The advertising world totally bit it during the recession. For a while, just like in any profession, thousands of people were getting fired and slapped around by the giant state football championship ring bearing hand of “the man”. When people were getting laid off in the ad world though, that meant that some of the more (debatably) creative and interesting people in the world were out of work.
If interesting people are sitting around with nothing to do but watch reruns of the Mary Tyler Moore Show and draw, their brains are going to expand with ideas until eventually they burst. In which case, the brain debris becomes documentaries, creative charities, and fine art. If you ask me, industry creatives should be replaced with scabs every 2-3 years to keep the DIY market fresh.
From one of these excessively creative brains came a new documentary/movement called Lemonade. It’s about exactly what I just described – creative people getting laid off because Goldman Sachs is irresponsible, THEN finding a way to do something cooler than they did before. Thus – taking lemons, and turning them into Lemonade. Good wordplay, director of the film. Maybe if copywriters would be fired more often, we’d have a steady flow of well-named documentaries. Think about it.
Learn more about the movie by going to http://www.lemonademovie.com/.
This post can also be found at http://curated.culturejam.com
April 8: One Day Without Shoes
Why is Kristen Bell sitting in a tree without shoes? Is it because she loves trees? Is it because she is a closet-hippie? Maybe she has sweaty feet and needs to air the tootsies out? Maybe something evil scared her up into that tree, made her put on a plaid shirt and stole her shoes?! Anyways back to the REAL reason behind why Kristen Bell is sitting in a tree without shoes. Could it be that she is supporting an annual event where everybody is encouraged to go shoeless for an entire day to show their support for children with Podoconiosis?
Ding ding ding ding! That is the correct answer. Kristen bell is not wearing shoes because she is supporting TOMS Shoes, One Day Without Shoes.
So now you have two options as to how One Day Without Shoes works. You can either watch Kristen Bell sit in her tree and explain the shoeless holiday or you can continue reading (or just think about the name, One Day without Shoes, come on…)?
Okay for those of you still with us – let’s talk about One Day Without Shoes. This annual event started only 2 years ago by progressive shoe company, TOMS Shoes.
Here’s how it works:
Wake up.
It’s the morning of April 8. Brush your teeth, put on your clothes, eat some breakfast, pack your bag, and continue on with your day as usual. Here’s the simple catch, you don’t put shoes on.
That’s right — you walk around the entire day without shoes. Suddenly having images of Britney Spears walking out of a gas station bathroom barefoot flash through your head?! Well, I agree that’s gross, and maybe walking around without shoes for a day seems gross. But it’s for a good cause.
By participating in One Day Without Shoes you are helping raise awareness of a horrific disease in developing countries called Podoconiosis. The disease is a soil-transmitted disease that causes Elephantiasis-like symptoms in your feet, ankles, and legs. The symptoms can become so severe that children cannot go to school, adults cannot take care of their families, in other words, people practically become immobile. And guess what, this disease is 100% preventable just by wearing shoes. That’s it: Wearing shoes prevents Podoconiosis.
So, are you in for going shoeless this Wednesday? Yes you will get blisters, yes you will get scratches, yes your feet will be black, yes your feet will become numb, and much more. Think about it this way, thousands of adults and children do this everyday and because of it suffer from a 100% preventable disease.
Don’t lace up those Converse, don’t pull on those boots, just don’t wear shoes. Simple.
Visit http://www.onedaywithoutshoes.com to learn more.
Disclaimer: We still do not know why Kristen Bell is sitting in a tree.