Time line of my childhood awakening

the first time i was called weird i cried.
the second time i was called weird i didn't cry.
the third time i was called weird i was giving my sister scraggly Audry Hepburn bangs in the basement, she had a special party to go to.
the fourth time i was called weird i was wearing boy's light-up shoes and a Space Jam tall tee.
the fifth time i was called weird i was pooping in a bush at a yard sale and asked for toilet paper.
the sixth time i was called weird i was taking shots of soy sauce at lunch.
the seventh time i was called weird i was in the bathroom coloring my hair with magic markers.
the eight time i was called weird i was directing a film called "The Revenge of the Furby", i was the star.
the ninth time i was called weird i was talking to power ranger action figures that sat in my trees.
the tenth time i was called weird i was refusing to filter anything i said.
the eleventh time i was called weird i was in the principles office, 3 times a week.
the twelfth time i was called weird i was forging a referral, put it in a Christmas envelope and signed it, in my best (worst) handwriting, "mrs. freedle".
the thirteenth time i was called weird i was playing to much Nintendo and was way too good at it, for a girl.
the fourteenth time i was called weird i was making Barbie and Ken fly across the room into the link-n-log fort, naked.
the fifteenth time i was called weird i was showing my mother how to install computer software, i was 11.
the sixteenth time i was called weird i was finally kinda pretty and smart, at the same time.
the seventeenth time i was called weird i was practicing math problems, for fun.
the eighteenth time i was called weird i was caught writing homage to spellcheck, my mother and i are dyslexic as hell and can't spell worth beans.

once i reached the oh so charming age of puberty, i started feeling weird and stopped counting...

It's all true. I am different, but I would have never known unless they told me every day. Thank you normal kids, for making me so sure of myself.

Zig outta here, Zaggers only

Different is good. Good and different is a process, aka a trend. It is the trend setters, the innovates, the risk takers and the fearlessly bold who are able to successfully execute their crazy ideas and create powerful brands and industry-changing products.

They do this by thinking like artists. Acknowledgment of the "white space", what's not there, is important to discovering what people will want. This includes having the guts to be radically different from what is already out there and FAST.

An example of different thinking, combined with some serious ZAG:



Silly Bandz sells a slew of cheaply made bracelets that form shapes when you take them off. I began to notice the trend of Silly Bandz explode this summer. First, I saw tons of little kids wearing them, now everyone and their rebellious teenager has 230948 on one wrist. Cool that they were made to target children and have already expanded to such a varied demographic.



Vibram Five Fingers sells shoes with a separate section for each toe to provide a unique freedom for the feet. This was bold. They are hideous but so brilliant. Five Fingers was not afraid of hitting an anti-fashion, pro-comfort niche market and has become increasingly popular amongst the athletically playful.

Marty Neumeier, author of ZAG, describes a brand as "a person's gut feeling about a product, service or company."

Because my perception of these two brands clash with how I personally identify, I have chosen to avoid becoming apart of them. A brand will never appeal to everyone, and should never try to. Even though I am unwilling to sacrifice style for freakishly comfy frog feet or maturity for silly fun, I respect Five Fingers and Silly Bandz as brands because they have established value in their ability to be smart and bold.

Neumeier would agree that both the brands have a focused purpose, which are different and powered by a trend.


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