Michael Bird’s Post

Halloween costumes? Nope. Work uniforms 👀 Back when my husband and I danced our tails off 8 shows a week… When we fell in love… dressed in stinky, sweaty, spandex-y, semi-creepy kitty costumes for CATS 😹 The careers have changed, but the creativity is still going strong - being channeled in a different way. And, I’m grateful for the way every on-stage experience continues to shape how I approach my work today 🎭 🙏 How do YOUR past chapters inform your current story? #AlwaysLearning #WhatsYourStory #Memory #CATS #Storytelling #Marketing #Mama

As it approaches a year since I showcased my first collection as a designer at GFW, I look back at the last 12 months and wonder where the time has gone. Losing my father a few weeks after my graduation had been the worst ending to the beginning of my career. Through my grief, I have felt my sparkle shine a little less, my heart hurt a lot more, and my creativity turn dull. I'm trying to come to terms with the idea of progress, not perfection. I will grow to achieve my dream of one day becoming the creative director of my own brand and I will work hard to accomplish it. This will not happen overnight. Much like grief, I will grow to someday accept my dad's absence, and not allow the sadness to consume me. This will not happen overnight... Despite my creativity being on holiday somewhere, I know that fashion is still my calling. This feeling is only temporary. Travelling around Europe with my partner in our little blue van is the best thing I could've possibly done after graduation to reignite my creative flare. Its important to not feel guilty about taking a break from the world and instead just truly experience living. With 3 months left of travelling, I'm living in my truth, trusting the journey we call "life" and believing everything is going to be just fine. And to anyone else that needs to hear it, don't give up on your dreams regardless of your circumstances. Be kinder to yourself, you're doing a great job. #progressnotperfection #creativity

Ok, now I want to contribute to the #ghosting conversation, as I've seen a handful of my friends post about it recently, so let’s talk about it. As someone who is currently on the brand side, here's my take: Yes, I get a lot of emails and messages each week, so between my regular work and getting the additional correspondence to sift through, it's a major challenge to respond back to everyone, especially when I don't have a job to offer straight away. Also, I'm just one person, and I'm human, so please know that it's nothing personal if I happen to let it slip through. In these moments when I get emails or messages where someone shares their site, I remind myself of very new to the industry Kelly from 12 years ago who had just gotten to Los Angeles and was just hoping for a little bit of kindness from someone. That’s what propels me to do the best I can to at least give someone a response. Onto ghosting. It is in another category all on its own. Ghosting is when there's been a back and forth and then one person just stops responding. It's when there's already been time invested. It's when a relationship has already started and then one person goes completely dark. All there is to do if someone didn't get the gig or job is drop a line saying "hey, I'm so sorry, your work is great, and we were pulling for you, but the client went in another direction." Or something else polite like that. I'm hopeful that we're just in a valley and things will start to get better around this whole topic. Let's put the human decency back in the creative industry. Just respond. It’s super simple. #humanconnection #friday #fridaythoughts #bestadvice #creativeindustry #photography

Today, we want to celebrate Hannah's 1 Yr. Anniversary as our Creative Director! Thank you for all of your hard work, dedication and contributions to the company.💛 #TheSocialBrand #DigitalMarketing #KnoxvilleSmallBusiness #smallbusinessowner #socialmediamanager #socialmediatips #instagramtips #contentideas #socialmediahelp #contentmarketing #helpwithinstagram #helpwithsocialmedia #socialmediaideas

People love to hear a good story. And people love to be around great storytellers. One way to get better at telling stories is to practice setting the scene. Setting the scene requires you to spend more time upfront before the action takes place. Here are ways we could do that: Touch on the five senses, they may not all apply, but pick those that do: ⦿ feel: “bumpy, jagged, dusty, etc.” ⦿ taste: “bitter, sour, salty, metallic, etc.” ⦿ sound: “loud, booming, shrill, etc” ⦿ sight: “colorful, shaded, vivid, pastel, greyscale, etc.” ⦿ smell: “rancid, sweet, putrid, etc.” Touch on things we wouldn’t normally think of ⦿ “the edges of the rug were warped and frayed." ⦿ “soup was everywhere, it even landed in the dog's bowl." Compare it to a shared picture we can all visualize: ⦿ “he looked like an alien from outer-space who just bought an outfit from Abercrombie & Fitch.” ⦿ “she sounded like a cicada in a microphone.” Doing this won’t break your back and it will elevate the listener’s experience. #buildrelationships #personaldevelopment #buildcommunity #friendship #overcomeloneliness #storytelling #talktopeople  #communication

🎃👻 Happy Halloween! 🎃👻 Spooky season is upon us, but as we approach the end of the year, it's the perfect time to revisit this year’s creative endeavors and showcase your skills to your network. Some tips on how to get your work ready for sharing: 1️⃣ Review everything you've created this year and select the most impactful pieces. 2️⃣ Highlight your growth - select projects that emphasize the development of your craft. 3️⃣ Organize, update, and curate that portfolio or BOW! 4️⃣ Often forgotten but very important…craft the narrative of your work to make it more engaging. Tell a story! 5️⃣ Share! Share! Share! Don't keep your work in the shadows, share it and seek feedback - you never know what might come of it. So who's ready to embrace spooky season by sharing their work and conquering their creative fears? ✨ #creative #design #portfolioshowcase #creativedesign #halloween

I recently produced and creative directed my 2nd fashion show and my first ever networking event. The questions that have been ringing in my mind are how do I celebrate? How do I express being grateful for living in my purpose but at the same time feeling so stuck and stagnant because I’m not where I want to be because of it? I feel like this is how a lot of minority creatives feel. I’m proud to say I put on a production lead by an all black team in the DC, Maryland and Virginia region. I looked over 40 plus people and made sure this project was a successful one for four on going months. I never would’ve of thought I’d be doing this, but He wanted this journey for me and I humbly accept his challenge. I’m blessed to have team fever, a team that but a battery in my back and believed in my extravagant visions. I don’t want to just do projects. I want to make a difference and reach people who are trynna get there too. I’m grateful to all the models, designers, and my team. Everybody played a part and kept pushin knowing God will see us through and he did. This Video doesn’t explain what I did enough. I didn’t spend months planning, designing, and stressing to only post once. Prepare to be inspired by me. Follow @feverclass on IG to keep up #creativefreelancer #blackcreatives #creativedirector #projectmanagement #producer #lookingforopportunity

Hey Julie ... Not only are you not alone … I think you are part of a broad and growing section of the outdoor recreation industry. Part of this shift (IMO)is that we’ve drifted a long way from the days of “I love working in the outdoor industry because when I help people get outside, I’m also helping turn people on to environmentalism and conservation.” And when that foundational promise starts to fade, it can feel a lot like just another job in just another industry. That said, I think the idea generally still holds water, and still brings (and keeps) many people within the outdoor industry. It’s just that it doesn’t get as much air time these days, amidst crowds of outdoor recreation participants who seem devoted solely to grabbing a great shot for the ‘Gram, or an increasing number of outdoor industry brands setting aside the more core pursuits of the outdoor world to chase the golden ring of lifestyle. It’s a tough sell to say that a 40-ounce stainless steel mug or a more affordable pair of yoga pants is creating positive conservation outcomes. I think it’s also worth considering that the outdoor industry community is still dominated by a pandemic “I’m cool with just Zoom” mindset. While video calls are unarguably a remarkable tool that can achieve specific outcomes, they are also woefully inadequate when it comes to group interaction. And without group interaction, finding and acting on a common theme — like your hypothesis here — can become just a passing thought on a morning jog.