#hatchtag

The Brief: Learn it, live by it, scribble it onto your arm like 8th grade math answers.

We’re kicking off our HATCH mini-blog with a Q&A from our outstanding research and strategy team! We want you to have the inside scoop on our experience here at HATCH. So, follow along to see our progress, as well as our thoughts and feelings. Here’s the first week’s look into the learnings and the doings of HATCH.

What was your biggest challenge this week?

“Aside from adjusting to waking up and getting motivated for that 9 to 5 grind, we’ve been working through a LOT of research information, and trying to figure out what to prioritize and what to put in the “Random Fun Fact” folder.”

How is HATCH different from what you learned in school?

“School has been a lot of learning in a hands-off sort of way. That’s not HATCH. Also, in school, every project is based on a hypothetical situation where it’s ok if you don’t know every detail, but that’s not the case here!”

What is the most interesting thing you’ve learned?

“We’ve come to realize that we don’t know nearly as much as we thought we did. That, and that a lot of strategy is informed by what you don’t know more than what you do.”

What are you most excited for?

“The handing off of the creative brief, for sure. I’m looking forward to seeing how the transfer of power from strategy to creative will impact the final product, and how our teams different strengths will work together.”

What’s something new you learned this week?

“We’ve all learned the power and importance of teamwork; you are going to either sink or float together. And, that relying on others actually makes you a better teammate. One person can’t do it all.”

What’s your current team playlist?

“All Fleetwood Mac, all the time, but currently, Where is My Mind by The Pixies” seems appropriate.”

Best way to get through a challenge?

“Talking through everything in detail, and trusting that the answer will show itself. Remembering to absorb every bit of information, just in case. And, lots of Post-It notes. Lots and Lots.”

What is your favorite thing to do after work?

“Sleep. And, packing the next day’s lunch, because the grind never stops.”

drop something in my ask and i'll answer a question, write a story, recommend a song, etc. i'm bored. help a sista out here.

We all use it. It started here, on Tumblr. Except one thing has always bothered me. The word "hashtag" grates on me. I found myself groaning every time I heard someone say it (even myself, shamefully). Not wanting to be a hypocrite, I've been referring to it for some time now as the "tumblrtag", for lack of a better word. Today I stumbled over a realization a few of my friends would hit themselves for. Its not "hashtag". Its HATCH-tag. For those of us who didn't pay attention in third grade art class (or have simply forgotten) (#) that represents the same basic form as the shading technique of cross-hatching. What evidence do I have to back up this claim? What was Tumblr created for? Before fandoms overran the site, it was intended To give artists a place to broadcast their works and talents, as an alternative to sites like deviantart. Any art student can tell you about hatching. It only seems fit that the target audience have a universal symbol, and this obscure little icon (#) did just fine. As fandoms began their parasitic takeover (no offense, that's why I'm here too), the word got skewed like a game of telephone. The word "hashtag" was spawned and the misnomer spread like wildfire.