7.24.2009

fantasymindland


i was driving all night. i had decided to do this on the spur of the moment, and as many things that are decided upon in this way, once you get over the fear of the unknown and let go, a tremendous feeling of peace and reflection can occur. 

i had recently quit my job as creative director. it was an utterly stupid situation. it was determined that a certain variation in the blue color of our toothpaste client's product was necessary, because the current hue no long symbolized the freshness the consumer came to expect from bullshit product x. i built an entire presentation to the client and their board of directors around this subtle color shift, but never actually changed the color. packaging was reprinted, style guides and corporate brand standards were created. no one noticed the color hadn't actually been changed for 18 months. last week, someone finally read the guide and at least 27 assistant associate deputy directors at our client's global headquarters shit the bed, within several minutes of one another. so, i grabbed 5 packs of post-its, 2 boxes of medium-size binder clips and a handful of sharpies (fine point) and quit before being fired. 

so now i was driving all night, from washington DC to who gives a shit. i kept thinking about what a friend had said to me. she was talking about a place where all of the things she wanted to have and all of the lives she wanted to lead were happening. she called it her fantasymindland. holy shit. a fantasymindland. i think i was already there. i was floating down I-40 through tennessee, through the hills and past the ghosts of thousands of dead civil war soldiers and listening to modern ambient march song called sunday seance and i realized that one thousand feet above me some hawk or spy drone could see my headlights making their way along this isolated route and that i was there. 

and i had all that i needed, at least it seemed so at the time. post-its, sharpies, binder clips and a fantasymindland to live in. ok.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

You can never escape. There will always be someone who is unhappy about the color of the moment. Even if they said they loved it at the time of inception. So drive. Drive until the the sun climbs out from behind the sea and collapses into the hills a hundred times. It will change nothing. They will still want to add 2% magenta to your blue. Sons-a-bitches. For the record, I like your blue.

Anonymous said...

You can not run away. This teaches nothing. Only cowards run from the problems. Stand up and fight! No more running.

Anonymous said...

I wasn't implying that you run away. I was just saying that things are the same all over and sometimes that sucks ass. You may want to run away, but It really changes nothing. OR maybe things are not the same all over and it is we who are the same. Therefore we bring the same issues on ourselves over and over. What do you think about that?

Anonymous said...

I think you think too much. Hard work and a mind of steel will overcome ALL! Draw your sword and fight you scared Child!! I challenge you!!

Anonymous said...

Are you serious?!! I'll cut you up like like a pissed off slapchop salesman high on crack!! I don't know where in the world you're located, but if you give a latitude and longitde I'll pack my woopass and be there in no time.

Anonymous said...

25°18'N, 55°20'E.
I'll be here until 4:00. After that you find me at Ababeli Alo Beran Kutty Grocery. If you come before 10:00 I can get you the special on all produces.

Anonymous said...

I didn't think so...

J.level said...

running away has always worked for me...