The start of something great...

I'M BACK... after a two year hiatus 

So after graduating from university just under 3 years ago I've been treading water. 

Don't get me wrong, it has had it's exciting times making new friends, reconnecting with old. Discovering I have family on the other side of the pond that I feel a profoundly strong connection with resulting in two incredible holidays on the west cost of the USA. Promotions at work, said promotions not living up to their expectations. Making plans to run away and start a life elsewhere with friends and eventually getting stuck in a rut. 

7 months ago that all changed. I packed in my job that I, reasonably, enjoyed where I worked with not only my best friend but some of the most awesome people I've ever met, with no job to go to and really no idea what to do next. Except knowing that I didn't want to be where I was. 

The moments following are the foundations for something great. 


I started a job in Bristol, working in a Call Centre for a Van Insurance company. After living in a travel lodge for the first week and numerous places following, five months later I moved into a two up two down house with my best friend and I could not be happier. 

Job: Check
Accommodation: Check
Friends: Check
Life ambition: To follow....

Lego

The childhood toy that feeds off of your imagination. 

 It’s one of those nostalgic toys that you just can’t help to play with, even if you saw a box of it now. For many out there it was the one thing that allows you to rely almost solely on imagination to make cars, planes, buildings and, if you had enough, whole towns.

 I on the other hand relate Lego with jealousy, I was one of those children that wasn’t allowed Lego, apparently the pieces were too small, they ruin vacuum cleaners and hurt a lot when stood on. So I had to wait until I was visiting a friend’s house before I got the chance to build with the multi coloured bricks.

Lego have taken advantage of the strong links between their age old product and the imagination that you have to use when creating ‘models’. With a number of different advertising images they show how the simple blocks can become anything, all that limits you is your imagination. 

Images from: http://www.toxel.com/inspiration/2010/02/03/clever-and-creative-lego-advertising/, http://hashedandsalted.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/lego-advert-minimalism.html

theChive

Over the past few months I have developed an attachment to web site, theChive, it’s very hard to describe what kind of web site it is and the best I can do is; an adaptation of a blogging site.

 Each day they upload albums of photos, some one offs and others that are weekly/daily regulars. It has an extremely large following of people, calling them selves Chivers/Chivettes.

 One of their recent posts caught my eye, a collection of photos from a South African airline called Kulula (Zulu for ‘easily). They explain that it is South Africas’ first low budget airline and shows examples of their playfully designed fleet.

 I wanted to share the images, as it is a perfect example of how an ordinary object that has been transformed by the power of design and I for one would love to fly with this airline, simply because of there quirky planes.

Why not check it out yourself: theChive- Kulula

Long time no see!

So it's been nine months since my last post and needless to say, a lot has happened: births, deaths, jobs, promotions, baths of spaghetti and the list goes on. 


 A quick recap, I graduated in Graphics in June '11 and with a lack of jobs with in the local area I resorted to some seasonal work in a local supermarket, fast forwards a little and I am now 4 months into being customer services team leader in training. I help to manage a team of 30 colleagues and help them to maintain a high standard of customer service through out their working day, which has been reflected recently in our store finishing top of the company, of over 1000 stores, for customer services. Whilst this is a very reputable job to hold, that also helps to pay the bills, I'm not yet doing what I love!
 
 With in the next 5 years I hope to be working in marketing and advertising and using my gift of the gab to its full extent! I'm not quite sure how I'm going to get there yet but I'm planning on redirecting this blog towards things that inspire and interest me with in this area. I'm hoping that this will help me keep a foot in the door and when I decide to take the leap away from supermarkets I will have, at least half, my head in the game.

So thats it!

  Well almost anyway! Today I handed in my reflective journal which means that, apart from my exhibition, thats it for Uni life!!
  In the past 2 weeks I have been through some pretty crazy times, handing in our last briefed project, receiving feedback from our dissertations, going through a 72 hour period with only 9 hours sleep and handing in my reflective journal. It's safe to say that things have been fairly mentay!
 I'm hoping that the next week will be a little quieter so that I will have time to breath, if nothing else! I'm also going to try and make time to upload visuals from my Hedonism brief and also some bits and pieces from my reflective journal! But to end this week on a high I shall be attending a Church Fete, I live such a rock n' roll life style....
 So until next time all I can say is 'you are what you tweet'*....






*Why not give me a follow ;) @Janin_T

Church Fete

   Every year in my little hamlet back home, we hold a church fete to raise funds for the upkeep of the church and grave yard. For the past 40 years it's been held at my Grans house, down the road from mine but as of last year, the location has changed and the torch has been passed to my Mom and Dad. 
    For the past few years I have been given the job of designing the posters to advertise the event within the local area. As is the same with most of my work, looking back at what I created last year I am less than impressed with my efforts. I have once again been assigned the job of designing the posters and am hoping that I wont look back this time next year and have that same dreaded feeling of "dear god, did I really design that and think it was good??"
    Im rather pleased with this years posters and home that the visitors flock to the event after seeing my posters glimmering at them from notice boards and shop windows:

hedonism

noun

[mass noun]

• the pursuit of pleasure; sensual self-indulgence.
• Philosophythe ethical theory that pleasure (in the sense of the satisfaction of desires) is the highest good and proper aim of human life. 

  

   I am now 3 weeks into my final University project and it is all about Hedonism. I've found it quite difficult to get into this project but think I may have finally cracked it and I have a feeling over the next few days I'm going to steam ahead with my ideas.

   One of the things that I am enjoying most about this project is finding out the simple things that people find pleasure in. I think sometimes it is the simple things that provide the most pleasure such as the smell of freshly cut grass, I then found a website that is full of such things. Although I wasted all of yesterday afternoon trawling through the site and ended up not doing any work. I'll post the link but please don't blame me if your work rate dramatically decreases: http://1000awesomethings.com/