Artist?

Since the quote was about being an artist...
I actually like sketching/drawing/painting ..I guess I get it from my mom since she is an artist..
This week I drew Taylor a bulldog cuz she loves bulldogs and she wants one once she is married..
And I drew Lauren a turtle .. she loves turtles?
So those are a few fun things I did this week.. Apart from that my life has been a little boring haha And I am trying to have fun this weekend :)

unique new york. unique new york.

Something unique- in the Art Meetings we have been redefining SHM's Design Philosophy as a group. The original Design Philosophy was created by Ashley, Todd, and myself by walking around outside and talking about all the ads and billboards we passed. Then we talked about what we should apply to our designs, and that's where it all started. Now, we're including everybody in the Art Meeting since we are all really a part of the Design Process. Each week we're defining different terms/phrases and providing examples. We hang the examples up and discuss each one til we narrow them down to about 6 examples that we all agree on. It's definitely unique to the process. The Design Philosophy is going to be made into a book as the end result, should be pretty neat to see.

I didn't post last week..

so I will now. Obviously if you tell me to talk about anything I'm going to talk about the Flyers. SO here goes, Flyers played the Penguins on Sunday (pens and flyers are rivals) and Flyers lost :( BUT I have to say, as always, it was not fair. Anyway, this is related to SHM because Katie gave me her t-shirt that I wore as I watched the game.. and I gave Katie a karma coupon. Sorry for the lameness of this post.

Taken from the book, FISH!

"Most of us are uncomfortable thinking of ourselves as artists...But each of us in an artist...With every choice, every day, you are creating a unique work of art. Something that only you can do...The reason you were born was to leave your own incredible mark on the world."

What is something unique that you did this week?

loka samasta sukhino bhavantu

If I wasn't working at SHM right now I probably couldn't tell you what I'd be doing right now...but I can tell you what I'd LIKE to do at somepoint down the line. I'd love, love, love to complete my 300-500 hr CYT training....one of the month long sessions where you live at the yoga center and completely immerse yourself into the experince. Sometime when I'm feeling frustrated, or just feel like dreaming, I do a little bit of research into the programs that are out there. Here are a few of my top choices:

http://www.mountmadonnainstitute.org/yoga/index.html
http://www.kripalu.org/study_with_us/214
http://www.shivarea.com/teacher-training/200-hour.php
http://www.nosarayoga.com/professional-trainings

Bittersweet

I had a bittersweet day of from here this week. Spent Tuesday in the hospital/orthpedist office getting my ankle checked out. Tore 4 out of the 5 ligaments. Did you know when your sprain youre ankle, youve actually tore ligaments. Never knew sprains were that serious. So im in this huge boot for three weeks which sucks. Missing out on volleyball practice and pickup basketball which im not happy about. But i was thinking last night it could have happened over the summer and ruining my beach-going and surfing for three weeks so i guess this is better. Never been in a boot or cast so this is new. And this is my most painful injury yet and im really surprised its still hurting. What else....Oh! Got tickets to see Citizen Cope at the TLA which im pumped about and really looking forward to. If your a Cope fan go check out this concert. Saw him once already and it was a killer show and I love the TLA so it should be awesome. Other upcomings shows im heading to include John Stewart at the Borgata in March and hopefully Brian Regan in March as well.
Well thats that. Everyone have a safe weekend. Im gonna try to go out in my cast, but well see how that goes.

Prague!

Well, unfortunately for Meredith and me, I did some researching about volunteering in Haiti and if you have no prior experience with volunteering (such as, Habitat for Humanity) they recommend NOT going. So, I guess we can’t physically help the Haitians, but I will definitely be donating more to the cause…and you should too!

I second Meredith’s recommendation for the melting pot! It’s quite delicious and well worth the calories.

Anyways, this week is whatever we want so I’m writing about Prague! I am in the process of applying for a study abroad program in Prague. I have everything in but my essay…I am having some serious mental blockage and can’t seem to get my words down on paper. I will hopefully snap out of it this weekend and have it all in by Monday. The deadline in March 1st, but it’s rolling admission so it’s good to get it in quick. The program is such a great opportunity. It consists of 4 weeks in class at Charles University in Prague. Then, you get 5 weeks of personal travel time…you can literally do whatever you want. So, my friend who is also applying has a bunch of family in Germany so we may stay there for a bit. I also have friends in England so I’ll probably make my way over there. AND the best part of all…I will hopefully get to stay with my brother in Thailand!! This will most likely be my only chance to see him while he serves his 2 years in the Peace Corps. So, you are probably wondering, how does this relate to SHM? If it weren’t for Christine’s recommendation, I wouldn’t have been able to complete the application! Thanks Christine :)

I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend! Come to Mikey’s tonight to support the Tri team!! Drink specials and half off appetizers! You know you want to…

Carly and I want to travel to Haiti and help everyone over there. We both have already donated money via text messages. Anyone want to donate to our cause and send us over there? Kgreat. Thanks in advance.

Also, I went on a fantastic date this weekend to the Melting Pot. I've never had fondue in my life, and I highly, highly recommend going to The Melting Pot (especially while it's cheap during restaurant week! $35/person for appetizer, salad, entree, and dessert!).

On to more important things...

Write about whatever you want, but relate it to SHM. There have been posts like this in the beginning, so look at our archives if you need to.

I promise to get more creative next week.

If I wasn't working at SHM, I would probably be volunteering at some Dental clinic, being cranky every single day of my life cuz Drexel coop program wouldnt have been worth it.
Also, I would be giving more time towards studying for my Dental Admission Tests, or taking classes right now.
Well my life would've been extremely boring without SHM cuz I would basically have no life. :)
Buttt now that I think about it, I would probably go to Dubai(that's where my parents live) and probably just stay there till I am done coop and have fun with my family and travel and shop and do more exciting things. OMG maybe it wouldn't have been that bad at all. Haha Can I quit already? haha jk jk

Well, if I wasn’t working at SHM I would most likely still be in classes. I really don’t mind being in classes…I love my teachers and the work that’s required. BUT, if I had my unrealistic choice, I would be traveling the world and seeing everything I possibly could. I would love to be able to drop everything for about a year and travel around the globe. So, I’ll keep my fingers crossed or just keep dreaming!

I have no idea what I would be doing if I wasn't working at SHM. I would either be unemployed and sleeping in every day, working at a restaurant but looking for a GD job, or doing GD for another company.

It's 5 o clock somewhere

Well I think theres a few answers to this question. What i would realistically be doing probably entails going to class and working on essays, projects, and homework. But if the question is what I wish I could be doing if I wasnt at SHM, Id give a very different answer. Id like to be somewhere warm with a lot of good surf. Somewhere like Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, etc. I think it would be awesome to pick up life here and just start over in a place like that. Open a bar or boardshop and just live it up. As my Myers-Briggs tagline reads, "Life's to short". Life is way to short to do something you dont love and dont have fun doing. While my ideal would be to just surf all day and not have a care, I could definitely still find an office job that i love and enjoy coming in everyday. Hope everybody has a fun and safe weekend and Ill see you on another time.

My Life Would Suck Without You

If you weren't working at SHM right now, what do you think you'd be doing?




Sincerely,
Meredith "jk, jk, lol" Myers

Branding Meetings

So I had my 2nd branding meeting on Friday and had some time to think about the most important thing that I learned from the meetings. Because this is not the first time that I have been with a company that has "re-branded", the most important thing I noticed is that we all start somewhere around the same spot. No matter how large or small a business we all ask the same questions in hope to shed the best light possible. No one has all the answers and I like that no one here claims to. This will be an interesting process and I can't wait to see the final outcome.

Branding meetings

Its 3:18 PM and I just got back to my desk from my 2nd branding meeting. Even though I missed my first one, this one was really good.
I loved the fish video and I think it is really impressive how SHM is trying to brnad itself both internally as well as externally. Now that we have a Tag line, a mantra and a positioning statement, the staff knows what the SHM goals are and what SHM as a whole stands for. However, these branding meetings are focussing towards improving the work culture. It is essential to have a health work environment so we can deliver what the members essentially need.
It was a good meeting and I was surprised by the definitions I came up with because I didn't realise I could be creative but its good how everyone is getting a chance to be involoved in this.

branding

I think the biggest take away from these branding meetings for me is just being able to be involved in the whole process in a different way than I'm used to. I'm pretty familiar with branding and identity, but more so in the design area.. I've created logos and an identity for people/companies but they have basically just described to me what they want their brand to be/how they want their brand to be seen. In SHM's branding meetings I've been able to participate in actually DESCRIBING the brand and what it means to me and the organization as a whole. It's just interesting/a good experience for me to be in.

Just do it.

I am truly enjoying these branding meetings. After the first one I think I narrowed down what I want to do with my life. I find branding very interesting and would love to pursue a career in something related to it. So, that’s one thing I took away from the meetings. I also enjoy “defining” SHM and the staff in 6 or so words. The words really make me think about the type of employee I want to be and the type I want to work with. For example, I think the word “passionate” is extremely important. If no one is passionate then everything would just be blah. But, if we have passion, then everything we work towards gets more and more exciting. This is a very positive experience and I’m so glad I am here while SHM is going through this change.

I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend! I'm going to AC to celebrate miss Emily Woods' 21st birthday!

See you on Monday!

Guilty as Charged

Okay okay, so I'm supposed to post a question every Monday, but cut me some slack! I've had three short weeks in a row and I'm getting caught up and back into the routine of things, since we don't have another short week for...well, forever. (Snow day please!?!?)

Anyway, I hope every had a fantastic New Years Celebration, and to those of you who are sick, start feeling better!! PLEASE.

So we're all a part of these branding meetings with our color teams. By the end of the week, everyone should have had their second branding workshop. What are the most important pieces you're taking away from these meetings? Feel free to throw in some additional thoughts :)

Happy hump day!