Congratulations Doug!

I was recently elected to the Board of Directors of my building. It’s been a busy two weeks filled with more emails than one person should be allowed to receive, several late night/weekend meetings and getting to know 6 other people. Although I am exhausted, its also been extremely interesting. I’m learning how a building is managed and maintained. The challenge has been getting in sync with an already established group dynamic. The existing board is not sure how to receive me since I have been outspoken as a shareholder and between you and me…a little bit of a ball buster. Hey I don’t mind, I’d probably feel the same way.

Today we had an all day meeting about the Budget , followed by a “web committee” meeting. I found out their web page is a WordPress blog. OK it’s a start.

When I told Doug, one of the other board members that I had a blog on WordPress, and didn’t want to reveal it’s name, Doug said he would find it anyway. This posting is for Doug. Congratulations on finding my blog and I hope your having a good laugh.

Hello, Goodbye.

I have been neglectful of my online presence. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. I’ve just been very busy,
Thankfully I have had steady design work – but I’m discovering it can be pretty nasty in the freelance world. 

I recently started working at a new publishing company. It always hard starting a new place because you have to learn the culture of the office as well as where the office supplies are kept. Freelancers are sort of like your second cousins who live in Wisconsin. You have to be polite to them but they don’t really count in your real world.

There was a second freelancer who sat next to me, a very sweet girl, mid-twenties. Gina had been at this company over a year and was the only person who actually spoke to me. I liked her immediately. She had a different cardigan sweater for every day of the week, seemed to work really hard, never stopped for lunch, and she explained the work flow procedure to me (a rarity).

On Friday, the Creative Director pulled me aside to tell me that there was not enough budget for both my salary and Gina’s so they would just be keeping me and letting Gina go. Friday was Gina’s last day.
…Gulp.

This was awful and I felt sick to my stomach. I spoke with Gina when we had a free moment and she seemed as pragmatic as a 20 something could be. “It was probably best, she needed to move on anyway” but I felt survivor guilt and such complete sadness that this is what the industry has come to.

There are so many of us looking for work, particularly those of us who are not in our twenties. There are also so many of us running organizations and publishing houses that are just looking at the bottom line rather than the faces of the people who are being hired to do the work. I don’t like knowing that my getting work means someone else gets screwed.  Are we like migrant workers now being lowballed for any amount of pay? I think yes. At least if feels that way to me.

Good luck Gina, I’m sure you’ll find something fantastic. Thanks for showing me where the supply closet was and I’ll do the same for my replacement.

Networking: User Experience 101

Part of the new me is forcing myself to got to industry events and network. I hate networking- because I am not good at networking. What I am good at is being an dedicated artist and keeping my personal time reserved for seeing my friends. Not anymore, not in this world, not at this time.
I am now a super networker.

You have a seminar? Email me.
Panel discussion? What time does it start.
Meet up? Just tell me where and when. 

I heard about a monthly meetup that Newseek Magazines digital team was starting called NewsGeek and thought this would be a great kickoff for the “new me”.  At the very least my voyeuristic tendencies would be sated  since it was being held in Newsweeks new offices downtown on Hudson Street. The topic for the event was “An Introduction to Document Cloud” and was to be presented by Aron Pilhofer of NYT news technologies and Scott Klein & Eric Umansky of ProPublica. Document Cloud is a way to make documents more searchable on the web and it is geared for journalists but really, its applications are for any industry that relies on archives of information. Very interesting, very heady, very techie. I was amazed that I understood as much as I did.

More important (to me) was the NewsGeek refreshments. They had an open bar, with bartender which was a nice touch. What really amused me was their snack assortment/arrangement. There was a table with Doritos, potato chips and corn chips. (definitely guy domain)  But true to Geek fashion the dips where labeled “ranch” and “onion” When I asked about this several of the brilliant ones were very proud to tell me that they thought it might be disturbing for someone to dip their chip expecting ranch and then be shocked with a mouthful of onion flavor. What a thoughtful and well thought out user experience.

I certainly hope my next networking experience is as informative and delicious.

http://www.documentcloud.org/

Tess McGill meets Anthony Bordain

Yesterday I attended an event organized by Media Bistro for people looking to transition their careers. It was an all day event, well organized and chock full of interesting speakers. First up was Laurie Ruettimann, an admitted recovering HR executive now blogging in her sweatpants. Laurie blew the lid off of all things corporate and left no prisoners. She told us honestly the what, how and why of dealing with large corporations. Imagine if  Anthony Bordain and Kelly Ripa had a child. That’s Laurie; deadly honest and adorable.

Then came a panel discussion on freelancing. Jen Groover of Jen Goover Productions, Scott Wayne of The Frontier Project , Karla Lightfoot & Stella Grizont from Ladies Who Launch all spoke passionately about how their individual paths were chosen and what needs to be done in order to pursue an independent career. What I found particularly interesting was the concept behind Ladies Who Launch which is a community of women interested in launching or expanding a business or creative project. I love the idea of women drawing on each others strengths and ideas.

There were other career fixer-uppers like 5 minute speed coaching sessions and how to get an interview but the headliner was clearly Gary Vaynerchuk. I am sorry to say I had never heard of him before but apparently @garyvee has a huge following. This is a guy who made 2K a week in 7th grade selling baseball cards and there wasn’t a seat available by the time he started. Several words come to mind when listening to garyvee: dynamic, passionate, charismatic, smart, foul mouthed, funny & did I say smart. Gary is able to see things very clearly and recognize shifts in the industry then verbalize it a a way your dad can understand in a meat and potatoes kind of way. It was fascinating.

The whole day was exhilarating and I felt renewed again. I took away many nuggets from the event but the one that sticks out in my head most is “Go where the people are hungry” I’m going to put that one in my back pocket for a while and get back to you.

Next Post: Old Girl meets Awesome Girl

Wanted: Technology Mentors

My first job in the glamorous world of design was in a print shop. I worked in the camera room. The camera room was a claustrophobic closet which contained enough poisonous chemicals to kill a village. My job was to create the “stats” which were turned into “plates” for the pressmen to put on their presses. Eventually I was promoted to paste-up which involved a very high tech typesetting “machine”, a waxer, and a razor blade. It was a very noisy and very dirty first job but it was a start.

Most print shops back then were union shops. In order to work you had to become a union member which meant paying monetary dues but also “paying your dues” with the pressmen. The older guys got the better hours and the OT but also demanded you give them your respect or they made your life hell. These guys had worked there a long time and you were expected to fall in line behind them, but once you were accepted it was smooth sailing and actually quite fun to be a member of their inner circle.

The same hierarchy existed when I got my first publishing job at Newsday and the 3 newspapers to follow. There were the seasoned writers, famous art directors, grizzly copy editors and tough guys in the composing room. You paid your dues. You worked hard and eventually you earned their respect and friendship. They mentored you on the subtle and not so subtle aspects of journalism/design. Things like which copy editor would rewrite a hedline without telling the writer or how to politic for a better photo. Stories you couldn’t hear enough, like when your crazy editor had a nervous breakdown because the cafeteria ran out of skim milk. Good stuff — but you needed to be a member of the club. The club was run by the wise elders who had seen it all and were willing to share knowledge with the new kids -because that’s what had been done for them.

The publishing world is now controlled by technology and it is kids who understand the technology better than the wise sages. It’s their world with their rules. Time is no longer a commodity of value and mentoring is based on college friendships and Brooklyn beer garden conversations. My college friends are thinking about how to pay for their kids college and I prefer bourbon to beer.

My print shop has been replaced. It’s now called Digital Media, New Media, Online Media, Interactive Design, Web Development, Informational Architecture, Usability Limitations, Micro Sites, Rich Media Units, Brand Development, Wire Frames, Deliverables, APIs, Proprietary Options, Open Web, CSS, Flex, Flash, Actionscript, Silverlight, XAML, Cross Browser Experience, Multiple Delivery Platforms, Proprietary Options.

I need a mentor.

The Cure for Posting Addiction

 I became friendly with a woman who like myself is taking her publishing career in another direction. We both left our corporate jobs – she by choice and me not by choice.  I friended her and she friended me, we follow each others tweets & our connections are mutual and Linkedin. This morning my new friend was updating her status when she was accused of “posting addiction” (in good fun of course). In her defense, it’s not so much an addiction as it is a need to connect. I’ve done it myself.

Those of us working in home offices, bedrooms corners, kitchen tables, coffee shops & park benches embrace Social Networking. It’s fantastic to connect with so many people all with one key stroke, but it can also can be…well a little lonely. I miss being able to peek my head over the cubicle wall to talk about last nights Top Chef. There’s no one to tell me my new skirt is really cute or complain about how hot is outside. So we post and comment and blog.

Today I had lunch with several old colleagues from Newsday, where I worked in the early 90’s. Newsday has been hit hard by the turn in the economy and many of my friends are now unemployed but they still meet at a diner every Thursday at 12:45. The table is never the same since peoples schedules are all different, but today 3 art directors, a cartoonist, a food writer & op-ed columist all laughed, talked and gossiped and it felt wonderful.

Face time is so important, particularly if you work independently. My advice for all of you freelancers and self employed sitting in front of your computers… step away from the mouse and get yourself some french fries!

I Heart Blackberry :)

My aunt texted me yesterday. We are meeting for lunch on Saturday as we do every few months and she wanted me to choose a restaurant. Her text wasn’t a cryptic jumble of sudo words missing their vowels like my niece’s usually are. It was informational, to the point and it made me once again realize I need to get my sh*t together.

I do not text. My cell phone is a flip phone sans keyboard and I honestly told myself I didn’t need anything else. I told friends my cell phone bill was only $40 a month and that I was waiting for Verizon to offer the i-Phone (which is partially true). I made excuses when co-workers sent me messages and I did not respond. I felt shame. 

Those days are in the past my friends because today I got myself a Blackberry! I’m not sure what I’m doing but I know I can figure this out and in case of emergency I can always call my aunt.

 What took me so long.
I<3 BB. More tk.

Ode to Queens

I love living in Queens. I can hear you laughing… but I’ve lived in both Manhattan and Brooklyn. Let me tell you, Queens kicks ass. Sure we don’t have cupcake cafes on every corner but a true urban connoisseur can see it’s infinite charms.

My latest pleasure is going to Middle Village on Friday mornings. Middle Village, NY is tucked cosily on Metropolitan Avenue and there is really nothing quaint about the town itself. It’s 99.9% italian. Just 4 blocks of commercial shopping near a whole lot of cemeteries. Archie Bunker’s house is up the street and to the left. It’s residents take a great deal of pride in their home’s. You’ll see fountains, statues and gazebos all in a 12×12 piece of lawn. But Middle Village is a village and THAT is it’s charm.

There is a very large Stop & Shop less than a mile away yet I doubt many of the villagers are either stopping or shopping there. Why would you when you have a 1 fish monger, 3 butchers, 3 green grocers, 4 bakeries & 5 delis and 2 gardening supply stores not to mention a bicycle shop and several 99 cent stores all within walking distance. I walk from store to store with the older ladies who have just had their hair washed & set. I chat with the butcher about what’s for dinner and the owner of the bakery about how humid the weekend is going to be. The lady at the green grocer recommends the donut peaches “so sweet” she says. This is how its supposed to be. 

I should also tell you Middle Village has 9 nail salons but hey, its Queens folks.

Women’s Conference for the Messes

I warn you ahead of time, this is a rant.
Read at your own peril.

“Conference for Women”  is what the direct mail piece says. “You’re invited to spend a day like no other” so naturally my interest is peaked. The cover is a lovely pastel drawing of a woman holding a rose in one hand and a brief case in the other which I assume is meant to illustrate balancing ones career and personal life. I then scan the important bits… NYC… August… $149 per person… where do I send the check?  The Conference Agenda is divided into two tracks.

Track One is Career Development skills about leading, communicating, being assertive and dealing with conflicts. That’s cool, who couldn’t use a few tips and upgrades?

Track Two is the deal breaker. Called “Developing your Inner Power” it will focus on Feng shui techniques for your cubicle… feeding your spirit… maintaining emotional composure… and presenting yourself as powerful??? Seriously, I’m horrified. Maybe my perception of business matters is skewed but this might be time better spent at the dentist getting my teeth cleaned.

For anyone interested the company is Skillpath Seminars. Bring your own tissues and wear purple, lots of purple.

Who’s Too Fat?

On Monday, Dr. Regina Benjamin was nominated to be our next surgeon general. This is an amazing woman who hails from the deep rural south. Her accomplishments include starting a health clinic in the Gulf Coast that was hit twice by Hurricanes Georges and  Katrina. Establishing a family practice that treats ALL incoming patients insured or not. Traveling by pickup truck to reach the truly isolated in her region. Did I mention she does this with her own money?

Dr. Benjamin has her BS, MD & MBA but she is also a CEO, a Dean & a MacArthur fellow. Oh yes, she is also the first African-American woman AND first person under 40 to be elected to the AMA Board of Trustees…..and she’s fat. WTF?

Two questions pop into my mind  
1. would anyone call her fat if Dr. Benjamin was a man?
2. is this an acceptable form of prejudice?

I’m not going to debate whether her size (18) should be a factor in her abilities.(though clearly it hasn’t hindered her past performance) I’m going to just turn on my TV and watch Ruby/Dance Your Ass Off/More to Love /The Biggest Loser/ and eat my super sized bucket of chicken in my Lazy Boy.

This is America damn it.