Digital Sketch of the Day: FOX

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Like any career or profession, as an individual you are always trying to improve. One thing I am doing to try to improve my craft is trying to sketch more often. So I am going to try to commit myself to uploading a few sketches every week to my blog. Some will be simple, other more in depth, probably depending on the amount of time I have. Please enjoy and share them about.

The first ever is: FOX!

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ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NO REPRODUCTION OR USE WITHOUT THE EXPLICIT PERMISSION OF OWNER: TERRY SIETING.

A Look at USA Energy Consumption in 2011

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Energy consumption is a subject that I am very passionate about. It is something that we should all be conscience of every minute of everyday to reduce our national portion of the energy crisis. Things simple as public transportation and reducing your waste of plastics and paper. Being environmentally responsible takes many different think but above all it takes knowledge of the past and where we have come from as far as energy consumption.

The United State has a rich history in energy consumption. Leading the industrial revolution was no small task when it comes to this topic. The USA has been a leader in this topic for quite sometime and it’s time we start to reduce these facits. 

The following graphic depicts three different statistics  that are very important to the history of energy consumption in the United States of America; Energy Sources Most Consumer, Energy Consumption By Source, and lastly Coal Consumption Over Time. 

Understanding these graphs are an easy task and the hope would be that after reading these graphs you would feel more obliged than ever to cut back on your personal amount of energy consumption. Please enjoy and share this infographic. All information was found at http://www.eia.gov/state/seds/Image

Can Old Spice Do Anything?

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Hello Readers!

This morning I sat down at my desk and opened my laptop to begin my day. As I do everyday, I began to check my different news sites for my daily intake of news. I always check them in the same order.

Today on my visit to Ad Age I found two very funny articles. The first one was called “Fifty Shades of Grey: The Ad Edition” and is the funniest article I’ve read about advertising in a while. The second was called “NCAA’s Penn State Punishment Likely to Further Cripple School’s Marketability” and was very sad to read as a member of a BigTen University; Michigan State University.

The last article was towards the bottom and was from one of Ad Age’s sub sites, CREATIVITY. The article was their ad pick of the day which happened to be an Old Spice ad called “I Can Do Anything”. I watched the ad and my first thought was, can Old Spice do anything? Beginning with the legendary Isaiah Mustafa commercial called “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like”, Old Spice has rolled out advertising that all though comical, is beginning to lose sight of its original purpose. The “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” commercial clearly stated that you needed to buy Old Spice body wash for your man to smell like a man, while staying with a very creative and comical theme.

Is Old Spice beginning to lose sight of what is important? Are they becoming complacent with their strategy? Let me know what you think. Leave a comment or reply at me @sietingt. I’d love to hear your opinion!

Harry Potter and NeoCon 2012

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From the very beginning of the Harry Potter series, main characters Harry, Ron, & Hermione, always seemed to find themselves in situations that were much bigger than they could have ever imagined. And the rewards… more plentiful than they could have ever dreamed for. They defeated protagonist after protagonist, and ultimately defeated the largest villain of the whole series. They found themselves battling and dueling for each others’ lives, and finding treasures beyond friendship and loyalty. Invisibility cloaks, three headed dogs, double agent professors, and flying brooms were just a few of the magical things that made up the extensive adventures of Harry Potter and friends.

Well NeoCon wasn’t quite like that, but similar in many ways. NeoCon ended up being much bigger than I thought. My task was larger than I expected. You could argue that I defeated protagonist after protagonist. And, the rewards were much more than I had imagined.

I woke up around 6:00 a.m. to drive to Holland on the first morning of my adventure. I had been to a good friend’s wedding the night before in East Lansing. After meeting up with a coworker at One Haworth Center, my NeoCon journey began.

The first day of NeoCon consisted of training and networking. Upon arrival was our showroom training. Our showroom took Best Large Showroom Gold, which meant everyone needed to know the products very well to be able to explain it to all of the potential buyers and clients. Our showroom tour consisted of explanations and tips on selling the different stations. My station was ultimately going to be at our newest technology product, workware, so as you can imagine that is where most of my attention was.

Later that evening was our dealer party. This is where the networking began. As I met person after person, the names went seamlessly in one ear and out the other. Not purposefully of course; just the nature of the beast. As that wound down, the PR team and I had the great opportunity to go out to dinner with the Editorial Director from Metropolis Magazine: Paul Makovsky. The dinner was amazing and contained driving conversation about the industry and social media. It shined some great insight on the future of design and where the industry is headed.

The next two days were consumed by the bustle of packed showroom. As I mentioned previously, my position was to explain our newest technology product workware. As I stood at the workware station, I explained the product’s ins and outs for each potential buyer and client that approach the station. The reactions to the product were amazing and inspiring.

Overall, NeoCon was a great experience. Wether or not I am still in the industry in the future, I will definitely be returning to the Merchandise Mart, each year, for this great event.

To find out more about NeoCon, Haworth at NeoCon 2012, and Haworth’s newest products including workware, please visit www.haworth.com/neocon.

Comment, Share, and Engage. Thanks again for reading!

When animals attack…runners?

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Allendale, MI has been the fifth place I’ve ever lived. That’s a lot considering most kids usually grow up in one house and then move off to college. In all of the five locations I’ve lived (Mancelona, Kalkaska, Traverse City, East Lansing, Allendale) there has been an abundant amount of wild life. Birds, squirrels, rabbits.. you name it. With all of this wild life around, nothing strange has every really happen to me. Until today.

Today was a better day than most. I felt energized and didn’t want to hit the sheets the moment I walked into my house. Work had been more than productive and I’d had the best lunch! Immediately I thought, why not go for a run. I looked at the temperature on my computer and It’s was a little too hot to go for a run just yet. I sat down at my computer and did some design work I’d been meaning to catch up on. Around 8:00 I decided it was about that time. I grabbed my shoes, which still had color all over them from my previous race, The Color Run in Chicago, IL.

I tied my car key to my shoe lace, as I always do, plugged in my iPod and set off for my run of Grand Valley State University’s campus. Copchase  by Jason Mraz poured through my earphones giving me the boost and confidence I need to start my runs in full gear.

The most direct way to get where I was going was a mile long road that goes straight into the middle of campus. On the left of the road is a golf course and to the right is a couple of lonely sports fields. As you can imagine, there were plenty of birds chirping and men laughing as the smoked their cigars and played golf.

As I am just starting to really get into my run, i see a small sign that say, “Beware of Black Birds. May be nesting.” I didn’t think anything of it. In fact I thought that they probably meant that the birds nests were in the thick weeds that covered the edges of the road. As I passed the sign, the chirping began to get louder. Still, I kept rocking out to that bluesy horn section of Jason Mraz’s Copchase. Then out of nowhere, with one fell swoop, I feel bird claws attack the top of my head!

Naturally I started to freak out and wave my hand around my head. I’m pretty sure I looked like I was running similar to Phoebe from Friends or maybe interpretive dancing. My faced had a similar expression to the picture above. As I began to run away much more quickly, I had to keep turning around to fend off this bird that kept swooping down at me from above. I never thought I could be so frightened by such a small creature. But this bird was of the Hulk Hogan variety.

After running another mile, I was finally over my dramatic experience with that ninja species bird. I ran all over the GVSU campus, discovering what makes the campus its own. As I was almost back to my place, I looked down to find that my key had fallen off of my shoe. Of course, this would happen. My luck is not that great.

So I then proceeded back to that road with the Hulk Hogan ninja bird. I stopped and thought I can either check the bird side first, which I didn’t really want to do at all, or  the golf side first. I thought in my head it’s probably on the left side and then I proceeded to check the bird side first because that is how I do things. Always backwards.

I walked three out of the four miles I had run to find myself turning back onto that same road, with no key in hand, and worries of bird attacks on my mind. I proceeded down the road with a hand full of rocks, just to scare the bird of course, not to hurt it. As I approach the sacred bird area, I look up to see a guy running toward me with a huge smile on his face. As he runs by me he says, “Stupid frickin’ bird!” This made my day!

After I had a good laugh, I was once again ready to fend off the bird for the last time. As I enter the “nesting area” the bird once again begins to swoop pat me, but no attacks this time as I was prepared… to look like an idiot. Just I got done yelling, whistling, and throwing rocks in the air like a crazy person, I look down to find my key in the dirt. Of course it was on that side of the road. Just as I had predicted.

What an eventful day. Look back in a few days as NeoCon approaches for more great stories and blog posts on my internship blog. Until then, watch out for flying birds. You never know when one of them is going to attack you like a black-belt ninja warrior thing. Tah-Tah. 

My Life is Green.

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“Well, they say geniuses pick green.” – Robert De Niro in Meet the Parents (2000)

Ever since I can remember, green has been an integral part of my life. In the early days of my childhood, I can remember waking up to thoughts of playing outside. I remember running next door to grab my childhood best friend, Kyle Scott, so we could go on our daily adventure. Star wars played out my times in the woods behind our houses. Tree forts where girls weren’t allowed and running through my Grandpa Emmett’s perfectly cured lawn. A lawn that couldn’t have been grown by mother nature.

In the next stage of my life,  grade school, green crept into my life in small and intricate ways. I was still obsessed with the outdoors and being adventurous in it. Something that only growing up in Northern Michigan can grant you. I remember that my favorite color was blue, but I always got stuck with the stupid green apple smelly marker. Later on, green became more intricate. Green hockey stick, green tarnish on my saxophone, green grass stains on every pair of jeans, etc.

Later on green took a much larger role in my life as I was accepted to Michigan State University. Green came to rule my world as I took a strong love and commitment to the Spartan Marching Band, Spartan Athletics, and Michigan State University as a whole. As we say at MSU I began to “Bleed Green”. During these years I also acquired a green Subaru Forester. Everything I now own is spartan green.

As my college years progress, and I am now in my going into my fifth year as undergraduate student, the role “green” is playing in my life is much more important.

Sustainability and environmental awareness is more important today that it ever has been. Slowing global warming and reducing planned obsolescence. Removing environmental footprints and finding alternatives to harmful practices. Reducing, reusing, and recycling. These are green. This is where green’s allegiance now lies. As I look for to long-term career and a sustainable work place, Haworth could have not been a better fit for my summer internship.

This is by far the most sustainable company I have ever heard of, let alone work for. Haworth is a 100% landfill free company. All waste we have here in our corporate office and in all of our plants is either recycled or send to an incinerator to be burned for energy. Here at Haworth, sustainability is more than a practice, it’s the norm and the way people live.

The roof here at our corporate office is even green. It’s covered in a plant that is a species of Sedum. This plant gives year-long vegetation that helps with the watershed, air, and habitat.  Towards the bottom the book end section or our corporate office you can find our member garden that contains fresh plants that are tended by Haworth employees. Just another way Haworth remain sustainable.

As you can see, the principal of green is built right into the building. The front of the entire corporate office is glass, reducing the amount of energy we need for light. Trees in large planters fill the office, emitting oxygen and creating a green workplace.  You can’t walk down a hallway here at Haworth without finding all kinds of receptacles for recycling. Haworth has even gone as far as providing refreshment stations for its members (employees) that contain glassware, plates, and silverware, to reduce the amount of paper plates and cups being used. Taking themselves past the already high set standards, Haworth allows the community to recycle at its own facility. Another standard of excellence.

To find out more about Haworth and sustainability, check out their sustainability webpage and report at http://www.haworth.com/en-us/About-Us/Sustainability/Pages/Vision.aspx

This company and facility couldn’t be a better fit for green in my life. My hope is that green will come  in the form of dollar signs in the next stage of my life. Until then, I will drive my green forester home, with my green MSU license plate, in my green tie, with my green feet. Just kidding, I don’t have green feet, their blue.

Hope that you all enjoyed my green story. Look back tomorrow for another great blog. Comment and share! Until next time… ¡Hasta la wego!