Big Picture - January/February 2020 - 2

insight

Sign Language

January/February 2020

o people still ask, "So, what's your sign?" on fi rst dates (or fi rst messages on dating apps)?
I've always tried to avoid the question. As a Gemini, I apparently have dual personalities
- trust me, that's not the best thing to say when you're trying to impress someone.
Zodiac signs, moon rising, mercury in retrograde ... I've never paid attention to what this
all means for humankind. But I have to admit: I learned my primal zodiac sign over the
holidays and it continues to be a great conversation starter. The sign is based on your birth date and year,
it represents your instinctive nature, and outcomes range from T-Rex to leafy sea dragon.
According to primalastrology.com, I'm a great white shark. The overall description is spot on, even
the not so flattering traits. It says members of this sign are the most restless of the primal zodiac and need
a constant stream of new experiences to keep them mentally healthy. They never tire of new people,
places, and adventures.
In January, after traveling to four cities in Ohio, including my alma mater for a girls weekend, I flew to
Phoenix for SGIA's Congress of Committees; Long Beach for Impressions Expo; Los Angeles to meet with
Big Picture's new textiles columnist, Kathryn Sanders; Las Vegas for EFI Connect; San Francisco to
remind myself (and my fiancé) we still live there; and wine country just north of Sonoma for a friend's
birthday. I'm writing this letter from Clearwater Beach, Florida, as I attend the Wallcoverings Association
Annual Meeting. (You can read about the industry events on page 8.) For some, that's enough new people,
places, and adventures to last a decade.
"Aren't you tired?" ask my friends, family, peers, and hotel staff when I check in at 6 a.m. from a
red-eye flight. The answer is always yes. Of course I'm tired, but the exhaustion leaves my body the
second I'm learning something unique about our industry, catching up with a board member, discussing
women in print, or having a glass of wine with loved ones. (Coffee helps, too; I'm only human.)
In a more aggressive description of a great white shark, the site states the animal must keep moving
constantly or it will suffocate and die. If you don't change, you die, right? Now, I don't think I'm going to keel over
if I say no to a conference or a weekend getaway (although I will have major FOMO), and I know I don't need a
website to tell me who I am, but it's fascinating to take a look at these traits and see if there's a connection.
It will come to no one's surprise the suggested job description for a great white is one that combines
travel with human interaction, like writing and reporting. I'm still not sure how much I believe in astrology
or if I'm going to dive any deeper than the one-page descriptor, but it's somewhat validating that how I
feel is echoed in some way. For me, being stagnant mentally and physically isn't living.
So, what's your sign? Perhaps uncaging your "great white" will allow you and your company to swim
to greatness.

Editor-in-Chief
BIG PICTURE

EDITORIAL
Adrienne Palmer
Editor-in-Chief
adrienne.palmer@stmediagroup.com
Kathleen DeZarn
Art Director
kathy.dezarn@stmediagroup.com
Marty McGhie, Rachel Nunziata,
Matt Richart, Kathryn Sanders
Columnists
Brian Adam, Ryan Clark, Terry Corman,
Scott Crosby, Michelle Gobert,
Diana Herrera, Brian Hite,
Hayes Holzhauer, Kerry King,
Robert Kissel, Chris Laniak, Stan Lucas,
Craig Miller, Nicole Piach, Carmen Rad,
Gary Schellerer, Elaine Scrima,
Jon Sherman, Reed Silberman,
James Swanson, Mark Taylor, Luis Vivas
Editorial Advisory Board
SALES
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Senior Market Strategist
East and Midwest US, E Canada
800/654-5169
lou.arneberg@stmediagroup.com
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Senior Market Strategist
West and South US, W Canada, Europe, Asia
630/474-4038
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Directory and Classiﬁed/Account Executive
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Marketing Manager
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Murray Kasmenn
President
murray.kasmenn@stmediagroup.com
Christine Baloga
VP Marketing Operations and
Customer Acquisition

BY ADRIENNE PALMER

bigpicture.net

@Adrienne_BigPic

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Big Picture - January/February 2020

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