As I arrived at work today, I found that I had left my phone sitting, charging on my home office desk. For a moment, I seriously considered driving the 20+ minutes back home and then 20 minutes back to the office just to avoid a day of limitation, nuisance and *gasp* disconnectedness. The thought of going throughout the day without my iPhone appendage was befuddling to me. Yet, I was already behind and therefore had no choice but to soldier on. (continue reading…)

“I like it”. “Why?”. “I dunno, it just speaks to me”.

As a creative, I live on feedback. It is the salt that melts the ice around a project. Without it, you just can’t see what lies within. This is why the if anyone ever responds with a comment of “I think it’s cool” I just accept their attempt at flattery and not think about it again. Fundamentally, this is the expression of a preference. What I need to know is why you “think it’s cool”. Did it strike you in some way? Does it remind you of something? Help me understand what the piece has done to affect you in some way. That is the greatest complement I can be given – your real thought and assessment.

However, most often in this scenario it is just the opposite. The client is telling me they “just don’t like it” or “it doesn’t do anything for me”. I die a little inside when I hear this pass their lips. It just doesn’t help to hear preferences when what is needed is tangible thoughts that translate to actionable items or at least “food for thought”. In the context of design, consider the project’s goals and requirements. Place comments in the construct of what you are trying to accomplish. This will help move the project forward and improve communication for the rest of the relationship.

Do you like it? Fine. But, tell me why.

taking raw ideas and finding the real value

There is something appealing to me about the process of honing /smelting ore. Perhaps it’s the chemical reactions that enable the process. Perhaps it’s the concept of taking found material and working it into a real purpose. Or it just may be that the process reminds me so much of the creative process to develop good ideas.

It is curious to analyze the metallurgy process and the number of steps required to arrive at a pure metal. It’s not just about melting down ore and pouring it into bars. There are several steps and honing that happens. I did some quick research and found a nice overview of the process at Wikipedia

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I have real enjoyment in capturing expression and moment in the faces of others. This series is about that.

There is no better time in the history of movie magic for the independent filmmaker.

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While I would not consider myself a total numerologist, I am a believer in order and disorder both having an affect on our perception and comfort level. While my workspace is often an example in chaos (I call it stratification or layering of recent history) It does affect my mood and productivity. I also see the value in presenting sequences in certain orders and patterns.
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Fear is a creativity thief. It can cause us to limit ourselves and our potential.
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I m struggling with Apple’s decision to begin walking away from the technology that helped put them back on the store shelves. Yes, I am talking about Firewire. When Apple introduced the new Al Macbook it looked really good until the connections were revealed.Not only did it not have eSata (not a surprise) but, it also lacked the universal, swiss army knife of connectivity – Firewire.
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