How to Make it Through the Day

I stopped for Sonic's awesome Hazelnut Java Chiller on the way to work and had a mental image of myself with a more enduring supply to get me through the workday. It's a short drive from Sonic to my office and the large drink doesn't survive the journey. With an IV connection to an infinite supply of breakfast milkshake, all would be right in my world!

IF: Fierce!

This started out as a drawing of a tire. From there, I decided to fill the whole page as quickly as possible. Using sketchy line work, I covered the entire page with this scene of mousy plotting and planning. Do you ever wonder what's going on in their world as you mow "your" yard. Maybe I'll use this as my excuse not to mow. I know my neighbor won't fall for it, though. She's a hater :)

Heated

I like to do a warm-up sketch some mornings to get me thinking creatively before I get bogged down in the daily work load. It's nice to do a drawing that's not linked to a project or assignment. I'm not creating for a marketing piece; just letting my mind wonder and seeing what I come up with off the top of my head. It starts as a very loose scribble because I have no goals or prerequisites demanding that I know where I'm going. It reminds me of being a kid and drawing what I loved because I loved to draw, not creating within someone else's box in order to pay the bills.

Summer Summer Time!

It was 94 degrees yesterday (around here, anyway). Although the calendar says the first official day of summer is not here yet, when warm weather sets in and I am reminded that my truck AC doesn't work, it is officially summer for me. Plus, we went swimming over the weekend, so that helps set the tone.

If I had someone to take care of a pool for me, I would seriously consider turning my entire backyard into a swimming pool so I could snorkel more!

Do You Share Our Rage?

I work in marketing and I understand one of the last things a company wants is to have their "top-of-mind" image be something negative or derogatory. Sometimes, though, the consumer brands a company in a way that is not flattering, but is still accurate. Case in point:

My wife and I have created a new term that relates to one of the largest brands (Wal-mart). We call it "Wally-Rage." We frequently experience Wally-rage when we brave the crazy masses shopping at the only option our city has. I can't count the number of times I've spent several minutes picking up stuff I need, only to set it back down and flee the store as Wally-rage sets in. Wally-rage also rears its ugly head when Wal-mart employees nearly run us over while pushing skids of boxes around the aisles, or leave them blocking the aisle we need to access. This happens way too much for my taste, and Wally-rage is starting to leave scars.

Initially, Wally-rage only had post-encounter symptoms. Now, however, I notice a feverish attack of anxiety before we even arrive at Wal-mart. We've driven around the parking lot, our shopping list in hand, only to race away from the store as the sharp claws of Wally-rage grasped for us from the store entrance.

There is hope: Meijer and Target are both planning stores for our city. Going there will probably feel like therapy after years of fighting the rage. Perhaps they can help pull us back from the darkness...

-Rick

(If you haven't heard of or seen Noah Brier's innovative-branding concept called "Brand Tag Clouds," you must check it out to get a good idea of what I mean by consumer branding. It's a lot of fun to see what people have in mind for certain brands.) http://www.noahbrier.com/archives/2008/05/brand_tags.php