No one loves the sun more than this girl. (at The Hope Compound)
Things I Wish…
- I was little bit taller
- I was a baller
- I had a girl who looked good (I would call her)
- I had a rabbit in a hat with a bat
- I had a ‘64 Impala
A Cold Glass of Water in the Face
I’ve spent the majority of the past decade of my life being consumed. It’s not all bad, at least to point. I’ve learned a lot about print design, packaging, web design, coding, screen printing, photography, woodworking, etc. I’ve helped make friends passion projects happen. I’ve been a part of a lot of start up companies. I’ve gotten to be a part of the music industry both locally and nationally. All of this is great except when I get to the part about filling up so much of my life with these things that I haven’t made room for the things that really matter.
I’ve let all these things devour my time. All of it. And then some more.
I’ve hurt people around me that I care about; not making time for them, forgetting important things, and not making time for the little things. All of this while being so being so clouded that I didn’t even notice most of it happening right before my eyes.
I’ve had a cold glass of water thrown in my face. More like a punch in the face by a better version of myself.
I’m moving forward with clear eyes. I’m not dropping anything I do. I love doing it. I’m just doing it all within reason. I can’t change how I used to do things and I can’t control what I love doing, but I can adjust how I budget my time going forward. It’s time for me to be a man I can be proud of instead of just having things I’ve done to be proud of.
Art Is Air: 10 Myths/Facts About Introverts →
Myth #1 – Introverts don’t like to talk.
This is not true. Introverts just don’t talk unless they have something to say. They hate small talk. Get an introvert talking about something they are interested in, and they won’t shut up for days.Myth #2 – Introverts are shy.
…
(Source: carlkingdom.com)
Old School Friends
ThinkKit Prompt:
Make plans with a friend you haven’t seen in a long time.
About a week ago I made plans with my good friend Sarah. Sarah and I go back 15+ years. We actually used to live down the street from one another. I moved to Indianapolis for college and a few years later she wound up here as well.
Last summer (2011) Stephanie and I fostered a pitbull named George. I had never really even thought about fostering until the opportunity fell into my lap from a friend of a friend. After having George for a few months, we were able to introduce him to Sarah, and shortly thereafter she adopted him. I couldn’t think of someone better to take him in. Sarah is just as much of a dog person as I am.
Long story short, Sarah and George are coming to visit today to play in the foot of snow in our backyard. It’s been a while since I’ve seen them both so I’m really looking forward to it. I have every intention of tackling them both into a pile of snow.
George (left), Henri (right), Whiskey (top)
Henri (top), Ellie (middle), George (bottom)
Taking Steps Towards 2013 Goals
ThinkKit Prompt:
What’s one step you can take to support a goal you have for 2013?
One of my goals has been to do more personal projects; be it building some awesome web app with Bob that makes us $14 dollars richer or whittling a piece of into a dinosaur. The point is to take the time to do something to express myself and create for no other reason other than because it’s something I want to create.
Mid-afternoon on New Years Eve I had a funny idea to make an icon of a frowning pair of briefs. [Yes, you should probably wondering why that idea came to mind, but just let it go.] Then I thought about making a bunch of stupid icons in the same style that I’ve been creating over the past couple years. “Rounded Mono-icons” as the professionals that I just made up might say.
So I did it. I took an hour to create 3 of them, buy a domain, and tweaked a tumblr theme. The biggest thing I learned is to stop thinking about doing stuff. Just do it. Even if it’s a stupid idea that is likely only funny to you (Read: IconsHaveFeelingsToo.com).
“I cannot do everthing, but still I can do something.”
ThinkKit Prompt:
Who made a difference for you this year?
I had a few very close to me make a big impact on me. I’ll leave them nameless, but there’s only a handful of them; composed of friends and family. I had some hard times this year and they were there to support me however they uniquely could which helped me to focus on what really matters. It’s the little impacts that people can have on your life that really make the difference.
P.S. I quoted Helen Keller, so you’re a bad person if you don’t like this post.
“No Money No Problems” - Christopher George Latore Wallace
ThinkKit Prompt:
If money, time or other commitments were no obstacle in 2013, what would you do?
Here goes my two part answer…
1. Continue doing exactly what I’ve been doing with my new company sans concerning myself with doing projects that pay the bills. I’d still work with current clients, because, well, I truly enjoy working on the things I’m currently doing. Awesome, right? Beyond that I’d make the time to work with non-profits starting with dog rescues like ARPO. Oh, and I’d get back into designing for the music scene. I miss it. I really do. But damn it’s hard to pay the bills when you’re doing work for small to mid-sized artists who can hardly afford to go on tour or order more merchandise.
2. And then came woodworking. I love it. Using your hands to create physical things. It’s such a nice break from drawing on whiteboards and tweaking the colors of pixels. I’m just spending little to no time actually doing it right now.
All in all, both of the above are what I love doing. For now, my focus is on paying the bills with woodworking canine guitarist mistress on the side. I admit, that was much more weird once I typed it than it was in my head.
Listening
ThinkKit Prompt:
Listening — when was the last time you listened to someone, where, why?
I listen to people constantly. Whether it’s someone needing to vent or being stuck in an argument with someone. Understand the most about a situation or person drives me on how I am going to react to make the best outcome of things. Shutting up and listening is one of the best things you can do. Not just the words, but inflection of the words, the speed at which they’re spoken, and how easily (or not) those words slip off the tongue.
Who? Where? Why? Sorry, ThinkKit. Not important. Just know that it happens to some degree every day.
New Traditions
ThinkKit Prompt:
What new traditions do you want to start this year?
I’m looking forward to starting traditions for the company, Remora Studio, that Bob and I started a few months back. Until this point on my blog, I’ve been actively avoiding using it’s name since we’ve been busy “namestorming” for a new name, but I’m getting bored with talking around it.
Traditions may include team building exercises like:
- Brewing Beer
- Michael Jordan Trivia Night
- Beta Testing Slop On Top
- Talking Bob into fixing stuff at my house
- Oh, and drinking previously mentioned beer
Unwinding
ThinkKit Prompt:
What did you do this year when things got hectic? How did you unwind?
When I’m needing to unwind, I need space. Time to be alone and clear my head.
I’ve found exercise helps; going for a walk, run, or a bike ride. However, now that it’s cold I’ve stopped doing any of those things. I guess this means I’m on the lookout for a replacement for the winter season.
Inspiration Board
ThinkKit promot:
What do you want your life (or your kitchen, your job, your x) to look like? Create your own inspiration board.
This is a post I have to make a quick as possible otherwise I won’t get anything else done today. I’m going with my home on this one. I’m constantly reading Dwell, Interior Design, and Design Milk. If you’re familiar with any of those you can imagine where my head goes.
So maybe this isn’t a standard inspiration board as much as it is pictures of beautiful modern kitchens, but it’s what I’m sticking with.
(Source: dwell.com)
