All That Sparkles Is Not Gold

Per my usual pedantic entries, I find myself writing again about the inner workings of the human psyche. I haven’t done exuberant amounts of formal training to hone my skill of reading people, but the more time I spend around others the more inclined I feel to attempt to figure them out. I didn’t choose to be this way, I didn’t actively search for ways to decode my friends, family or myself, but I find that as I am getting older the urge to dig deeper has yet to subside. Since it is perhaps too late to restart college (who wouldn’t want to though) I figure that my talents at this point are best spent writing about what I observe. No one wants to feel like they are friends with a psychologist – constantly being poked prodded and analyzed – but a writer? I think I can swing that mysterious edge I have going on.

So back to the point of my work. I already told you what I thought about the spotlight effect and how it actually affects all of us in one way or another. Well, loyal readers, I have a new one for you and this one is no joke. I’ve figured one of the greatest flaws of human nature. One that marketers, advertisers, matchmakers and especially Steve Jobs prey on when they attempt to attract and sell you the latest and greatest available. I present to you the shiny ball syndrome. Think about it for a minute, take a second, let it sink in. when you were a kid, did you not run around the playground chasing after bouncing balls aiming to grasp them and eventually become the keeper of the keys, the team captain, the coolest? Later on, those “balls” became your world of must-haves; the secrets to success. Once you caught a ball, or became inducted into the cool kids or chosen first for (insert elementary school game here) that feeling of pride just stuck. Like a crack addict, we’ve been trying to emulate that victorious feeling for the rest of our lives.

In high school, the elusive ball became a girl, boy or good grade, depending on your level of academic motivation or lack of. That’s when things started to get interesting. For some people there’s just one girl or boy that makes the chase worthwhile. If you’ve ever seen the movie “I Love You, Beth Cooper,” for one nerdy boy Beth Cooper shined brighter than any ball in Travolta’s “Saturday Night Fever.”

But I digress.

For a few, the shiny ball isn’t a person; it’s a feeling. It’s the feeling that we need to be chasing something or someone to validate our existence; to validate our social status. Basically, if you’re not trying for better than you’re just. Not. Good. Enough. And that my friends, is where I’ve been stuck like a girl in rapidly sinking quicksand.

Only lately did a friend tell me she thinks I have shiny ball syndrome. The subject changed as quickly as it was broached, partly because I didn’t know what that meant but mostly because I didn’t want to find out. Not from her, not from anyone. But alas, the notion stuck. Did I actually have what she claimed? Was I leading down a path of eternal unsatisfaction?

When I said it’s like a drug, I guess I wasn’t kidding. This kind of thinking sneaks up on you from a young age and just hangs there, feeding on every close encounter, growing with every boy left alone at the end of a date night while I jumped to something better.

It’s painful to say even now, but it’s something worth expressing in words. Nothing good ever came from internalizing and withholding the emotions. Even if it’s not the most desirable thing to read in the world, good journalism and blogging doesn’t come from simply giving the people what they want. Is it not the New York Times that touts their age old slogan, “all the news that’s fit to print?” delving into human nature, all good and bad of it, is not only fit to print, but it’s something I felt compelled to discuss. I had to get it out.

A New Age for New Media

As I near the end of my college career, I have started to notice a definite shift in my late-night online habits. Gone are the days of toggling back and forth between Gilt Group and Perez Hilton. I now find myself scanning job postings everywhere from LinkedIn to Journalism Jobs and beyond. Paychecks come at a heavy price these days, what can I say?

In a recent posting looking to hire a senior copywriter, I noticed in BIG, BOLD print that one can only apply if he has an online portfolio and/or blog site included in his application.

Ladies and gentlemen: the future has come and it arrived in the form of a Blog.

I guess you could say that a Blog is the cooler, newer version of an online portfolio. The kind that can do more, be more and sell more.

Professionals in the industry say that we in journalism and creative advertising are shifting to become more internet-based. I’m not here to say we are completely done with the move, but I think that post was one giant leap for all of us.

So I pose you this question…is a Blog the new online portfolio? Can we do away with websites containing only single dimension media?

In this age of convergence and multi, well, everything, is a Blog the most effective way to highlight our talents as a writer, webmaster and social media aficionado?

For now I think it is, but only until the next best thing comes along.

Graham Colton concert review

The Graham Colton concert at New Earth in Athens last night was reminiscent of a rising college town band trying to make it in the big world. His Tuesday night concert amassed about 20 devoted fans on an otherwise quiet downtown evening. The hit in numbers could be probably be attributed to its timing, as Tuesday trailed Georgia vs. Florida, the university’s biggest party weekend, and Halloween. Nevertheless, Colton gave a strong performance and other than a few comments encouraging the crowd to “act and sound like a group of 400,” he never indicated disappointment. Colton admittedly started the show without a specific set list and mixed up the concert with songs from all three albums. Loyal followers heard some of his classics, including “Cigarette” and “Best Days of Our Lives.” Songs from his new album fall into the similar indie/alternative genre and catch the same audience. Although his voice has clearly matured through the years it remains pure in that it-sounds-like-I’m-serenading-you way. He kept the crowd engaged with questions and conversation between each song, and kept referring to the group as being “one with the band.” For those who have always yearned to witness a great band’s casual jam session, last night was as close as they may ever get.

"Everyone gets a chance in the spotlight; you can have it when I'm done!" - anonymous

There’s a phrase in Psychology termed the spotlight effect. Someone experiences this effect when they feel like everyone in the room is staring at them. Newsflash: no one really cares about you (in a good way). Back when I was younger and under a lot of pressure to mold myself into the perfect middle school prototype, I used to think people were constantly analyzing my actions. I thought that, without a doubt, people were critiquing me behind my back and preying on my weaknesses. I can recall a specific incident when I was at the gym trying to stretch before a workout and couldn’t get all the way down into the splits. “This is embarrassing,” I thought to myself. “I can’t fail, I can’t do a half split it’s not good enough.” The thoughts kept coming. Even though I can look back and acknowledge how childish and insecure I was at such a vulnerable age, I can still remember that hot cheeks flushed feeling. I don’t know why some people feel the spotlight effect more than others, but for most of my life it highly affected me. It may have been an inflated ego (people want to watch me) or none at all (people want to stare at me), but I’m slowly emerging out of it into a much healthier adulthood. It’s not healthy to nitpick others for their actions and to feel ashamed or embarrassed for your own doings. The world tells you to be who you want to be, to follow your dreams and do what YOU want. There will always be the few who try and act as a roadblock on your path to success, but you can’t let them be the ones who keep you down. It’s not so much that no one cares, but they don’t notice your mistakes or your failures. People notice success. So the next time you’re at the gym and you can’t, let’s just hypothetically say, do the splits…remember that you’re trying and no one’s watching you fail. They’re just thinking that you’re a better person for pushing yourself to succeed.

Discovering Success

Have you ever heard the saying, “you don’t know what you don’t know?” Well if you haven’t, then of course you don’t know it. But I have – and I think about it a lot.

My dad, one of the wisest men that I know, has always been an idea guy. He dabbled in entrepreneurship post-college hoping to hit on the “next big thing.” While he can’t claim TiVo or the iPod, I still think of his personality and drive for success as one that I would like to emulate.

Having said that, I enjoy listening to those people who have gained some serious wealth by recognizing what was lacking from their surroundings, environment, nearest shopping mall, whatever. A few years back I attended the International Association for Business Communicators at UGA. They had Vena Kim, the founder of Yoforia, speaking about her journey to open Athens’ first frozen yogurt shop. Fro-yo, as it’s commonly referred to, has gained widespread popularity in bigger city markets.

She said something that I still think about today. She said there was a hole in the market. I had never heard anyone say that before. Usually people who want to become Steve Jobs and Bill Gates spend hours thinking about ways to improve what is already on the market. They take a popular gadget, drink, magazine, etc., and invest tons of dollars trying to steal away buyers.

Yeah, and how’s that workin for ya?

In short: it’s not. I think Kim captured the true entrepreneurial spirit when she said she saw something that wasn’t there before. So ask yourself, are you really going to spend your time thinking about a way to improve on the competition? Or are you going to try and improve the community? Because that, to me, is priceless.

Well…not totally priceless. Some say it could get you more cash than the government.

Am I right or am i write?

I can’t figure out the link between happiness and productivity. I really, really can’t. Maybe you could give me some insight. I am so on the fence about this that I have fully analyzed both sides of the argument, and I am still unable to arrive at a conclusion.

On one hand, a dearth of productivity could signify extreme happiness. You are extremely at ease with yourself, your relationships and your jobs. You interact well with coworkers, take long, conversation-filled lunches and take off from work not a minute too soon to hit the gym and release more euphoria-inducing endorphins. Sounds like a great day, huh? Cut to the blinking cursor on your still white Word document. Did that fantastic day leave any time for you to produce real work? Doubtful. And if you think this day doesn’t apply to you, then it may not. The social life isn’t for everyone. But for those who feed off of the energy of others, never ending laughter and office camaraderie could leave a gaping whole in other places.

But that’s just One theory. Is there, on the converse, a distinct link between being out of ideas and out of serotonin? You can’t pay your bills on time, you feel like you’re out of shape, and worse – your friends haven’t been returning your calls…for weeks. So do you ho hum in to the office everyday eagerly anticipating getting to work? It doesn’t seem likely. It’s hard to pull yourself out of a rut to be innovative, creative and productive. But that’s just my opinion. And of course, outliers do exist.

I personally can’t make a decision. There are times when I am so happy and produce nothing … and there are times when I’m in a funk and produce about the same. Thoughts?

Intern-al Dilemma

Sometimes, when I’m bored, I read Blogs and various news sites that detail the dos and don’ts of having an internship. For example, do: be bright and alert every morning, without fail. Don’t: wear last night’s eyeliner and guzzle a venti latte like you’ll never see caffeine again. Could send the wrong message. So you see, I’ve tastefully skimmed through the various rants and raves on the Internet while aggregating and mentally summing up how to be the perfect intern. Then it got me thinking. (As if I'm ever not thinking).
What exactly is a perfect intern? Or more importantly, who owns this title? Is it the someone who is dutiful, prompt and put together? Or is it the someone who may be a little less about outward appearances but off the charts in talent and skill? Almost a catch-22, no? What kind of person do you want out there touting a past internship with your company like a brand ambassador? Because that’s what we are, really. Google’s calling dibs on the back row geek who’s tuning out the teacher and tuning into this month’s Wired Mag. And you bet DKNY or fill-in-the-blank NYC PR firm wants those pretty faces and socialites. Hand me that application. I kid.
But what happens when Google needs to send out an intern to recruit future tech-savvy and Internet hungry minds? Social skills are a must. And what about that PR firm or fashion company who needs someone to chart their growth and interpret the metrics? They didn’t teach that on Project Runway. The world needs a blend of interns. Companies need a range of up and comers, the ones who forget to read the Do’s and Don’ts (okay read the don’ts) but rather someone who owns what they bring to the table. Someone who is confident in their abilities and isn’t afraid to exude it day in and day out. It’s not about “looking the part” I'm serious, it isn’t. It’s about being the part; it’s about being the person they hired you to be.
So you see. There is no perfect intern. No one can wear all the hats in the world (although the Royal Wedding could give you a run for your moolah) and I beg you to find me someone who is fluent in C++, HTML, Vuitton and America’s Next Top Model. Good luck. And if you need some extra help, hit up the Starbucks Venti Latte: it’ll have you buzzing for days.

Boxed Out

You know when someone tells you not to think of something, but then you find that all you can do is think of that one thing? Quick…thing of anything else besides what you ate for breakfast today. Get real…all of our minds just turned to cereal, bananas and for the excessive health nuts out there I’ll throw in some donuts or last night’s cold pizza.

But really. That’s the struggle I’m having with current advertising efforts. Creative directors and clients alike all want us to think outside the box. Well then what does your brain go to? That stupid little box. That little, gnawing elusive box that you need to somehow find a way to claw yourself out of. We’re humans, so once we start down the path of thinking within a confined space all productivity suddenly goes out the window. Somehow, that found a way to escape.

While I was scouring the web for some innovative and boundary pushing ad campaigns, I came upon The Cool Hunter, a too-good-to-be-a-blog Blog that touts itself as the “world’s most-read culture and design site.” Two minutes in I see why, but more about that later.

The Cool Hunter operates a creative ideas agency called Access Agency. I was perusing their shtick when a certain line caught my attention. Or rather, engulfed me whole. Damn, they are good at what they do.

Here’s the first line of their Why. “Forget thinking outside the box. Forget the box. Where brands need to go today, there is no box.”

WHAT!?!??!!?

Did I just randomly stumble upon (Not to be confused with StumbleUpon, my social media junkies) my exact thoughts summed up in a sentence? Fireworks started going off in my head and from somewhere far away I think I heard the faint whistle from the beginning of the Commodores’ funk song “Brick House.”

So there you have it, I think I’m right in my assumptions, my friends. Nay, I am right. We are in a different age, a new age. There are no confined spaces, there are no square pegs and there are no round holes. And for god sakes, there is no box.

Here we go.