TO THE DREAMERS TURNED DOERS

As I dance around my room (yes, that still happens when you're 31), I realized it. The secret. Or, at least mine. 

Mid twirl into booty pop, my mind was transported back to a moment I experienced a few months prior. I was in Brooklyn, scurrying up Grand Street carrying five bags of groceries, with my headphones in, and on a mission to get home and out of the cold when I overheard a conversation between two high school boys walking behind me. So naturally, the inquisitive person I am, slowed down and took out my earbuds. As they passed by, one of the boys looked over at a store and said, "Look at that. That's someone's dream. All these stores, are people's dreams. You walk in, you're in their dream." 

We hit Manhattan Avenue, I went right and they continued down Grand Street wrapped up in their conversation unaware of my eavesdropping. But I couldn't stop thinking about that idea.

It was so eloquently put for a 15-year-old. He got it. I mean yes, that's why I love New York - everyplace is so different and unique from the next. Each store, bar, restaurant - they all have their own personal touch and vibe. It's brilliant. But to think of them as dreams? That was a new concept to me. Yet, so obvious. 

What if our day dreams could be reality? What if the things we "dream" about can actually exist? What if we start thinking about dreams in terms of verbs vs. far fetched ideas that swim somewhere off in the unreachable distance?  Or worse yet, deep inside us buried beneath years of societal norms compounded by hidden insecurities and doubt. That 15-year-old boy made me realize that people were living out their dreams, and I could too. We all can.

My mind went on another journey, this time back to August at Burning Man and to a conversation with a gentleman whose business card reads "Life Coach". He told me to close my eyes and envision my dream. As I did this, I realized with eyes closed, a smile emerged onto my face from deep inside. It wasn't just a smile. It was my heart truly feeling warm and alive. He then said, "My job isn't to make that dream happen for you - it's to make you ask the right questions."  The questions he forced to me focus on were "How do you make that dream possible?" or even scarier "What's holding you back?"

It's taken me six months to reach this point. Or maybe 31 years, actually. I realized the thing holding me back was the confidence to rawly open myself up and let down the wall guarding what was deep inside.  To show people my inner, most private dreams. To be on display, susceptible to criticism, unable to hide behind anyone or anything. Stripped. Naked. Exposed. It took a lot of soul searching. But, I realized I needed the confidence to finally fulfill my dream and sell myself. Not in a Pretty Woman hooker sort of "sell."  But truly sell me. Opening a store that is purely Erin. Every single object in it, even the way those objects are placed - is me. I'm selling what I like to wear, what I like to gaze upon, hold, use, snuggle up with. All of it. When people walk into my store, I'm inviting them into my dream. And that, my friend, is frightening.

The home of my dreams. Storefront in Corktown, Detroit. 

Once I was capable of justifying that my dream could, in fact, be a reality. I reached a fork in the road. One way - continuing on what seemed like a relatively successful career in advertising.  And the other was to venture into the unknown but believing the unknown held the path to my dream. What happened next was something I wasn't expecting. It was the idea of NOT opening the store. It sent shivers down my spine. It was a physical repulsion to go back to the way things were before.  I. JUST. COULDN'T...COULD. NOT. The inner five-year-old self was screaming "Mommy! Please don't make me go back! I'll eat all my broccoli AND clean my room. Just PLEASE don't make me go back!" 

Honestly, that thought is what's helped me keep going even if I don't know exactly where I'm headed. I just keep putting one foot in front of the other. Moving is better than standing still. Maybe I take a wrong turn here, or stumble upon a hiccup there. But the small steps of courage force me to feel it's right. And most importantly, I know it's better than going back.

So, cheers! To the dreamers turned doers. I'm living the crash course and getting a first hand view that it's a whole heck of a lot harder than it looks. But by walking into other people's dreams, I'm constantly reminded I can live mine. 

Detroit Hustles Harder

It's a Sunday and as I lay lounging in my pjs watching the Lions battle the Cowboys, I can't help but wonder how this all happened. How did I fall head over heals, heart pitter-patter, butterflies in my stomach, woozy kind of in love with a city. Detroit, for that matter. 

I've always felt a strong attraction to the mystery of Detroit. Beneath the broken down buildings and grimy rubble is something so pure and beautiful;  the spirit of survival, of never giving up - because giving up just isn't an option. It's the spectacular strength of resilience. I read that resilience is defined as "that ineffable quality that allows some people to be knocked down by life and come back stronger than ever. Rather than letting failure overcome them and drain their resolve, they find a way to rise from the ashes."  Just like a phoenix, Detroit is rising from the ashes. And I find that so inspirationally motivating. 

There's an energy to this city, one that's hard to find. To be wrapped up in a blanket of opportunity. And swaddled by a community of individuals who want nothing more than to see people or things or businesses survive and prosper.  It's an incubator for ideas and dreams.

I drive the streets and instead of seeing empty rows of storefronts, I see chance. Instead of poverty, I see opportunity. I see hope. I feel revival. Detroiters are tough, we’ve learned the skill of creating something out of nothing. 

So, my hope you might ask? To see this once vibrant and thriving city - a city who built roads and cars to help us move our country and humanity forward, will be on top of it once again. Just as your grandparents tell "Remember when…" stories of struggle, we will look back and say, remember when we just kept fighting? God, that was worth it. 

I think it's worth mentioning , that as I'm finishing this article the Lions came back in the fourth quarter, scoring 24 points, to win the game 31-30 in the final seconds. How's THAT for some Detroit strength and resilience?

Leave it to me to start a dance party on "Believe"

Sometimes you have to be completely lost, before you are found. You have to swim in the deepest of seas, bobbing up and down, soaking in the vastness of the world around you. You have to believe there's land, even if you can't see it. Be a little afraid so you are overwhelmed with gratitude once you find your way. You have to be patient and let the current take you closer to shore. You can't fight the jet stream that life has us on. You can only swim along and enjoy the ride.   Let the world take you where you need to go. Trust you will arrive exactly when you should. And know, above all else, everything will be fine. 

Life lies in those serendipitous occurrences like missing the train, only to see a long lost friend standing besides you. It's deciding to walk left instead of right and bumping into that one person who popped in your head that exact morning.  Life is an interesting string of not so random run-ins. See the magic in those moments. And believe you're exactly where you are supposed to be. 

This is the epiphany I had at Burning Man 2013. It was my last day, I grabbed my bike for a final adventure around The Playa (the desert) and stumbled across the Believe sign as I had done so many times throughout the week. 

I had stood in that particular spot just days prior with the same intentions - find someone to take a photo of Believe and I.  A woman was standing a foot away and as I gestured my camera in her direction - before I could even ask - she shock her head "no" and stated, "I have to meet up with friends."  My camera was in hand, it wouldn't have taken more than a few seconds. I was shocked. I thought, "Well, that isn't very Burning Man of her."  Everyone is always supposed to say YES. That's the point, right? Burning Man is exactly what you want it to be, and I wanted a picture.  As I took a deep breath, I attempted to reassure myself it clearly wasn't the right moment, hopped on my bike and went on my way. Even though I wanted to believe that was the truth, I was left feeling as though it was a missed opportunity and I just couldn't shake that.

But this time, as I pulled up, it was different. I stopped for a final time to soak it in and reached for my camera. Before I could even look around to find an innocent bystander, a man appeared offering his assistance to take my picture.  It was as if he was waiting for me to arrive. He took a few photos and then asked if I would do him a favor. 

He explained he was a photographer and gave me a piece of fabric and asked if I would climb on the sculpture and dance - letting the fabric blow in the wind. I don't know what came over me - I didn't even hesitate, I immediately said yes. As I walked toward the sign, I realized I had no idea how I would get up, let alone down. There weren't any ladders, but I knew I was going to do it. It wasn't an option. 

When I climbed up, I was the only person on the entire sign. And everyone was watching.  I'm not going to lie, it was hard to climb up. And even harder to climb down. There were moments when I was scared. But I just kept believing I could do it. 

Something you might not know is that I hate being in front of the camera. HATE. I get this deeply insecure feeling that makes everything in my body freeze - like a deer caught in headlights. As an art director, I'm much more confident calling the shots from the safety of the sidelines. But what I'm sure you've gathered by now, is that I believe. I believe wholeheartedly that anything is possible. And at that moment, I didn't even question my insecurities or doubts. I just followed my heart and didn't look back.

But then something amazing started to happen, as I danced alone on the "E" waving my flowing fabric the photographer gave me, more people started to arrive. More people started to climb. More people started to dance. And more people shared in that epic moment I won't easily forget. To do something you don't think you are possible of is an extraordinarily overwhelming feeling. 

Besides trusting in the universe, I learned two very important lessons that perhaps I already knew but wasn't fully able to trust. The first is that you will find a way if you really want to - that when you believe, anything is possible. And the second, is that everyone has the ability to believe. Everyone.

I'm now capable of understanding, had I've gotten a half-assed picture from someone two days earlier I would have missed out on a life changing moment. I had to be patient. I had to learn how to believe - not only in the world, but also have the strength and courage to believe in myself.  

Leave it to me to start a dance party on "Believe." 

A Day with Photographer Jacob Pritchard

Earlier this year, a creative team including Erin hired me as a photographer for Verizon’s ongoing social media campaign. She was part of the team that conceived of and pitched the idea of having original photography produced on a regular basis. She was a huge part in establishing how the team approaches making content for social media, and championing original photography.

I caught up with Erin recently at her home in Venice, California. We headed down to the beach to snap some pictures and talk more about the conception of the project, and her thoughts on the future of advertising within social media.

Part of the pitch for the Verizon social business was having a photographer working as part of the creative team. Can you tell me more about that? What inspired you guys to do that and how did they react?

I think we immediately saw this pitch as an opportunity.  As the art director, I was very adamant that stock photography was not an option. Occasionally, we can try our luck in finding a good stock image, but that just can’t be how a brand makes aspirational and impactful messaging on Facebook. So very quickly we decided a major part of our pitch revolved around making our own original content – basically hiring a photographer as a full-time team member.

It was kind of humorous because when we started to approach the logistics of how to turn this idea into fruition, we found that everyone was a bit puzzled, including our own art buyers, as to how to pull it off. Basic questions arose like “what would you pay someone for this kind of project” to “how would we even arrange the photo shoots.” That made me start to realize we were on the forefront of something. It was obvious, this was going to be a new way of working. From the beginning we knew we wanted the photographer to play an important role in the ideation phase.  Having five to seven posts a week meant we needed to be a bit crafty in the execution process.  Figuring out a concept is one thing, but having to execute that concept (location scout, find talent, shoot, get approval, and post) within a few days is a whole different story.  We needed a photographer to help ground us into what could actually be possible, and then work within those limitation.  It’s very run and gun and I think that’s really exciting. It sort of makes the advertising industry rethink how creative can get done.

When you were in that pitch process, was the original photography aspect a surprise to your client?  Were they on board with it or did it take some convincing?

We came to Verizon with the notion that we needed to revamp their Facebook page and create a visual voice. Verizon is an industry leader and their social media should represent that. From the get go, Verizon always seemed on board with the photography style we proposed; observed but not contrived, artfully flawed, spontaneous real life moments shot in docu-style. So, when we advocated for hiring a photographer to work side by side with the creative team to create truly original content in that style, I think it was welcomed as a refreshing change.

A lot of big brands are still cutting and pasting stock photography and it’s being seen in this newsfeed where your friends are posting pictures that don’t look anything like that at all.

That’s true. It can’t be authentic if it’s stock. Bottom line. That’s like an oxymoron. I’m a very avid Instangram user. When we started the pitch I would look at Instagram and say: HERE is what people are posting. THIS is what people who have 300,000 followers on Instagram are doing. These are the kinds of pictures we should be taking, or at least be in this realm of photography. So, it should feel like it belongs in your newsfeed and should tempt you to click ‘like’ or be compelled to share. On Facebook the picture is like 90% of the real estate of a post and the copy is maybe 10%.  So that picture really needs to be eye-catching and draw you in.

When you are thinking of a concept, is the goal to make Verizon just seem like a cool company. Or is it to get them to click on a link or engage in some other way. Or is it to get them to buy a phone?

For me, it’s about how I like to interact with brands. I want to “like” a brand because they’ve created a persona that I want to be associated with or they provide useful information or a service.  It’s about creating positive experiences between a brand and it’s audience. I think it’s more important to make a brand relatable to a consumer by establishing and reinforcing the brand’s reason for belonging in their lives. When the need to buy a new phone pops up, the first thing they’re going to think of is Verizon. So it’s important for these companies to understand who they’re talking to and contribute to relevant conversations being had or better yet, come up with a conversation that’s not being had but that people are yearning for. I guess my goal is really all of those things: a click, a like, a positive feeling you take away from an interaction and ultimately a purchase.

Something else I wanted to talk about is Facebook itself , and how it’s changed as more advertisers are using it as a platform.

Facebook has been around for 10 years. Now you’ve finally gotten big companies to understand “Wow, we need to be a part of this conversation.”  That’s probably happened over the last couple of years. I feel like especially within the last year or so there has been an elevated push for brands to take full advantage of this space. But, at this point when you go on Facebook all you see is people trying to sell you something and trying too hard. No one wants to be talked to in an inauthentic way.  It’s like they’ve taken the fun out of why people go on Facebook. So, I sort of feel that everyone involved from an advertising perspective: companies, clients, agencies, creatives, media buyers, etc. have a duty to create engaging relevant content if they want to keep this platform what it is. 

How do you – as someone who is trained in more traditional advertising and who has done print advertising — approach making content for Facebook. How are you concepting differently than you do for like a print campaign?

I don’t know if you necessarily approach it differently in terms of the end goal, I just think you have to concept a bit smarter. I started off in traditional/broadcast then I worked my way into digital which was banner ads or web pages.  When you are writing a TV commercial  or making a banner ad, you aren’t necessarily focusing on the amount of likes it will get on Facebook, hits on YouTube, or retweets.  In social, the content needs to be sharable at it’s core. The first question I always ask myself when creating content is, “Would I share this? Would I like this?”  I know that might sound crazy but I just ask, “Would I do it?” And if the answer is no then it doesn’t seem like it should be content that’s made.

One of the tenants of the project has been to find the space where pop culture and trends overlaps with what interests Verizon and has to do with mobile technology.

I will never forget the day we were post-less. It was a Thursday. We had an old Zack Morris phone on our desk.  And we said, “Well, looks like it’s got to be a Throwback Thursday post.”  We persuaded everyone to let us put it on the interwebs to just see what happens. At that moment we were at a very crucial hurdle of showing our client that culturally relevant things ARE, in fact, important. We proved that even for a client like Verizon, that is always focused on being a tech forward brand, you can still do a successful and engaging throwback post. Verizon started a conversation that everyone could relate to and more importantly, that hadn’t existed prior in that category. Verizon got to imply “look at the strides we’ve made in mobile phones and service” while simultaneously relating to the audience in a way they would engage with friends. Instagram had allowed #tbt to be a cultural phenomenon. By contributing to #tbt it made Verizon seem like “they get me.”  We really leaned into how people already use their phones and apps and just gave them a little more of a helpful conversation around those topics.

What’s next for you. Do you want to keep working in the social media space?

I’m really just interested in making good shit. Aren’t we all? After working on the traditional and digital aspects of advertising, I think I’ve become very spoiled working in the social media space.  I also think it’s made me a much more nimble creative. I was fortunate to find myself on a small but highly efficient team where we were leading the way in an industry. We were functioning as an agency within the agency.  When you are creating work at such a rapid pace and in such a new process we had to wear a bunch of different hats.  We would joke “Well, there’s another title for the business card”  – I think mine is up to stylist, location scout, talent scout, producer, prop department,  photographer’s assistant, the talent- the list grows by the day it seems.

Most importantly though, once you learn that you don’t need to make an “ad” to get people to engage with a brand it becomes very fun. I basically just make really beautiful, interesting, engaging things.   For the first time in my career I found myself not making ads. In fact, in some cases I wasn’t legally allowed to put an advertising message into our creative. IT. WAS. AWESOME. My job is to be relatable and likable and create things I would physically “like” on Facebook. Career-wise, that’s not a bad place to be.