3 Life Lessons from Louie

This is Louie my five year old shih tzu/Japanese Chin mix rescue.  I have had him for three months and he is ridiculously cute, funny and sweet.  He is so easy and low maintenance. This picture was taken the first night I had him. He is happy and easy and the best company.  Lately I have been observing him with a different perspective so here are the life lessons he has taught me. I doubt he is unique in his behavior and your dog may be teaching you the same lessons!

Greet each day with excitement.

As soon as my feet hit the ground to get dressed Louie is doing his happy dance because he knows he is going for a walk. Every morning I get a kick out of his excited prance down the hall.  It’s easy to smile when he is bouncing around waiting for his harness.  I am not a morning person so this is an important lesson for me.

Don’t eat just because it’s meal time.

I love this about Louie. He is not an urgent eater.  I feed him 1/3 of the cup in the morning and evening and there is usually food leftover in his bowl from the previous meal. He eats his tiny kibble one piece at a time but only on a rug. (This is not part of the lesson. Eating on tile, carpet or hard wood makes sense to me).   He just eats a little here and there and keeps a nice, healthy figure.  This can be a tough one for humans.  We are creatures of habit with meal times and we eat just because.  Recognizing true hunger and not just eating lunch because it is noon is a good lesson.  And eating slowly enough to recognize when you are full and possibly leaving food on the plate is another good lesson.

Don’t poop in your own yard.

Ok, this one is going to be inconvenient in the winter, yes, but it sets up a perfect analogy.  The poop = your thoughts.  And the yard = your head. So don’t fill your head with negative thoughts.  Eg. “I am not smart enough. I am not thin enough. My house isn’t as nice as my friends. What if XX happens. Etc.” I am a natural optimist but this one still takes work.

I am sure there are other great lessons about napping and enjoying car rides with the windows open but that’s enough for now.  and PS, Louie is house-trained now so no more belly-band as seen in the pic.

Murmuration Festival 2016

Murmuration Festival:  What a cool idea and I am so glad I attended last Saturday.  The weather was disappointing and ridiculously hot. They were clearly prepared for many more people so I encourage you to watch for this next year.

Name

“In nature, a murmuration is a flock of starlings that produces intricate patterns during flight.” So the event was designed to be “Convergence of Art, Music, Science & Tech.” Love it!

Venue

All of the stages, tents, foods and exhibits were in several blocks of the Cortex campus. Honestly, this is how I found out about the festival. I was reading about St. Louis being an innovation and technology hub and stumbled upon the event online. I’ve lived in St. Louis most of my life and I am a big fan.  I love when businesses are able to grow and help rejuvenate a lost part of the city.  This campus had great energy, green space and beautiful, new buildings. Everything was easily walkable.

Thought-Leadership Content

The first talk I attended was “The Seduction of Automation, from the CIA to Social Media, and Its Dangers” with Neal Sample, CIO of Express Scripts.  I didn’t expect a CIO to be so entertaining and interesting! Years ago he worked for the CIA before Big Data was a thing.  He spoke about how difficult it was, and is, to process the data to a point where it is clear as to when to intervene with a known terrorist.  Do you make a move and eliminate the known terrorist or do you continue to monitor and collecting data to get to a larger group or a higher leader? (Note, I read a lot of spy thrillers so I really enjoyed this segment)

Murmuration Festival 2016He talked about the algorithmic take-over of everything!  This was a bit mind-blowing.  Something to consider as you choose your career path.  Robots are more efficient and don't make mistakes; they are better, faster and cheaper.  They are better at welding than humans. Think about self-check-out at the store.  How many jobs are going to go away from the middle-class.

He had a whole segment on self-driving cars. How we may need fewer cars in the future, for example; while you are at work, the self-driving car could drive someone else around during the day and come back for you in the evening. (Note, with a major company like Enterprise in town, I would have enjoyed their opinion on this topic.)

The second talk I attended was “Multi-Disciplinary Performance in a Multi-Media World.” Members from the band Sky Pony led this session. This was more of a free-style chat and Q & A,not quite what the title implied but also really interesting.

Music

I should confess that my musical taste is pretty pedestrian and Top 40 with my Broadway Soundtracks mixed in.  I was worried about no knowing any of the acts and of feeling like Nana Grandma in the audience. I saw Sky Pony and Flying Lotus.

Sky Pony’s lead singer is a Tony Award nominated singer and their musical style is indie pop.  Obviously with the Broadway connection I really enjoyed this band.  They dressed as a flock of starlings, had fun costumes and interesting videos on the giant video display at the back of the stage. They played from 4:00 – 5:00 in the blazing sun.  They put on a great show and I would have loved to see them at night with their light show.

The headline act on Saturday night was Flying Lotus. I would describe as a multi-media DJ and rapper and yes I felt really old and nerdy at this show. The show felt like a complicated production with him on stage with his giant DJ table of equipment, a screen in front of him and covering the entire back of the stage along with a crazy light show.  The video took you on a crazy, fun, creepy, carnival journey of illustration and video.

So, again, watch out for this even next year.  Not a typical marketing conference or concert: a fun mix of content to challenge your imagination, routine and thinking.  Thank you Brian Cohen for your creativity.

Don’t Be So Quick to Judge

I was recently at a large fund-raiser and was noticing the poor design on the program booklet and slides.  White block letters with a black outline and drop shadow on a red background; sponsor logos in strange white blocks intruding on the logo exclusion zones; missed light and video cues; rough transitions and poor lighting in the videos.  But then I stopped myself.  I shouldn’t be so quick to judge. I have no idea what parameters they might have had related to budget, personnel or executive requests. Maybe some executive demanded that their kid who just got a Mac design everything.  Who knows!

If someone were to go back and review the creative I have produced, I am sure they might find things to critique.  I’ve always tried to start with a solid creative brief that everyone agrees to but you still can’t eliminate the client or exec coming in at the last minute requesting the random banana.  This is my term for that surprise request that comes late in a timeline when a client or exec finally voices an expectation or new requirement they have about the creative…something they never brought up during the creative brief process. And it’s not the perfectly ripe, yellow banana. It’s the mushy brown banana that should be used for banana bread.

Banana examples:

• Changing the color of the logo to something completely out of the brand standards 
• Removing a logo you thought to be critical
• Involving a committee of non-marketing people to make creative decisions
• Requiring a surprise chart to be included after the piece is designed and near final approval. (This happened on a brochure that took a year to develop and design. It was never printed because my client couldn’t make a decision.)
• Requiring the use of the President’s son’s girlfriend as the photographer. Seriously.

Some of these I push back. Some I call ‘surrender moments’ and you just have surrender to the moment and live to fight another day. Wishing you many ‘banana-free’ creative projects in your future.

Personal Service at Ann Taylor

Over the last year I have lost weight, gained lean muscle and changed my whole body composition. Every few months I have to buy new clothes (yay!) as the current clothes become too baggy and my co-workers scold me to go shopping. I am the girl who hates shopping. I am not really into fashion although I like to look nice. I am not the girl who goes to the mall and just wanders around and buys random things. I go with purpose:  black boots, pants for work, dress for a wedding etc. and then I leave.  If I ever won the lottery I would hire a stylist and personal shopper.

I was looking for some new professional clothes for work so on a day off I ventured out to the St. Louis Galleria, a mall I haven’t been to in years, to go to Ann Taylor. I shop so infrequently I actually arrived at the mall before the stores were open and the mall was busy with mall walkers.  Luckily I only had to wait 10 minutes. It never dawned on me they wouldn’t be open!

Lindsey was the Ann Taylor representative who unlocked the door to let me in.  I felt ridiculous hovering like it was 1982 and Cardinals tickets were going on sale, but she didn’t seem phased at all.  She asked how she could help, I told her what I was looking for and she became my personal shopper and stylist! She toured me around the store highlighting the items I had requested and she explained the differences between the styles and fits.  She found my size, found blouses to match the pants and all I had to do was try it all on.  She was so nice and accommodating and kept bringing other items she thought I would like but not in a pushy, commissioned-sales-person manner, just very helpful.

There was one pair of pants they didn’t have in my size and she helped me order online with free shipping.  She also showed me the style of shoes online that would work with the pants. She made this whole experience so pleasant and positive.  I was out of there in 47 minutes and she had a nice big sale to start the day.

Some of my friends shop online for clothes but I have to try things on.  And I appreciate the opinion and advice of the sales people.  I will pay a little extra for that service.  Online may be crushing brick and mortar but I don’t know how you replace the personal assistance of a live human being looking at the fit of the clothes on your unique body type.  Lindsey listened to me and talked to me about the different styles.  For example, I hated the ruffles on one blouse but I liked the high neck. She found me the perfect blouse with a high neck and no ruffle and I never left the fitting room.

Like I said, I really hate shopping but Lindsey’s kind service really surprised me and I actually enjoyed those 47 minutes.  I will definitely be returning to Ann Taylor.

Broadway Inspiration

I am always trying to find inspiration for my creativity.  One, because it keeps life fun and interesting and two, because I work in marketing. We are constantly challenged to find creative, new solutions to communications and technology challenges.

Since I was a kid I have always been inspired by the soundtracks to Broadway shows. My first experience was in 1976 when my mom and I watched Chorus Line win the Tony Award for Best Musical.  The cast performed the iconic finale number to “One.” I was ten years old and taking dancing lessons so I was mesmerized by the number and wanted to know more about the show.  Every Saturday after gymnastics we would stop by the library.  I started checking out the soundtrack album (on vinyl) and listening to it in my room trying to learn the words and imagining the choreography.  I must have had it checked out for months! I am sure I put on my tap shoes and danced around the basement pretending I was in the show.

I finally got to see the show for my 11^th birthday and it has remained my favorite show ever since.  I should warn you that this is really not a show for 11 year olds: adult story, theme, language and situations. I am sure much went over my head but I have probably seen the show more than 10 times! Every time it give me chills, makes me cheer and cry. 

In college my roommate introduced me to two lesser known Broadway soundtracks “Big River” and “Chess.”  We would blast our three foot speakers and dance and sing around our apartment. It was many years after college before I had the chance to see either one live but I had imagined them so many times both were exhilarating. 

There is something about live musical theater that you cannot replicate with just a live concert or a play.  It’s hard to explain when I feel chills run down my arms or I am brought to tears during a happy song or the curtain call. I think it must trigger different parts of my brain that don’t get exercised as often. And visually the creativity on the stage through the set and lighting design, costumes and make-up can push the limits of your imagination.  The masks, head-pieces, costumes and puppets of Lion King take my breath away every time I see the show.  I love the scene when they make a giant blue textile slowly disappear to represent the drought.  You don’t even notice it at first. Super cool!  I aspire to have an ounce of Julie Taymor’s creativity to infuse into my marketing!

Julie originally had a different plot added to the script that varied from the movie.  Her ideas for the animals in this discarded storyline are what brought her to the mind-blowing puppet systems you see in the show today.  Sometimes you have to go down an odd path exploring a creative concept that ultimately doesn’t work but along the way you find the idea that does work. “Sometimes, she suggests, you have to let your imagination run truly wild to come up with a compelling piece of art. ‘That’s critical in the process,’ Taymor says.”¹

When time allows, I like to give my design team the freedom to explore the fringe ideas. Very often it is hard for management (or a client) to tell you what they want in a creative brief but it’s easier for them to tell you what they don’t want after seeing a few concepts. 

The show I am currently obsessed with is Hamilton.  I have been going online at random times searching for a single ticket for the show in New York to no avail. On the night of the Tony Awards I received a text alert from Ticket Master that new tickets were released! I immediately logged on and somehow found a single ticket to a Saturday in November. I honestly don’t remember the process or how I chose my date because I was so excited and a little freaked out!  I booked my flight, my hotel and ordered the soundtrack so I could start trying to learn the words.  I am self-diagnosed as ‘lyric deficient.’ I am one of those people who always end up singing the wrong words. Thank goodness the CD came with the words! Because seriously, some of these rap lyrics fly ridiculously fast, I have no chance!

I am addicted to the soundtrack. You can see me singing and rapping in my car in my long commute to and from work.  I’m sure the other cars think I am crazy with my wild hand motions and chair dancing but it’s better than a cup of coffee to get me going and firing different parts of my brain before work. I can’t pick a favorite song because they are all amazing, powerful, emotional and awesome!

I truly admire the creativity of Lin-Manuel Miranda to put a potentially boring story line from history to high energy hip-hop and rap lyrics with a color-blind cast. It gets even better when the show receives overwhelming acclaim and financial success. It’s another cool example of how extreme imagination and creative courage can resonant with millions of people, many of which I would guess don’t typically follow Broadway.  To senior management, business people and marketers, that means revenue! How many uber-creative ideas are never approved because some key decision maker didn’t have the creative courage? 

¹ http://time.com/4065287/julie-taymor-creative-process/

Gonkey She Gonk Gonk

This is what my sister Pammy would say when we were kids when she fake snored.  I know, funny right? No idea why she needed to fake snore but she would say this softly, very fast and repeat 2-3 times.  And then I am sure we would laugh and laugh. With various recent family gatherings we have been reminiscing a lot and embracing how weird and goofy we were (are). I think that translates into adulthood as creativity but wow it’s hard to hold on to! Although revisiting the secret language of kids might help name a future new drug.

I want to find a way to channel that childhood free-thinking into imagination, innovation and problem solving at work.  In marketing we always have to find new ways to say the same thing over and over and still manage to create interest or excitement.  Creativity isn’t as obvious with IT or Web.  I look at technology problems like a Sudoko puzzle.  Sometimes you have to be creative with how the logic works between systems, users and all the ‘what ifs.’

I am laughing as I remember some of the weirdest, funniest things we did as kids. For starters we never fought.  Never. Ok, maybe twice…in 48 years.  People thought we were weird because of how well we got along. We used to get in trouble for laughing too much after my dad had gone to bed. Here are a few examples of what we might have been doing.

$10,000 Pyramid

We loved to play $10,000 Pyramid home version.  Combine that with a tape recorder and you will be laughing in minutes.  I was probably in sixth grade, Pammy was around third. I was giving the clues.

Me:  That thing like a barber shop quartet where everyone sings in a different key
Pammy: Blank stare. No idea
Me:  Ok, what’s the last name of that family we always see at the New Years day party?  The son’s name is Paulie?
Pammy:  Hoyman’s?
Me: Yes! Now what’s that creamy, sweet stuff you put on a cake?
Pammy:  Icing?
Me: Yah! Now, put the two together!
Pammy:  Hoyman-icing?  What’s Hoyman-icing?

Now I am laughing so hard I am crying.  One, because Pammy sounds like Mike Meyers as the host of coffee talk and a loving Jewish mother and two, if she can’t get harmonizing off the barber shop quartet clue plus hoyman-icing we are never getting there!  So we play back the recording and laugh some more!

Sometimes at work I feel like we are trying to explain harmonizing to the field, they are hearing hoyman-icing and still not getting it! Successful marketing and communications are trickier than you might think but I would love to have Dick Clark or Donny Osmond hosting our brainstorm sessions!

Designer shoes

Like every kid of the 70’s I was the lucky recipient of the potholder loom kit one birthday.  I think my mom still has one of those old potholders she received for mother's day and I was surprised to see in a Google search they still exist!

Pammy and I would trace our feet on the cardboard back cover of an old notebook and cut them out. Then we would weave the looms through our toes, around our feet, ankles and the cardboard and make our designer loom shoes.  We both hated feet so we would laugh our butts off as we put ours through the contortions of these odd, colorful shoes. Actually today they resemble some of the Gladiator sandals that are so popular! I guess we were ahead of the times.

Boogie Shoes

When we took our family vacations my mom would pack these little play suitcases with crayons, coloring books, candy and toys for the drive. We weren’t allowed to open them until we were on the highway.  It was highly likely it was 4 am and we were still in our nightgowns.

One year she gave us Charlie’s Angels dolls.  Since I was obsessed with Jacklyn Smith I got the Kelly Garrett doll. I think Pammy got Sabrina.  They were wearing polyester jump suits and plastic knee-high boots.  We promptly put the boots on our fingers and finger-danced the whole way to Florida.

We both took dancing lessons and there was one tap dance to KC and the Sunshine Band’s Boogie Shoes that we repeated over and over and over with the boots on our fingers. Flap ball change, flap ball change, shuffle hop step, shuffle hop step….Every time I hear that song my fingers start dancing! And yes it was a tap dance to a disco song.  It was the 70’s.

I bet the ROI we got on those cheap plastic boots would beat an iPad! I wonder how family road trip vacations have changed with each kid having their own personal device and head phones. Is getting to a new level in Candy Crush as memorable as the Charlie’s Angel doll finger dance to Boogie Shoes? I don't think so!