2021: Be a Wisdom Tooth

‘What the hell is this girl thinking? Be a wisdom tooth. She must still be detoxing from 2020’.

I know these are the majority of your thoughts, I thought it too but the metaphor is relevant going into 2021. And yes, that first week of 2021 will require major detoxing and shifting. ( Really, leaving 2020 left me with a headache this morning, anyone else?)

As wisdom teeth emerge, if you’re as lucky as I am, they tend to shift space around them and shift to make room themselves, before they emerge to reap the benefits of existence after remaining practically invisible for so long. This is how I see the transition into 2021.

We all turned into little recluse Dickinson’s in 2020, and that’s okay. In fact, many people probably preferred it. However, as COVID-19 vaccines become available to the public, restaurants open their dining areas, and drive through becomes less stress inducing we might be seeing a shift back to normalcy, and we need to shift with it to evolve and resolve. So let’s be more like wisdom teeth and less like baby teeth. Enough teeth talk. You get it.

Last year, I was highly optimistic, as most are during the turn of the year. However, my optimism came true and became realistic, regardless of the chaos that came with it. Why can’t anything be easy? If you didn’t read Into the 20s from last year’s New Year post, go check it out! It’s a favorite.

This time last year I mentioned I’d get my husband back from Turkey, settle down in our own home, and hopefully get business done. We did it all, regardless of COVID-19. In fact, if we found a house just 4 days later, Ken may not have have come home in time before the shut down, I’d probably still be unemployed, and still living in Ohio. JUST 4 days! My son went to his new school for two days before Spring Break turned into 2020 break. People like me, freelancers, were able to embrace the job market as so many businesses had to cut their budget on creative marketing. Not to mention, San Antonio and Cincinnati working class are two entirely different breeds of people.

I dare say, things happen for a reason. So maybe, just maybe, the universe has an ear to the ground, and it might just be listening and acting differently from your expectations, and regardless of retrogrades.

Going into 2021 means we can write the date shorthand again without worrying about fraud (that should’ve been the first red flag). I consider simplicity a win, and all on the first day of the year?! It’s gonna be great. So to speak success and desire into existence, this is what I plan in 2021.

I will be entering 2021 with a full-time position while also working freelance projects, even freelancers have to settle for a bit. However, I am not giving up on my own agency dream. In fact, going full-time for another agency setting will help me grow and develop to become stronger on my own. Throughout the year, I plan to rebrand The Ana Glass to strictly my blog and my business will be rebranded to another name and logo that better represents an agency, to further expand my business intentions and professionalism. No, I won’t say anymore. Some mystery must be revealed when it’s due time, young padawan.

So let’s forget a bit about 2020 except to appreciate the shifting it has caused to allow us to emerge and become better versions of yourself. What more can you do? Let’s keep on keeping on, you do you, and all those other cliches for persistence and self affirmation.

So here’s to 2021! Cheers to all you wisdom teeth!

Top 5 Freelance Misconceptions

There is a reason why freelancers religiously follow a contract. As a single entity, it is easy for a freelancer to get taken advantage of when going up against large corporations. It’s similar to a stray pup being fostered by a canine hoarder – you’re unique but you still have to fight for your water bowl, and you’ll have to stand up for yourself to quench that thirst. Therefore, freelancers are an entirely different breed of workers, and that is exactly why we love our jobs, but it’s a double edge sword. While I love freelancing, and I wouldn’t give it up for the world, there are several misconceptions in the working class concerning the freelancer’s position.

1. You’re always available to work. I hate to break it to the rest of the world, but freelancers also have families, social lives, and other clients that expend all of our energy to help us sleep better at night. Often times, we are called upon when everyone else is getting stuck in rush hour traffic, because perhaps we are an after-thought. Out of sight, out of mind. Isn’t that the saying? Now, you’re designing or strategizing at 8 o’ clock in the evening with a project that you thought would take ten minutes when in fact you look up and it’s nearly midnight already. Again, get that contract, have them sign it, clarify your hours, and live on. No matter the contract, you’ll still have that one client that wants to sneak in a “quick project”, but put your foot down and remind them of your availability. You are, in fact, running your own business, act like it. Don’t get burnt out too quickly.

Quick project, eh?

2. You’ll take on any project. In many cases, freelancers weren’t always freelancers. We used to have that one company or boss that promised us benefits out the ears, salary pay ( eventually), and exciting, new work on the daily! So then what happens? It all turns out to be bullshit, and that is okay, because now you can select which projects you work on, find your niche, and make your own benefits on your own whim. Unfortunately, many clients may not realize that you like to change things up and work on a variety of projects. Therefore, when you start getting the same projects and designs repeatedly, you hit a dry spell, you get bored, and you hit the road again, you little nomad you. Freelancers can say no, but typically with the mindset that you’re simply no longer needed for dynamic creative as promised.

3. When you’re not working, you love those bonbons. I have sat in on a couple meetings where there has been no need for my presence and I excuse myself- it’s hourly and I’m doing you a favor- then get teased for heading home to sit on my couch and eat bonbons instead. I have sat right back down and let them pay me for sitting on their couch instead, rather than going to my two-screen access at home where I can knock out my tasks in half the time. It’s not me, it’s them, but hey, I won’t argue with empty paid hours. I listen, nod, shut up, and color, as long as I’m getting paid. You have bills, I have bills, we all have bills!

Now, you can’t unsee this.

4.You can’t settle down. It’s common for clients to believe you are their one and only true love. In some cases this is true, but let’s not make assumptions. Freelancers have to make a living too, and if we are hired by one company to do a few tasks a day, then you bet your ass we will fight for more work, and we will have other clients with just as intriguing work that may actually respect the signed contract. Be wary of who you make assumptions about, it’s a dangerous game, if freelancers settle it’s because they found a company worth the diamond more valuable than their own.

5. It’s a side gig. Freelancing is not free, and it’s not just something we are usually doing just for the hell of it. More often than not, freelancing is not just a stepping stone, it’s our mortgage payment, utility bills, and Christmas presents for our ungrateful relatives. Sorry if we don’t join in on the reindeer games, but we are probably working rather than going to your company’s holiday party, and most clients should know exactly how this feels, being entrepreneurs at one point themselves, but it’s often forgotten.

Alright, alright. I know, most people that are sitting in their cubicle reading this on their unpaid, five minute lunch break calling bullshit with a mouthful of someone else’s tabbouleh from the breakroom fridge, and I should be making those people jealous of my freedom to come and go, and you really should envy our freedom, but now you know that our profession, just like anybody else’s, has it’s challenges, and it’s one of the reasons we carry on – to prove the haters wrong, and the money, don’t forget about the money. We love the green stuff with the old people faces on it too.

Song of Inspiration: Therefore I am – Billie Eilish

5 Ways to Not Hate Quarantine

Good Evening , all! I have missed all my readers so much since I can only manage my blog from the cell phone right now, and I hate to make excuses but I’ve been super busy, but how?

Honestly, since the last time we communicated in my method of drinking and writing, my family has moved from Cincinnati to San Antonio, we bought a house,my son went to school for 3 days, and now we are all quarantined in our new home, and everything is under construction from our house to our family relationships. I think that no matter your situation, there is always a way to keep quarantine fun, let’s sip together.

1. Make a Change

There is always one thing we want to change about ourselves, though we typically don’t realize it until we have have enough time to sit and reflect, and what else are you going to do right now? For me, I have a hard time teaching my children, mostly because I have no patience. Now I can teach my child about counting ants on a hill and keep all my hair intact- well, it’s a work in progress.

I have really enjoyed finding things around the house that I can beautify, like wine bottles. During previous periods of boredom I have also made dream catchers for my children, car garage, and nightstand crates. What do you have lying around the house that could use a little TLC and imagination?

2. Get Creative

Compile random shit together and put it in a cloche.

Paint some wine bottles and add some grass- no, not the smokable stuff.

3. Read

Seriously, how many books did you pick up last year and randomly place a bookmark in it to look like you had time to finish The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Since the libraries are closed, it may be hard to borrow a book but there are so many apps now that allow you to read a book for free, you may have to pay a subscription but there are sites like OpenLibrary that still let those brain zaps fuel up.

4. Fix something on a Bigger Scale

When we moved in I had so many visions and immediately thought that maybe in 4 years I will get it all done. Honestly, I thought I wasn’t giving myself enough time, but COVID-19 thought the color of our bathroom was rough and was painted pretty poorly so things got done. Even if you are in an apartment, or relatives, whatever your situation, there are ways you can still fix something that still irritates you- so maybe you can Feng Shui, do that oil change on your car, plant a tree, you got the gist.

Before

After

5. Do something on your bucket list.

For me, I have always wanted to mow the damn lawn, it was #7 on my personal bucket list, mostly because I love vacuum lines and I always thought mowing the lawn created a similar feel and look, so I finally did it, and it was awesome. Even if your bucket list consists of fun things like ‘See how many pieces of Bazooka fit in my mouth and compare that to Hubba Bubba and Double Bubble’ then go for it- yes, that’s my #8.

There you go, 5 ways to be cool during quarantine. Now that I am settled, I want to hear from you. What have you been doing?

P.S: My song of inspiration has been Raise Hell by Dorothy. Seriously, give it a good listen!

“I Only Speak to Jews”

When I was younger I lived by the bohemian lifestyle as portrayed in Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge, believing in truth, beauty, freedom, and love long before understanding the “red light”. On Pinterest, I continue to seek out mustard-colored couches with Aztec-like throw pillows, bohemian rugs like this as well as woven basket-filled walls of emerald green with gold accents and plants looking so fresh that you can smell the plastic lemons dangling from the furthest branch. The idea of it is all very enticing and has its own hint of glamour and design- fuck the farmhouse style signs reeking of “bless this mess” and “ messy hair don’t care” and signs above the kitchen that say “kitchen” – as if we didn’t know what room had the stove, microwave and granite countertops. Let’s stop labeling our living quarters for the love of god. I’d rather have a sign above the coffee pot yelling at me “POT HEAD ALERT” *weeoww weeoww*. Seriously though, I want that.

Into the 20s.

Okay folks. First off, I must apologize for my writing absence. The household was bludgeoned with the flu and we finally see a light at the end of the tunnel, and on New Years Day! Ironic? I don’t think so. 2019 was just prewritten to be total shit for my small family and man was it ever. Venus Retrograde anyone?

So here’s to 2020, it couldn’t be any worse. Not to mention, who doesn’t love the twenties? Especially since a hundred years ago us ladies scored women’s suffrage rights, and now look at how far we have come and how much further we can go.

Thanks to those dashing flappers I can vote twits in and out of office and it still won’t do a damn thing, but hey I will vote, so BAM. However, my further action plan for this year wouldn’t have been made possible if this movement didn’t bring awareness to the importance of women in society and the economy, I mean we do make up fifty percent of the population and we do have a special way of spending money. It’s much easier to spend money when you’re the one making it, which segues me into 2020 action plan.

A Present for You

During the holidays we tend to think of those we have to cherish, alive or not. We start to relive memories that we may or may not want to remember. We learn to forgive and forget. We reminisce until the near year blesses us with it’s presence, and then we have an excuse to stop reliving, forgiving, forgetting, and reminiscing- at least for now- because, what the hell, new year new you new memories, but that’s all bullshit.

The past is what made me the slightly tarnished, foul-mouthed, and fun-loving individual that I am today. The past is what made me become interested in writing. The past is who I am, but the only thing any individual is entitled to is the present, and so we make the best of it, we take a breath in and out, hoping to god it is not our last.

Now, while I do live in the present, and rarely think of future possibilities, I, like any other normal human being, tend to think back every year during this time of year about the things that I thought would break me, but nevertheless, it simply made me. In this case, writing was my go-to. I never kept a journal, I tried, but family members always felt the need to read it, so I went with a more abstract approach- poetry.

Senior year of high school we had to do a human condition project, and seeing as how I had just lost my best friend at the time in one of the most depressing ways yet, I chose to submit a poem that I felt captured my feelings through death, curiosity, love, illness, unity and reflection- all of which I had managed to encounter multiple times in just high school alone. Furthermore, when all the conditions of humanity are combined, the roses really smell like poo-oo-oo.

Song on Repeat: Roses by Outkast

 Dancers   
  
 You walk by and notice him lying,
  
 Just lying
  
 In a casket.
  
 Open casket.
  
 A sudden flood of emotion as you realize
  
 Fear of death and death is inevitable. 
  
 All you can think of is who has the worst situation-
  
 The man in the casket, or you?
  
 He told me he didn’t fear death.
  
 He feared pain.
  
  
  
 Jimmy had a headache,
  
 But Carrie had a brain tumor,
  
 But Jane cried a river when she found out she had
  
 Brain cancer.
  
 Best of all,
  
 Christian had it worse, he died from
  
 A blow to the brain.
  
 Everywhere.
  
 Everywhere.
  
 Black roses, everywhere.
  
 Have no fear.
  
  
  
 A three month old in a cradle, 
  
 Filled with curiosity.
  
 Little experience. So much bewilderment.
  
 Her eyes attached to the mobile.
  
 Spinning. Spinning.
  
 Spinning her curiosity.
  
 Orange roses everywhere.
  
  
  
 Giggling behind a rosebush 
  
 A girl and her boyfriend flirt wildly.
  
 They fall in love. No, maybe it’s not.
  
 Scratch that. They fall in lust.
  
 Her first love lust.
  
 Her innocence still intact.
  
 Perfume of the white rosebush submerges the flirts
  
 And white roses are everywhere.
  
  
  
 A mother with cancer continues to smile
  
 To live, to laugh, to fight
  
 For her life.
  
 Bald head with almond eyes and a young spirit
  
 You want to bottle and keep forever.
  
 Stupid chemo.
  
 She is beautiful, but she is unaware.
  
 Unconscious beauty strengthens her persona.
  
 Blood red roses.
  
 Everywhere.
  
  
  
 Support Unified for Unifat.
  
 Stop Kony.
  
 Give money to the less fortunate.
  
 We can change the world.
  
 Be the change.
  
 You are part of a whole, but will the parts unite?
  
 Are there red and white marbled roses everywhere?
  
  
  
 I was standing downtown
  
 Staring at the stones on the ground
  
 Trying to figure out a way out of this town and be
  
 Successful like very few have found
  
 And, I’m not the only one
  
 So many people out there chase the sun, chase the
  
 Competition.
  
 Lies. 
  
 We can only be human.
  
 Red with yellow roses bring me happiness.
  
  
  
 Six roses. Six colors. Six varieties.
  
 Each part of a bundle. A gestalt.
  
 The world is a vase, and each persona a fragile
  
 Flower that will eventually die.
  
 Six. The desire to be loved and accepted.
  
 We are only human.
  
 We just dance through the events in life. 

So there you have it. It is not my first attempt at poetry, it definitely won’t be my last. In all the forms of writing that I have come across, I’d have to say that poetry reveals my more ominous side, then again, they were originally diary entries, people don’t always write about their crushes with a picture of them with a heart encasing their face.

Well, that’s enough of this angsty Ana and more to the happy shit that causes me to pour a little less in the Ana Glass; the present. As we continue to think about the future ahead of us, since 2019 was the shittiest year of them all- I’m not the only one- I see you, we need to appreciate the current moment we are living, and enjoy the mystery of tomorrow. You have one entitlement, for god’s sake, make it count, especially during the approaching new year #hindsightisnot2020.

Next Winer’s Wednesday we will talk more about the New Year and resolutions and how I plan on 2020 being the best year for my career.

P.S: Don’t forget to chit chat with me. Let me know if you want to challenge me to a fun, creative activity; maybe you want a glimpse into my poetry more often, maybe you want to see my animation abilities, maybe you have a new copy puzzle for me. Whatever it may be, I am here.

Cheers for now!

Love me. Hate me. Remember me.

Apparently, in an average lifetime of the average Joe or Jane we will meet 27,027 people if we meet one new person a day. These people create their own perspectives of our personality and based off of their angle they could love us, despise us, trust us, find us adventurous, amusing, ugly, beautiful, I mean the list goes on. However, not one person will have the exact same perspective of an individual as another. Isn’t that bizarre?

The way we see ourselves is in no way, shape, or form similar to the way another person views us. I have reason to believe that this is due to the power of words, which can be backed up by actions and emotions, but words are big, even the smallest ones; this is why I took up copywriting as my most desired “hobby” (further discussion about this next Winer’s Wednesday).

Words in a sentence can be identical, just arrange them differently and the message can be completely altered. This is why people perceive us so differently, even when the words we use seem to be the same.

Here’s an example that I kindly illustrated for you and wrote out for you.

We don’t enjoy the pizza like you.
We enjoy the pizza, like, don’t you?
We don’t like the pizza, you enjoy.
Enjoy the pizza, we don’t like you.
Like the pizza, we don’t enjoy you.
Don’t like the pizza, we enjoy you.

Must I carry on? Each of these examples use the exact same seven words put in different places but can be taken in a variety of ways.

By the way, I always enjoy the pizza, depending on who you are, I may or may not like you. Sorry, not sorry. Regardless, there’s always pizza, and wine if you’re in good company.

No matter what happens with your words, at least make yourself memorable, stand out a bit, take risks, have some tenacity, because without it, without a little bit of you, you’ll be forgotten. So, love me or hate me, you’ll at least always remember me. So, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go.

Song on Repeat: Let’s Go by Matt and Kim

With all of this being said, can you come up with a sentence that can be rearranged to possess a variety of different tones and meanings? I challenge you to throw in some fun examples in the comments, let’s be word nerds together.

Next Winer’s Wednesday, I want to mix personal with professional as I explain how I got into writing and how it has made me into the nut that I am today. Hint: Poetry. Poetry is fun, right? Let’s do it.

Cheers, wine heads!

Subjective Advertising: Is it a thing?

I am going to be honest, I love to tell people that I went to an art school, and my Academy of Art University hoodie is modeled almost every day just because of the words Art School printed across the chest. There is something about the starving artist that makes people so intrigued, and it most definitely has to do with how unattainable the idea of making a living from it is, it’s the Lamborghini of careers; hard to get, few know how to operate, and it’s glorification through media as luxurious.

Now, before you get your panties in a twist, I will admit that I am a horrible drawer. I can’t freehand if my fucking life depended on it, but I sure as hell love to get creative with words, images, ideas- you get the picture (pun intended). Therefore, here I am, hunting for a creative advertising position, and if you don’t have the right connections, well, Britney couldn’t have said it better.

Song on Repeat: Work Bitch by Britney Spears

Now, Mad Men always intrigued me, mostly because I love to drink like any other Draper, I love to swear, and I want to be the best damn creative professional in my field, but we all know that art can be subjective, which can make landing that dream job feel like a 1920’s horse and buggy ride up the Great Wall of China, not to mention the thousands of others trying to break into the industry.

Regardless, advertising must carry a message for the intended target market with the brand’s best interest kept in mind. With this being said, subjective just ain’t gonna fly folks. It either works or it doesn’t. You can’t have a picture of a flying car and put a big headline saying, ” 100% Beef”. The graphics and the copy have to make sense for the big idea so that way even the most simple individual can understand the SOS being conveyed. So, stick that in your juice box and suck it. Do I dare mention creative ads that just have graphics or just have copy? Eee-gasp! ( Examples shown below are NOT my work but purely examples from other creative agencies and their talented miscreants- it should be illegal to be so damn good).

COPY ONLY EXAMPLE

IMAGE ONLY EXAMPLE

Regardless, while I do say that creative advertising isn’t subjective, it’s not necessarily impossible for one person to like a graphic and understand the meaning behind it and another to think it’s the dumbest idea ever and also still understand that underlying message- in fact, this happens all the time. I call this:

THE GREY AREA

Are you confused yet? But, this is why creative advertising is so fucking fun. This is why you might be a bit envious of that Lamborghini career. This is the part of the beginning of a lifestyle of potential luxury and success, but it’s definitely nowhere near guaranteed. In fact, you’re an idiot for pursuing it, but damn I applaud you, and of course, myself. The Great Wall of China is a hard ride up in a horse and buggy and might seem worth it, but once you hit the top, you better set camp.

Next Winer’s Wednesday , I really want to touch on my personal writing style, and how it can change in a matter of seconds depending on the creative need. This one will be filled with a variety of different tones for the exact same message- it could be funny, or not. So, stick around for more on the next Winer’s Wednesday and enjoy the logo redesign that Brian from the comments requested as this week’s challenge for #theanaglass.

CHALLENGE ALERT

If you have ever been to San Angelo, first of all, I am sorry. Second of all, you can tell that downtown is fairly run down with a few sore thumbs of modern simplicity. The Railway Museum is actually da bomb.com but it is most definitely outdated. Therefore, I wanted a sleek and more modern design to up the ante and add a different brand image while also keeping the memory of old-fashioned railway stations alive.

What do you think of when you hear railway? I think of old- fashioned black and white arrival and departure boards, ominous steam causing that woman’s makeup to melt off, and night time woo woos while remaining snug as a bug in a rug in bed.

My interpretation also has landed on this dark-mode logo because I think of the train’s beams blinding me during that late two a.m drive where I am now waiting thirty minutes for the train to pass (I should’ve stayed in bed) and how soon the blinding beams fade into the distance. It reminds me of how quickly a moment can flee, yet, continue to linger.

Do you see my interpretation here? What are you thinking Brian? Yay or Nay?

An AG Smoothie

Mornings can be so hectic! Forget your everyday smoothie. This Ana Glass smoothie is what every winer needs for a busy morning out the door! I couldn’t help but do something a bit insincere, but really, I wouldn’t hate this idea if it didn’t smell so putrid. Stay tuned every Wednesday for more posts by yours truly! #enjoyresponsibly #theanaglass

One may never quite have enough cheese, crackers, and wine; but, I am always here to at least make the combination simple and convenient. Glug glug glug, ahhh.

Organic Creative Experience

The clock is ticking down to that lovely six month mark of post graduation from my Master of Arts and the palms are getting sweaty, the writing itch is insatiable, and I continue to reflect on my work from that very first semester at The Academy of Art University. 2017 was the year I couldn’t help but wonder what the hell I had gotten into, and that’s exactly what it was; petunia-scented hell.

One of my first courses was a traditional graphic design curriculum where the first task was to design a house in Adobe Illustrator. I had never used Adobe in my life, my ability to work with Microsoft Excel was already dwindling and here I was, expected to illustrate a house with zero experience in the Adobe Creative Suite; this is where I enter my idea of organic experience, more specifically, organic creative experience. What happens here is when you are not taught a single thing about a specific subject and all of a sudden you are thrown ( or throw yourself) into a pit of shit where you ride or die. I planned to ride. Therefore, time goes on, was I to keep up? Of course, because that is who I am, so I busted open a maximum amount of tabs where Google and YouTube became my best friend for the next two years. Everything about Adobe Creative Suite I learned with minimum direction from professors. You might be thinking, so what exactly were they there for? Well, literally everything else, from strategy and brief to design direction to advice to final execution.

The images below are a product of Organic Creative Experience. I had created a logo for the Railway Museum of San Angelo around the eighth week of class and by week fourteen, the process book reveal, I was told my logo would benefit with a different design which meant that all of that process book progress from the past six weeks had to be redesigned to match my newest logo design. This was, without a doubt, the most fun I ever had in hell.

Regardless, even looking back today, my final logo makes me cringe; the lack of x-space makes me want to die! You see it. It is bugging you just as much as it bothers me  (okay, maybe not exactly as much as me).

 

After finishing my Masters I can still say that my first logo ( first image) is honestly still my favorite, which is why I want to know, which logo do you prefer? Far left or far right? Feel free to throw down a comment about the subject, and your favorite type of wine. Now, I’m not saying the first logo is ideal, but I definitely believe it’s better than the latter.

Lastly, even today, I find myself learning even more in my field through organic creative experience as I continue to figure out CSS for wordpress on my own through the use of my two best friends. Dear heavens, wish me luck!

Next Winer’s Wednesday I will focus on how subjective art can really feel to a graphic designer, art director, creative director, what have you, and how it teeter totters the playing field for creative job positions.

*Song on repeat: Jekyll & Hyde by Bishop Briggs

*Song played continuously during the writing of this weeks Winer’s Wednesday used as a base for inspiration in tone, facetiousness, and personality.