Call for Letterers

If you haven't heard, Ad2 Phoenix is partnering with FilmBar to screen the documentary, Sign Painters. We are so excited to also be skyping in Faythe, the director of the documentary, afterwards to do a Q&A session. This is going to be really fun. The screening is on October 3 at 7:30PM.

We are also going to be featuring local hand letterers and typographers for the entire month of October! This is such an amazing opportunity for people to display their work for First Friday and the entire month of October. 

This is where we are calling you! We need you to donate a piece for the art show. After October, your piece will be sold to raise money for Ad2PHX's Public Service Campaign. 

The piece you donate doesn't have to be a new project, it can be something you have around the house. The only thing we ask is that it has to do with lettering. 

Please contact me if you have any questions! 

TED Talks: Uldus Bakhtiozina: Wry photos that turn stereotypes upside down

It took me a minute to understand her accent, though looking at her work and listening to her explanations was awesome. This video is less than five minutes and touches on the stereotypes of people in Russia.

As you know, I am fascinated by stereotypes and how they influence people. As I work on The Tomboy Project, I am discovering people who share my interest. I love it. 

Doggie Date: September 2014 Barkbox

This week Leroy's BarkBox got here! I swear this dog can smell the box in the mailbox from our house. So here's what we got!

PetProjekt Football Tretbal - $9.00
This is a football that has holes so Leroy can smell and taste the treats, but not get them so easy. Let me tell you, he's going incredibly nuts right now. I put the treats (see below) we got in the BarkBox inside the football and he's running back and forth through the house trying to get those treats out. It's pretty funny.

Nootie Jerky Burger BBQ Duck - $7.00
These are the treats I put in the football toy. These are made with real duck and are grain free which is always a plus. They have a decently strong smell of bbq sauce and Leroy seems to like them.

Etta Says Duck Chew - $4.00
These have been in many of our BarkBoxes. Leroy loves them and they take a few days to go through. Make sure to watch your pup when they are chewing these, sometimes it breaks into smaller pieces.

Muddy Buddy Dog Mop - $12.00
This is a doggie mama's dream. This baby sucks up 7x it's weight in water and/or mud. So when Leroy decides to dig in the back yard after some lovely Arizona monsoons, I am now prepared.

Safemade Pet Barkeley Pennant - $7.00
This pennant is fun and really tops off the college football theme! It has the crackle paper and a squeaker in it. Leroy hasn't really got interested in this toy yet, but again, this toy doesn't have treats in it. There's no link out because this was specially made for this BarkBox.

Do you get a bark box for your pup? Share your photos with us!!

Tomboy Tuesdays: 1953 Comic Strip Tomboy

Umm did you know there was a comic called Tomboy in the 1950's? How cool is that?

Basically, a girl with no super powers that was saving the world. Apparently women don't need superpowers to save the world. We just do what comes natural.

Check out one of the comic I found:

How did I come across this amazing graphic? Twitter! of course! check out the tweet that set me lose on a Google mission. 

TOMBOY (1953) is amazing: Basically a 12-year-old girl with no powers improbably beating the shit out of grown men. pic.twitter.com/NaUI3bOroD

— Saladin Ahmed (@saladinahmed) September 19, 2014

Alice Cooper's Solid Rock: Christmas Pudding Auditions

This past Friday I had the privilege of spending some time behind the scenes at Alice Cooper's Solid Rock Teen Center. This weekend at the center was a little different than a normal day at the Rock.

It was the Grand Opening of their new thrift store. There are a bunch of great items for sale to help benefit the center. Alice was there to sign autographs and take photos with people. He truly is an amazing person. He was only supposed to sign autographs for an hour but because the turn out was so large, he stayed to meet everyone. The diversity of people there to meet him was equally inspiring. 

After the opening of this great new store, everyone moved into the Rock where one of the mentors, Marissa, and her sister opened up with a couple songs. She is amazing. I wanted to be like here take all my money and write more music. Check her out on her Facebook Page, she is seriously talented.

Next was Daniel Bernard Roumain. If you don't know him, he's a sick violinist. He's playing at Gammage Auditorium September 27 and you should check it out. 

Finally, Alice took the stage with Co-Op which features his son, Dash, as the lead singer. They performed Eighteen, No More Mister Nice Guy and School's Out. It was awesome to see parents and their kids rocking out to the same music.

After they finished performing, Alice took questions from some of the teens. They were so engaged and inspired by him. It was pretty inspiring to watch. 

To wrap up the night, the leader of the Rock got up on stage and went over all the rules for the bands auditioning for Christmas Pudding. 

As we continue to learn more about Alice Cooper's Solid Rock Teen Center, the more inspired we get to help them spread the word of the center. 

TED Talk: How Giant Websites Design For You

I love this. It's one of the most simple ways of explaining how important and the goal of design is. It's not about the designer, the account people or even the client. The point of design is for the consumer. The person who is going to actually interact with the element and then use that experience to decide whether or not they are going to give you all their money. 

Doggie Date: Home Depot

For this week's doggie date we went to Home Depot. Leroy and I were on a mission. We had to find a leaf blower/vacuum.

Why, you ask?

Well, while my neighbors are very nice people, their landscaping people are assholes. On both sides, they use the leaf blower to blow the shit from both sides of the lawn into my yard. This is maddening. As much as I would like to blow the shit back in their yard or do juvenile shit to get back at them, I am now a grown up and must understand the consequences of actions like that.

So as boring as it is, I am going to take my newly purchased $100 leaf vacuum and vacuum all the shit and throw it in the garbage.

Anyway, back to the doggie date. Leroy's never been to Home Depot before, so he was sitting up straight trying to figure out where we were going. Even when we got there, he was like, what's happening?

No joke, we walk in the door and there is this amazing looking man, tall, dark hair and bright blue eyes. First thing out of his mouth, "Hi, beautiful . . . dog." Yea he gets all the hotties. There were some ladies in the store that definitely didn't approve of him there, but all the men were for it.

Leroy was amazingly well behaved and just sat by my side as I tried to figure out the difference between a Mega Blower and Ultra Blower (I know that's what he said). Apparently it's the power and only 5MPH more. I gave in and bought the Ultra.

Do you and your dog go on dates? Share some photos with Leroy and I on twitter @geooorge_

Tomboy Tuesdays: Mausi's Daisy Finetto

Noisey, a site by Vice, recently posted a story on Masui's Daisy Finetto. Check it out, this lady travels around with a bunch of dudes and is making some great music. She puts her own spin on what she loves to wear and take on the road! 

Don't forget to follow The Tomboy Project on twitter and facebook. 

TED Talk: Lunch Lady Heroes

I watched this TED Talk this weekend and wanted to share it with all of you. It's a short bit on the importance of Lunch Ladies.

Looking at it holistically, it's about the importance of everyone in your life and how the little things matter. Take 12 minutes and watch the video and then remember to notice the little things and be grateful for them.

 

Leroy's Life: A Trip to PetSmart

Leroy's Life takes a simpler look at life through the eyes of my dog. He is my rock, he's always there for me, keeps me entertained and cheers me up when I need it. These next few weeks the goal is to not only have fun with Leroy, but also slow down a bit and remember that life shouldn't be all work.

To start us off, I figured we would go to his favorite store. He got a PetSmart gift card from his Aunt Danita for his birthday and I haven't taken him to cash it in yet. Well tonight was his night!

It's pretty equivalent to taking a child to a toy store, though Leroy doesn't want every toy in the store. He simply want's to be pet by everyone in the store. But me being his mama, made his try on halloween costumes first!

Tomboy Tuesday: Women Street Artists

The Huffington Post recently posted about ten female street artists that are better than Bansky. For me it's not so much about these women being better than Bansky, as much as it being about look at these fucking bad ass female street artists.

Street art, graffiti, or large muralistic paintings in general aren't a place you think of many women being, though there are a lot of them. I love the thought of introducing them to the world.

Check out the article for more, though these are my favorites of the bunch.

1. KASHINK

2. Maya Hayuk

3. Faith47

The Tomboy Project: Flannel Shirts

I found an article this weekend called 13 Ways to Wear a Flannel Shirt. I love it. The flannel shirt, or just a plaid shirt is a simple piece that can be dressed or completely dressed down. Here are a couple of my favorite ways to wear the flannel.

1. Around the Waist

Oufit of the day: Knit dress and a plaid shirt make for a gorgeous grunge look. #ootd #style pic.twitter.com/HxID3uX9wp
— WeLoveWool (@WeLoveWool) August 27, 2014

2. Flannel with Beanie

Plaid Shirt days. With a beanie #ShesTheOne #TaylorSwift @radiodisney pic.twitter.com/PHE9EgWN0n
— T.S. 1989 (@EllovaticSwift) March 31, 2014

3. Casual and Unbuttoned

Love @katebosworth's look here. Buffalo plaid is on trend. My faves: @Forever21 & @madewell1937 #Style #fashion pic.twitter.com/kjFxHt49HV
— Suzi Grgurich (@SuziGStyles) December 26, 2013

Happy 59th Dad!

Sunday was my pop's birthday and this is the last year of his fifties. I am really proud to have him as my dad. He was really hard on me as a kid . . . who am I kidding, he's still really hard on me. Though that comes from his desire for me to be happy, healthy and successful. 

Some of my favorite memories of my dad include a third grade project where he helped me build the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car out of a cereal box. This cereal box had custom cut wheels out of wood and dimensional wings. It was so cool to be out in the garage with my dad using power tools. 

One Christmas my dad took me to Toys'R'Us and said, "You can have any one thing in the store." This was a big deal to me. One thing only, I had to be strategic and get the most bang for my buck. My father instilled this into me early. I don't think my dad understood how serious I was going to take this. We walked through that store from one side to the other, down every aisle, looking at every toy. Finally on the fourth pass, I decided to get this 4ft. tall teddy bear that cost $60. I think my dad was relieved I finally had chosen something, though he asked me three times if this is what I wanted.

Another memory I have of my dad is driving to pick up a our first Mastiff. I'm sitting shotgun and trying to navigate, keep in mind I was 14. I definitely got us lost and we ended up at the Salton Sea. This was about an hour out of the way. Whoops! When we got to the breeder's home, there was this giant dog that came to greet us. When I say giant I mean his head was about 4.5 feet high and he weighed about 300 pounds. My dad looked at me and said, "Are you sure you want to do this?" Of course, if you know me I got a big grin on my face and just shook my head yes. We took home one of the best dogs we've ever had that day. 

Happy birthday Dad! I love you and appreciate everything you've done for me in my 30 years. 

Reading Nook

Sometimes I need to rearrange things three or four times before it feels "right." Just like in design when I am trying to figure something out, it just helps to see it laid out in front of you.

For me that is happening in the master bedroom right now. Leroy doesn't sleep in the fancy memory foam bed I bought him . . . he sleeps in the bed I bought for myself. I don't mind though, it's like an extra furry pillow.

This got the gears in my head a spinning, if I move the chair from the living room to the bedroom, I could make a little nook. Thus, the reading nook was born. I have so many books I've gotten from traveling for The Tomboy Project and no where to read them.

Now that the chair is in place, there are a few other things that will be needed. The chair looks naked. We need a pillow and maybe a blanket for the winter . . .

Next week, I will show you how it's been spruced up. Until then, here are some images of inspiration.

1. VIA 2. VIA 3. VIA 4. VIA 5. VIA 6. VIA 7. VIA 8. VIA

Leroy's Fourth Birthday!

I can't believe my little man is freaking four years old!! Ahh! Well we followed tradition and threw him a party. This year's theme was jungle. His name does mean "King." Get it? King of the Jungle? Alright alright.

Check out some of the pictures below.

I chose a color palette a little different than the rest. I stuck to three animal prints (leopard, zebra and giraffe) along with metallic gold and turquoise. It sounds a little unconventional though I really liked it.

As for snacks, I combed Pinterest and found some I really liked. Tiger Tails (Cheetos), Twigs (Pretzel Sticks), Snakes (Sour Worms), Wild Animals (Animal Crackers), Mud Hole (Pudding Cups) and Waterfall Shots (Blueberry flavored shooters).

I then made some blue velvet cake with chocolate frosting! YUM. That made sure the cake was only for the hoomans.

For the guests there were goodie bags filled with things that also went with the theme. Mud masks, travel journals and dog toys. The dog toys included a toy called Silly Bums, wild animal bums that fit ridiculously perfect with the theme!

So all in all the party went fantastic! Thank you to Auntie D and MoMo for the generous cards and gift cards!

The Rooster's First Birthday!

I was able to break away from the ball and chain (work) this past weekend to head to Austin to visit my amazing friends and celebrate the newest addition to the family's very first birthday. I couldn't miss this.

The little Rooster only turns one once and as I watch my friends get married and build families, I am seeing how important life events are. I'm even seeing how important shutting work off every day to work on yourself.

Anyway, Talley and I helped Frank and Smitty set up the party. They had a delicious cake that I swear weighed 20 pounds and Talley and I almost ate because we thought we were waiting for Frank and Smitty to lead and realized they left us. We have to do some serious catching up. When in doubt eat the cake.

After the awesome party, we headed over to The Black Sheep to watch the World Cup finals. We all were pretty evenly split 50/50. The Black Sheep was packed, we had this corner area next to the video games. We slowly infiltrated a table full of hipster bearded men. They were drunk and let us sit down for the second half of the game.

Doug was the guy I sat next to. He was super weird but kind of awesome. He gave us his German flag so we could support our team in fashion.

So much fun with some great people. When you have friends that are so amazing they are more like family, you can't go wrong.

Take Your Dog to Work Day!

Friday was take your dog to work day! I can't wait until the day where dogs are just a normal part of companies. There are so many benefits to taking your dog to work with you. Check out this video that clearly lays why dogs should be allowed at work all the time!

Check out why dogs will always be allowed in my office » 

Another Ad2sday in the Bag!

I can't express the incredible amount of love and pride I have for my current Ad2 board. We are doing a lot to continue the club's improvement and growth. This past Ad2sday is no exception.

We invited and were privileged to have Brandwyn Coleman from Gannett come and speak to a healthy crew of 30 peeps. She spoke on stereotyping your audience and how it is necessary to get the results you need!

There are a lot of things coming this year including Ad2sday and a special screening of Sign Painters. You are going to want to become a member to join in on all the fun!!

@Ad2PHX @ohso #ad2sday pic.twitter.com/bj5mrAWXr7

— Ashley J George (@geooorge_) June 18, 2014

Accomplishing A Goal

I was introduced to graphic design when I was little. My great grandpa and grandfather were sign painters. When I began formal design training at 15, I knew the work that it would take to get to what I wanted and how long it would take me to get there.

I set a goal when I was 18, that by the time I was 30 I would be in a Creative Director role.

Fast forward to 12 years later, I have just accepted a job as a Creative Director with an advertising agency. It's kind of a surreal feeling, something that I've worked my entire life or at least half of my life for and it's really happening.

Because I've always had this goal, I've diligently watched the leadership I've worked for over the years, and kept a journal of the things I liked and the things I want to implement. Though I've also kept notes on the things I want to not do, why and how that made me feel when I was in different agencies and positions within those agencies.

Nothing's ever perfect. That's a lesson I learned very quickly, though with hard work, team work and a positive attitude, you'd be amazed at what can be accomplished.

Here's to the next chapter.

Home Away From Home

via Etsy

I spent last week in Santa Monica for work. I love that place. I loved living there are seeing the ocean every day. There's something so calming about the ocean to me. Though there is a spirit about Phoenix that bleeds possibility. It's full of people who have an idea and then go for it.

The last few few years have intensified my love to travel and see new things. Meet new people. Learn new things. From this there are a few places that feel like home to me, Phoenix, Santa Monica, Austin. . . maybe it's because at one time or another they were my home so there is this level of familiarity?

Where are some of your favorite places to go, see and explore? Where is your home away from home?

Veinte de Mayo: A Piñata Extravaganza

It's Wednesday, your Cinco hangover has wore off and it's back to the grind stone. Not so fast my lovelies. Ad2PHX is holding Veinte de Mayo, where you and your company can come and party your asses off again. 

Here are the deets: 

WHO 

Ad2 and You

WHAT 

Piñata Design Competition

The rules are simple. Your company makes one (1) piñata. You bring it to Veinte de Mayo and compete in a bracket like competition for best design. The losing piñata gets busted and the winners get a prize. 

Enjoy Happy Hour Specials extended exclusively for A2PHX
$4 House Margaritas, Well Drinks, House Red or White Wine, 32oz Coors Lt
$3 Corona or Corona lt bottles
$2 Coors and Coors lt bottles

Grub on some delicious appetizers including Mini Chimis, Quesadillas, Salsa, and Guacamole

Ad2 Members are FREE and Non-Members are $5. 

WHERE 

Salty Señorita’s 

3478 N. Scottsdale Rd. 

Scottsdale, Arizona

WHEN 

May 20, 2014

WHY 

Do you really need a reason to have a good time? 

Ad2PHX Board Retreat

This past Saturday, I spent the weekend with some awesome people. We spent most of the time planning what we want to happen in the upcoming year and how exactly we were going to get there.

There are so many great things coming this year and if you're not already an Ad2 Member, you should seriously consider becoming one.

Not sure about becoming a member? Head out to our May Ad2sday "Veinte de Mayo" to take a club test drive. We will be hanging out and extending Cinco de Mayo for a few more weeks!

Agency Easter

I had this master plan of hiding eggs around the office with goodies inside for people to come find the morning after Easter. Apparently I need to check the calendar before I hatch plans like that. I was on the tomboy road trip over Easter. Womp. Womp. 

Well this morning I decided that it doesn't matter. I'm going to hide them any way. I thought I might get in trouble but then decided I was going to do it anyway. I'm really happy I did. To see grown adults find eggs around the office, the same eggs they had walked past for hours it's about the same joy as watching a child do it. 

Even though I was a bit belated, I'm happy that on this beautiful Arizona Tuesday, my coworkers got to have their own egg hunt and enjoy delicious candy. 

The Tomboy Project Update

Last week I engaged in a 10-day 10-state road trip. It was ridiculously ambitious but it was also ridiculously successful. I have completed the 48 continental United States. Alaska and Hawaii here I come . . . sometime.

Check out the infographic of my last trip!

Amazing view in the White Mtn National Park. 

Boston Marathon was coming up!! 

Little chalk drawing I did for friends that are now ENGAGED! 

I'm a bit obsessed with Anchors. 

Duke Farms is another gorgeous place I got to visit. 

One of my dearest friends parents hid Easter eggs for me. 

Happy Easter!

Hope everyone is sitting around the house enjoying their families this holiday.

Here are some of the shots from my lovely weekend of coloring eggs!

Making Time

There are never enough hours in the day, and sometimes I wish our bodies didn't need eight hours of sleep a night. There are so many things I want to do. Do you ever run into this?

I find myself making lists upon lists of new ideas and things I want to try, learn or complete. Though life sometimes gets in the way. I recently read a few articles about what successful people do in the morning, typical habits etc. I wanted to see if I could employ some of those habits into my own life to become a bit more successful in the things I'm looking to accomplish.

Here's five things I'm now doing:

1. Wake Up Early - 90% of CEOs polled said they were up before 6AM. Ugh, I don't think that will be me in the near future. Though I have been getting up earlier than before and making it into the office earlier as well. 
2. Eat Breakfast - This is something I've been doing really well at. Just taking the extra time to feed my body has made a pretty big difference. 
3. Tackle the Toughest Thing First - This is not always the easiest but something I try to do before I get bogged down with all the other interruptions I have on a daily basis. Making a to do list before I leave for the next morning usually helps me complete this task. 
4. Exercise - Right now I am doing this after work, though I would like to transition this to first thing in the morning. It's a work in progress. 
5. Personal Passion Project - Right now it's The Tomboy Project. If you would like to check it out please visit fb.com/thetomboyproject

These five things might seem like they are adding more to my workload, though they have really helped me be more productive, awake and motivated. It's nice. 

What are you doing to be more successful with your hopes and dreams? Share them in the comments. 

_

http://www.entrepreneur.com/slideshow/231037#0

http://www.businessinsider.com/things-successful-people-do-before-bed-2014-3

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jennifercohen/2013/10/02/5-things-super-successful-people-do-before-8-am/

http://www.askmen.com/top_10/entertainment/10-things-successful-people-do-on-monday-mornings.html

http://www.businessinsider.com/what-successful-people-do-on-sunday-night-2014-3

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/13/successful-people-after-work_n_4235795.html

Shelter Dogs

I had made a video for the viral video competition a while back though I never shared it. I thought you all might like to see it. Hope you enjoy.

Equality Arizona Shirt Design Competition

I've been holding off on this post to see if I won, but I just found out I lost. So I'm going to share my design with the world anyway.

One of my coworkers who I really think knows everyone in the entire world, asked me to design a shirt for Equality Arizona's shirt competition. Since they aren't really known I knew it was important to stick to the letters of the organization and give it a bit of umph.

Comment and let me know what you think of this design!

Two Paddles. One Ball.

Phoenix is hosting the R&R "Two Paddles. One Ball." Ping-Pong Tournament starting Friday, March 28th. This 32 person tournament is a single elimination battle to the death (insert echo here). We will be live streaming throughout the tournament. The quarter, semi and final rounds will have scheduled times and dates so anyone can tune in and watch the action here: http://rrpartners2.com/rr/pingpong/. We will also be live tweeting and instagramming at #RRpong.

Who is ready to get paddled?

Tweets about "#rrpong"

Bananas Studio

I am super excited to share that one of my awesome friends Ana B. Cordova is opening an Etsy shop. This girl is ridiculously talented and deserves lots of praise. She has a fine arts background and creates some of the most amazing artwork. Below is a mixed media print of Leroy. Someone on Facebook said, "Hey that looks like the dog you are always posting pictures of." Enough said. I will keep you updated when she has her Grand Opening!

Weekend Recap: Birthday Shenanigans

Yes, I turned 30 this year. Whee!! But Saturday was pretty fucking awesome.

The day started out with sleeping in. Then breakfast with my favorite pup Leroy, followed by lounging on the couch and taking a nap.

That was the first half of the day.

The second half got a bit more interesting. First event on the list, the 2014 ASU Women's Rugby Alumni Game. This happens once every two years and is something you never want to miss. Aime plans it and does a ridiculous job. She feeds us, provides alcoholic beverages and gets everyone in line. The alumni won again, of course. We are undefeated.

After the game, I went to meet up with three of my work lovelies. We had dinner at The Dhaba, it's real punjabi food and simply amazing. We had this like three course meal of salad, tandoori chicken and mango rice pudding. There was enough food for three meals.

Ana drew Leroy for me!! 

Food in our bellies, we moved on to the movie theatre, where we saw Mr. Peabody and Sherman. It was really cute and funny.

That simply was a great birthday. Here's to my thirties.

Dirty 30

via

I made it to 30! Sometimes I didn't think I would make it, but here I am. Birthdays are always a bigger time of year where I do more reflecting than New Years. It's a time that I think about all my accomplishments, failures and future goals.

Last year I had made a goal that I didn't even come close to meeting. I had too many things that I made a priority over that goal. This year, that will not happen. This goal will be accomplished.

What is the goal you ask? It's to take care of my health. It's to make time for me to give my body the nutrients and exercise it deserves. It's as simple as that.

I sit in a chair for 8-15 hours a day. Don't get me wrong I love my job. I love working in advertising and coming up with cool shit to influence society, but if I don't take care of myself, I won't be able to continue doing that.

So here's to the next 365 days of shifting priorities and making myself better.

4th Annual Phoenix Portfolio Review

I can't believe this year was the 4th Annual Phoenix Portfolio Review. I am proud to say I have been involved since the beginning and wouldn't have it any other way. Jason and Michelle organize the shit out of this event and should get massive kudos.

The idea is simple, get the Valley's creative folk to review a bunch of students books.

This year's turnout was amazing. Every reviewer had people waiting to talk with them, it felt like a portfolio review at The One Show in New York. I went to the One Show portfolio reviews as a student, I would stand in line and the one CD I wanted to talk to left when it was my turn. I know he probably had somewhere to go or just didn't want to be there anymore, but I will never forget that he couldn't give me 15 minutes of his time. Now, I make it a point to stay the entire time and plan to stay a bit afterwards in case anyone wants to talk to me.

We normally get 10 minutes to talk to the interns but I didn't let the lights being turned off and back on distract if a student kept talking. Of course that lead to me meeting with less students, but the ones I did meet with were pretty awesome. Here they are below:

Justin - He has a great personality about him and he said he came to talk to me because he heard I was a straight shooter. I like this guy already. His work is crisp, clean and beautiful to look at. As he learns to evolve an ideas arms an legs, he's going to be dangerous.

Shelby - I would love to see her push her work a bit more. The branding work is great, though how would you market those brands? What would they look like in-store, on a shelf? How would you get someone want to purchase these baby clothes over a more established brand? Also, her last name is Spoon, seriously how awesome is that?! Can you imagine how many self promo ideas are going through my head right now?

Tomoko - She was a little quiet, though she had very clean work. Though that wasn't what intrigued me. This lady thinks about things differently. All of her projects had a slight twist to them that gave you a bit of an aha moment.

John Doe - I feel really bad that I don't remember this guys name BUUT if you know it let me know. He's more of an animator and a decent one at that. He has this book called The Eye Book where he compares animal eyes and human eyes and then illustrates them. I really want to see this animated and see the transitions through each of the eyes. So cool.

Jane Doe - I can't remember her name either . . . She had branding for unitea and some cool posters. My favorite is the poster for the Spring Show, the photography and the angles. Ugh, just gorgeous.

I love this and really want to start up my internship program again. I love learning from them as much as I hope they learn from me.

Agency (Viral) Video Competition

My agency is hosting a competition. A competition to come up with a video that has potential to go viral. There are eight offices and only one prize. You know I'm going to try and win this. It's just my nature to compete.

To compete, you are required to develop a video three minutes or less, focusing on a charity of your choice. The only thing is you must include our agency's website and a provided end card. The strategy is pretty wide open, drive people to help.

This weekend I spent concepting an idea, getting all the supplies and finalizing the storyboards. It really took me back to Grad School when we were competing to be accepted into the program.

Making a video that "goes viral" is not easy. It's like guerrilla marketing, it could be wildly successful or it could fall on it's face. Here are some things that help a video go viral:

1. Connect with the viewers - People are more likely to share something they can relate too. People in the midwest and east coast are going to relate more to a video that has someone stuck upside down in the snow than someone in the southwest.
   
2. Evoke an emotion - It doesn't matter which one, but some of the best to work from are happy (funny or feel good), anger (expose something bad that people don't know about) or impressed (something that is just too good to not share).
   
3. Be easy to share - This is probably the most obvious. Provide quick share buttons because if you don't the next button they will probably choose will be the close button. 

Basically everything you do for this video is a calculated risk. That's why you have to commit. Go big or go home. Be willing to embarrass yourself or be willing to do something that people are going to remember and talk about.

And at the end of the day, have a lot of fun.

Imma Grow Me Some Food

It's about that time! Spring is coming and that means it's time to get my seedlings started. My last name is George which means Farmer, I feel this innate need to grow things from the Earth. I think it's just in my blood.

One thing my family does is make our own salsa. It's so much better than anything you buy in the supermarket. This year I want to expand beyond tomatoes and peppers to include lettuce, corn (my Iowan roots) and watermelon.

To start my seedlings I always let them germinate in a ziploc bag. If I don't do that, I always loose them in the soil and it's an epic fail. It takes me back to elementary school when you put the lima beans in the bag and let them sprout.

Once these sprout I will transfer them to smaller pots until they are healthy enough to be transplanted into the garden.

Heart Month: Foods For Your ♥

Since February is heart month, I started looking around for heart heathly foods in hopes of adding in some new nutrition to my diet. I came across a great list on Reader's Digest and I chose my three favorites. Ironically I can call them the ABC ♥ foods. Here  they are:

via mynameisharsha

"...B vitamins and magnesium help produce serotonin, which helps regulate mood. Zinc has also been shown to fight some negative effects of stress, while vitamin E is an antioxidant that destroys the free radicals related to stress and heart disease..." 
Read more

via  Jeff Kubina 

"...these blue-hued beauties work overtime to provide you with antioxidants and vitamin C, both potent stress busters...Blueberries are also a good source of fiber, which can help relieve the cramps and constipation that can occur when you're stressed out..."
Read more

via peter pearson

"...researchers at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania, showed that eating 6 ounces of dark chocolate a day lowered bad cholesterol...another researcher found that cocoa contains phenols — antiseptic, anti-inflammatory compounds that reduce your risk of heart disease by keeping fat-like substances from oxidizing in the blood and clogging your arteries." 

Read more

Best food I found out that is heart healthy is CHOCOLATE . . . Duh. Get healthy this February for heart month.

Super Bowl Review

First of all, thank you Seattle for making my prop bets legit.

Now, let's get to the commercials. There are always the best and the worst of the Super Bowl but since I almost crashed my blog last year by uploading all the commercials I decided to make up my own categories of winners.

BEST COMMERCIAL - #bestbuds by Budweiser and Anomaly
I'm a dog lover, but this commercial makes me a sappy dog lover EVERY TIME. Fucking amazing job guys this is amazing.



WORST COMMERCIAL - Hum by Heinz & Cramer-Krasselt
Why would you ever promote the most annoying thing about your product?! WHY?!



WEIRDEST COMMERCIAL - Doberhuahua by Audi & Venables
This is definitely the weirdest commercial, but not in a bad way! I remember playing softball against Venables and they were always a little off (in the best way).



FEEL GOOD COMMERCIAL - Deaf Player by Duracell & Saatchi NY
This commercial just makes you want to go out and conquer the world.



MOST CONTROVERSIAL - America the Beautiful by Coke & W+K
I'm amazed at how many people think because America the Beautiful is not sung completely in English that it is bad. Yes, you are correct. Our official language is English . . . that doesn't mean people can't speak other languages! Wow. Ridiculous. Good job Coke, the ad is beautifully done.



SEX SELLS COMMERCIAL - Big Game Tease by Oikos & Y&R NY
Wow. John Stamos you still have it. That is all.



BEST DORITO COMMERCIAL - Time Machine by Raj Suri
This spot deserves to win. It's cute, funny and doesn't include raunch. Give 'Em the $1M!



FUCKING AWESOME COMMERCIAL - Come On Bring On the Toys by GoldieBlox & RPA
I love GoldieBlox. They are doing something that is awesome. They are providing toys to girls that start to get them to think cognitively. LOVE IT. #FuckYouBeastieBoys



BEST SUCK IT BITCHES COMMERCIAL - Just Checking by Cheerios & Saatchi NY
Thank you Cheerios for having the balls to run this commercial again. Love this family.



NON SUPER BOWL SUPER BOWL COMMERCIAL - If We Made It by Newcastle & Droga5
This is probably the best way to not spend millions of dollars in media and still reap the benefits. I'm in Newcastle.

Staying Healthy After January

My grandmother still gets the physical newspaper. While some might say you can get the paper online, there is no need for the physical printed piece, I disagree to some extent. Yes, it probably could be printed with more eco friendly paper or inks.

I sit behind a monitor all day and am flooded with articles left and right from Facebook, Twitter and yes, gasp, Google+. I miss so much because one simply can not digest that much information.

The articles I see, read and focus on are the stories my grandmother shares with me from the newspaper. This is because the printed newspaper is on my terms and fits the way I live my life when I'm not at work. It's portable, doesn't strain my eyes after 12 hours of screen time and doesn't require a wifi connection. This makes it ideal to throw in my bag to read in airports that make you pay for internet (which should be illegal) and doesn't add to your cancer risk.

This morning as I was eating my Shredded Mini Wheats (they taste so good), I saw that my grandfather had left me a new article (that's old school sharing, before the internet). The article is about how everyone has the best of intentions of staying/getting healthy in the new year, though right about this time, everyone starts to slip back into old habits.

What I absolutely love about this article is that it isn't about doing a juice cleanse or eating only cabbage for the rest of your life. It reminds you to focus on why you are eating, when and how much you are moving and how it will help you professionally.

If you have five minutes take them and glance over the article quickly. It might just push you to keep going on those new year resolutions. Click here to read the article.

Boxer on a Trampoline

Some days you just need a good video to lift your spirits. Today was one of those days. Introducing one, if not my number one, of my favorite make me happy you tube videos.

Also, if you are seeing this around SuperBowl 2014, the Budweiser Puppy Love Commercial precedes the video. WATCH THE COMMERCIAL. It is so good, struck a chord with this puppy lover.

UPDATE 9AM: I found the commercial online, and have placed it below the Boxer Trampoline. Enjoy and get some tissues!

Color Run 2014

This was my third Color Run! WHEE! I love it because while I do other runs for breast cancer, heart health and the memory of Pat Tillman, this race is about being happy. It's is about having fun and getting ridiculously messy with your friends.

I had the pleasure of spending my morning with some co-workers: Ana, Amy, Mo, Jenn, Jen and her daughter Ashley. We did our thing, got some free swag and then went and had the most amazing breakfast at Devil's Diner. It's is the smallest crack in the wall place, but those men make a mean ass breakfast burrito.

Greek Life Embarrasses Arizona State Again

I spent this weekend watching movies on various networks that took us back in time to the civil rights. Movies like Remember the Titans, The Help, We Are Marshall and others. Even though they are movies, I am grateful I didn't live during a time like that. If I did, I really hope I would have been like Skeeter in The Help.

Then fast forward 60 years, you think we are doing well, making progress. Then you realize we haven't made as much progress as we should have. My alma mater, Arizona State University, is still allowing frats/sororities to behave poorly and in complete bad taste.

One thing I love about ASU; MLK Day is HUGE on campus. There is an entire week to celebrate a man who gave his life to pursue equal rights for everyone. The communication college has a competition to come up with a positivity campaign and the winner gets plastered all around campus.

I agree, young people make mistakes. They are stupid. Though in this day and age with social media and the internet, you can't afford to be stupid.

Working in advertising has taught me a lot about the power of social media. I've watched brands muddle through social media like a cow calf that has just been born and is trying to walk. I've seen brands get schooled by pissed off employees and I've seen employees ruin their careers in 140 characters.

For example, @Ediemer deleted her instagram account and someone swooped up the username and has reposted the black party photos. The instagram account is now getting threats in the comments because people are too ignorant to realize it's now a fake account. This could now ruin her reputation even farther.

I could say that I hope they learn from their experiences, though greek life behaved like this when I was in college and way before that. Sadly, they are like big corporations and have too much money behind them for the university to actually do anything.

Photos of the Week

This week was packed full of good little nuggets, here are some of my favorites!

Leroy thought that he desperately needed the ENTIRE block of cheese.

Spent the last weekend in Detroit working on The Tomboy Project.

Got this really cool bike bell from Optimus Santa Monica. I love these people. They create great work and are great friends.

My ping pong partner is flipping me off. Thanks AJ.

Flying home on the Shamu Southwest plane!! Love Arizona.