This might come as a surprise but making something uniquely yours is actually hard to come by these days. Even in this age of personalization and customization (see NIKE, M&Ms – even ketchup labels), it’s not really about creating something personal but buying something personalized. Anybody can get something personalized, but for it to be truly personal, it has to come from you.  And for that you have to use your head. And your hands. And your heart. Clicking a button to select font styles or background colors or clip art just isn’t the same as the creative process of doing it from “scratch” – and by scratch I mean the idea, the design, the color selections, etc. are all yours.   

So let’s get personal. 

When it comes to school supplies, students seems to have a natural proclivity for the personal but I have a couple of theories on that:

Students are often on tight budgets, so they are forced to get inventive with boring school supplies.  And not all parents are inclined to buy “designer” stuff, like backpacks and jeans and sneakers, especially not in these tough economic times.

School is often a sterile environment, with long rows of lookalike lockers, industrial size gyms and uninspiring cafeterias. School is a canvas begging for a splash of color, a brush of ingenuity.

And finally, sometimes there’s a break in the action in class and it’s just fun to doodle and express yourself on stuff!    

I guess this is the long way home to telling you that Office Depot has just launched a contest where you can design your own backpack, enter it in their “Project Backpack” contest and win a chance to have your backpack actually reproduced and sold in their stores (that, and $5,000!).  Go to www.myprojectbackpack.com and enter your design.  

Here’s info but be sure to visit www.myprojectbackpack.com for complete details: 

• Go to your nearest Office Depot store to pick out the qualifying backpack and select 2 FREE Sharpies to decorate it.
• Decorate your backpack and take a picture of it. Need inspiration? Visit www.sharpieuncapped.com 
  Fill out the online entry form and upload the image of your decorated backpack.
• If you do not have a qualifying backpack, there is an alternative way to enter the contest. Simply download the Sharpie Backpack template, decorate it and upload your design.

One of Sharpie’s favorite artists and a member of the Sharpie Squad, Jon E. Nimetz  got busy with his design. Mind you this guy is an AR-TEEST, so his is pretty fancy. You don’t have to be good, just good enough. I like his Peace dove. It has heart, just like anything that is truly your own personal expression…

This is really quite amazing (notice my use of the word “quite.” Raise your pinky.  It’s tea time ; ) That Sharpie should be in the same company with some of the world’s most pretigious individuals in the fields of Physics, Chemistry, Physiology, Medicine, Literature and Peace.   I’m talking about Nobel Laureates -people nominated to receive Nobel Prizes.  Sharpie is a small player in a unique event that involves a number of Nobel Laureates helping to raise money for medical causes — everything from homelessness to AIDS to diabetes. The initiative involves violins and some of the smartest people ever to grace the planet..oh, and  Sharpie.  

Dr. Harold Varmus, Medicine 1989

The Longwood Symphony Orchestra (Brookline, Mass.) has created something called Visual Violins.   Visual Violins is a program where national and international artists design unvarnished violins to raise money for charity.   There is, however, one very special violin that is autographed by Nobel Laureates using Sharpie markers (that’s where we come in) and then auctioned at the Symphony’s annual Gala. 

Proceeds from the auction support Longwood Symphony Orchestra’s Healing Art of Music Program.  LSO has recently launched LSO Musicians on Call, a program that brings musicians directly into health care facilities and assisted living residences to share music directly with patients.

Amazingly, the Symphony has traveled a single violin around the world to be autographed by past and current Nobel Laureates.  The gala and auction will be held March 24.

Take a look as some of the brightest minds lend their Sharpie autographs to this worthy cause:

Dr. David Baltimore, Medicine 1985, with Heidi Greulich

Dr. Edmund Phelps, Economics 2006

Dr. Bernard Lown, Peace 1985, and Madelein Beverstam

Dr. Lisa Wong, President of Longwood Symphony Orchestra, Dr. Allen Counter, President of the Harvard Foundation and Consul General to Sweden, Boston

Prof. Daniel Tsui, Physics 1998

Dr. Eric Kandel, Medicine 2000

Dr. Tonegawa Susumu, Physiology/Medicine 1987, and Dr. Lisa Wong

Secretary of Energy Dr. Steve Chu, Physics 1997, with Jack Dennerlein, Associate Professor of Ergonomics and Safety - Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health

Below is a list of all of the Nobel Laureates who will have contributed their signatures:

Prof. Sidney Altman, Chemistry 1989
Dr. David Baltimore, Medicine 1975
Prof. Günter Blobel, Medicine 1999
Dr. Eric Kandel, Medicine 2000
Dr. William Lipscomb, Chemistry 1976
Dr. Bernard Lown, Peace 1985 (IPPNW)
Dr. Eric Maskin, Economics 2007
Dr. Craig Mello, Physics 2006
Dr. John Nash, Economics 1994
Dr. Edmund Phelps, Economics 2006
Dr. Robert Richardson, Physics 1996
Dr. Phillip Sharp, Medicine 1993
Prof. Daniel Tsui, Physics 1998
Dr. Harold Varmus, Medicine 1989
Prof. James Watson, Medicine 1962
Prof. Frank Wilczek, Physics 2004
Dr. Robert Wilson, Physics 1978

For more information on the Gala, contact Tammy Avery Gibson, 774-240-8060.

Emma's Peace

Thought I’d get a jump on the holidays with this card created by Emma, age 6.  Emma’s “Pees on -th” card (translation:  Peace on Earth) is part of the  One Million Peace Signs project on Flickr.   Check out the group’s website and blog.

Here’s what the project is about:

“Peace can start small, and every single act of Peace matters. Maybe you don’t have the time or energy to make a huge impact on Peace today…but maybe you can still commit some Little Act of Peace. And you can pass it on…right here. Brainstorm it at the dinner table and add your idea…we think it’s gonna be something we can all learn from and add to!”

Grab a Sharpie and do a Peace Doodle!

As of this posting, Emma’s photo is one of 9,006 photos from 2,988 members in 321 days.   Scrolling through the images is not only moving but inspiring.  I don’t know about you, but there are never enough ways to say “peace.”

Check out some of the amazing peace statements that have been submitted, then remember you don’t have to climb the highest mountain to spread the peace word; sometimes a Sharpie scribble is enough.

Peace.

Sharpie King, a.k.a. Immy Mellin, hard at work on his next Sharpie creation

His name is Immy Mellin but artists and fans alike know him as the Sharpie King. His Sharpie marker moniker is the result of his passionate use of Sharpie markers in all of his art. We found Immy on Flickr.com and were absolutely amazed at just what can be done with Sharpie markers – his work is nothing short of artistic genius! Read on to learn more about Immy and his work.

How did you get started as an artist and what were some of your early inspirations?

I started as an artist as a little boy. My mother worked at a hotel in Acapulco and she asked her co-workers to babysit for her. Her coworkers took me to the beach each day and while I was there I would draw in the sand and build sand castles. I used whatever materials that I could get my hands on. I just wanted to draw. My inspiration comes from my Imagination. I start with rows and lines and little by little it forms into an expression of what is inside me; and then I also get inspiration when the people come to me for something that they want done. For example, a husband might want a portrait of his wife. After receiving the picture I begin to reproduce it but in my own interpretation and style.

How would you describe the style of your art?

Graphic, geometric, complex, abstract, and surreal. (more…)