Where has All the Wisdom Gone?

"... elder voices from the far corners of the world, to call the world into balance. You will go far away.  It will sometimes be a lonely road.  We will not be there, but you will look into the eyes of seeming strangers and you will recognize your Ohana, you family, and it will take all of you."

It’s been said that when an elder dies, it’s as if a library is burned. Anthropologist Elizabeth Lindsey, a National Geographic Fellow, collects the deep cultural knowledge passed down as stories and lore. (Recorded at TEDWomen, December 2010, in Washington, DC. Duration: 10:13)






"The year is 2010... we are in trouble..."  Lindsey not only feverishly tells the story of where she comes from in this video she reminds all of us that there are lessons to be learned from those who have gone before us.  Lessons that should be not taken lightly, but listened and learned from.


Too many times, I feel, we write our elderly off and force them to live in a home, tell them they are crazy, or consider them a loon.  This should not be so.  Wisdom comes from experience and experience may only be gained through living.


To you I ask only this:


What story might your grandmother tell you about life that you never would have learned without her?


What day does you grandfather hold dear?


Once you've reached a certain age... are memories all you have left?


Image: 1930's Polynesian Woman  

Women do We have the Most Typical Face on the Planet?

Kentic Type: the technical name for "moving text"—is an animation technique mixing motion and text. This text is presented over time in a manner intended to convey or evoke a particular idea or emotion. It is often studied in Communication Design and Interaction Design courses 

In the design world this style of communication is becoming ever more prevalent.  This is a good thing.  Kentic Type is all about simple, easy to follow ideas, spoken through imagery and symbols.  Kentic Type makes readying fun again, not to mention it seems these days EVERYONE is using it.  This is a very important design skill and if you haven't already, and you consider yourself any sort of designer, news, ads, or otherwise my advice... learn it. 

Recently National Geographic released their video on the "Most Typical Face on the Planet".  Sorry girls, we lose, but this video is one of the best examples of kentic type I have ever seen!  Watch how the color and text guide your eyes exactly where they need to be. Entire messages are strew throughout with nothing but mere visual stimulation. The symbols used in this video also find ways of communicating multiple ideas and concepts.  At one point the video uses a water droplet to define sadness as well as the ocean.  Two totally unrelated thoughts, come together at separate moments with the same symbol. 

Watch and learn my friends.  I hope one day to be this talented:

What Defines You?

  

Self discovery.  Who are you really?  In this video Madeleine Albright does talk extensively on what it's like to be a female democrat, but she hits on something even more interesting in the opening of this discussion.  Who am I? What defines me as a person?  Madeleine tells as story about when she was speaking in against Saddam Hussein's country and the next day the a poem in the newspapers compared her to many things but among them  "an un paralleled serpent". She then goes on to talk about how she happened to have a snake pin, and wore it for the press every time she spoke.  

Rather than be offended by the acusation this became one of Madeleine Albright's trademarks.  In the video Madeleine goes on and on to talking about all sorts of things but I just couldn't get passed the idea in question, "What characteristic defines me?"  Think about it.  If you were turned into a symbol what would it be?  Personally, I have no idea what I would be? (Haha, and I really want to know.)  That's the best part though.  You can't tell yourself, it's what the world says for you!

This is a question about looking into your soul and learning what it is about yourself that everyone will remember.  This question pulls at the strings of your character with an answer being simple and blatantly obvious.  What do you think you are?  Has anyone ever defined you?  Did you like it?  If not, or if so doesn't really matter, what do you want to be remembered as? 

I have it! Moose Tracks Ice cream.  Cold when I need to be, full of tasty hidden nuggets, and always trying to make people smile!  :)

Good Design's Women's Issues Poster Design Winners Announced

Last week Good Design held a contest asking for posters that would voice world wide women's issues.  The winners in my opinion are more "children's rights" than "women's issues" but non-the-less they are the winners and do speak volumes on their subjects to which they give voice. One of the up-sides to advertising being the power to give voice to the voiceless, and that is an encouraging thought.   Check them out:

Andy Chen, on Childhood Marriage: 



Karmen Lizzul, on Childhood Obesity



and the last by Kim Rene Teige, on Human Trafficking



My real wonder is why aren't more students entering things like this?  (Nudge, Nudge, Cough, Cough, GO FOR IT!  What do you have to lose?)

Why Can't More Campaigns Be Like This...?

Not long ago NIKE launched the "Make yourself" campaign just for women.  I feel this is the right direction for advertising to be going.  Dead are the days of people being told what to look like.  Today, women of the world have united and they are tell us, the advertiser what THEY  ACTUALLY look like.  We are not all "Stepford Wives" so why try and be one.  Each of us has a different way we try to get healthy and fit.  


I Say "GO NIKE"  for encouraging women to be exactly who they are and more.  Nike's Women Facebook profile is like a free gym buddy that you never knew you had.  On the “I’m Making Myself” wall women can leave comments with statements in order to inspire other ladies to follow their example. Statements starts with the phrase “I’m Making Myself,” and users can finish it with adjectives such as “strong,” “healthy,” “fit,” amazing“” and so on and then give a short description of what helps them have the above-mentioned characteristics. These statements can be commented or liked by other Nike women profile on Facebook fans making it fully interactive. 

Nike Women's I'm Making Myself Facebook

The only critique I have is this:  Why use athletes in these ads?  

The everyday woman not an athlete, she's just that a woman.  If I were to make this campaign better I would take out the hot female sports stars, go to the park and the local gyms to see who's there.  I would stop in a healthy eatery and get my photographs there.  I would seek out the health continuous, shape-up wearing, everyday women of the world.  After all in a campaign about showing off the best you, shouldn't you start with the real one?

Because Sometimes Laughter Really is the Best Medicine

As a women we are imprinted from birth how to think, see and feel constantly by the culture in which we in find ourselves in.  In this inspiring TedTALK though, Liza Donnelly shows that women in the media do have the power to cultivate positive change through joy and laughter.  I don't know if I exactly agree with her ideas, but, perhaps by me not agreeing I am really just saying, I'm one of the many stuck in a mold of "Political Correctness"  too worried about who and how I may speak, and less concerned with the actual issues at hand. Worrying about offense creates too many mental barriers and often never allows the real problems to be heard. (Interesting how even as my fingers strike the keys, the words still seem like concepts I should possibly hold my tongue over for fear of being labeled "unworthy" or "offensive").   

Donnelly suggests that perhaps we are too "Politically Correct" to begin with.  Maybe this world needs a few good media queens to take the reins and show the country how they can "loosen up a bit"?  Look at John Stewart and Steven Colbert, where's insert name of woman? 

The rules of society have been laid down long ago.  What if rather than terror and guns war raged with, laughter and joy? What if the media could become the next great bullet of revolution?

Thoughts?