A Quick Lesson in Karma
Often times I get into debates with people about the validity of karma. My response is that logically, even if you don't believe in karma, you're better off following its principals because if it does exist, than you're shit out of luck. I do try to be the giver rather than the taker in situations that allow me to do so, i.e. with tipping, helping friends out, etc. And in many cases, I have very generous friends and especially parents who have helped me out when needed. So I may not directly be able to give back to the friend that has helped me in the same way, but I have helped another friend thus continuing some sort of imaginary karma thread or paying it forward.
Yesterday, I was sitting in a cafe I've enjoyed working in many times when I overheard a man, who I thought was the owner, discussing how he wanted to get more involved in social media. After sitting there listening to their conversation for 5 minutes, I couldn't stand it anymore and offered to help him set up his Twitter, explain FourSquare (especially since I was the mayor of his cafe), and utilize the services. I spent the next 2 hours setting up his accounts, creating clever Check In specials (check into Caffe Roma) and generally enjoying his company and those around him. I didn't expect anything in return and enjoyed using my knowledge on social media to help a great coffee shop do more business.
That evening, a friend made me a delicious dinner complete with Mexican pudding! Today, I made a few great connections via Twitter and overall.. seems like things are looking on the up & up as far as jobs go. And so I ask you, do you believe in karma?
All Art Is Advertising?
As someone who's slightly obsessed with Italian art history, I found these two videos via Agency Spy extremely informative and entertaining. The case studies, presented by a team of students at VCU Brand Center, explore how famous Italian artists were commissioned to create art in response to various problems the country was facing - like declining birth rates due to obesity and lack of popularity of the Vatican. I'm really curious to know where they got their facts. I can understand how they compiled an increase in birth rates but number of people praying in the Vatican? Wow!This really makes me think about the similarities between commissioned art and advertising. Is there really a difference? Were commissioned artists really the first art directors? When you look back in history, commissioned European art contained symbolism. It was a vehicle for the wealthy to advertise their position in life through their clothing, background, and even the paints that the artist painted with. Italian art is saturated with images that teach people how to behave. The interior of the Florentine Duomo, partially painted by artist and first art historian Giorgio Vasari, depicted graphically violent and sexual images of hell, warning Florentines what would happen if they misbehaved. But the images are so graphic that you wonder whether sexually charged or violent movies and shows like Skins, True Blood, etc. are really a deviation from the type of content humans have always been exposed to.
Speaking of the past influencing the future; architects originally had trouble figuring out how to create the dome and held a contest, open to architects to solve the problem. Were the commissioners of the duomo, the Arte Della Lana, the first to crowd source for a creative solution?
And finally, going back to Leonardo Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man - it's interesting to see how despite being surrounded by images of beautiful, thin people in the media, Americans are fatter than they ever were and despite knowing that obesity effects fertility, productivity, and our general well being, no amount of perfectly toned, beautiful people in advertising seems to have any effect on our national obesity epidemic. Maybe instead of just writing about the obesity epidemic, we need more advertising to convince people how to eat and exercise, a la the anti-smoking campaigns of the past.
I leave you with the two videos below. Enjoy!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oo7_eFftuM&w=100&h=100]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0daisveY5wM&w=100&h=100]
The Strategies to Getting a Job & Hiring
Forbes has a great article on the challenges employers face in finding new candidates. Over the last decade, Americans have learned that no job is safe, but rather than sitting in our current jobs like lame ducks, we have adapted to always look for the next thing. Forbes discusses how hiring managers have changed their tactic when recruiting new employees. The article also touches on what tactics employees have used to increase their visibility and always stay employed. Are you following these rules? Will you get hired right away if your position is eliminated? The article comes via Talent 2050, a smart talent agency that focuses on bringing diversity into the workplace. Hiring Is Getting Harder For Employers, Not EasierDan Finnigan, 01.20.11, 02:05 PM EST
For the past couple of years, you have been holding down the fort, keeping expenses and hiring down while waiting for a turnaround in the economy. Nice job. Once again, we have near record profits in the U.S. Consumers are now opening their wallets and, with a workforce again near record highs in productivity, you and your business are clearly getting ready to hire now.
But if you think you're going to be in the driver's seat because your company has open positions at a time of prolonged, record unemployment--think again. The top-level unemployment numbers are deceptive. Dig deeper and you will see that there's a long-term battle for the highly skilled people you will most want to go hire.
Why? By 2015, 60% of the new jobs being created will require skills only held by 20% of the population, according to a recent report from the American Society for Training and Development. In 1991 fewer than 50% of U.S. jobs required skilled workers. But by 2015 76% of all U.S. jobs created will require highly skilled workers, for example people with special skills in science, technology, engineering or math. Worse yet, Georgetown's Center on Education and the Workforce reports that the demand for college educated workers will outpace the supply in the U.S. by more than 300,000 a year. That means the country will produce 3 million fewer college graduates than are needed over the next decade.
So, you will be waging a war for talent whether you like it or not, a war that requires new strategies and tactics to win. And the fact is that most of us are out of practice, and thus, are likely out of touch with how fast-growing companies hire now.
Two major trends have converged to alter the job-seeking mentality among American workers. First, during the recession, the American worker received the loudest, most clear message in our country's history: No job is permanent, few employees are irreplaceable, and everyone should be prepared to look for a new job at a moment's notice. Second, at the same time, social media has advanced so far beyond the tipping point that it has become the cultural norm for making connections and sharing information, both professionally and personally. (Time spent on Facebook now exceeds that on Google ( GOOG - news - people ), and Facebook now sends more people to news and information websites than does Google's dominant search engine.)
The result is a new landscape for both employers and job seekers to navigate, a landscape you will have to get to know quickly to attract the talent you need for your company to compete and grow.
If you've asked your recruiting team to target passive candidates in the past, it's time you get to know the new proactive candidates, people who cultivate new job opportunities long before they need them. Our company recently commissioned a national survey, Job Seeker Nation 2010, to find out about the job search intentions and practices of the modern, recession-weary American worker. Our research found that 53% of employed Americans--that is, 63.5 million people--are now open to new job prospects, even if they are not actively looking for a new job per se. But a deeper look into their behavior shows they never stop looking for their next opportunity. In fact, 73% of these proactive candidates have engaged in job search activities in the last 12 months, compared with only 28% of those not open to a new job.
So, then how are these proactive job seekers different from the rest of the population? Very, and much more likely to be the people your company needs. They are:
--Highly educated. 52% are college graduates, while 31% of active job seekers and 44% of those not open to a new job are college grads.
--More social. 77% use Facebook, 36% use Twitter, and 34% use LinkedIn--higher adoption rates than other groups reported.
--Well-connected. This group has significantly more contacts within these social networks. The difference is even more pronounced when the proactive job seeker has a college degree.
--Networking for jobs. Given their large social networks, this group finds referrals even more important as a job source than do others, and they are leading the charge toward using social networks to find jobs.
Let me get to the bottom line: These proactive job seekers--many of whom are some of your best employees, as well--are not waiting for their résumés to be plucked out of a stack of hundreds or found among thousands at job boards. They are cultivating networks of opportunity that they can tap into at any time they need to--like at the next hint of reorganization, layoffs or slow growth in their company.
Smart companies are getting ahead of this. Like the proactive job seeker, proactive employers are cultivating networks of prospective employees to generate the right prospects for their open positions. The fastest-growing companies, like Zynga, Twitter and Groupon, and those that compete with them for talent, provide examples of how employers can reorient their recruiting strategies to attract these motivated, connected and career-minded individuals.
--They've gone social. Proactive companies promote jobs in social networks, of course, but they also cultivate networks of followers, engage in online conversations and tell their stories about their companies. This investment pays off for both their marketing and recruiting departments, with new customers and new recruits. To get going: If you have a marketing-driven social media plan, that's a start. (If not, see Time's person of the year award for 2010.) Now layer in content that attracts potential candidates--company news, color commentary from employees, video of the work environment and of course job information. Cover all the big social channels, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.
--They're crowdsourcing their recruiting programs. Employers have long encouraged employees to provide referrals for jobs (the highest- quality source of candidates); and now social technologies offer a way to power up this crowd. The most successful companies have hundreds and sometimes thousands of brand ambassadors in social media, employees who love their company, products and work and are willing to talk about it. They bring a unique perspective to everything from the best latte to the best place to work. To get going: Tell your employees you need their help; give them an easy way to deliver their referrals to your recruiting department; and don't block access to social networks at your workplace. That's just handing candidates to your competitors.
--They walk the walk. The top executives in market-leading companies demonstrate their commitment to hiring goals by helping out themselves. If you aren't hearing about changes in your company's recruiting strategy, ask. If your human resources executives are pushing changes, get on board. To get going: Stand up at the next company meeting and thank specific employees for their referrals; mention your commitment to hiring the best and brightest in your next press interview; tweet some jobs yourself.
--They know their numbers. If the preceding points sounded touchy-feely to you, don't be fooled. Proactive employers have transformed their talent acquisition with metrics-driven recruiting programs. They are not wasting time or money sorting through mounds of résumés from under-qualified candidates. They are increasing the yield of their recruiting dollars with targeted programs, intelligent analytics and smarter technologies. To get going: Review the pipeline report from your recruiting department and ask about the candidate sources with the highest return on investment.
An evolution in the marketplace of talent has quietly but irrevocably changed how people look for work and how companies find workers. The faster your company adapts to the new ways of acquiring talent, the more competitive your business will be.
Dan Finnigan is the chief executive officer of Jobvite.
Day 2: A Photographic Journey through San Francisco: Dolores Park
I woke up pretty early yesterday allowing me to spend the morning working in a café, researching the newest Ad Age A-Listers, working on a few blogs and responding to emails. Finally, I took a break from researching and decided I was due for another day of exploration. After having my first Nicoise salad of 2011 at La Boulange, I headed to the Ferry Building for another afternoon of photographic exploration. One brownie and a few photos later, it was time to get a different perspective so I hopped on the BART towards the Mission. I guess the Mission reminds me of Williamsburg, Brooklyn but prettier. While Brooklyn has the view of the East River, The Mission has greenery and beautiful, elaborate murals. Who wins?At some point while I walked around Dolores Park as the only sober person, I realized, it's probably not a good idea to photograph people smoking up. But according to my college psychology professor, weed doesn't cause violence. Dolores Park was completely packed at 4pm which made me wonder, do these people have jobs? Then of course, it instantly occurred to me that I don't really have one either. Soon.. I'm working on my Sputnik moment!
P.S. I've been inspired by the photographer Max Wanger who I found through Joanna Goddard at Cup of Joe and question how he achieves his look, hence my heavily light saturated photos. I might have to go on one more adventure soon with a fill flash.
Ocean Beach, Muni, & Embarcadero - Photography Journey Through San Francisco
Yesterday, the internet told me that Monday the 24th is historically known as the most depressing day of the year. Naturally, I refused to stand for this kind of talk and decided to go out of my way to soak up some vitamin D. Here's my photographic journey through San Francisco from Ocean Beach to the Embarcadero. After living in San Francisco for three months, I can happily say I finally had some time to explore. Sometimes words just can't describe a scene but when talking about how I felt, these words come to mind; peace, joy, happiness, euphoria, inspiration, sunshine, refreshed, creative, sand, nature, beauty, balance, harmony, love, luck, wholeness, adventure.. you get the idea.
For more photos, you can go to my flickr page here. Peace & Love, Molly.
Cats of All Sizes
I recently watched a TED talk by Beverly + Dereck Joubert about big cats in Africa. They spent 3 years studying a leopard they named Legadema, Setswana for "light from the sky." How beautiful is that? Perhaps my emotions are running high from all the changes I've been experiencing - mostly overwhelmed with happiness, but I teared up many times during their 20 minute talk. I'm not going to ruin the video for you but I will say it was heartbreaking to learn how these big cats are being decimated by poachers and hunters. According to the Joubert's, over the last 50 years: Lions have gone from 450,000 to only 20,000 today.
Tigers from 45,000 to only 3,000
Cheetahs from 50,000 to 12,000
and Leopards from 700,000 to only 50,000.
From global warming to killing animals needlessly, we have lost touch with nature. But this is something we should easily be able to prevent. How could we, as humans, knownigly be responsible for this type of behavior? In the video, they pointed out that killing one lion disrupts an entire ecosystem. The new lion that enters the pride, kills all the cubs and sometimes even the mothers protecting them in order to establish his power. It's interesting to learn how violent nature is, and in this case - as unnecessary as war itself. But humans are causing that added violence.
Before you lose hope completely, there's a beautiful and bright side to nature - specifically an incident of motherly instincts that we see through Legadema. But I'm not going to tell you what happens. You'll just have to watch for yourself and if you're interested in learning more, you can check out this post via Roar Africa, a company that offers guided tours of Africa.
http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf
Back In San Francisco!!!
I arrived back in San Francisco yesterday morning after having woken up at 4am for my 7:30am flight. Thank you Papa Dukes for driving me, and no, I have no idea why me or my sister call you that. But before I left, Mischief walked in front of me 3 times on Friday. I suspect it was to trip me so I couldn't leave. But the more likely explanation is that Mischief doesn't realize the pecking order of cats to humans; i.e. that he has to move out of the way. Yes, I nearly fell down the stairs. My father plopped Thomas onto my bed before I went to sleep and instructed him to "stay with his mother." And he did, until I woke up at 4am. All the cats looked genuinely confused at being woken up that early. They looked to us for guidance. Their eyes said "ma, should I eat now or go back to sleep? I don't get this. It's still dark."
Okay, enough about cats. We arrived at the airport with ample time. I switched on my light weight jacket and nearly started shivering during my walk from the car to the airport. 15 degrees will do that to you. If there was ever a girl who understood self-branding, it's me. I don't know many people who accidentally have 4 items of a deep magenta on - my pants, scarf, handbag and carry-on suitcase.
I sat in the Virgin America waiting room trying not to fall asleep and spotted a group of 4 young boys. They looked Eastern European with crew cuts, all probably within 4 years of each other, gathered around a pretty red headed girl with her MacBook Pro open. It was like a scene out of period piece, children gathered their a mother reading a bedtime story. But instead, it was at JFK, in the waiting area of a Virgin America flight, the book was a MacBook and the woman wasn't their mother. Surreal.
The flight was fairly uneventful. I arrived in San Francisco to absolutely beautiful weather. After settling in and showering, I walked around North Beach, almost able to pretend I was in Italy. With the unseasonably warm weather, everyone was out and about. Despite having access to a million forms of entertainment, there's no denying that simply walking outside, laying out in the sun, talking to friends, eating and drinking coffee is usually the most enjoyable. And more than that, it's timeless. I could have taken that walk (minus listening to music from my iPhone), hundreds of years ago. Although it's most likely I wouldn't have seen a cat on a leash. Yes, only in San Francisco.
After going into stores I never had time to explore while in school, I had dinner by myself at a cafe where I read and sat outside. Note to self - arrange dinners before I get to my destination! I started a conversation with two older men sitting next to me. One was a taxi driver who was full of interesting stories. He seemed genuinely happy with his job and said it was way less stressful than being a cab driver in New York. Like for instance, if he wanted a break, he could go to Ocean Beach and just sit and watch the ocean. I learned that he went on less drug runs now for people. That if he doesn't trust someone, he'll drive around until they get the hint and leave. He told me about a successful woman who lived a bi-coastal lifestyle. He said that she seemed like a go-getter with endless amounts of energy. Is that the key to success? Anyway, it feels good to be back. I'd have these experiences in New York but think San Franciscians are more friendly and more likely to talk to strangers. It's obvious to me that I'll be happy where ever I end up and am enjoying the journey.
Small World
I'm on a video/ photography kick. It's been too cold to go into the city specifically to photograph people and I'm usually lugging my computer so I can send off emails in between advertising interviews. Anyway, I thought this was a super cool story and interesting way to connect with someone. I'm inspired and almost want to create a similar video for the lantern I found in my attic that's dated from 1906 but ha, I'm guessing they wouldn't be alive or checking YouTube. Actually, I've found many more interesting objects in my attic that have inspired me to start writing a book which I've been working on for the last two years. I even managed to find the former owners of our house on Facebook. Weird. When social networks first came around, it was really about finding people online that were in your life. Now, the web is about using the online world to connect to the physical world and this video illustrates that perfectly. The film maker Todd Bieber, found a film canister in the physical world, created an online video about the experience and hopes to connect with the owners of the canister in the physical world again. Because I think what most of us have realized is that nothing beats human contact and real connections.[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dmop7EAY1Zg&w=640&h=390]
Mischief The Cat
I'll be the first to admit that Mischief the cat is a bit strange.
[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/18855048 w=400&h=300]
Mischief Taking a Walk: Extended Version from Molly A on Vimeo.
Intel: The Visual Life
For all of those who have a snow day, I encourage you to take 7 minutes and watch this video. It's a short film about The Sartorialist's life shot for Intel's Visual Life Campaign. Not surprisingly, The Sartorialist actually inspired me to buy a DSLR and take photography classes way back in the summer of 2008. I loved learning about his process and thinking from the video. You can see how he's in the zone, searching for interesting people and beautiful images. He now regularly travels around the world to different fashion shows and basically started a movement towards street fashion blogs. It's hard to believe he's just a nice guy from the Midwest.[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5NgG5koPZU&w=640&h=385]
NY Tech Meetup 2011 Kick-Off
Last night, I had the pleasure of attending the first NY Tech Meetup of 2011. The meeting lacked the energy and consistency of some past meetups, probably because everyone and their mom is sick, but there were a few standouts. Munchly brought excitement into the room with their demo, an iPhone app that allows sport goers to order food from concession stands straight from their phone so you can have the best of both worlds - your Shake Shack fix without missing half the game. The app looked well designed and their presentation style rocked. When in doubt, offer audience members a free beer. Naturally these guys are smart because they went to my high school. Shout out to Jersey!Firefly is an app that finds your Twitter friends in the real world, making face-to-face contact more feasible. Personally, I think there should be a monthly - meet a Twitter follower in person - day. While having a digital life is enriching, nothing beats human contact. So now there's an app to aggregate check-ins from location based services and yet, last summer, I still ended up explaining foursquare to people on a regular basis - even those under 40! Hmmm. Technology is like our economy - the early adapters are getting more adapty while the main stream consumers have so many choices that they're just getting confused or rejecting various technologies all together. I digress.
AdStruc Marketplace topped the list as one of the most practical services demoed. Although as I walked to the after party with a fellow advertising "executive" we debated whether or not out of home ad space was one of the few industries that was still strongly based on relationships between media buyers and sales agents. Regardless, I still think AdStruc will solve a current need in the media business. And I have to give a special shout out to the presenter's ping pong skills. I played him in ping pong two years ago at an industry party. Ah ping pong. The great connector. Wait.. It was a party where the sales guys were treating their customers. Hmm - ad exec guy does have a point.
Finally, the guys from VYou may have gotten their idea for VYou from the Old Spice YouTube campaign. I can see this being used by celebrities talking to their fans, companies explaining their products, and individuals showcasing their skills and personality. You can embed the service onto a site, generating interesting content. And if you don't have anything good to say, everyone likes a good nose picking video right? Thanks Kevin Smith.
Finally, Scott Heiferman came on to talk about why the tech world in New York is so exciting. To paraphrase in my own words, it's not about making money for money's sake a la the financial industry, it's about adding value to people's lives. Move over finance. The New York tech world is here to stay and I'm not going to lie, it's pretty damn sexy.
Recent Cultural Trends
I've recently piled all my stuff that was in a storage, into my parent's house in NJ as discussed in my other blog Wandering & Pondering here. The process of going through boxes I packed last August had me thinking about how my "stuff" plays a part in defining who I am. While I was in San Francisco, I felt weightless, flying across country with only 3 suitcases including a refined version of my wardrobe, a few books and of course my computer. There was the possibility of a new beginning. But as I leafed through my books after taking them out of their boxes a few weeks ago, I realized that the objects we collect have an imprint on us - there's a give and take. A quick scan through my bookshelf reminds me of different periods of my life and ongoing interests, from my obsession with Italian Renaissance history to non-fiction science and history. I was inspired to revise the plot to my novel in progress, delve into an old box full of one hundred year old family photos and newspaper articles, and even unload some books to de-clutter.A few times last week, I discussed wanting to have a huge, built in bookshelf in my future apartment when I finally decide to "settle," despite probably eventually getting a Kindle or iPad. I visited a friend who lives in a classic Upper West Side apartment with just that, passed down through her family. I scanned someone's bookshelf who had recently moved after living in one spot for nearly a decade. He declared that he would limit his book collection to this one shelf and would only keep books that were worthy enough for it. And then I met an incredibly interesting, intelligent philosophy teacher who declared that one should never throw a book away because you never know when you'll want to find a quote or read it again. Then ironically, yesterday, I opened the printed version of The New York Times to this article, about interior design firms that curate book collections for their clients. The Times points out that "as it happens, the-book-as-relic was forecasted by marketers. Ann Mack, director of trend-spotting for JWT New York, the marketing and advertising agency, noted in her trend report for the coming year that “objectifying objects,” she said, “would be a trend to watch.”
Quoting from her report, she added: “Here’s what we said: ‘The more that objects become replaced by digital virtual counterparts — from records and books to photo albums and even cash — watch for people to fetishize the physical object. Books are being turned into decorative accessories, for example, and records into art.’ ”
Maybe that's why Moleskin's have become so popular. Most of my thinking is done on a computer but I prefer to put my extra special, private thoughts in my Moleskin. Despite the convenience of digital, physical objects have a power and energy all their own.
For more interesting trend forecasting, you can check out this JWT Slideshare document here.
A New York Minute
I've been living on the Upper West Side since Friday night, cat-sitting for a friend. Kind of the perfect situation and I really lucked out. So far, I've lived in the East Village, Upper East Side and Chelsea. Hmm.. What's next? I'm not going to get into how confused I am. I'm pretty sure they put some sort of addictive substances in the New York water because there's no logical explanation as to why this city has such a strong pull on me when I was so gong-ho about San Francisco - At a time when the garbage hasn't been collected, it's 30 degrees and the curbs are full of murky, cold puddles. Oh yeah, I know.. it's the people. While I've met many cool people in San Francisco and I'm sure I have yet to meet many more, the fact remains that I have so many friends here and have built relationships in every area of my life during the five years that I've been here. Good thing I just have to leave things up to the job market, at this point.
So I was taking the 2 train which I rarely ever take - whole different crew from the 4/5/6 and noticed an interesting scene. It was about five, very charged, minutes on the subway ride that said so much about New York and what makes it so interesting. A (presumably) Orthodox woman was with her young child who was cranky and misbehaving in his stroller. He was about 3 years old and wouldn't sit still and kept accidentally kicking me. A black man with tattoos all over his body including tear marks near his eyes, started speaking to the pretty, young, blond woman, telling her to control her child. He was swearing at her and mumbling about white women not being able to control their children and how the children needed to be smacked around. Her response was that her son was tired and cranky and she sounded kind and exhausted, not wanting to get into an argument. I stood in the middle of them hoping it wouldn't escalate but wondering what I'd do or say if it did. On the way out, I looked back to see the mother with her son talking and laughing with another black woman who also had a child, presumably bonding and making friends over the situation.
New York is obviously incredibly diverse as a whole but each neighborhood is fairly segregated. I'm pretty sure my home town in Northern, NJ was more racially diverse than the Upper East Side but we came from similar places economically which at least united us in some way. But on the subway, there are people coming on from Brooklyn, to Manhattan, to Harlem, to the Bronx, & Queens. It unites us all. It's a place where stereotypes and frustrations all come out, where rich businessmen are tightly squeezed next to Bronx gang members, who are tightly squeezed next to Jewish mothers, who are tightly squeezed next to millions of other people that don't fit or defy stereotypes. So as addicting as the sound effects are to Angry Birds, turn down your phone and listen to what's around you. You may learn something.
Where Am I?
So I've been staying at my parent's house for the last week after spending nearly three months in San Francisco. It's been quite the whirlwind. I guess I'm fairly good at dealing with change. - I just keep myself busy and avoid thinking about it. So I've gone to being at school for three months in San Francisco where I was generally so busy that I rarely had lunch before 3pm, to staying at my parent's house where the only exercise I get is walking from the upstairs to the downstairs and back again. And thanks to the blizzard of 2010, I was forced to stay inside. Technically, I'm now unemployed, instead of being student, and my future is a big blank slate. Well, okay, it's not that dramatic. I at least know what I want to do.. just have no idea where I'm going to end up.
I'm looking for account strategy jobs in both NYC and San Francisco. Right now, most of my possessions are at my parent's house in NJ. And then I have a plane ticket back to SF on January 15th where I have an apartment and a few of my clothes. But other than that, there's a big question mark. How much do I bring back to San Francisco? What do I actually need? Where will I work? What's better - having an apartment in San Francisco but few friends or job contacts? Or having no apartment in NYC, most of my friends and a slew of job contacts?
Right now, I feel like I want to be independent and move across country. I wouldn't mind starting fresh. But the longer I'm in the NYC/NJ area, the more I reach into my past instead of moving forward. Is this detrimental? Healthy? Then again, is my past really that bad? When I left NYC in the early fall, I had so many people I cared for and genuinely liked that it was hard to schedule time with everyone. I felt like I was always "catching up" with people instead of hanging out. And it took me five years to get to that point where all of the people I spent time with were those who I genuinely respected and were a joy to be around. When I got to San Fransisco, I automatically had a crew of 30+ people to hang out with on any given day when I actually had time to hang out. What's going to happen now that that crew is back in their homes, around the world?
Today, I had my things moved out of storage and into my parent's house. After living at my parent's house for a week, I finally have a desk to work on (my novel hopefully), I finally have adequate space to house my clothing and book shelves for my books. While I was in San Francisco, I felt weightless, freed by my three suitcases worth of clothing and freed by my mobility. But now, as I look around my room, I sit at the 67 pound desk that I once hauled up my 3rd story walk up on St. Mark's and put together. I look at the 6ft tall bookshelf that I dragged ten blocks and up five flights of stairs. And the IKEA bureau that I was so excited to also carry up five flights of stairs after not having a bureau for four years. The truth is, it's all cheap furniture. None of it matches. But it's mine. I look through my books and remember the inspiration they gave me and I think about how as a collection, they show who I am or who I want to be. But does all this matter? They're only material items.
Having the bigger room, my sister is now the proud owner of my former bed. It sits in her room with a few of my bookshelves and with my bedding. It's kind of weird. I feel possessive of it, like I want it to be mine after not having slept on it for four months. It feels like home. But who cares. It's only a bed. So yeah, here I am, caught between my past and on the verge of stepping into a new future with a clean slate. How appropriate as we approach the end of a decade and I approach the end of my twenties...
My Brief Rant Against Baby Boomers
Or maybe just my parents...
I just had to give my parents a lecture on why they should unplug their electronics when not in use. We live in a liberal town. My parents never questioned global warming. They recycle. BUT - I almost think that they are TRYING to waste electricity. Or maybe they just don't know. Freaking baby boomers. They've had all the fun. They had the Beatles... when all four were alive. They had Free Love with No AIDS. Drugs were okay, well at least until they figured out the long-term effects. And danced to DISCO! They had the glutenous 80's. They had the first tech boom. And I ask them to do one freaking simple thing. Unplug your computer before you go to sleep! Unplug the freakin air conditioner that's not in use 9 months of the year. Is it really necessary for me to spell out exactly what vampire power means? Do I have to argue with you on this? Oh yeah.. save electricity. Same the environment, cause you know... my children are going to be on this earth, and my children's children and I'm sure they'd like all the same benefits and resources that you've had.. except maybe.. even better.
okay. I'm done.
P.S. I entirely admit that this is a perfect shit storm caused by finishing an awesome program in an amazing, environmentally friendly city - to officially entering the world of the unemployed while temporarily living at home with my parents in NJ where it's at least 30 degrees colder than San Francisco. Phew.. breathing.. deeply.
SWEAT.
I'm nearly done with Miami Ad School Boot Camp San Francisco. It's been one of the best, most challenging experiences of my life. I'm in complete denial that I will no longer have a second home in San Francisco equipped with a ping pong table, comfortable couches, wifi and most importantly, a diverse family from all over the world that is intelligent, creative and inspiring. I was prepared to be challenged. Work hard. And learn from other talented students.
You're going to sweat when you're running to a potentially mind blowing class on a Sunday morning, trying to get there by 10am while lugging your laptop and multiple layers to deal with the changing San Francisco weather.
You're going to sweat when you have to make a 10 minute presentation to your 40 classmates and tough-as-nails teacher on a project you've had only a week to immerse yourself in.
You're going to sweat as you frantically finish your presentation before the teacher calls on your team to present.
You're going to sweat when you have no time to eat and frequently find yourself running to Safeway for a cheap sandwich.
And you're going to sweat as you hold hot coffee in your hand, praying that it will give you another hour of energetic clarity.
You're going to sweat as you slam a ping pong ball back and forth with force like a ninja, playing a multitude of experts in an effort to clear your head.
And after all that hard work, you're going to sweat it out with your classmates from all over the world on the dance floor and realize, it was all worth it.
We Interrupt This Program
I interrupt my resume-revising, manifesto-writing, presentation-preparation, and contemplation of why there are only 24 hours in the day to bring you this video. That's PJS!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3iFhLdWjqc?fs=1&hl=en_US&w=540&h=285]
LIfe in a Day: Wallet Full of Dreams
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCTzk140lq4&w=480&h=385]One of my Miami Ad School teammates did this for a project over the summer. Cool stuff and some nice insights. You can see more of his writing here.