One buttock playing, shiny eyes, and minimizing impulses.

Basically, I love TED Talks. These posts will probably frequent my blog. 

Benjamin Zander discusses classical music... but there's so much more being said here! These things can apply to all types of leadership and passion. 

"It's one of the characteristics of a leader that he not doubt for one moment the capacity of the people he's leading to realize whatever he's dreaming." 

Leadership is great, but if you don't trust the people you are leading, where will that get you? Not very far! I experience this in marching band all the time where the leadership team comes up with some great ideas, but then when we get up in front of our people we don't trust that they will understand and then immediately have a negative reaction, bringing down the work as a whole. I strive to hold people to higher standards because I know from experience that people will surprise you. If you don't have faith that someone will get something done, they have no need to work hard because they have already disappointed you before they even began. If you set clear and high reaching expectations, they will most likely come through for you. Let yourself be surprised. 

"The conductor of an orchestra doesn't make a sound." As a leader, it is your job to give your people opportunities. Leadership is the power to help-- to make other people powerful. To awaken possibility in other people. 

Now here comes my favorite part. 

"Look at their eyes. If they're eyes are shining you know you're doing it." You can tell. When I'm leading a team or the marching band, speaking in front of a large group, or teaching at my summer camps, I love to look down and see their faces staring back at me with shining eyes. It is the warmest feeling and the best reward. Simply to see shining eyes. 

"Who am I being that my player's eyes are not shining?" Success is how many shiny eyes you have around you. 

Tweet culture.

As the commercials began between segments of Kitchen Nightmares, I wasn't really even paying attention. Not looking at the screen and multitasking as I often do with my computer in my lap. 

One thing caught my attention though. I saw three back to back commercials for shows on FOX network and at the end of each one of them there was this phrase "Watch and tweet live!" For the first show American Idol, I can understand where tweeting would come in to play. It is live and the people on the show are competing and things naturally get heated and opinionated - the perfect playground for twitter users. 
The other show was New Girl, which obviously doesn't have the same properties. 

It's interesting to me that this has become a new norm for advertising for television shows. As networks seek to get people more involved, it seems more than obvious that they would turn to social media. To compete with the growing trend of watching television shows online, in order to tweet about the show, you must be watching it as it airs originally. So there's one thing. I wonder if these efforts are actually working or if it's really just a last ditch effort to get people watching TV screens instead of computer/tablet/phone screens. 

Starting now.

Ready, set, start. 

Here it goes - my first blog post. 

I'm going to start with a video that we watched in my Creative Strategist class the other day. I swear I was almost crying in class because of how lost I got into the world that was in this video. 

The plight of American Rust Belt is obvious in places like Braddock, Pennsylvania. A former hub of America's industrial might, the steel township just outside of Pittsburgh suffered immense decline as U.S. steel and manufacturing industries collapsed. Subsequent drug-crime epidemic and economic downturns hasten its degeneration in recent years.

I raised my hand after we watched this video saying, "I just forgot this was even for Levi's. It got to the end and I was just like 'Damn.'" Great insight, I know. But my point is there -- that no matter what the end game of the video is, if the viewer loses themselves in the content then it will be much more successful. I didn't see this as an advertisement or promotion for Levi's, but rather as an idea that I bought into. The writing here is amazing and it's real -- "Maybe the world breaks on purpose, so we can have work to do." And then when the camera tilts to the sky to reveal the Levi's logo, I instantly had a new respect for that brand. 

One of the most important things in my mind that a brand can do is to make someone feel something- awe, sadness, inspiration, happiness. I want to feel that emotion before I ever know who even created it. 

And now, if this one didn't get me to tears, I most definitely felt my eyes watering during this next commercial. It's for Google Chrome, a product I already use. But they bring something new to the table and if you don't get emotional during this, I don't know how to convince you what this is doing right. 

VFX AE Artist- Lost Planet Editorial/BackHole. BBH in NYC.

I could watch that over and over and still tear up. You don't even think about what it's trying to promote, until it hits you with it at the very end after building up a relatable story and an emotional tie in everyone. We've all either been that parent or been the child growing up and wanted to have these memories forever. 

Also, as a side note, the music is beautifully timed in each of these. Music is such a powerful tool, in everything that we create. It harnesses emotion and leads the viewer through that journey. 

I'll go back to crying by myself over beautiful advertisements now. These are my thoughts for the day. Can't wait to explore some more of these creative ideas.