Less But Better

I went to a talk by Dieter Rams at the V&A last week, with no tickets and 30 people on the waiting list, for a long time it looked like I wouldn't get to hear him. Yet perseverance paid off and a group of about 10 of us were let in for free!

I really enjoyed the talk, Rams is a charismatic designer, with his thick German accent and quick wit, I listened intently to what he had to say. His designs for Braun in the 1950s are believed to have inspired those of the Apple iPod, iPhone and iMac. This influence is clear when comparing the products, the beauty of his work is created by its simplicity.

Jay-Oh-Bees

Since graduating I have managed to obtain some good internships at a number of PR agencies in London. In January I worked at Ketchum, before moving on to Shine Communications and Cow PR in February. It's been great to get a feel for the way different agencies work, how they operate on a daily basis. Organisational culture has always interested in me, and I have been able to experience some diverse cultures over the past two months.

Interning for 2 week and one month periods is something I would recommend, not that I am shy or reserved in any way, but it can be a great help for graduates to come out of their shells and get a real feel for the working environment.

PR has really captured me, I think that in a recession it can be daunting but exciting to work in the creative industries. This is the the time to be noticed, to do something different, and to make an impression. I am hoping to continue to gain some valuable experience and further my knowledge of the business world outside of the classroom.

Landan

I'm currently in London, job hunting and interning. I do miss Florida already but will return in April for a few weeks, which will be nice. I like London, and am hoping to move in somewhere at the end of the summer.

I got so used to everyone being so friendly in America, I was after all at a small college with a real personal feel to it. But the city life can be a harsh and lonely one at times, with commuters and others so focused on their destinations, it would be nice for people to just slow down a little, making things more calm and friendly.

I found this quote:

"Don't count every hour in the day, make every hour in the day count."

And of all these commuters I see in the mornings and evenings, I imagine so many of them are counting down every hour from 9-5, just waiting to go home. I know that I want to enjoy my time at work, doing something I can enjoy and appreciate. I want to make the hours count.

Happy New Year and all that jazz

I've totally neglected my blog for the past month, for anybody for who actually cares, I'm sorry. Happy New Year! I'm hoping 2009 is going to be a good one, with all the negativity floating around I'm just going to see what happens and enjoy myself as much as possible.

I'm a college graduate now, tossed into the working world and trying to make something of myself. I really enjoyed Christmas, I ate too much, watched too many films and didn't go running as promised in my last blog post.

My new years resolutions for 2009 are:

Keep fit
Read more
Make a personal sketchbook
Explore my career goals
Find a job

Je-Nay

I couldn't tell you how many times I have heard my name in a Forrest Gump style 'Je-Nay' since I have been in America!

Soccer season is over now and although I have been playing leisurely, I have also been running to keep my fitness levels up. After a lazy break I felt the need to act like Forrest and run last night, I usually decide before I run how far I will go, a mile or two is typical. But last night I just ran. No lap counting. No nothing. Just me and my iPod. I loved it, I'll do it more often. Things are usually more fun when you don't have a set plan. I hope that's the case with graduate life too, as I'm still not 100% sure where I am going and what I am doing.

The Ice is this Thin....And you're Skating on it Laddy!!

A huge fan of the Mighty Ducks Trilogy, (the third was somewhat of a let down but I'm letting that slide) I got into roller blading when I was 9 or 10 and subsequently ice skated once or twice.

Over the Thanksgiving break I went ice skating again, the feeling of going on to the ice was unpredictably strange. No longer as confident in my skating abilities, I was slightly nervous as I stepped onto the ice. Scared...but of what? falling? failing? It didn't take long until my apprehension subsided, in fact, just one collision with the ice and my confidence flooded back. Before long I was skating backwards, and traveling at much higher speeds.

I guess the point of this blog entry is to express my feeling of relief, after making a mistake, I learned from it quickly and became much more experimental and free as a result.

Black Friday

It is a tradition in America for big sales to take place on what is referred to as 'Black Friday', the day after Thanksgiving. Many malls opened at 4 or 5am, enticing consumers with great deals and persuading them that they NEED this TV, handbag, dress or whatever other material object you may choose.

I'm all for a sale. But isn't it interesting how stores have managed to convince us that it is so important to buy their products at such ridiculous hours? So materialistic is the world in which we now live, that it's scary how we easily neglect the more pressing issues.

A tragedy occurred in a Long Island WalMart store when Jdimyati Damour was trampled to death by a stampede of shoppers. What kind of people trample on others just to get a sale item? I think this incident says something about society and our need for change. Barack...sort it out will ya! ;)