I’m hooked. An absolute fan of AMC’s new series “The Pitch.” It’s just so awesome to watch the whole process from the outside and watch how creative and innovative these marketers are with their potential projects. And what’s more, I love seeing each design house and what they’ve done in their portfolio. It’s inspiring and interesting… yes, yes, I’m a marketing dork.

But I gotta say, the Waste Management project that aired on Sunday night was heartbreaking. Boy, did they pick the wrong winner. Now I don’t claim to be a genius by any stretch of the imagination, but the Ad Store’s tagline of “Trash Can” was brilliant. Just brilliant. And for the other team to win??!! Yikes… not by a long shot in my mind.

AMC has a poll on it’s site about this particular episode. Check it out:

Poll – Who Should’ve Won in The Pitch Series Premiere?

In the Series Premiere of The Pitch, Waste Management has to chose between SK+G (“Turning Waste Into Wow”) and The Ad Store (“Trash Can”). Did they make the right choice? Now it’s your turn to decide: Which presentation did you prefer? 

Which agency should have won?

  SK+G

  The Ad Store
 View results

 

Vote for who you think should’ve won in The Pitch sneak preview.

Sad news in today’s literary world with the passing of our old friend, Maurice Sendak. I have so many great memories of going to our small town library with my mother, and picking out my favorite books, bringing them home and going through every single one time and time again. My all time favorite: In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak. Greatest book of my childhood and now a favorite of my young children. I think we all probably have a favorite Sendak children’s book. What’s yours?

Talk about a hidden gem! This place is our new favorite spot to visit! My children are taking an art class there, which is age specific to preschool. They absolutely LOVE it and the teacher is incredibly talented at keeping them engaged while learning about different artists, seasons, environments, etc. It’s FABULOUS!!

Joining this museum as a member has made me want to visit other local museums with my little budding artists. Museums from long ago may hopefully have changed their tune when it comes to it’s littlest patrons. After all, when I was a kid, my parents would always feel like they were being followed around every exhibit and under a watchful eye of the security staff. I was a good kid, didn’t act up, didn’t touch anything I wasn’t supposed to. But still, my folks felt like prisoners when visiting such establishments so we rarely went. Now it seems, museums may have realized that parents want to take their kids to look at beautiful, priceless works of art to foster a love of creativity at an early age.

If you’re the parent of a young child, check out Fruitlands.org to learn more about their Toddler Thursday program and everything this gorgeous museum has to offer. Walking trails, outdoor concerts and installations and a tasty little restaurant perfect for lunch!

Rainy Tuesday. Yuck. It’s a good day to just stay in our jambes, watch a little Price Is Right and hang out with the kiddos.

Our team is working on a redesign of a local pediatric website so I thought today would be a good day to take a cruise around the web and see what’s out there for interesting sites and blogs on the subject. I figured I would find some really fun and colorful designs for pediatricians since their focus is on the little ones in our lives. Well, not so much. I found a bunch of stale, staunch and just plain ol’ boring sites. Talk about a yawn fest. Yikes! I practically fell asleep looking at some of these offices.

Then I started thinking about what I would want to see as a parent. Of course, fun and colorful is always good and engaging for our smallest little guys and gals. But we want something that is professional too… and not built by some doctor’s brother-in-law who happens to know a little about web design (insert eye roll here).

Well, anyhow, I’m not going to name names of the not-so-good sites that I find because, well, I’m too embarrassed for them to do so. But I did find one site that I was pleasingly surprised with… and it was their blog layout that really stood out as a winner. Yes, it’s a WordPress blog which is awesome in and of itself. But the layout is really great and eye-catching. I’m bookmarking this sucker right now as I type this.

Hope it was a great weekend! We had such a great time playing with the kids at the local carnival. I’m devastated that my 2 year old went on her first roller coaster ride… and loved it. They grow up way too fast I tell you. It’s like I blinked.

Anyhow, I started this Sketchbook Challenge because I want an “un-electronic” outlet for my art and this seemed like the absolute perfect fit! I’m having a ball with it so far and really love letting my creative juices flow. 

The first thing I thought of when I heard the April theme was “Open” was a peacock’s open tail and all the beautiful colors and striking beauty of this lovely animal. And it gave me my first installment into my creative journal. Using pencil, india ink, a tiny bit of glitter and a lot of lines, I drew up my very first peacock. Not bad for a first try considering I’m just getting back into the sketching/drawing/art thing!

I’ve hemmed and hawed and gone back and forth over whether or not to do it. And I’ve decided: Okay. Let’s go. Let’s start this thing up. And the simplest of things is what made me want to join: My 3 year old daughter’s art class. Yup, you read that right. A 3 year old’s art class inspired me to get back to the basics and start taking part in the Sketchbook Challenge. And I’m totally psyched. So much so, in fact, that I just went out (with all 3 kids in tow) and bought myself some new sketchbooks.

This month is almost over, and the theme is “Open.” So that’s what I’m gonna do. Open up a new chapter and start working more creatively in different, non-electronic media. Stoked! Now… what the heck do I do with this blank page!?!?!

Charlie Johnson had a great post a few days ago about some of the negatives about starting your own design business. Now, I started my own business in this field almost 10 years ago now. I’ve definitely lived through all of these challenging downsides that he lists and going into it blindly is definitely not for the faint of heart. It’s difficult to begin your own business, be your own boss, get your own clients, market yourself and be the finance department all in one. I learned that first hand and continue to learn each day. But in one sentence: IT’S WORTH IT!

I absolutely love having my own design business and have not looked back once and wish I could be doing something else. Being in the corporate marketing world before starting Vario Creative was fun, sure. But being in charge of my own “destiny” instead of constantly worrying whether that “corporate layoff axe” was going to chop me next makes it worthwhile to this day. Sometimes it’s challenging to find the next client and it can be daunting when you get slammed with work. But I get to make my own hours. I get to play with my kids during the day. I get to pick and choose the project (and client).

The best advice I can give to someone just starting out with their own business is to get networking. Go to every event you can find from Chamber of Commerce events, small business events, BNI events, small town business listings, etc. Get out there and meet as many people as you can. Bring a ton of business cards and come out of your shell to introduce yourself to everyone you meet. They could be your next potential client (or even know someone else who is looking for work). Send out messages announcing your big venture to previous work buddies so they know what you’re up to. Maybe they need some design work too!

Bottom line: Your business is what you make it. Work won’t just fall into your lap. You’ve gotta be willing to get out there and hit the pavement to really make it work and be successful. Sure, it’s an everyday, difficult process. But if you work hard for it, chances are, it’ll work for you too.

5 Downsides of Starting Your Own Graphic Design Business

We are thrilled to unveil the newest website for KingChiropractor.com. Complete with a blog feed and WordPress platform, this customized site lets the chiropractor be the web admin! Thanks for working with us Dr. Shelly!

Finally… it’s here. I’ve gotten enough pressure from friends, family and colleagues to post an online presence for my “after-hours” artwork. Visit www.variocreative.myshopify.com and check it out!

We’re pleased to announce that we have recently just created a new site for a great new client, SJ Peacock Builders out of Lunenburg, MA. Check our their new site, and their services. Great builder and great choice for your next home improvement project.