Photograph of a Velvet Revolutionary, Vaclav Havel by AFP/GETTY.
“Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.”
- Vaclav Havel
Photograph of a Velvet Revolutionary, Vaclav Havel by AFP/GETTY.
“Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.”
- Vaclav Havel
“There is absolutely no inevitability as long as there is a willingness to contemplate what is happening.”
- The Medium is the Massage, Marshall McLuhan & Quentin Fiore
my mind is drifting. while i attempt to coat my thoughts with spanish preterites and imperfects, i build a map of places to meet. the long stretch always makes me want to escape to some unknown state. i’m brewing destinations - turkey, morocco, tanzania, chile, peru, laos. the list goes on and it only becomes more inviting to tackle.
“Curiosity about life in all of its aspects, I think, is still the secret of great creative people.” - Leo Burnett
Photography by: Romulo Yanes on www.epicurious.com
Tonight I had the most scrumptious home-cooked dinner. I have a friend who works in the fashion industry, however the truth is she is the epitome of a food guru closet case. In fact, I may very well find myself dining in one of the restaurants she opens or reading her latest critique of Danny Meyer’s new dish. Of course this occasion will transpire years down the road when life’s question of “what do I want to be when I grow up” is answered, (if that question is ever really answered for any of us…)
Two things I took from this dinner. First let’s state the obvious: the meal.
Lentils and leaks, lightly seasoned. Kale massaged with oil and lemon. (Sounds erotic I realize, yet this method is quite true… kale actually gets “massaged” in the process). Grilled salmon with the skin pealed off so that the mustard herb butter could devour fish. Butter is such a dangerous ingredient. Butter in obscene amounts only lends itself to more seductiveness. (Yeah… that’s how it speaks to all Americans plunging into the latest diet…I included). Anyways, I’m convinced that this concoction was really the cherry on top if you will.
Second nugget: do what you want and the money will follow.
It’s something I feel I express to any unsure person vacillating between the path of dreams and that of social duty. However in lieu of the late Steve Jobs, I have been reflecting. His 2005 commencement speech at Stanford University served as a truthful reminder. The reason I mention this is because often times, dinner conversation with good friends tends to resurrect life’s contemplations. All of a sudden you are struck with energetic babble about dreams and desires followed by sheer uncertainty. Well oddly enough I came to a conclusion: I dream about satisfying my “what ifs”. I desire the world - I want to devour every culture, every dish, every song. I want my memory to be the largest novel and the biggest picture album. I want to share stories and weave them too. I am still uncertain as to how I’ll connect the dots, but as Steve said “you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever…this approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”
“I don’t write music, I invent it.”
-Stravinsky
photographed in the czech republic, 2010.
It has been one of those weeks where I’m feeling exceptionally fueled with excitement.
The usual Monday morning expedition from Brooklyn to BBDO was slightly more eventful than your casual subway ride for two reasons: first, I was leaving my new abode and second, the conductor forced the masses to exit the train on 6th ave by scurrying through every subway car. (It was one of those guilty moments where you are half annoyed by the circumstance, but nonetheless amused by the solution, yet disappointed you didn’t get to brace the walls of the tunnel and jump off the tracks). Alright, unusual occurrences aside, there were several real reasons why this week has felt like a charge of positive energy.
Tuesday Night - Tomorrow’s Awards
My adverlurk of a colleague named Jia, (she really is a blog of knowledge, and an individual I feel honored to know), invited me to this wonderful event that showcased some cool new creative definitely noteworthy of adttention. (Lame joke but let’s go with it). Regardless, it was exciting to be in a room full of the most creative minds from little to big. But the anticipated moment of the evening was guest speaker Robert Wong, Executive Creative Director at Google Creative Labs.
Interjection - If you haven’t watched any of the Google search stories, do it now. Perhaps I’m just a big sap but if you have a little heart I guarantee these ads will pull your emotional trigger.
Continuing on… for someone like me who is endlessly curious about all the niches in the ad industry, it was really inspiring to listen to a guy who went from being “a left brain number cruncher to a right brain heavy weight” as ihaveanidea.org describes it. Maybe I dream big but better to have aspiration and drive than a simple satisfaction. It was one of those instances where I morphed into a sponge and tried to suck as much wisdom from this guy as possible. (Okay, that sounds a bit brutal but I’m just too excited right now.)
Wednesday: Google + and Digital Day
As if I didn’t get enough Google for one week, we had a developer and his colleagues from the Google + project come in to the Digital Lab for some social enlightenment. If there is one thing I’m itching to try, it’s the 10 person “Hangout” session that is apparently a facet of network.
Following the presentation, was a fair centered around prominent digital startups. It was quite intriguing to hear about the online TV competitors like Shelby TV and the Outbrain people who bring you the “We Recommend” section from almost every website. Not to mention the free lunch and flash drives were kinda sweet.
Well it’s only Wednesday and thus far I am sensing this growing force. I’m having one of those uber nerd moments where you think “wow I love what i do.” Thought I’d share.
