Epic Friday Is Here!

It was early on a Sunday morning. And I was surrounded by three girls dressed to the nines, in full hair and make-up as flashbulbs went off around us. I was at the first Epic Friday photo shoot.

It was amazing. On the 7th floor of the Hotel Fort Garry, we captured everything that is Epic Friday. The fierce, feminine and flirty look; the modern and vintage combination, we had it all. These girls looked like they were ready for anything.

I can't believe some of the stuff we did. I was so excited! After a shaky start (time issues!) I could feel my excitement building. It was just this incredible, invincible feeling. Seeing these models walk around in party clothes, wearing killer heels, with their hair all done up gave me that feeling of power (by association, haha), and combined with the directorial position I was filling, it wa sunlike anything else. I made girls climb elevator grates in 4-inch pumps. I had them stand on a marble table top in a barely-there dress. I had the power to control the lights, the look, the feel of it all. I saw my dreams coming true.

I never thought it was possible, but I created my own fashion line. I have people wearing my clothes. I have photo shoots organized to show off my pieces. This is amazing. And it's just the start.

Everyone always says in this Creative Communications program, don't leave things to the last minute. Printing problems are not an excuse. Etc, etc, etc. Of course, I never listen. I am the queen of procrastination. And while it usually works out ok, I've started to dislike this feeling of unaccomplishment that comes along with procrastination.

I think I'm pretty good at what I do. I'm kind of creative ( I suppose when i have to be), I'm kind of a good writer (I suppose when I have to be), I'm kind of good at designing (I suppose when I have to be). But somehow, I feel that my true awesomeness did not come across in my latest project.

We had to build a calendar. No problem. I even took the photos I needed like a week and a half before it was due. I started laying it out a week before it was due. So when Friday afternoon rolled around and all I had left to do was print, I figured it can wait. The weekend is here, I'm done.

Cut to: Monday morning. I arrive at school an hour and a half early to get this done. Line for the print shop: long. Half an hour later, my turn! Print it: his computer crashes. Needs to turn it off and on after several repeated attempts at printing. Class time. Ok, I'll pick it up later, no sweat. Go to pick it up: even though I followed the dummy I made to ensure everything is placed where it needs to be, I misplaced some calendar grids and photos. Go to: computer, re-figure during 10 minute class break. Bring it back to the print shop. Wait another ten minutes. Come back during another break, and I printed the old PDF - so, another $3.14 on another useless backwards calendar. Go back to the computer: re-save file in right location. Go back, wait another ten minutes. See a pattern? Finally, finally, it's done. I have six minutes to cut it down to size, staple, compile into an envelope with a CD. ANDDDD...MAde it!

So what does all this have to do with it? Upon reviewing what I submitted, my original idea was there. It would've looked amazing. But since I had to re-figure the layout at the last minute because I acted too much the procrastinator, several lines are out of place, and I didn't have time to reformat the font to Mac from PC.

Lesson: don't procrastinate. Schedule time for errors. Printing problems DO happen to you. And they're still not an excuse. Print a copy before you waste $10 printing mistakes over and over. Essentially, do what I was told in the first place.

Don't let the man get you down

I didn't let the man get me down. In fact, I decided to team up with the man.

I signed up for Google AdSense!

Now, every time you click on ads on my blog, I get $0.01! Let the bucks start flowing in. Now, I don't think that anyone pays attention to Internet ads anymore. Not that they actually ever did. I was listening to the wonderful 92.9 KICK FM on the way home yesterday, and listened to the discussion about PVRs and how they skip ahead the commercials by starting the program 15 minutes in to show, and just skipping forward. Of course, advertisers are finding new ways to infiltrate your mind.

But I'm going off on a tangent.

I have thrown myself (at least my two cents worth - haha) into the world of advertising. Whether or not Internet advertising has any presence in our lives, I still can't wait to get that first cheque in the mail.

Thanks, man.

The Dancer

In a recent advertising class, we analysed the idea of right brain/left brain thinkers. I think that everyone has an idea of what this is, and I thought myself no exception. I knew that it had to do with how your mind works, and how your creativity is fuelled.

I found out much more; this stuff is really cool.

Ok, so here's a breakdown: right-brain thinkers are more creative; the see things visually rather than in words, and exercise more creativity. Left-brain thinkers are more logical; they see things in terms of words. So when a right-brain person is trying to be creative, it helps them to skecth their ideas pictorally rather than write them out. They should also try turning the page, and getting rid of anything that has writing on it around them.

To find out which is more dominant, we did the spinning dancer test.

http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,22492511-5005375,00.html

What you do is watch an image of a dancer spinning; you see it either spin clockwise or counter-clockwise. Which way you see it spin determines which side is more dominant. Now here'e the crazy-mind-blowing-WHAT??? thing about it: you can make the dancer turn either way. At first, I saw it spinning clockwise, and could not even fathom how anyone could see it the other way. My instructor was positive that it could go both. While she was talking, I was secretly thinking, "You're nuts...." and I glanced away. To my astonishment, when I looked back, the dancer had miraculously changed direction! After some practice, I could make it change in front of my eyes at will. Incredible. I finally have the power of telepathy! The world is mine!!!

Of course, I was not the only one with these mind powers. Us ad majors must have some sort of special gene....like a superiour race.

This whole spinning dancer thing mesmerises me. The mind is a funny thing. One of my classmates could not make it turn the other way unless she engaged her thoughts in some logical activity; she started saying her multiplication table, and suddenly, only then could she make the dancer turn.

Mind-boggling.

Location, location, location

I never knew how hard finding a location for a photo shoot would be. I mean sure, I don't have any funding. And sure, I want a high-end, sophisticated look. And sure, I want to parade a bunch of people through your business. But really, it's not that much!

I'm trying to set up a location for a photo shoot for my IPP (Independent Professional Project). I contacted the Manitoba Club, and they were even willing to let me use their Club, but turns out if ANY of the photos are to be viewed publicly, it's a no-go. Understanable, as they're a private club. And they were really nice about it all, considering I'm some random student asking to exploit their services. But it still sucks.

So, rejection is the name of the game I've learned, and I've just got to try, try again.

"Hello, Hotel Fort Garry?......"