Yes, today’s comic is slightly disturbing. via http://dearfuture.com
Below is my application for the June Cranky Talk workshop. These are my actual feelings, so please be kind.
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What do you want to get out of this workshop? *
Limit: 150 words. Cranky Talk scholarships are highly competitive and your answer to this question will be the deciding factor in the selection of workshop participants.
When I opened www.crankytalk.com and saw Karen McGrane’s photo, I thought ‘Holy crap I want to be like Karen McGrane, I should go to Cranky Talk…but Chicago is really far away.’
But that’s not right, Chicago is just 4 hours away and I will never be Karen McGrane. I have to be Abi Jones and I have to figure out how to be myself as a public speaker.
I’ve presented to clients in the workplace and to non-UX folks at conferences and small workshops, but I’m coming clean: I’ve avoided presenting to UX professionals. At first it was because I didn’t know enough about UX to actually give a talk. And now, even though I’m an “experienced” practitioner, I still have those same feelings of doubt. I want to fix that, and I think being a part of this workshop is a great first step.
Please describe presentation experience (if any)
I’ve presented at BlogHer (Usability for Beginning Bloggers), the Institute of Food Technologists (Utilizing Social Media to Engage Customers & Create Brand Advocates), at InfoCamp Berkeley (Designing a Beverage Tracking Service [www.idrankthis.com]), and at workshops for artists (New Media and Online Promotion), but never to or in front of other UX professionals.
Anything else you want to say?
Limit: 150 words.
*Actual thought when I opened www.crankytalk.com: “Holy Shit, I want to be like Karen McGrane,” which seemed like way too awkward of a way to start an application.
Moose chased by Google Street View (via 9-eyes.com and VSL)
Railroad Signals (Taken with Instagram at Pizza Caboose)
I summon the vast power of CERTIFICATION!
(Source: jasoneckert.net)
The Four Icon Challenge by Kyle Tezak
via http://www.artcrank.com/ - a show of bike-inspired artwork
(Source: cache0.bigcartel.com)
I should paint this on the ground outside my apartment.
The new Starbucks logo is old news, but every time I see it, I think the mermaid is throwing gang signs.
On my first-ever Take Your Daughter to Work Day, my dad brought me to an Intel campus west of Portland. I attended meetings where folks discussed architectural plans for a new fab (one pressing issue: water fountains that could serve 1,000 people quickly and without waste), and I got to spend time chatting with an engineer at his cube.
My dad encouraged me to consider engineering, trying to tempt me with the fact that every engineer also had their own computer (I know, this sounds ridiculous now). Plus, Intel had just built a fantastic new cafeteria and the campus even had a sand volleyball court.
I couldn’t get over the sea of gray cubicles. I could tell other people were around, but I couldn’t see anyone else. It didn’t help that at that at 5’2” I hadn’t yet hit my growth spurt. The place hummed, but I felt like an insect trapped in a hive. It wasn’t how I wanted to work.
I also noticed that nobody ever actually played volleyball.
16 years later I work in a sea of gray cubicles. They’re the short kind, so you can actually see people’s heads. And still, this isn’t how I want to work.
My time in the sea of gray ends of February 23rd. I am looking for a place full of life. A place where people collaborate. A place where conversations aren’t just held in cafeterias. A place where people actually play volleyball…metaphorically speaking. Maybe I’m looking for your company. Maybe you’re looking for someone like me.
Cheers,
Abi Jones
email: abi@jonesabi.com
portfolio: jonesabi.carbonmade.com
