The view from both sides of the desk

An Iris Christmas

Arguably the best part about Christmas is the parties.

I mean sure there is all the Jesus stuff and the food and the presents, but I've always been partial to the parties.

That being said, yesterday Iris gave me a new standard of Christmas parties, when Iris says "be better" they really mean it. [beware future Christmases]

Let's start with rubbing it in to all my friends in the Northern Hemisphere that Christmas happens to be in summer here - so, that already makes for a better party - a little less parka a little more swimmers. Deal, sign me up.

So for the party yesterday (Monday) we were told to dress James Bond themed and the rest was a surprise. We got out of the cabs to find that they had chartered a boat for us and all we had to do was cruise around the harbour all day - that's a hell of a Monday.

There are definite perks to being a small agency - here we all are [with a few missing] Although the joke for the day was that we are going to need a much bigger boat next year.


Getting into the Bond theme. [I totally won]




Relaxing with a couple drinks. Definitely a great day.

Santa - just another advertisement

Don't tell the kids, but Santa is just another advertisement.

Hear me out, this is not one of those "we've lost the true meaning of Christmas" - this is about the power of advertising.

Picture Santa. Odds are you see a jolly [chubby] man, rosy cheeks, big red suit, and black boots. Until yesterday, I had never thought about why Santa is this way, when did he evolve from St. Nick to the jolly man that we all picture, and who gets credit for this?

The answer [or, at least one theory] is Coca-Cola. In 1931, Coca-Cola began running magazine ads featuring St. Nick as a "kind, jolly man in a red suit." Before that, Santa was a range of characters. So, why did Coca-Cola's Santa stick? The power of advertising. In the 30s the viewership of the magazines featuring Coke's Santa was wide-spread [rumor is they didn't have the internets back then.] And perhaps without being aware of it, this began to shape North America's image of Santa.

Coke may have also introduced elves to Santa's lore. In the 40s and 50s Santa appeared with a little helper, Sprite Boy. Sprite, the soft drink was not yet introduced [and wouldn't be for another decade.] Sprite actually means elf.
Coke is not willing to take full credit for Santa [nor should they, I suppose.] Check out their article here which fully explains Coca-Cola's Santa.

Full credit aside, it seems impossible to deny the impact that Coke had on the modern-day Santa. Even if Coke just influenced Santa, or was just a part of the mix that created the image that we all grew up with, that is still an amazing credit to the power of advertising.

For the advertising junkies

For all my advertising friends, here's a little Charlie Brown Christmas we can all relate to.

Being a tourist

So, since I have been incredibly bad about sending pics and stories to friends and fam about the sydney adventure so far, here is a glimpse at my most touristy moments.

1. Sydney aquarium

The details: Very cool. My first aquarium ever, so not that I had a lot to compare it to, but still - Aussie fish, crocs (crickey!) and other terrifying and poisonous swimmers from the land of Oz must knock it up a few. Good thing the water is cold here though, because it did show which poisonous fish are around which beaches - and I forgot to take notes [ouch.]

2. The zoo

The details: Koala, kangaroos, dingos, wombats, wallabies, 'nuf said. Everyone is obsessed with Aussie animals, and they really are pretty cool.




3. Hunter Valley

The details: Wine tours! Hunter Valley has 150+ wineries [and heaps of breweries too.] Unfortunately, we only visited 5 wineries and 1 brewery - damn tours. That being said, it was totally worth it. Great wine - some of the favs were Shiraz, Semillion Blanc and (surprisingly) Merlot Cabernet. Branden and I were the true freeloaders who drank as much as we could, and didn't buy a single bottle. Sorry H.V.


4. Jenolan Caves

The details: I've been obsessed with caves since I was a kid, so of course I loved it. Caves are just amazing, and this one was definitely cool. The sights were epic, and there really is nothing that compares to the darkness in a cave. I would love to do a more adventurous, lamp-on-the-head sort of cave tour someday. [perhaps in 'nam?]





5. The Blue Mountains

The Details: Beautiful. [Although, completely different from the Rocky Mountains I was used to a few months ago.] These ones are very green, but have gorgeous cliff sides. Best part was the old rail ride down to the bottom of the valley - over a 45 degree angle, and the driver played a little soundtrack from Indian Jones to make it even more exciting.

6. Cliff Walk - Bondi to Coogee Beach

The Details: Most amazing beaches. They are all cut back into these coves with cliffs on the side, and soft, powdery sand. The cliff walk along the beaches is a definite must. Although there is a footpath for the less adventurous, Branden and I ventured out on the rocks and even completed the last leg of the climb solely on the rocks on the edge of the water - with waves crashing. Epic does not begin to describe.

Other sights were the Sydney Central tower, the Harbour bridge, the Opera house, Darling Harbour, and of course lots of time spent at the various beaches. Although we haven't venture too far from Sydney yet, we rented a camper van and are driving up the coast to Cairns - heading out Dec 20th. Should be a hell of a trip!

For more touristy pics check out my facebook and flickr

iris - Sydney

Iris [the ad agency I am interning at] had their global meeting in London this week. Each agency had to create a video, and here is what we crazy Aussies came up with. After all, this is what everyone thinks of Oz anyway, right?

[sorry about the vid quality]

I'm beached bro!

Completely random post, but my new favorite youtube video to quote.
Funny as, bro. It's heaps funny.

Shameless self-promotion

So aside from the Sydney adventures I am currently working on my new identity [not like Superman-Clark-Kent sort of identity -- just the boring logo, business card, etc. variety]

So, here it is: the logo. Thoughts?

Current Adventure: Sydney

I've been in Sydney for 2 months now - and have been head-over-heels in love with it since day one.

Without realizing it, I have become an ambassador for Sydney. So here goes, this is why I love it and am quite possibly never leaving [sorry Mom and Jen.]


1. The people

For anyone who hasn't visited Australia, the rumors are true. The people are amazing - I've never met so many great people. Everywhere I go and every situation that I find myself in I meet amazing people. From families who adopt you upon your arrival [thanks again Spackman fam] to the people from work, and random people I meet in coffee shops and pubs. Even the bus drivers are incredibly helpful and friendly - definitely unheard of for public transportation workers in the states.

2. The city

Sydney is an amazing city - even beyond the sites that everyone knows [ie opera house, harbor bridge, and bondi beach] the city is beautiful. Surrounded by beaches and bays, with lots of parks and trees, and it's clean. Sydney is just as beautiful in the day as it is at night - from either side of the bridge.

Beyond its beauty however, I love Sydney for its size. I've never been too intrigued by living in a big city, but for a career in advertising, a big city is virtually a must. Now Sydney is no New York, but with 4.2 million people it's definitely reached big city status. Sydney doesn't feel big though - in fact after a google search I was shocked to see that the population is 4.2 million. Perhaps because of the people or how sprawled out Sydney is, it doesn't feel like a city I will just get lost in [literally and figuratively.]

3. The culture

Big city, beach and good people. Everyone's a little bit of a hippie, and things move a little slow. Long lunches with a couple of schooners of beer are a must, even on a Monday. There's surfers and beach bums. There's tourists from all over the world - and heaps of people who came as tourists and never left [soon to be one more.] There's great sports and lots of outdoorsy activity. There's meat pies and sausage rolls - and of course, lots of Asian influences. This place is diverse, but most of all, everyone here loves it.

4. The beer

[Anyone who knows me knew this was coming]
That's right the beer is amazing. At a pub, order a schooner - tap beer, little smaller than a pint. Carlton, Blue Tongue, James Squire, and even Tooheys is amazing. Basically, all good, all favorite.

And then there's wine. Hunter Valley is just a bit outside of the city and has 150+ wineries. No worries to my friends, there's still boxed wine here too.

5. The beaches

Unlike anywhere I have ever been. The beaches are amazing, for the most part little coves cut out of cliffs with soft sand and big waves. Although the sprawling beaches of Florida are nice, they pale in comparison to beaches here. Bondi is beautiful - but might be considered the tourist-trap of the beaches [there's a reason not many locals go there.]

So there ya have it. Sydney is amazing, I recommend a trip (or a move).

Back at it

Reasons why I shouldn't have a blog:

1. Posting

Yes, my latest post was in June - I should probably be banned from even having a blog. But, here we go, giving it another shot.
Vow #1 - to post frequently [yes, more than once every 6 months]

2. Content

So, as with many bloggers, struggles come with what to even include as far as content. What to post about without being one of the many "lost blogs" - not that I plan on becoming a blog that strangers flock to for its incredible content, but still, there's something to be said for having something worthy of a read.

That being said, the art of play will probably have a lot to do with advertising - after all it is my obsession and my career. Beyond that however, will be my experiences. I'm living in Sydney now and never thought it possible to fall in love with a place as quickly as I did here. January 1, I fly out to Vietnam, where I will be living for 3 months - surely there will be some content to come out of that.
Vow #2 - mix of posts from advertising news to my life adventures and experiences.

3. Writing

As an art director, I've always been more of a visual sort of gal - you know, keep the words to a minimum, let the visuals do the talking [my apologies to all the copywriters.] Since there doesn't appear to be a space for coloring, looks like I will have to tap into the writing instead. But, no worries, there will be lots of pictures included in posts - let's be honest, no one really likes reading that much anyway.
Vow #3 - To write real good [and include pictures whenever possible.]

So there it is, the art of play is back and better than ever.

And one more video ...

Here is a commercial for Post-its "there's a note for that" video contest.

Again, phenomenal acting .. i have good friends.

Diet Dew

So you've probably heard that it's impossible to lick your elbow, and although there is some debate over this, you are probably going to try just from reading this.

Here's a little commercial for Diet Dew's Surprising Facts competition.
Special thanks to Jen. Personally, I think the acting is phenomenal - someone get this lady an award.

Memorial Day

Nothing like bringing a little Wisco to South Beach. You may not think much of Wisconsin, but there are 3 things that we know: beer, brats, and summertime.

BOULDER!!!!

Boulder, here I come!!!

I am officially moving to Boulder for the summer to do greenhouse (classes and internship) at Crispin!!!!!

Too excited to write anymore about that now ..

Happy birthday Dad

This is probably the most appropriate card I could send my father - all out of love, of course.

This speaks for itself ..

Week seven freak-out

So my final quarter in Miami Beach just started - or, well, it's just about over. Yikes.

Super excited to move on to the next undisclosed location - except for the whole undisclosed location part. Dad, I still do not know where I am going ... I promise I will call you when I do. (I only hide things like tattoos from you .. )

So, in a couple months I will be in Boulder, Amsterdam, or Hamburg ... yikes. Don't get me wrong, I am super excited, but I think once I know where I am going to go it will be more excitement and less freaked-out.

It's definitely part of the Miami ad school deal that you don't find out about Quarter Away, well, until you have to be on the plane - but I'm still going crazy waiting.

I believe Tom Petty says it best ..

Dogs are funnier than cats anyway ..

Here is a glorious example of what I have been wasting my time doing instead doing work or anything worth blogging...



-- Clearly oscar's long lost brother.

And one more ..

When you're five you build castles ...

But when you are 23, you build 25-foot airplanes!

That's right. What was going to be a relaxing weekend at the beach turned into a day-long project of building a huge airplane in the sand. Although the plan originally was to lay around all day and drink cooler after cooler full of beer - instead we undertook this. Don't worry, we still went through coolers of beer.

FreeRice

So here's a great site that one of my teachers passed on to me.

http://www.freerice.com/

It's a vocab quiz with every word you get correct, 20 grains of rice is donated. Sounds easy (or maybe kinda lame) but what a good way to help people. I would also like to promote cheating - have the widget dictionary handy - there's some tough ones. (It doesn's count as cheating .. lets call it greater good!)

FAVORITE!! (a little more Brian Regan)

Couldn't find this one without the animation -- but here's a heavily quoted skit from this weekend. GRAPE!

Brian Regan

My current obsession.

A lifelong commitment

So, I finally did it. It was time to commit.

And by that, I mean my first tattoo. The tattoo has been in the planning for a couple years now, with design and location picked for a long time.

I filmed it partly because I am a huge dork (and how fun is that to have a video of my first tattoo!) but also for a video storytelling class that I am taking. This is the first edit, so I will probably revise it through the quarter.

So, why a bird? (Again, bring on the dork) I did do a lot of research and the bird was absolutely perfect. Moving down to Miami for this school was the first thing that I ever did 100% for myself, so I knew I wanted a tattoo to commemorate this. The swallow has a history as a nautical tattoo. Sailors would get one on their left chest after logging their first 5000 nautical miles - a significant first step. When they returned home, or after logging 10000 nautical miles, they would get one on their right chest.

I'm not much of a chest-tattoo sorta girl, but the symbolism behind the bird definitely works. Moving down here was a significant step, and after the next year moving around for school, I just might deserve that matching one on the right.

Why "I support the art of play?"

As far as blog titles go, they all seem a little silly. Perhaps this should have been my first post, but here's the explanation of the title ..

First of all, a special thanks to Carren [you maintain your status as #1 copywriter].

I was looking for a title that, of course, said something about me. But, beyond that I wanted to relate it to my advertising portfolio and resume. Everyone tells us that we need to set ourselves apart and show ourselves in a way that no one else is doing. So, I chose to bring out my playful side. I basically am a kid from eating habits to favorite things, I have it all covered. I drew these illustrations for my resume (again, anything goes in advertising) and my bio is completely about being a kid. Coming soon, I will be creating a flash portfolio site that is a playground, featuring some of my illustrations like the one above.

What all this "Christy being a kid" really means ..
I think that as people get older they don't lose their creativity, but they just choose to stop showing it. Sometimes creativity means acting or thinking in a silly way - things that "grown-ups" might not want to be a part of. I think that kids can think up and imagine anything. They don't believe in the limitations that adults do. Think about how kids play - when they get bored, they go do something else. Why do something if you can't make it fun? -- what a perfect theory to live by.

However, don't misinterpret this as immaturity. It's simply being able to think, create, and have fun like a child - what shouldn't be lost as we get older.

Foam City

A perfect example that basically anything goes for advertising.

Wait, where do I draw the picture?

Ok, here I am.

Although usually I reach for a box of Crayolas or a fresh Sharpie to express my ideas, well, it's time to give something else a try. Maybe Crayolas can only take me so far ..

Usually I can't even express in words what's going on in my head, so that's what this is for. Re-teaching me to think in words, but mostly as another outlet of pent-up creativity. (or frustrations, or just everything)

I am an advertising student at Miami Ad School, and they continue to push the fact that you need to get yourself out there and be creative in all the ways that you can. That it will be good for us to clear our head. Then again, for me this might just be one more thing that I put on that priority list ahead of my Flash homework... (sorry Nat)