Great Post About Twitter & CB Radios

Twitter has taken off in Dubai. Perhaps partly in thanks to radio host Catboy? I’m not sure. But either way, check out “Twitter, CB Radio of the 21st Century” over at Idea Sandbox. It’ll bring on the nostalgia if you fit into the mature category or maybe help explain CB Radio to the ah, less mature.

Besides me = loving twitter, I think the post appeals to me because my part-time job baaaack in my university days was that of dispatcher. (I was “base” on the radio. Everyone else was an assigned number.) Tangentially, this means that I know what calling 911 is like and it doesn’t freak me out. It also means that I’ve worked some nutty hours. Perfect practice for being a copywriter in Dubai, eh?

Anyway, enjoy!

I Love Sleep (Masks)

I like sleep. I need sleep. If I am deprived, somewhere between hours 20 and 24 I will fall asleep wherever I am – on the floor curled up under a desk if need be. And like anyone who loves her Zs as much as I do, a gorgeous silk mask would be a heavenly way to enter dream land. Especially when traveling! A silk (or cashmere) sleep mask would instantly add a little luxury, comfort, and privacy to my airborne snooze.

Take a little inspiration from the gorgeous and over-the-top sleep mask from Breakfast At Tiffany’s and design a sleep mask that is uniquely you. I’ve seen some fantastic ones saying things like “just 10 minutes more please” or “wake at 8am”. Channel your inner superhero or make one for a special occasion. Whatever you do, have fun!

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things…

What are your favorite brainstorming tools?

They are super low-tech, but mine are:

• My trusty translucent plastic clipboard (hate the cardboard ones)
• White printer paper
• Assortment of colored pens
• Mechanical pencil with 2B lead
• A spot on the couch or cushion on the floor
• Someone to bounce ideas off
• Tea, coffee, water – something to drink

Everything on my list is designed to be fun to use or be around!

I love the freedom a blank white sheet of paper gives me. I can sketch ideas in addition to writing taglines. I like filling up a page, so having different ideas in different colors helps each one stand out. Using bright colors is just plain fun too. My mechanical pencil is fun too – you just shake it and more lead comes out! It’s fun to play with and comfortable to write with a wide barrel. My husband fidgets chronically so he’s banned from using it. 2B lead is softer, darker, and somehow seems to break less for me. It’s great for sketching as well.

I also love a comfortable place for my body to rest (floor cushion, couch) while the gears are grinding upstairs. Or more accurately, my mind just wanders off on its own, tangent to idea, idea to tangent. And it’s even better when I have someone to bounce ideas off and vice versa. Tea and coffee are delicious ways to keep me awake and water keeps me from passing out from the heat.

Cellucom Safe Driving Ads. I like. Do you?

Over a year ago, a talented art director told me how much he wished he could work for a CD (or ECD in this case) who really knew what he was doing. Someone a lot like Till Hohmann. Me? I was clueless. Still am in many ways (ahem).

But browsing mediaME’s creative gallery I can’t help but notice the work coming out of Dubai’s Memac Ogilvy & Mather under Hohmann’s helm. Is it just me or is it getting better every day? Take this campaign for Cellucom:

(Click each picture to go to the original mediaME creative gallery post.)

It ticks all my boxes. The visual and copy go hand-in-hand. It’s simple yet provocative. I want to read more. I want to see more. I want others to see it and hear what other people think. It makes me want to go shopping for cell/mobile phones and headsets.

So tell me, what do you think of these Cellucom ads? Are you liking them as much as I am?

It’s Like Toilet Papering People Instead of Houses

A long standing tradition at my high school alma mater (don’t ask how long ago it was I matriculated) as well as at bridal showers is the toilet paper dress competition. When available, it’s even more fun to spring this activity on an unsuspecting male model. The outcomes can be quite amazing! Or, if you attended my cousin’s wedding shower this summer, a little wacky and absolutely crazy to say the least. It’s a light-hearted and wonderful way to get people to interact and laugh while practicing some spontaneous creativity.

For a little twist on the ‘original’ we’ll open up the options and have a ‘toilet paper outfit’ contest.

Get your creative toilet-paper-garment-designing-competition going:

• Select a small team of judges in advance.
• Without revealing what the activity is, have people form teams of no more than 5 people.
• Have each team select one person.
• Reveal that this person is (drum roll…) going to be the team’s living, breathing, fashion model! And that the designer outfit will be created by none other than his/her teammates in less than 15 minutes (or other time limit). Oh, and tell them to keep their regular clothes on underneath. This isn’t supposed to be too literal.
• Hand out at least 3 rolls of toilet paper per team.
• Be sure to state that each team can only use the toilet paper provided to make their glorious creation. NO tape, NO paper clips, NOTHING but toilet paper.
• Tell the teams to find a space somewhat away and out of sight from their competitors.
• Once you’re ready with a timer, tell everyone to start.
• Periodically announce how much time is remaining (i.e. 5 minutes left, 2 minutes left, 1 minute… time is up, put the toilet rolls down!).
• Once the time limit is up, have everyone congregate in one area with the models wearing their ‘outfits’.
• Take photographic evidence.
• Have the judge award the worst, best, and second-best titles. Prizes are even better!

Most importantly, have fun. And if anyone does this and takes photos, I’d love to see!

Creative Recession Advice For Freelance Writers

Worried about the recession affecting your bottom line?

Take Robert McGarvey’s advice and use it to your creative advantage. Featured on The Golden Pencil as part of the blog’s Successful Freelancer Spotlight series, his sound advice comes at the best possible time. Because y’know, he’s already been through downturns before.

Also, be sure to check out the rest of The Golden Pencil’s posts. It’s a staple for any freelance writer’s blogroll for good reason.

Word: brummagem

From Dictionary.com: brummagem

brum⋅ma⋅gem
   /ˈbrʌmədʒəm/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [bruhm-uh-juhm] Show IPA Pronunciation
–adjective
1. showy but inferior and worthless.
–noun
2. a showy but inferior and worthless thing.

The origin relates to Birmingham, counterfeit coins, and the 17th century. The words “rogue” and “scalawag” come to mind.

Secret Poetry Exchange

Familiar with the idea of Secret Santa?

Well, this is sort of like that. But instead of giving a secret gift (under X-dollar-amount), you give each other a poem.

Get your very own secret poetry exchange started:

• Put each participant’s name onto a slip of paper.
• Put slips of paper into a hat, bag, bowl, whatever, and stir, shake, or mix.
• Each person draws out a name. If someone draws her own name, she should put it back and draw another name.
• Everyone then writes a poem for their designated person.
• They must try to deliver said poem without the recipient knowing who it is from.
  • The more creative the delivery (i.e. 50 sticky notes instead of just one) the better.
• Also, each poem must be delivered by a certain deadline (i.e. end of work-day, 48 hours, 1 week).
• Everyone enjoys their poems! And of course, if people want, they can reveal their identities after the deadlines has passed.

Inspiration by Color

If you’ve been around the blogosphere a few times, you will already be in the know.

But that doesn’t mean it’s any less cool, fun, or helpful to use the Multicolr Search Lab by Idée Inc.

The website explains how it works:

We extracted the colours from 10 million of the most “interesting” Creative Commons images on Flickr. Using our visual similarity technology you can navigate the collection by colour. Also available with Alamy Stock Photography.

What a great way to get inspired or to help get a brainstorming session started. (Note I say “started” and not to use for your final commercial product. The images belong to whomever took them, obviously.) Play around a bit. Try different color combinations – you can select up to 10 colors at a time.

Who knows what results you’ll get? (This might just be the best part.)

Be Perfectly Relaxed

You may have seen it done on T.V. or read about it in a magazine.

And it can look quite corny.

But have you tried it?

Because it can be quite simply marvelous.

And by “it” I am referring to relaxation and meditation exercises.

And by “exercise”, I mean lying on a yoga mat/carpet/whatever while you follow the soothing and ridiculously easy step-by-step directions read aloud. Therapeutic and absolutely recommended, it can take as little as 10 to 15 minutes to completely alter your stress levels and state of mind.

Check out two free scripts (some with audio files) here at Relaxation at Home. They’re both relatively short and take 10 to 15 minutes. I particularly like #2: I’ve tested it out on my husband several times now and if he’s happy to listen to me babble on for 15 minutes straight (I do not have a naturally soothing or lovely voice) then something must be working!

If you’d like something longer, try out this “body positioning induction” script at hypnosense. It’s purpose is not for sole relaxation, but it certainly does the same trick.

So what does this have to do with creativity and work? If you’re anything like me, work is never far from the front of my mind – even well after I’m off the clock. It’s why concepts, tag lines, and slogans are harder to price in comparison to long copy. Just how long does an idea have to percolate in my subconscious before I have an ah-ha! moment worthy of putting down paper, much less sending off to a client? There isn’t any real way to know.

But relaxation and meditation allow me to de-clutter, free up, and open my mind. It chases all the dust bunnies and mental to-do lists out and opens the doors and windows to the fresh ideas and inspiration. And besides a cup of gorgeous loose-leaf tea, when it comes to work, what more can I really ask for?