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Leadership in Action: the Myers-Briggs Personality test

Leadership in Action

What is Leadership in Action? It is a four year leadership program at NCState that gives future leaders the tools that they need to be successful leaders in their endeavors.

The programs culminates with a Senior Capstone Project and the “Leadership in Action Diploma.”

I am humbly grateful to be in this program, because it has opened a new perspective on how I view leadership. I have learned the the greatest leaders do not assume the role of a “Master”

The best leaders are servants.

The Retreat

During our sophomore retreat, we learned about the Myers-Briggs personality test. This is a personality quiz that measure the 8 dimensions of personality:

Extraversion/Introversion

Thinking/Feeling

Sensing/Intuition

Judgment/Perception

What does this mean? Take a look at this info graphic Animation understand what each dimension means.

A Dynamic Clash

We were given the assignment of designing our dream house with others who had a similar personalty style. Each Group was VERY different and approached this in a unique way.

Sensing/Perception

This combination values concrete ideas and open-ended facts. This house was very structured but did not place as much emphasis on organization. Notice that the walls are not color coordinated, but there are clear sections between each room.

Sensing/Judgement

This combination values concrete logic and concrete facts. Notice the organized colors and the structured rectangular rooms.

Intuition/Perception

This group values abstract ideas and open-ended facts. This group was very creative and did not use a traditional rectangular format for their house.

Intuitive/Judgemental

My group was also creative because we like abstract ideas, but they have to be grounded in concrete facts. Our house is creative and unique, but it is very structured and organized by color and each section has a specific purpose.

The retreat was at Umstead Park. The weather was great and scenic was so gorgeous, I had to capture it in this drawing.

Tableau Project: Tell a story

Here is an assignment that I finished for my Imaging class. These photographs are a social commentary on the American addiction to money and celebrities.

Recipes from a College Kid: Granny Smith Sandwiches

There are two reasons why I don’t have a meal plan:

1. I decided that after the 7th time of throwing up from Cafeteria food, I should try something different.

2. More money I can save towards my car.

With necessity comes innovation. I looked around my dorm and came up with the following recipe for:

Granny Smith Sandwichs.

and um….. Here is the reciepe:

Apples

Peanut Butter

and Bread.

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Give it a try, and tell me if you like it. Post comments if you’ve found other interesting and creative receipes.

What kind of apples do you like?

Do you prefer red, yellow, green or other?

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This weekend I will be going to a retreat with a program “Leadership in Action” through CSLEPS . I will tell you all about it in next week’s Post.

Candlelight and Fishskin

This was a candlelight procession in Florence from the Duomo to the Medici Chapel. I got to walk with about 300 nuns and priests on the streets of Florence.

I think I might make a wallet or something with my fishskin. We’ll see!

Rome Part II

When in Rome…drink as the Romans drink.

  There are many water fountains in the streets of Rome and most tourists drink them the wrong way. Me and my brother Joey watched a Roman block the spout with his finger and saw water spring upward.  (see the pictures to get a better idea)

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The Streets of Rome

 There are a lot of interesting street performers in Rome. On of my favorites was a man who painted himself to look like stone. (check out the picture, he almost looks like he is part of the lamp-post that he is sleeping on.)

Another favorite was the band that started to play in front of St.Peter’s. They played just because they could and they wanted to.

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The Ancient Bathhouse

On of the most fascinating visits I took in Rome was the Baths of Caracalla. The moment I walked into the Ruines, I could hear the eerie sound of seagulls fill the air. A haunted wind stirred the mid-day air and left me silent to the bone with awe.

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Timeless. The giant arches were starting to sag, as if holding the weight of eternity. I felt insignificant in the midst of this slumbering giant and I dared not to wake it. How could I declare my presence in front of a giant that has stood through time itself?

“Just to think, these walls have seen entire civilizations rise and fall, and yet they still remain.”

 I reflected on how ephemeral my life will be compared to this wall and quietly walked away as the seagulls continued to cry.

Current Commission: Elite Automotive

 

My Current Commission

Mechanics of our time haven’t had the best reputation. From overpriced charges to the “mystery fees” that pop up on your bill, Mechanics have been known to rip people off.

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….Until Rob decided to change that.

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Rob is local Mechanic who wanted to recreate the “Family Mechanic” image that once existed in a world of Honesty, Integrity and Trust. He set out and started “Elite Automotive: The Family Mechanic”

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Prefect timing

Rob got in touch with me through word of mouth. He wanted a mural on the side of his shop to promote his business and I JUST got back from studying Fresco Painting at the Florence University of the Arts. Perfect timing.

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The Commission

I began talking with Rob about the mural design. He wants it to be filled with hot rods and then have standing proudly in the middle with his family. On the top he wants a banner with his logo….”Elite Automotives: The Family Mechanic.” I took one look at his logo and put the commission on pause.

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The Bigger Problem

I saw that Rob was approaching this problem from the top, but I wanted to approach it from the bottom, the very foundation of the entire business. Before extending into the mural, I felt that it was more important to establish the foundation of his branding image.

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His tagline says “The Family Mechanic,” but his logo says “Generic and Unoriginal.” I asked him more about his promotional material and he pulled out a flyer for a Car Show, an advertisement page, a brochure, and a promotional ad for first time drivers….but here’s the catch:

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Each one had a different logo. Each one had a different format. Some even used black text on a dark blue background. Not only was it hard to read the text, it was even harder to read the idea of “Family Mechanic, Honesty, Trust, Integrity.”

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The Goal

My goal right now is to establish a brand that communicates “Trust, Honesty, Integrity and Family.” Once I get this brand established, I plan on extending it towards his promotional material and his website. Once that is completed, I plan to enforce his brand with a mural.

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I have uploaded the Project Outline for this commission. Stay posted on my blog to hear the updates on this project.

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-The Dreamer

Venice

Latte and a Pastry

There is no city in Italy that I’ve been to like Venice!

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Getting Around 

As you know, the entire city is submerged in water. You can get around by riding the famous Gondalores, or by taking the ferry.  On each side of the Grand Canal are two main islands that are shaped like two fish. As long as you know which fish you are on, you can easily find your way around.

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Famous Trickets

Venice is known for its Carnival Masks. At one point, Venice was filthy rich and this gave way to an excessive and immoral lifestyle to the point that even the nuns were up to no good. It was common for masks to be worn in public so that no one knew what kind of behavior you were up to. Eventually, this turned into a tradition and masks worn during the Venice Carnival.

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Interesting Fact

The pictures of the coast are directly across the Doges Palace. There is a hall in the courthouse that leads the execution room. The photo that I’ve taken would have been the last thing that criminals of Venice would have seen right before they were executed.

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Fish Market

 Since Venice is a coastal city, there is plenty of seafood everywhere you go. There is an open fish market where you get everything from shrimp, clam, crab, lobster, scallops, octopus and Baccala (salted cod). While I was in the Fish Market, this butcher comes out with a HUGE swordfish! He chops it up with ease and then pulls out the head like King Arther!

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Stay posted on my blog, I have this big art/design commission and I will tell you all about in my next post.

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-The Dreamer

The Medieval Manhattan

Soaring in the skies of San Gimignano are the sky scrapers of the Middle Ages.
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This is a definite highlight of my journey in Italy. The city is a walled castle surrounded by tall towers.
These famous towers give the city its nickname “The Manhattan of the Middle Ages.”
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I enjoyed fruit pizza while I listened to a man recite the Divine Comedy in Italian. It was incredible to hear him recite it, but for all I knew, he could be telling us his shopping list for the day.
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I even had tools made of chocolate.
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I have gathered a plant from each town that I have been to in Italy. This time, it was a plum in the courtyard of a harpist.
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Pretty Awesome.

“All Roads lead to Rome” [Part 1]…(I mean, Part I)

They say  “All Roads lead to Rome”

But instead I took the train. I met up with my brother who was Couch Surfing in Rome.You must be thinking:

CouchSurfing? What is that? It must be one of the strange European water sports.

ACTUALLY….it is a wonderful online network where people sign up from around the world to sleep on someone’s couch as they travel. We stayed with Pino, who was a wonderful host and had:
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2 other American Students
1 Roman
1 French Film Director
1 International Irish Woman
2 Half Jew Half Koreans
…and a Nudist from Brooklyn.
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They also say “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”

This caught me a little off guard when was greeted with two kisses on the cheek, but I certainly ate like the Romans ate. We had a wonderful Italian soup with placenta, which is an Ancient Roman version of Baklava. Tasty!
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The Colosseum

We went to the Coloseum and it really is huge! We got to see the costumes that the Ancient Roman Glaidators wore and learned that in a battle, sometimes the losing Gladiator would be spared their life because they were an expensive investment. These Gladiators would retire and become trainers or referees for the next generation.
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Trevi Fountain

This is the most visited fountain in all of Italy. They say that if you toss a coin in it, you will return to Rome….so it looks like somewhere down the road it will lead me back to Rome.

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