Suzy Dotson

Suzy Dotson Reflection - Entry 50  In the last couple of months, my computer screen has spent much time looking like this. I made a plan halfway through the semester on how to complete this assignment. Let's just say I'm glad I did. I have learned several things about myself, creativity, and advertising throughout this creative class and blog writing process.  Some things I knew, and some I was excited to discover.  1. You are a ~master~ procrastinator when you don't have a plan. You need a plan.  2. You're not that artistic. And that's okay.  3. You really, really love working with creative people. Keep pursuing that dream.  4. However, they really stress you out. Don't be scared, you love them, remember !!!! 5. You really like to write. Maybe you should get a journal.  6. You should've been an advertising major. You already knew that.  7. I know you wish you were one of those "crazy creative" people.  Remember, you have other skills that are impo

Suzy Dotson Busy, Broke, & Bothered - Entry 49  It's that time of the year. My to-do list is so long that I have to pencil in when to shower. My bank account is drained from a fun but chaotic semester. And the cherry on top: everyone is pissing me TF off. With that being said, it is time for a much-needed break. I need a break away from my calendar, friends that I spend *too* much time with, and a rest from Canvas notifications.  This semester, my blogs have served as a time-out—time away from a busy, bustling, and hectic day, time away from people to reflect and sit with my own thoughts, time away from what I have to do, and time spent thinking and writing about what I enjoy.  That's what creativity does for us. While thinking creatively can sometimes seem like a lot of work, it can also be a way to let your mind wander instead of sticking to the usual strict routine. I have learned that, in fact, I am more engaged in my busy, crazy days after I submit my blog posts. Somet

Suzy Dotson Stage Manager Era - Entry 48 The only reason I still have Snapchat is for the Memories that pop up and remind me of times like this. In high school, I was a stage manager in the theatre program for all 4 years. One of the pictures that came up was my props and set-up schedule. Although I wasn't a creative up on the stage, it took a lot of creative thinking to handle and organize the chaos that was backstage. I miss this era and time of my life.  However, I am so excited to see my brother perform in his last musical of his high school career this weekend (even though I secretly wish I was backstage). 

Suzy Dotson Mood Boards - Entry 47  Throughout my time at SMU, I have made several mood boards. Whether they are for a project, a class, or just for fun, I have had lots of experience making inspirational, creative mood boards to organize my thoughts.  I usually prefer to write things down, but some ideas just need to be presented in pictures. When planning a sorority event, we had a dress code, and members asked for ideas. There are only so many things words can do, so I made a mood board conveying the vibe I was looking for.  Besides making the boards for projects or events, I also love making them for fun. I love browsing Pinterest for pictures or quotes and adding my own photos for a personal touch. It is so satisfying to bring a bunch of separate ideas together to tell a story or represent myself. 

Suzy Dotson Growth - Entry 46  There is nothing more satisfying or rewarding than seeing progress within yourself. Whether that be progress in the gym, progress on an assignment, or growing intellectually.  I love the NYT Games app. If you know me, you know I never stop talking about it. It has become an integral part of my daily routine. One of my favorite games is Connections, but I have always been bad at it. Having to look up hints, watching TikToks of those who have already gotten it, and continuing to be frustrated with myself for not having enough creativity to figure it out.  But alas, yesterday was the day. I completed every single Connection without a single spoiler from the Internet. All of my hard work has paid off. All of those failed attempts are behind now. I feel like the most creative person in the world.  Connections  Puzzle #301 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟪🟪🟪🟪

Suzy Dotson Totality Awesome - Entry 45  I apologize for the horribly punny title, but I saw an opportunity and took it.  Today is the total solar eclipse, and Dallas is one of the major cities on its path. I love days like today. People from all over the world stop what they are doing to enjoy one of life's rare and crazy events.  I wrote a haiku to commemorate today's event:  I love attention.  People stop and stare at me.  Good to be the Sun. 

Suzy Dotson Transformation of Social Media - Entry 44  I've noticed a giant shift in social media use, primarily since COVID. Gen Z does not use social media to update their friends on their lives. Gen Z is using TikTok and Instagram as creative outlets, which has never been done before with social media. Gen Z focuses on creative photography and witty captions, keeping with the theme of their feed and adding an element of mystery to their accounts.  In the past, Facebook was used to post family vacations, pictures of kids, or tell followers about important life events. Gen X continues to use social media in this way. They post very straightforward pictures with very straightforward captions, leaving nothing up to the imagination.  Why has this shift happened? How long does this last before we start using social media like our parents? I love that Gen Z has decided to approach social media in a creative light rather than as a way to update people on their lives. It's almost mor

Suzy Dotson GirlBossTown - Entry 43  Robyn DelMonte, also known as GirlBossTown on TikTok, has recently become one of my favorite influencers and pop-culture commentators. She is known on social media for her entertaining insights into marketing, public relations, and advertising.  Anytime there is a new PR crisis, new relationship on the horizon, or ground-breaking advertising campaign, you can count on Robyn to make a video about it. I love hearing her views and ideas, as they are always honest and something I had never heard before, which can be rare for social media.  She began her account because she could not find a job in a marketing or advertising role and was working as a waitress in Boston. Now, she interviews celebrities on red carpets and creatively directs Super Bowl commercials. It is so inspiring to see that just because you don't fit into the cookie-cutter mold of a 9-5 career, your ideas still matter, and you can, in fact, become successful. 

Suzy Dotson Shot Books - Entry 42 I was browsing through my Canva account and saw a graveyard of all the shot book pages I have made. Shot books are a collection of pages made by friends to commemorate a 21st birthday. I found the progression I have made over the years to be so interesting.  The first page I made was for my friend Wyn. I remember it taking me hours and being completely stressed over the idea of using Canva, a software I had never used before. It's safe to say it was not my best work. Then, I not only made a page for my friend Ella but was also in charge of compiling the entire scrapbook. I felt a little more comfortable this time, but it was still not up to par with what I would have liked due to time restraints.  Finally, I made a page for my friend Olivia. After several advertising and marketing classes and time spent on Canva for my sorority role, I made this page in a flash. I felt immensely more equipped and able to produce a better shot book page and was very

Suzy Dotson Ads I Love PT 2 - Entry 41  Monica Lewinsky for Reformation Reformation is a women's clothing store. I love the style, just not the price  point. We even have an in-person location right here on Knox-Henderson.  I recently saw on TikTok (where I get all my news, duh?) that they recently teamed up with the infamous Monica Lewinsky for a campaign promoting shoppers to get out and vote in our upcoming election. I was absolutely stopped in my tracks. What an original, never-before-seen, BOLD, crazy, out-of-pocket collaboration. What a genius way to get customers to stop and say "Wow." And that's what this collaboration did. I follow several marketing and advertising influencers on social media and I have never seen so many creators commenting on the same piece before -- until now.  I love the subtle nod to politics that Reformation is playing with here, using Monica's name. I love that this is going beyond just sticking any celebrity on Instagram with the

Suzy Dotson Shopping as a Creative Technique - Entry 40  I went shopping over the long weekend to a few of my favorite stores. I have been in a rut recently and decided a little retail therapy could help lighten my mood -- safe to say it did the trick. I came home and immediately began trying on what I bought, making outfits with items already in my closet, and browsing Pinterest to see how I can style my new clothes in fun ways.  Shopping is a creative technique. In this instance, the seasons have changed and I was looking for new items to add to my rotation of what I wear. Shopping satisfied that desire for change and need for something fresh. Now, I am not suggesting you run out and drop a million dollars every time you are in creative rut. Sometimes I find myself just browsing through the Target makeup aisles looking at what's new, and discover old makeup items from home. Or just browsing through Trader Joe's inspires that week's menu with items already in the pantry. 

Suzy Dotson Piano - Entry 39  I was thinking back to times when I have done something creative. I played piano for several years but how is that creative, I was just using other peoples songs? But then I remembered -- I actually wrote my own song, with the help of my teacher of course.  I was about 8 years old and my teacher presented the idea of writing my own song, to teach me what the songwriting process looked like. I remember being so excited. We worked on it for weeks and I spent every free moment at home writing poems, searching clever synonym's on my dad's computer, and making my family read over my work at the dinner table.  Above is a picture of our first writing session together. Deciding what the overall theme was, the sound I wanted to create (with the limited knowledge I had), and finding ways to string words together.  It doesn't take a genius to realize this isn't Mozart. But it was creative. It was making something out of nothing. And it was fun. It tau

Suzy Dotson Running Out of Ideas? - Entry 38  I would call myself a major connoisseur of TV shows. My friends always make fun of me because I prefer to have a show on in the background instead of music, like a normal person. I always have a show on and am always looking for the next show to add to my list.  I've been thinking about the behind-the-process of making and writing shows (thanks to Quiet on Set). What does the writers room look like? How do writers just produce ideas out of thin air? How do they find actors and sets that perfectly match the vision they have in their head? How many different ideas can people come up with??? I thought about New Girl and Friends... very similar shows. How similar is too similar? The shows are basically the same, just with a 20-year difference, in my opinion. So this begs the question...what happens when creatives run out of ideas? Or is it impossible to run out of ideas, they're just lazy and sticking to what they know works? In the co

Suzy Dotson The Devil (Money) - Entry 37  Money is evil. Money destroys families. Money is the Devil.  In my life, money has caused nothing but trouble. Yah, it's great to have it. Yah, it sucks not having it. But the torment, lies, and manipulation that comes with it just makes it not even worth bothering with. 

Suzy Dotson Digital Strategy - Entry 36  This January, I took the Digital Media Landscapes advertising class with Nicole Haddad. To say this class was interesting would be an understatement. We played NYT connections every morning, visited Meow Wolf in Grapevine, and helped with the Tide advertising campaign competition. This class taught me a lot about the creative process. I had no idea about the time, depth, and wild lengths it takes to form a creative brief.  Here is a snapshot of Shit Girls Like to help us determine how to market to guys and girls simultaneously. If I told you that for a detergent campaign, you would probably have no idea. But that is the creative process -- connecting two crazy, outlandish ideas together in order to form insights about your target market.  I owe Nicole a lot for this class. She taught me that no idea is too crazy, no answer is ever wrong in brainstorming, and the more niche, the better. Before this class, I thought brainstorming was a quick, two-

Suzy Dotson Admiring Creatives: Jack's Plays - Entry 35  This is my brother Jack and I at his high school plays. I am proud to say that my senior year of high school, I was the stage manager and begged him to do the spring musical. Much to his surprise, he landed the Beast role in our production of Beauty and the Beast. I am flying to Nashville next weekend to see him in his last high school production, Little Women.  I admire his talent and bravery. I always spent time backstage and could never have the spotlight on me. But I loved watching them do their thing on stage. The way our actors could just hop on stage, sing, and dance, and then do it all over the next night was something I completely admired and respected.  It was fascinating to see them take words on paper and completely transform it to an entire production, making you feel like you are right there with them in the scene. In rehearsals, you could see their 'plan' in their eyes and I always felt lost and confuse

Suzy Dotson Easter - Entry 34  I love Easter. The dreary weather is gone, school is almost out, and long summer days are right around the corner. My favorite part about Easter is going to church with my family. I decided to stay in Dallas this year, and attended a new church with friends. As I was waiting to go in the sanctuary, I was brought back to a childhood memory -- dressing in Sunday's best. I love seeing all the outfits. The glam, the colors, the perfect hair do's that I'm sure sparked a lot of tears between moms and daughters.  Nevertheless, the outfits on Easter Sunday always bring a smile to my face. I love that as a society, we collectively decide to put the dreary winter coats aside and showoff that new spring dress or suit that we hunted for at the mall last weekend. It is a symbol of the winter times passing and the new breath of spring coming. 

Suzy Dotson Caroline Bankston - Entry 33  Caroline Bankston has recently become my new favorite creative on TikTok. She inspires her followers to dress in color, a trend that has recently fallen under. "Beige-moms," as they're called, have taken over Instagram and TikTok, promoting neutrals and leaving color behind. But Caroline has a different approach. She inspires young women to wear the bold colors, buy the crazy colored shoes, and always choose color.  I find myself only reaching for neutrals or black. If you looked in my closet, you would probably see one colored item. But Caroline has inspired me to reach for the bold colors and not to be afraid of them. I think I catch myself reaching for black or white so that I can blend in and not stand out. But life is short - reach for the all blue outfit, even if you are risking looking like a blueberry. 

Suzy Dotson Interior Design - Entry 32 Over the years, I have created these little floor plan layouts for dorms and apartments, thanks to Canva. If you didn't believe I had crippling OCD before, I sure this proves it. I love planning and designing and this has been such a fun way for me to organize my thoughts.  My brother is attending SCAD in the fall for interior design and I always amazed at the talent designers have. They can look at an empty space and fill it completely in their heads in a span of five minutes. My brother has a natural gift for it -- I do not. I always bring my Canva floor plans to him and wait for the head shaking to begin. But, nevertheless, I enjoy it. It is so satisfying to take empty rooms and blank walls and transform it to a space that reflects me and becomes a home. 

Suzy Dotson Playlists - Entry 31  I am very proud of my playlist names. They used to just be named "Country" or "Taylor Swift" and have the generic Apple-generated thumbnail. Don't judge, I AM an Apple Music fan. But I decided to spice it up. Now I have Little Miss Nashville, thank you TikTok, with a photo of my best friend and I before a night on Broadway. My TN to TX playlist is a combination of my favorite music that keeps me entertained during my 10-hour drive from Dallas to Nashville every year.  It's fun to take little creative strides like this. Creativity is a way to spice up what normally can be a very boring or unimportant thing. And creativity also doesn't have to be hard or time-consuming. All I did here was add emojis or fun punctuation marks, and take fun photos from either my own personal camera roll or ones I had saved on Pinterest. Creativity is and can be a way to a small piece of joy into our everyday routines.

Suzy Dotson Being Alone - Entry 30 During my three years here at SMU, I have learned that so many people are scared of being alone. I have friends that cannot spend more than an hour by themselves and always need to be surrounded by other people. I am quite the opposite. I could be dropped off at a deserted island and be perfectly content.  Being able to be comfortable being alone is an important lesson to learn. At the end of the day, that is the only guarantee. Friends come and go, partners leave, and families pass away. As sad and gruesome as that is, it's the truth. So might as well be comfortable with yourself now, because you'll be with yourself for the rest of time.  I also think being alone sparks creativity. I used to think I needed to be overly stimulated by media, friends, or even strangers in order to think of a creative idea or learn something new. But sometimes my most creative or innovative thoughts come from the silence of being by myself. I challenge you to tak