting teacher) chose for me to work on this semester. To be sure, they are...

The Big Green Egg Grill

Airborne

Princeton Review Test Prep

I really wanted to do Princeton Review, and Airborne I'm pretty non-plussed about. However, The Big Green Egg Grill? There's my challenge. A student in last semester's Concepting class tried to advertise for The Big Green Egg Grill as well, but "failed" (Dev's own word choice). Not only will my work and progress be compared to that of the past student, but I MUST make GIANT improvements upon both.

After Dev chose the grill for me, I realized an inherent dilemma with which I will be presented upon beginning the process of advertising for this grill: it's a gimmicky product overflowing with features. Without even seeing the other students work, I know that in order to produce something better, I will have to de-gimmick the grill and be careful not to over-do it on the product benefits/features. I will need to keep my campaign simple and unpredictable, and of course relatable/truthful.

For which product will I design my first campaign? Hmm... 

The challenge is on.

Rice and beans is the Mexican equivalent to the black and white cookie

I was out to lunch with my wonderful boyfriend at a Mexican place the other day when this little revelation struck me: rice and beans is the Mexican equivalent to the black and white cookie. 

See, every one has the same problem with the black and white cookie: they want a little chocolate frosting and a little vanilla frosting in each bite, but they don't know how to do that without dismantling the cookie. I experienced the same problem with my rice and beans the other day, but I wanted a combination of rice and beans in each bite. 

So I ate down the middle of the plate, where the rice and the beans met in one delicious union. Half-way through lunch, a landing-strip-shaped space had appeared between the rice and the beans. So, I pushed the rice over by the beans, and started the eat down the middle process again. 

I'd recommend repeating this process until all rice and beans are gone.

While the perfect bite conundrum can easily be solved for the Mexican rice and beans, it cannot as easily be solved for the black and white cookie. 

Without dismantling the cookie, your options are slim. I think in this case, your best bet is to take a HUGE bite out of the middle of the cookie, and then switch to smaller, gentler bites, still in the middle, so that you continue to get the combination, but do not break the cookie in half. 

If you are fine with dismantling the cookie (many are uncomfortable messing with its mystic proportions), then break it in half, put one side on top of the other, and dig in! It's as simple as that. 

For the more adventurous eater, break the cookie into a bunch of little pieces, put the pieces into a bowl, grab a fork, and enjoy a black and white cookie salad (sans lettuce). If you pour some milk over the pieces, the salad becomes cereal (with the sugar content of nine bowls of Lucky Charms)!

Oh, the options. 

SMU economics professor, Michael Cox, and "Would You Give Up the Internet for 1 Million Dollars"

SMU economics professor Michael Cox discusses tangible vs. intangible worth and brings to light the importance of the rich investing early on in a product's life span. 

How do you make your product so ingrained in consumers' lives that they can't imagine life without it? Or so important that they would pay anything to keep it? How do you make the intangible worth of a product greater than that of the tangible?

Since the advent of the internet, it has become a consumer necessity. Most cannot imagine a life without it, and many would pay thousands, or millions, relatively, to keep it.

How did that happen? And how do we do it again?

According to Cox, the internet (or any other technology) would be no where without initial investors. It is most likely that these initial investors are in at least the top 10% of the county's annual income rate.

"During those first few years products are very expensive as those development costs are paid. If everybody waited, then the product would die on the vine, it would never make it to the market. So somebody is paying that cost of the first product to keep it from dying, and that's the rich."-Michael Cox

Never before did I realize how important is the role of the rich in propelling a product past its introduction stage and into a place where it becomes more accessible to the main stream.

Think about it...

...If there weren't rich people around to buy the first iPod, would it be as accessible and as commonplace a product today?
...If the upper middle class wasn't around to buy the first versions of cable TV, would be what it is today?
...How about flat-screen TV's? Or MacBook's? Or just computers in general?

Without rich people buying these products when they are still expensive (and admittedly slightly faulty), they wouldn't live to see the mainstream. Product developers need the money received from initial buys to improve the product, and eventually, make it cheap enough to be purchased by the masses, and good enough to be wanted by them.


PS- I'm sort of getting into economics lately. Part of why I love advertising is the psychology behind creating the "want." Economists are interested in that as well, and conduct research to determine what might spur consumer interest or lack there of. There's also a bit of storytelling in economics... extrapolations, if you will. Personifications. Ways to make the numbers, graphs, and charts come to life. And that is essentially what advertising is: making a product's benefits come to life in a way that excites emotion from the consumer and creates a connection that causes desire and an ultimate purchase.

Hm... maybe I have more in common with all those economics majors than I thought!

I'm BACK to the future (GOLFutureWANG)

Blog so dusty I could sneeze...

...dust off.

First things first: TYLER, THE CREATOR. This is a man I can't get enough of.

He's out to fuck shit up. I think he thinks everyone takes life too seriously... that everyone needs to chill the fuck out and do what they want. 

I think he's trying to get people to loosen up by setting an example... by getting in people's faces... to scare them, make them break their monotonous pace and look UP! Well actually, the stuff Tyler, the Creator does and the music he makes really shouldn't scare anyone (actually, if you're afraid of Tyler, we probably won't have much in common, as it means you might have a stick up your butt)... but most people get scared when they see someone actually doing or saying whatever they want because they've never seen it before and don't know how to react...

and because it stirs something up inside of them... something they've been trying to keep buried away deep beneath their ribcages... That something is the real them, existing always, never gone, always ready to be shown, yearning to be shown, but rarely let out.

Tyler, the Creator is committed to getting people to let the real them out. He has so much fun doing him, I think he just wants everyone else to have fun too.

He says fuck too much to keep things light.

He makes jokes about meth to make things super light... and challenge people's perceptions of him and his own ability to continue not giving a fuck.

He wears whatever he wants to whatever event he goes to... and he probably doesn't use the word "event."

Tyler, the Creator with his girlfriend, Rachel

He will let you, and the rest of the world know if he thinks you suck, and he will not care if you get upset. It's how he feels. Now you go deal with it.

He jumps around a lot. In fact, he might jump more than he walks.

Ladies and gentlemen, Tyler, the Creator has come to fuck shit up. Here's some videos. I hope you like them... because otherwise we know what that might mean...

YONKERS- Tyler, the Creator

Tyler, the Creator interview about the making of Yonkers as well as his alter-ego, Wolf Haley

Tyler, the Creator interview with Pitchfork

Wouldn't mind being this girl...

In response to "Words I Never Said"

Here's a paper I wrote for my Human Rights and the Journalist class. For the paper I received an A, but what is even more interesting is the fact that I wrote this paper weeks before I published my last blog post, "Words I Never Said." I guess I have been thinking about frames and their negative consequence for a while. Interesting how a bunch of small ideas add up in a way that allows you to form a set of beliefs. That's one of the many values of metacognition: if you take time to think about what it is that you think about, specifically how frequently you think about certain things, you can actually figure out what it is that you truly believe. And it might surprise you! 

In my opinion, listening to your heart and letting your mind go free is the only way eliminate external influences and concentrate on your true beliefs. In order to do this, I meditate. I meditate always. I don't set aside an hour of my day, and make a big to do about it. When I need it, no matter where I am, or who I'm with, I close my eyes and regroup. I remember what is important and I put things into perspective.

I'm rambling.

Here's the paper:

Jess Johnson

CCJN

Professor Kraeplin

6 May 2011

Response Paper Four (Optional): The Importance of Multiple Perspectives

Never before has the world been more globalized than it is now. While globalization affords us the opportunity to connect with distant cultures, it also provides us with more opportunities for conflict. Human nature expects man to react with fear and anxiety when confronted with the unknown. If the initial fear is not replaced with increased and truthful knowledge, it is likely that the fear will manifest itself into resentment, and eventually hatred. It is the understanding of the unknown that I believe prevents conflict. Therefore, I believe the most significant reading of the past semester is Amy E. Potter’s “Voodoo, Zombies, and Mermaids: U.S. Newspaper Coverage of Haiti.”

In “Voodoo,” Potter discusses the importance of frames, or perspectives, in the international news arena. While Potter admits that frames can be useful for simplifying complex ideas, she warns journalists of their simultaneous ability to limit the emergence of differing view points. Potter illustrates the evils of frames by discussing their impact on Haiti.

On March 14, 2004, Potter encountered a New York Times article entitled “Life Is Hard and Short in Haiti’s Bleak Villages” (Weiner 2004). The article’s copy described Haiti as a “failed state” “unable to properly govern itself” because of its own actions and those of “nature.” The article failed to address the United States’ own involvement in Haiti’s demise.

Disgusted by the Times’ portrayal of Haiti, Potter made it her mission to uncover the truth from behind all the frames. In order to do so, Potter empirically examined all the articles published on Haiti by a specific group of five newspapers throughout the year 2004. What she uncovered was the pain and confusion felt by the actual Haitians themselves in response to US media coverage of their country.

Until I read Potter’s article, I can honestly say that I had never considered the news as intrusive, or offensive to the foreign subjects. I am able to turn on my television whenever I want, expose myself to whichever messages I choose, and then proceed to turn off my television or change channels when I have had enough of a certain message. I never considered the possibility that the people I watch suffering on the news every day actually may hate being on camera. It may embarrass them, or make them feel like a spectacle. I can’t imagine fighting for my life while watching a cameraman stand by and snap impressive angles for National Geographic. It seems so dehumanizing to me, the idea of Western journalists swarming to the site of the latest human catastrophe pointing their cameras at whatever they please. Until I read Potter’s article, I never considered how unfair the coverage of human suffering could be.

When journalists report on any happening, it is inevitable that they will do so through the vantage point of their own frames. Then they send the news story back home, wrapped in the packaging of their own perspective. If enough journalists, each with a different frame, cover the same story, it becomes easy for the intended message to become muddled and eventually misconstrued. If enough journalists cover the same story with a similar frame, then that perspective becomes dominant, and other perspectives are ignored.

I understand the motive of many photographers is to raise awareness about human suffering through the distribution of images. In fact, that is why, until I read Potter’s article, I had no moral issues with the news. I truly believed that every international journalist was a champion of human rights, working long hours and dangerous locations to try to make a change.

But, then, thanks to Potter, I looked at the news from a different angle, the angle of the people across the lens from the cameraman. I finally looked at the news from a victim’s angle. 

As a young woman in the advertising industry, Potter’s article allowed me to look at the necessity for multiple perspectives in a way I have never done before. The advertising industry looks for new talent with a diverse background and an open mind, because those are the characteristics that suggest a person’s ability to come up with good ideas. The more perspectives through which a given problem is analyzed, the better the advertisement.

I learned through reading Potter’s article that this same strategy, that of multiple perspectives, can be applied when analyzing issues of human rights. I look forward to applying multiple perspectives to all areas of my life, not just advertising. In the end, Potter’s article gave me a new perspective on multiple perspectives!

The Words I Never Said

Thank you, Stephen Colbert, for featuring Lupe Fiasco and his new album, "Lasers," on your show today.

After a great interview, Lupe performed his new single, "The Words I Never Said," featuring Skylar Gray. During the interview, Lupe mentioned that he lives what he preaches and preaches what he lives. He said all his opinions are in his lyrics, and in this particular single, criticizes President Obama himself. I watched Skylar and Lupe perform, and felt a connection with the strength and passion of their sound. Immediately after their performance, I Googled the lyrics. They are incredible. And all this while, I've been trying to figure out what it is that I don't like about Obama. Lupe gave me my words: "Obama didn't say shit." EXACTLY. That is why I am disappointed in Obama. When he promised us change, I regarded him as the potential hero of our generation, the man who would come in, cut through the bullshit politics, and tell us the truth. I thought he would actually change things. Make the American society better. I thought he was a real dude who had the American people's best interest in mind.

But, I guess it's sort of hard to "cut through the bullshit politics" when you're trying to do so in the White House. It's obviously very difficult to try to peal away all the bureaucracy and formality from making change. I guess I didn't think Obama would be such a pussy. I thought he was a quiet badass who had good ideas and would make them happen diplomatically, by using the power of his voice. I didn't think he'd have such respect for American tradition and its power structure. I thought he would be the one to go into the White House and actually make something happen.


Unfortunately, Obama's own constituents act in ways that work against progress all the time. But, the definition of progress is relative to each person looking at it. What I think of as progress is certainly not what everyone thinks of it. I see progress as gay rights, finishing up in the Middle East, leaving each country better than it was when we entered it,  an end to segregation and racism, guaranteed healthcare for the elderly and the mentally or physically incapable, a more balanced tax plan, and a reform of the education system.

Some would call me a liberal. Ok. I don't care what you call me, this is what I believe, and I came to those conclusions without the consideration for any specific political leanings.

I don't vote for a party, I vote for the people.


I wish people would wake up and realize that if they don't give up some of their luxuries during their own country's time of need, none of us will make it out alive with a clear conscious. I guess, maybe I should just start wishing people had consciouses. I wish everyone put the well-being of the world's inhabitants above the height of their money stacks. I wish people would take off all their blinders and filters and opinions, and just look at the TRUTH, and find the best, most reasonable, answer to our problems.

I WISH SOMEONE WOULD JUST CUT THE CRAP! Political leanings only bring more filters and frames into the equation that obscure the truth and mutilate the efficacy of the answer.

POLITICAL LEANINGS ARE NOT EFFICIENT.


When will a politician come in and actually do what they think is best without considering the next election? I thought Obama was our answer. Turned out he's not.

Who will be our answer?

One of my friends has already expressed interest in working for Obama's campaign. At the moment, given the potential presidential candidates, I think Obama is our best option. However, at this moment, I am not ready to declare for whom I'm supporting. My friend's admiration for Obama has become one without virtue. He's keeping score for Obama, trying to get Obama as many points as he can. When Osama Bin Laden was murdered on Obama's watch, he shouted out, "HELL YEAH," as loud as he could, as though it was a sports victory. His commitment to proving Obama's integrity and capability has marred his ability to look at all the candidates and judge them upon the same platforms. When you're always rooting for one guy, it's hard to see the positives of the other guys.

Whatever happens, it's not good to take politics personally. It's good to take politics objectively, and draw conclusions from the evidence like 1 + 1 + 1 = 3.

I wish there was no such thing as a frame.

I guess I thought Obama was as close to approaching problems without a frame as it got. Once again, I was wrong.

Here are the lyrics to the song that inspired all of this:


It’s so loud Inside my head
With words that I should have said!
As I drown in my regrets
I can’t take back the words I never said
I can’t take back the words I never said
I really think the war on terror is a bunch of bullshit
Just a poor excuse for you to use up all your bullets
How much money does it take to really make a full clip
9/11 building 7 did they really pull it
Uhh, And a bunch of other cover ups
Your childs future was the first to go with budget cuts
If you think that hurts then, wait here comes the uppercut
The school was garbage in the first place, that's on the up and up
Keep you at the bottom but tease you with the uppercrust
You get it then they move you so you never keeping up enough
If you turn on TV all you see’s a bunch of “what the fucks”
Dude is dating so and so blabbering bout such and such
And that ain't Jersey Shore, homie that's the news
And these the same people that supposed to be telling us the truth
Limbaugh is a racist, Glenn Beck is a racist
Gaza strip was getting bombed, Obama didn’t say shit
That's why I ain't vote for him, next one either
I’ma part of the problem, my problem is I’m peaceful
And I believe in the people.
It’s so loud inside my head
With words that I should have said!
As I drown in my regrets
I can’t take back the words I never said
I can’t take back the words I never said
Now you can say it ain't our fault if we never heard it
But if we know better than we probably deserve it
Jihad is not a holy war, wheres that in the worship?
Murdering is not Islam!
And you are not observant
And you are not a muslim
Israel don’t take my side cause look how far you’ve pushed them
Walk with me into the ghetto, this where all the Kush went
Complain about the liquor store but what you drinking liquor for?
Complain about the gloom but when’d you pick a broom up?
Just listening to Pac ain't gone make it stop
A rebel in your thoughts, ain't gon make it halt
If you don’t become an actor you’ll never be a factor
Pills with million side effects
Take em when the pains felt
Wash them down with Diet soda!
Killin off your brain cells
Crooked banks around the World
Would gladly give a loan today
So if you ever miss payment
They can take your home away!
It’s so loud inside my head
With words that I should have said!
As I drown in my regrets
I can’t take back the words I never said, never said
I can’t take back the words I never said
I think that all the silence is worse than all the violence
Fear is such a weak emotion that's why I despise it
We scared of almost everything, afraid to even tell the truth
So scared of what you think of me, I’m scared of even telling you
Sometimes I’m like the only person I feel safe to tell it to
I’m locked inside a cell in me, I know that there’s a jail in you
Consider this your bailing out, so take a breath, inhale a few
My screams is finally getting free, my thoughts is finally yelling through
It’s so loud Inside my head
With words that I should have said!
As I drown in my regrets
I can’t take back the words I never said

American nationalism returns... at last

"Style is personality"

finding my true style is like shedding shackles
breaking FREE
flying OUT
as ME
like coming out
announcing myself to the world
going through with it
with being ME
being BRAVE
accepting me
DARING them
to still love me
as I AM
me
DISCOVERY

OSAMA IS DEAD! Now what?

I learned of the news of Osama bin Laden's death during a rainy ride home from Austin to Dallas with my boyfriend. We had been listening to a new CD (Mumford and Sons), but decided to change over to the AM radio when the weather got bad to check for storm warnings. Conversation on the AM stations was stern, but it was not about the weather. Rather, it was about rumors of US troops killing Osama bin Laden. I didn't believe the news at first; I thought it had to be wrong. It was too good to be true. We switched to NPR. Sure enough, they were discussing bin Laden's death as well. Then came the official declaration of his death from PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA.

I grabbed my boyfriend's arm and screamed. Tears started rolling down my face. I was so happy. I was not happy that bin Laden is dead; rather, I was happy that the USA had finally succeeded. The US has been involved in the Middle East for over 10 years; finally, we have something to show for it.

I turned on my cell phone to start browsing Facebook statuses and Tweets. I was appalled by the number of statuses congratulating George W. Bush on his victory in the SMU network. Only one of my friends thought to congratulate President Obama. I changed my status to "USA : )" I thought that should keep every body happy. No need to take sides; at least, not on a Facebook status. I have never found the Facebook wall to be an open-minded arena for the sharing of ideas.

Done with Facebook, I logged on to Twitter. I quickly learned that Osama bin Laden's neighbor, Sohaib Athar, had unknowingly Tweeted the entire US raid of the bin Laden compound! Athar moved to bin Laden's town of Abbottabad "for some peace and quiet," so he was perturbed enough by the raid's noise to Tweet about it:

The above Tweets are only the highlights. The rest of Athar's Tweets can be viewed here: http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/25wemn/eu.techcrunch.com/2011/05/02/heres-the-guy-who-unwittingly-live-tweeted-the-raid-on-bin-laden/

After checking in with the world's reaction to bin Laden's death, I checked in with that of myself. I am happy that another threat to peace has been eliminated, and that the US has seen some success in its war in the Middle East. Now, in the aftermath of bin Laden's death, I am more worried than ever about a terrorist attack against the United States. With bin Laden's death comes comes a new era of fear. God bless President Barack Obama, and the United States of America.

All images obtained from http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/25wemn/eu.techcrunch.com/2011/05/02/heres-the-guy-who-unwittingly-live-tweeted-the-raid-on-bin-laden/

When the world zigs, I ZAG

My car : )

So, I used to be a really bad driver. I've actually gotten better since then, but I am still forced to live with the scars of the sharp turns I took last year (note: I have never been involved in an accident with a moving vehicle). One of the worst accidents I had last year required duct tape. Silver is super boring, so I decided to go with tie dye. Even though it apparently looks funny to passerby, I'm always having the last laugh! Who says your canvas can't be your car?

Joyous driving

I was driving down Greenville Ave., lookin' around, waiting at a light, bored. Then I heard music blasting. It was coming from a car near me. When I looked in that direction, I found this bowm chicka MAMA rockin' out to her tunes. I wish more people were as unafraid to let their voices be heard and their freak dances be seen.

This encounter acts for me as a reminder to try to enjoy every single minute of life. To never waste a second. To appreciate everything. Even things small as songs : )

Optimists be cautioned

I am worried. Not for me, but for my grandchildren and
I am worried that as American’s we have lost our passion and voice.

I am worried that ‘Generation Y’ is not asking the simplest, yet most powerful question ‘Why’, as our predecessors have. 

I am worried that we have the tools for so much, and the restraint for so little.

I am worried that like a young, spoiled child…we need a spanking.  

And like a spoiled child, no one is there to give it to us. That is until we leave our gated neighborhood to realize the rest of the world wants this life more than we do.

I am worried we have seen the best of America.

The amount of guilt we should feel, if we are the generation which allows the slogan, “American made” to sail off into the distant sunrise of the East, is tremendous. 

People sacrificed everything for an opportunity at freedom of speech, something my generation has known nothing different than. 

Rather, my generation gets paid to share opinions and are now surrounded by the constant Tweeting and sharing of thoughts.

We can look up how to make an atomic bomb in under 1-second from our phones, but only have the attention span for ‘LOLcatz’ comics.

In order to increase this focus time, we are prescribed ‘necessary’ amphetamines rather than figure out what makes you want to focus.  It seems we need a change of heart, not a change of policy.   

I am so worried.

A place of hope, a place of joy

I have heard many artists say their creativity comes from a place of pain.

For me, artwork comes from a place of joy, not of suffering.

I am too afraid of unlocking secret hurt with art.

Art is about painting a dream world, the world in which you wish you could exist. It is about escape, not revisiting. It is about letting go, not holding on.

I want endless joy in my life, so that is what my art tends to focus on.

Doodling dreams

One of my in-class doodles- Austin, TX: DREAM CITY

Diversity is not necessarily the first thing that comes to mind when talking about Texas.  But through my two years in the Lonestar state, I have discovered more diversity in a 200-mile radius than I had in my previous 18 years of traveling within the contingent U.S.A. 

Just a 3-hour drive on South I-35 allows you to traverse the state from a cosmopolitan hub to a natural, low-key city built around a college campus and state capital. I find my personality being an intersection of South I-35 as these two cities are able to fulfill both sides of my personality. Not one could do this alone. But if I were smack dab in Waco with my foot on the U-haul truck, I think I would have to go keep truckin' south towards Austin. This is where my heart is. 

Finally something in Greek life that I can get behind: cooler decoration

The side of the cooler: "Bowl for Two" lyrics

A sketch of what will be going on the cooler's front

The cooler's cover

I love giving presents, personalizing things for others, and obviously, I love art. So naturally, the Greek tradition of decorating coolers is one of my favorites. I am not Greek, but my boyfriend is, so I still get to experience a couple things Greek life. What you see above is the cooler I have been slaving over for him for the past semester. Ha... let me reword that: What you see above is the cooler I have been slaving over for my own enjoyment, and for him. Clay (the boyfriend) keeps telling me to stop working so hard on the cooler, that it's already good enough. But what is "good enough" for Clay in this case, is not good enough for me. I have a vision for his cooler, and I intend to see it finished! 

But why continue to work, when the gift's recipient is satisfied? Because I cannot call something that I am doing complete until it has met my standards. Anal-retentive? Maybe to some. A perfectionist? Ok. Determined to see vision come to fruition? Absolutely.


For me ideas are like gold. If you have them, don't waste them. And definitely don't just sit on them. Do something with them, let them appreciate. Also like gold, the more I let information marinate, the better my idea. Auto-thought. It's how I get my best work done.

The Pink Dress Challenge

I have one pink article of clothing, and that is it. I purchased it about three years ago, and it has never been worn.

A shot of my closet. Note the one pink dress

It's not that I don't like pink; pink is a fine color, I guess. It's just that wearing pink, to me, means many more things than just enjoying the color. Pink's supreme association with femininity makes me uncomfortable. During the few times I tried to wear pink, it made me feel vulnerable, like a "dumb girl." I felt like everyone was looking at me, and taking me far less seriously. I felt like "fair game" for all the guys. I did not feel in control, and I definitely did not feel sexy.

When I see other women in pink, I usually admire their ability to rock the color with confidence. I actually wonder what it would be like to be one of those pink-wearing, planner-obsessed girls. So, I did an experiment.

I challenged myself to ONE NIGHT OUT in my one and only pink dress, just to see how it would feel.

Before stepping out on the town in PINK

Getting ready proved a bit more difficult than usual. I tried to add edgier accessories to the dress in order to harden the softer look, but nothing black and spiky looks good with pink unless you're aiming for punk. I am not aiming for punk.

I eventually settled on the ensemble you see above, and left to meet up with my friends. I was nervous walking in the door, as I knew people would react to me wearing pink. Sure enough, everyone freaked out; they couldn't believe they were seeing me in hot, HOT pink!

As the night continued, I relaxed a little bit in my new color. I convinced myself to own it like it was a pair of combat boots. By the time I returned home, I was feeling confident, and feminine, a combination I haven't experienced too much before.

All in all, pink isn't so bad. But, it's not for me. I'm glad I gave it a shot, but why not stick to what I love? Not wearing pink is part of who I am. And I'm not changin' for anyone : )

Groupthink in action

I've been learning about the phenomenon of groupthink for a couple years now, but I had never noticed it occur in real life... Until yesterday.

My group for the Creative Project 3 was a dream. I got to know three girls to whom I had never spoken before, and got to spend more time with one of my friends. We all got along swimmingly to say the least.

Everyone contributed, everyone cared about the project, and everyone respected one another.

However, I believe that our like for each other caused group think to occur at one point. We had a section that was super choppy and didn't fit in with the rest of the documentary. Since one girl out of the five of us was responsible for editing that specific portion, no one wanted to say anything about changing that section. I could see eyeballs skirt around the group, trying to see if anyone was going to bring up the need for a re-edit. No one said anything. We all said the video looked "great" and "amazing," "oh my gosh good job." We all sort of figured that the rest of the documentary would make up for one crummy section. Or, we each figured we were the only one who disliked the section. Certainly, none of us wanted to offend anyone.

But then we watched what was, at the time, supposed to be the finished project. I couldn't handle it. That section stuck out like a really sore thumb! So I said something. Carefully, but I said something: "Hey you guys, what do you think about trying to make this section smoother?" Everyone exhaled at once, like all of them had been holding their breath. The group excitedly agreed, expressing their own wish to do the same.

I'm glad I broke through the groupthink blockade. My only regret is not doing it sooner.

Practicing the divine art of failure

I've never liked this piece of mine. I didn't like it while I was making it, I didn't like it after I finished it, I don't like it now. But rather than tearing up the piece and throwing it in the trash alongside the rest of my failures, I decided to hang it up. Why hang up a piece I hate? To get over hating it. To force myself to understand that art is art, there is no definition of beauty, and there is no such thing as a mistake. 

When I look at this piece, I get this weird feeling that I'm choking something dry and bland down my throat. Everything about this piece doesn't work. But I made it, it is part of me, and it is not a failure; rather it is merely another step toward my becoming the artist I want to be.

"Fail harder."

Hold me to it

In Intro to Creativity on Tuesday, we discussed the many awards and publications available for advertising buffs. After I heard about CMYK, the student-only advertising publication, I made it my goal to get published TWICE in CMYK before graduation. I'm hungry. I want it. I'm passionate. I'm holding myself to it.

Let's go.


Ok so I just looked at a bunch of the work and resumes on CMYK. I got that stomach-flipping feeling we discussed in class. God, good work really is nauseating. But, like they always say, "Once you puke you feel better," so I guess I just have to look at it, puke, and move on. BLACHGHHHH. Puke. Moving on?

Food: it's more than just nutrition, it's creation

I woke up this morning with ambition. Ambition to cook. What did I want? 

BANANA PANCAKES

of course!

So, I went online and searched for a recipe. This one looked the best:

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter, plus 3 tablespoons
• 3 ripe bananas, cut into 1/3-inch slices

Directions

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. In large bowl sift together flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and baking powder. In separate bowl whisktogether egg, buttermilk, milk and melted butter. Slowly combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. Stir until the flour disappears, but being careful not to overbeat the batter. In a large cast-iron skillet, melt about 1/2 tablespoon remaining butter. Ladle about 1/4 cup of batter into the pan for each pancake. Immediately press 4 or 5 banana slices into each so the batter oozes slightly over the fruit. Cook until bubbles appear and then flip and cook on the other side, about 3 minutes total. Transfer the pancakes to a platter and keep warm in the oven while you cook the remaining batches, adding butter to the pan as needed. Serve hot with syrup.

____________________________________________________________________

Sure enough, I made the recipe and the panCAKES were delicious! Seriously, they tasted more like cake than any breakfast I've ever had. 

My boyfriend's portion was half gone before I even put mine on the plate!

I take pictures of all the food I make, with the exception of quickie meals like sandwiches. Why? Well, I'm proud of my creation. And, I guess a lot has to do with the fact that I consider food a creation. Actually, I consider food to be one of the most beautiful creations on earth. Because I'm a...

FOODIE!

I love all things food. Central Market? My crack-cocaine. Elaborate presentations? I'm all about 'em! Ridiculous combinations of foods whose names you can't pronounce? Throw 'em my way!

I love finding new restaurants in the Dallas and Austin area (I go to Austin about once a month for a weekend), or in the Milwaukee/Chicago area when I return home. To me, it's just as important to try the foods of your own culture as it is to try the foods of others. I keep constant tabs on restaurant happenings in the Dallas, Austin, Milwaukee, and Chicago area. Too few people appreciate their own culture enough.

My boyfriend, Clayton, enjoying his first Friday Night Fish Fry, a Polish Milwaukee tradition

Fried catfish and wings at Aw Shucks on Greenville Ave. in Dallas. Best wings I've ever had!

Finger lickin' good barbeque in rural Texas

Garrett's famous popcorn in Chicago, IL. The best you'll ever have! Get the Chicago Mix!

But more than anything, I love experiencing the foreign flavors of new cultures. The more exotic, the better.

A crepe stand outside of my favorite tea house in Milwaukee

Milwaukee's only Oakland Gyro's, open 24/7 with the best gyros in town

And... I swear this isn't because I'm from Wisconsin (I don't like cheddar)... but... I am totally guilty of loving a good cheese plate. An artisan cheese plate. Each cheese is so representative of its own culture. When I bite into a cheese, I am instantly connected to its origins. I am swept away to a new land, with a visual of someone else, a few thousand miles away, eating the same cheese and having the same moment of simple appreciation. 

I whipped up this little number for my boyfriend and I on Valentine's Day: spinach au fromage with sliced french bread, Onion and Chive Boursin, warm brie, sliced apples, red grapes, imported Sicilian sausage, and of course, crackers. Who said college kids eat like crap? 

I followed the cheese plate with flank steak cooked in a cocoa and coffee bean paste (that I made), asparagus, garlic mashed potatoes, and onion rings (that I did not make).

For the grand finale, I prepared a chocolate cake with chocolate chip fudge frosting in the middle and fudge frosting on the top (my boyfriend loves chocolate). And don't forget the decorative kettle popcorn drizzled with caramel, white chocolate, and milk chocolate. Seriously. Like what? So good.

Just cheesy enough for Valentine's Day

Remember how I called Central Market my crack-cocaine earlier? I wasn't lying. I could spend hours in that store, soaking up the whirlwind of different sensations. Here are some of my more interesting Central Market finds:

"Gummi Techno" bears: metallic gummy bears

UT + Zapp's= a match made in heaven

Dragon plum pitaya fruit

A better idea than ice cream. Fun to try but nasty to taste

All in all, I seriously enjoy food. I don't like gorging myself, I don't OD on frozen pizzas, I eat food that I can call an "experience." Mindful eating is the key to a great relationship with food. Thinking about each bite. Eating slowly. It may drive your dinner partners wild, but your pleasure is well worth their wait.