How to Make Your Commute Inspirational
Image courtesy of www.sxc.hu
I spend approximately two hours a day in my car commuting to and from work. For the first few months, I really let this get to me and would often arrive at work stressed and spend my first few minutes back at home cranky from fighting traffic, sleepiness and winter weather. Then I decided to alter my commute and use the time spent in my car to get into a good frame of mind simply by choosing to listen to something uplifting. This could be:
- Happy songs on the radio
- A favorite podcast
- An inspirational audio book
Audio books are my favorite – especially books about marketing and PR. It’s a great way to learn about new techniques that might help my clients or get a refresher course on best practices to help me focus for the work day ahead. For example, I just finished All Marketers are Liars by Seth Godin. It’s a short book on the importance of telling an authentic story about how your product or service fits the world view of your audience.
What’s your story? Whatever it is, we at Nereus can help you tell it.
Get Inspiration Flowing with Some Team Building
Inspiration come
s in many shapes, forms and locations. For some, inspiration can be found at a concert, a serene nature park or a rousing sports game. For me, I always find a great deal of inspiration in any opportunity to collaborate, brainstorm and talk with my teammates.
The Nereus team recently engaged in a team outing at Big Al’s here in Beaverton, consisting of pizza, bowling and good conversation. The chance to step out of the office setting and have a varying array of conversation with my colleagues is not only refreshing, but gets my creativity flowing. Being the gregarious person that I am, laughter and camaraderie that results from team building activities always leads me to feeling energized when we set foot back in the office.
For more pictures of the Nereus bowling outing, visit our Facebook page!
Brody off Broadway
Glossophobia is the fear of public speaking. It is believed to be the single most common phobia, affecting as many as 75% of all people. When ranked among fears, it is generally the number one fear, surpassing even the fear of death. http://www.fearofstuff.com/humans/fear-of-public-speaking/
What inspires me?
The 25% who fear death.
And the even smaller percentage of individuals who not only don’t fear public speaking, but actually relish it, taking it one step further (okay, a few), purposely choosing to regularly participate in the activity commonly known as Improvisation (Improv), voluntarily performing on stage in public with no notes, no forethought, and no plan whatsoever.
Who are these people who so willingly succumb to the stuff that nightmares are made of?
They’re surprisingly easy to find.
You can find them in your office diligently working in their cubicles (quietly noting fodder for that night’s performance), working at your local Starbucks (imagine the potential storylines customers provide), negotiating a merger (Improv would sure come in handy here), anywhere, really.
Top 10 Reasons I’m Inspired by Those Who Aren’t Afraid to Make a Scene:
10. Improvers are the masters of collaboration.
9. They aren’t afraid to be uncomfortable. They use it. They work through it. And they’re better for it.
8. An Improver will never allow an awkward silence (unless it’s intentional).
7. They understand that creativity is often bred by the uncomfortable feeling that you’re unprepared. And they prepare for it.
6. They can sit in a coffee shop, observe a social situation from afar and tell you what just happened, having never heard a word.
5. They make decisions with the information they have at the time. And they don’t spend too much time deliberating. Or apologizing.
4. They are willing to take one for the team. And the team is willing to take one for them.
3. They have lightening quick reflexes.
2. They are never boring (unless it’s intentional).
1. They feel the fear and do it anyway.
Austin Inspiration: Live Music Capital of the World
Ms. A, as she is known by her students, Akina Adderley and the Vintage Playboys - one of Austin’s local greats
I can remember the moment I realized that I might really like living in Austin when I first moved here. I was pulling into my new drive-up dry cleaners and spotted this guy sitting there playing his guitar (racks of freshly cleaned clothes spinning around above him). He wasn’t doing it to entertain, maybe to pass the time between customers, but most likely just because he felt like it. Not only did it turn out to be an excellent dry cleaning service (even open on the one snow day that shut down Austin last year) but that image has stuck in my mind as the epitome of what makes Austin great. It’s the love for music- something about it just makes people nicer.
Flickr
It doesn’t need to be time for Austin City Limits or SXSW for music in Austin. It’s everywhere and it’s wonderful. One of our office building neighbors on 6th & Congress is an amazingly talented graphic artist by day and plays occasional Cello gigs at Franks hot dog spot at night, the guy who cuts my hair is the lead singer in his band, and my daughter’s schoolteacher is one of the most amazing live acts you’ll ever experience (see Ms. A video). The pool man, random drums on the street corner, a Tuesday night with Aretha Franklin at ACL Live’s Moody Theater, the Starbuck’s barista by day/musician by night- we are so fortunate to be surrounded by such talent and love of music- that’s what I call inspiration.
Side Note:
What’s the protocol for recording shows with your new iPhone 4S? The video is great with just the stage lit up but how polite is it? I usually go with the flow- if everyone else is doing it, I pull mine out. The last concert I went to had a sea of iPhones held up in the audience.
20 Things in 20 Miles: Tammie’s Hobbies–Creativity Superstore
As all my colleagues know, my husband has an insatiable addiction to building and flying R/C helicopters and airplanes. And we aren’t talking about the kind that children play with in a park on a sunny day; these are serious flying machines that require mechanical skill and lots of time and space. As much as this hobby can be trying on my patience (due to soldering burns on the kitchen counters and the hanging maze of aircraft in our apartment study), it is actually a very complex and interesting hobby.
I can see that this hobby provides its fans with a sense of achievement and pride when an aircraft is built from pieces into a well-engineered machine, and the key is to never stop improving. There is always tuning to be done for the bearings, tweaking in the landing gears or radio configurations to be made for improved flight control. Keeping this in mind, you will understand why I (by association) have become a “regular” at Tammie’s Hobbies.
Originally, visiting Tammie’s gave me flashbacks of spending two hours looking at paint chips in a store with my mom when I was 10, but recently I have started making more of an effort to explore this hands-on hobby wonderland.
My favorite area is the train section. Here you will see people of all ages − a dad and his son or two guys who have obviously been at this hobby for more than 50 years − all working on building a village or train yard using an assortment of pieces. It is inspiring to see how people will devote so much attention to this hobby, and being a person who appreciates extreme attention to detail, I just can’t help but love the town dog figurine and miniature rose bushes, all built perfectly to scale.
I now appreciate Tammie’s as a creativity superstore. It is a place that allows people to use the same rail pieces, box cars, buildings and signs but create something completely unique−a great lesson for even the seasoned PR pro. Although you may be required to include the same components in every press release or media campaign, it doesn’t mean there isn’t a different way of doing it. Food for thought.
Images courtesy of Flickr.com
My Favorite Place
Ever since I first discovered the joy of reading, thanks to Nancy Drew and her gal pals Bess and George, the library has been my favorite place for inspiration and imagination. Growing up in a small town in Oregon, our closest library was 10 miles away, and during the summer months a weekly trip to the library was the greatest treat for my sisters and me. We devoured books and, of course, Nancy Drew was our favorite. Who wouldn’t want to be an 18-year old crime solver?
Today, I live six blocks and work five blocks from the central library in Austin, and I still make my weekly trip. Even in the age of e-Readers and instant gratification for content, I enjoy walking the book aisles and finding new titles from my favorite authors, giving new authors a try, or picking up the latest book I’ve placed on hold. During a quick lunch break today I was able to pick up the 2011 Man Booker Prize winner, The Sense of an Ending, by Julian Barnes. As soon as it was announced as the winner in October, I immediately put a hold on it at the library. And while I was there, I was able to check out another book by the same author, Flaubert’s Parrot, to get a sense for his style. I’d been meaning to read this book anyway as it’s on my 1001 Books I Must Read Before I Die list. I love that the library let’s me read as much as I want (as it’s a lot!) without affecting my budget.
The library is a special place to me as it allows anyone to read any book they want, while opening doors to new ideas. You don’t need a fortune to read the latest book or explore new horizons; you just need a library card. Have you checked out your local library lately?
Natural Inspiration
I have been a “go-getter” my entire life. From a child who enjoyed alphabetizing her book shelf, I grew into a high school student with violin and piano lessons, college courses and an after-school job. Over the years, this “go-getter” personality has continued to grow, and today, I am one of the many highly-caffeinated professionals who always feels a need to do something; check email, get a project done before the deadline, make an appointment, etc.
But even the busiest people need to momentarily stop what they are doing and find their centers. Nothing inspires me more than the opportunity to press the pause button and do nothing but sit and enjoy my surroundings. I am fortunate that the tranquility-laced Tualatin Hills Nature Park is conveniently located near the Nereus Portland office. I love the 10-minute walk to the park, and once I arrive at the park’s trails, I watch squirrels run by, observe the vibrancy of the trees and enjoy the natural peace and quiet. By doing nothing but enjoying the scenery, I rejuvenate and can move forward with my to-do list more efficiently when I return to my desk.
So the next time that well-intentioned “to-do list” gives you heart palpitations, stop what you’re doing. Get outside and go for a walk. Think about anything, nothing or everything. Just be. And then reap the benefits of having pushed the “pause” button.
Do you have a favorite place to go to unwind?
*Photos courtesy of Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District
The Austin Equation: Experience + Community = Scene
As I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, Austin is full of great networking events and tech industry meet-ups. I moved here a bit over a year ago and have spent about that much time researching and getting to know the people, places, tech organizations and overall business community.
My interest in the interactive and entrepreneurial scenes led me to Steve Golab with Bootstrap Austin who was kind enough to host me at his very cool co-working facility, GoLab Austin. This is where I learned that all my street pounding, blog searching, happy hour attending efforts to learn about Austin were already neatly compiled through a comprehensive mapping concept developed by The ATX Equation. Founded by Bijoy Goswami and Heather McKissick- The ATX Equation is an amazing source of information and opportunity.
Now, when I meet someone new to Austin looking to learn about the entrepreneurial scene here, I say it’s easy- check out this mapping resource: http://www.mindmeister.com/24358308/entrepreneurship-scene. (I guess that makes me a bit of an Austin entrepreneurial scene evangelist.) There are also mapping scenes for Interactive, Film, Music, and just about anything that would bring you to Austin. Bijoy explains here:
Please share Bijoy’s message with others and let us know about your local Scenes.
After four years of living in Portland, I finally attended the Portland Farmers Market at Portland State University last Saturday morning. I was amazed at how many Portlanders make it out for this weekly event; the crowds were massive. However, I knew it was worth fighting through the crowds after trying an organic crepe from C’est Si Bon!, which was outstanding. I recommend trying one of these for breakfast.
Image courtesy of Portland Farmers Market website
The sheer number of vendors was impressive as Portland’s finest farmers and local food businesses came out to sell and promote their food, flowers and products. I was inspired by the creative marketing and unique promotional tactics of these local, independent businesses. The “organic,” “gluten-free,” and “vegan,” adjectives seemed to be especially prevalent in featured messaging – typical Portland descriptors when it comes to local food. Most importantly, I was inspired by the strong feel of the community. Every business was there to support one another and unite to promote themselves as a whole, which is quite rare. How often do true competitors have support for one another? Obviously, this concept can work as large numbers of people flock to this event week after week to make purchases or just for the experience.
If I was to sell something at the Farmers Market, I would sell all-natural, organic smoothies (made from fresh fruit from my imaginary farm, of course). What would you sell and how would you market your product(s) to stand out from the competition?
Nereus Wins Two PRSA Awards!
What an exciting evening for the Nereus team! Last night, the Oregon Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) presented Nereus with two awards.
The Oregon PRSA chapter presents awards annually to regional public relations and marketing communications professionals for their outstanding work from the past year. We are honored to be recognized among our peers.
Nereus received a Spotlight award for our exceptional work in the Creative Tactic category for its “Walter’s Moments” campaign, and a Merit award in the Feature Story category. Keep an eye out for case studies on each of these award-winners, to be posted to the Nereus website soon.
