Thought I would keep this thing going… Just a little laugh for you!

No animals were harmed in the making of this image!

#51 – Review – Look Before you…. really???

Around the first week of starting this project, I stopped by a craft store and found some patchwork type demin fabric (let’s just say it was made from all Levi’s Jeans…) in the clearance bin. I haven’t really had a use for it, but I had originally bought it thinking I could use some of the different color fabrics to make something. I have thought about a chess or checkers board a few times. But kept steering away from the idea. Well I decided that the term Review, would actually be a good time to turn to this fabric, and make a chess board.

I used to play chess all the time, my dad and I would play almost nightly, but it has been about 6 or 7 years since I have enjoyed a game, so I thought that needed to change.

Chess is an amazing game because, unlike life, you have the opportunity to sit back, and contemplate the repercussions of every optional move. You know who’s lurking around every corner, and even have the luxury of planning things many moves out. ( Although that is all based on what your opponent does, so you may have a whole schemed planned in your head, and with one simple move your opponent blows it to shit, but that’s life.) It is almost like you have a little crystal ball, and can see the near future, but just like in life, with one little shift in the frame work, the path changes.

Well this luxury does not exist in life. Even though we all have some foresight, and can weigh our options about the choices we make, we do not have the pleasure of seeing many of the obstacles in our path. Instead we are forced to sometimes turn to our past, and review the choices we have made. If we had done this, maybe this could have turned out better, or maybe I wouldn’t have gotten in trouble or maybe I could have met someone, or if I  had said this than…. The whole What If thing comes into factor. It is only natural for us to review our choices, but obsessing over the what if question will not get us any further in life. Instead, learn from your mistake, embrace the consequence, enjoy the failure because it will help you grow.

If life were like a game of chess, then you would always be able to see one step ahead, and would always be able to weigh the options of what you gain and loose by moving forward. By doing so you miss out on the mystery in life, and may never stumble upon that major problem that forces you to think past what you normally do, problem solving can help improve creativity, because you are forcing yourself to think differently. This is something people should make themselves do at least once every day.

Every day make it a purpose to think, react, choose, in a different manner than is natural to you, it will help expand your perspective one life, and cause you to open your thought to new patterns and eventually expand your creativity.

Levi’s Go Fourth Campaign is all about this, it doesn’t say think about every consequence that may come from every different angle and then go fourth, it just says do it, and review the outcome later.

Ok motivational speech aside… here is a video I made… it actually turned out pretty damn boring, but I took a very long time to make it, so here it is… for whoever has to watch it to grade it… I added some funny music to it just for your entertainment, it has absolutely no relation to the video.  

I tried to video tape a whole game with the plan to speed it up and be able to review my moves.. but  1) the quality is horrible, and 2) when I speed it up, it ends up cutting out part of the movie and just turns out bad. – I tried video taping two games before I realized this, and then I just took some pictures of a start of a game against myself… which is hard to do! — Here is was I was left with. But I had to post it because I put a ton of time into it! — I feel that the writing above it enough to make this post valid, the video is just an added “bonus…”

Ok So I was typing this while the video was uploading, and the video won’t upload right, so I am cutting out the filmed part, to make the file smaller, the quality was poor anyways so I am doing you a favor by not making you watch it…

Just Sharing – 29 Ways to Stay Creative

A friend of mine posted this simple video on facebook – I came across it when i was taking a break from brainstorming about this weeks directive.

Thought it was a nice little treat to encounter.

29 WAYS TO STAY CREATIVE from TO-FU on Vimeo.

Stay strong everyone. & HAVE FUN – We are almost done!

# 50 – Seductive – Leaves You Wanting More

 

To me there is something so seductive about silhouettes. Shadows can be sexy too too but a silhouette is just so intriguing.

Every thanksgiving I go to a friend’s farm in NC in the middle of nowhere, surround by about 1,000 acres of privacy. It is so nice I can just sit back and enjoy nature and even better, true darkness, not blinding my city smog and neon lights.

Last year there was an amazing sunset one of the nights I was there, and I was really hoping it would be that way again, but it wasn’t quite as great. Here are some shots from last year and this year.

Other than the absolutely breathtaking colors, what gets me about these shots are the figures in front. We are only allowed to see the silhouettes of them, the rest is a mystery. This leaves us wanting to know more, or at least makes us appreciate what we can see.

I think that Levi’s should take advantage of this type of alluring image. Levi’s as a brand is already so recognizable that it doesn’t really have to have a perfectly clear picture of it’s jeans. We know what the basic parts of them look like, what actually matters is the shape we see. This goes along with the Curve ID- A different seductive silhouette for each jean.

Maybe allow a bit of light to give us hints of what the person wearing them looks like, but barely. It leaves the mind to wander.. It is also a very strategic idea because it forces the audience to look directly to what matter, the jeans fit and shape.

While when seeing a picture like this you may not immediately think jeans, but if you see the Levi’s brand in the corner, you’re going to realize that those jeans are creating that nice shape.

It draws you to it, makes you want it, you’re hooked.

By the Way – I haven’t edited any of those sunset pictures above, the colors were actually that intense! – The first two from last year were on Thanksgiving evening, and it was the most amazing sunset I have ever seen. Seemed to last forever too.

# 49 – Seductive – Turn Off the Lights

There are so many ways the word Seductive can be taken. It really is a “sexy” term, but can be used in many different settings. Of course when it comes to Levi’s we all think about the seductiveness of the fit of jeans, and even better…jeans on the floor.

Sometimes a seductive action can be a lot of work.. I guess we call it romance..or very sweet and simple.  The most seductive … or seducing.. acts seem to be the most honest, small things..

I guess to some the simple action of turning off the lights could be enough of a hint.. no need for anymore seduction… But hey that’s no fun!

Well I put together this little video to demonstrate the simplicity of the term.

 

#46 – Seductive – Levi’s Hypnosis

The word seduction makes me think of alluring someone through trickery. Seduction can be sort of a misrepresentation of oneself, in the attempt to get something.. so it could be seen as somewhat selfish.

So thinking of this type of seduction I began to think about hypnosis.

Someone really good at seducing could sort of be seen has a hypnotist. They are able to put someone into a dream like state, in which their thoughts can be easily manipulated.  So I decided to make a little craft project outside.

I got my old scrap jeans, a hot glue gun and some paper and got to work making some Hypnotic Tools.

Here is a little video I put together that shows my creation at work…

So I was thinking Levi’s could, and sort of does, use this type of suggestive thought manipulation in their campaigns. Really if you think about it lots of advertising has some hidden message that is supposed to invoke an emotion, which  may lead to an opinion forming about the company or brand.

Well lets knock off the nonsense and just use a 30 sec. spot to hypnotize the audience… the commercial could be very funny, and show that Levi’s can mock the idea of advertising.. as brainwashing.

# 45 – Rebellious – Do You Dare?

There are so many different ways to rebel against convention, government, really anything where you are confronted with rules or customs. It can be exciting to rebel against social norms, just breaking little rules here and there.. this idea got me thinking about a neat campaign Levi’s could play with, something like “Do You Dare?” or We always have your back. (side). Now this is a sticky situation for Levi’s to put itself in.. because you can’t exactly go out and tell people to break rules.. especially laws, but if done correctly they might be able to get away with it.

There were a few pictures that I really wanted to take to show an example of what I was thinking, but I am out on a couple hundred acre farm in the middle of nowhere for the next few days.. so I settled with what I could.

Here is some examples what I was thinking.

Now I can’t decide if I like the jeans being blurred and the background in focus, or the other way around. So I’ll just post both and you can decide.

 

 

These images are almost taunting you to jump the fence, come on live life on the edge.

So where else could this go..

Well here is an image I photoshopped together, because there are no stores around here to take this picture.

 

Do You Dare? —

(To embrace your inner child, and play with the toys!) Come on everyone wants to yank those balls out and throw them around… go for it.

Other ideas could be.

Standing in front of:

–           an “Exit Only” or “Do Not Enter” sign.

–          One Way Sign (facing the opposite way)

–          “Do Not Touch” sign

–          A fresh baked cake ( possible having your finger in the frame too so that it looks like you’re

about to  eat some icing)

–          a strip club with the neon sign in the background

–          a washer machine.. dare to wash your jeans?

–          a sign that reads “For Mad Men Only” — (Hermann Hesse  joke)

–          No Cell Phones (Will cell phone in the back pocket)

–          No Smoking ( Cigs in back pocket.. or lighter)

–          Do Not Disturb Sign on door

–          No Loitering Sign

–          No #!@# (cussing) sign

–          In an elevator with all of the buttons in the background… come on don’t say you’ve never through about pushing all of them..

–          Authorized Personnel Only Sign

–          Police Crime Scene Tape

–          At the barrier to go back stage at a concert or festival ( Just jump it, Been there done that)

–          The jeans on the sand at the beach in the foreground with a blurry background but you can make out a naked person running toward the ocean)

–          Looking at dessert .. dare to eat it!

I will post more as I think of them.

Do You Dare? .. Go Forth

# 44 – Rebellious – Let’s Get Dirty

Ok, so… let’s start this off with a moment of silence…for all of the poor jeans that have been stained, torn, ripped and just downright abused… I mean those things take a beating! And this post doesn’t help their case..

Remember when your mother used to always yell at you for getting grass stains, mud, food, and whatever else you happened upon, all over your clothes. Or even better.. do you ever remember being told “YOUR PANTS ARE NOT A NAPKIN!” — or something of the same nature. So many damn rules!!!

Well, Let’s take a stand against these social rules that have been imprinted into our mind since we can remember… They are your pants, do with them what you want… just remember you are the one who will be going home with them…

So this brings me to my thought…

I was thinking of some sort of idea that could be a campaign with legs…

How about a Levi’s.. “Let’s Get Dirty” campaign. It would call to the inner rebellion in all of us.

So many ideas for pictures I could take to demonstrate this came to my mind, but I actually chickened out of taking all but one of them, due to the fact that I didn’t want to ruin and dirty my jeans. I just washed them and I am going out of town Tuesday night, so I won’t have time to clean them again!

I settled on taking this picture.

Let’s Get Dirty… Go on.. wipe that flour on your pants!!

So on to more… better… ideas that go along with this… Things your mother would be very upset with you for getting on your jeans.

–          Ketchup smear

–          Chocolate smear

–          Jumping in a mud puddle, mud splatters

–          Result of rolling down a hill.. Dirt, grass, mud .. and who knows what else

–          Food Fight Aftermath, various particles of food all over

–          Beer spilt

–          Drawing all over

–          Mayo smear

–          Evidence of Illegal substances…

So that is my idea, a campaign that shows a close up of Levi’s jeans, and hands,  making a mess of the jeans somehow… with the caption “Let’s Get Dirty.

I actually started to use the picture I took and Photoshop some of these ideas onto the pants, but it just seemed to be too much, this picture only needed on act of rebellion.

I think this could go some fun places, and it shows that Levi’s can take the abuse.

#43 – Responsible – Food For Thought

I find it extremely ironic that the one week I get behind a post, is the week dealing with Responsibility. Oops!

I have actually been thinking all week about what I want to do with my last post, but I just haven’t had the time to sit down and get it done. Today, finally having some extra time I really wanted to make one of the ideas I thought up, but after starting to plan it out, I realized that it was going to take me a very long time to actually make, and that due to my limited amount of time this weekend, it might be better if I just write about my ideas. I might actually go into further detail about them, and think of some new things, or atleast expand on my thoughts.

So this morning I finally found a coffee make that worked, mine has been out of action for the past week, which has only added to the stress of an already over whelming week.

Well I decided to make some Beignet’s, which are French Doughnuts. And then planned to sit down and write about some of my thoughts on Levi’s and responsibility.

After I made the dough, the oil was heated, and I threw in the first batch to fry. It got me thinking, cooking and especially frying with hot oil, requires a lot of responsibility. Which reminded me of one time probably about 15 years ago I was on the phone with a friend who was home alone, she was about 14 or so, and she was making Doughnuts…all of a sudden I heard her scream and the phone turned off…and she didn’t answer… I freaked out and had by babysitter drive me to her house.. and there was a FIRE TRUCK there! Apparently the oil caught on fire and she had tried to cover it and take it outside.. and in doing so sloshed the oil out, which landed on her hand and the linoleum kitchen floor, still burning… It was BAD she had to wear a special glove on her had for about 6 months, but she’s fine now, just some scars. However this made me really thinking about how responsible you must be while using hot oil.

Since I already had Levi’s on my mind, of course I decided to demonstrate this story though Levi’s and This post, so here are some pictures.

Sorry Will, Beignet’s are only good fresh, so I won’t be bringing any to class…

 

 

I guess technically this could be a post on its own, but since I had already planned on writing about some of my ideas, I’ll just continue on..

One thing I wanted to try to do was demonstrate how a “To-Do” List seems never ending, and that it is important to keep track of the things you are responsible for doing, so that you don’t get overwhelmed and start to rip at the seams (LEVI’s PUN!) —

I thought it would be neat to do a still frame of a To-Do List…

It would be constantly changing, things being crossed out, added, deleted, highlighted, circled, maybe one sheet ripped and a new one started.. I actually started to create this, but in practicing I realized it would be a lot of work, but I still might do it over the holiday, just for fun.

Anyways The main thing on the constantly changing list would be

–          3 LEVI’S RESPONSIBLE POST… then cross that out to 2 then cross that out to 1 POST

Then that one post would be continually written, circled, other things added and getting checked off before it… that type of thing…

The finally shot would be it actually getting checked and marked off the list…( Joke being that it would actually be the post) .. cool idea I thought

And since everyone is familiar with To-Do Lists I think that this concept could actually be used with a campaign… maybe a constantly changing list, which keeps getting put into a Levi’s Pocket.. something like that

The other main idea I had was the idea of responsibility means getting your chores done, the dreaded cleaning, and keeping things orderly.

                Well, I was going to make a huge mess on my kitchen table(because my desk to too cluttered to attempt to make sense of it) So there would be  bills scattered, dirty plates, school work and clothes laying everywhere.. and it would be … what’s new — a stop action  type video. I would take pictures continuously of the transformation of a cluttered messy space, to a nice clean and orderly table. The last thing I would change would be folding the clothes, and the clothing on top of the pile for the last shot… what else but a pair of folded Levi’s!!! 

I also continued this thought with the new directive… rebellious.. which I might actually expand on this idea for a rebellious post.. have not decided yet…. But the rebellious part would be someone (or something) coming up and completely destroying the clean tidy area I just worked so hard on… think “Never Say No To Panda” gone domestic… could take you a lot of places.. especially if you think Levi’s & Kicking.

Anyways, I have to go be responsible now and go clean the mess I made making the Beignets!

# 42 – Responsible – Grandad’s Memories

This weekend I drove down to Wrightsville Beach, NC to celebrate my Grandad’s 90^th Birthday. He was born November 11, 1921 He is in such amazing shape, still takes complete care of himself, drives, and even teaches Sunday school classes one a month.

We had a party for him on Sunday, and amazingly over 70 people showed up to celebrate his life so far. He jokingly made the comment, “I didn’t expect for this many people to show up for my funeral, much less my birthday!”

It was a great time, we showed a slide show of pictures from his life. And at one point he took “center stage” and told some stories.. well my Grandad LOVES to talk, and will tell you EVERY LITTLE detail of every story, I mean he will tell you what he was wearing when something happened.. and more than likely tell you a side story of where he bought the clothing, how much it cost, why he bought it…  I think you get where I am going. It takes some patience to sit and follow his stories, but he has amazing things to say. However if you happen to ever meet him, DON’T interrupt his story.. it might not end well for you.

Well when telling a story about the day he and my grandmother got married, he of course had to give an account of his entire life up to that point.

One of the things he talked about was what it was like growing up during the Great Depression. He was about 8 when it started and 18 or so when the economy finally came around. These are some pretty impactful years of a kid’s development.  He talked about how he would do anything he could to bring money home to the farm they lived on. He knew what it was like to go without, and how to enjoy the free things in life. He always says that is all you need.  He said the whole famly would pitch in and they would all take care of one another, he always gave whatever he earned to the family first and foremost. He said one of the only things he remembers buying for himself during this time was a harmonica, which he still has to this day.

Could you imagine the responsibility that came along with the Great Depression. How fast an 8 year old had to grow up and start taking responsibility for providing for the family. It wasn’t a matter of choice at during this time, if you were old enough to work, you found a way to make some money.

Before I left to come home yesterday I asked him some more about the depression, in particular the clothing he remembers wearing.

Well, he told me most everything they wore was homemade, and since he was the oldest he usually got the newest things, and then a series years of hand me downs would occur, that is if they lasted. He said that usually things would only last for a few years, because they were usually working so hard in the field or some other type of labor. However he does remember a few pair of jeans, that would hold up really well and made it few a couple of siblings before wearing out.

I asked him if he knew if these were Levi’s..and he did not, but he doesn’t think they were homemade, because he doesn’t recall there ever being denim fabric at the stores during that time. He said that he would assume the material was probably too thick to sew at home, so they must have been store bought. Now I can’t say for sure if these were Levi’s, but the odds are they were. I did some research online and found that during the Great Depression Levi’s needed to boost sales and began marketing to farmers and such. This could mean that they ended up in his farming town in NC.

Well I thought this was a pretty cool story, and decided to use is as one of my posts.

Some other thoughts I came up with while writing this post was that it would be a great idea for Levi’s to embrace this idea of how they were able to withstand generations and help people get by during the Great Depression.

It would also be neat to get some actual interviews of people who lived through the depression and their experiences with Levi’s

There is something very honest about this sort of marketing, at least I think so.

 

# 41 – Responsible – This Just In…

BREAKING NEWS 

This just in, we just obtained this Mugshot .

 

It appears that these so called Levi’s Jeans are being held responsible for a chain of crimes. First thought to be only an accomplice to such crimes as – aiding in the act of fraud – aid in false representation – intentionally creating a distraction leaving men vulnerable to the wearers deceptive acts- , however now the FBI is moving forward with pressing charges against these seductive pants.

These said jeans were worn by a countless amount of women while in the act of seduction, intending to use the power to commit such acts as – making men into drooling puppies who can be easily persuaded into many damaging situations. The FBI is holding these jeans directly responsible due to their curves and un-naturally flattering shape and fit.

The extent of damage is unknown, but the FBI estimates that upwards of 1,000 women and intentionally worn these jeans in an attempt to win control over a man, with the intention of using said control to  commit unlawful fraud and sometimes downright robbery. It has been noted that on atleast one occasion one woman wearer persuaded a man to drain his bank account as well as sell all belongings, eventually handing over $100,000 to this deceptive Levi’s wearer.

“This is an extremely sensitive and unprecedented situation”, said Agent Nobody, Head of FBI Public Affairs. “After months of investigation, the FBI, along with other agencies, has determined that due to the diversity of the suspects in all cases investigated, we have been able to find no-other linking factor other than this specific design of Levi’s Stretch Jeans. If there were just a handful of cases where these jeans were noted, it would be a different matter, but we are talking about over 1,000 situations, each directly linked to these jeans. While this is still under investigation, I think we will find in the end, that the powers given by these Jeans are what encouraged the women to become deceptive. If this is the case, the jeans are responsible and must be held accountable.”

Stay tuned for updates as we learn more information about the case, and the trail to come.

————————————————————–

So I think this sort of speaks for itself. I was thinking about different ways the word Responsible is used, and it lead me to this. I thought for a while about a funny senario that made the Jeans a national criminal. and that it what I came up with.

# 40 – Responsible – Makes You Think..

To my surprise, I made it through 39 posts, before I shined light on Levi’s “sexual” persona. Don’t get me wrong,  I have nothing against  this  type of branding, in fact I find it amusing, but I had decided from the beginning that I would try to stray from the sexualized stigma that comes with Levi’s. However the inevitable has come.

Being responsible in a big part of life. You can be responsible by acting in accordance with “the golden rules” of life.. live life by the book… blah blah blah – BORING..or you can be responsible by taking ..ahh..responsibility for your own actions. Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time..

Well sometimes people get themselves in sexual situations that they aren’t prepared for, or weren’t planning on every happening.  I mean come on no one wants to end up with a baby after just a one night stand… horrible.

So I thought Levi’s should put a little reminder on their jeans. Something that you would see everything you look down to button or un-button the jeans..I also added a little pocket… that might store things that help people make a responsible, safe choice before engaging in certain acts.

# 39 – Thankful – A Little Crafty Treat

Everyday when I come home my dogs are wait, happy, hyper, and basically crazy.  Chance, the oldest one ALWAYS has to find a toy to have in his mouth when I walk in the door. I think it is his way of showing appreciation. Like Hey, Thanks Mom! — Well I am thankful for my dogs… but I think they are probably more thankful for me!

I decided to get crafty and make something for my final thankful post..

So I decided to make my dogs a little treat ….

 

 

This thing took me forever!! But it seems to actually hold up! – I guess Levi’s are showing their strength…

Anyways… I also used this post as one of the ways to recycle my Thank – Full jeans from an earlier post… I used the opposite side of the jeans because I didn’t want the permanent marker to hurt the dogs.

 

That’s a video of Chance, he will be 11 in a month, but still acts like puppy. This is what he always does when I come home.. finds a toy and walks all around the house. But at the end of this one, I noticed he looked a little guilty, thats what you hear me say what did you do?! — Then I found that he had gotten into the trash. With his age he has realized there is only so much I can do to punish him, so over the past year he has become a lil devil, but other than that he is very well behaved. Thought I would video this since he had the Levi’s toy. The other loud dog is Rusty, hes a sweathear, but VERY loud. Luna my other boxer is at the vet, so she didn’t get to be a movie star today.

 

 

# 38 – Thankful – Turkey Pumpkin

After last week’s discussion in class, I started thinking about all of my posts.. and whether or not they had “legs”. Well, some of them probably to, but I was having a hard time figuring out how the pumpkin I made would have legs….. so I decided to give it some myself!!

This is one thankful Turkey Pumpkin!!

 

Well of course we all thought of Thanksgiving during this week’s thinking.. I mean comeone..thankful… well I wanted to do something with a turkey.. and then it came to me.. I was about to throw out the Levi’s Pumpkin… but nope.. it had one last job to do.. ( it is starting to go bad..so I had to do it pronto)

Well.. I thought I would also add an element of thankfulness to the Turkey.. and make it very thankful that it did not get shot by the big bad hunter!

This took me a while to do but it was fun.. I had to walk around the craft store until I found things I could use… but I was finally able to pull together what looked like a turkey head.. it is made out of foam shaped that I painted and semi-sculpted. The feet are made with a picture stand… I just happened to have a bag of turkey feathers that my brother gave me years ago. soo it all came together nicely.

 

 

# 37 – Thankful – A Different Point of View

 

I can’t believe the hurdles I’ve conquered since sprouting in that field.

When the Farmer came and yanked me out, I didn’t know how to deal

 

The next part I try to forget; Claustrophobia ; unable to move

I made some friends packaged with me, the sadness I kept subdued

 

I’ve traveled across the country, although my ride was a bit rough

But the experiences I had while on that truck, have made me really tough

 

I must admit it was scary, not knowing what I was to be…

I hoped with every strand for greatness, but it was not up to me

 

I entered the factory- fully prepared just to be cheaply mended

And I went forward with pride to meet my maker – no pun intended

 

The next part was painful, a haze- of needles, machines and blue dyes

But to my delight- I emerged to discover- I was in a pair of Levi’s!!

 

I don’t know what I did to deserve to be part of such an honorable thing

BUT for this I am eternally THANKFUL – Oh The Joy That it did Bring!!!

I was trying to write a poem about being thankful. And while I came up with a few good starts… they all seemed sort of genertic… so I started thinking and I decided that I needed to think about the subject from a different prespective… eventually I found my way here — It describes the cotton’s journey to becoming Levi’s. He is worried he might become underwear or somthing cheap… but no HE GOES INTO LEVI’S — He is one proud cotton ball!

# 36 – Thankful – For Life’s Journeys

I was brainstorming for ideas about this I am thankful for and trying to think of how I could use them in a post when for some reason I noticed this “quilt” /wall art, my friend, Liza made for me about  7 years ago. She made it for my 18^th birthday and put an unbelievable amount of work and time into making it. Looking back I feel that I may not have shown how seriously thankful I was to have a friend that would take a break from their life and make something like this for me. Honestly, I hate to say it, but I think I would have given up…

It is actually funny… I can’t believe I still remember this, but for about 2 weeks before my birthday she kept blowing me off, and I was getting really pissed.. well it turns out she had been spending about 4-5 hours a day working on this present for ME!! How amazing is that… I am truly thankful to have such an amazing person in my life. She lives in NYC now, and we don’t keep up as much as we should, but this present helped seal some of our memories ..it actually tells a story.

When I was about 16 I started going to music festivals up and down the east coast…even ended up in Kansas once. Yes, my parents are crazy, and “trusted” that I would make good choices at these things… all I can say is I made it home alive..and without ending up in jail. And let me tell you, I would not give up those experiences for anything in the world. I am so thankful for all of it. I don’t make it to nearly as many festivals nowadays, which sucks, but I still get to some, went on one called Jam Cruise ( yes a festival on a cruise ship..AMAZING but so expensive. I just don’t have the money to do it that much anymore…but anyways back to the quilt..

Well This quilt shows some of the memories from traveling.. most only have meaning to me, and wouldn’t make sense to most… but the cool thing that Liza did was make this quilt into an actual cd… by this I mean each square also depicts a grateful dead song, and along with this present she also gave me a burned CD.

1. Eyes of the World 2. Sunshine Daydream 3.Not Fade Away 4. Touch of Grey 5. China Cat Sunflower 6. They Love Each Other  (Is suppose to be me and my boyfriend when he had dreads) 7. The Music Never Stopped 8. Tennessee Jed 9. He’s Gone

So what does this have to do with Levi’s. Well I was thinking that it would be awesome to make a quilt that told a story using all different shades of Levi’s. The one this I always worry about with this is that is is made of pretty weak material, so eventually it will fade and wear… which sucks! But a Levi’s one would not, it would be strong and hold up for a LONG time.

Instead of each square depicting a song, it could depict a point in history. It could be a visual timeline of Levi’s, made of Levi’s.

Levi’s could even have a contest to have people make their own square, all with a similar theme. And make one HUGE quilt of art. It would be a great way to get people involved with the brand.  The theme could even be to show what they are thankful for, or a happy memory. Really it could be any theme. It would all end up making a beautiful piece of art.

Here are more pictures of the one Liza made..

# 35 – Thankful – Thank Full Jeans

There’s Thankful, as in appreciative, and then there is Thank  Full, as in overwhelmed with thanks.

This idea kept crossing my mind, and eventually I came up with the idea to literally make a Thank Full pair of Levi’s.

Instead of just taking pictures I went ahead and made it into a short video.

 

I thought I would put a spin on it and instead of just making a pair of pants full of thank yous, I looked up and printed out a chart of how to say thank you in every language. So that it was is covering the jeans. Since I had no idea how to write/draw some of them, I just wrote out the pronunciation of the words.

Other than this being a neat hands on way to demostrate the directive, I thought that it would be awesome if these jeans had actually been around the world, each region providing their own thanks. Now in my opioion I think the one think everyone on the planet should agree upon thanking is mother earth, or nature. We all need it. So I dedicate these jeans to Earth…. Which means I WILL NOT JUST THROW THEM OUT. I will find a way to reuse them.

So, this little project actually took me MUCH longer than I had expected.. and my hands are now covered in colored sharpie, but it was fun.

 

# 34 – Independent – Bridge the Gap with Brainstorming

So… This is actually an update to this post .. But I figured I’d post it at the top.. I just got on blackboard and saw that the weekend inspiration- for this coming weekend I assume- is about the left and right brain.. I think they just posted this today.. But regardless I hadn’t seen it when I made this post.. Cool though

The Brain is an amazing, and actually somewhat humbling thing… And while it dependent on oxygen…it is also a very independent organ..and if you think about it abstractly..

The Left and the Right sides of the brain are very independent of one another. Yes, they are wired together, but the way they work and the way we use them cause them to be separated from one another.. So they are independent and free to do their thing…

The Left Brain is Analytical, while the Right Side is Creative.

So, I guess the majority of us in this class would say they are “Right” brained..

Well, what is cool about this class is that we are forced to bridge the left and right sides of our brains.. I can guarantee that the thought “Levi’s” has annoyed and brained each side of our brain over the past weeks.

Levi’s as a brand is actually helping us bridge our own gaps, and by combining both sides we are able to think in ways we may have never ventured into before..

Here is little picture I photoshopped together to accompany this post– It represents Levi’s being the bridge that is bringing together our ideas, with lots of brainstorming inbetween — On the right i added some of the creative designs I have made so far in this class, and on the left I added the textual and research part of our assignments and the directives..

Here are two charts I found online… I would have created them myself.. but I thought this was sort of a neat way to show it.. the first is obviously created by a “Left Brained” person… while the second creator probably tends to be more “Right Brained”… just sort of a cool way of demonstrating the differences between the way the two types process information…

# 33 – Independent – Beat It

Well, to be independent doesn’t just mean you’re a self-sufficient – It can also mean you are unique and don’t go with the flow. You stand on your own and think for yourself. It can be hard to not fold to the opinions of others, especially with fashion, which obviously pertains to Levi’s – and how far you are willing to think outside the box in your individuality and find a style of your own.

Well I think the Levi’s Go Forth Campaign would say go out and…

MARCH TO YOUR OWN BEAT!!

 

 

I cut my Levi’s and with LOTS of fishing line I tied it as tight as possible over this drum. I made a video instead of just posting pictures because I thought the sound would be a nice bonus. — Well… would have been if my boyfriend had any rhythm… haha I guess his march is a bit off…

 

# 32 – Independent – Baby Steps

One of the most monumental  experiences we have with finding independence is taking our first steps. Being able to stand on our own two feet, literally. Although we probably don’t remember it as adults, you know we must have been downright proud of ourselves when we finally made it more than a few wobbling steps only to smack down on our tushies.

Well, we all know babies sell products… awww…sooo cute, look at that… blah blah blah.

So the picture is just an example ( and I had to resort to finding pictures online because I don’t have multiple babies at my disposal.. and I am pretty sure people frown upon just going out and borrow ones..anyways..… I am using the picture to capture the emotion I want the commercial to project.

The commercial should start out with multiple clips of babies ALL WEARING BABY LEVI’S  taking what appears to be their first steps , (homemade looking video clips would be ideal).. show many of these.. include the babies laughter and joy, the parents cheering… show some falling on their little butts… just create a great mood… now the commercial could just stop here.. but what would be really cool would be to do lapses of the different children, next step of a car, getting a job,  then of buying a house.. all of the defining moments of independence.. it would be really cool if it could go all the way to an elderly person wearing Levi’s, but being helped by a younger child… the message would be something like Levi’s – With You For Life. ( Yes I will think of a better one…)

Ok so what are some other ideas that I can think of that incorporate a baby’s first steps and Levi’s….

How about making Baby Levi’s equipped for the  stumbling toddler… removable padding,  and although this is probably insane… even a built in “training wheel” type contraption, something to make the jeans stand on their own… teach balance..  there could also be built in retractable cords with finger rings on the end.. on each side of the pants … The parents could stand above the child and help hold them so the child with learn balance…. I will try to think of some more add ones that Levi’s could do to help wrangle their toddler fans…