Parker Brand Consulting: Camps

Showing posts with label Camps. Show all posts

Jan 15, 2011

Blamestorm VS Brainstorm

I'm always looking for an update over at Tom Fishburne's blog, "Marketoonist." They're usually spot on, bringing to light Tom's thoughts on various advertising subjects that many hard-boiled ad-suits would find too taboo to actually say out loud.

His recent ad-toon coins the phrase "blamestorming," and while my take on the phrase may have a bit different spin, I believe Tom is revealing a very real brainstorming problem, where creative teams, bloated with multiple swollen egos, devolve into finger pointing pros who miss the point of why they gathered.

In my experience, a brainstorm morphs into a blamestorm when a creative team meets under the guise of getting something creative done, but instead uses the time to criticize or poo-poo on any ideas that may come out during the jam session. Do any research on brainstorming and you'll hear the popular phrase, "there is no such thing as a bad idea." Everyone likes to say that, but as Tom Fishburne points out, too often it's more like, "remember, there's no such thing as unconstructive criticism."

I've sat through many of these blamestorms over the years. I've always wondered if the folks running the creative meeting had any sense of what a brainstorming session was at all.

A brainstorming session should be a place where ideas are born and captured, regardless of value or correctness. Then, after the ideas are all out on the table, every rabbit hole having been explored, the ideas are sifted through, then paired with one another, allowing something new and great to be born. Working in this way allows a true team to form, every member seeing their input play an important part in the final direction.

When's the last time you've worked on team where the brainstorming session truly created something wonderful and new? Was it painful getting there? In my opinion, it should never be a challenge of egos in a brainstorming session, with each individual trying to out create the other, or prove that they're the saltier marketer.

A brainstorming session should always be about the client and their project, the goal being to determine the best direction, and hopefully that direction will be fueled by the collective creativity of everyone involved, the client included.

Posted via email from The Parker Brand Picture Post!

Oct 20, 2010

Dissatisfaction=Action (Time To Do Something Different)

I've always been bothered by excessive consumption. It has never really sat right with me, and there were times in my life when I would try to make sweeping changes in my life to rectify this. Each time I've went down that road I've realized pretty quickly that it's near to impossible to go all-or-nothing, especially raising a family, in our country. I've tried to find ways to satiate this dissatisfaction, but I would fall back into old habits and go about business as usual.

Well, the old sting has come back, but this time I've decided to make small, easy changes that I can truly implement on a personal level, and some that I can apply at home daily with my family as well. I want to share the journey, and my thoughts, with you.

I've openly shared my thoughts with others and I often get asked, "How does this fit in with your job? Aren't you in advertising?" I think this is a very good question, and it makes me look even harder at my chosen profession. I often ask myself this very thing. Being in advertising, a field that is very obviously geared towards the buying and selling of goods, can I honestly be true to my own feelings about consumerism without being a hypocrite? And on a side note, does this perspective that I embrace keep me from being good at my job?

I think the answer lies somewhere in the middle for me. I've always sort of half-joked that the reason I'm decent at small-market advertising is because I'm not a victim to it. I resist being "sold," always keeping a healthy dose of skepticism about the advertising I am exposed to.

I think that advertising can be creative field that can do a lot of good, especially if the program, event, business or group is offering something this is truly beneficial to the community. Of course, there's also the reality that it's just pushing another plastic bottle, or styro-foam cup, encouraging people to "buy and toss," rather than reuse.

I've decided to walk that tightrope, and live in the middle-grey area, for now. I think that embracing these thoughts and finding a way to apply them to my craft will be good for me and my clients. It will help me look deeper into what they do, and the message they are trying to communicate to the public by approaching it with honesty, looking for ways to create the most impact with the smallest drain on resources.

In presentations concerning social media I've often said that the dissatisfied will light the world on fire, while the satisfied sleep in the flames. That seems to apply here. Often, satisfaction breeds complacency, but dissatisfaction leads to action. Small actions. Small steps. Real, workable application in everyday life. That's the path I plan to take. I'll keep you posted on how it's going. -OP

Jun 25, 2010

Southwest Louisiana Arts Camp 2010: Celebrating the Arts and the Creative Spirit for 30 Years

I've been sending my children to the Arts Camp in Southwest Louisiana for the past four years. The camp is held during the first month of summer, beginning the first week that school lets out for break. It's turned into something that they both really look forward to each year, counting down the days as school ends and art camp begins.

For the last two years the camp has been held on the campus of the Lake Charles Boston Academy for Learning. It is a much larger facility than in years past. As a parent of participating children, I think the move to this facility was smart, and I take it as a sign that the Camp has grown.

Each year, on the final day of camp, they hold an open-house event for everyone in the community to come and enjoy the campers' work on display. This year the bulk of the work was displayed in the campus gymnasium, which made the viewing experience all the more enjoyable.

It was really nice to see the large crowd come out. When you see the parents, families and children all gathered in one place to see their individual camper's work you really get a sense that there is something special happening with this program.

They had a nice refreshments area at the event last night. I saw this sign at the station, and it was then that I realized the camp had been around for 30 years. What an accomplishment!

In the same area, there was a display of 30 years of Arts Camp t-shirts. A t-shirt can be a small thing, but when you see them collected in one place like this you realize that you and your children are a part of something special. There is history there.

I'm always excited each year to hear about my childrens' projects. They really seem to get into them, and I love the way they share the details when they get home. It's always such a treat to finally see their work. What they share with their words paints a mental picture, and I find that what I see in my minds-eye is never quite correct.

I usually sign my daughter up for cartooning and drawing, since that seems to be where her strengths and interests lie. Right now, she's really into wolves and manga style art, so much of what she produced reflects those affinities.

Samples of Lily's Work

My son, seems to have a different set of interests. He loves making craft-art, so I try to get him in the classes that focus on building things, or making art from other objects.

Samples of Jonah's Work

I feel extremely blessed to live in a community that offers a summer program for children that is so enriching, and I am even more grateful that my livelihood provides me with the means to send them each year. It brings them so much joy each summer. It would be truly heartbreaking for me if I were not able to provide this for them.

I believe that the Southwest Louisiana Arts Camp helps my children express themselves creatively, helping them grow into more well rounded individuals. It teaches them to use their imagination, and shows them that if they can think of something in their mind then they can make it real with their tools and hands. This camp also teaches them that there is a large community of creative people out there with good hearts and kind spirits. To me this is the most important lesson of all.

Soon, my daughter will be too old to attend the camp, so I hope to see her stay involved by working as an assistant, eventually volunteering her time to teach, like many of the art campers from the past. I believe that teaching children to live well, be smart, be kind and utilize the creative aspects of their mind is truly holy work. If my children are motivated to take that path in life, then I'll give my bones to the wind without a fight.

As I browsed the plethora of art, several individual pieces and displays really stood out to me. Some were simply attractive because of color, others design, and some skill. There were many that simply made me smile.
I've done my best to clump these favorites together. I hope the young artists, assistants and instructors will forgive my titles.

"Psychodelica"

"Hoot Masquerade"

"Under Sea Glass"

"Twitter Birds"

"Random-O-Rama"

These faves are only a small sampling of the work that was on display. I took a lot of pictures of the works at the event, and have put them into the gallery below. Take a minute and treat yourself to the creative goodness that is the result of the 2010 Southwest Louisiana Arts Camp.

If you're interested in seeing some of the work from the 2009 Art Camp, you can click over and see that gallery here.