Monday, June 22, 2009

A Glimpse of Monday Morning

The clock is blinking 9:45 a.m. and I’m sitting at my desk after having a meeting with co-worker. Hmm. Let’s take a glimpse into a brilliant Monday morning in the Crossover Graphics world. Outside it is already melt-your-hairspray humid and hot enough to cook an egg on the sidewalk (has anyone actually tried doing that?). But inside it’s perfect, even according to Sarah, one of our graphic designers who is perpetually cold. The lights are still off because the sunlight pouring in from the two large windows in the room provides a gentle, natural light.

Kate, our marketing director, just finished making a pot of tea out in the reception area. Yes, I said tea - it’s our office’s speciality. However, we are far from being tea snobs. Every few days, someone will dash up the road to the very prestigious McCafe at McDonalds for some iced mochas with extra vanilla.

Everyone just had a panic attack. Stephanie, the CEO, was checking Crossover’s Facebook group and discovered that Facebook won’t load. Wails of “all my pictures are on Facebook; I can’t lose them!” come from all across the office. Ben, our IT guy who’s loading software onto Kate’s computer, just laughs and assures us that a company as big as Facebook will be back online shortly with everything intact.

As Ben works on Kate’s computer, Kate suggests plans for an evening office outing. Sarah, who’s busy typing away on her computer, wants to gets pedicures. Ben grimaces and says anything involving food would be better.

My phone rings. Apparently my direct line used to belong to Farmer’s Insurance or General Motors because I keep getting calls for them. Or perhaps the huge lightning storm last week tangled up phone lines. Goodness knows what havoc the storm caused - it managed to fry my home Internet and phone last week.

The office has an interesting smell this morning. It turned out to be one of those wallflowers. It’s plugged into the wall near Lindsey, the receptionist. It’s suppose to smell floral, but we all agree it smells more like men’s cologne.

Keyboards clicking, voices buzzing on the telephone, people running and bouncing down the stairs, the printer whirring, papers crinkling, little clicks and murmurs and indeterminate rustles and ripples. These are everyday sounds, but they’re good sounds. Life sounds.

It’s Monday morning and there’s a brand new week ahead of us.

--Ashley High is an Intern at Crossover Graphics (www.crossovergraphics.com).

Monday, June 15, 2009

Grateful for the Little Things

It rained last night, rained hard enough to wake me up at 2 a.m. as the electricity blinked off for a few minutes. It was slightly annoying to be awake that early in the morning; however, I loved listening to the rain pour and then whisper down. There are bits of poetry and tiny pieces of story everywhere if you take the time to be grateful as you watch and listen.

I’m grateful for the Internet and the ability to connect with friends in Texas, Russia, Panama, and Japan all at the same time.

I’m grateful for when the Internet server is down because then I realize there are people just across the room from me.

I’m grateful for telephones and the ability to call for directions when I’ve hopeless lost the highway downtown (which, by the way, it takes serious talent to misplace a highway).

I’m grateful for times when the phone company keeps delaying repairs and the phone system thinks Kate in marketing is Lindsey the receptionist, or when Frank from Iowa thinks he has called his bank because it makes us learn to smile.

I’m grateful for the humidity after cloudbursts because it brings out that sticky, sweet smell of summer rain and honeysuckle.

I’m grateful for the white hot heat that crumbles mud into dust and proclaims summer is officially here.

I’m grateful for words and all their shades of meaning: not only do we walk, but we can amble, march, hike, stroll, saunter, slog, stride, sashay, ramble, and roam.

I’m grateful for silences and expressions that express more than words ever could.

Think about the thing that first inspired you to see a story and have a dream and then remember to be grateful for the little things because it is those pieces that develop stories and make dreams worthwhile.

--Ashley High is an Intern at Crossover Graphics (www.crossovergraphics.com).

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Storytelling

Tell me a story.

“Well, once upon a time there lived a beautiful princess...”

“Luke was a little boy much like you. He had brown hair, and green eyes, but most of all, he had this amazing superpower...”

“When I was a kid, there was this old, deserted barn across the road...”

How many times have you heard a story that started something like these tales above? There is something powerful about stories that makes us remember them long after the storyteller is gone. Think about old movies like Casablanca, Gone with the Wind, or It’s a Wonderful Life. Think about authors like Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, or Jane Austen. Even Christ understood the power of stories because He told many parables. Whether the story is about someone who similar or unlike us, stories can fashion or destroy dreams.

Crossover Graphics exists because we believe everyone has a story to tell. However, many people do not have the tools to tell their story. That is where Crossover comes in. Crossover Graphics is an innovative design firm that specializes in full-color printing, marketing, web, logo and print design for small businesses, ministries, churches, non-profits, and Christian filmmakers and musicians. Let us help you tell your story. Stay tuned because it’s coming soon in 2010.

--Ashley High is an Intern at Crossover Graphics (www.crossovergraphics.com).