If Lawn Chairs Grew on Trees…

I hate Times Square. I know it represents NY life, the bustle and the hustle (blah blah blah) but really, I just don’t like it. It’s always congested, loud, full of really slow people, people accosting me about buying their CD or attending their comedy show. However, the other day, I was unexpectedly surprised with the amusing sights of Times Square. Here’s just a sampling of the crazies interesting sights:

• A father and son duo, wearing capes.
• A never-ending supply of Europeans and fanny packs.
• A man on a bicycle, wearing only a tie-dye skirt.
• Justin Kirk (of Weeds).
• The Naked Cowboy.
• A completely naked woman, getting painted.

Only in New York. Here’s what I wonder: are we just trying to scare the tourists, or are we really a bunch of exhibitionist freaks?

Why I love my co-workers

Quote of the day:

Do you ever wonder if we just think more than these people? – My co-worker.

No words needed.

Thank you, MD

Just saw Matt Doyle at Joe’s Pub.

It. was. a.mazing. This boy is setting a classy example.

Humble. Rock star. Haunting (at moments). Heartbreaking. Uplifting. Inspired. Inspiring. Soothing. Jazzy. Perfect.

In other words, thank you, Matt Doyle.

The Beat Goes On

Recent conversation with my hairstylist:

Hairstylist: Where do you go to school? Julliard?
Me: Oh, no. I’ve graduated college. I’m working on becoming a corporate slave now.
Hairstylist: Oh, you look like a dancer. How old are you again? 19?
Me: No.
Hairstylist: Little 19-year-old tiny dancer.

Today is my birthday. It my first birthday in an office. It is my first birthday in Manhattan. It is my first birthday out of college.

That last point is probably the weirdest: classes begin at the end of this week. It feels strange and a little sad to not be going back, even though college was so full of sleepless nights and sugar-free Red Bull and papers and textbooks and coffee and more not sleeping. I’ll definitely miss fall on campus and even waiting tables at my old restaurant.

But I love this city.

There are moments in this city where I’ve realized how lucky my friends and I are to begin our lives and careers in New York. There’s something about this large, brutal, sleepless, beautiful, dirty, rich, kind, ever-lasting place – I can’t put my finger on it – but it’s pretty special.

I’m building up pretty glamorous life, and I’ve got New York to thank.

“One belongs to New York instantly, one belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years” – Thomas Wolfe

We need to take a moment and gush…

… on Matt Doyle.

For those of you who don’t know, Matt is freakishly talented. No, really. We’re pretty sure he’s struck some kind of unsavory deal with the devil for that voice. Oh, and he’s attractive. Yeah, we know. Not even a little bit fair.

Overview: Matt’’s a NYC-based actor/singer who has been in Spring Awakening (an object of obsession),  will be in Bye Bye Birdie, is on the Greatest Show of Our Time and, most importantly, was featured in NY Magazine today. In other words, he cannot seem to stop out-doing himself with awesomeness.

Click here to see a video sampling of his evil witchcraft talent (don’t worry, it’s just a YouTube video, nothing sketchy. Except we’ll be able to see into your soul after you watch it.)

We are also VERY EXCITED to see Matt perform in his first solo concert at Joe’s Pub on Monday for WC’s birthday (thanks to a particular someone special who is also responsible for the new WC banner you see up top).  Matt, being the sorcerer amazing talent that is his, sold out the Aug. 17 performance and had to add Aug. 27. We’re not under the influence of of Matt’s black magic intoxicating eyes or anything, but go see Matt Doyle on August 27. Do it.

You know you want to. If the video we shared is an indication of anything, it is sure to be a night full of amazing musical art. Plus, it will hold you over until Bye Bye Birdie opens and until The Greatest Show of Our Time comes back in the fall.

We’ll report back on Monday with details of the awesomeness.

xoxo.

Go see Matt.

Dripping with glamor

Give me the luxuries of life and I will willingly do without the necessities. – Frank Lloyd Wright

New York City.

Truly, the center of the universe. Face it – we’re the capital of fashion, media, money, art, glamor and fame. Everywhere you turn in New York, there’s always an overflow of wealth, bright lights, big ideas, big buildings and glitter.

Okay, so maybe not all the time.

But here at WC, we’re simply tired of the world’s bad attitude. Yeah, there’s a recession and everyone is losing their jobs and war is destroying the world. But we think it’s time to cling to something a little less heavy to lift us out of the funk.

That’s why we like plastic and shiny things and pop culture.

What do you think? Do you think temporary distraction is a good idea from all the negativity, or do you want to dwell on it some more?

xoxo- WC

You Deserve the Future

Hello little monsters,

Word Couture is back. For those of you who’ve been here before, we’re taking the blog in a bit of a new direction. Instead of being so career-focused, we’re going to leverage our New York City lives to bring you pop culture, music, media, fashion, New York, social media and relevant public relations.

After all, it’s what you’re talking about. This morning on Twitter, WC spied some of your trending Twitter topics: Lady GaGa, Best Dressed Guy, Teen Choice Awards… You’re not fooling anyone. We know what you really care about.

Until next time.

XoXo
WC

Hiatus Halted

Hello Loyal Readers,

Word Couture took a brief break from the blogosphere. Final exams have been aced (with the exception of Philosophy), a senior voice recital has been performed and several graduation events have come and gone. All that’s left now is writing “thank you” cards for the amazing support shown to me over the past few weeks.

I am also excited to report that Word Couture will be moving to Manhattan in the beginning of June. The Upper West Side is currently preparing for my arrival. In the meantime, you should prepare for more ponderings on corporate communications, social media, public relations and personal branding, with a New York twist. I promise to 1. blog from wonderful places and 2. take pictures of them for you.

Additional updates to come:

• Layout changes (including scrapping the heinous pen that currently spoils the aesthetic of this domain).
• Our own domain. (wordcouture.com is taken, so I am brainstorming another).
• Regular posts!

Thank you again for sticking around. First new post will be up tomorrow In the meantime, I’m off to burn some cherry fires.

Fail Whale: Hiatus

With finals and final presentations rapidly approaching, this blog will be on hiatus for the next two weeks. Word Couture will be back, bigger and better than ever with a new layout and more fun thoughts very soon!

Would you rather…

Thanks to my Google Reader, I’m on a personal branding kick lately.

Last summer, I saw a preview of a brilliant and candid Broadway musical called [title of show]. The show is an interesting play of itself, as it tells the story of its own inception. The plot tells the true story of the characters as they actually write [title of show] (confused yet?). The four main characters wrote the show for a contest, which eventually lead them to Broadway.

One of my favorite songs from the show, “Nine People’s Favorite Thing,” in which the characters ponder on whether or not it’s better to sell out for the sake of making money or staying true to yourself and creating something really great.

“I’d rather be nine people’s favorite thing than a hundred people’s ninth favorite thing”

With personal branding and corporate reputation both on the mind, I began to relate this particular conundrum to brands. Is it better to be nine people’s favorite thing, or a hundred people’s ninth favorite thing?

For personal brands, I’d argue that it’s better to be nine people’s favorite thing. Think of it in terms of being an artist. Let’s say that instead of spending all of his time painting, Van Gogh decided to get a job painting walls for a living. All of those great pieces of art would never have been created. Van Gogh only sold one painting during his lifetime, but he never gave up on himself.

From corporate perspective, many would argue that being nine people’s favorite thing is not a sound business model. If a hundred people think you’re the ninth best thing, and they’re still buying, who cares? Create a product that is good enough to sell and do fairly well, then sit back and enjoy the benefits. But I think settling for ninth is a close-minded numbers-obsessed approach that is based only on immediate ROI. Don’t settle for mediocre, whether you are selling a product or branding yourself. If you’ll recall my Save Our Starbucks post, Starbucks lovers went nuts when 500 stores closed (a handful in comparison to the number remaining open). In tough times, you want to take the Starbucks approach and not settle for ninth, because the ninth favorite thing will be the first to go.

But how do you build a good business model on being nine people’s favorite thing? [title of show] sings it more succinctly than I could express:

“Those nine people will tell nine people
And then we’ll have eighteen people lovin’ the show
Then eighteen people could grow into
five-hundred and twenty-five thousand, six hundred people
Loving our show”

Time for the moral of the story: create a unique brand. It doesn’t matter if you’re crafting a personal brand or working on corporate reputation; if you create something great, the public will appreciate your brand not selling out for money’s sake. It just may take a hot second (and some kickin’ PR).