This TED Talk Will Change Your Life

This TED Talk Will Change Your Life

by | Jan 13, 2013 | Marketing

I often associate TED Talks with that of the “blast learner”. Blast learners are the types of people who are constantly on the go. They make every single second of their lives count – which might mean not having enough time to sit down and read a whole book. They’re masters of multitasking and inhaling information. TED Talks are perfect for blast learners – their mantra being: feed me great ideas in bursts, and if I need more, I’ll keep diving. We all have those phases. A few months ago, I was in a blast learning phase because I was trying to get some paintings done for an exhibition in Louisville, KY. Imagine my surprise when I stumble upon a TED Talk called “Start With Why”. I wasn’t prepared at the time, but it reshaped the way I think. Simon Sinek created a sticky idea. It’s an idea that most people forget, but it is taught in schools. It’s the idea that every grade school teacher you’ve ever had has tried to behoove you to answer. It’s what college professors were trying to ingrain in our heads. Even our parents – no matter how young or old – compel us to struggle with this. Marketers and business gurus across the world are taught this idea. Artists also fight to understand it and best use it in their own artistic theories. It’s to start with why. Sinek starts with the Golden Circle. He says that everyone knows what they do. “I build computers.” “I paint portraits.” “I collect pink ceramic rabbits.” You know exactly how you do it. “I buy...

If "Learning" Isn’t a New Year’s Resolution, You Might Become Extinct!

by | Jan 10, 2013 | Marketing

Let’s face it: you change, or you die. That might be hard to swallow at first, but it’s true. You evolve, or you become extinct. You grow, or you wilt. I’ve noticed that many people reach a stage in their life where they feel like there’s nothing new to learn, they can’t learn anything, or the world has simply left them behind. While the world will (hopefully) keep spinning, it’s time to re-think some goals and challenges coming ahead for yourself in 2013. While you are not doing anything to better yourself, thousands more of your competition are doing something to improve themselves. I personally know people who want to learn new things, but feel overwhelmed by the resources available or don’t know about them at all! I also know some fellow artists others who feel they are lacking in skills suited for the working world. My advice? Pick one from this list here, and stick with it! This New Year is sure to teach us new, wonderful things! Knowledge is power, baby. Lynda.com Lynda.com is for the designer, the programmer/developer, the artist, the animator, and then some. They offer a huge selection of courses you can take, and the subjects vary from animation to learning C# to mastering Dreamweaver. They also update their coursework – and as new technologies and programs are created/found, Lynda.com is there ready to provide information about how to harness it. It does come with a price – just $25 a month. If you’re dedicated, you can easily get in a few courses in that time span if you’re on the price-conscious side. Udacity.com Udacity.com has a different...

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Marketing Technologist Cram School

Marketing Technologist Cram School

by | Dec 18, 2012 | Marketing

UPDATE 1.8.2013: Small hiatus on cram school. Was asked to read Made To Stick instead. Will resume post-haste! UPDATE 12.23.2012: So far, I’ve knocked out CRM Fundamentals, Data-Driven Marketing, Content Rules. Working on C# Essentials, Social Media ROI, and Programming C# 5.0. I’ve been contracted to ghostwrite for an undisclosed firm . Since I’ve been writing for them (as they seriously needed to produce some great content) I realized that it’s time to use my freakishly spongy brain and start engulfing knowledge about the marketing and technology world. I can’t write the most thought-leading articles if I have no clue about the subject matter, right? So here I go: Day 1: CRM Fundamentals, C# Essentials Day 2: CRM Fundamentals, C# Essentials Day 3: Data-Driven Marketing (Driving to Lousiville, KY) Day 4: Data-Driven Marketing, Content Rules (Coming back from Lousiville, KY) Day 5: CRM Fundamentals, C# Essentials Day 6: Programming C# 5.0 (or 3.0) Day 7: Programming C# 5.0,  Social Media ROI Week 2: Programming C# 5.0 , Professional Sitecore Development Week 3: Social Media ROI , The New Rules of Marketing and PR Week 4: Likeable Social Media, .NET Framework Essentials Week 5: Inbound Marketing, Visual Studio Essential Training Week 6: The Digital Edge, Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Step by Step *Phew* I know. It looks intimidating. This week will actually be most advantageous because of my 12+ hour drive to Louisville. That allows me to cram in at least two books over the course of two days. Anyone well-versed in the marketing technology world who has some books to recommend, please do! I could always stand to add to...
Confessions of a Custom Framer: It Doesn’t Have to Match Your Couch!

Confessions of a Custom Framer: It Doesn’t Have to Match Your Couch!

by | Dec 5, 2012 | Marketing

I’ve mentioned before that I’m a custom framer at a pretty awesome art store in Atlanta, GA. One vital thing, however, about custom framing that many people forget is that it ultimately doesn’t have to match your couch, or your walls, or your rug. Your decorative needs will change over time. Unless you’ve got life perfectly planned out and you know you’re going to live in one house forever, you will change your mind about how you want to present your home over time. Colors, patterns, and trends might go from one thing to the next over the course of a few decades. If you’re like my grandma, her home changes every few months. But the art in your home? It doesn’t. The actual physical artistic entity does not change. It might age, but with proper TLC and modern conservation practices, even that has slowed down. What you are left with is a timeless piece – so frame it accordingly. It doesn’t have to match the exact color of your house or your wall. In fact, don’t make it! It might seem kitschy and convenient to make them match, but in my experience, pieces tend to disappear when the matting and/or the frame is the exact color of the wall. Why have the art in the first place if it’s just going to die and disappear into plaster heaven? I say: coordinate. Don’t match. Coordinate. It’s so much more powerful to frame a piece with a mat color and a frame that coordinates with both the art and the decoration that’s already present in your home. That way, you get...