Pre-Dawn Mania

It is 3am.

I am wide awake and tapping away at my keyboard. I can't yet put my finger on what I want to talk about but I also can't stop just yet. There is something about writing that suspends you in time and compels you to pay it attention. Once the writing bug hits me, I am fully motivated - despite a full day starting in a couple hours - to type until the ink runs out. This pre-dawn project has no posted deadline so the sight of the sun in my window will be my last call. But what am I supposed to write about? I am an avid Sherlock fan - in all currently available varieties - so I've decided the best way to satiate my brain's thirst for words was to figure out what started them.

Just a few minutes ago, I was in bed, snug in my wool blanket, cruising through my social feeds and trying to run my iPhone battery down low enough to warrant a charge. I wasn't terribly sleepy yet - mostly due to an afternoon cup of coffee and the soothing cuppa tea I had with a late dinner/patio therapy session at Casablanca on Madison - so I took the time to actually read through a few articles instead of skimming through headlines as usual. One link lead to another and I found myself searching for the designer of a certain building I saw on my way home tonight. The building caught my eye because this small bank had a near identical structure to a theatre building in town that I admire. This mild search sent my thoughts into a storm. I began to think about other structures, both new and old, that are similar here. There are some built in adjacent decades, while others years and several miles apart. Yet they all seem to be fully and uniquely integrated into the environments where they're found.

The buildings around Memphis certainly have an intriguing way of conveying the city's very complex history. I suppose this has been my unconscious observation for some time now, as evidenced by all the seemingly random snaps of buildings and spots around town that I've collected in my camera roll. I have not yet been a formal student of architecture but as a self taught sleuth digital designer, I have an appreciation for the way a building can tell the story of a neighborhood. You can follow the progression and decline and reemergence of an area just by looking at the structures left standing, the signs hidden behind overgrown vines, the emptiness of a driveway abandoned by it's former home, or the shimmer of a new coat of paint. I am also forever fascinated with the quality of vintage designs and the uncanny insight it takes to modernize some of the oldest areas in town without loosing the truth planted in the bricks. Maybe this trip down the writing rabbit hole is just what I needed to urge me to make sense of the stories I uncover, and the ones left untold. Good thing I have an arsenal of photos waiting to be posted, they may prove quite useful this year.

Now that I have this thought in writing, I have no choice but to carry it through. So here is my official pledge to catalog the stories of Memphis. To uncover the untold narratives of ancient archways, basements, and driveways on empty lots. To record the memories of those who were there. To write the developing narrative of new buildings rising. To tell the story of my hometown. After all, this will one day be my story too - I'd say it is my duty to make sure our memories are held secure.

5am.

The Resolute Me

it's that time again.  the changing of the Gregorian guard is upon us. and as with most new eras in life, this is when we like to reflect on our progress thus far and set new goals for making the next chapter bigger ~ better ~ stronger ~ faster ~ richer ~ healthier ~ happier ~ more meaningful+loving+unique+on track+understanding+selfless ~ blessed-er ~ funner ~ filled with more good memories but fewer bad ones+great stories and destiny altering encounters...but the reality we've all come to know is that that determination to pulverize the old and masterfully construct the new will only last for a month...at best...if we manage to make it through the week.

if the last couple years of worrying, planning, and less than perfect attempts have taught me anything, it's that getting my hopes up inefficiently (i.e. unnecessarily) is fruitless and futile. dont try it at home. 

but a friend asked me this week what my resolutions and goals were for this year. though i usually would have shrugged the inquiry off with some ordinary or unexciting retort -- like losing weight and getting in shape(!!) with no tangible plans to exercise or change my diet; like waking up on time every day(!!!) when sleep is my most valued superhuman ability and dspd is actually a very real thing lol -- this is what came to mind as i read this friend's message: 

in response i got a list of smart goals this friend made. ones that were simple but beneficial. self advancing but realistic. ones that were probably a continuation or adjusted version of the goals made the year before...it made me think. how do we get into this cycle of goals with no real end in sight? things that can be done with a bit of focus but that we spread out over decades until we just don't think about them anymore...or simply run out of steam

i've come to similar conundrums often and my first step to answering myself is always to investigate the definition and etymology of the words | phrases | traditions in question. 

two things came to mind when i thought of a 'resolution' 

the first was the Resolute Desks

the HMS Resolute was a ship commissioned by the British Navy in 1850 to go on a search through the Arctic for Sir John Franklin, an explorer and renowned Englishman believed to have gone missing a few years before. Franklin's journey began in 1800 when, at 14, he 'came to a definite decision about' being in the Royal Navy and ended with his trip to complete his charting of the North West Passage in 1845. the HMS Resolute was lost to the Arctic ice caps and abandoned by its crew. once found a few years later, the ship spent another 23 years on expeditions for the Queen before it was dispersed into several chunks and redesigned as desks and other trinkets that were sent as thank you gifts to friends of the crown and stand as symbols of their alliance to date. 

the second was the meaning of the word so i looked up the definitions of resolve and resolute

the first few bullet points were expected…resolute/to resolve is to state a firm stance on/make a decision concerning/firmly determine/etc

but the second set of definitions really caught my attention...

...to dissolve into?

                    how is it that the things we set ourselves on course to accomplish can also break us into pieces??

i then looked over the history of the resolute desks again. 

Franklin's purpose went far beyond his first directive, his first resolve to be a member of the Royal Navy. the mission that Franklin was destined for was not complete until first he was lost and then the ship that came to rescue him was completely resolved into pieces and distributed around the globe.

wow.

my yearly resolves are only complete when i am dissolved. my purpose is compete when i learn to get my 'self', as i know me, out of the picture. i can only reach my destin(y)ation when my mission is used for more than just myself; spread further than just as far as i can see right now. my yearly resolves are only really worth it when they are bigger than me.

@keywilliams_ sums up this revelation in a recent instagram post when she says, 

"Sometimes the greatest change in our lives starts by doing something just as simple as recognizing that you canNOT do this thing called life on your own without losing your mind...eventually YOUR strength, YOUR understanding, YOUR motivation, YOUR soul will grow weak and weary - I PROMISE...no matter how hard I try, me alone is never enough. I'm learning every day how to humble myself and ask God to help me with the major and minor details of my life. You can pretend like you have it together if you want to, but I'll be the first one to say that I desire and need to do and be better… and after trying to Olivia Pope my entire life, my black self has come to realize that my life changes for the better significantly when I acknowledge I that I can't do it on my own."

which, in a way, almost makes sense. the etymology of 'resolve' comes from latin word resolvere, to re-solve.

solve-repeat-solve-repeat-solve-repeat-solve-repeat-solve-repeat

solve-repeat-solve-repete-solve-repeat-solve-repeat

solve-repeat-solve-repeat-solve-repeat

solve-repeat-solve-repeat

solve-repeat…

just like with any question in math, to reach a solution, you must split the problem into the appropriate components and evaluate. first you take a look at each part individually, then assess their connection to each other and to the problem as a whole in order to 'solve'. 

        

                                                                                                       …solution.

now i must ask myself, what benefit will this resolution have for the rest of the world? what problem am i helping to solve? what affect/effect/influence will this "A Better Me Wish List" have on the 25 year-olds that cross this same path in ten or fifty or two-hundred years?  how does this goal help me fulfill the purpose God has charged me with? if this is the final goal i wish to reach, what smaller steps should i take first to make sure i complete this meaningful, world altering, life changing mega new year's resolve as effectively as possible? and finally, why is this resolution so important to me and how am i 'in the way'?

i think need to do a bit of tweaking to my original resolve list now. and tomorrow. and the next day. and i resolve to solve-repeat-solve-repeat everyday until i've worked myself out of the equation and reached a final (re)solution.

what about YOU??!

The More You Speak It...The More You Hear It.

FireFruit

God’s word is like fire; hot, live and inspiring

Like a hammer busting through rock; it’s truth is refining 

But which of us has stood in the council of the Lord

to see or hear what he has to say?

Who has listened and lived out his word?

Lord, please pick me, I want to start serving you today

    Let praise cascade off my lips

        Cause you’re my strength in this fight

    Let your promises ring from my tongue

        Cause every order you’ve given is right

    Put your hand out and steady me

    Invigorate my soul so I can praise thee

    Hide your words in my heart

        and your decrees in my soul

    So I can keep my sound mind in tune

        and not out of control

    And should I wander off like a lost sheep

        please call me

    I’ll recognize your voice and know you’re

        right there in front of me

    Helping me to sow in righteous, reap in mercy

        break up the fallow ground so they can see

    The fruit that your seeds are producing inside me

C2011. cydpyc Digital Productions

Pana`ewa Rainforest Zoo & Gardens
Hilo, Hawaii

selah.

X Degrees of Separation

As I enter the serious stent of the job application/search process, it has become increasingly important to make wise, effective use of the networks I've been building up over the years. Today I was exposed to a new feature from LinkedIN that allows you to very visually see how your network is interconnected.

As a visual learner, this is like gold for me. I can now get a better glimpse of where I need to focus more networking energy.  This is even more valuable due to the fact that I don't actually know what I want to do for the next couple years.

Connections are never bad, even if they're random, right??

I sure hope so.

Here is my Visual-LinkedIN network...What do you make of it? Where can I improve?

View the original image and make your own here: http://inmaps.linkedinlabs.com/share/Cydnie_Trice/58587438317900079979507478258254912668

Cheerio!
Cyd

My Mid-Week Resolution

So here's the deal.

There are innumerable amounts of blog topics, ideas, concepts, philosophies, ramblings, ratings, reviews, advice columns, discussions, dragons (bur?) floating around my head at any given moment. The problem arises when I attempt to make the time to write them all down.  An even bigger road block comes when I try to flesh them out into a full blog post versus crunching the idea into about a hundred characters and posting on the worlds favorite microblogging site.

But this era must come to an end.

I can't promise yet how often I will fight this urge, but I am certain to throw more than one punch a year. ok, maybe more than once a month, better?

I decided (after getting some great advice from an MBA at an event last night) that I would do nothing less than get words on the page before I left work today. Plus at least one more post before week's end. I think this mid-week resolution is at least partially attainable...probably.

Once I open the flood gates and get my writing mojo going, it's usually very likely that I'll keep it up. Hopefully better than my workout plans the past few years. Those usually start something like this:

Day One - think about how much I should workout and get in shape

Day Two - seriously consider going downstairs to the gym

Day Three - change into workout clothes after work

Day Four - make the trek to the treadmill in the basement of the building

Day Five - actually run a mile on the treadmill

Day Six - convince myself that there are a million other things more efficient to do with my afternoon

Day Seven - give the gym one more try. run a mile and use the crazy looking weight machine monster

Day Eight - wake up sore

Day Nine - return to step one in approximately one week

The next time I attempt a workout, I grab a buddy to "keep me accountable" but so far, I've been fairly successful at conveniently selling them on my usual workout plan. It's usually not intentional but somehow we get back to my old habits.

I can't let this happen with my blogging. Can't.

So, let the games begin. I am about to become best friends with writing...possibly. 

turtle doves, hearts, and afro-sheen.

-Cyd

p.s. here is my obligatory blog photo of the day. i took this on my way into work this morning, thought it was pretty cool.

 #thetiesthatbind as seen on the #redline

Whats A Salesforce Without Sales??!

This semester I decided to take a Sloan course on business-2-business marketing and for the final project, my team decided to investigate the up and coming salesforce.com and their groundbreaking Sales as a Service (SaaS) offerings.  With a little research, we found out that when sf started this offering in 2009, they were going full speed against the current sales funnel optimization market. Other players in the field offered a set of hardware and software that each of their clients would have installed throughout their office and would then their sales force would spend weeks in training (and re-training when upgrades were installed) to understand how to best use the system. For the years this was happening, it was working great but the founders of salesforce.com sensed a shift in the needs of the market. Many of the DMU's at companies were looking for faster, cheaper, and less invasive ways to optimize how their sales went down. So with salesforce.com, small and medium sized companies could manage every segment of their sales chain at an affordable monthly rate, with very little training, and via an online interface that didn't require the bulky office hardware as before.

Salesforce.com soon became the leader in this field but others in the CRM space began creating SaaS offerings of their own. Now with so many very comparable competitors out there, what makes sf worth the extra dollars?

As a very busy undergrad, I am trying to build a personal brand in the digital entertainment market. I do photography and amateur design work for now but I'm trying to break into the film industry in the near future. But with school on my plate, I couldn't imagine having to devote the equivalent of a part time job to generating leads and following through to make sales. In an ideal world, where I would be able to devote at least a few hours a week to developing my craft, knowing where I could get help would be amazing aid. Having a SaaS that is simple and affordable would greatly benefit my brand and portfolio growth.  So what would I do IF I did use this kind of service?? Who would i go with?

From our research for the project, we couldn't figure out what made sf the leader in the field given that the products and prices we could see had almost negligible differences with other companies. So I did what any information hungry tech savvy youngster would do, I tweeted the companies!

Low and behold, I soon got a reply from the apparent leader in this field, Salesforce.com! And now I have a little insight into why they are so preferred among B2B companies, they have great customer service! Without even the slightest hint to the size (and potential profit) of my inquiry, a member of their sales team spoke with me the next day about why salesforce.com is great and even gave a few extra helpers for the project! Not surprisingly, these are the take-aways from our conversation on the value proposition of salesforce.com compared to their competitors: 

·      LEVERAGE SALESFORCE EXPERTISE

o   First movers

o   >1,000,000,000 application data points to leverage

o   >2000 consulting and education data points

o   internal and customer shared best practices

·      Ease of use

o   intuitive and common user interface across all components

o   ease of integration

o   standardized error reporting

o   ease of training and learning

o   third part app store for rapid “time to value”

·      MINIMIZE RISK

o   All inclusive subscription,

o   No hidden infrastructure or upgrade fees

o   No long term time commitment

·      REDUCE TOTAL COST OF OWNWERSHIP

o   NO hardware costs

o   No IT maintenance cost

o   Reduced lost opportunity costs due to downtime (salesforce promises 99% uptime)

·      Continual Business Development

o   Frequent and free upgrades

o   Increased ROI

o   Responsive to market changes

o   Always State of the Art

I may not have any sales right now to need a sales force but these guys really do know a thing or two about making a customer, or potential customer... or even Sloan student without a real business, happy.

Long story short, whenever I get to the point in my personal ventures where I will need help with my sales funnel, salesforce.com is the first place I will turn to.



welp...that's enough for now.

hearts, turtle doves, and hair grease! 

EYE Despise Writing!!

...but you would never know it once I open the old trap.

Prompted by an assignment to begin my own personal blog, I was very quickly drawn into the excitement of real-life, full-length blogging.  I've done blogs for other groups before but this will be the first self-moderated site I've populated.  The plan for this blog is to blab on about the random topics that seem of interest in my image driven thought process especially as I embark on the grand search for post-undergraduate employment. I promise to increase the aesthetic appeal of these posts as time goes on as well.  There is nothing I dislike more than writing than reading a LOOoooooooong semi-interesting post that has ZERO pictures! What's that about?!

Random Obligatory Photo
Credits: cydpyc Digital Productions
about.me/cydnietrice

In other news, I'm not a big fan of content overlap so I will do my best to make sure what you see here is independent of what's posted on twitter and the other blogs I do occasionally (plus facebook if I happen to be a friend of yours...but don't hold your breath).  As such, make sure you also check out my about.me page, which will lead you to all the great places I leave my mark on the world wide web, including my twitter, a fledgling youtube channel, and the cydpyc Digital Productions Portfolios (all to die for I assure you...but please don't).

welp...that's enough for now. 

hearts, turtle doves, and hair grease!!