Life @ Random

23:: The Goldilocks Process

I’ve been trying to figure out my creative process ever since the first day I walked into Deb Morrison’s Creative Strategist class. I would be in class and get this idea and scribble down some notes and start even drawing it out. The problem was I would look back at my notes and drawings a couple days later and it didn’t seem to be right. What I did know about my creative process was that I get super excited about my ideas, without fully thinking about them in detail. Once I actually went back and looked over my note of my ideas, I would realize that I was either missing something or had too much to work with. I would hit the infamous “brick wall” and I would be back to square one. It’s weird to think that by thinking of my creative process, I’m actually going through the process while thinking of the process…..mind blowing it you ask me.

I then realized, with my hot and cold ideas, I was a lot like Goldilocks looking for “just right”. If you are unfamiliar with the children’s story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, I’m here to inform you that you’ve been missing out for years. (Watch HERE) The main point of the story is how Goldilocks goes from porridge to chair to bed, trying to find one that is “just right”.

At the table in the kitchen, there were three bowls of porridge. Goldilocks was hungry.  She tasted the porridge from the first bowl. “This porridge is too hot!” she exclaimed. So, she tasted the porridge from the second bowl.”This porridge is too cold,” she said. So, she tasted the last bowl of porridge.”Ahhh, this porridge is just right,” she said happily and she ate it all up.

I call this the Goldilocks process. You may have to try many ideas to get to the one that works. You also may get the right idea the first try, but you will never know if you don’t compare it to other ideas. Either way the goal is to find that “just right” idea and run with it. Put that Goldilocks Process into action! Happy thinking!

22:: Whiskey Lovin’ for No Reason

I’ve recently realized that I have an infatuation with the idea of brands and how they make a name for themselves, in a world made up of a million different brands. How can advertising be so intriguing, that I feel it is necessary for me to go out and choose that specific brand instead of all the others based on a couple of ads? It’s simple, it has to be good. There can be a great product out there, but without good advertising and positive representation, the product will go nowhere. I have been inspired to write this solely after watching a Johnnie Walker Whiskey ad for the tenth time today, not to mention all the other times I’ve seen it.  I know it’s not a trendy new ad and that it has been around for a couple years, but that doesn’t change the way I feel about the ad.

I’m a 21-year-old college student, not to mention a GIRL. If I order a drink at dinner it needs to be pink and in a cute, ornate glass. Why then do I keep watching this ad on whiskey? And why do I have the sudden urge to go buy a square bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label? Because this is what GREAT advertising should do, engage their audience and make them excited about the product. In this case this particular ad is not just engaging, but it is also a story. The story and history behind the Johnnie walker label is not just interesting, but it also makes me want to be a part of keeping the tradition going. Now that I have ranted about how great this ad is, here is a list of adjectives that I (personally) feel makes advertisements stand out:

• Simple
• Engaging
• Real
• Direct
• Original
• Powerful
• Strong
• Productive

21:: Take Action

Its the Sunday before Week 9 of my Junior year and it’s time to put everything in full force. My Week 8, was full of tests, papers, and unlimited amounts of coffee, but this coming up week will be different. In my advertising class, we have a group project due in in exactly two week from today. Never wracking? Yes, but it’s time to put our “talk” and put it in “action”. Our project is extremely detail orientated and we will be doing a lot of interviews, which entails a lot of talking. The questions is, “When do we take all that information from our interview and put into action?” The answer, RIGHT AWAY. We maybe doing a lot of “talk”, but without the “action” of putting our project together, it would turn into “shit”. Hence the reason for posting this saying, “Talk - Action = Shit”. It’s something that any professional or student can live by and it should give some truth in the fact that without action, you will go no where. To all my fellow Creative Strategist, I hope this gives you perspective. Good luck with your projects!

(Source: pinterest.com)

19:: Wisdom By Wong

During my last Creative Strategist class, we were fortunate to have the clever and hilarious Tracy Wong speak to us about succeeding in your advertising. He warned us that he was going to “drop some wisdom on our asses” and he did.  Having been around the block a few times, Tracy was able to give us 6 points to live by if we want to succeed in the advertising world. Here are the 6 points of wisdom he expressed so enthusiastically to my class.

1. Your ego can be your worst creative impediment. Do not let your EGO get in the way of your work. Just because no one has done good work on something, doesn’t mean you can’t find the good and create something great. Ego HIDES opportunities.
2. The 99% of a great idea is the STRATEGY. Once you find strategy, you are just a “2 foot putt” away from good work.
3. The greatest creative weapon is you EARS. “Knowledge talks. Wisdom listens.” Listening does not just mean listening with an open mind. Your mind must be empty and not full of your own ideas. Just listen.
4. The secret to a successful career in advertising is to embrace compromise. By listening you can embrace what the client wants.
5. The process that creates good work is to engage in the democracy of good ideas. WE>ME. “Anything is possible as long as no one cares who gets the credit.”
6. The way to sell great work is to love your client like you love you dog.

Above all, Tracy said, “Not to be an ASSHOLE.” Overall Tracy made some great points and I know that his wisdom will stick with me and the rest of my class for awhile. Thanks Tracy for the wisdom!

18:: ‘ello London

Just this past week, I finished my summer abroad application. From June 23rd to July 27th, I’ll be exploring London, England, and studying  UK communications and media. This will not only be my first time in Europe, but also overseas. I’ve taken family trips to Mexico and Canada, but I have not had the chance to leave North America. I don’t know what is in  store for me this summer, but I know this will be something I will remember forever. A few of my friends have been fortunate enough to study abroad.  They tell their stories about when they were in Hungary and their adventures of when they were in Brazil. For me I just sit and listen and think to myself that my time to travel we will be here sooner than I think. While I’m in London, I’ll be fortunate to experience something that I haven’t heard in any of my friends’ abroad stories, the Olympics. Yes, it’s already been four years since the last Summer Olympic games and I can not believe that I will be there to experience it.

As excited as I am to go abroad, I can’t help but think how nervous I am to leave and be by myself in a  different country. Anytime I have these thoughts or fears, I just think about how I got to the University of Oregon in the first place. Graduating from a small, all girls Catholic high school, I knew everyone at school by first and last name. Knowing that I would be attending the UO, in the Fall of 2009, without a familiar face was nerve wracking, but I knew I needed to step outside my comfort zone. As a Junior at the UO, I have made many friends and have found my comfort zone. So why don’t I just stay in comfort zone and just go home for summer? Because I want to challenge myself. I want to take advantage of my college years and get the most out of these last four years until I have to enter the real world. On that note, I can’t wait for the obstacles and challenges this summer has in store for me. I also can’t wait to tackle those obstacles and over come any challenges I may encounter. Maybe I’ll even come back to school in Fall with a British accent. Wishful thinking? I think so. Goodbye comfort zone, ‘ello London.