I Love Liz Lee

My Life As Liz

The MTV show My Life as Liz is one of my favorites. Yes, it is obviously scripted. Yes, it may try too hard to be "hipster," and Liz Lee, the show's protagonist, may try too hard to be lame. However, there's this undeniable spirit of individuality that courses through the show. All the characters have their own thing going on, but especially Liz.

Why do I think she's so cool?

The girl's got spunk. She is who she is. She's weird, she's crazy, she's colorful, she's original. She embraces her angle on life. She jumps over spilled trash cans instead of walking around them. She gets up and performs her music instead of singing it in the shower. She goes to New York for college instead of staying near her hometown of Burleson, TX.

That's another thing- Liz has struggled with fitting in everywhere she has gone, and I can relate to that. When going to high school in Burleson, Liz thought no one got her but her "nerd herd," a group of Star Wars-loving goofballs. The culture at her school was very small town Abercrombie and Fitch, while Liz would have been better classified as "indie." While the majority of her classmates was meeting up at the local mall, Liz was ambling around in dusty old thrift shops, looking for her next statement piece.

So, in an attempt to find more people like her, she decided to go to college in New York City. There, she expected to find oodles of art nerds and Star Wars fans. However, what she found was another place she didn't fit in. This time, instead of being ostracized by the mall rats, she was ostracized by the same people she thought would embrace her, the art nerds.

When I watch her show, I can't help but think, "Welcome to my life."

I grew up in Milwaukee, WI, a small, liberal, largely middle-class city located along the coast of Lake Michigan. Most of my friends outfitted themselves in thrift shop finds and borrowed items. However, I was all about the runways. I craved sophistication and a cosmopolitan lifestyle. So, I left what I knew in Milwaukee and headed for Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX.

When I got here, I was so excited to find more people "like" me; however, all I found was more people I was not like. Instead of finally feeling accepted, moving away made me feel even more confused. Since I wasn't sure I liked what I had found in Dallas, and I wasn't sure the culture of Milwaukee was for me... Where do I fit in?

Of course, I've found some amazing friends at SMU now, friends I know I will keep for life. However, a week does not pass without my feeling insecure about fitting in here.

Then I realized, that's life. No matter where I move or who I choose to hang out with, I will struggle with "fitting in." It's not that I have special weirdo problems, it's that everyone, no matter how "cool" they are, struggles with fitting in. Interesting thought. Even President Obama feels awkward sometimes around foreign leaders sharing an inside joke he doesn't understand.

So, thank you, Liz Lee, for showing me that I'm not an anomaly. I am me.

"Seinfeld" makes me want cereal

100 "Seinfeld" quotes.

POST UPDATE 02/22/2011: My boyfriend saw this post and did not understand it. Come on, people! I thought everyone was blissfully aware of Jerry Seinfeld's obsession with cereal? No? Ok, well the man loves his cereal. It's a constant staple in his kitchen cabinets, and it's definitely become one of the show's trademark motifs. If you know Seinfeld, you should know about the cereal!

Studying... Clearly...

I don't want to study.

I never want to study...

But I always HAVE to study.

I care about my grades.

However, it needs to be stated that I care so much about learning, not just about my grades. I truly absorb and retain concepts that interest me, and regularly reference them in everything I do. In fact, I totally understand why SMU insists upon a liberal arts education for every student- it really makes you smarter. Being educated in the liberal arts means being "well-rounded." In today's educated world, being well-rounded is one of the only ways to get an edge over your competition. Let's face it, knowing a little bit about a lot of things is nice, and knowing a lot about one thing is nice as well. However, if you know a little bit about everything and a lot about one thing, you've got the advantage. I believe that nothing makes an argument stronger than a diverse set of evidence. Thus far, SMU's liberal arts classes have provided me with just that- a diverse set of evidence. Every day, my ideas are strengthened by my liberal arts knowledge. Also important, liberal arts education allows young adults, like myself, to dabble in different areas of study. I believe that this is crucial, as so few incoming freshmen know exactly which majors and/or careers they wish to pursue. Learning a little bit about everything can help many students figure out exactly what it is they want to learn a lot about. Turns out, there really is a method to some of SMU's madness.

Anyway, I've really just been struggling with this darn 8 am. I love the material, but I hate the time. So rough. I feel horribly complaining, as the professor of that class makes the Plano-Dallas commute every day, and still manages to arrive at 5 am on the dot. Sometimes, she even manages to be early. Also, if I'm really going to focus on feeling bad for complaining about waking up early, I could remember the thousands of people across the world who have to wake up at the crack of dawn every morning just to get their water for the day.

Plus, complaining gets you nowhere. Nowhere but a blog post, it seems like.

My exam material remains untouched.

In fact, I am currently daydreaming while gazing through Fondren's perpetual florescent haze at all the students doing their work (or not doing their work). I should probably, no most definitely, stop this.

If this blog was a person, I'd tell it to wish me luck.

If I was my own best friend, I would tell myself to study.

So, since my best friends aren't with me and I don't believe in luck, I guess I should get at it.



PS- I stopped at Central Market tonight to pick up some dinner and encountered the most interesting gentleman. He works behind the preprepared foods counter, and has gray, untamed hair. He wears a red hat that he swears rarely leaves his head. All sanitary concerns aside, this guy was cool. He had an interesting story to tell, and I was pleased to listen. Turns out he used to write copy for Leo Burnett in Chicago. Since learning about Leo Burnett, the man and the agency, in David Hadeler's Advertising Literacy class last semester, I've developed a vested interest in all things Leo. I was impressed by the late Leo Burnett's life-long dedication to values and the family. Burnett emphasized this dedication in his retirement speech, known as "When to Take My Name Off the Door." In it, Burnett explains to his audience that he understands that one day his name may be removed from the door of the agency and replaced with the name(s) of the new owner(s). It is only when Leo Burnett Worldwide fails to adhere to the value system upon which it was built that Burnett insisted that they take his name off the door.

As of February 17, 2011, Leo Burnett's name is still on the door. His commitment to values, and to apples and black pencils, still remains obvious as one strolls through the agency's halls today. I have been fortunate enough to pay Leo Burnett's Chicago location a visit, and was blown away by the powerful presence of tradition and excellence. Burnett employees seemed to be proud of their work, and their heritage, and confident that Leo Burnett's name is here to stay.

Below is a video clip of Leo Burnett's infamous speech, "When to Take My Name Off the Door."

Ok, for real now. I'm going to go study.

We were all once young

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen

I. Love. This. Photo. It could not be much more aesthetically pleasing. I mean seriously, check these girls out. They're ROCKIN' it! The melds, the loose waves, the studs, the spikes, the accents, the TEXTURE, the COLOR... the absolute and utter perfection.

Interestingly enough, the girls in this photo haven't always been this sophisticated and fashion-forward. Not too long ago, they were little pipsqueaks solving crime "before dinnertime."

How does this happen, this growing up thing? How do two little girls go from playing dress up in their mom's closet to dressing up for the red carpet?

I feel like just yesterday I was snuggled under my mom's comforter, waiting for my beloved Mr. Rogers to come on the television... 

Just yesterday, it feels as though I was standing in my grandparents' bathroom in Florida, getting my little body lathered in sunscreen before heading out to the pool.

Just yesterday, I was sitting on the ground, crying because I had sat in a hill of red ants. 

Just yesterday, I was afraid and lonely at school, faking a stomach ache so my mom would pick me up.

Just yesterday, I was embarrassed, because I had mistaken a stranger for my father and given him a huge hug.

Just yesterday, I was painting on my Playschool easel, not worrying about what I was making, or how I was making it.

Just yesterday, I was riding on the back of a bus, anticipating a field trip to the Milwaukee Fire Department.

Just yesterday, I enjoyed dipping animal crackers in apple juice.

Just yesterday, I sat on the hull of my uncle's boat, watching the Fourth of July fireworks for the first time with my mom.

Just yesterday, I was a little kid again.

Life is an [AD]venture

I haven't had internet at my apartment for the past couple weeks. So, I haven't been updating my blog. HOWEVER, I have been journaling. Whenever I've had an idea for a new blog post, I've written it down in a section of one of my notebooks. I have quite a few ideas now, a TON of ideas actually. I'm really excited about them, and I can't wait to get them all on my blog!

I'm also working on designing www.jessicaceline.com, my new website. It will eventually include a link to this blog, an e-portfolio of some of my artwork, my video resume, and, finally, my actual resume. Essentially, it will be where all things Jess Johnson on the internet come to meet. I think it's important to organize all the information I want to share with future employers in one place on the internet so that they can very clearly and easily get an idea of who I am and what I'm all about.

Today in Creativity, we watched an advertisement for a campaign for clean water. It got me so excited because ads like those are exactly why I wanted to major in advertising. I want to make ads for charitable organizations. I realize "there's no money in that" (I've been told this over and over), but I don't care. It's always what I've wanted to do.

I spent my freshman year of college enrolled at the University of Dayton. As an entrepreneurship major, I was required to come up with an idea for a business I would like to start in the future. I immediately decided that I would start an advertising agency that specialized in advertising for non-profit charitable organizations. Back then, I knew virtually nothing about advertising. I did not realize that such things existed.

The fact that there are already agencies doing what I wanted to be the first to do does not discourage me; in fact, in encourages me. It shows me that charitable organizations have carved for themselves a niche within the advertising world. More importantly, it proves to me that it is possible to have a career based on advertising for non-profits.

Anyway, I still don't have internet at my apartment. I'm stealing my boyfriend's and Starbucks' for now! Hopefully I will remember to make the call to Time Warner tomorrow. Life without internet has been rough. Oh! There's another blog post idea: "Life without the internet." Imagine that... no Facebook, no Google, no YouTube... Wow. Well, I'll save this all for another blog post.

Good night : )

WOAH- HOLD THE PHONE!!!
I just spent some time Googling "advertising agency AND non-profit" and found out that "the nation's first and only nonprofit advertising and marketing firm,"* Serve Marketing, is located in Milwaukee, WI. That's my hometown! I can't believe I've never heard of this before! I am definitely going to have to research this agency a little more, and perhaps apply for an internship there! How perfect would that be? Advertising, non-profit, and close to my family? Nice. I'm not so sure it's the nation's first or only nonprofit ad and marketing firm, but it's worth looking into.

I can't wait to do more research on non-profit ad agencies, but it's late. Time for bed.

Good night for real this time. It was a good day.

*Source

Ha. Of course, I continued to research. Went to Serve Marketing's website and checked out their background and some of their work. They're all-volunteer! Wow! Quite the organization. They've cranked out some really impressive campaigns. In fact, they're responsible for enough great ads to deserve their own post! So, look for a post about Serve Marketing and its work in the near future. Very exciting stuff. But I'm so tired I'm forgetting how to spell.

BYE.

Gunmetal... is a great word

I love how the back of my tongue hits the top of my mouth when I pronounce the "G." And the drag of the "N" stringing the "gun" and "metal" together. Gunnnnmetal. I love it.

What do you think of when you hear "gunmetal"?

I immediately pictured a gun, but that's too obvious. What other thoughts could gunmetal inspire?

• Couture
• Murder
• Chrome wheels
• Black pearls
• Metallic leather
• Pencil lead
• Hardened lava
• Shrapnel

Here's what Google thought of when I entered "gunmetal" into an image search:

Oh! I didn't think of phone, hardware, or jewelry.

This just shows...

1. Groups are often able to come up with a more diverse and comprehensive outcome than that of individuals.
2. Every person, or website in this case, associates words with different images. That's why the more people you can get to collaborate, the better the quality of your outcome.

So, I'm detail-oriented, and I value group work. Learning new things about myself every day.

Deja Vu

Screen Shot of Muses and Birds

I was required to keep a blog for Advertising Literacy last semester. I called it Take the Ride, and filled it with posts about advertising. I enjoyed this experience so much that I started a second blog, Muses and Birds, that tracks my thoughts. Since My Own Muse is a multi-purpose blog, I have decided to stop posting on Take the Ride and Muses and Birds, and instead focus on posting solely on My Own Muse.


However, if you are interested in reading my old work, visit http://taketherideadv.tumblr.com/ for Take the Ride, and http://musesandbirds.tumblr.com/ for Muses and Birds.