Facing social media

"You must not lose faith in humanity.  Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty."

~ Mahatma Gandhi 

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Faces intrigue me.  If you've ever stopped by my PINTEREST profile, you may notice that the most prolific boards are my FACEUS and CUTIEpatootieKIDS.

There is so much to be absorbed by gazing upon the magnetic photographic talent that draws us to people of all ages, all races, with a variety of expressions.   

There is nothing better to accompany quotes than a human expression or image that force us to stop, take notice, and read.  To illustrate my point, many social networkers use quotes to increase followers, inspire #RT or shares, or simply encourage a like.  

Nothing reinforces a quote like a face.  I don't match them up perfectly.  Sometimes a quote will jump out at me, then I go on a journey to find an image that speaks to me.  

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Image and quote don't always match  That is okay with me.  Maybe, that's what makes me unique?  Case in point, I discovered this quote by Ronald Reagan, on leadership, that goes with an industrial face, full of life's lessons, a steely gaze :: challenging the viewer to agree with the quote.

The world is consumed by politics. You may be an observant bystander to the theatrics in the US' Presidential Election, or a vested participant :: one can hardly avoid being drawn to formulate an opinion one way or another :: or associate with the root of the caricature, reminding us of a former cartoon from history.  Intentional definitely.

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If history teaches us anything, the ones who emerge victorious do not always have the smoothest ride.  The media certainly sways reaction :: they are often drawn to the face that attracts the most attention, consolidated under a microscope as the object of humor for political cartoonists.  

BBC Videos even compiled its own list of best political cartoons on YouTube.   I've assembled a few that generate chuckles:

www.davegranlund.com

Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal 

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What better reality check? The best political cartoonists capture a headline, extrapolate the caricature of a participant to neatly create a cartoon of what is grabbing attention en masse!

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Faces of people tell us how to feel.  We can feel empathetic, apathetic, joy or agony based on what images attract our attention.  

Wisdom, the future, pensive speaks to me here.  I favor facial images to accompany a quote :: sometimes I find the expression first, then look for a quote that I can learn from.  Chances are, others may be attracted to the quote or the image.  The magic is when you can make them go hand in hand.

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Dr. Suess is a favorite.  He tends to be whimsical, optimistic.  His quotes more often match a colorful accompaniment from his own designs. Black and white images tend to be more somber, however, you can make it work when you find the right blend:

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Mark Twain is popular for saying the right thing at the right time.  His quotes seem to zero in on what we can apply today by what was learned yesteryears.  I had this image saved from Pinterest just waiting to find the right quote.  A black and white image can have zest and carry weight with the right quote and a shot of yellow.  I play with fonts and color a lot.  I post them everywhere:  Twitter, Facebook, G+, Pinterest with my Twitter handle which can channel to Twitter which hosts the other details of who I am, where I blog, and the always handy "ABOUT ME" page.

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Nothing cheers us up more than adorable kids' and their honest expressions.  I dare you to not be able to smile, looking at any ONE of these:

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I double dare you  to try it yourself.  Pick any one of these images, adopt a quote, or make one yourself, then share on social media.  See if you have more likes, shares, RTs (retweets) than normal.

Go ahead and make my day by including me on Twitter, Facebook, G+ or Pinterest by tagging my name, or @ me and I will be sure to LIKE, RT and share as well!

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"When you smile, the whole world smiles with you" 

~Stanley Gordon West

(except from Growing an Inch)

I find great quotes while reading.  I didn't know who created this quote, so I looked it up and Google landed me on Good Reads accrediting Stanley Gordon West in his book Growing an Inch.

Stanley Gordon West was born in 1932 and attended St. Paul Central High School in Minnesota. He lived in Bozeman, Montana for several years, and now resides in Shakopee, MN. All of his novels are popular book club selections: Blind Your Ponies, two other novels set in the same time and place as Until They Bring the Streetcars Back - Finding Laura Buggs and Growing an Inch - and his most recent, Sweet, Shattered Dreams. His novel Amos was made into a CBS Movie of the Week starring Kirk Douglas that stirred national controversy over abuse of the aged in America. When Kirk Douglas testified before Congress and wrote in the New York Times on the issue, he pointed out that animals had been protected by law for one hundred years before children or the aged. While Amos focused on elder abuse, Until They Bring the Streetcars Back explores the other vulnerable end of the age spectrum.

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It proves that great quotes withstand the test of time, or speak to the times we are in.  They tend to resonate with people and don't slow down from being shared ... and shared again.

To follow my own recipe, I will share this magnificent quote with a few awesome images that bespoke its meaning visually.

To showcase my example dog images worked.  I used a rule of thumb to avoid altered or photoshopped photographs or too choreographed images.  I use this to communicate with others and attract the like-minded.

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Another fun option are the ever-popular antics of Minions.  Minions make sharing popular by those with their own whimsical sense of fun.  I enjoy communicating my mood, what is going on or reactions through images of Minions assembled simply with GOOGLE search assistance.   I gravitate towards followers who agree with me, reshare, and whom it attracts:

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First attempts at MINIONS prove that practice makes better: 

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Minion moments that got me started:: not mine so I keep them intact to keep their integrity that I didn't create them, even if they may speak to me and others:

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One of my favorites to say how I really feel:

Try your own fun on for size.  Create your own formula of smiles.  Or, find a photo you adore, adopt a quote that matches, stamp your Twitter or otherwise signature on .... then, by golly, the world  WILL smile with you!


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Find more to chuckle at, rePIN or share on social media from my MINIONSmayhem board on Pinterest.