Social Honeycomb

Quickie Time: Friendships Edition

Ready, set, go!

1. Have you ever lost touch with a friend but still had things to say to them?

2. Do you have a best friend?

3. Who was your best childhood friend?

4. Are you a good friend?

5. What are the key qualities you look for in a friend?

A classic example of friendship.

Quickie Time: Fond Memories Edition

Lightning speed, answer these five questions:

1. What is your first memory?

2.  When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

3. How old were you when you decided you weren’t a kid anymore?

4.  Who would you go back and thank from your past?

5. How have you dealt with regret?

A PR Girl Gets Ink(ed), or Amanda Goes to the Tattoo Parlor

As you may have seen on Twitter or heard on Utterz, I got a tattoo today. Behold:

Since people had been wrinkling noses at and asking questions about my tat before I got it, I wanted to take this opportunity to explain what it means to me. My first one (the letter A on my left foot) never required a lengthy explanation, but this one seems to baffle people. And honestly, I don’t want to have to explain the meaning of my tattoo a billion times, so if you ask me about it in real life, I’ll probably just direct you to this post instead of actually telling you. Sah-reez, yo.

Let’s discuss.

So, back in November, Chris Brogan tagged me at Jeff Pulver‘s Boston Real-time Social Networking party with a tiny sticker on my shoulder. I looked down, and it said “The Future” on it. I remember thinking, “Wow, that is not only the coolest compliment I’ve ever received, but it’s a really excellent perspective-framing concept.” Sure, it was just a couple of words on a sticker, but the more I thought about it, the more it struck me in a few different ways and influenced the tattoo I got today:

We spend so much time quick-sanding in our past and swamped in our present–we don’t dream enough. We don’t imagine ourselves, our lives, the world around us how we really hope things will be in the future. We don’t have time for that crap, right? Well, since 2008 began, I’ve been trying to take that step back so I can look forward and visualize things the way I want them to be. That’s half the battle anyway. I don’t think of myself as all that optimistic or Pollyanna in my general outlook, but taking a few minutes each day or a couple times a week to remind myself that there is a future that’s going to happen so I better do what I can to make it look the way I want, is really good for me. I recommend trying it. My tattoo is a reminder to acknowledge that the future is inevitably and continually about to happen, so I should prepare for and influence it as best I can to achieve the outcomes I desire of it.

I’m not gonna lie–I like to think of myself as the future. I’m young, so I’m still allowed to believe that I’m going to have a great life and do some good things along the way. My peers and I have been called the “entitlement generation” and it’s often said that we’re overconfident and expect too much. Of course I’m biased, but I think our drive and unwillingness to settle make us poised to turn the future into a pretty awesome place. (And please don’t forget that we learned our behaviors and perspectives from our parents, teachers and other socializing agents when we were young. We aren’t pulling our uncompromising views out of nowhere–the adults who molded us as children helped form these traits that drive us toward our respective futures.) So, say what you will about me and my generation, but I really am the future. My tattoo is a reminder to demand and create the future I hope for and expect in myself and the world around me.

Part of incorporating the perspective frame of “the future” into my identity is the sense that it’s not just about me. In my idea of the future, there are a lot of other people with me who need to get from this point A to that point B, too. Part of my “job” as an agent for future-shaping is helping the people around me to achieve their goals and wants as well. Life would be less rich if the people I know and love weren’t part of my future with me. My tattoo is a reminder to help others along the way as we each move toward our own futures that are undeniably strengthened by our collective, connected success.

As my Grade-A new friend Alexa Scordato pointed out today, “The placement of your tattoo is perfect. It shows that your feet are always headed in the right direction… the future.” So, come to the future with me. It’ll be good.

Thank you to Stingray Body Art in Boston for putting up with my squeamish tendencies and for creating this tattoo for me. Extra special thanks to my artist Nate Stevens for being completely adorable and talented, and to Brenda Wynne for being hilarious and making my friend’s tattoo beautiful.

Also, Mom and Dad, you probably thought I was kidding and/or I wouldn’t get this tattoo after Mom called me a dope, but I hope that after reading this you don’t mind too much. You’re part of my future too. Love you.

Today’s Honey: January 14, 2008

As I said before, I like art to tell a story. And as you probably noticed from my fundraiser in November, I love dancing. I recently stumbled upon this video, which was written, directed and edited by Allison Leigh Schultz and danced by Kaitlyn Conley and Teddy Forance. Through dance, it tells the story of a relationship beginning and ending, and I think it’s very honey.

Today’s Honey: Common

Music colors my days. As a choreographer, I like music that lets me see movement and feel something at the same time. This takes many forms, and I always like finding new artists and songs that give me something new to feel. Like my good friend Amanda Mooney, I find some great music on television, but I also get a ton of great music from browsing dance videos on YouTube. Of course, right?

So, I want to share with you some musical honey that I think is cool today. I usually don’t like rap music, but I really like Common’s new song “I Want You” and the moody video he created for it. I think Common’s music is a refreshing take on hip hop, and I love how he uses his music to really tell a story.