You say you want a revolution.. well, you know

We all want to change the world. Stolen from the Beatles, yes, I am aware, but the music industry is no stranger to this set of lyrics, and with that, a certain cliché. It all began with Napster, shortly after, Limewire evolved, then Acquisition, and ever since, it seems the music industry has been struggling to find ways to discourage this piracy of music, in an attempt to actually make some profit. We have all fallen into the temptation at some point, there's no denying. What's not to love about free music? 

Music makes the world happier, I like to think, even the heavy metal head-bangers out there. I've got the feeling that the music world is evolving into a new beast, one that encourages underground sensations to be spread virally, one where sharing music is just as easy as sending a text, one where live music is king, and one where it's possible for all genres of music to be heard via airwaves and internet in all 195 countries at the same time. Maybe I'm just biased, but the whole music festival, live show thing seems to be growing in popularity, to the extent of the Woodstock days. It's almost ironic, how, the more technologically advanced we become as a society, the more popularized the simple things become. We are reverting back to the mindset of generations past, and I like it. A lot.

Whaddup With It?

The DART, aka Dallas Area Rapid Transit, has somehow earned a bad rep from the SMU community. Why, I ask? This one isn't a toughie to decode, unfortunately. Whenever the Dart enters a topic of conversation, I've noticed that phrases of "Be careful," and "Probably not a good idea," are natural responses---from SMU students, professors, employees... you name it, they've said it. 

When I decided to take a couple journalism classes about a year ago, one of our editorial assignments was to write a story about a ride on the Dart trains and buses, starting from here on campus to Mockingbird Station, and ending up at the Dallas Zoo stop, then turning right back around. The purpose was not to make it to the zoo and write about it, but to observe changes in people, scenery, and any other observational factors after a certain point during the ride. I made a point to sit next to different people, to talk to them, make light conversation, and keep an eye peeled for anything interesting. The purpose of the assignment was to go alone, to see everything from a fresh perspective, to be ALONE, away from outside (friend) influences. 

I think it was sophomore, maybe freshman year when I took the class, and I remember telling my friends about it, and the shocked looks on their faces... "You took the DART alone?!? What were you thinking! You could have gotten killed!" Ok, maybe that was a bit of an embellishment, but I still can't get over the shock value that comes with deciding to ride the DART. I get the whole safety issue, especially at night, but isn't that true about any place, in any big city? You always need your wits about you, but why live your life in a big, non-exploratory bubble? Seriously, it's the most convenient, cheap, speedy service that goes literally everywhere around Dallas and Plano. It goes to the State Fairgrounds when it's in town, all over downtown, to the Dallas Zoo, cute areas in Plano, the Convention Center... need I say more? Come on people, get over your fear, try it out, if you don't love it, come see me personally, and I'll give you an itinerary for the day, bueno?

 

A**Holes

Some people are just inherently assholes, there's no way around it. Today, in photo class, we were discussing potential ideas for our final assignment, our "personal vision." I suggested an idea inspired by the professional photographer Robert Bergman, whose pictures are wonders; sharp, beautifully lit, with a background that can, at times, look staged. It's not, and the lighting is natural. Bergman would always ask permission of his chosen people, but he would never pose them. Just to give you a taste, here are some of my favorites of his:

The idea I had for my project was to wander around downtown Dallas, Deep Ellum, or wherever and talk to people, find out their story, if they were willing to share, and ask permission to photograph them, and let my pictures tell the story. I could see my professor think about it for a while, she then gave me her permission to proceed with caution. I asked what she meant, and of course she had a story waiting. 

Apparently, a few semesters ago, a student turned in a personal vision project solely comprised of random shots of homeless people. My professor had noticed a vague, blurry area in every bottom right corner of the series of photos, and asked the student what it was. He replied, "Oh, it's the side mirror of my car." Professor Hunter then asked if he had been in his car while taking his pictures... "Yes." She went a step further to ask what kind of car he drives..."A Porche." Hmmmm let's think about this one for a second. Seriously?!? Definition: asshole. Clearly this student had no moral obligations, no compassion, and no CLUE, to top it all off. I am never ceased to be amazed by the blatant disregard for humanity that so many in my age block, especially here at SMU, display on a regular basis. I will go no further, as this is the one and only blog that I will allow myself to rant, thanks for listening. 

Art & Copy

Today, in Creativity class, we finished up watching Art & Copy, a powerful film surrounding advertising and the inspiration that keeps the business growing and evolving. The film showcases some of the most influential advertising creatives, and the work that they have done which has undoubtedly shaped our culture. Funny thing is, many of these giants are unknown outside of the advertising industry. Their signature does not go in the bottom corner of the tangible variations of their big ideas. It is this sense of anonymity, I think, that keeps those in the industry pushing forward, experimenting with new and unusual ideas, which creates the potential for viewers of this art form to experience and challenge the work put forth.   

I found this clip of Lee Clow and Jeff Goodby, two of my favorites from the film, discussing the impact and intricacies of Art & Copy. I also am a big fan of Mary Wells, Dan Wieden, David Kennedy, and George Lois, just to name off a few of the most fantastic creative people in the advertising industry, but here is a taste of the two long-haired dudes with a huge passion for what they're doing:

In the film, both Lee Clow and Jeff Goodby made similar points that really hit home for me:

"We are in the art business, when we do it well." -Lee Clow

"Advertising is the same as making art." -Jeff Goodby

It seems that their comrade, crazy & sharp Mr. George Lois, would agree with their take on advertising as art;

"Maybe it's not art with a capital A, but it's some kind of art." -George Lois

I'm a fan of looking at advertising from their multiple perspectives of the industry as having the full potential and leeway to be included in the category of art, when done "right," of course.

Best Of

Good ads make me happy. Bad ads turn me off, sometimes even make me want to give a one-two punch and subsequent violent shake to the creators. Hence, I tend to focus on my favorites, taking the creative genius from them and subconsciously harnessing their powerful energies; whether it be a belly laugh or a moment of inspiration. From the bad, we can learn what NOT to do, and what we can push to improve on in our industry. I want to stick with the positive right now, so here are a few of my recent favorites:

Skittles Gum Ad-Cherubs

Kim's Crisps England-mixup

Watch all eleven if you please, but you don't need to in order to get the message: good ads are out there, and they're plentiful, even more so overseas. It's easy to make ads that get the job done, with no emotional return in it for the viewer. This does not inherently make an advertisement terrible, but if something doesn't resonate, or connect on some level with whomever is taking the time to study it, what's the point? It's tough to create the good stuff, which is exactly what makes our industry worthwhile.

Marcel

I'm a big fan of short films. What's not to love? You get to watch something great, sometimes it's inspirational, sometimes it's hilarious, sometimes it's terribly upsetting, but it's always through in less than an hour, which is normally the length of the average full attention-span. I've been keeping a little gem of a short film to myself for quite some time, only because I thought everyone and their mamas had already had the pleasure of watching it repeatedly. And when I say short... I mean 3 minutes and 22 seconds... don't get antsy on me now. 

I give you.... Marcel the Shell, With Shoes On

 

It takes a certain level of humor to appreciate this little creature and his antics... and by level of humor I mean being weird and able to die of laughter at things that are extremely odd. So some may dig it, some may not, but I can honestly watch this a thousand times over... never gets old. I think we could all have a kick if we looked at life through Marcel's eyes, I mean eye. I definitely am considering trying out a raisin as my next bean bag, thank you for your inspiration, Marcel. 

Un Dia Sin Zapatos

Today is TOMS One Day Without Shoes, a day of viral support with the purpose of raising awareness for the children that go without shoes every single day.  I am an avid supporter of TOMS shoes, and their "One for One" movement (with every pair of their shoes purchased, TOMS will give a new pair to a child in need), so naturally I cruised around campus all day with a breeze between my toes. Maybe the whole barefoot-on-a-bike thing made people nervous, but I consistently got the strangest looks from passersby. What's the deal SMU? Last year there were TONS of kids walking around campus, clearly supporting the TOMS movement. Not like it's been a chilly day or anything, actually it's been beautiful! Is it really too much to ask, to leave your shoes behind for a day with the hopes of gaining more supporters, and even to empathize with those who have never had a pair of shoes separating their feet from the unpaved ground? Come on people!! There's still some time left in the day, take 'em off!! Here's a little inspiration for ya: