Monday Memo #16: Name Yourself
Monday, October 5, 2020
This weekend I unexpectedly ran into a friend while walking my dog in the neighborhood. Somehow we recognized each other through an obscuration of masks and sunglasses. We walked through the closed-for-outdoor-dining streets of Vanderbilt Avenue catching up on COVID life pivots. She was preparing to jet off to LA and beyond (Belize? somewhere international) for the holidays to recalibrate her life’s next steps.
I told her about my unexpected landing back in agency land — how the offer to “join the fight against invisibility” came right on the heels of speaking my truth about serving as “chief visibility officer” for black, brown, and queer talent in advertising.
“Have you seen Lovecraft Country yet?” she asked.
(Not yet, it’s on my list.)
No spoilers, she said, but there’s an episode where a character says, Name yourself.
Once I named myself, I opened the doors for others to find me.
Unleash the power of I am.
Name yourself.
(Thanks, @niquicarter)
Where You’ll Find Me
Helping The Martin Agency build out their social strategy practice, which sits at the intersection of strategic brand planning and the Cultural Impact Lab.
We’re hiring now for the following junior/entry-level roles:
Please share with any brilliant, talented recent grads in your life — they can apply directly at the links above.
Reading
🤳🏽 “Seeing Our Own Reflection in the Birth of the Self-Portrait” by Jason Farago for the New York Times, September 2020. Another lovely NYT interactive art history lesson linking Albrecht Dürer, Andy Warhol, Frida Kahlo, and modern selfies.
💣 Subprime Attention Crisis: Advertising and the Time Bomb at the Heart of the Internet by Tim Hwang, October 2020. I first met Tim in the early aughts at an internet meme party called ROFLcon and always knew he’d write a book like this. You’ll need an ad blocker just for the book cover art.
Watching
✊🏽 Megan Thee Stallion’s powerful SNL performance, starting at the 3-minute mark:
Creativity/Productivity Hack
Zach vs the sandwich. Zach vs the grind.
Love this missive on making the most of your motivation states, by Zach Stubblefield, junior strategist at Preacher and Cohort:One founding fellow!
“It means making the most of my motivation states. Some days are easier than others, but when I wake up highly motivated I try to tackle the bigger things. When I’m lacking motivation I try to prioritize the easier things that I need to get done.
Finding wins outside of work lets me be in that highly motivated mindset longer. That can be things like running farther than I usually do, beating a difficult level in a video game, or trying out a new recipe.
Finding motivation from more than just work allows me to keep my spirits high even when the client calls aren’t going in the right direction.”
🍲 I often start cooking something in the middle of the day so I can accomplish that positive momentum from small wins.
Dope Stuff for Your Desk
🍑 Purple Simply Seat Cushion.Your tush will thank you for this one. $59, purple.com
From the Mixtape
🎧 Three tracks from three queens in autumn vibes: stripped down, downtempo, introspective.
Map of the Week
Interactive COVID Tension Map by the good folks at my new HQ: The Martin Agency (AdWeek).
Take care til next time,
SP
Sharon Panelo is a queer Filipina strategist and radical optimist fighting invisibility.