Last week as I was scrolling through Instagram, this image and quote from Humans of New York caught my eye.
I’ll be honest, I don’t write as often as I should. But this quote was a true awakening. It reminded me of when I just graduated college. Almost every single day for about an hour I would just write and recollect my thoughts at nearby cafes. It was one of my most fondest memories. It was my personal getaway to recap the struggles (and still struggles) of the economy and post-grad life, finding my way, logging weight goals (I lost 80lbs in about a year during my senior year and documented it both on and offline), and reenacting fun I had with friends in college. I could relive it all or just reflect, even for a few short moments. It was pure bliss.
Immediately after reading this quote, I grabbed a new Moleskine notebook and got started. I’ve been writing every single day since then ( a whole week straight so far! ). Just like anything else you need to make time for it, and it’s definitely a habit I’m excited about forming.
I’d love to hear from you: What are your daily improvement habits? How do you strike a balance to make time for these habits?
For me, I’ve started to only bring a book with me whenever I’m running out the door, that way I can squeeze reading time into my commute time. Then, I’ll set aside an hour to write in the evening and use my Lift app to hold myself accountable. It’s also fun to check things off a to-do list.
Would love to hear from you! Let’s explore in the comments below.
“The best way to bring everyone together is through food.”
A few weeks ago I took the leap and pursued my side project with my good friend Megan Frantz, called Women Who Brunch. A monthly Meetup group and event series which gathers a group of women together over the most important meal of the week. Each month we curate the restaurant, conversation, speaker, and experience.
There were a number of reasons why I wanted to start this up. One of which was to meet new women, I don’t think that there is enough opportunities for women to support and connect with each other. The other reason was of course to have an excuse to eat delicious pancake carbs and check out a new restaurant. In all seriousness, I’m excited for what the future holds for WWB. I’ve always wanted to start my very own foodie community, while having the freedom to curate the best experience possible.
Our inaugural event on August 3rd, was more than I could have asked for, with two great speakers Megan Nuttall and Monica Lo. Both of which spoke on the subject of “Passion Projects”. I’ve known these two for almost a year now and have constantly kept up on their new ventures. Recently, they received Google Glasses to beta test and have been using them for a photography project in which Megan will in turn write a piece about their experience. During the brunch they were also so kind as to bring their pairs of Google Glass for our attendees to play with. Successfully, we also had a sold out brunch event and I got to meet a lot of amazing new ladies along the way.
Looking forward, I’m eager for what we have on the horizon. For our September brunch we’re bringing back Megan Nuttall, the theme will surround “Crafters & Makers”, as she also runs her own Etsy store called The Invisible Kitten. We’re going to have some fun icebreakers in the works and so far received a great discount off the Maker’s Faire, which is by far one of my favorite Queen events. For October, the lovely Angela Giacchetti of Eventbrite NYC will be joining us as our guest speaker for an “Events” themed brunch. And finally, we also launched our website this week!
The only thing that could make my life complete was if Jimmy Fallon showed up as an honorary bruncher – a girl can dream…
Join us for brunch on September 15th at the Jane Restaurant! Brunch on, ladies!
Last week I had the privelige to tour the NYC Google offices. Coming up in September, Digital DUMBO is hosting an event with Google Local and saw this as a great opportunity to visit their offices and meet a fellow Community Manager. (Side note: We both went to UCF, I love small world coincidences like that.)
I’ve always had an obsession with visiting tech and other great brand’s offices in New York. Then I thought being the OCD list maker I am, wouldn’t it be fun to write down all the offices I’ve visited as well as the ones on my office “bucket list”.
Here’s my list. What are some of your favorite offices in the city?
Tech & Awesome Brands I’ve Visited:
Google – They have about 4 cafeterias on one floor with great food + Legos.
Buzzfeed – Everything you’d image the Buzzfeed office would be.
Foursquare – Customized conference rooms named after badges, cafeteria with a calligrapher that comes in each week to write out the upcoming menu and craft beer for the following week.
Warby Parker – Dream company + Showroom inside their offices!
Shutterstock – Photos on each elevator door.
AOL – Catered events.
AppNexus – Have their own auditorium space and cafeteria space for events and talks.
Flavorpill – Graffiti, high ceilings, lots of light, Friday lunches.
Tasting Table – Spacious, lots of light, test kitchens on site.
MKG – Each conference room is different and has a theme + word search board and photo booth.
Percolate – I haven’t seen the new offices, just the old one!
Tumblr – They have their own Grady’s Cold Brew fridge and Tumblr user artwork around the office.
Bitly – Pufferfish every where!
Tattly/ StudioMates – Always full of fun surprises.
Ogilvy – Huge and fancy.
Times Square Alliance – Over looks Times Square, of course.
Birchbox – So pink!
Artsy – Probably has the best view of the entire city. Like Top of the Rock good.
Vemeo – Huge and snacks galore! And they have their own popcorn machine.
General Assembly – Open space, good classroom environment.
Huge – The whole office has design in mind. They also name their conferences after celebs. Justin, Britney, Kim.
Sesame St. – Interactive Sesame Street coffee table, their creative department is more fun and colorful.
Squarespace – Customer support has their own floor, and they have pretty great snackage.
Contently – Epic bookshelf in color coordinated order.
MediaBistro – Went there for classes, it was a pretty ordinary office.
What started out as this month’s theme, turned into a recap of these sidewalk chalk signs I’ve unknowingly been collecting for the past 2 years. There’s a bit of everything from food to markets to holiday themes.
Are there any others out there like Birch Coffee that have a consistent theme? I think what they’re doing is so interesting. These examples are pretty much exactly how I like my content/social — with design, humor, interesting facts and language in mind.
Social Media Week is this week which means it’s going to be crazy! I’m also excited to announce that I’m producing my first event with Digital DUMBO — coffee should be my best friend this week. Additionally, I thought I’d use my own blog as a visual schedule to map out all the events I want to go. The biggest challenge to myself is: A.) Going to everything and B.) Writing out a wrap up by the end of this week.
Challenge accepted. Here’s what my Social Media Week looks like, what about yours?
Trying something new – Every week I’ll post a weekly re-cap of what I found interesting, from social, technology, events, creativity, inspiration, and NYC. Enjoy!
Wildcard (My life and interesting things I find along the way) :
This new Tropicana Subway Ad
Blue Apron Meals– This is a life changer. They send you 3 healthy meals per week to cook. I’m learning to cook and don’t need to do as much grocery shopping!
Snowpocalypse (Nemo) and the Smallest Snowman to Hail a Cab:
This week I had the honor of holding the NYCbaton. For those that aren’t familiar with NYCbaton, it’s a collaboration from the NYC instagram community. The idea is that a different New Yorker gets passed the baton (Instagram account) and has a day to shoot through the eyes of a New Yorker’s day. Recently I had the opportunity to hold it this past Wednesday.
After my first shot of the day got over 200 likes, I felt the power trip start to form.
I had the attention of 2,892 people. This was the largest audience I’ve ever been faced with one-on-one. It was terrifying and overwhelming all at once. With the limit of 7 photos for the entire day, the pressure was on. This is New York, I thought, realistically there’s far too many things to take pictures of.
Instagram comes naturally to me especially when it’s on your own terms. You have complete control of your own social presence. You have no one to blame but yourself. The only question you have to ask is, do you want a huge fan base or want to be an authority of awesome. I’d chose the latter. Followers will come when you’re original, interesting, and true to yourself. However in this moment I felt like this was my one shot. It wasn’t until the first few photos that it clicked. I had to ask myself, who really cares and what exactly do they care about? The answer’s simple. They care about your day. They care about a New Yorker’s perspective. As much as I struggled to take those scenic Empire State Building shots, I knew deep down inside people could see that anywhere and at WAY better quality than from my iPhone5. What they really wanted was to see our surroundings, how we live, what it’s like to be a New Yorker. We’re like one of those rare species of tree frogs in the wildness that scientists can’t help but study. And to my surprise a lot of people commenting weren’t even from here. All that was left was to give the people what they want. At the end of the day, my personal Instagram will still be there as my own creative outlet.
Today marks my 2nd year in NY. It feels only like yesterday my cat shoved himself into my luggage bag.
Before I knew it I was face to face with snow for the first time in my life.
“New York forces you to grow up fast,” a friend said to me this weekend. He couldn’t have been more right. Every single day you’re given a new challenge that makes you think faster and learn quicker than you ever thought possible. Changes are made daily; you need to learn how to adapt.
I’ve learned quite a bit over the past 2 years. Here are a few secrets I’ll let you in on:
1.) It will never get any easier. Ever. There will always be snow, rent, tourists, homesick-ness, and everything comes at a cost because lets face it, it still annoys me that you have to pay for the beaches here.
2.) Ignore the haters. Inevitably someone will cut you in line (and never apologize), no one will ever give up their seat for you, and you may face a time when someone will throw you under the bus. Hear me out. The truth is there’s far too much competition here. Everything needs to be fresh and fast, simply because there are too many talented people here. Everyone wants to be seen. My advice, ignore the haters. Master getting people’s attention without excuses, without sacrificing someone at the cost of your benefit. They may think they’ve accomplished something, but in the end they are still the same — mediocre at best.
3.) Stop questioning the city. At some point you will eventually learn to accept it for who it is – Like a pain in the ass family member, who in the end you love regardless of all their faults. Because the reality is this place changes you. I would never have had the opportunity to do 2% of the things I’ve done here back at home. Looking back I’ve been a part of some amazing companies, made some good friends, and with all the things I’ve been able to experience I feel truly blessed and lucky.
There is really nothing like taking that leap into the unknown and knowing you will probably fail. The key is to fail harder again and again. Because those who have it easy, those that are so naturally successful aren’t nearly as interesting as those that fail, learn, get up, and tries it all over again…. (Look at Kim Kardashian, she’s got to be the most boring celebrity ever. As Grumpy Cat said it best, “I wish I had her talent of having no talent, and getting paid for it.)
This journey has been both exciting and terrifying. But there is nothing quite like that feeling of figuring it all out – The Uncomfortable Zone. I’m not sure what’s in store next but I do know that I’m excited about the adventure. And I do know I want to continue to write it all down, whatever it might be so I’ll never forgot.
———-
It wouldn’t be a true Nicole post without lots of photos so here is a #2yrRecap:
Working at the Guggenheim Museum #2yrRecapMeeting this guy #2yrRecapChristmas in NY, always a good time #2yrRecapAny Webster Girl Adventures #2yrRecapLomography Trips & Work #2yrRecapImprov Everywhere 2012 MP3 Experiment #2yrRecapAny time this happened #2yrRecapOr this. #2yrRecapAny time Dad came to visit. #2yrRecapFinally seeing Regis #2yrRecapNY Creative Interns Team #2yrRecapJazz-Age Lawn Party with Friends #2yrRecapFlavorpill Events and Worklife #2yrRecapExploring Central Park #2yrRecapMeeting my Irish Family for the first time #2yrRecap
This month’s hashtag was # AboveMe. I thought I’d keep my head up instead of down. There are certainly some interesting perceptive up there.
Next month’s theme will be, store front chalkboard signs and messages.
In other Instagram related news, I’ll be shooting from NYCbaton‘s Instagram account on January 30th, 2013. Enjoy the day in the life of me. Any ideas of interesting people or places to shoot in the city, please let me know!
Oh yes, you could always be my Instagram friendnow. It’s never to late to be friends.
NYC Winter Trees in Union Square. I got lost for a moment up there… and attacked by squirrels. It was a good day.
This is how some weekend markets decorate in the city. Just re-use Christmas lights.
C.O. Bigelow’s Pharmacy in Greenwich Village. I hadn’t been in this area in quite sometime. It’s probably one of my favorite signs in NYC.
Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Sea Cruise. The detail in this piece is just ridiculous.
Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Sea Cruise – Chandelier in the dinning room. Pinky up, fancy.
Backside of the Flatiron Building. Because everyone takes pictures of the front side.
Winter in Florida consists of warm and happy Nicole.
Amazing way to connect their community with their brand by asking fans to share photos on Instagram using hashtags #LoveYourCityMore and #NYC. I’m also loving how they highlight members on their Facebook Cover photo:
3.) Here comes the Advent Calendars:
The Yield 2012 Meme Calendar:
If you’re into Memes.
Wildfire by Google: Social Media Advent Calendar
If you’re into facts.
4.) Tasting Table’s: Food Fight Debate
Tasting Table gives their fans the chance to vote for the ultimate food debates and then throws an amazing party to reveal the results.
And the results:
5.) Foursquare’s 12/12/12 Robin Hood Relief Badge
Combining an opportunity to partner with Samsung Galaxy around the 12/12/12 Concert for Hurricane Sandy Relief.
I was so fortunate to spend a few days at Tattly last week. Dream gig come true, I am the biggest Swissmiss fan girl- ask anyone I know. Over the week I ended up learning way more than just how these temporary tattoos are made and produced. The whole experience went above and beyond my expectations. I was initially dreading having to deal with the hour commute to Dumbo each day but the more I stayed the more I loved it.
Everyone was so sweet and welcoming. Daily coffee and lunch trips together were a must, then we would gather our food and eat together back at StudioMates. All this actually made me realize how miserable I was at my last job. How much I despised office politics, eating at your desk, and everyone only talking to you when they needed something. More companies should have the Tattly mentality. When you communicate and do things together is creates a much better working environment. Personally, I’m sick of working along side of people who are willing to throw each other under the bus — This was an epiphany. An epiphany of what I am and am not looking for in my next job.
Additionally, in my short time there I’ve learned a good chunk more about design then I ever had prior to walking in there. This is a piece of what I am looking for in my next job. I must be surrounded by creative and passionate people. The wealth of ideas was overwhelming.
Finally, I ran into mini celebrities. I don’t know the ‘who’s who’ in the design world, but many designers came in… so did author Jonathan Foer… and wandering photographer named Shantanu Starick who is on a journey around the world while spending no more, everything he gets is based on trade. It was quite an amazing story and definitely encourage everyone to check out his trades.
Many thanks goes out to Swissmiss and the amazing people at Tattly and StudioMates! You not only made my job dreams come true but you showed me there are amazing companies out there doing amazing things. I know now I want to be apart of that.
Nicole Monahan 