Art certainly doesn't need to be limited to drawing, painting, and photography. There's an Art in everything we do. Even how we WORK. Although a bit challenging to find in many occupational situations, every job ultimately provides us with the means of utilizing our creativity. From organizing our desk to developing a sales pitch, we're all potential artists of the workspace. I've been blessed to have a job where I can exercise my creativity on a regular basis. As a Visual Specialist at Niketown SF, I design floor space, merchandise walls, and stylize mannequins to highlight Nike's latest apparel, footwear, and equipment. Of all the creative outlets I possess as a Visual Specialist, my favorite would have to be dressing mannequins, especially female mannequins. I prefer dressing females over males because women have more accessories, colors, and variations of clothing to play around with. Sometimes, I dress my female mannequins based on what I think a girl should wear to the gym. What would get her noticed? What would make her feel comfortable? And sometimes, I try to think way outside the box and come up with mannequin outfits that girls may not necessarily wear but will definitely notice when they walk by it at the store. God knows I don't need every woman to like the outfits I choose. I just want my mannequins to be noticed. I want them to generate opinions, including negative ones. If my mannequins can impel someone to say "oOoOoo, this is kinda cool" or "what the hell is she wearing" or "screw the rest of her, I just really want this jacket," I feel I've done my job.
Here's some of my work. Let me know what you think!
Are YOU Training True?
Niketown New York sent us pictures of their mannequin composition for Nike's Women's Training "Are You Training True?" Initiative. Our Visual Partners from Nike World Headquarters (WHQ) asked our Visual Team at Niketown San Francisco to model our initiative mannequins after theirs. Joe, my fellow Visual Specialist, and I were appointed this task. We decided to put our own spin on WHQ's direction. We decided to add our flavor, our own twist on the "Are You Training True?" concept. The picture above is what we came up with. Using only Women's Training Apparel and Footwear, we designed a color scheme of multiple colors - pink, blue, and green. We layered various pieces on our mannequins to add color "pop." We used accessories, like bags, wristbands, and socks to add more color. Joe and I hand-picked the mannequin poses we deemed best for our composition to add flair and attitude. Although it took Joe and I three hours to complete this cluster, we were very happy with the outcome. And of course, we sent our pictures to Niketown New York to show them what the "Are You Training True?" mannequins should look like. A week later, Joe and I saw "Beat Freaks," former contestants of America's Best Dance Crew wearing our Women's Training tanks.
"Desperate Housewives Playing Golf"
Niketown SF's Men's Golf business far exceeds Women's Golf in terms of sales. In order to highlight our Women's Golf apparel, I decided to dress 5 female golfer mannequins. I tried picturing what young, attractive, corporate golfers would wear. I envisioned them having attitude and having a sophisticated fashion sense. The picture above is what I came up with. (The mannequin holding the umbrella was my pride and joy as I had to tie the umbrella to the ceiling with fishing line, just to make sure it wouldn't fall when customers inevitably try to touch it.)
Live STRONG
Finally, Niketown SF received Livestrong apparel that wasn't so YELLOW. I tried to mix in our new, pink Livestrong pieces with our Yellow pieces in order to give it more color pop. And who said female bikers couldn't be sexy and have attitude?! I utilized different poses and accessories to give them more style.
Yo-GIRL
Nike recently released a youthful Yoga Initiative in attempt to attract a younger customer base. Sending us the most colorful Yoga apparel I've seen since I started as a Visual Specialist at Niketown SF, I wanted to highlight a variety of our new pieces. I tried to highlight our new graphic tee's, tanks, pull-over's, and capri's. I tried not to get too far-fetched in my stylizing, as I still wanted to remain true to the Yoga customer base.
Whether you have my job or a desk job, always look for ways to break away from routine and express yourself at work. Add color to your spreadsheets, use vivid examples when engaging in dialogue with potential customers, propose groundbreaking ideas even if they're unfeasible, or decorate your office to add more life to your workspace. Be different. Be bold. And don't forget to think out of the box and Color Outside the Lines.
.S2.
