So I got a little bored in my room and decided I wanted to try my first ever long exposure picture. After messing around for a bit, I realized that if I turned off the light I was using I could separate the letters. I used the flash on my IPhone. Thank you to my friend Marissa for sharing her secret: you don’t need a flashlight app. You just go to video mode and turn the flash on!
I hope everyone has a day filled with love 
It’s amazing to me the different ideas people have to change the world. With the popularity of social media growing every day, so is cyber bullying. Designers Asta Roseway and Sheridan Martin thought of a unique approach to the problem: The Printing Dress, the name being a play on the printing press. I was lucky enough to see the dress presented at a technology and fashion panel at SXSW over spring break. Their idea behind the dress is “you are what you tweet.” The dress literally displays the wearer’s tweets in the skirt. Perhaps if people had to wear what they tweeted, they’d be inspired to say nicer things.
The idea isn’t completely solid. For one, the dress is entirely made out of paper, so it’s not washable or really ready for every day wear. There’s also the problem that if a person doesn’t want to wear their tweets, well, they just won’t. But I think it’s still incredible the different visions people have. Anyone can turn what they love, like fashion, into something good for the world.
I feel like I haven’t wrote forever, and what’s worse is I’m writing for a new blog at the moment. It’s not my fault, I swear! It’s required for my class. I’m in Austin, Texas at the moment at an interactive journalism festival called South by Southwest. You can read about my trip here if you’d like, but today I’m skipping writing for the class because there’s something I want to share with you.
Today I went to a panel by Post Secret and Bluebrain, an electronic music duo. There was a slideshow of Post Secret’s newest, non posted secrets and Bluebrain did the music for it. At the beginning of the panel they had everyone in the audience, about a thousand people, download an audio clip, but we weren’t allowed to listen to it until the end. At the end, they gave us a signal, and everyone pushed play. A thousand phones started playing a light bell jingle and its sounded beautiful all together.
It was a great feeling. Everyone coming together, even in that little way, especially while reading those anonymous secrets. They become more powerful when you hear people react to them around you, in shock or in understanding. It just makes you realize that no matter how sad you are, how angry you are or how weird you think you are, you’re not alone. There were many of posts about being close to suicide and people either changed their minds or failed, and they were just so thankful for it. It was inspiring.
Oh, by the way. The top secret people send in is “I pee in the shower.”
I just learned about an incredible day, a day where the whole point is to spread happiness. Harvey Ball, creator of the smiley face, dubbed the first Friday of every October as World Smile Day. Its slogan is “Do an act of kindness. Help one person smile.” The first World Smile Day was in 1999. That means I’ve missed out on 13 of them! I decided I have to make up for it. So, this week I am going to place 13 inspirational cards, one for each year, in random places around campus for people to find. I googled images of different phrases, copy and pasted them into a word document and printed them on card stock.
I can’t wait to start making people smile.
Some of the print outs
More print outs
I just wanted to share some good thoughts with you today.
1. I booked tickets to go see Kyle in 4 weeks! He’s in Mississippi for tech school right now at Keesler AFB. I cannot wait. My stomach is still filled with nervous, excited butterflies. (Nervous because I’m afraid I messed something up when booking, but that’s just me.)
2. We were assigned our second photojournalism project today: 100 portraits. I’m so excited to do it. People are my thing. (Yes, I’m loving my ethnography class, too.) I already have a list of my friends and ways I can bring out their personality in a picture. I think that’s a good indicator of what you want to do with you’re life… being excited to do your homework.
What’s going on with you guys?
Hope everyone has had great weeks full of things to be thankful for. This Thursday I’m thankful for…
-This being my weekend off.
-My strengths.
-Safe travels to and from D.C. and getting to bond with my residents over the trip.
-Being unbiased, whether it be about people or things. Having an open mind allows me to get to know people for who they are and to try new things without pre-deciding whether I’m going to like it or not. It opens loads of new possibilities for friends and fun.
-My job. It’s RA-to-be interview time and it reminds me how hard I worked to get this job. There are essays, a class, group and personal interviews and less than one third of the applicants are chosen. I’m grateful to have made it through.
-Hip hop class. I’m actually excited to go to class in the morning and getting a workout always feels good.
What are you thankful for this week?
You can go through life trying to “fix” what you’re not good at or you can expand on the things that you excel in. Which sounds better to you?
This past weekend I went to a leadership retreat and I was lucky enough to get into a strengths finder session. There were limited spots and I ended up on a waiting list, but the morning before there was a book in my mailbox: Strengths Finder 2.0.
There were instructions along with the book that said to take an online personality assessment before going to the session. A half hour and over one hundred questions later I was presented these 5 strengths:
1. Positivity
2. Empathy
3. Woo (Which I learned stands for “winning others over.” Isn’t that neat?”)
4. Communication
5. Maximizer, meaning I like to take things from good to great.
I haven’t had much time to dig into the book, but what I’ve read so far and what I learned at the session is wonderful. On the first page author Tom Rath states his reasoning for creating the strengths finder: “We were tired of living in a world that revolved around fixing our weaknesses… What’s more, we had discovered that people have several times more potential for growth when they invest energy in developing their strengths instead of correcting their weaknesses.”
The whole point is to focus on what you’re good at. Find out your strengths and choose a path in which you can exercise those strengths. What happens when work comes easier to you? Less stress and more success, which then leads to a happier you. Don’t fight who you are.
I recommended getting the book and taking the test. I personally can’t wait to read on and learn how to utilize my strengths.
“If human beings are perceived as potentials rather than problems, as possessing strengths instead of weaknesses, as unlimited rather that dull and unresponsive, then they thrive and grow to their capabilities.” – Barbara Bush
“Success is achieved by developing our strengths, not by eliminating our weaknesses.”- Marilyn vos Savant
“Hide not your talents. They for use were made. What’s a sundial in the shade?” – Benjamin Franklin
I’m sorry guys. I feel so neglectful. It’s been almost two weeks since I’ve written. School’s back in session it’s been crazy busy with all the reading and projects.
I finished my first photojournalism project today. It wasn’t super exciting. It was just to practice the basic skills, like aperture and shutter speed. I’m not going to lie though, I love understanding my camera! At first I was feeling hopeless with all the f-numbers and fractions and exposure combinations, but it finally clicked.
I spent an hour outside in the ice Saturday (yes, we had an ice storm this weekend!) taking pictures for my project and afterwards I realized I had my camera on the wrong ISO. I e-mailed my teacher asking if he’d accept the pictures and he said no. I had to start all over again. But as always, there’s a bright side: more practice!
Here are some of my favorite pictures I took, all taken on manual mode.
Bush after the ice storm. One of the "mess ups!"
Hello everyone! It’s the first week of classes so it’s been a bit hectic. It’s always good to stop and reflect on the things you’re thankful for though, no matter how busy. This Thursday I’m thankful…
-to be excited about all my classes. Photojournalism, advertising, hip hop… and I have class with two of my best friends. It’s going to be a good semester!
-to have a great RA staff. They somehow made coming back to campus a week early a good thing.
-that I get to go to D.C. this weekend! We’re going to the Newseum, the Holocaust Museum, NPR and more. I’m sure I’ll write all about it.
-that one of my classes didn’t assign reading today. I’ve been drowning in textbook pages.
-for good luck. In advertising they picked 20 random groups of five people and somehow I ended up with my friend!
-for my mom. I was really stressed out last night and I was able to just call her and talk everything out with her. I’m glad I have family who cares about me and is willing to listen.
-to have communication with Kyle again. It’s been so nice to be able to hear his voice everyday.
What are you guys thankful for this week?
