4 day Impact

Day 1:
I, along with Mac and Ally, went to see a free showing and discussion of In Transition at the Drexel, which I linked in an earlier post. This was very motivating until the comment period after the screening in which most of the people who made comments seemed to go out of their way to find negative things to dwell on. We were also the youngest in the crowd by about 10 years.

On this day I also neglected to pick up some keys and ODU ID that I saw on the sidewalk by Fitzpatrick Hall. I honestly do not know what made me decide not to pick them up, but for some reason I was in a very self centered head space at that moment and "just wanted to get 'home.' " I began to feel very guilty about this over the following hours until I logged on to Facebook and saw one of my friend's status proclaiming they had lost their keys, which made me feel extra guilty as there was then a face and name attached. They did get their keys back that day due to the impact of one of their other friends who were not feeling so selfish that day.

Day 2:

I decided that though I usually make an effort to make eye contact and smile at people in public places I would make a greater effort throughout the week to do this no matter my mood. My efforts were met with the expected mix of friendliness and avoidance, as Corey noted this was biased towards the opposite sex and older generations responding positively more often

Day 3:

I had a hard time coming up with an idea for impact on this day. Fortunately one found me. A friend from my old job at The Blue Danube sent me a message saying that work was slow, she was sick and not having a very good day. I went in for a number of hours and ate and drank keeping her company durring the slow hours and hearing out her gripes of nasty customers and conflict with the kitchen staff. This worked well for both of us as I believe I brightened her day up slightly and I had a very merry meal and drinks at my old employee price, so we both got some positive impact (You're the best Amanda!)

Day 4:

I decided to follow Megan's lead and do something which I had been wanting to do for a long time, post signs with something impact driven on them. However, as campus is nearly deserted from Friday through Sunday I decided not to post them until tonight (Sunday) so that they may be there on Monday morning for more people to see. I decided to start with (I plan to keep putting up subversive and postitive driven quotes and messages throughout the semester, now that I've started) a quote I found from Jiddu Krishnamurti which was paraphrased in one of the Love Police's videos:

Krishnamurti was a Tamil (I believe) born in India who is well known for his writtings on spiritual and philosophical writings (his wikipedia description: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiddu_Krishnamurti )

I also decided to try an experiment (hopefully it will yield positive impact!) with the notion of "Approved" signs. (also something I've been wanting to try for a while now):

I don't know who runs the Studnet Activities Office, but I think they are pretty cool for approving my poster! ; )

Day 1: The first day of impact I was leaving work (for those that don't know I work at an elementary after school program) and as I was leaving there was a little girl running into the school and as she was running she was wearing a tutu and I just so happened to scream "Hey, I like your tutu!!" Anyways that was really unlike me and in return she said thanks than as she got to the door she turned back around and screamed "Hey, thanks for saying that!" I was kind of like 'Wow, that was nice of her' and she really just loved that i complemented her little rainbow tutu.

Day 2: I was in my Bioethics class and there is a girl that sits in a row across and up from me that many people find as akward. Well, a lot of people make fun of her everyday and this day, going totally out of my element, I turned around in class and said "Hey, you guys need to stop!" I turned back around and was kind of shocked I said something but the girls shut up right away and it was a total impact on them.

Day 3: Today I gave all the kids hugs at work when they came in! It was awesome! Some of them actually started running towards me with their faces lit up! I decided to make it a daily thing when I go to work now because they loved it so much! Those kids look up to you as an adult and they love when you show personal attention to each individual!

Day 4: I was in class Thursday and I really had a bad day and Megan didn't know this but I was running out of time to impact somebody, but actually Megan was the one that impacted me. Not only did she yawn and right after it made me yawn, but then she hugged me. It was the sweetest embrace, she wasn't just hugging me but she cared and it was pretty awesome! THANKS MEGAN!!! for impacting me : )

Day 5: Friday at work I decided to FINALLY bring a garbage can into work. We go through sooooooooo many water bottles but they don't have ANY recycling bins there. I told them I would bring a garbage can so we can start recycling the bottles and I will bring them to school everytime we get a full bin. They loved the idea and after the work day there were 6 water bottles in the bin. (There are 5 people that I work with!) Gotta start somewhere, right?!!!

Impact

Day 1 - Hugs...

I decided to continue the hug impact project done by Lauren and Charles last Monday night... I'm normally a person who does not like to hug often, and my close hug-full friends know that, so I decided to go against my antihugging.

This did have an impact on most of my friends, most were happy and surprised. A hug is a wonderful thing (I just have a space issue at times, when it comes to certain people...) and through a hug you can make someone else happy.

Day 2 - Personal Garbage Part 1

Day two was part of an attempt of a collaborative project. It started off as a few different ideas and eventually turned into the idea of collecting our own waste created in a day. The idea was the collect the garbage created, and walk around the entire day with this trash, as a reminder of our waste creation. I kept the trash in my backpack, which consisted of empty water bottles, wrappings, to a decent stack of paper which was a result of a class project. Since I am a resident on campus, I did not produce as much trash as I thought I would have, which is a good thing... This continued on to part 2.

Day 3 - Personal Garbage Part 2

The second part of this collaborative project was to gather up in Erskine approx 11:30 AM, and collect all of the trash together with the other participating students. The trash was separate into what could be recycled, and what couldn't. We did not have a decent turnout as expected but we did come up with a display of garbage and talked with a few people regarding the display. We had then recycled our trash before heading out.

Day 4 - ...and Kisses (Hershey Kisses)

I spent my last day of impact by handing out candy to people that I ran into throughout the day. It is really nice to see people get happy when receiving something as small as a piece of chocolate, then again a really small act of kindness can make a person's day, especially if they are having a tough one. I do plan on continuing this part on Monday as I do have a lot of kisses to hand out, (and probably some more hugs.)

Exercise 1 - IMPACT

Day One: Technologies IMPACT On Our Daily Lives

For 24 hours I recorded the usage of my cell phone:

Alarm Setting- 1

Event Reminder- 1

Text Messages Sent- 14

Text Messages Received- 11

Calls Made- 8

Calls Received-9

Calculator-1

I was really surprised in the number of times and different ways that I used my cell phone throughout the day. Ten years ago it was a luxury to own a cell phone, even for use in case of emergency. And today I don't even have a home phone line or an alarm clock because I use my cell phone for everything.

Day Two: Collection of Trash

For one day I collect all of the trash that I used throughout the day...

1 Muffin Wrapper

1 Gatorade Bottle

1 Plastic Wrapper for sliced apples

6 Tissues

1 Plastic Fork

1 Plastic Salad container

I truly expected to have created more trash today. I was really surprised when I realized that I didn't fill up even one trash bag. But, at the same time I am obviously not the only person on this planet and it only takes a little bit from each person to create a mountain of trash. After looking through my bag I also realized that almost all of my trash was related to food and drink packaging.

Day Three: Life Is Too Short

This morning I attended the funeral of a good friend. He died of cardiac arrest at the age of 28. I'm convinced that there is no greater impact in life than death. It was surreal to see his body lying in the casket with so many of us together simultaneously grieving. The entire experience was heartbreaking, but the ritual of all of us gathering together to mourn and support the family as well as one another was soothing. His life was much too short... RIP D.W.

Day Four: Trash Challenge

After the results of Wednesday's trash collection I decided to challenge myself to not creating any trash. Knowing that most of the trash I created was due to food items I tried to pack foods for my day that would create less or no trash. What I was not considering was the amount of waste created at work. Due to the nature of my job I am forced to unnecessarily use and waste piles of paper. Although I end up shredding most of the paper at the end of the day because it contains sensitive information, it is still a waste. It was nearly impossible to diminish my creation of trash. That is sad, and maybe something we should address?

IMPACT

Making an Impact Day 1: Living “In Transition”

On Tuesday evening I went to the Drexel Theater with my friend Alli and Ryan Chitwood to see a free screening of film about sustainability and responsible living. The whole film can be found at the link Ryan posted if you are interested. The film focused on small towns and villages that are making the transition from oil based life styles. These communities are using alternatives to oil in their food, economy, transportation, and government. As Ryan said in his post, after the film we discussed the idea of an ODU community garden, and other ways ODU can make the transition.

Making an Impact Day 2: Opening the Door

On Wednesday, I made it a point to open the door for others when entering buildings, classrooms, the fitness center, etc. This is a very small gesture, but many people said thank you and flashed a smile. It is amazing how a small gesture can have a big impact on someone’s day.

Making an Impact Day 3: Lift the Ban

A friend and myself started lift the Ban as part of a class project regarding society and the common good in the fall of 2009. The initial project focused on the lifting of the ban on gay and lesbian individuals in the U.S Military and the Don't Ask Don't Tell Policy. Lift the Ban now hopes to expand beyond that initial class project to raise awareness and fight other injustices in our society. Lift the Ban is an organization dedicated to eliminating social barriers and stigmas and ensuring equality for all people regardless of their sex, age, religion, race, or sexual orientation. Our generation has a responsibility to make the world we live in a place where all people from all different walks of life are respected and appreciated. I am currently booking shows for the Spring and Summer, and on Wednesday decided that a portion of the proceeds from these shows would go to Lift the Ban and The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Columbus chapter. The HRC is an organization that has made an impact on a lot of peoples lives, including mine.

Making an Impact Day 4:

We all make impacts every day whether they are large or small. Some days we make an impact on society, and sometimes we just make an impact in an individual’s life. Recently a close friend of mind and I had a serious argument that resulted in our not speaking to each other. Today I decided to break the silence. This decision made an impact on our friendship. It hopefully proves to be a positive one.

A week of micro-impact

TUESDAY - As others chose to do the same, I started my first day of impact to gain reaction from a smile. With this type of attempt to gain impact, i can immediately tell if there is any gratification or a negative reaction. I would start the day off in my car, and staring into others vehicles, giving a smile, and observing the reaction. Coming into this I knew that ones sex would matter a great a deal in reaction, however, i did not expect the setting you are in, is just as crucial as ones sex. In a car, i've never really cared to stare into every car in near distance, and look into ones face. There's too many important things to do while driving, i've never cared to look into a car at somebody, or for this matter attempt to gain their reaction. About everybody gave me eye contact, and many gave me a smile. However the majority of smiles came from women and elderly people, whereas men did not give any reaction back from my smile other than a quick withdrawal from eye contact.

At the school and a store, in public it seems the majority of passerby's would look me in the eye and like the car, women were in the majority that smiled back, while men would make eye contact, but quickly draw there eyes elsewhere.

WEDNESDAY - Once again I took my impact studies to the car with myself, but this time with risk. With life giving stress from deadlines and timing, the road can be quite stressful. I had a few ideas which were legal, but would most likely be an obvious answer to assume. I chose to drive the speed limit on cruise control in the fast lane for a day. On a normal day alone without this experiment, I always wonder the reason why people drive erratically. What are they late for, where do they need to be, or why do they drive the way they do?

I found the majority of people took the right lane if available to pass me, giving no reaction other than their commitment to going faster than the one ahead of them. Some just wanted to be ahead of the pack and swerving through every lane, battling the next to be the fastest on the road. Others which happened about 1/4 of the time genuinely freaked out. Though results were scattered and some happened more than others, I encountered some words i could read from ones mouth, honking, or just dirty looks. We all know the consequences, but we still hurry no matter the situation, or who we pass, as long as one with a badge isn't near by.

THURSDAY - On this day I decided to impact myself for the better. I do have to give Megan a shout out, as she demonstrates this a lot, and I respect her for it. It seems being busy is a topic that is important in all of my impact experiments. As a commuter it takes a lot of gas to go to school, work, the store, and much, much more. Though 2 of my classes were canceled this day, I still came in, to turn something in, and just keep busy with my homework around quiet campus areas. Though my mind told me to turn my work in and go do something fun with friends until class, I wanted to reduce my unnecessary consumption of gas. At school, it's a much easier setting to get school work done as it has less distractions for my mind. I got a lot more done than I would've with my normal study habits. Everybody needs a break from school work. Sometimes I would get up and walk around, other times I would walk a distance to get something to eat, drink, switch locations and more. It felt good to consume less and get more things done to lessen the stress school ccan bring.

FRIDAY - After getting so much school work done yesterday, I had a little free time today. I decided to impact two people today. I really didn't have many expectations or what I wanted to do for my grandparents to impact them, but knew at least something would come up in conversation I could gesture myself to do for them. Before heading over to visit my grandparents, I decided to print large and use my photo matte, to give them something of my own work, while I had the recourses laying around. As with most grandparents, they love to feed me. After I enjoyed my Dinner/Dessert, I took all of our dishes to the sink and washed them. Through conversation, i found their oil was in need of change in one of their vehicles. Winter in Ohio keeps us indoors, so it was understandable why it hadn't been changed in so long. With weather not a bother to myself, and my grandpa in supply of the correct oil and filter I was pleased to change it without ruining my clean clothes. It was obvious through the day that my courteous gestures were greatly appreciated and elevated their moods. At first I could say the large print was planned to bring gratitude, but throughout the day my random courtesy was not expected to planned to be, therefor I feel it was true.

Reading Reflection 2

This week's reading really caught me off guard. I'm so used to feeling like I have power over and awareness of advertising and brand identity, but Berman's writings in 4 The Weapons made me have to reconsider this idea.

I remember when I started getting deep into skateboard culture in my very young years, reading about (and experiencing) a very negative reaction from others for my involvement in the activity. I remember loving this feeling, that I could be hated for something as simple as riding a piece of wood with four wheels. I loved owning anything that represented that I was a part of that culture. When I was in the fourth grade I got my first t-shirt with a skate company logo on it, a bright red Independent Truck Co. shirt. I wore that shirt at least once a week, more if I could get away with wearing it dirty. I felt so cool. I wore that shirt and continued to stock my wardrobe, trying to replace my entire t-shirt collection with shirts that I thought represented who I was through what I liked.

Then, in middle school it became a fad. Skateboard brands became enormously popular and this confused the sh*t out of me. I went to middle school and suddenly was surrounded by people wearing Independent, Innes, Etnies, ES, Flip, DC, the list went on- and I thought that I had just walked into some dream world where everyone was a skater! However, it turned out that it had just become "cool" to look like one. I was very bitter and often asked kids wearing skate logo t-shirts "if you don't skateboard why are you wearing that shirt?" and being so confused and really pretty mad about the whole thing. How dare these people pretend to be skateboarders, especially when for the last twenty years before this they were the same people who would have been yelling obscenities and throwing trash at someone riding a skateboard. This continued to grow as people began to wear skateshoes and I would increasingly have my hopes shattered to meet a fellow skateboarder only to find their shoes in near mint condition day after day while mine were worn through on the side of the toes after a couple of weeks.

I still feel somehow, that these logos can in some way identify and express some aspect of my personality, or maybe it is just such extreme brand loyalty that I can't stop wearing them, for the same reason I continue to buy their original products - their skateboard decks, shoes, wheels and trucks. And this is where David Berman has caught me off guard.

I am forced to ask myself, does it make sense to buy t-shirts from a company who makes skateboard decks that I have an affinity for? When he asks this question about Nike tshirts, when it is their shoes people are supposed to like them for and Chanel glasses when it is their clothing that is the product I was forced to ask myself the same of the t-shirts, hats and hoodies that I seek out featuring my favorite brands that allow for my favorite activity.

The crazy part is, after much internal debate, I still feel a weird allegiance and justification in wearing clothing from these brands like Independent, I Path, Alien Workshop and Habitat skateboards. Is it wrong? Maybe it is. Somehow I still feel justified in being a walking billboard, even proud to be one for these companies. It's like wearing a band's t-shirt, it somehow feels like you are helping them out by being their billboard. It is a weird phenomena for sure, and I feel a bit silly now . . . though not enough to start wearing logoless t-shirts exclusively.

Reflecting on IMPACT

Well all of my IMPACT ideas went excruciatingly horrible and I am not real sure if any of them worked but at least I learned what not to do and how to expand on my ideas to make them a little more successful.
DAY 1:
I decided that anyone who made eye contact with me I would smile at and well some people smiled back awkwardly and sometimes I forgot and would draw back myself. I never realized how difficult it is to make eye contact with people. Why do we fear contact with others?
So, I realized that I need to put myself out there more and I realized how isolated people have really become. I would like to see our community go back to caring about one another and making those personal connections that we fear so much.
DAY2:
I decided to carry all of the trash that I accumulated in one day. I noticed that I barely filled half of a garbage bag. I also noticed that instead of try to limit the trash that I accumulated I tried to maximize it for a greater effect which was the complete opposite of what I was trying to do. I wanted to try and reduce as much as I could but kept thinking about how undramatic it looked and felt it would not make much of a difference.
learned though that maybe I should have done it for a week and them it would have worked out more and I learned that I am not that wasteful physically but I am energy wasteful, so if I could find a way to represent that then I think it would be more successful.
Let me know if you think of any ideas, please?
DAY 3:
I chose to take my trash to Erskine to demonstrate how much trash I and other students accumulate in a 24hour period, but only three students showed up and it was still less then half a bag of trash so it back fired.
I learned though that we should include others besides those in our class and maybe expand the time period to a week, lay out more specific rules and to make a more dramatic demonstration we could have dumped the trash on a tarp in Erskine and sorted it out in a certain way. That could have made this demonstration on human waste more powerful and dramatic.
DAY 4:
I have always been concerned about abortions but since it is such a sensitive subject and I do not like to get into arguments or confrontations I have always been quiet about it. So, I really wanted to do something to get information out about how disturbing this situation has gotten and how most people do not even know what or how it happens. First, I thought of printing off fliers with aborted babies on them and then put safe sex phrases and statistics on the posters to really bring this situation into public eye. But, I have to admit I backed down because of fear of getting into trouble and of dealing with closed minded people.
Instead I went and researched the stats and printed then out in labels of 48 count attached them to suckers and placed them in different areas of the student center. I don't know if these stats will change anyone's opinion or make anyone care but even if it changed one person's mind about the whole thing I feel successful.
I would like to someday do something more dramatic to really put a face to these unborn babies but at least I did something besides just sitting back and letting it go like I usually do.
This subject is the only one I felt the most passionate about and the only one that I want to do more than anything, because "If a mother can kill her own child what else is there left to destroy in the West" -Mother Theresa. There are so many other options that a mother has as opposed to abortion. There are some reasons for it I do agree but when it gets to the point that 93% of the abortions are for birth control reasons and ONLY 1% because of RAPE or INCEST then we are doing something wrong!

I could improve this by doing more of the candy or instead of candy I could use condoms or the horrifying posters. I hope to build up to this.

Student Activities MUST approve WISDOM (?)

Well as I was typing my previous post, I heard the familiar disgusting sound of walkie-talkies and loud boots. Then crumpled paper. Crumpled paper again. Voice on the walkie talkie:

"These signs everywhere that say FREE WISDOM aren't approved by Student Activities. Yeah they have quotes on them..."

More crumpled paper.
Really?
We have to have someone APPROVE a piece of paper, that is just doing...GOOD?
This could be from JESUS himself! I say, Student Activities can suck it. I pay too much to go here and be censored. I could see if it was rambling obscenities, but it wasn't.

Disappointing, and dumb. I think I may make more impact this weekend.

Making Impact on this little campus.

In no particular order:

[1]
I stole something from a site that Chitwood posted a week or two ago. On the chalkboard in Erskine hall I wrote:





I came back about 30 minutes later and what do you know:






Although it may seem small, we sometimes forget to evaluate what we feel and why. I know I'm too busy to even stop to consider if I'm busy with things that are making me happy. It felt good to kind of create an opportunity for someone else to let themselves and others know what they are feeling and why.




[2]
I printed out about 20 of these and posted them all over campus.






I guess with both of these I'll never truly know how much of an impact I could have made the other people's days...but I do think that both of these were unexpected and may have caused others to take some kind of change of direction in thought. It was funny, because I was scared to do both of these. That is so dumb, I was scared to be caught by someone doing something different. I even walked past the chalkboard a couple of times because I knew that this was something that hadn't been done here before, and I was a little timid in fear of getting in trouble. I guess from this exercise the biggest thing I've learned is we have to put ourselves out there, without fear. We can't be afraid to do something different, or everything will remain the same. In order to make impact, someone needs to be a leader and think outside of the box.


[3]

My senior show class consists of nine other students who I am very close to. We sometimes get discouraged in the class because it involves a lot of critique, so I tried to do something to remind them how much I cared about them and their individual work. Before class began I told them I had a small honest note for them to read. I'll make fun of Corey now, but I'm sure he would be fine with it. His read, "Athough people think you are a bit unusual, I admire you for being yourself." I wrote one to my professor who has been with me a couple of years and hers said, "If it weren't for you, I would have changed my major, and have been very unhappy."
I know it is small, but maybe that impact moreso for myself. How often do we take the time to consider why we appreciate the people in our lives (even if they are just classmates.?
They had nice reactions and said thankyou. I think though since I took the time to try and understand why they are significant in my life, I can appreciate our relationships more.
I also brought them cookies, which I'm sure made an impact on their day.


They didn't eat all of them so...


[4]
I set up the rest of the cookies on a podium in the middle of Wehrle with a sign that read,

Working hard? Have a cookie & Keep it up.

Some of the professors said they were really pleased, and the next day ALL of the cookies were gone. SUCCESS.

C.S. Lewis

"...Every one is to work with his own hands, and what is more, every one's work is to produce something good: there will be no manufacture of silly luxuries and then of sillier advertisements to persuade us to buy them." - C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (Book 3, The Three Parts of Morality)


"...What is the good of drawing up, on paper, rules for social behaviour, if we know that, in fact, our greed, cowardice, ill temper, and self-conceit are going to prevent us from keeping them? I do not mean for a moment that we ought not to think, and think hard, about improvements in our social and economic system. What I do mean is that all that thinking will be mere moonshine unless we realise that nothing but the courage and unselfishness of individuals is ever going to make any system work properly. It is easy enough to remove the particular kinds of graft or bullying that go on under the present system: but as long as men are twisters or bullies they will find some new way of carrying on the old game under the new system. You cannot make men good by law: and without good men you cannot have a good society. That is why we must go on to think of the second thing: of morality inside the individual." - C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (Book 3, The Three Parts of Morality)


I thought that it would be interesting to post these after doing some reading for my philosophy class (379b). This section is based on Morality, mostly focusing on Christian Morality, but the above posted did have, I guess, an impact on me.

Transition Culture

I also just went to the Drexel theater to see a free film about sustainability with a few people. The whole film is embeded on this site: http://transitionculture.org/in-transition/

It was pretty interesting, very positive and inspiring- showing examples of smaller towns and villages which are making the transition from oil based life styles. It was broken down into categories: Food, Economy, Transport, Government ect. It reminded me heavily of the kind of activity David Berman had in mind in his speech and in the book.
Check it out if you're interested.

After the film we were throwing around the idea of an ODU produce garden and what the possibilities of that were? (or even an off campus urban gardening project)

Designers Helping Haiti

I found this article on a blog I visit frequently. It includes examples of design work that people have done for Haiti relief. Many of the images are amazing, and good examples of how designers can inspire the public to do good. There are more links included in the post of other ways designers have helped during this tragedy.

http://designinformer.com/help-haiti-designers-getting-involved/

Service or Selfish

Hello Everyone,

I hope everyone has enjoyed their week. I just came from being a guest on a radio internet talk show this evening. The question came to me about service. What does it truly mean to be of service to others? I felt this was relevant to our class as we discuss design in the context of giving others a positive influence. "Doing a good, (a service) to others. But, at the end of the day, why are we really wanting to give others a positive influence and/or perception in our design. Is it to fufill a dream or goal of our own? Is it to "do good" for the community? Is it because we truly care about each other? Why?

Just thought I would post these thoughts, didn't have to much to add for now but I encourage you all to contemplate with me on these questions......

-Britt

Illegal Art

Here is something that I'm sure Herb has brought up if you have had other classes with him. It's pretty great public art, usually with a community message. http://www.illegalart.org/

New Coke advertisement

How do you guys feel about this?

Our Movement - Official Store - TOMS Shoes - A Pair of New Shoes is Given to a Child in Need With Every Pair Purchased - One for One - TOMSshoes.com

Our Movement - Official Store - TOMS Shoes - A Pair of New Shoes is Given to a Child in Need With Every Pair Purchased - One for One - TOMSshoes.com

After reading the first few chapters of "Do Good Design" I have a whole new outlook on design. I never really took the time to think of design in this type of manner. I always just looked at design as advertising a product for consumers but I didn't think of the negative impact it could have. As designers it is important for us to make sure we are sending a good message through design.

The point Berman used on page 13, "What could become possible if designers used their power to influence choices and beliefs in a positive and sustainable way? Imagine: what if we didn't just do good design.. we did good?", is a very strong statement. We have the power to persuade people for the better. An example Berman used was about the cigarette company's directing their ads to our younger generation in order to influence them in smoking from teen years until the end of their life. There comes a point where you have to think, is this taking it to far? To advertise a product that is so unhealthy to an age that it is illegal to take action in what they are trying to sell.

Berman brings up many fascinating points just in these first few chapters. He gives a whole new perspective to me about design and has given me a better outlook on what I can do with design. I was also inspired by the quote Berman chose to use on the bottom of page 19:

“There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth. We are all crew.”

HERBERT “MARSHALL” MCLUHAN (1911–1980)

'No passengers- We are all crew!'... I love it! There is no riding along and you must all work together to accomplish the better things in life on Earth.

Save us from what we want

I thought this class would be interested in the public relations campaign for Simple, a shoe and garment company-- very eco friendly, limited production and a *simple* but beautiful tagline somewhere on every item: Save me from what I want. So direct- so powerful-- and you want to buy more but you can't because of limited production. Evil genius or uber-socially responsible?

Dove Commercial

Jennifer mentioned this in her comment to my post, and I think it relates to what Sheena was saying in hers. It is a pretty popular campaign, and Dove has done other things like their 'Real Beauty' campaign if anyone else was interested. After seeing things like this, and learning about the Dove company, I want to buy their products because I'm actually consuming in a healthier way and supporting the programs they have for young women and the positive messages they are trying to communicate. Maybe if we as consumers took the time to research where our money goes when we buy things, businesses with no morals would fail.

What are we doing to oursleves?

This book was a lot more interesting than I thought but as I was flying through it all I could think about was what if we are too late. All of the topics affect us because it is our world that we are destroying. Design has affected the economy to be what it is now or what it is lacking now, everyone striving for even the most menial of jobs just to get by. Are we really changing anything to make a better future? All we hear now is how we need to recycle and we need to go green but is anyone really able to make the sacrifice?

The one statement that really hit me is where Berman is talking about the ship and the iceberg and that we will have to make changes now to avoid the “iceberg” because if we are too late we will inevitably die. WOW! I have never thought of it before but that really brought things into perspective to me. I have always been a bit of a worry wart about issues and sometimes get on kicks about certain causes but thinking back I have never really done anything to change these situations. I can talk until I am blue in the face to people about these issues but will it do anything and have I, nope. I lack the ability to follow through which is the problem most people seem to have. It almost seems impossible or not worth the fight because a lot of people are against you but now all I can think of is what does it take?

I think it affects me in the fact that there cannot be anymore waiting around for someone else to speak up. Our generation needs to take charge and change these habits before our planet our entire species or any more species are wiped out. No more worrying about what’s the newest technology I don’t need but I want in my house. I tend to fall in love with new things just like anyone else and I have never realized just how much influence ads and commercials have. It is a good feeling to have a nice shiny new toy especially when the ad makes it seem like our lives will be easier, but after reading this I feel like our way is doing something wrong. We buy all these new things thinking or hoping that it will fill this void in our lives but it doesn’t. I know that sometimes I feel I need this or that to be able to do certain things or to feel better about how my day went but in the end I never do.

Decisions About Deception

“Designers have far more power than they realize; their creativity fuels the most efficient (and most destructive) tools of deception in human history.” D. Berman

In this first reading, Berman points out that humankind have the unique gift of communication. We can share information with one another locally or globally, and with future generations to come. Berman states that with this gift comes great responsibility because it is powerful. Visual communication is powerful because it reaches so many people easily. Our world is bombarded with images and messages telling us what are new, the best, the easiest way to get the things we want and become the people we wish to be. Reaching a particular desired lifestyle is this carefully constructed campaign designed to sell the latest car or most fashionable pair of jeans. And I am guilty of both being persuaded to consume and use my powers of manipulation to convince others to do the same.

As a photographer I am often selling my clients, frequently Brides, this idea of perfection. I prey on the dreams and desires of their fantasy wedding day showing them manipulated images of carefully constructed scenarios. I am careful to use lighting and angles to create flattering images of my clients. I use software to manipulate these pictures to make the subjects have clearer skin, whiter teeth, and skinnier figures. I do all of these things without hesitation or thought. This way of doing things is normal to me. These are tactics I was taught by predecessors. These are the kind of images I see on television and in magazines. My livelihood depends entirely on selling the deception I can create with my camera.

So the question becomes, now that I have realized the power I contain, what will I do with it?

Art is a Very Powerful Thing

Art is a very powerful thing. There is art all around us. We see it when we drive down the street, pick up a magazine, turn on the television, or open our internet browsers. Through their art artists can tell stories, instill ideas and values, and influence public opinion and perception. Designers and artists speak in a visual language, this visual language is universal and understood by all.

Berman says that “Designers have more power than they realize: their creativity fuels the most efficient (and most destructive) tools of deception in history.” Artist and designers have great power, and as everyone knows “With great power comes great responsibility.” A good design can change someone’s way of thinking and influence action. Advertisements can make people feel and act certain ways. Designers can set social trends. They decide what people should and should not buy or pay attention to. We are a species of consumption. We live in a society where one’s possessions and ability to purchase are associated with power and prestige. Commercial ads tell consumers what shoes to wear, cars to drive, and music to listen to.

A community is about equality, unity, and the common good. It is not about dominance, control, power, or prestige. If designers create ads that tell consumers that they have to have a certain pair of shoes, drive a certain kind of car, or listen to a certain style of music, than the community will become divided. It will be divided between those individuals that respond to those ads, and those individuals that do not. Designers and artists should use their skill and talents to unite people, not divide them.

Art is a very powerful thing. Visual language is something that can unite. Berman says “the same design that fuels over consumption also holds the power to repair the world.” Artists and designers can address issues such as equal rights, global warming, and universal healthcare and important statements can be made. Berman tells us that “We live in an unprecedented technological age, where we can each leave a larger legacy by propagating our best ideas than by propagating our chromosomes.” It is up to the individual artist or designer to decide what they will do. Divide, or unite? What kind of legacy will they leave?

Fight Bad Fads with "Good" Ads

After reading the first few pages of "Do Good Design" I have to say that I agree with most of the things brought up.

Designers have a great influence on people, that this "power" can do, and does both good and bad. I do have to add that the designer may have a huge push of influence, but it is my opinion that in the end, it is the viewers' choice. We should still change the way advertisements are now because of that huge push of influence. It is still the viewers' choice but a problem is that the viewer doesn't have all of the information at the same time they are viewing the ad. As consumers and designers, we need to be educated and help educate on the things that we see in our daily lives and know both the reward and the consequences.

When reading "Do Good Design" I thought of an example of something my mom had once said to me. She had come up to me once a few days before my birthday a while back and asked what I had wanted. She had then gone on asking if I had wanted some kind of purse because all of her co-workers had one (or many). Because everyone else had something, which is the reason why I needed to get something? So as I type this, I thought of that question asked, why do we consume? Do we really need something? Fads, the want for something we don't really need or can't afford, and advertisement. At this point I looked up advertisement for popular name brand purses, go take a look for yourselves. Personally, I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on something my pocket can do, and where in come cases, my pocket can do a better job.

Now will I do good design? My idea is to take the first window that opens after graduation, especially in this economy. I don't know where exactly I will end up at this point. I don't know if will create "good" moral designs or not, especially in cases where I may be pretty much told what to make; since of course, things should be make to benefit sales in the eyes of most businesses.

It frightens me that our creations can do such things and I don't believe advertisement can or will change anytime soon, more things need to be done. As consumers and designers we need to help inform people of the possible consequences and battle negative advertisement.

Money or Morals?

Everything our senses react to, can be transformed into design. I would agree with the reading that about anything can be perceived into, or as a design.

Design and marketing has obviously changed from futures documented, and what we’ve lived our years through. It’s easy to see that our generation as the reading states it will take a new spin with what we make visually, and perceptually. I do believe however, we will like the times have been, gain more freedom in our design.

I agree from a standpoint that morals and beliefs may object your mind. However this is the time your interest in digital design or marketing can offend, harm, or kill when you advertise for their product. Working to advertise, promote, or just get out your expression through work or self freedom gives you the realm to do what you want with technology. To give opinion on the additive networking through technology. I believe one may choose to use of subscribe to what they want. And with many you design/market for, the more successful your work is. Though Interest to many, it brings the human mind bad thoughts immediately, overuse, mass distributing, and mass of interest to a work of your design can be brought simply by an item of food, purchased only for a successful design and/or packaging. A type of soup, or goods we use daily could be purchased simply for it’s designed package and not for it’s health benefits. This is where a person morality is stricken. Do you design for the good of the products outcome and meaning, or design for the success of sale no matter what it looks, or will take part to be.

If your choice of a designer is based upon something personal or with a close community, or charity than you’re audience is different. And with all design comes judgmental thinking, just as social network addiction causes conflicting opinions. With world all deals with social judgment, and that causes a spark for design. We judge with what we use as our senses. With our eyes relating so close to thinking, I agree with the reading that our powerful senses take in any attraction to aesthetically break it down both visually and mentally, or dislike it using the same thinking.

http://www.davidairey.com/advertising-to-children-right-or-wrong/

What is this word? g-o-o-d?

Reading through the first 30 pages of Do Good Design, I kept trying to ponder how his ideas, and the issues he highlights affect me. This idea that designers have a great power with their work and potential work affects me as both a designer and consumer. I said in class that I struggle with my own ideas from time to time. One of my biggest problems and insecurities is the fact that I have many superficial desires in regards to appearance, how I am presented, and in general what people think of me. I've always felt the need to be admired by others, and wanted.

Something struck me when Berman showed the Mazda advertisement on page 4. If you remember, The ad simply had an image of the car, and text that read, "Insects call it 'the widowmaker.' The ad seems all too familiar and even harmless until we actually think of what it really means. "The ad copy promises to boost your confidence, as you master weaker things (4)." This hit a spot within me and made me think about my own decisions for a second: Is that where these desires come from? Do I buy the newest clothes and shoes so I appear better than other people? I think a lot of the time that is my intention, and as much as I hate to propose this idea: am I a victim of good advertising? I almost want to go as far as to say that our society has almost molded the idea of being a woman synonymous with not only appearance, but just aiming to please others in general.

Perhaps I'm getting too personal, but the reality is that these advertisements and marketing campaigns for products and services are personal. As Berman states another time over-consumption is spurred on by our rapid advancements in psychology, speed, sophistication and technology (2). These large corporations pay skilled professionals to convince us to do something or buy something. They have the skills and knowledge to control society and the way we think by drowning us with propaganda and marketing techniques. Clothing and makeup brands know exactly who I am, where I go, what I read, what I do. They find me, and convince me to consume time and time again.

His article affects me as a designer as well, and I am presented with another struggle. Do I refuse to do design work for businesses that may offer me life sustainable work, but aren't presenting the most morally perfect idea? As I like to believe our world is basically controlled by short rich white men and I resent that, Should I suck it up so I can eat and pay my student loans? (With that being said I would refuse to work for Wal-Mart, for the record)

I know it seems a little deep on a personal level, and I promise next post I'll try not to talk about myself the whole time. What I'm wondering is: Have these money-loving, blood-sucking, soulless ideas and values been so embedded in me to I am at a point of no return? If there some type of salvation for myself, what about the designers who never thought to do good?

Do Good Design response 1

Having read the first 30 or so pages of Do Good Design, what I feel is a mixture of anxiety and inspiration. Anxiety because of how great a struggle there obviously is ahead of us as a global community and what personal struggles I will have to face my self. Inspiration because of how grand our struggle is that it annihalates an question of whether or not to be involved in the solutions and because Berman makes it seem like each individual has their part to play, and that playing that part is all it will take. We don't each individually have to change the world for everyone else, we just have to work towards it and the rest will fall into place.

When David Berman began Chapter 1: Start Now, by saying "Imagine for a moment you're just over 20 years old . . . You're proudly paying your own bills doing what you love," I thought to myself, "Pssh, I wish I could imagine that. I am just over 20 and barely keeping pocket cash around with no bills and a workstudy job." Then, add to this that we have to save the world; it becomes a very harsh reality check. However, these moments of fear I feel are washed over by the realization that purpose is everything.

When Berman presents the two timelines beginning on page 18, I am reminded that this is quite possibly the most exciting time to live- as we very literally become a global community rather than a competing mess of societies. I feel like I could read his passage on page 16 every morning as some kind of mantra to do good:
"Human civilizations have come and gone, risen and fallen.
Although most scientists believe our species has been around for at
least five million years, this approach to social organization is only
around 6,000 years old (10,000 at most). However, as science
philosopher Ronald Wright points out, after 6,000 years of experimenting
with civilization design, we humans now fi nd our selves
sailing together into the future on the one huge remaining ship of
a combined global civilization. Whether or not we welcome or
like the idea of globalization, we are witnessing in our lifetimes our
evolution into a singular, merged human community – the largest
ever. There are no more geographic New Worlds to discover: only a
shared destiny (pg 16)."
This passage sums up everything one needs to know in order to see what action to take. The only path that exists at this point is the one of teamwork, the path of dominance and control can only be a dead end. It seems clear to me that this notion of global community calls for every level of society to operate on the ideas of compassion and understanding, from the checkout line in the grocery, to the traffic on the way home, to the greatest endeavours of our nation's foreign policy.

If for some reason we psychologically need "enemies" to defeat, then as we become this global society perhaps we will recognize that there are plenty we, the entire human race, can all fight together.

POSTS REGARDING OUR READING

It would be nice as well to see some posts regarding the reading and what we discussed in class. Don't forget, by Friday at 12 Midnight, and repost by Monday at 6. (Even though we do not have class).

I will be posting and emailing you all as far as what to expect for next week.

H

More inspiration - Beautiful Losers

For a while now I've owned (and been obsessed) witha book called Beautiful Losers, which chronicles to some extent a group of street artists who are mostly still in work today who gained notoriety during the 1990s. They are tied together by the Do-It-Yourself aesthetic and through common threads of street culture- skateboarding, graffiti, low-budget film production, and photography. Recently a film version was shown in theaters and the DVD is out now.
The most inspiring thing, to me, about this film and book are their motivational presence. You can see how people who weren't seeing what they wanted to see made it for themselves, and by extension made livings doing what they love.

Here is the Trailer:


And you can watch the full movie in parts on youtube as well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Blk8N6pXUw0

Artists featured in the film include:
Shepard Fairey (OBEY)
Ed Templeton (Toy Machine)
Barry McGee
Margaret Kilgallen
Jo Jackson
Harmony Korine (writr of the films Kids and Gummo)
Mike Mills
& more

Freedom from the Known

Hello Everyone,

I hope everyone is enjoying the first week of classes. I am off to a really great start. (I guess you would be if your still at an A :) Nevertheless, I am going to enjoy all of my classes this semester!

Over break, I began reading an online book titled Freedom from the Known, written by a great Indian philospher by the name of Jiddu Krishnumerti.

I decided for this first blog that I would simply pose a question in regards to what Krishnumerti speaks about in this book.

Feel free to pose your thoughts. I value honesty and differences! I love hearing other people's opinions.

Question #1. If a person were to eliminate everything they were ever taught in life in effort to embrace a new understanding of their life; would they be denying themselves?

Question #2. What does our instution's motto really mean? If we say it is important to contemplate truth and share the fruits of this contemplation with others, how can we really know what is truth? How do we find out this truth? When others do not want to accept the "truth" from us, then have we still shared our fruits?

Krishnumerti was a writer, philospher and international lecturer. He was born May 12, 1895. He lived his whole life asking and attempting to answer questions surrounded by truth. To check out a portion of the book, follow this link:http://books.google.com/books?id=60fnDE7_hREC&printsec=frontcover&dq=freedom+from+the+known+jiddu+krishnamurti&source=bl&ots=agLvRkEkD7&sig=9hmvpHHFXEyxc2rUy966HoJs2Pw&hl=en&ei=hU9PS9TEO9CVtgeYi6WmCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CBMQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Until next class time,

Reflect

Graffiti that may help show the artistic difference between which takes time and talent and which is quick/non-art based

http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/10/40-striking-examples-of-graffiti-art/

A little more inspiration..

For a little more Inspiration, I just recently stumbled upon a non-profit organization based in Columbus, OH. It's called 'Pets Without Parents' and it is no-kill shelter who make a big effort in decreasing the amount of homeless cats and dogs. As an avid animal lover, I am always wanting to help out the sheltered cats and dogs. You can visit their website at www.petswithoutparents.net to learn more about what they do, why, and what you can do. You can donate and any amount makes a difference, even a couple of extra dollars. I also volunteer at the Franklin County Dog Shelter They have over 100 dogs who need homes or even a friend! You can go and take the dogs out for a walk or to play to get them out of those tiny cages for a little bit of time. It's so much fun and it is amazing how much these four-legged friends will appreciate it. You can visit their website at http://www.franklincountyohio.gov/commissioners/ancl/ . Have fun!!!

As designers, I do believe we have a better chance in persuading different audiences to believe in and respond to certain products, organizations, businesses, etc. You may come across many circumstances where in order to create a product you want your audience to believe in, you need to believe in it too. If you are creating an image for something you are passionate about, you are going to put in the effort to make a strong image. So find what you are passionate about and make an effort to make a difference.