Recently, while doing a little rummaging on The Auteurs (a very fine resource for film buffs) it was brought to my attention that the story of Alice in Wonderland is over 140 years old. The original novel was written in 1865 by Lewis Carroll and the first-ever film version was created in 1903.

I knew that Carroll’s story had been adapted dozens of times, but I had no idea that the trippy little tale was imagined before recorded sound had even been introduced into the world of cinema.

So, I started thinking about what makes a story stick around so long. What is it about a girl who falls down a rabbit hole into a world of anthropomorphic creatures that makes for timeless narrative? And what things from this fantasy world can we appropriate into our own lives in the endless quest to become more interesting, lovable people?

For starters, it’s an adventure into the unknown. When you’re ‘down the rabbit hole’ nothing is familiar, so an open mind is mandatory. When we pursue the unknown, we are stepping into the direction of growth and change.

There’s lots of room for nonsense. The story plays with logic in ways that make it appealing to people of all ages, even 100 years later. Maybe, too often we allow our need for logic and rationalism to cut away at our chance for inspiration and imagination.

It is a plot steeped in questions. The Hatter famously ponders, “Why is a raven like a writing desk?” and though Carroll never even intended for the riddle to have a solution, we can find marvel in the question itself. Life may try to suck the wonder right out of you, but if we can remain infinitely inquisitive we will be endlessly inspired.

We’re all in this rabbit hole together. Let’s help each other live a life riddled in wonder.

I leave you with this fine quote from the queen.

The best part of waking up is Art in Your cup?

Artinmycoffee is a tumblelog curated by Jina Bolten and Meagan Fisher that collects artful frothy creations and posts them along with where the person did their drinking.

Take a look and see if your morning jolt can compete.

If you don’t prioritize and champion your day, you will undoubtedly leave feeling unfulfilled. Here are a few steps that can keep your creativity top-of-mind. I should note that not all these things come naturally, but are worth the effort.

1. Make a list of what you want to accomplish for the day and prioritize this list in order of importance.
This is something we’re encouraged to do every single day. Plan your priority and own it.

2. Urgent vs important.
Something important that comes up does not mean you have to drop everything for it. Just plan it into your day. Something urgent however might mean you have to immediately switch gears. However, not everything is urgent! Know the difference!

3. Exploration needs boundaries.
Set some time limits so that you don’t get totally lost in exploration. There comes a time when you experience diminishing returns, this is when you need to stop exploring and start creating.

4. Limit interruptions.
We call this “zoning”. The rules of the zone state that if you have a post-it on your door with a time written, no one under any circumstances is allowed to call or knock. We have our phones on “do not disturb” and our emails, ichats, cell phones, all turned off. Only after the allotted time on the post-it are you allowed to interrupt this person from their “zone” with your “urgent” need.

5. Match projects to energy levels.
Around here we all have different peak work times of the days. Some of us thrive in the mornings while others take awhile to get alive for the day. Understand when your right brain is in overdrive and earmark that time so that you work on your priority during this peak time.

6. Waste time!
Sometimes you just need a break. A restart. Give yourself permission for this.

7. Decluttering your space frees the brain.
In repainting some of our office walls, we decided it was time to also purge a lot of the unnecessary crap in our offices as well. In doing so, we’ve created much more inviting and inspiring spaces that we want to collaborate in rather than get out of.

Check out Neely’s revamped space:

Clouds, with their infinite shape possibilities, have long been a playground for man’s imagination.

Chicago based photographer, Paul Octavious’s recent work entitled Cloud Puffin takes full advantage of nature’s fluffy sculptures. His series of cloud composites are dramatic and whimsical all at the same time.

You can see his full Flickr set here.

The year was 2008 and the show Mad Men was peaking in popularity. Meanwhile, a little thing called Twitter had taken flight as well, and the show’s characters were tweeting away. Thing is, AMC had nothing to do with it. Twitter users were impersonating the show’s cast and tweeting to their heart’s content.

As one might imagine, AMC wasted no time issuing a take-down notice to Twitter, who, in turn, suspended the accounts. In doing so, they successfully quieted a group of the show’s biggest fans who were promoting the show for free. However, after some bad press and a litany of disgruntled tweets, the accounts were reinstated. The network almost learned the hard way what happens in the new media world when you treat a group of loyal fans like criminals.

Flash forward a spell to a time when Greenpeace started a movement to end a Japanese government-sanctioned whaling campaign. As part of the movement, Greenpeace wanted to install a tracking chip into a humpback whale. And, to personify the movement, they wanted to give the whale a name. Rather than make the decision in a vacuum, Greenpeace took the savvy route and let the internet community have a say in the name.

Among the possible names were Anahi, a Farsi word meaning “immortal,” Kaimana, Polynesian for “divine power of the ocean” and Mister Splashy Pants. Naturally, Greenpeace would have preferred to give the whale one of the more thoughtful names, as was clear when they attempted to override the community vote, which was 70% in favor of the name Mister Splashy Pants after someone found a loophole in the one-vote system and brought attention to the name at a rate of 120 clicks-a-minute for 38 minutes. (Votes which were eventually discounted.)

Needless to say, the legitimate voters in favor of Mister Splashy Pants weren’t going to be outvoted. And, in short, a wave of support for the name surged through the social media space and, in the end, 78% of the internet community insisted that the whale be called Mister Splashy Pants. And, so it was.

AMC and Greenpeace both learned valuable lessons. In this day and age, the audience controls your message. And, as one southern rock band puts it, “If you cling too tightly, you’re gonna lose control.”

Hold on tight to your dreams, but hold on loosely to your message.

Sources:
- http://www.asourceofinspiration.com/2008/09/03/social-media-and-brand-hijacking/
- http://www.ted.com/talks/alexis_ohanian_how_to_make_a_splash_in_social_media.html
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mister_Splashy_Pants

If you aren’t really keen on cute, you will likely be grossed out by the project deemed Tada’s Revolution. But if you have even the smallest place in your heart for preciousness, these little soft creatures will take a piece of you with them.

Beautifully shot and art directed, each Tada tells a redemption story. From trash to treasures, these adorable characters are hard to hate on.

Hmmmmm. Wonder why? Could it be that we’re ready for the “next big thing” to come along already? Could it be that we are hoping for something to come along that is less difficult to grasp as a workable communication channel? Could it be that we’re waiting for things to go back to the way they were before social media?

Yes. Yes. And…unfortunately, yes. Because here’s the reality of what’s going on.

It’s highly likely that the “next big thing” is already here. The fact is that we don’t know what it is because in order to recognize it, we have to first come to grips with the idea that for all we know, we don’t know what we don’t know. Our brains are wired to think only in terms of the things we know and understand.

Small wonder then, that a number of marketers still misuse these social media channels. Which is a problem. Because, chances are, Facebook and Twitter are here to stay. At least for a while.

Perhaps the problem is the fact that they were even called “media” in the first place. Implicit in the term “media” is the idea of a “vehicle” that can carry a “message” to a particular audience. Which, is true of TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, billboards…all “media.”

Now, let’s exercise a little bit of logic and ponder the idea that ALL media is “social.” That’s right. Everything we need to know about social media, we learned in show-and-tell class. Marketing 101, if you will. (Sometimes we don’t even know what we know.)

Suffice it to say that social media buzz words are tiresome because they don’t mean anything. They don’t inform as to what the value of the “medium” is. They don’t tell a story about why the things they represent are important. They are merely bad names for really, really highly functioning pieces of technology that simply enable humans to do what they’ve done around dinner tables and campfires for years, decades, centuries…millennia—share stuff.

If you’re among those who are tired of the word “twitter,” go ahead and stop thinking about it. Really. It’s okay. Now, take the time you just freed up and use it to create something worth sharing. It’s the only game in town, really. Always has been.

Always will be.

At redpepper we like happy people, and so we actively support personal growth. We want to create a place where everyone is constantly reaching for new heights, in search of their higher self. This is the ultimate challenge of mankind. So it stands to reason it should be our single most important focus.

I think it’s equally as important to note that the quote doesn’t say, “Show me a growing person, and I’ll show you a comfortable person.” Growth, by definition is a challenge, and part of that challenge is being intentional.

Sure there are some times in life when you should just wing-it, but if you want to be SURE to grow, you need a plan. A formal, public, and strategic plan, that will ensure you are a growing, happy person.

So, recently, each redpepperite was assigned a growth coach and tasked with creating a growth plan for 2010. The rules were simple: Put your plan on and 11×8.5 piece of paper an present it to the gang in less than a minute.

The plans were are as diverse as we are, and we had some rule breakers, which of course is all part of the fun.

Alan elected to use his one minute for an impromptu rap. We missed the very beginning, but we caught the majority of his rhyming.

Here’s Carl’s plan which was delivered in under a minute and without a single spoken word.

And the below plans are the product of a super awesome intern, an accounting extraordinaire, a whacky web scientist, and an account executive that is always ready for an intense cheer-off.

What sets the Refresh Project apart from other corporate giving campaigns? Well, for starters, Pepsi has created a website, RefreshEverything.com, where people can learn about all the causes eligible for grants and vote for the projects they want Pepsi to support. The Refresh Project is also unique because Pepsi is accepting ideas from anybody – 1,000 ideas every month – which opens the door for financial support for all non-profits whether large or small. Even “regular” people who have a dream to start their own non-profit to change their little corner of the world have a chance to secure grant money to get their idea off the ground. So, no matter how big or small, everyone has a chance.

Perhaps Pepsi recognized that people want to help others, but they want to know who they’re helping and how their hard-earned dollars are being used. Is this a trend — people thinking less globally and more locally about their charitable choices? After seeing mammoth corporations – and even high-profile non-profit organizations – mismanage their money, consumers are growing ever more skeptical about where their money is going.

While a large, global organization with a mission to research cures for diseases is certainly working towards a worthy goal, it’s not easy to see that my donation is being used responsibly. However, it’s much easier to see my dollars at work helping people right here in my own community with food and shelter and keeping the electricity on. Maybe the “down” economy has motivated people to be more mindful of their choices and actually raised awareness about how they can make their part of the world a better place.

I’m not naïve enough to believe that Pepsi’s motives are completely altruistic. Afterall, 71% of people think companies spend too much on advertising and should put more into good causes, according to the Edelman Consumer Study. Maybe Pepsi is just listening to good market research and putting it into practice. But at least they’re listening. And trying to do some good.

Rather than a big corporation making the decision for us, Pepsi’s Refresh Project is giving us a choice, an opportunity to voice what matters to us and have it actually matter. Maybe this really is a new generation.