my local dream client June 12, 2008

 

I spent the morning thinking about all of the Philly businesses (my local dream clients) that I would love, love, love to write for, but sometimes it can be hard to pitch a really cool business/idea alone. Wouldn’t it be great if we could find others with similar client interests or at least similar hobbies and passions in our creative community? Imagine if you wanted to pitch a tea company, and you had a list with the names and emails of a web designer, writer, developer that loved tea? Just think of the passionate work that would flow from that team. 

 

So here is my idea: writers, developers, designers, project managers, programmers, etc interested in “my local dream client” would send me a list of his or her local dream clients, whether it’s the Philadelphia Museum of Art or the bakery down the street. I would then match up any exact clients or similar interests and send the list out to everyone. Sure, it’s not a groundbreaking idea, but just another way to connect the Philly creative community and support our local businesses.

 

So until my local dream clients start calling me up, I’m going to take some steps to get closer to them. Some call it stalking, but I call it creative perseverance.

 

If you’re interested, just send your local dream clients my way.

alexis.siemons@gmail.com

 

Just call me… May 22, 2008

Following a marathon email session, I realized that my email signature varied throughout and was ridden with several nicknames. I won’t go into the details of each nickname (for the sake of my own embarrassment and to spare you the boredom), but the lengthy list includes variations and abbreviations of my actual name (lex, lexi, elx) in addition to endearing/created names (songbird, etc) that have been assigned to me over the years.

As the names float above me in a cloud of self definition, I wonder how I do not have multiple personalities linked to these various names. However, I don’t feel overwhelmed or misdefined, but rather proud of the many selfs that I wear like a wordy Scarlett Letter t-shirt. 

The concept of the nickname is one that intrigues me greatly. Some of us walk around being referred to by our last name, our middle name, an abbreviation of a lengthy name our parents’ gave us without the thought of the obvious nickname path, names that are earned from embarrassing stories, etc. 

Nicknames are also endearing terms that are created and shared between people that are close and spend enough time together to occasionally veer from the legal name. At the same time, fabricated names can also have negative connotations, and are often voiced during the painful middle school years.

Overall, the nickname genre that fascinates me the most is the single letter name. On occasion, I come across a friend who has heavily abbreviated his or her name to a single letter: Madeline to M and Jack to J. I happen to enjoy the single letter nickname, as it alludes to a rockstar quality and a certain confidence that comes from knowing that you will be recognized by just one letter (maybe the tags in their clothes were heavily monogrammed as a child. oh moms’ and their permanent markers).

Even though I enjoy the one letter nickname, I am not sure if I could or would want to sign off as “A”. There is a lot of pressure to leave the first letter of the alphabet as your signature, not to mention the fact that I have never been fond of the angularity of the uppercase “A” (I often sign my full name with a lowercase a, as it’s more visually appealing). 

I seem to have ignored the concept of a short nickname with this lengthy post, and will now bring it to a close. What are your thoughts on nicknames?

secrets feel like… April 25, 2008

I’m working on a short story with a character who is dealing with the emotional pain of keeping secrets, her own and those told to her in confidence. I was really trying to capture the anguish while maintaing a sense of silence, and this is what I finally went with: 

“Madeline tried to look blankly into his eyes. She clenched her lips together and drew them in tight, until the pink pout seemed to disappear from her porcelain face. The secrets inside her felt like a swarm of bees trapped in her mouth. Stingers pricked her cheeks, but she couldn’t part her lips in fear that they would escape, stinging him. Her tongue began to swell, she always knew she was allergic to secrets.”

 

How would you describe what it feels like to keep secrets?

and sometimes y March 21, 2008

Y is a wonderful letter that casually associates with vowels and hangs out at the end of the alphabet soaking up all the previous letters without the pressure of being the final one…..anyway-I digress. About two weeks ago, I was starting off my morning with some free writing and had difficulty locating the Y key on my keyboard. As my brain began to wake up and direct my finger to the Y key, I started to think about why this lapse occurred, but seconds later my phone rang and the standout Y assumed its place with the rest of the letters.

Hours later I was chatting with a friend on my cell while struggling to plug the charger in, and as a result I dropped my phone on my keyboard. After explaining the incident to my confused friend, I noticed that my Y key had popped off (my first keyboard damage ever). I attempted to do DIY keyboard surgery but failed and passed the task on to a professional at a computer store who quickly attached my Y back to its lettered family.

Although this may seem like an insignificant experience to anyone else, I found it rather interesting. I had two unique encounters with the Y key in one day, and I asked myself why Y? or simply stated, Y? Was my keyboard telling me to ask more questions, question things more? If so it succeeded. Maybe it was lonely and wanted some attention. The Y key should be happy to know that after that fateful day it sits a little higher than the rest of my keys after its reattachment. Crazy how one simple letter can spur an entire blog post!

taste history March 4, 2008

This past month I decided to create a cookbook filled with my grandmother’s recipes, which would be a birthday gift for my mother. I started by searching for few pictures of my grandmother, one of which would become the cover photo above (my grandmother is the woman in the middle). I then began scrambling around my mother’s kitchen on an edible treasure hunt for scraps of paper with my grandmother’s recipes. After enduring a few paper cuts while paging through cookbooks for hidden recipe cards, I came across the long lost prized possession, my grandmother’s green Betty Crocker recipe box (hidden behind stacks of books). The avocado green plastic suddenly resembled a treasure chest filled with culinary treasure maps, her recipes. I quickly swiped the box, and upon returning home I carefully opened it and was overwhelmed by the scraps of notebook paper, old calendar pages, and note cards filled with delectable concoctions.

 

While compiling her handwritten recipes, I discovered a true sense of her passion for food and family. I can imagine her feverishly writing a recipe on a scrap of paper, and quickly placing it inside her green Betty Crocker recipe card library. Now the recipe box is filled to the brim, and upon opening it you feel as though you are unlocking a secret to happiness, to her spirit, to her love.

 

After typing and organizing around 60 recipes, scanning in photos of family at the table and writing a brief introduction, I was ready to press print. When the book arrived, I was delighted to hold culinary history in my hands. I felt as if I had printed and preserved a bit of her spirit that would hopefully have a better chance of being passed on for years to come.

 

(Quick shout out to blurb.com. I was easily able to create and print this book with the help of their fabulous application and services. I’ve already been inspired to start creating another book-more on that later)

Bits of Change: Give a penny, Take a penny February 27, 2008

A couple of weeks ago I was paying for my lunch at a diner and noticed a “Give a penny, Take a penny” dish next to the cash register. Upon receiving my change I dropped a penny in the dish. Now unlike other change deposits, this isn’t a wishing well or a piggy bank-it’s a dish full of pennies to share with one another. I think it’s wonderful that we’re willing to give something to a complete stranger. I understand that it’s only a penny, but it’s still something and the charitable act has lasted for years.

Usually I subconsciously drop a penny or two in the tray, but this time I really started to notice the dishes that were sometimes trays or cups and made of wood, plastic or metal. While paying close attention to the physical penny deposits, I did notice that the there seemed to be a penny shortage (only a few lonely Lincolns were wading in the bottom on the dish). Maybe it was because I was younger and not as observant, but I thought I recalled an overflow of copper. Regardless, it’s still great to see a nice gesture in physical form out in the world. I just hope there are more givers than takers.

I often feel guilty taking a penny (thanks to Quaker school), and what usually happens is that the cashier hands me the penny to use or just takes it for me. Now the next time I have pennies in a transaction, I always try to leave one or two-literally paying it forward for myself and anyone else a penny short from an ice cream cone. On that note, do you ever wonder what your penny is going towards? Hopefully not lottery tickets or cigarettes. Come to think of it, there should be two separate penny trays: “Give a penny, Take a penny for cigarettes and lottery tickets” and another one for everything else.

Here’s to the penny givers. Thanks for helping me out when I came up short. The coffee was delicious, the ice cream was to die for, etc. etc. etc.

I owe you….a penny.

a few of my favorite things… February 12, 2008

Whenever life gets stressful I just close my eyes and think of simple things that bring a smile to my face. Now I don’t break into song as if I was making a guest appearance in The Sound of Music (maybe sometimes-but only in my apartment). Anyway, it may seem silly-but I think that it’s truly wonderful that memories can instantly take us to a place of calm.

Some of my favorites:

walking through a rain shower of flower petals from a towering tree

the smell of fresh lavender

listening to water stream underground in a gutter after a strong rain

holding hands with someone on a cold day

picking a fig from its tree and eating it immediately

It’s so easy to feel overwhelmed, disappointed and frustrated-but it can be just as easy to slip away for a second, close your eyes and breathe. I keep these memories on hold and when I need a burst of energy I press play. I imagine each one as a slide in a projector in the back of my brain-just waiting there for me to flick the switch.

The renter. February 4, 2008

“I need to buy land. I want to own a piece of the United States. I want a home.”

Those were the words from a nearby table that gravitated to my ear as I was sitting in a café. The phrases instantly struck my mind, cutting off circulation to all other thoughts at that moment. It made me think about the concept of owning land vs. renting.

As a renter I often think about the concept of “home” and how we create it. I’ve explored this idea in songs and essays, but never in a poem–until now. This poem is in its earliest stage-but I wanted to share it anyway. Who knows, my edits and lengthening may ruin it, so I might as well share it while it’s raw.

 

Transient

 

I am the eternal wandering soul

renting the concept of home

and sending the custody check for my floors

to the landlord

 

I paint the walls with black and white

pictures of my life

temporary tattoos that I constantly reapply

but I tell everyone they’re real

and they don’t believe me

 

Underneath these pictures

behind the couch

are scars from other wanderers

Who left their “home”

like they would leave their lover

vulnerable

empty

until someone else comes along

to fill the space

and cover the walls

until it gets cold again

too cold to stay

 

I carry letters

with different street names

and numbers

where I used to sit

and have notes sent to

but I’m gone

before the ink can dry

in anyone’s address book

 

The land of the free

where I am free of land

Painting imaginary walls of home

that I wipe clean with boxes

and moving tape

 

Maybe one day in spring

I’ll find a room with a chair

to sit in

and the branches

will push through the windows

and wrap their new sprouts

around each finger

resting buds on my wrist

and when they blossom

I’ll decide to stay

and watch it change to winter

 

stay for a while

maybe then

maybe.

 

lend a little. change a lot. January 31, 2008

Last week I visited the Philadelphia Free Library-Central Branch to hear an amazing person speak-Dr. Muhammad Yunus.

Brief info about Dr. Yunus:
“One of the ”Greatest Entrepreneurs of All Time” (BusinessWeek), economist Muhammad Yunus received the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize with Grameen Bank, which he founded to provide microloans to poor entrepreneurs otherwise unable to qualify for traditional bank loans. Contrary to the assertions of skeptical critics, 98% of these microloans are repaid, higher than any other banking system, and similar projects now operate in much of the world, including the United States.”

I had read articles about the work of Dr. Yunus and was truly amazed and excited to actually hear what he had to say in person. After arriving almost an hour early for the lecture, I headed downstairs to the auditorium and claimed a seat three rows from the stage. Slowly the room began to fill up and everyone was buzzing.

When Dr. Yunus finally made his way onto the stage he was greeted with a hearty anticipatory applause that would be well deserved. He spoke about how he started Grameen Bank and the journey he took to get it where it is. He made simple statements that were so powerful and inspirational, that they seemed to be hitting everyone in the soul.

His initial desire to help others came about when he saw poverty around him and felt “useless as a human being”, which pushed him to lend money to help others change their lives. This concept of “lending” is so important. If we lend time and money we are essentially investing in a better future.

Yunus also proposed that we have Social MBAs to teach prospective business owners how lead businesses that are socially conscious. He also spoke of a social stock market, where we would invest in companies that we knew were doing something good for the world. It’s about having “social business dollars [that] have an endless life and can recycle.” As he neared the end of his lecture, he asked us to imagine the day that we would need a poverty museum to show the horrors and injustices that we evolved from. Think about that for a second.

I left feeling enlightened and invigorated. During my walk home I started thinking about how important it is to transform the world from the inside out. It all comes down to our souls, hearts and our genuine care for the people in our world. We need to stop worrying about the exterior–the landscapes, the plastic surgery, and the clothes–and start looking inward. Dr. Yunus has created a bank that will change the world-he has done the hard work-now all we need to do is invest in mankind.

I could write pages about my experience-but instead I’ll just recommend that you listen the mp3 of his lecture. Huge thanks to the Free Library for the mp3 and for bringing life changing speakers like Dr. Yunus to Philadelphia!

finding my place January 17, 2008

Last night I finally took down the Christmas tree that has been sitting in my living room undressed for the past two weeks. I have to admit, it was nice having a large bit of nature in my apartment and also something to fill the empty corner. So as I stared at the empty spot while sitting on my couch in a leg numbing Indian style position, I realized that it might be nice to have a desk in that corner. The center cushion on the couch and the kitchen table (that is oh so close to the fridge of goodies) are not really suitable spots to be productive.

I started visualizing the desk (the permanent home for my transient laptop) and the decorator in me started to surface. While looking at some home décor blogs, I found some really nice styles and décor options-vases with pretty flowers on top of stacked books next to the laptop followed by a gorgeous table lamp. I realized it wasn’t just about being productive and sitting at an actual desk-but having my own space to associate with writing. It’s so hard for me to focus on the couch that I normally lounge on while watching food network programs (not productive-but appetizing) or even sitting at my kitchen table (not productive-because I think of meals I prepare and eat). Hmm I guess food really is the underlying problem here-but that’s another blog post.

I’m really looking forward to searching for a corner desk over the next couple weeks and creating a new space where my writing can live.

read and go January 16, 2008

Some people find themselves in unexpected yet highly excitable moments when watching their underdog team win a game, when they find a dollar on the street, or run into a long lost friend. I feel that sudden rush of joy when I come across a passage in an article or story that stops me and really makes me think. I’m talking about the few sentences that you read over and over and call to share with a friend (maybe that’s just me).

So today I was lucky enough to experience one of those moments while reading an article in The New Yorker that made reference to the fact that as a society we are not reading as much as we used to:

“Perhaps readers venture so readily outside because what they experience in solitude gives them confidence. Perhaps reading is a prototype of independence. No matter how much one worships an author, Proust wrote ‘all he can do is give us desires.’ Reading somehow gives us the boldness to act on them. Such a habit might be quite dangerous for a democracy to lose.”

I can’t pinpoint every detail or idea that this passage provoked-however-my first thought was praise the reader. In many films and stories, the girl with the book sitting under the tree is the outcast, the loner, the inactive page scanner — when, in fact, she is the one shaping our world. We need to look at reading as an “activity,” not a passive “pastime”. Maybe if as a society we get back to thinking of reading as an active adventure, then this decline in reading will experience a new jolt of energy. Some of you may already think this way — cheers to you. Here’s to the readers — who sit for a couple of hours and take in the words of others but then go change the world.

write it in ink. January 8, 2008

Every new year I mentally make a list of a few things that I’d like to accomplish over the next 12 months-and then my mind seems to store it in the part of my brain where all of my math skills are (I use a calculator a lot). This year I will not only be writing the list in my notebook, but also posting it here. Maybe if a friend comes across this post he or she will remind me of my pact with myself-push me a little and get me going. Sure-some of the goals are rather lofty and others are truly random-but I want to move beyond “getting in shape.” So here is goes:

In 2008 I would like to:

• publish poems
• learn Italian
• sing the national anthem in some major sporting arena (I have been lucky enough to sing in the Rivershark’s stadium-minor league baseball-but this year I want to challenge myself).
• donate my time to the community
• redecorate my apartment
• collect a lot of beautiful antique tea cups
• read more books
• buy lots of plants and keep them alive

I’m sure I’ll add to this list over the year-but this is a start.

new year. new mindset. January 7, 2008

I realize that I truly slacked off with my blog over the past couple of months. Maybe it was the pressure of finding clients as a freelance writer or maybe it was just anxiety about writing a post that was meaningful and incredibly thoughtful–BUT–no more excuses now. It’s a new year and I’m really looking forward to starting fresh and writing as often as possible about whatever is on my mind (which for those of you who know me well-could be anything and everything). So I’m raising my cup of tea and toasting my new year of blogging. cheers.

green fades to brown… September 17, 2007

So it’s officially fall. I put on the sweater, drank my inaugural cup of apple cider and kept the windows open and welcomed the crisp air. I watched everyone cover up under layers, and the few summer stragglers in shorts and tank tops holding onto summer as they walked briskly–maybe to break a sweat to fight off the goose bumps.

It’s fall.

In one day:
I embraced the down comforter that I was cursing only days earlier for smothering my feet. I no longer look at my t-shirts with affection-since long sleeve sweaters are my new crushes. And orange and browns slowly begin to catch my eye– as green fades off storing up vibrant shades for the next year.

How quickly things can change in a day. New weather can change so much of my life. New clothes, new smells, new sights. Old memories of fall fade back into my mind, mixing with newly created ones in one big leafy stew.

No longer am I searching for smells of citrus and melon—and instead I seek out pumpkin and spices.

And in an instant I’ve clicked my viewfinder vision from summer to fall.

Click.

Welcome Fall.

the playgrounds are empty…. September 12, 2007

As I have been walking more often, I am much more aware of my surroundings. I don’t mean to sound sappy or creepy, but I really look forward to watching children play. There’s just something about their laughter and imaginative play that make me smile and (selfishly) gives me creative energy and thought. But the more I walk and look I ask myself, where are the children? The playgrounds are half empty and the streets and backyards are not as full of running and laughing as I remember. I assume they are inside playing some video games and hope that they don’t get too wrapped up to play outdoors in the real world.
Out of curiosity I checked the local Toys “R” Us circular and I was and still am disturbed. I thought I was reading a circular for Circuit City. Now as much as I agree that children should be exposed to technology and learn about everything in their world, I felt as if they were being robbed of something. I think the “toy” that upset me the most was the Home Theater System. I’m glad that children listen to music and explore technology, but there is something so adult about it. It made me wonder if we are not allowing our children to be children.

I can hear it now: “Jimmy come play tag outside with me.”

“I can’t I’m rewiring my home theater system.”

Maybe I am overreacting, however, when the majority of a toy store circular is dedicated solely to activities that do not promote outdoor play, it definitely worries me. Not to mention the rising number of obese children who need to be more physically active. I guess I would like to see more of a balance. Hopefully they wont get wrapped up in their home theater system to not experience the joys of being a child.

diet apple…really? August 10, 2007

I love apple. I love their products, software, commercials and even their stores. I thought I loved everything about them…until I saw this ad online. I was shocked when I read the line “You can’t be too thin” to promote the new iMac.

In this day and age–with women’s body images constantly in the spotlight, having a highly respected company say, “you can’t be too thin” is a bad move. This company has an intelligent and witty voice that has just been tainted by this line. They didn’t need to go there.

I understand–they’re making a pun about the computer. However, apple is an influential company that is too progressive to say something like that. I would expect that from a PC (ok I needed some levity within my rant).

I guess I may seem to be overreacting since I am so close to writing–specifically for advertising. I guess I just expected them not to go there. And maybe it’s the fact that they said “you can’t be to thin,” creating an unattainable goal.

Now I’m not going to convert to PC–I still love my Mac—I was just surprised. I expect more of you apple. Just don’t send another bruised headline my way (okay I needed another pun).

what college doens’t look like… August 4, 2007

It’s that time of year again…when home stores try to sell college kids unnecessary crap for their tiny dorm rooms. I know first hand what it’s like to walk into a big store and feel a strange urge to buy a desk lamp with a pencil holder and sharpener built-in, how about an extra closet (sure there’s room), maybe an illegal lava lamp to start a fire, a futon (for where? The ceiling?), maybe an iron with a steamer built in, how about a fancy vacuum (because the room is that big), maybe a massaging desk chair, a robot, maybe they’ve started to sell assistants, and dorm room maids..etc…etc…

And to top it all off, they show you sample dorm rooms with all of their stuff in it-extra large, oversized, unrealistic dorm rooms. Now, I understand they are trying to sell enough stuff to fill an entire dorm, let alone a room…fine—try to sell it all….but…..no need to show photos on the site and in the store of unrealistic sized dorms with cathedral windows and shiny, happy, singing people with guitars.

Maybe I’m angry at materialism…or maybe it’s my disappointment when people set up false expectations. Or maybe it’s my fear of seeing the annual Staples back to school commercial with the dad dancing around the store with a shopping cart (dagger to my heart when I was a kid eating a popsicle stick in front of the TV).

Breathe in…I’m done with my rant….

But in order to add something positive to this post…how about a helpful link to know what you really need: http://collegeuniversity.suite101.com/article.cfm/college_dorm_room_necessities

phone book fairies leave unwanted presents… July 31, 2007

There’s the tooth fairy-who leaves some cash under our pillow. Santa leaves presents under the tree. The Easter bunny drops off candy-eaten in under 10 minutes flat. Then there are the Verizon phone book fairies–leaving stacks of phone books on our doorsteps. But no one seems to be devouring their gifts. The books are just sitting there like packages that need to be retuned to sender. I’ve seen then line a wall, serve as a massive doorstop, maybe a growth chart, a small ladder, sponges to the recent rains…

My question is, who still uses phone books? Just from looking at the stacks left outside—it doesn’t seem like many. Fine, fine-I hear screaming elderly people in the background who have yet grasped the concept of the internet and google maps-I’m not saying we have a Fahrenheit 451 burning of the books and stop printing-but maybe-just maybe-have a way for those who need the 411 bibles to opt in to get a phonebook. Imagine the amount of paper we’d save…..and the decrease in phone book fairy hernias.

So in the mean time—I decided to think about how we could use the phone books for now. Here are some thoughts:
• Large jenga blocks for huge jenga game
• Step stools
• Cut out fun ads and use them for décor
• Cut out crazy ads and make a collage and laminate it to make our own diner mats

Any more ideas?

what’s in a name…. July 27, 2007

hum·ming·bird

“a very small nectar-sipping New World bird of the family Trochilidae, characterized by the brilliant, iridescent plumage of the male, a slender bill, and narrow wings, the extremely rapid beating of which produces a humming sound: noted for their ability to hover and to fly upward, downward, and backward in a horizontal position.”

So I guess this is how I am going to start my blog and do the whole intro thing. I just slapped on a virtual name-tag (and it reads humminbird). I think that word defines me pretty well.

I have rapidly changing thoughts and ideas.

I’m always singing/humming something in my head (or out loud-not sure how well that goes over with strangers-people must think I’m always talking to myself).

I love to run all over the place–in no direction-with eyes wide open. But when something grabs my attention I’ll hover and focus on details.
So here’s my plan: use this space to capture my thoughts, my discoveries, my rants, my raves….

I feel like I’m at the top a waterslide and I’m just standing there…trying to decide if I want to go headfirst, sit up, lie back flat….but I just got to jump off and let go in my first blog entry…no pressure…so I’m jumping on the slide…here we go…