I promised to blog my journeys but then I realized I have been to busy actually living (GASP!) that I haven’t had the opportunity. I hope sometime in the near future I can give you more detail but until then, catch me on facebook for a few teaser photos until I can post them on here and on flickr as well.

Cheers,

Dani

My worst nightmare of flying is not of plane crashes or being stuck next to awful smelling overly large and friendly man but actually missing my flight.  Perhaps that is what I loved best about living at home, my always punctual father was the time keeper and always had us arriving on schedule.
My 7:30am flight out of San Jose had me setting my alarm at both 4:30am and 5:00am to gather my luggage and taxi over the short distance with plenty of time to spare. When I woke that morning I was shocked to see the sun out.  It didn’t hit me at first but when I punched over my alarm clock to make it glow and saw the numbers 8:26 glaring back at me my only thought was and spoken words were a minute long string of profanities.  Followed by a jump out of bed, shaking, crying, getting dressed manuever. Needless to say, it was not my proudest moment.

Luckily my first flight was on Southwest so I got online and almost fainted when I saw the next flight went up $230 in price.  So I got on the phone to call and was told that if I get to the airport in 45 minutes then I could get standby for the next flight but I had to hurry.  I was simultaneously running out the door and calling for a cab and praying for grace.  I was met at Southwest by a good sized pacific islander man. Between him and the other girl working, a petite asian girl who looked about my age, I was glad to have him.  Men tend to a be a bit more sensitive to emotional women.  Us women have no mercy on each other.

He started working it all out and getting my on the 10:10 direct flight to Midway in Chicago but an error popped up and he had to call is counterpart up for help.

Oh ****.

Like I foreshadowed earlier, she was not having my frazzled state and I overslept excuse. Her response was something like… you were misinformed (glare)… you have to pay the extra $ (glare)… you obviously don’t understand what I’m saying. (glare)

As soon as she walked away the larger man looked at me said he would call his supervisor and then I broke out in tears. Not just little tears. Alligator tears. I looked like Paris Hilton when she got sentenced to 48 minutes in jail. I did not use these tears to get what I wanted, like you might be assuming. I was literally distraught. But like most macho men, his Achilles heel is a woman’s tears.

Supervisor came and together they worked through the system as I hiccuped on the other side of the counter. Standby on the following flight it is.

Grace.

As I left I gave two huge thank you and left the mean girl out. It was my feeble attempt at sticking it to the man.

More to come of my weekend in Chicago but until then, look at my shameless and unsponsored plug for Zuca luggage.

Follow my adventures at twitter.com/danidotnoah

Tomorrow morning, before even the sun rises, I leave on my 27-day journey from San Jose to Chicago to London back to home. I am so excited for the opportunity to study abroad even if it is only short term.  When I first started college, it had been my dream to take a term or year and live in a land far far away. But because of switching majors, switching majors again, and transfering I didn’t have the chance.  All of the travel had to be on my own time.

So here I am… less than 12 hours away from being in the air, still with luggage not packed and house looking like its just had a frat party in it. Procrastination, when will I ever learn?

I have a very strange emotion with leaving. Of course I am over the moon of what I am about to experience but I feel like I am saying goodbye to San Jose for good. This feeling has been accumulating for sometime and perhaps it is because my final undergraduate term is looming. But ties are slowly being cut to this place I call home and a longing to “grow up” and start life is growing every day. Who knows what will come of these next months, one thing is for sure… a new chapter starts tomorrow and I can’t wait to see what it holds.

Keep your eyes on my blog and twitter, I will try to update as much as possible.

Cheers,

Dani

In my previous post I mentioned my current exploration of a new photography series.  After much thought and talks with people I wanted to include, I have decided to kill the series. Not because I do not like the idea (I definitely do) but because I was putting my feelings on my subjects.  Instead of letting them speak to me, I was wanting my message to come across. Below you will find two images from the test shoot that will serve as a single image (only because I couldn’t decide which one was best).

Untitled

Open. Honest. Vulnerable.

SCARED

I have started playing with a new photo series and it will either be great or bust.  Mostly depending on my security within it.  The idea behind it is veiled truths. Desires to be open, honest, vulnerable contrasted against the fear of being that person. What barriers do we create to protect ourselves and are these walls actually holding us back from exactly what we want?

The direction of this series is suppose to be sad, to say the least. One description I got when testing the images was “haunting” and I felt that fit what I was trying to reach perfectly.

I have the test images of myself to show shortly but this is not intended to be a self portrait series. The hard part will not be in finding the right models or their “nakedness” but in what they reveal through that.

Everyday, more and more, I feel as though my soon to be career in the Advertising world is mimicking my dating life.

Guys come and go.  Some dates are ok and others are awful.  I haven’t quite found my match. Granted each night is memory filled and something I will soon laugh over but in the moment, it is draining.

I should just know what my type is and what I am attracted to but instead I enjoy crossing all bounds and getting my feet wet in different areas.

And just when I think I’ve met “the one” my family or friends come along to tell me I can do better!

I have been told you should just know if you are creative or management. But what happens when you enjoy both?  Photography is my medium, color is my life… I get lost in the art and captivated by the execution.  I, also, always wear all black or mismatch as many colors as possible… if that isn’t a creative, I don’t know what is! On the opposite side, I love working with clients and people.  Public speaking is a skill that my parents branded into me as soon as I can talk.  I can manage and bring out the best of people.  My latest growth, staying calm under pressure and creating an environment that is conducive for growth.

The above doesn’t even begin to describe my dilemma of finding my advertising mate. But like most mothers teach their daughters, “you have to kiss a few frogs before you find your prince.” Since pushing boundaries and taking leaps is what I do best, why settle now? I will continue my search (and self growth) until I find the right fit, mom/dad/professor/friend approved!

San Jose State’s advertising club (Spartan Ad Club) started a fresh new term but wanting a new look. They had a logo that was designed not more than a year ago but they weren’t satisfied with it.

From my experience working with some of the leaders in Dwight, Bentel & Hall Communications I knew they were wanting a more professional look.  Nothing too serious, but an image that could translate more smoothly to business cards, websites, and a brand.  I, like many others in the group, came up with three ideas.

1. Logo 1: My initial concepting started with wanting to create a brand that had collegiate tones. Which brought me to the typeface that is commonly used on Letterman’s jackets.  Logos prior to this used more of that type but it was too overpowering. Instead, I designated one letter to stand as the logo and paired it with a modern yet basic type.

2. Logo 2: When designing with DB&H’s brand all of our creatives really played with using the actual letters to create a contorted unique logo.  I at first wasn’t too hot on the idea but now satisfied with our logo, I too took a play at it. Similar to the first where I wanted to use a modern yet basic type.

3. Logo 3: Very similar to logo 2, I felt as though the “a” was too hidden and would get missed entirely.  But changing the colors and create a new “a” out of the “c”, “s”, and “a” it took on a new character.

Conclusion of logo design… Although none are rocketscience, they could extend across mediums and didn’t have to be centered around this idea of a “Spartan”.

It is officially, the entire Noah family is on Twitter.  Some of you may not be familar with my parents or sister but let me tell you why I think you should follow them:

Ray [@rnoah]: When my sister and I were still living at home, he successfully survived years of being the only male.  We got him countless male dogs but in the end Squire or Jake can’t protect him from 3 women.  Not only has he seen The Notebook, listened to Hilary Duff (and enjoyed it), folded our underwear and been told many stories of boyfriends who deserve to be exes BUT he has survived!!  By following his twitter, you will get daily updates on his blog, non-profit, and random RNOAH facts usually involving coffee.  He hasn’t quite mastered the fact that he too can follow people, but hopefully soon…

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Linda [@LindaNoah]: You have been warned… I am her mini me.  We look alike, we act alike, and we talk alike.  This can only lead to trouble.  When we are not fighting like cats and dogs over our similarities she is conquering the world one personality at a time.  She is a behavioral guru and can understand a person within a single handshake.  Team building, public speaking, marriage counseling, and parenting are all in her repertoir.  Having just joined this past weekend I cannot make any guarantees as to what will be tweeted but an estimation.  By following her twitter, you will potentially get links and tweets regarding communication arts, parenting, and updates usually centered around missing her daughters.

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Ashley [@ashleynoah]: Without shame I can promise you, Ashley is my better half.  If we were combined, we would create the perfect person.  She is book smart, while I am street smart.  I trust no one, she trusts most of everyone.  Tall, short. Blonde, brunette. Funny, funnier. Doesn’t matter who is who (Except I am the funnier one ), although we are different, our interest and passions are the same. Or maybe I am just a true younger sister and copy everything she does! Ash is currently getting her MBA at Kellogg in Chicago and still raising awareness and support for Ethiopia.  Needless to say, but I will say it anyway, Ashley is a giver and a world changer. Just like Linda, she is new to the twitter world but what I expect to read from her is her daily happenings in Evanston, MBA studies and activities, and Soli, Soli, Soli.

That is my family in a nutshell and hopefully you can get to know them as you get to know me as well.

For those not following me on twitter, you can find my updates at @dani_noah

It has taken me almost 2 months to add and update photographs on my portfolio and I am SO SORRY! The files are so large that resizing them takes 10 minutes at a time. (And we all know how patient I am not)

If you have the time, travel to the front page of this site and look at images added under Misadventures and People.

Have a great Saturday.

Peace, Love and Bubblegum,

Danielle

Videos have been popping up since YouTube’s beginnings of flash mobs across the US.  From San Francisco to London, people a like and different gather together for one common bond: create uniform havoc as art.  From dancing as one or freezing in place; these scenes capture a crowd and provoke even third party viewers days, weeks, and months later online.

T-Mobile has got in on the hype in the UK and sponsored a flash mob that then was used for a commercial.  Watch this short video as hundreds gather to dance as one.