It’s often been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Being a photographer and former photojournalist, I couldn’t agree more.
We take and share pictures more than ever thanks to our smart phones and sharing apps like Instagram. Every week I’ll be sharing some snippets that will hopefully get you thinking, talking and even laughing. I promise they won’t all be pictures of my dogs… but this one is.
Have you started buying Christmas gifts already? I’ve had a few friends mention to me that they are “almost done their Christmas shopping.” Almost done!? I have barely starting THINKING about it, let alone purchased anything yet. But retailers are signaling us that it is indeed time to get your Kris Kringle on.
Every year I try to find something cool to give my circle of girlfriends as we exchange gifts. This year is going to be fun as are so many new cool things thanks to the rise of the Maker Movement!
If you don’t know what the heck the Maker Movement is, it’s essentially the ultimate Do it Yourself (DIY) movement. It’s about people who are starting their own projects, creating their own businesses, making and selling self-made products. Modern technology, such as 3D printing, has made it easier than ever for a single individual to create and distribute items that are customizable and unique without having middlemen like manufacturers. But the Maker Movement is not just people creating items with a 3D printer, it’s also about someone selling handcrafted items on Etsy. Have you ever made something from scratch? Then you are already part of the movement!
In Ottawa, a company called Artengine hosts an open “hack space” called ModLab every Wednesday night. At ModLab you can use their 3D printers and laser cutters to make some awesome stuff! And if you buy a membership, all you have to pay for is the plastic, the use of the 3D printers is free. How awesome is that!!? And if you visit websites like Thingiverse, you can get tons of open source programs (read: free!) to make stuff.
Here’s my favourite to date: The Makerbot Mixtape! I love making CDs for friends and this allows me to give them something fun and nostalgic. This reinvented Mixtape is a MP3 player encased in a 3D printed cassette housing. You can get the free code from Thingiverse here to make it yourself (with a 3D printer).
Guess my friends now know what they’re getting for Christmas…
Did you wear a Halloween costume to work yesterday?
Over the years I have worn many costumes to work. Some of my own choice, some thanks to a decreed departmental theme. What is the most risque costume you worn to work? What’s the ettique about costumes at work? A good rule of thumb is to avoid the “naughty” costumes – obviously… and for women, keep “the girls” covered up. Mark Twain once said, “Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.” Same is true for our influence, even if you aren’t exactly naked, over-exposing yourself in a revealing costume can reduce professional power.
My current office is not a dress up on Halloween kinda place. Some offices dress up and other just don’t. I think that most of this is determined by the industry you are in and whether or not you’ll be seeing clients that day. At the Ottawa Sun our journalists are not going to be out gathering news stories dressed as Miley Cyrus. You just wouldn’t take them seriously. BUT over all, PR peeps have a playful side and as the “fun department” in the office, the pressure can be high around this time of year. So in honour of Fashion Fun Friday, here are some of my more memorable Halloween “fashions” over the years!
One year a boss of mine decided that the entire team would dress up as pimps. For the guys it translated into a lime green “suit” and for us gals, it was the “matching” suit of a purple velour mini shirt, lime green halter top and large purple hat. The only one that looked good in it was my boss. She, yes she, looked like the bomb. I looked like hooker. THEN we had to visit our clients in these costumes to give out candy. GA!
When I was working in the promotions department at Rogers TV, aka the FUN Department, my cohort Jen and I turned our office into a Geisha House. Fun AND fully covered.
Another year I took matters into my own hands and, as my friend Lisa would say, let out my inner goddess as Wonder Woman. (At work I added leggings and a top under the bustier.) This is still my Favourite. Costume. Ever!
Last year we decided to embrace Día de Muertos, the day of the dead.
Well folks, that’s it. What was your best costume?
As you may, or may not know, Halloween originated about 2,000 years ago when people dressed up with masks and costumes to scare off ghosts and other spirits that they believed visited them on October 31st. Spooooooooooky…
As a kid I loved Halloween. I still do. I love the costumes. I love the cheesy decorations. I love the candy corn. I remember the feeling of joy when finding the house with the ‘good candy’. You know what I mean… The house with the chips and the chocolate bars.
Have you ever wondered why we give out candy on Halloween? A quick Google search will tell you that the tradition stems from the middle ages when food was left out on the front step for the dead who wander the streets trying to return home. People though the spirits would get angry and haunt their loved ones if they didn’t leave an offering. Today it’s not that far off… we give out candy to ward off tricks.
So when it came time to buy candy, my hubby and I immediately decided to be that house with the ‘good candy’. Here’s five things that I’ve learned over the years about being the house with the ‘good candy’:
1. You will eat most of the ‘good candy’ way before Halloween and need to buy more. Sometimes twice over.
2. Even though you have the ‘good candy’ you will still give more per kid than you think because it feels cheap giving out one mini chocolate bar. So buy twice the amount you think you’ll need.
3. When giving out those mini chocolate bars, you will end up prioritizing which ones can go first. You know, so you can save the ones you like. In our house, Kit Kats and Crunchies are saved for last.
4. You will eventually realize it’s pointless to ration out the candy as you’re going to end up giving it all away anyways. Besides, you can buy more tomorrow to gorge on… at half price!
5. You will see some kids five times over. And you’ll have to learn to just roll with it. You are, after all, the house with the ‘good candy’.
As we head into Trick or Treating tonight, there is something else I’ve learned… Sometimes it’s okay to be the house with the mediocre candy.
What if Telekinesis WAS REAL? How would you react? Check out this hidden camera experiment set up in a New York City coffee shop that captures the reactions of unsuspecting customers as they witness a telekinetic event as part of a promotion for the movie Carrie.
While there has been some discussion as to how ethical it was to scare the b-Jesus out of random people, the video itself is amazing! In my books, THIS is an awesome PR stunt and officially added into my list of Most Memorable PR Stunts. Let’s all aim this high in our creativity!
Let me know if you agree.
If you haven’t figured this out yet, I have my hands in many pots. Many interesting and fun pots. One of these is a clothing company that I started in the spring called SugarLand Clothing. Right now we offer Galaxy leggings and Tramp Stamp Tees.
After working in marketing and promotions for over ten years I suddenly found myself out of job last year. So I launched SugarLand Media. (Seeing a theme here?) But being a creative “artsy” person, I wanted to get my hands dirty and make something. After all, we are in the midst of the Maker Movement! But since I don’t own a 3D printer, I went low-tech and taught myself to silk screen.
While a lot of fun, silk screening in your basement is a little tougher than YouTube would have you believe. That said, I suggest you give it a shot as once you get the hang of it, it’s a great way to express yourself. To get started, I bought a fabric screen printing starter kit and set up shop in my basement. It came with a screen (mesh count unknown), a hard plastic squeegee, photo emulsion, three fabric inks (black, blue and red), and a how-to booklet. Armed with that booklet and many YouTube videos under my belt, I decided to dive in.
Step 1: In the dark, evenly coat your screen with photo emulsion and let dry on a flat raised surface. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. Right? Wrong. I used too much emulsion, didn’t spread it as evenly as I thought AND got dried drip marks. Despite this, I forged ahead.
Step 2: Print your design onto a piece of transparency paper. A: Do you know how hard it is to find transparency paper these days?? B: My little ink jet does not like transparency paper. So after a few attempts with streaks and ink that just wouldn’t dry, I headed to Staples to get them printed. “That was easy.” (Insert snickering here for my clever use of the Staples marketing slogan.)
Step 3: Make the contact print to “burn the screen”. Basically put your transparency on the screen, put a piece of glass on top to hold it there and expose it to light. I invested in a $5 UV bulb from Henry’s and an aluminum cylinder lamp thingy from Home Depot ($15) which drastically cut down the exposure time. This part went smoothly. Whew!
Step 4: After exposed, wash the unexposed emulsion away using a pressure hose and, ta-da!, there’s your image ready to screen. This step took way long than shown. Until I decided to go outside and use my garden hose sprayer. Success.
Step 5: After the screen has dried, put it on the shirt, flood the screen with the ink, then press and drag the squeegee across to transfer the ink to your shirt. Remove the screen to see your masterpiece… IN THEORY! In reality there was nothing on my shirt. So I did it again, and again, and again…. Finally after running the ink over my screen about 20 times pressing crazy hard, I got a print! Lesson here, screens have mesh counts. Whatever the mesh count was, it was obviously too high, and therefore too fine, making it tough to push the ink through. Stupid starter kit. But I finally had a shirt and I was hooked!
Shortly thereafter, I found a local screen printing supplier who took the time to educate me on mesh counts, the value of a flexible squeegee, how investing in a “scoop-coater” makes applying emulsion a breeze. Now my process looks closer to those video tutorials; and I have some cheeky tees shirts!
The lesson here? If I can do this. You can definitely do this. Now go make something!
Ask any career coach or successful business professional and they’ll tell you that to expand your business, you need to put yourself out there and meet new people. Despite the growth of online communication and social interaction tools, people still “buy people”, so by showing your face, people are more likely to remember you when looking for a service you provide. So I have to ask, how often do you network?
Nyree Costello with eSAX organizer Jarrod Goldsmith.
Ottawa has a number of terrific networking events that target different demographics, industries and interests. One of my new favourites here in Ottawa is eSAX . The brainchild of local musician and entrepreneur Jarrod Goldsmith, eSAX – The Entrepreneur Social Advantage Experience, is an “entrepreneurial social networking group dedicated to creating connections, gaining applicable knowledge from featured speakers and promoting collaboration among Regional Chambers of Commerce.” With different events that range from straight up mix and mingles, to speed networking events, eSAX seems to have something for every comfort level.
While sometimes it’s daunting, remember that networking is an important tool for every business owner and communications professional because, not only are you showing your face to these people, but you also get to personally talk about what it is that you do. Would it be easier to hide at home and interact through your online communities? Maybe. But is it as effective? No way! After all, isn’t the goal of online communications to directly reach new potential customers, suppliers and business contacts? Networking is the fastest way to make this happen as you are making direct physical contact with new people.
Need a nudge to get started? Check out this great article on “How Business Networking Works” by Linda Brinson from my all time favourite site: HowStuffWorks.com.
AND to make you feel better, here’s a funny networking oops! moment from Moo.com’s “Your most embarrassing networking stories.”
Have you ever purchased a piece of clothing, a pair of shoes or an accessory that, when you wear it, you feel instantly transformed? You know what I mean, you feel like a million bucks. What makes that happen? Is it just good product marketing? Or has the designer seen into your very soul and created that special item so you can let your self shine? That’s a lot of pressure to put on a designer. Or on a pair of shoes…
High heels are definitely one of the most important items in any girl’s wardrobe. A good pair can make you feel elegant, skinner and glamorous. The designers at Alexander McQueen hit the mark with their BOMBE 5.5 inch stilettos. Wearing these shoes, I feel like a movie star. Sarah Jessica Parker, I just bumped you off the best dressed list. BAM!
Did you know the history of high heels can be traced back to Egypt, 3500BC? Historic murals show upper class citizens wearing heels for ceremonial purposes… AND Egyptian butchers wore them to make it easir to walk through the blood of dead animals (you can thank Wikipedia for that mental image).
Despite this, it wasn’t until the 16th century that high heels were claimed to be properly invented. The year was 1533 and Catherine de Medici decided to wear heels at her wedding to Henry II. The story goes that Catherine wasn’t really a beauty and
her husband had a tall and hot mistress. So, to dazzle the French on her wedding day, she opted for two-inch heels to have a more towering physique. It is said that she set the rage in Paris for heeled shoes. Heeled shoes became popular with the rich and powerful and was seen as a dividing line between classes. Hence the phrase ‘well heeled’ used as a reference to rich upbringing.
Fun Fashion Friday AND a wee history lesson. Because being smart is the BEST accessory!
Last month I wrote about Miley Cyrus’ brilliant PR stunting. This got me thinking about other memorable PR stunts. The Britney-Madonna kiss at the 2003 VMAs. Janet Jackson’s famous wardrobe malfunction at the Superbowl in 2004. (Yup it’s been that long)
And these great ones!
In addition to being a Publicist, I am also a wanna be Fashionista. I love fashion and *may* have a slight shoes problem. (Is 65 pairs too many?) Handbags? Yup, love them too! I’ve always been jealous of those women who exude style and class with what seems like little effort. You know the ones that I’m talking about; they look like they have a personal stylist dress them daily. My personal style is a little less polished and best described as a blend of “wanna be designer chic” with a huge dollop of ‘rock and roll’. Whether it’s a hit or not, it’s my style and I own it.
Personal style is a part of your personal brand. It shows others how you see yourself and how you want them to see you. In a formal business environment this might mean wearing a suit to show that you are “serious” and “professional”. Which, by the way, I’ll break out when the occasion calls for it.
In a NY Times article on clothing and self perception, it was determined that clothing affects how other people perceive us as well as how we perceive ourselves. No big surprise here. But did you know that what you wear can actually affect your psychological processes? Your outfit can actually alter how you approach and interact with the world because of the value we assign to them. For example, the article discusses how wearing a white coat that you believe belongs to a doctor, increases your ability to pay attention. This is because “clothes invade the body and brain, putting the wearer into a different psychological state,” explains Adam D. Galinsky, a professor at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University who conducted a study on “the effects of clothing on cognitive processes.”
Huh. Think about that the time you are throwing together an outfit.
The Publicist Diaries 