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.
New Utterz Features
This was in my email today:
Considering I’m getting a new phone (iPhone or Blackberry? I want opinions), and the fact that I think Utterz is a seriously cool Web app, I am looking forward to uttering more often in the near future. I am glad to see that the ease of conversation will be greater and that there was no cow in this email.
Have you tried the new Utterz? What do you think?
Spreading the Utterz at Christmas
It’s one thing to have to explain social media to someone at my school or in my peer group; it’s a whole different story when you’re trying to explain it to someone who claims they don’t even know how to turn on a computer or call someone on a cell phone.
And I’m not kidding. My dad’s sister Linda is very open about her lack of computer and “gadget” knowledge. At the same time, though, she has this fun, bubbly personality and is always hugging, kissing and teasing everyone during the holidays. She’s awesome. Linda definitely gets the “social” part of social media already. I was going to attempt an explanation of what I do on the Internet, but decided that I had had too many glasses of wine and not enough hours to come up with an appropriate definition. Plus, too much talking and not enough doing is no fun.
I invited Auntie Linda to make an Utterz post with me. I wasn’t sure if she’d go for it, since she had no idea what I was talking about, but she just threw her hands up and said she’d love to participate. With all the skepticism that exists about social media, it was refreshing to see someone who is admittedly so far outside this space jumping at the chance to join in. She had no idea what I was asking her to do or why I wanted her to do it, but she wasn’t afraid to try something totally new. Maybe she should talk to Millie Garfield and start her own blog! ;D
Below is the Utterz post I made with Auntie Linda where she talks about her famous “red cake” that she made for Christmas this year. It really is bright red cake with white frosting in the middle, and it is a sweet, delicious holiday treat.
My Social Media Thanksgiving with Auntie Sue
So, I wasn’t subtle at all about wanting my family to participate in my Social Media Thanksgiving this year. Auntie Sue (who was mentioned in my recent Utter) was really excited about my presence on the Web and wasn’t shy about making an Utter with me after we ate turkey, stuffing and mashies.
The best part of the following Utter is how much we’re giggling at the end. That’s what family means to me during the holidays. The times when you just get so silly that you can’t stop laughing at each other. Luckily, I caught some of it in my Utter and on my camera. (Pictures and video will follow once I get back to Boston.)
Love this holiday.
Happy Thanksgiving!
I’m hoping to create some content this year at the table with my family, so this could turn into a Social Media Thanksgiving for me and Social Honeycomb. Before I scramble to pack for home and power down, I wanted to wish everyone a happy, fun, safe holiday tomorrow. I truly hope that you have many things to be thankful for this year, and that you remind yourself of all your blessings often–not just on Thanksgiving. So, eat some delicious food, make some holiday memories and have a wonderful Turkey Day.
Oh, and just in case you wanted to know what my favorite and least favorite parts of Thanksgiving are, listen below:
