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I Am Not Every Girl dot com

noreply@blogger.com (Antwon Davis) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 06:49:00 +0000

Have you heard of the website, iamnoteverygirl.com.

For those of you who don't know, this site was spearheaded by a good friend of mine - Milan Ford - after watching a disturbing performance of “Every Girl” on the 2009 BET Awards by famous rapper, Lil’ Wayne. Milan, being totally disgusted with BET allowing such a degrading performance to take place and even more for the song to even be promoted on radio, took it upon himself to speak out against it.

Feeling that no one was willing to take a stand against a song that directly degrades women with lyrics such as “I wish I could [blank] every girl in the world”, the site - iamnoteverygirl.com - was born. The site was designed to rally support from young women, artists, and organizations to say NO to the promotion and playing of this song that is negatively influencing both our youth and culture. Another close friend of mine, Janay Bazemore, took it upon herself to rally behind this serious cause during the month of July by posting a video about it on Youtube.

Check it out here.

I've decided to rally behind this cause as well and spread the word. With only a week left to get the word out, I encourage you to check out the site and get involved.

For more info, visit iamnoteverygirl.com.

Philanthropreneurship: The New Philanthropy

noreply@blogger.com (Antwon Davis) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 16:04:00 +0000

I came across something that I found to be rather interesting.

Philanthropreneurship.

Philanthropreneurship is a hybrid of philanthropy and entrepreneurship. It's a term that is claimed to be coined by Internet entrepreneur Mark Desvaux in 2004.

It’s a developing form of philanthropy that I believe will soon become a common trend amongst aspiring entrepreneurs. As more and more entrepreneurs step to the forefront in the marketplace with new ideas, I think there will be a growing desire amongst these leaders to address global issues in creative and innovative ways like we've never seen before. One source describes these type of leaders as “interested in effecting positive changes in the world and alleviating suffering, and doing so for profit. Their contributions are investments rather than donations."

Over the past few years, we've even begun to see social media being used in creative ways to rally support for social causes (ie. TOMS, Pledge to End Hunger, IAmNotEveryGirl.com and Ashton Kutcher's rally to support World Malaria Day on Twitter).

I also stumbled across this amazing video from TED that I think is rather insightful regarding the future of philanthropy both here in America and abroad.

Check it out here.

The Day the King of Pop Died

noreply@blogger.com (Antwon Davis) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 22:44:00 +0000

Today is a very sad day for us all, even me.

The King of Pop - Michael Jackson - has died from a sudden cardiac arrest.

Reports say that this occurred "earlier this afternoon at his Holmby Hills home and paramedics were unable to revive him. We're told when paramedics arrived Jackson had no pulse and they never got a pulse back".

LA Times has also confirmed his death.

Let us remember the legacy that he has left us.

To the King of Pop!

Land of a Thousand Hills

noreply@blogger.com (Antwon Davis) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 22:34:00 +0000

I'm sitting in one of only two coffee shops owned by the company and organization, Land of a Thousand Hills.

I've been a huge fan of this organization for a while and I didn't know that their only two coffee shops are located right here in Atlanta GA.

I've seen them at some of the conferences that I've attended recently (ie. The Catalyst Conference and The Orange Conference).

I plan on finding a few creative ways that I can support their organization. Got a few ideas brewing (lol).

What organizations or causes have you discovered within the last 6 months that you want to support and how can you support them?

This Aint No Disco - Agency Work Environments

noreply@blogger.com (Antwon Davis) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 04:23:00 +0000

This Aint No Disco - Agency Work Environments

Shared via AddThis

Facebook Vanity URL: The Race to Claim Your Name

noreply@blogger.com (Antwon Davis) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:01:00 +0000

LATEST NEWS:

On this coming Friday at midnight, Facebook is opening up its doors for its new Facebook Vanity URL.

Ok, here's a little homework...

"A vanity URL is a domain name, created to point to something to which it it related and indicated in the name of the URL. A vanity URL is used to link to something that would be easier to remember than a random link or a link with a lot of numbers and letters."

Why is this so important?

For months, Facebook users have complained about having a long and very impersonal Facebook URL (i.e. http://www.new.facebook.com/profile.php?id=567830988).

Facebook has finally relinquished its position and will be offering the ability to get a personalized URL (i.e. http://www.new.facebook.com/______).

Here's the catch,

It's on a first-come, first-serve basis.

So, at 12:00am Saturday morning, the race begins. Make sure you're by a computer with access to the web to secure your personalized URL. I know I will.

No more ID numbers. WHOOT!!!

What Are You Passionate About?

noreply@blogger.com (Antwon Davis) — Fri, 22 May 2009 00:06:00 +0000

Question of the day...

"What are you passionate about?"

I'm passionate about creating a generation of thinkers.
I'm passionate about finding creative ways to add value to the lives of people, businesses, & organizations.
I'm passionate about stirring up the creative thought processes so that people can discover their true DNA in which they can execute against.
I'm passionate about challenging people to be thinkers in every area of their life.

What about you?

Ignore Everybody

noreply@blogger.com (Antwon Davis) — Mon, 18 May 2009 06:25:00 +0000

I've learned from my own life-experience that there is beauty in being true to yourself - being true to your DNA. So many people are seeking others to define who they are - what they should be, what they should do, what they should say, how they should think, how they should act, how they should dress, where they should go, what they should like, what they should buy... the list goes on. We've even gotten ourselves into this hip/cool trend of mimicking other people's success. Sad, but true.

So, what should we do?

Ignore EVERYBODY.

This idea of ignoring everybody - to me - stirs up a deeper conversation that I think few people are having. A conversation about tuning out the many voices in our head, on our television and computer screens, in our books, on our Blackberries and iPhones, in our classrooms, and even in our families just for a moment. Why? So that we can begin tuning in to our own voice, passions, dreams, and ideas. So that we can begin discovering our own DNA.

Ignoring EVERYBODY may seem like a bold/arrogant way of doing things, but sometimes it's a courageous idea like this that revolutionizes one's life. Otherwise, when and how else will we come to terms with who we really are? At what point do we start answering the Who and What and Why in our own lives?

Some of the most life-changing, creative, and revolutionary moments of my life have been when I removed myself from all of the noise and all the voices, and started getting in touch with my "star player" (as Kat Williams would say) - my DNA. When I just said "SHUT UP" to all the distractions.

Interestingly, I just found out that Hugh MacLeod's latest book - Ignore Everybody - sort of touches on this idea from a creative standpoint. Either way, I think the conversation needs to be had.

I think I might grab a copy of this new book and spark some dialogue about this idea myself.

Click here to get a closer look at the pic below. Read and enjoy!

45 Interviews with Great Graphic Designers

noreply@blogger.com (Antwon Davis) — Mon, 18 May 2009 05:32:00 +0000

I came across this amazing post called "45 Interviews with Great Graphic Designers".

It's filled with some amazing interviews and insights from some pretty unique and creative people.

Check it out here.

Francis Chan @ the Orange Conference

noreply@blogger.com (Antwon Davis) — Mon, 18 May 2009 03:20:00 +0000

I'm just now posting one of the videos I recorded at the 2009 Orange Conference.

It was an amazing conference indeed.

Francis Chan delivered one of the most challenging and compelling messages during the conference. This was my favorite session.

Serving @ the Orange Conference

noreply@blogger.com (Antwon Davis) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 02:02:00 +0000

I'm excited about the Orange Conference coming up this Wednesday through Friday.

If you haven't heard, the Orange Conference is a conference developed around challenging church leaders in "what it means and what it takes to reach the next generation. It's the only place that a senior pastor, student pastor, children's pastor and volunteers that work within these ministries can learn together and begin formulating a strategy to impact the lives of the people in [their] congregation".

Over the course of 3 days, influential leaders and pastors will be speaking during various sessions throughout the conference. Some of these speakers include Reggie Joiner, Francis Chan, Perry Noble, Nancy Beach, Jeff Henderson, David Kinnaman, and others.

I'm really looking forward to sitting in on some of the sessions. Excited about the content and the fact that I have an opportunity to serve in the conference...

I was invited to sing lead and backup during one of the sessions as well as run Keynote during some of the breakout sessions.

I'm so pumped!

Who Wants to Be Twitter's 1st Millionaire?

noreply@blogger.com (Antwon Davis) — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 03:12:00 +0000

Just heard the news that Ashton Kutcher won the Twitter Challenge against CNN earlier this morning.

If you haven't heard, here's the update...

This whole thing started with a web video by Ashton challenging CNN to a race to 1 million Twitter followers. Here's the catch though, if he won, he promised to donate 10,000 mosquito bed nets to charity for World Malaria Day. CNN committed to match that donation regardless if they won or not.

At around 2am this morning, Ashton hit his 1 millionth follower and he threw a party, streaming it live on video.

But here's what's so cool. Oprah Winfrey has now jumped on the Twitter banwaggon. She set up her official Twitter account today. Before she was able to post her first tweet, she had reached 73,000 followers.

Talk about the power of social media!

You can find further info here.

Check out what Oprah had to say about the challenge from The Oprah Winfrey show that aired today...

The Behance Network

noreply@blogger.com (Antwon Davis) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 17:49:00 +0000

Just joined the awesome social network - Behance Network.

It's an amazing platform that allows you to showcase your work (graphic design, illustration, web design, print, etc.).

Much deeper than that, The Behance Company "is a company that organizes the creative world to make ideas happen."

If you are a creative thinker, designer, or blogger on any level, it would behoove you to check them out here and here.

Isaiah 53 {remember}

noreply@blogger.com (Antwon Davis) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 22:16:00 +0000

Isaiah 53:3-6

3. He was despised and rejected—

a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.

We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.

He was despised, and we did not care.

4. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;

it was our sorrows that weighed him down.

And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,

a punishment for his own sins!

5. But he was pierced for our rebellion,

crushed for our sins.

He was beaten so we could be whole.

He was whipped so we could be healed.

6. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.

We have left God’s paths to follow our own.

Yet the Lord laid on him

the sins of us all.

The Louder Project 2.0

noreply@blogger.com (Antwon Davis) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 06:42:00 +0000

Just finished the redesign of the Louder Project 2.0 website.

I used a Wootheme to build it.

Learning how to edit html and css.

Check out the site, and let me know what you think.

Looking for any design work? Hit me up.

iPhone 4G... Could it be?

noreply@blogger.com (Antwon Davis) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 21:30:00 +0000

I've been hearing some buzz about a potential iPhone 4G.

Don't know how true it is, but here's a concept of what it may look like...

Sort of merging the new Macbook look with the iPhone feel.

God, Be the Solution!

noreply@blogger.com (Antwon Davis) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 12:20:00 +0000

I'm retarded!

I know!

But I refuse to spend this life being your typical American Christian, content with a bunch of Bible studies, church services, and devotionals. I mean - COME ON!!! We have the message to the world and the best we can do is on a Sunday from 10am-12pm? I mean we're Americans! We're content. We like it. We like being Christians. It's easy as HELL. Doesn't require much from us, plus we get to keep our American Dream alive. And as long as we have our freakin' iPhones and cool environments and degrees, we're good. Right?

I mean...

...forget it...

...why keep blogging about it. It's just another blog post, right?

...

...

"May God paint this nation with His love because people like you and I made the decision to make Him the SOLUTION!"

You can watch this video if you want, I don't care. Hopefully it will piss you off like it did me!

To Know HIS Name!

noreply@blogger.com (Antwon Davis) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 20:15:00 +0000

Typically, the way I experience God is through a bunch of weird "Aha moments". Moments where His love, His grace, His heart, His truth, and His insight collide with my ignorance, my sin, my insecurity, my doubts, and my failures.

It's at these moments that I really begin to understand Him... to know HIS name. It is at these moments that I am forever changed.

Watch this video. Meditate on the words. Be moved. Be changed.

LOL

noreply@blogger.com (Antwon Davis) — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 06:22:00 +0000

Have you ever been in a serious conversation with someone where you tried hard to keep from laughing, but the harder you tried, the harder it was NOT to laugh? And you ended up feeling bad afterwards? Well this guy in this video can definitely relate.

Check out this Belgian TV host who loses his composure while interviewing a victim who has experienced medical malpractice. The victim had his tonsils improperly removed and it damaged his voice box.

If you want to see the part where the host laughs out loud at the victim, you can fast-forward to about 1:25 in the video.

This video is guaranteed to crack you up (in a shameful way)!

What If We Were the Church... For Real?

noreply@blogger.com (Antwon Davis) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 06:34:00 +0000

Question(s):

What if we were the Church for real? What if we stopped HAVING church and started BEING church in a world that needs it? What all could we do? How much different would our lives be if we lived everyday as if we were FOLLOWERS of Christ instead of MEMBERS of a church? How much could we change the world one life at a time within our lifetime?

I stumbled upon this video after getting an email from Jesse Phillips from Catalyst. I watched it and my adrenaline started pumping.

This pumps me up!!!

May this video stir up the passion in you as you see what we can do if we stop HAVING church and start getting real...

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

10 Easy Ways to Keep Me from Visiting Your Church Because I Visited Your Website

noreply@blogger.com (Antwon Davis) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 19:28:00 +0000

As silly as the title may sound, I found this post by Tony Morgan to be very interesting. As a growing and developing designer and thinker, this is extremely relevant in my world of effective ministry. Why is this important? Because most people visit a church after they have either heard about it or after they have checked out the church's website. You'd be surprised how much your web-presence matters. It's just as much apart of ministry as the message.

Here's my suggestion regarding church websites... either you do it RIGHT or don't do it at all!

- - - - - - - - - -

Here's Tony's post:

- - - - - - - - - -

"10 Easy Ways to Keep Me from Visiting Your Church Because I Visited Your Website"

Avoid telling me what’s going to happen at your church this weekend. I found churches that had weather reports but nothing about their upcoming weekend service. I found two churches that had prominent information about upcoming golf scrambles (which I appreciated as a golfer), but nothing about this weekend’s service. Why would I come if I don’t know what I’m going to experience?
Put a picture of your building on the main page. After all, ministry is all about the buildings.
Use lots of purple and pink and add pictures of flowers. Really. Are you expecting any men to show up? And, for my benefit, please don’t put any doves on your website. Doves scare me.
Make me click a "skip intro" or "enter site" link. I don’t have time for that and it’s very annoying. If I have to wait for something to load or have to click around intro pages to get to the real information, I’m probably going to skip your church service.
Add as many pictures and graphics as you can to the main page. My life is already complicated. I don’t have time to figure out what’s important at your church. If you dump everything on the main page, I’m assuming you don’t know what’s important either.
Use amateur photography. And, for the record, it would be helpful to have at least one normal looking person on your site. Do us all a favor and hire a graphic designer, a professional photographer or purchase some stock photography.
List every single ministry you have at your church. Frankly, I don’t care what ministries you have. I just want to know whether or not I should visit your church this weekend. My first step isn’t the men’s Bible study or joining your church’s prayer partners ministry.
Make it as difficult as possible for me to get directions, services times, or find information about what will happen with my kids. It’s important that my kids have a great experience. If you can’t convince me that that will happen, I’m probably not going to risk visiting your service.
Put a picture of your pastor with his wife on the main page. That tells me it’s all about a personality, and I see enough of those people on television. I actually found one church that had not one but two pictures of the senior pastor on the main page. He was looking mighty dapper, though, in his fancy suit.
Try to sell your church rather than telling me how I will benefit from the experience. I don’t care how great your church is. I just want to know if visiting your church will help me and my unchurched friends take our next steps toward Christ.

What are your thoughts?

The Jordan Code

noreply@blogger.com (Antwon Davis) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 17:55:00 +0000

“I have missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot . . . and missed. And I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why . . . I succeed.”

-Michael Jordan

Thinking for a Living

noreply@blogger.com (Antwon Davis) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 21:31:00 +0000

I just finished reading yet another amazing book.

This one is entitled "Thinking for a Living" by Joey Reiman.

For those of you that may not know, Joey is a thought leader and a thinker who - through the years - has learned how to harness the power of thinking in every area of his life. It has not only allowed him to pursue his passion in launching the world's first ideation company - BrightHouse - but it has also enhanced his personal life as a husband, father, and spiritual believer.

This book delves right into an area of conversation that I think so many of us overlook...

"Thinking is a lifestyle that can be applied to every area of life."

This is my takeaway: We don't value our ideas. We don't value a lifestyle of thinking in our society. Even our educational system has settled for telling our kids WHAT to think instead of teaching them HOW to think. We've built a society of executioners - people who are good at punching the clock Monday through Friday, and we have failed to develop thinkers - people who find ways to better their lives while creating a better world. It has been hypothesized that we use roughly only 10% of our brain to think.

Where's the conversation about how do we develop and leverage the other 90%?

Let us not forget that it was thinkers who changed our world; who developed ideologies, processes, and inventions that we continue to live by today; who inspired us to do things and try things that were unheard of beforehand. Take into account Socrates, Plato, Jesus Christ, Martin Luther King Jr., Ghandi, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci and so many others. Their thoughts, ideas, and insights have modeled how we think, how we communicate... even how we live.

I've made it my mission to THINK for a living. Period. In all aspects of life.

- - - - -

Here are a few snippets from the book that I liked...

"Today the most valuable piece of real estate measures less than one foot and is worth trillions, yet most of it remains uninhabited. This place is called your brain."

"People who think outside the [box] run circles around people who don't. These big thinkers inspire us, enlighten us, and change the way we think forever."

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." -Margaret Mead

"Racism is the absence of thinking. When you don't think, you become ignorant." -Martin Luther King Jr.

"Faith - true, abiding, empowering faith - is one of the biggest thoughts of all."

"Greatest ideas are often met with violent opposition from mediocre minds." -Albert Einstein

"Today, many of us are paid not to think. In schools, the answer has always been more important than the thought process."

"The bottom line is that the biggest idea in the world is and always will be God."

"No problem can stand the assault of sustained thinking." -Voltaire

"Air keeps us alive, but thinking creates our lives. How we think affects our health, impacts our wealth, and most importantly gives meaning to why we are here."

- - - - -

In what areas can you begin thinking for a living?

To Sneeze or Not to Sneeze

noreply@blogger.com (Antwon Davis) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 07:16:00 +0000

I was reading a post from Dustin Britt from Matchstic and I decided to comment on it.

It may seem irrelevant, but I think the topic is great for discussion.

The question that he presents is definitely one worth discussing. Here's a snippet from his post...

{ "Is Apple starting to oversell itself? I go to BestBuy, and there are now Apple computers for sale there; I go to Walmart and can buy an iPhone. And the way I feel when I see an iPhone at Walmart vs when I see one in the Apple Store or even on Apple’s website is a totally different vibe. Is Apple in danger of becoming Starbucks by starting to sell their products in places that don’t embody the same customer experience? Are they ultimately devalueing their brand by making this move?" }

This is my takeaway...

Although most companies strive to get a product into the hands of the majority, it's companies that stay true to their brand and to their DNA that tend to win out - especially companies like Starbucks and Apple that have a niche market.

Apple has a loyal consumer-base and strong brand equity. These types of companies - like Apple - understand that it is their loyal customers who are the ones spreading the word, attending the conferences and keynotes, and constantly upgrading their gear for the latest versions. These are the innovators - the Sneezers. These are the people who not only believe in your brand or your story, these are the ones who sneeze it (share it) to others. These are your passionate followers, loyal fans, and die-hard allies. To sacrifice your Sneezers for the sake of trying to reach "EVERYBODY" is a dangerous move for any organization.

As Seth Godin said in his book - Purple Cow, "In a crowded and busy world, fitting in and not standing out is the same as being INVISIBLE. When the Sneezers stop sneezing, they eventually stop looking, and when they stop looking - you're invisible."

How does this relate to your business, organization, or church?

What are you doing in your business, organization, or church that is reaching the Sneezers?

What are your thoughts?

DNA Execution

noreply@blogger.com (Antwon Davis) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 06:23:00 +0000

Just watched this vid from Gary Vaynerchuk's blog.

Pretty interesting topic.

A conversation that I've been having a lot with more and more people pursuing what they love.

Take a look...

What are your thoughts?