Microstory 1714: Big Dog Ballpoint Pens

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My great great grandfather started this company. The year was 1904, and he was extremely ahead of his time. You may have heard that the first ballpoint pens were sold in the middle of the century, but that is not true. That is just when they became popular, and started on the road to ubiquity. My ancestor was the first to break into the industry after they were invented. He knew that there was something to this new technology. Big Dog was his nickname in the army, on account of how good he was at sniffing out the enemy. He mostly sold to construction companies who wanted to mark the wood they were cutting with something other than pencil, and to left-handed note-takers who were tired of the ink and lead smudging on their hands. Yes, sir, he was a pioneer, and I admire him for that. I never knew the man, but I know what he stood for. He was simple, and easy to please. He never wanted to be the biggest writing utensil company in the world, which is why he never thought to branch out into other instruments, nor did his descendants. We do ballpoints, and we only do ballpoints. Our design has become more sophisticated over time, and we’re on the verge of launching the next generation in our popular funtime series, which features characters from a certain children’s TV show that all you parents out there are familiar with. Still. It’s just ballpoint pens. We don’t make other kinds of pens, or pencils. We don’t sell paper to go along with it, or even pen cases. A single product with multiple series to appeal to an array of customers. My grandfather was adamant about that—I remember—rest in peace. He wanted to keep the tradition, and while I’m no one to scoff at tradition, I also know a business opportunity when I see one. We’re a household name now, and we should start thinking bigger.

When my dad retired two years ago, he gave me one single mandate. He said, “son, this company is yours now. I expect you to treat her as well as your predecessors always did.” Well, that’s what I plan on doing, and I don’t think adding new products interferes with, or contradicts, that mandate. He might have meant to say that I wasn’t allowed to change anything, but that’s not what he said, and that’s not what I’m going to do. It’s the 21st century now, and pens...aren’t as big as they used to be. They’re still great, but kids these days are always on their little devices. It’s time that we get into the little devices business. Introducing the Big Dog Augmented Reality Stylus. Unlike my great great grandfather, we’re not the first to make this product, but we believe we’re the best. With our free phone app, you can view any virtual writing in any space, whether you were the one who first created it, or not. With the handy writing board, you can write or draw in whatever position is most comfortable, and then drag—or even throw—the content over to some other point in space. With our view glasses, you can draw and view the content without even using your hands. We’ve been developing these products for two years now, and we’re just about ready to release them. I know, that sounds insane. How does a ballpoint pen company suddenly pivot to AR? Well, the truth is that I’ve been working on this my whole life. I have a bachelor’s degree in graphic design, and a masters in computer engineering. I also studied art in high school, so I know what creative people want. This is where the future of technology is headed, and we’re ready for it. Believe it or not, the first models are finished and tested. Right now, we’re looking for investors to work with us on distribution and advertising. So wadya say? Who’s in?

Microstory 1585: By Accident or Design

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Prompt

This is my tenth interview in two weeks. I should be upset that no one’s giving me a job, but I just feel lucky that they’re considering me at all. Usually, I spend months unemployed with nothing to show for it.

Botner

Now, I’ll keep my fingers crossed for a few more days, and pray that somebody who gives a crap notices I’m good at this. The star: I am a self-taught designer/illustrator/graphic designer. I don’t understand people who get a “serious” degree in a field. I have read every comic, watched every movie, and read every graphic novel I could get my hands on. Everything I’ve learned about art, design, and publishing is self-taught. I couldn’t wait to graduate high school because I wanted to be independent and do my own thing. I wanted to be me. I got a job in entertainment instead. The job: I work for myself as a freelance illustrator and designer. I do graphic design work, print advertising for corporate clients, and offer art consulting for print and web-based businesses. I’ve also started an art school for adult animation. I work on a freelance basis or full-time depending on the project. I will accept projects from anywhere in the world. My rate is based on the complexity and size of the...

Conclusion

..never mind, it doesn’t matter. The point is that none of it is going very well. No one wants to come to my random animation school, and I’m not getting enough clients. Freelance is tough out there, and everybody’s got an edge. There’s really no good way to stand out, so I’ve had to admit that my best bet is to make a steady income by working for a company. The HR representative walks into the waiting room, and tells me that she and the team manager are ready. I follow her down the hall, shoulders straight and confident. I’ve lost my enthusiasm, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at me. I have to act like this is my dream job, and I’ve never wanted to do anything more than work here, for these people, especially this one particular person. No one wants to hear that you’re only in it for the money. Everyone is in it for the money, but they pretend to be passionate, so they expect everyone else to suffer under their own façade as well. People are petty like that. Of course, graphic design is indeed my passion, but I’ve never wanted to become a corporate hack, which is why I tried to go it alone. I’m only here because I’m all out of options. Hopefully even my failed entrepreneurship will make me look reliable and worthy, and they won’t consider the time I’ve spent not working for a company to be a gap in employment. Though no one’s actually said it, that’s how I’ve interpreted how the other interviewers have felt. I walk into the room, and sit down. The manager stares at me without saying a word for a good two minutes. “I spend all this time looking for a good candidate, only to have them quit on me a month later for something better,” he finally says. “It seems it doesn’t matter if someone’s a good fit, and I’m wasting energy trying to figure it out ahead of time. If it’s inevitable, I might as well skip all those steps, and get right to the point, so I at least always have someone on board. You’re hired.”

Microstory 1343: Art Institute

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Art Institute Interviewer: So, why do you want to attend Hillside Art Institute?

Art Institute Candidate: Well, I want to be an artist.

Art Institute Interviewer: Do you want to become an artist, or are you already an artist?

Art Institute Candidate: Oh, well, I guess I already am. I would say as soon as I declared that that’s what I wanted to be, I was. Yeah, that makes sense.

Art Institute Interviewer: If you’re already an artist, what good do you think it will do to come here?

Art Institute Candidate: Should I not?

Art Institute Interviewer: That’s not what I’m saying. I just want to know your background, your intentions, and your expectations.

Art Institute Candidate: Well, I suppose I’ve never really thought about it before. I don’t know exactly when I made that declaration I was talking about. Everyone does art as kids, and most probably don’t give it much thought until they’re a little older. I just never really stopped, ya know? Some of my peers were focusing on their writing skills, or sports, or the sciences, but I always really looked forward to art class, and things just kept going from there. I’m doing a lot of it in high school, so art school just seems like the next logical step.

Art Institute Interviewer: That’s what you would think, but is art...very..logical?

Art Institute Candidate: I would never use that word to describe it, no. Or yes?

Art Institute Interviewer: Whatever you think is the truth. It’s your truth. Don’t ever let anyone take that away from you, not even me. You just have to understand that my job is not to help you get into this institution. No one is responsible for that but you. I’m just here to find out if this is where you belong, or if you should go somewhere else. This isn’t a difficult program. The teachers aren’t going to yell at you, or grade you harshly, or have a bunch of tests. It’s not easy, but if you like making things, it should generally work out. So the school itself is not the problem. The problem—or question, really—is will you benefit from going here? Will this improve your work in ways that you won’t get elsewhere. Because I’m here to tell ya, there aren’t a lot of jobs you can get after this. If you want something in a related field, like curating, or graphic design, other colleges are probably better for you, and their curriculum is more diverse, so that’s a plus. Many of our students are here because they don’t have access to certain equipment and supplies. They can’t get scholarships for brushes and clay if they’re just doing it on their own. Again, I’m not saying you won’t benefit from this. We have a strong network of people who kind of already understand each other, and if not, it’s easy for them to learn. Even with the internet, and other networking opportunities, nothing beats a school like this. If that’s what you’re really interested in, come on in.

Art Institute Candidate: Wow, this has been an eye-opening interview. You’ve given me a lot to think about.

Art Institute Interviewer: Now, hold on. This isn’t over. I still need to look over your portfolio, and we should discuss what it is you like to do. I just needed to make sure you had all the facts, so you could make the best decision for you.

Art Institute Candidate: Okay, cool. I do different things. Here are my landscapes...

Microstory 760: Dime

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In 1825, a new Director of the United States mint was appointed to her new position. She was born in a small town in Kansas called Twin Hillsides, which one year prior became the site of a new minting facility; designed to be the largest ever, serving as the primary provider in the country. To commemorate their new facility, Director Isika Stawski decided to generate a new design for the ten cent coin. She opened submissions to everyone in the office, whether they were in the design department, or otherwise. The entire agency voted on the best submissions, ultimately settling on a beautiful depiction of the Ruins of Cargaley that remain standing in Northern Alabama. Due to a clerical, however, precisely ten coins were made of a completely different design before anyone realized what was happening. They are referred to as the Camel Dimes. Unlike what one might expect, no camels are printed on the coin. Instead, it portrays two hillsides, but as one worker pointed out, they better resemble humps on a camel, which is exactly why it was not chosen. Despite pressure from her superiors in government, Stawski decided that there was no reason to not place the ten mistakes in circulation. They were released into the wild with all the rest, and disappeared into obscurity for a long time. People continued to use them, usually without even looking at the one in their possession long enough to notice that there was something different about it. They didn’t start gaining notoriety until around 1921 when a history buff came into possession of one, and realized what it was. They have been increasing in value ever since, as you might imagine, and are now each worth up to 2.8 million dollars, depending on condition. The largest collection of these belongs to Magnate magnate, Manus Burke, who owns four of them at the moment, which total roughly ten million bucks. That’s why I’ve gathered you all here today; the best of the best. We’re gonna steal ‘em. Who’s in?

Microstory 103: Shaun Rice

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Shaun Rice lived in the cold of northern Dakota. He discovered as a child that he could create holograms out of nothing. He decided to tell no one about his ability. After years of practice, he learned nothing more about it. What he could do on the first day was precisely what he could do as an adult. He didn’t progress, and he didn’t change. At some point, he realized that his ability probably had something to do with his decision to become a graphic designer, ultimately working at a local news station. Shaun only ever revealed his secret to his family, but mostly out of necessity. His extramarital son presented an ability of his own, though all he seemed to be able to do was basically suck all the light out of the immediate area. Claude was pretty bummed about how lame his ability was, and exhibited poor behavior throughout adolescence. His daughter by his wife, however, was extraordinary. Catriona exercised more control over her holograms; focusing the light better so that they looked more real. She could hold up multiple holograms without thinking, and make them move as they would in the real world. It was because of her that he agreed to move his entire family to Bellevue. She needed to be around others like her, and have free reign to be herself. There were very few other children at Bellevue, and even fewer of them were Generation Twos like Catriona and Claude. He was devastated when she went missing, along with other children. He would later find out that their disappearance had something to do with his wife who had a secret of her own.