Keep This Going

At EdgeCore I serve as an account manager, copywriter and photographer. Here are two ads I wrote. The first one is I completed on the second day of my new job at EdgeCore. I’m pretty stoked at this point because I didn’t have the opportunity to do copywriting at ME&V. Basically in the advertising world, a designer and copywriter get together, concept on an idea and then get to work on the project. The desinger lays out the ad and does his/her thing - designs. The copywriter writes all the words, or copy, that you see on the ad. We put our talents together and this is what you get…

The second ad, by all means, would not win and Addy for copywriting. But, this does announce the large client that we are doing work for - Verizon. Yes, it’s true, I’ll be doing lots of copywriting for Verizon ads, writing radio spots and doing photography for Verizon agent’s Web sites. To say the least, I’m stoked. To get a better feel for what we’ve do for a recent authorized Verizon agent, check out this Web site, Joe Hahn, our Art Director, created this one.

Friends,

 As per request of several of you I’m posting pictures of my new place.  Its a duplex in South Minneapolis.  I wanted to extend the offer to all of you to stay here whenever you’d like.  Seriously, I’d love to host you in the raddest of ways.

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THE DUKE

In regards to the last post, I am not sure if you want us to respond to the idea that these intangible solutions that are being presented have to be corrected, by looking at what truly matters… OR what?

I think that in order to get the answers that we really want, it is not a matter of who is the best candidate and which one actually has the most tangible solutions to the problems that truly matter or which one is most like Bobby Kennedy. We must look at the source of where we are getting our information, Media. And who shapes what the media covers, we do. I may be bold in saying this but I believe media shapes how our elections pan out. They have control over what we hear and what we do not. I also feel that candidates are persuaded to be safe…because the influence they have (they are being broadcast to billions of people). One little slip one or one little misinterpretation and POW! (in the wonderful words of Nsync) Bye Bye Bye…

I agree that we need to look at the issues that truly matter and Bobby Kennedy was a man that was not afraid to say what was on his mind. He truly was a liberal thinker. IN my honest opinion that word gets used too many times. I do feel, today, we could have one of those candidates in our midst, yet, they feel afraid to come out of the shadows because of what the media can do to your reputation. (By the way, this is not directed towards any candidate in particular, it is just a sweeping overall view). You see what media did to Howard Dean, George Bush, (even though he ruined his own reputation in my eyes, not much more the media could have done…)(sorry for the stab if anyone sympathizes) and Michael Dukakis (I personally believe he looked sexy in a Tank commanders Helmet). So, are candidates afraid to say what they truly mean because they are afraid of how it may affect their rep. or was Bobby Kennedy the Last Samurai?

Now I think that you had some valid worries in what you were saying I am just not sure exactly what you wanted out of it. If you were doing what I do most of the time, where I will have an idea or worry in my head and just need to get it out OR Did you want to facilitate some sort of debate about, say, why do we only hear about Hillary and Obama, why do we only hear about the sensational attacks on a candidate’s morals, or why is there no one out there giving us true answers to the problems our world faces?

What do you peeps think? Are we living in a world where media has become so powerful that it shapes the views of our presidential candidates or am I in the outfield of Wrigley waiting for the first pitch in the dead of winter?

yesterday I went to the choice social establishment in my hometown for art lovers, caffeine addicts, high schoolers, and me?  I grabbed the leftover often disregarded print media for the day and sat down with the front page section to the NY Times, the Des Moines Register, and the Waterloo-CF Courier.  Each one had a fairly lengthy summary of Sunday’s democratic presidential debate at Drake College in Des Moines.  Yes, even in the Times, there was a feature picture representing all Iowans, a middle aged man in a farming manufacturer hat and overalls.  (ok here I must interject that I left this entry a week ago and decided to come back to what it was that I had because I really felt compelled to write this).  I remember that in each newspaper, from local Iowa to one of the largest circulating print media sources in the world, the author touched mostly on the persona and character of Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama.  The other candidates were largely left out and the policies or political perspectives and suggestions were non-existant.  In other words, according to what I was reading, it didn’t seem to particularly matter whether or not Obama, Hillary, Dodd, Edwards, Kucinich or any of the other candidates had a tangible suggestion for exiting Iraq, or improving health care costs, or taking over education from an administration that lacked creativity.  While I understand I may be a bit sweeping or assuming in my statements I should say that I was emotionally led to type these thoughts because of a movie I saw recently that so reminded me of our current situation.

 For years Emilio Estevez appeared in zero movies because he was working on a project which he wrote, acted in, and directed.  This movie is called Bobby and it tales the lives of fictional and non-fictional people at the Ambassador Hotel in 1968 the location and night of Robert Kennedy’s assasination.  As a presidential candidate Kennedy brought tangible ideas, experience, persona, leadership, creativity, American patriotism, international perspective, and progressive thinking (particularly economically and racially).  I question how the Vietnam war would have transpired had Kennedy been elected, or whether or not our country would have continued for years in economic deficit (until Reagonomics), or close-mindedness as a culture?  The fact is, he did die, and we look at candidates today who promise similar things to Kennedy.  However, I’m reminded of my own integrity and words spoken in truth that compel me to consider the weight of this and perhaps every election…

This post is dedicated to achieving greatness in one form or another.  One thing that I’m slowly learning is that life is not about single great achievements that yield satisfaction; rather life is about many minute achievements, the culmination of which is the appearance of single great achievements.  I’ve certainly been struggling with what I want my life to add up to down the road, what do I want the result of these baby steps to culminate in?  I have friends that have this locked down, for instance studying medicine in the states with the long term goal of helping underdeveloped nations succeed where their health care is currently lacking.  Every hour volunteered as an EMT, every minute spent studying anatomy books is a minute achievement which in the end will add up to the great achievement of helping those less fortunate survive.

What do I want my life to add up to?  Well I’m still grappling with that, but I do have a number of smaller short term ambitions that I long to check off.  My latest … climbing The Casual Route on The Diamond in Rocky Mountain National Park, a highly technical, arduous, lengthy rock climbing route that tops out on the summit of Longs Peak.  I’ve begun my miniscule steps towards achieving this goal and hope to have another post about this time next year outlining the satisfaction of fulfilling this ambition. 

What are your ambitions? Big and small.  This is worth thinking about; I’ve gone so far as to create a tangible organized list that I check things off of when complete. 

Let’s join together in sharing our goals and encouraging one another in the achievement of greatness regardless of scale. 

I just (56 minutes ago) resigned from my position at ME&V. I start my new job with a company called EdgeCore (yes, it’s very fitting I know… sort of a calling I would say) tomorrow. I will serve as an account manager playing the role of a liaison between EdgeCore and our clients. EdgeCore is a three-year startup marketing/advertising business. Two fellow ME&V employees left their positions, an AE and an Art Director, to start EdgeCore. EdgeCore is located by ME&V, MUDD and T8Design and has a comfortable creative space in one of the three leased buildings. Over the course of the next several months EdgeCore foresees some tremendous growth as we have just picked up a major national client. EdgeCore truly is a more edgy business. It has the feel of a startup where all employees (about eight of us) wear multiple hats. Not only will I be an account manager for major accounts, I will also be a writer, designer and serve as their in-house photographer. EdgeCore is a much better fit for my personality and business/agency beliefs.

Quitting your first career job after being there for only 2 months is no easy task. Some call it foolish and impatient. I call it being bold and listening to your intuition. Trust your heart, it will never fail you.

You can see what EdgeCore is all about here.

KeepThisGoing would like to congratulate Tom Parks on his recent acceptance of a job opportunity with YouthWorks! Tom will serve as a recruiting coordinator. Throughout the fall he’ll travel to different colleges, seminaries and seminars to recruit for summer staff positions. In the winter he will conduct interviews and read through applications. Then in the summer he’ll oversee an area of YouthWorks sites as a supervising staff. To find out more about YouthWorks go here.

Great job Tom – we’re all joyful for you.

(Book description taken from Amazon.com)

The old saying is wrong-winners do quit, and quitters do win.
Every new project (or job, or hobby, or company) starts out exciting and fun. Then it gets harder and less fun, until it hits a low point-really hard, and not much fun at all.

And then you find yourself asking if the goal is even worth the hassle. Maybe you’re in a Dip-a temporary setback that will get better if you keep pushing. But maybe it’s really a Cul-de-Sac, which will never get better, no matter how hard you try.

According to bestselling author Seth Godin, what really sets superstars apart from everyone else is the ability to escape dead ends quickly, while staying focused and motivated when it really counts.

Winners quit fast, quit often, and quit without guilt-until they commit to beating the right Dip for the right reasons. In fact, winners seek out the Dip. They realize that the bigger the barrier, the bigger the reward for getting past it. If you can become number one in your niche, you’ll get more than your fair share of profits, glory, and long-term security.

Losers, on the other hand, fall into two basic traps. Either they fail to stick out the Dip-they get to the moment of truth and then give up-or they never even find the right Dip to conquer.

Whether you’re a graphic designer, a sales rep, an athlete, or an aspiring CEO, this fun little book will help you figure out if you’re in a Dip that’s worthy of your time, effort, and talents. If you are, The Dip will inspire you to hang tough. If not, it will help you find the courage to quit-so you can be number one at something else.

Seth Godin doesn’t claim to have all the answers. But he will teach you how to ask the right questions.

I just finished this book and it helped me think about some important questions; especially with a current dip I’m facing at work. If anyone ends up reading this quick book, leave your feedback, I’m curious to hear how others take on the dip.

Amazon direct link here.