Miranda’s Desk

Anda Creative works hard to keep the lines of communication open not only with our clients but also between Anda colleagues in St. Louis, MO and Brooklyn, NY. Ping. There is so much technology at our fingertips in today’s world – social media, instant messages, texts, email, shared networks, and skywriting – one might think it’s easy to stay connected. Ping. Ping. It is. Sometimes it’s too easy.

Take this familiar scenario: the routine use of instant-messaging between colleagues who sit less than 10 feet apart. Ping. Ping. While this may seemingly save time on the front end, it can also create unintentional barriers in an otherwise open floor plan, ultimately adding more time on the back end. Ping.

I work in Anda’s Brooklyn office, so instant messaging and email are a necessary part of my daily life. Ping. However, when collaborating with the St. Louis office I try to communicate the same way I would if I were there – often to a non-stop, annoying extent. Ping. Ping. Ping. Just ask one of my colleagues (“She does.” – Amanda). After all, incessant alerts can pull your mind away from what you were previously thinking about (Did I send Joe the revised draft?) and set it permanently adrift (Do I want pizza or falafel for lunch?). Creative minds can meander unassisted and unintentionally into unknown regions for extended periods of time. So, yes, unnecessary alerts could consequently refocus an already diverted mind back on course. And believe me, nobody wants to see a completely focused creative-type. Nobody!

I recently adjusted my game plan to include a handheld relic of yesteryear. This device has numbers on it ranging from zero to nine. I systematically press the numbers to match a corresponding recipient’s code. With eager anticipation some pleasant-sounding ringing ensues, until I hear a concerned yet welcoming, “Hello?” Words and sometimes whole sentences are exchanged through each end of said device. Coughs, sniffles, paper-shuffles, ‘ums,’ ‘ahs,’ verbal shrugs, and other unedited subtleties, obviously missing from instant messages and texts, are communicated as well. These nuances truly help to connect and communi—ping. Oh, what’s this? A cat video! Gotta go.

-Miranda