blogger

Here’s to the ordinary.

Uncategorized

I haven’t written in a while. I’d like to say it’s because I haven’t had time or that I’ve been so busy with this or with that. The truth is I haven’t written because I can’t think of anything to say. Or at least anything the world might want to read.

Yesterday was my fourth anniversary of being on WordPress, making it the fifth anniversary of me being a blogger. This blog began as an assignment for my Intro to Creative class. It was supposed to be a creativity blog and I had to make a certain number of posts during that semester. The posts could be about anything, so long as it was “creative.”

When the course was over, I kept the blog up and it eventually became the home of my portfolio, resume, and side projects. Suddenly, the online outlet for my thoughts, observations, and ideas, became a marketing tool for everything Haley. And the innocence behind my writing got lost along the way.

Now I feel this pressure to write stuff that people want to read, so I create content that I hope is engaging and interesting and relevant. But that’s not what writing should be about. I don’t want my focus to be getting internet famous or having a huge fan following or becoming a lifestyle blog that people check compulsively.

I want to make content that gives people an honest look into my world. I know that might only interest a handful of people and it might not go viral or show up in people’s news feeds, but I’d rather share my life as it is than create something artificial for others to enjoy. For my fifth anniversary I want to get back to why I started writing in the first place. And if that means I need to say nothing extraordinary for a while, then I’m okay with that.

So, here’s to the start of something ordinary. I’m ready for it.

Haley Takes SXSW

Advertising, Everyday, Travel

Tomorrow afternoon I’m driving to Austin for the SXSW Interactive Festival. Many of you already know this because I either haven’t stopped talking about it or you stalk me on Twitter. Or both.

For those who don’t know what SXSW is, here is a brief synopsis: it’s awesome. But in all seriousness, it’s one of the largest festivals of its kind. Spanning several weeks, SXSW is broken up into several sections, namely Music, Film, and Interactive. Most people are familiar with the music and film aspect, but I will be attending the Interactive portion of the festival.

SXSW Interactive focuses on interactive media and emerging technology. The website explains further that “the event features five days of compelling presentations from the brightest minds in emerging technology, scores of exciting networking events hosted by industry leaders and an unbeatable line-up of special programs showcasing the best new websites, video games and startup ideas the community has to offer. From hands-on training to big-picture analysis of the future, SXSW Interactive has become the place to experience a preview of what is unfolding in the world of technology.” Cool, huh?

So why am I going? My agency is sending me and four others to the festival in order to learn more about upcoming media and new technology that so that we can gain a better understanding of where our industry is going and the opportunities for where we could take it in the future. So, over the next 5 days I’ll basically be in creative nerd-land listening to some of the brightest minds in the media world. And that is just the place for a young advertiser.

In classic Haley-style, I considered blogging my trip just like I have my other travels in the past (see: Scotland and London). However, I also realized that I’m going to be crazy busy and people may not necessarily be interested in my day-to-day laundry list of activities. Thus, I’ll mostly be logging my trip through my Twitter account. If you’re interested in following my adventure, you can get live coverage by clicking here.

Other than seminars and workshops, I’ll also be getting a lot of free swag, enjoying free parties and food, meeting some cool, like-minded people, and catching up with several old friends who will be attending as well.

Overall, I’m super pumped. Can you tell?