Author Archives: Kaitlyn White

I Left My Heart In Athens

24th October 2012

It’s been nearly two and a half years and I still feel like a piece of my heart is stuck in Athens, Ga. For my college roommate’s 25th birthday this month, I decided to get crafty and bring out our love of the Classic City.

Inspired by a few Pinterest projects and Esty finds, I decided to get to work on channeling our love for Athens and all things DIY with this string and nail artwork.  After deciding on the design, I headed over to Home Depot for materials.

My dad is my go-to for anything involving a saw, but a limited timeline means I didn’t have the chance to drive home and have him help on this project. And as much as my little heart is set on owning a table saw, that’s not quite feasible in a city apartment. Home Depot to the rescue.

Did you know you can pick out any piece of lumber and a Home Depot team member will cut it for you? For free? Yup. Done. Total cost for the wood? A grand 51¢.

I picked out a piece of 2′ x 2′ plywood, a set of 5/8″ nails and opted to use twine I already had at home to create the design (though colored embroidery thread would have worked as well, especially if the surface area was smaller).

After sanding and painting the background, I sketched an outline of the state and decided to use this template taped to the wood and remove the nails once I was finished. I found this easiest as I could really pay attention to the finer lines and not leave any pencil marks behind.

My state of Georgia sketch. Not too shabby for my poor drawing skills.

Lots of nails and weaving twine later, I had the perfect birthday gift and a little reminder of the place we both called home for so long.

The finished product

Materials:

  • Plywood (I used a piece 2′ x 2′, this is a bit larger than I had seen, but it allowed the string to show much more clearly in my opinion)
  • Paint
  • Sandpaper
  • Nails (5/8″)
  • Twine

Unplugging and Recharging

15th October 2012

It comes as no surprise that as a digital marketer I fill my days surrounded by laptops, tablets and mobile devices.

A tech-advocate myself, I often find myself in need of quite the opposite, a non-digital lifestyle during my down time. This weekend, I trekked a few hours northwest of Atlanta to Sand Rock, Alabama to camp and climb with friends.

While a night under the stars might sound like the ultimate escape from the digital jungle, rest assured, even miles down a gravel road and a view like this one afford you four bars and 3G.

 

Tech connections aside, I’ve found activities like rock climbing not only allow me to spend some time beyond my screens, but to also exercise my brain in ways that will benefit me come Monday morning (even if my sore abs and knees wouldn’t agree).

Climbing is new to me, and it’s a challenge. It’s like a real life puzzle where I’m battling my size and reach to find the next hold. It’s not a matter of reaching the next ascent, but where to move left, right or push down to propel my body upward. The even better news? According to people much smarter than myself, I’m not the only one feeling the benefits of a little downtime.

A recent study of keyhole surgeons by Iowa State University found that gamers were 27% faster at surgery and made 37% fewer errors. See, worth it.

It’s the time “disconnecting” that will allow us to perform at our best tomorrow morning. And while I may have been able to Tweet and post to Facebook from the wilderness this weekend, the combination was the perfect distraction.

How do you disconnect away from work? And let’s be honest, “disconnect” doesn’t always mean the great outdoors. Pinterest is absolutely an acceptable answer.

Je ne sais pas

15th June 2012

Je ne sais pas.

In French, this means “I don’t know” and it’s the only French I actually know. I was a Spanish minor, but this bit of French is one of my favorite phrases. My boyfriend did manage to take quite a bit of French throughout school, but this seems to be the only phrase that really stuck. Over the years, it’s become one of my favorites (maybe it has something to do with admitting doubt in a romance language that makes it more fun).

Within our careers, we all reach moments where we just don’t know; where we don’t have the answers. It can be incredibly easy to try to lead the charge and attempt to manage our days under the guise that we know it all, but it is my belief that sometimes admitting doubt can be even more difficult.

Peter Bregman tells a compelling story about his “I don’t know” moment and describes leadership as not the arrogance of having all of the answers but the confidence and humility to move forward even without all of the answers.


Everyday I am faced with “I don’t know” moments. Some days it feels like it’s all I do, but that’s the beauty in being human. No one holds all the cards. There is always someone to teach you the answers, and it’s your duty to find those leaders and allow them to shape your understanding.

I have had the incredible opportunity to learn and grow from some very smart people in my career who have influenced me more in ways they may never know. While it may be one of the most difficult tasks in you career, seek leaders, coworkers and friends who aren’t afraid to answer your questions and to transform your “I don’t know” moments into your strengths.

I certainly can’t remember every presentation I have given or been tasked to put together, but I can absolutely recall the hours spent collaborating with those leaders who were willing to take their time to help me get there.

I can’t wait to uncover my next challenge and to continue to meet those leaders who will ultimately guide me to become the leader I aspire to be.