Get On With It

Creative Spaces

Lately I've spent a lot of time considering my own creative space and whether it gave me the best environment. Last year I did most of my work from a table in the corner of my big, open living room, but I knew that wouldn't work for the amount of stuff I would be doing this year. I had to somehow create a workable space in my tiny, college-sized room. My goal was to make a space that was comfortable, functional and inspiring.

The first thing I did was rearrange my furniture to free up the wall in front of my window. I thought being able to look out the window rather than being jammed in a corner would be better. There really isn't much to look at in the alley where I live (although there was a seagull battle yesterday), but I prefer natural light. Oh, and I also kind of spy on the neighbors and watch people come throught the alley. Not in the creepy way though. Ok...yeah, it might be a little creepy, but let me just say that they weird guy living in the apartment with the chair outside has a siamese kitten that has gotten so large that I'm now calling it a cat.

Anyway, after deciding where I wanted to work, I went on a quest for the perfect desk, and I found it. I got a great, snazzy desk from Pier 1 that's like a go-go-gadget workspace. It easily collapses into a block of drawers and the piece of glass on the workspace slides out so that you can put photos etc. underneath for display (which I havent gotten to yet...baby steps.) My favorite thing is the shallow hideaway drawer that works almost like a slide-out tray. I usually have a collage or two going, and I just stick all sorts of clippings and ads I like onto that workspace, which conveniently hides away. It caters fantastically to my borderline OCD disdain of clutter. My desk will usually have a hefty mixture of papers on it, half opened mail, a scrapbook, an empty mug of honey vanilla chamomile tea, a vanilla candle, a bottle of water, a small stack of blank and burned cds, my iPod, a paper slicer, pirate band-aids and a jar of pencils.

As a final touch I have a bookcase with issues of Communication Arts and CMYK and a few notable books: Drawing From Life: The Journal as Art, The Norton Anthology of Poetry, Cutting Edge Advertising, Creative Advertising, The Master and Margarita, Notes from Underground and The Double, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Trainspotting, Hey Whipple, Sqeeze This, How to Put Your Book Together and Get a Job in Advertising, White Fluffy Clouds: Found Inspiration Moving Forward, America (The Book), and The Mezzanine to name a few.

I'm still working on making the space more inspirational. I put up a corkboard where I post some of my current favorite ads, writings or other clippings. Eventually I want to put them all around my room, but for now, I'm off to a good start. It's much easier to sit down and work...and stay there.

TAKE THE TOUR

Photo and video editing at onetruemedia.com

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The Hills Are Alive

I just heard Gwen Stefani's new single Wind It Up, which includes a sample from the Sound of Music. My dad is Swiss, and I have to say I quite like the yodeling. Last year I did a video editing project called "The Hills Are Alive" where I mixed my own music. I must have mixed about eight songs including The Sound of Music.

Penquin Is the New Pirate

Right now you're probably seeing pirates on everything from shoes to Band-Aids, but I see the penguin becoming the find-it-everywhere-gotta-have-it image of '07. In 2005 they made their heartwarming debut into pop culture with March of the Penguins. Then they upstaged the other animals in Madagascar. Now you can catch them as the lead in Happy Feet. Give it up for the little guys. More importantly, do what you can to make sure that they don't become part of the past. Join the Stop Global Warming Virtual March.

Keep That In Mind

Leftovers?

Just two days after Thanksgiving I found nine of these little wild turkey refugees pecking around in my backyard. I was glad to see them still gobbling.

Thoughts on "How To Be Interesting"

A few weeks ago, advertising planner extraordinaire Russell Davies came to us at the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon. As the Richard Ward Executive in Residence he gave several insightful and engaging presentations, which I was was lucky enough to sit in on at multiple occasions. In once such presentation (although I hesitate to use the word "presentation" because it seemed more casual and conversational to me) Davies discussed the importance of "being interesting" in the future creative world. Simply put, he said, "The way to be interesting is to be interested." Great advice.

As a good start he gave us a 10 point list on how to be interesting. He later put it on his blog, leaving it open with, "any others?"

Hopefully I'm on my way to becoming interesting. I've started taking more pictures, slowly turning it into an everyday thing that I post as habit. I started this blog, and as I gain more experience, I'm hoping it will also come more naturally and into focus. I have a scrapbook...check. Hope it keeps growing. I currently collect all sort of things: Ticket stubs, shopping bags, wine corks, pictures of signs, and bits of scraps I collect while traveling to name a few. I crochet, which is a nice hands-on "making" activity. I would throw cooking in there too. I'm also the reading The Mezzanine, which was a great recommendation from Davies. Some of his other points I hope to start in the future.

I loved how his blog spurred lots of responses. Here are a few additions of my own:

Travel is a must in terms of being interesting. A lot of commentors said the same. Even better, live somewhere else. I lived in Italy for two months this summer, and the experience in terms of inspiration and beyond was invaluable.

I also liked the suggestions of buying an album once a month. I currently buy several a month on iTunes or emusic. Sometimes twice a day or twice a week. Today I bought Jump Little Children's album Magazine. Music is a great source of inspiration. I always have a changing playlist to listen to as I do creative work. On of my friends even made me a great "Creativity Mix." I do wish that I could have tangible copies of CDs though(I miss the artwork), but I found I just ended up stacking the cds in a corner and putting them onto my iPod anyway. If you collect records though, all the better.

My final suggestion for being interesting (although I'm sure I'll keep mulling it over) is to gather groups of people. Throw dinner parties. If you're not much of a cook, invite a group out for dinner. Watch a TV show together with a group of people. This may seem like a ritual social event, but make it interesting. Try to invite some people outside your regular circle. It will mix things up, and I always like to see who ends up interacting. Also, try to avoid the TV and put on music instead (unless you're having a TV show night.) Food is also a great conversational lubricant unless your mouth is full, so I really prefer having dinners. Last week when my sister was in town thirteen of us (although the Italians would consider that unlucky) went out for dinner, and it was certainly nothing short of interesting. Chances are you already do it, but throw some get togethers and throw in a few random people. Have dinner with strangers even. Make it a ritual.

It's Red Again

Every year I wait for it. As soon as Halloween passes, I can see it coming and then BAM! One morning I walk into Starbucks to discover a land covered in mirth and merchandise. This past Saturday I sipped my usual grande nonfat caramel macchiato from a red Christmas cup, and I was delighted. The Starbucks holiday launch came before Thanksgiving this year, and I knew it was coming.

Just a few days before, an ad on My Space caught my eye. I followed it to the new Starbucks holiday site, itsredagain.com, and I spent the next hour on it customizing funny holiday messages for my friends and family. I immediately sent one to my mom of a nutcracker with a proper male voice telling her how excited I was to see her over Thanksgiving break. She said it cracker her up and she watched it again today because she was missing me. After my roommate got the part creepy part genuine message I sent her, she sent one to her dad. One of the highlights of the website is the offbeat “Tradition Keeper” character who acts as a holiday guide. He is a perfect blend of personable and sarcastic and a great fit for the brand.

Wieden + Kennedy in Portland is responsible for this well done “On With Tradition,” holiday campaign. In my personal experience, Starbucks has become an addition to my own holiday traditions. I even got a text from on of my best friends (well aware of my Starbucks habit) saying that she saw that the Christmas cups were in and that she was waiting for me to get our special holiday drink.

I know some people resist the holidays. I say bring them on. I wasn’t going to tell anyone, but my roommate and I started listening to Christmas carols. None of the hard stuff yet, just a little of Mariah’s “All I want for Christmas Is You” and the OC Christmas mix. After all, it’s hard to say “Bah humbug” with a mouthful of eggnog latte.

Mixology

I am obsessed with music. Sadly enough, I can't play a single musical instrument. What I lack completely in musical ability, I make up for in dedication to creating the perfect mixes. There is an art to the playlist. When you get it right, you can delight any friend or family member. Suddenly what once was a drive, is now a roadtrip. When my mom confronted my dad with how much I had been spending on iTunes, his only reply was, "Well...she makes really good mixes." Totally justified.
As far as mix-makers are concerned, Zach Braff is king. Garden State excelled offscreen with it's soundtrack crafted by the Braff himself. The Last Kiss soundtrack was a far from disappointing follow-up. His taste in music has become more than a hobby, but more of a side career.
I'm interested in finding out what it takes to make the perfect mix. Most of mine tend to be themed. I had one called the "Robot Mix" that was a mainstay among my friends. When I make a mix for someone else, say my dad, I try and guess where our tastes in music overlap. I probably put 60% of what I know he would like, 30% of what I think he would like, and 10% of what I want him to like.
Here is a mix I made specifically for my blog. It's part tribute and part inspiration from the Braff himself. I included a few songs from The Last Kiss Soundtracks as well as some of his other favorites. I rounded it out with some of my current favorites. It's a pretty mellow playlist. Good for listening to while it rains & you're trying to get some work done. Hope you enjoy.

The Coolest Thing I Learned Last Week

Meet the ampersand. Until last week, I always called it the "and sign" until my creative writing teacher revealed this valuable tid-bit. In that brief moment the whole class perked up. "What?" I thought it was a cool little symbol before, but now I'm totally blown away. I don't know why either. I've always liked drawing it out that way, & once I discovered it had a name, & an interesting one at that, it moved to the top of one of my imaginary lists. I might even resort to writing my name "&drea." At least for a while anyway.

Something To Keep You Warm This Winter

Keeping on the themes of my last blog (snow & getting on with it), I’ve realized I’ve almost completely neglected my crochet. I have a few projects begging to be taken out and completed before winter comes. One is a replacement for renowned hot pink hat that my friend Whitney wears so often, she wore it out. It just needs a few more rows, earflaps, and some tassels. I find it’s best to make really outrageous hats. I’ve made some fun bright green striped ones. Earflaps are also a must. Big poms for the top or bills are fun too. Although I have an afghan in the works that I started two summers ago, there are so many other fun things you can make. A few favorite ideas: Drink cozies with a strap so that you can hang them around your neck (a fave among the college crowd), head/sweat bands, & socks/sleeves for you iPod or camera. Also, if you use the multicolored brown/black/green yarn, it looks like camo print.

Crochet is a great hobby to pick up. I’ve passed a lot of time on cars and planes with it. It’s also fun to make gifts for friends and family. Here is a good crochet & knitting lens with a lot of resources. Did you know they even had podcasts for crochet? I have a few tips if you want to get started. First, learn the basic stitches, and practice making squares or even just a few rows until you get the hang of it. Basic stitches to learn include single, double, half-double, double-treble, and treble crochet. Learn the stitch abbreviations and other abbreviations because you’ll encounter them in any pattern or instructional. Next, practice with a thick yarn (worsted weight) that won’t separate when you pull out the stitches during your first few tries. Start with a medium sized aluminum hook (I recommend a G to start.) Don’t get discouraged and have fun!