Self-branding

I’m in the process of redoing my web site. It’s also time that I edit and redo my logo – I need a “re-brand”. I thought it would be fun to brainstorm and come up with ideas for this. A friend of mine recently told me that I  self-edit too often, which can kill the good ideas along with the bad. So here goes. First bad idea: Old-school tetris. Get it? J and L?

So not me; the color scheme says nothing about me… Kind of 80′s fluorescent. I hated the 80′s style (and cannot believe it’s coming back!). But the self-editing is gone, and perhaps this will lead to something else?

Speaking of ideas, my dad is always trying to get me to invent something with him. I had the idea for “miracle slow” the other day. I’m really tired of mowing the lawn, so what if there were a substance that could actually slow the growth without killing the grass? Hmm. Just a thought.

Packrat travels north

By nature, I’m a packrat. I tend to keep everything. I think this stems from my childhood, when I was taught that you use something until it’s broken.. And even then, if it can be fixed – fix it and keep it! Growing up we didn’t have much – and I actually thought that people with air-conditioning and carpet, who drank pop (soda if you’re from the north, or is that south?? no.. then it’s all “coke”) were “rich”. It’s actually a bit embarrassing to admit that I’ve kept some of the things that I have, like for instance, I just found several ribbons from when I was in Jr. High (spell bowl, high honor roll, etc.) – when would I ever need those things?

All of this is unrelated, except for the fact that I went to clean out my purse today and found several receipts from December. It’s now March. BUT – this reminded me that I wanted to write about my last long road trip, back in December.. It was an 18-hour doozy that turned into a 20+ hour trip because of the driving rain and storms along the way. The trip was kind of a last-minute thing; something that I hadn’t planned on.

There was nothing really significant about this trip, but I just think that road trips are fascinating. There are so many little things that happen along the way, people you meet – I guess it’s the thrill of the “new” and different. Anyhow, on this trip I decided that since it was cold out, instead of sleeping in my car at a rest stop (which I’ve been known to do a time or two) I’d stop at a motel. The little place I stopped at was called the 7 Oaks Motel, in the town of Livingston, TX. When I rang the bell a disheveled Indian gentleman rushed to unlock the door, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He looked much like a murder victim, as the red bindi on his forehead was smeared grotesquely in every which way. I ignored this studiously as I asked the price of the room. It turned out to be a little more than I wanted to pay, but I needed to stop after being pulled over for a headlight that was out.. There really wasn’t anything else around so I made do and settled in for the night, turning the heat on full blast to drown out the sound of my “neighbor’s” tv.

Fast forward to the second day on the road. I had stopped in Arkansas to do some last minute Christmas shopping. I think I was experiencing culture shock, as I live so far down south that I’m usually the only white person out and about – the store I stopped at was not only almost all-white, but I could actually understand what people were saying… I didn’t realize how much living down here had affected me till that stop. It was kind of thrilling to eavesdrop on the mundane conversation going on all around me – one lady was insisting to her partner that eventually Denver would be our coastline, as California was going to gradually erode into oblivion…

I absolutely love road trips. I usually go alone, and it’s kind of a “spur-of-the-moment” thing. There was one time when I took two weeks off and drove from Muskegon, MI to New Orleans, LA. From there I came down here to South Padre Island, TX (that was before I moved here), then drove to Denver, CO to see my best friend – then back to Muskegon, MI. Then there was the time that I came down here for a visit and decided to drive the 25 hour trip back to Michigan straight through. What was I thinking???? One of my favorite trips was to New York, because most of the trips I’ve taken have been from Indiana or Michigan to some location southwest. It was nice to switch things up a bit. It’s funny how things have changed.. In the past I’d take my atlas with me, and map out the routes at a rest stop on the way. I now have a GPS, which is sometimes helpful – sometimes not. I do know that I’m way overdue for a road trip, and it should probably be to a location that I’ve never been before – I’m thinking maybe Utah, because I hear it’s beautiful. And also, according to a random stranger, before long it’s going to erode into the sea.

Clients from hell

I recently had the opportunity to work with a new client. She was so appreciative of all the changes I made to her artwork, and when I sent her a template that she needed she said I was amazing… It was so nice for her to recognize the hard work that I put into her project, and sweet of her to thank me (and I quote  – “a million thanks!”) every single time I completed another revision. I started to wonder this: How many times do we as designers complain about the awful clients and forget to be thankful for the wonderful ones?

Here – you go throw this away!

So, there’s a catch in my throat.

Cough. Cough…

Don’t worry, I’m ok. It’s just -hack- one of those ‘CVS extra care’ cards – you know, the ones that they just won’t let you leave without every time you set foot in their store… Joking aside, some of the clerks are so aggressive with those cards that they won’t take no for an answer.  Anyone else ever experience this?

Reminds me of a Mitch Hedberg quote. “Whenever I walk somewhere, and someone hands me a flyer, it’s like they’re telling me ‘Here,you go throw this away.’”

Ok, so I’m different. I get it.

Growing up, I was always the tallest kid in the class. In Jr. High, I was thankful that there were at least 2 guys taller than I was! I’m actually 5’9 and a half inches…  Which to me doesn’t seem all that tall. But, you do notice when you’re out and about that some things seem to be tailored towards those 5’5″ and below. Take for instance, bathroom sinks. How many times do I have to bend down just to wash my hands? And today, while trying on sunglasses, the only thing I could see in the mirror was —– my chin. How very helpful. Note to Target, men try on sunglasses too (well, I think they do!) – and their average height is 5’9″. All of this piques my interest, simply because I am a designer, and I strive towards intelligent design. This means taking into account factors that you normally never would. How many things out there are designed for right handed people? How many stores actually follow the A.D.A standards? What about  colors? Red, which means caution or “stop” here in the US, is a happy and prosperous color in China.

To sum it all up, I think many times in life we believe our point of view is the only valid one. We don’t stop and think “well how does this person see it” or “what if we approached it this way”. This is a note to self to remain open and have a global world view…

To Blog or not to blog?

Ka-thump. Ka-thump. Ba-boom. The loud pounding of my heart seemed to block out anything and everything at that moment. Someone was talking to me, but I couldn’t quite make out the words. “What’s that? I have to appear before the discipline committee???”

To give a little background, I attended a small boarding school in West Africa, and apparently several of my high school friends had broken the rules by being part of a renegade band. One of the band members happened to be a close friend of mind to whom I’d written many close and personal letters. These letters had been read…. And I was implicated in… In what? Supporting my friend’s hobby? Negativity towards the school? Bad taste? I honestly don’t recall, but I do remember the feeling of outrage and betrayal. How dare they invade my privacy? How dare they read those words, spoken from the heart and intended only for my dear friend’s eyes?

I somehow imagined this is what it would feel like to publish random thoughts online, for millions to read.. Almost like an invasion of privacy. Then I laughed to myself. Really? Really. Who is going to read my blog? Perhaps a few curious friends; parents – relatives. Maybe one or two people that I’ve followed on Twitter. And to those of you who are reading right now, thanks for your interest, and I sincerely hope that nothing I say here offends. This is honestly an experiment for me, since I’ve always liked writing (and this is ten million times quicker than entering things into my journal). I will (and trust me, do) hold back, but I think this may just be more therapeutic than it is embarrassing. Only time will tell.

Technology – a necessary evil

As my driver lifted his shirt to expose the knife scars he’d sustained in prison, I thought to myself “Ok, don’t panic…” It was several years ago, before cell phones became mainstream. Ok, many years ago. I had set out from college, on a break – trying to reach Nashville TN from Siloam Springs, AR… All alone.. In a 1985 Ford Crown Victoria. The check engine light had suddenly lit up, and a “nice gentleman” had stopped to help me out. Turns out it was his birthday, and his wife was cheating on him (with his brother!!)- and did I have any drugs? He proceeded to try to drive me around to find an open auto repair store. Then, he drove me to a deserted airplane hangar to work on my car for me.. And after managing to take out the thermostat, he drove me to his place so that I could call my friends and let them know I was on my way. *Luckily* for me, this “nice gentleman” was indeed just that.

As I look back on my stupidity, I realize that I did in fact have a guardian angel. Had I owned a cell phone, none of the above would have happened – and I would not have to be sheepish and embarrassed to reveal how crazy I was in accepting help from a total stranger! (I hate to admit it, but there was another time my car broke down.. an hour away from home.. a kind trucker stopped to let me use his cell, and my dad fixed my car right there on the highway! I am sure it was difficult for my dad to watch me drive away, not knowing what other dangers I might encounter..:)

This is just an example of how I’ve shunned technology in the past. And actually, I’m still not a huge fan of my phone! Technology… I never thought it was my friend – part of this, I think, came from growing up overseas. As a designer, I’ve begun to embrace technology, but I’m still kicking and screaming. I liked this quote from Robert M. Pirsig:

“The result is rather typical of modern technology, an overall dullness of appearance so depressing that it must be overlaid with a veneer of “style” to make it acceptable. And that, to anyone who is sensitive to romantic Quality, just makes it all the worse. Now it’s not just depressingly dull, it’s also phony. Put the two together and you get a pretty accurate basic description of modern American technology: stylized cars and stylized outboard motors and stylized typewriters and stylized clothes. Stylized refrigerators filled with stylized food in stylized kitchens in stylized homes. Plastic stylized toys for stylized children, who at Christmas and birthdays are in style with their stylish parents. You have to be awfully stylish yourself not to get sick of it once in a while. It’s the style that gets you; technological ugliness syruped over with romantic phoniness in an effort to produce beauty and profit by people who, though stylish, don’t know where to start because no one has ever told them there’s such a thing as Quality in this world and it’s real, not style. Quality isn’t something you lay on top of subjects and objects like tinsel on a Christmas tree. Real Quality must be the source of the subjects and objects, the cone from which the tree must start.”
— Robert M. Pirsig