May 2012
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How will I carry the CreateAthon torch?
I’ve been avoiding this post.
This is the one post that I don’t want to write in any way, because it means that CreateAthon is over. It is the last assigned blog post for this semester.
Now how will I spread the word about CreateAthon?
Well, in part, I believe that I’ve already done this. I’ve talked to the Creative director, art directors, and others at the agency...
April 2012
13 posts
life after CreateAthon?
I have one assigned blog post left for this class…
What am I going to do with my life once CreateAthon is done?
Is there life after CreateAthon?
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How would I make CreateAthon better?
This is a difficult question. I mean, already I think CreateAthon is great.
The only thing I could think to make it better, is set break times. Maybe it’s different times for each team, or an event game of kickball, but there should be some break times where we’re out having fun definitely instilled. Those small moments of fun help us relax, and in turn, help us pump out even more...
Passion-ade: I'm getting there eventually... →
passion-ade:
To do list:
Send off toolkit finals
Organize files for client (ughhhh … soooo tedious!)
Work on copy for spotify
Finish all dog adventures final touches
Update portfolio
Find a nice dress for the CreateAthon reception
Make sure print ads are done for bioride (I’ll half-way cross this…
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I'm a little late with this, but.....
My reflection on the field trip to Carter Printing: OH MY GODZZ IT WAS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!
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About how I work
I can’t say that I learned this during CreateAthon, but I did learn how much this attribute affects how I work with others.
I am a control freak.
I like to be in charge. I’m pretty organized with my work, not as much for the sake of organization, but more to make sure that I know where I am, to know where everyone stands that I’m working with. I have to make sure I have...
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What does creativity mean to CreateAthon?
“Creativity, the pulsating orb of light that resides in the back of a designer’s mind feeding them with vision, innovation and contagious ideas. It puts reins on a wildly running imagination, giving it direction and production; making thought reality. The degree of thought and process put into a design is what really sets it apart from the rest of the crowd. You could say that a designer’s purpose...
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Working with clients is..?
Stressful.
There’s no argument about that.
Don’t think of working with clients in a bad way though. The stressful part comes from the constant changing of the mind, wants and needs, and trying to figure out what it is that the client needs.
(the following is an example of client/designer interaction, not my interaction with my client)
Communication is essential, but can be...
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CreateAthon
Why is CreateAthon good? There’s so many answers to this question.
First off, the obvious. CreateAthon helps out the local community by providing thousands of dollars worth of advertising and deliverables to non-profits free of charge.
Secondly, CreateAthon onCampus helps out students. It does this in many different ways. It helps students get real world experience dealing with real...
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Collaboration
Collaboration is essential.
I think everyone knows this already.
But working in a nonstop creative environment for at least 24 hours, how does one keep from basically wanting to kill the other members that they’re working with?
-Simple Answer: Respect.
-Long Answer: Listening to others’ ideas as well as your own. You have to be willing to listen (not necessarily agree) and be open...
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I miss my CreateAthon team. I really miss how we worked together to create something new and awesome.
If I could do this again with them, you better believe I would jump on that opportunity ASAP.
Adrienne, Carl, Katie, Ken, Travis… I miss you guys.
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Tumblr founder, David Karp, wants to help us get the word out there about CreateAthon!!!!
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March 2012
20 posts
The Aftermath
It’s been over a week since CreateAthon.
Since then, I’ve grown to miss it terribly.
In a way it’s kind of like that childhood friend that you have. You want to keep them around forever, yet grow older with them, sharing everything with them, have fun and keep them close. This is CreateAthon every year. We want to keep it close, grow with our nonprofits, have fun, share...
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The Gender Factor: Girls in STEM education
If Unique Perceptions and VASS were to partner up for something, I feel like this would be the result.
And while I may not be an expert on the services that Unique Perceptions provides, I definitely know VASS. VASS is definitely trying to push the growth of STEM opportunities in our schools in Virginia.
PS for more on Unique Perceptions Services check out http://aortathence.tumblr.com
Can advertising be both a force for commerce and a...
polickoskisj:
An interesting take on advertising
http://www.ted.com/conversations/8594/can_advertising_be_both_a_forc.html
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A CreateAthon hero
This might sound cheesy, but seriously, Peyton is my hero.
I could seriously go on and on about her. Everyone always has that one teacher or that one professor that’s pushed them to excel, but at the same time, they’ve done it in a way that has made you love what you’re doing.
I had a teacher in high school like that. He’s one of the reasons I’m a good writer and...
Aorta Thence : A CreateAthon Story: 159 things I... →
aortathence:
Be careful with your caffeine intake.
Sleep the night before.
Work smarter, not harder.
Learn your client (front and back side to side)
Meet your team before hand.
Know your strengths.
Advil helps.
Spend the day before relaxing.
Don’t doubt yourself.
Be on time.
Don’t doubt your…
Amazing insight on createathon…
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So I’m supposed to talk about what I took away from CreateAthon.
I’ve sort of already done this, but I’ll go over it again briefly.
My biggest takeaways from CreateAthon, with this being my second year, is what changes when you turn from a team member, volunteering to help, to a team leader, running your team. Last year, as a team member, volunteering to help out, there...
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WatchI wish I had seen this a week ago..
breens:
TED Talks. Ken Robinson: “How schools kill creativity”
Passion-ade: The Event (part 2) →
passion-ade:
So now we’re working, post-lunch, with food in our bellies.
One of the team members went downstairs, to work on the computer with a few logo designs we had sketched out.
Upstairs, we were looking at color concepts, thinking about what we still needed to do, as well as brainstorming other…
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The Event (part 1)
I know all of my previous posts are building up to the event of CreateAthon.
So now, taking you through the event and the craziness that happened. (this will probably be split up into different parts so that way it isn’t one humongously long post.
(some of these pictures are mine, some aren’t) the pre-CreateAthon jitters.. people arriving, handing stuff out, getting coffee and...
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post-CreateAthon.. →
Well, it has been about 17 hours post-CreateAthon. I left, after helping out people for a class from the previous summer, and after Peyton told me to go home and get some sleep. Knowing me, I would’ve stayed there helping out until 3 or 4 pm if I could’ve, but I got kicked out. (insert sad face here) But I had left the building, walking home in what seems almost like a blur, and went upstairs to...
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It’s getting so close to the event.. I’m starting to bubble over with anticipation!!
Just think. A whole new campaign in 24 hours time.
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Losing an hour?
I’m so glad that the CreateAthon event doesn’t happen during daylights savings time.
I’m not sure I would be able to handle losing an hour. I mean, one precious hour. That’s a whole lot of work that can be accomplished in just 60 minutes. Especially when you’re creating a brand new campaign, from scratch, in 24 hours time.
Just something to think about.
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WatchCreateAthon has a video up!!
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So, in response to what I had written yesterday, with all my worries and such exploding out of me, I received an email today from my client with a large folder full of high quality photos along with links to video footage, testimonials, and copies of the videos themselves.
I’ve also been linked up with a few schools, so that way I can email teachers, students, and even parents to get their...
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One week. . .
It is one week until CreateAthon. ONE WEEK!
Ok, so *deep breath* I thought I was prepared, a little anxious of course, but prepared.
I’m looking over emails with my nonprofit now, one’s that are coming in more frequently than ever before, and I’m starting to freak out a bit. I feel really unorganized, which is probably contributing majorly to the freaking out.
I have all this stuff that I...
Guess what?!!
OMG!!!! Less than 8 days until the event!! Anticipation is definitely taking over!
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5 Ways to get them to act..
My mentor, Bill Novelli, once said to me, “If we’re simply in the business of ‘building awareness,’ we might as well be shoveling pamphlets out of airplanes.” The point is, nonprofit marketing (and fundraising) is about motivating people to do something - not just think something. Channel attention into action if you want to change the world.
So how do you get people to act? You want to...
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February 2012
32 posts
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Strengths.. and weaknesses
So I took a strengths finder test to find out what areas I’m strongest (and weakest) in… let’s just say that some of the results didn’t surprise me at all.
Your Top 5 Strengths Are:
Ideation (100%): People strong in the Ideation theme are fascinated by ideas. They are able to find connections between seemingly disparate phenomena. Tips to Improve this Strength: Actively...
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What is 'education'?
What is education?
-For many, the term ‘education’ strikes memories (either good or horrific) of school.
But I think to really understand what education is, we need to dig deeper than just memories.
-Definition:
The act of process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others...
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Non-Profits and social media hysteria
For everyone trying to do a social media campaign with their non-profit, this is a good article to read over and remember! According to a new report from Fenton on social media (download here after noon ET), there are several stages to what I would call social media hysteria.
Stage 1: Urgency. As in, “Everyone’s doing it. We need to do be doing it. Set up a Facebook page. And start tweeting!”
...
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Teller Reveals His Secrets →
Magic is a science…? That’s one interesting way to look at the field of science.
What kind of demonstrations pull you in to the fields of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math)?
jtotheizzoe:
Have magicians been inadvertently studying neuroscience for ages? Teller, of Penn & Teller, weighs in:
“Magic is an art, as capable of beauty as music, painting or poetry. But the...
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The science of tickling →
Today’s random topic that has to do with the basics of STEM education: Behind everything in life, science or math is there in some way. This article isn’t as much related to CreateAthon as it is to the field of science within STEM education. The interesting things that are out there to learn…
Tickling and being ticklish is actually way more interesting than I expected. The reason is because...
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The 10 Most Charitable 2012 Oscar Nominees →
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tidbits
The U.S. Bureau of Statistics projects that STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) jobs will increase by over 20 percent in the next five years alone, but the U.S. is now finding a lack of young adults interested in science careers, further deteriorating the country’s global competitive edge.
I’m thinking that, as well as posting about CreateAthon, I’m going to make daily...
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What does your client look, sound, and feel like?
I really don’t want to bad-mouth my client, since this question is asking what VASS currently looks, sounds, and feels like?
So the simple answer to this question, in all senses of the question, is dry.
Many of the current deliverables have a dry feel to them
Their website is dry, and very hard to navigate
Their brochure is very dry, and practically monotone in how it speaks to the...
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Thoughts on leadership →
A good article talking about leadership in an ever changing world, and especially in the world of technology, with how everything is constantly advancing.
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