I spent the better part of yesterday afternoon packaging Pirate Bingo boxes for the post office, sending emails to package sponsors, and distributing patchwork patches. I'm using the rest of this week to regroup and to cross all my "t"s and dot all my "i"s. (See 9/19 for more details on Pirate Bingo).
So while I'm doing Highlowaha housekeeping, I might as well revisit my failed "Make Your Mark" campaign (see 8/5). I don't mean rehash my gross overestimation of how many people would clamor to participate. I mean revisit what to do with the 66 remaining boxes of 10 Classic Color Crayola Markers.
I have no preconceived notions... other than... ideally we won't lose money on the deal. It's icing on the cake if we can use the markers to find a few more committed readers or draw lurkers out of hiding.
This is a job for von Oech and his magical Whack Pack. For those of you new to the game... the rules are simple. Take an idea (in this case, what to do with my 66 boxes of Crayola Markers) and whack it by applying one of von Oech's principles of creativity. Today's principle is...
Flex your Risk Muscle. Bull's eye every time? If so, you're standing too close to the target. As comedian Woody Allen puts it, " "If you're not failing every now and again it's a sign your not doing anything very innovative." Everyone has a "risk muscle." You keep it in shape by trying new things. If you don't, it atrophies and you're no longer able to take chances. How can you exercise your risk muscle?
Let me interject two things before we get busy whacking...
First, thank you von Oech. I accept today's prompt as a subtle reminder that it's ok our Make Your Mark campaign failed miserably. We were just keeping our "risk muscles" healthy and hunting for the next great innovative idea.
Second... I've noticed a slow decline in "true whacking" over the past few weeks. Readers liberally make comments on the dilemma, but few of you are actually applying the concept and truly refining the idea or helping to solve the problem. Consider this exercise as much a test of your creativity (or a flexing of your "creativity muscle") as it is an opportunity to help highlowaha solve a problem.
So today I will sweeten the pot. Today I will offer the latest and greatest craft tool to the person who offers the most viable and creative idea/solution (as judged by me and my family tonight at dinner). The tool I will be giving away comes recommended by Taste of USA participant, Kristen. Each participant was asked to bring his/her "go-to" craft tool for a short Show and Tell activity. Kristen's tool got the loudest "oohs" and "aaahs". We all agreed our lives would be enriched if we owned the...
Fiskars Rotary Cutter
Valued at $19.99 (at least at Michael's)
The Rotary Cutter is a superior tool that is ideal for cutting through heavy stock or multiple layers of fabric, paper, felt, vinyl, cardboard, mat board, cloth, leather and fiberglass material.
So consult with von Oech and let me know what you think. How can we exercise our risk muscle to do something purposeful with the remaining 66 boxes of Crayola Markers?
That's it for me. I'll step out of the way and let our creative readership get to it.
Signing off until tomorrow...
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16 comments:
I have been blessed with an aunt who never married, has no children, and has a very successful job. She has two nieces (myself and my sister - 25 and 24) and my two cousins (12 and 10). She loves shopping and every August and December/January, she turned her passion into supplying the four of us (when in any type of school) with necessary and sometimes extra school supplies. With that being said, when last December rolled around, and I was finishing up with my last semester ever of classes, I had a pretty healthy supply of: highlighters, pencils, note cards, 3 prong folders, binder dividers, post-it notes ... the list can go on and on. Also, every December, the PT program at my school adopts a family for the Christmas season. This family had a few school aged children. PERFECT! I wrapped up all of those extra, new, unused school supplies, and gave that as part of my gift to that family.
A long introduction, I know ... but perhaps we can gift some (not all 66 boxes) to the family we have adopted through the Helping Hands program. Also, Sue, perhaps the family we helped with the basket for the raffle would benefit from markers .... I would gladly provide coloring books and/or construction paper, if age-appropriate for the children in both families.
The End :)
WOW that first post was long!
Also, is there anyone out there (working in higher ed) who knows someone who's taken 7 years to get through college - anything from a longer than anticipated 4 year degree to undergrad and graduate years combined?
Thanks to my above mentioned aunt, I have tablets of paper from Target's $1 section that she got awhile ago for me.
They are long skinny ones with magnets on the back. The top is set up like one of those inspiration posters. The large word is "Challenge" with the phrase "is explaining why its taking 7 years to graduate" under it. The picture of a bird's eye view of someone in a cap and gown walking up a very wide set of steps.
I have 8 of these tablets (not counting the 2 I kept for myself) ... can anyone use them?
Here's my "whack" at it:
-Sending the markers to an inner city school that can't afford an art supply budget
-Send the markers to a school in Afghanistan or Iraq as they attempt to rebuild
-Use the makers on teacher appreciation day giving us another 7 months to 'whack' our initial concept of using them to say thank you to teachers across America
-Send the markers in small packages to Gilda's Clubs across the nation in memory of Sue's colleague. Gilda's Club is open to all those whose lives have been affected by cancer and they provide art therapy, scrapbooking therapy etc...for both children and adults who are living with cancer.
-Take the markers to a local children's hospital for a trick or treat surprise since they can't have candy
-Use the markers as a voter awareness campaign "Make your Mark...get out and vote"
-Provide the markers to one of the schools that was devastated by Hurricane Ike in the gulf coast region of Texas.
After all that whacking I've realized I want to whack my initial thought process and:
-Find a way to use the markers to raise funds for either our helping hand family or Julie's cause rather than just finding a creating way to give them away.
It seems that having 66 boxes of Crayola markers has to be good for something other than just having something to give away. While we here at highlowaha like to lend a helping hand I like to think our impact is bigger than can be made by a simple box of markers. So now I wonder how we can use these 66 boxes of markers to raise some additional money for our larger scale projects.
I'll be back with that whack later in the day.
I'm off to my staff meeting, but I'll give it a whack when I get back!
First- that tool is AWESOME!!!!
Second- I'm looking at stacks and stacks of drawers and boxes that need to be packed.
Third- I'll try to Whack at lunch.
:)
What if you used them as a promotional tool for the blog? We could give you addresses of folks who we think would be interested in being a part of the blog or you could advertise to people there in town. My idea is to give them the empty marker box (yes, I realize that this then creates the task of you keeping track of the markers without the box, but hear me out). Attach a note to the inside or the outside to the effect of finding out what's missing...highlowaha.com. If they check in with the blog for a week straight, they get their markers.
Wow, Katie... I like your thinking. So far today, I'd have to say your whack is working the hardest at flexing our "risk muscle."
I'm sure Mr. Helping Hand would suggest that HLA donate some of those markers to be used as gifts for our adopted family.
Another cool idea... use the markers to recognize the generosity of the folks who actually took you up on your offer to "Make Your Mark."
OOh.... why don't we pick some random names and addresses out of the phone book and mail off the markers to these folks. We can encourage them to "Pay It Forwardy" or "Make Their Mark".
Brian...
All good ideas. For some reason the idea of mailing them to random people is especially resonating with me.
Keep your whacking coming. Remember... how can we flex that risk muscle to come up with something especially innovative?
What about a scavenger hunt? Not sure how it would work. Maybe a Virtual Scavenger Hunt. You give hints and hide photos of the markers on other peoples websites if that is even possible. Whoever finds the most or 10 earns a patch.
But how to distribute them?
What about a virtual art piece? We all create a picture on say 8x8" paper and then we put them all together to create a collage of sorts. The theme could be "The most important thing I learned" or something Highlowaha related. Everyone who participates gets to claim of box of markers and who they are sent to a potential reader and friend. I have no idea what we do with the actual art piece. Maybe auction it off.
World's Largest Ice Cream SocialCelebrate the 7th Annual World's Largest Ice Cream Social and Support the Make-A-Wish Foundation® with Cold Stone Creamery
Throughout the month of September, Cold Stone Creamery will be selling Make-A-Wish wall stars to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation, an organization that grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions. Be sure to visit your local Cold Stone Creamery to try two new flavors, Nutter Butter® and Marshmallow, and the very special “Make-A-Wish Creations” inspired by Jack and Emily, two Wish Children.
Jack's Creation - Marshmallow ice cream with OREO® Cookies, Chocolate Chips and Fudge
Emily's Creation - Nutter Butter® ice cream with White Chocolate Chips, Kit Kat® and Yellow Cake
To cap off this special month, don't miss the 7th Annual World’s Largest Ice Cream Social at participating Cold Stone Creamery locations nationwide, a special night to join together and share the simple pleasures of life with a FREE ice cream and family fun. On September 25th from 5:00 - 8:00PM, guests will be treated to a 3 oz. serving of Jack or Emily's Creation. All donations will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Thanks for the heads up, Heather. We have a Cold Stone Creamery near our house, so I will most certainly use it as an excuse to take them for ice cream.
I also like that they are encouraging us to enjoy life's little pleasures. It sounds very HLA 218 ish.
How about taking them to a children's hospital or just a hospital with the tag like I put on my basket to advertise highlowaha. These parents would then check out the blog and hopfully become bloggers. It gets very loney at a hospital waiting sometimes. We would accomplish two things. One give something to child that is hurting and two hopefully get new members. We could put something on the tag like hope you enjoy your gift log on to this website and lets us know that you received this gift and where you are from.
Also, I agree with Brian Mr. helping hand would love 4 packs for our children from the family.
Julie:
If no one wants your notebooks we I will take them.
love all the ideas...another thought would be along the lines of donating them to a school in TX damaged from the hurricane would be to write to crayola and let them know the plans and see if they would match the donation...so instead of 66 boxes (or 62 minus four for the holiday family)we could donate double that with Crayola's help.
Unique to Highlowaha? Have your weeks themed much like you do on the blog with Whack an Idea Wednesday, and Free for All Fridays, Taste of USA trip, etc. Making a huge day out of Feb 18th- or 218 would have to be a must.
And bringing in an idea from yesterday about giving this gift (calendar or Journal) and the recipient then has to pay it forward or find the next "idea" person to gift with a new calendar or journal from highlowaha.
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