“ I did what most writers do at their beginnings: emulated my elders, imitated my peers, thus turning away from any possibility of discovering truths beneath my skin and behind my eyes.
“ The Big Reveal: the thing designers do where they squirrel away for a few days and then come back and go ‘ta da, look what I made!’. That’s just so risky.
Sorry for the silence, I’ve been moving stuff up. I’m looking for a new home to house my daily musings and it’s not easy. Creating is easy, but storing it is another thing.
This occurred to me while I was reordering my bedroom this weekend. I found old CDs and posters. Everything was there, and it’s what you’d expect. Why can’t the web work the same way? I need a place not only to make sure my thoughts stay, but also that they are placed in a way that makes sense. I like to think of my ideal online publishing setup like a museum.
Stuff is curated and has a reason to be there. People place expositions in a particular order to make you think, to make you feel things as you move your way towards the end.
Things have to change quite a bit and I don’t think this home is right for the kind of work I want to produce from now on. But, while I’m packing stuff up and I’m looking for something better for both of us, this will be my exploration log file. I will document my process as I go, hoping that others can learn from my journey.
This means things are going to change quite a bit and I hope you’re prepared for an exciting ride.
I see things. But I’d like to see more. The biggest misconception about what differentiates creatives from non-creatives is that we have a better ability to make things.
Yes, but no. We see things. That’s what makes us really special. Mostly it’s just small details that don’t matter for normal people, but somehow, for me it’s awesome.
I can’t count how many times I’ve stopped to take a picture of a signage because I admired the typography, or the colors used. Thousands of people pass by this sign everyday and don’t even look at it. Are they blind? No, they don’t care.
I care. The more you understand the greatness of something, the more you’re able to recreate the feelings it gives.
Matthew Butterick, lawyer & typographer, sent a letter to M. Bird about the use of Verdana in the newest Mission Impossible. I hope he gets an answer.
Inapt typography is not uncommon in movies. But big-budget studio films employ scores of people specifically to worry about the details that ensure the on-screen experience will be seamless. Therefore, it’s incongruous to put all that care (and money!) into the frame and then overt it with an inapt font
What are you waiting for? Do the things you want to do now. That’s what Rands is saying in this inspiring that was in my Instapaper queue for too long.
Maybe you’re waiting for validation. You’re waiting for that someone you respect to say, “Yes, you bright person, you should do that thing.” It was your parents when you were a kid and then it was your first boss, but now it simply needs to be you.
Or maybe, that little push is this blog post. That’s all it takes sometimes. Someone you don’t even know telling you it’s OK to live your dreams. Time is short, so why not make it fun and interesting?
Don’t worry if someone else is already working on your idea. I’m certain they are, but they are decidedly not you and it’s the you that makes your idea unique.
Several words are so common that you often don’t even realize you’re using them. These words sneak into your writing all the time, and they contribute nothing to the content.
They damage your credibility. They bring down your writing. They make your work look amateur.
This is what the editor in me is trying to do. Choose wiser words, have more impact. I’ll keep that in mind when writing.
So I learned that good people break rules. If you were going to use this technique you still had to do it in plain sight. So I learned that you can get away with things if you act like you’re supposed to be doing them. As time went on, I slowly came to learn that nearly everyone knew about the door, probably even most of the teachers. So I learned what an open secret was, and how all communities have them.
“ Anyone can delegate stuff they don’t like doing. What’s hard is delegating things you like doing.
Fernando Garibay describes exactly how I feel about music. It’s inspiring that some music producers think the same way.
Our biggest motivation comes from the possibility of making someone else feel cared for, that someone out there is thinking about them and knows what they’re growing through.
Ownership of the piece is implied by who owns the instructions in the same way that knowing the secret formula to Coca-Cola would allow you to create and consume it whenever you please. Knowledge is power—and free soda.
Design is not the source code or the final poster, it’s the process. The catch is that there’s no way to buy the process. You can’t download the problem-solving quality. That’s what makes us worthwhile. Spot on, Kyle.
It’s already that time of the year. The day where we reminice all the good and bad things, mistakes and successes, gains and losses. 2011 was a good year for me. A year of change I’d say.
Firstly, I changed school and got a taste of what real life is like. I’ve learned that the advantages you get are also the inconveniencies (with great powers come great responsabilities). I turned 18. That’s it, I’ve made it through. I’ve learned that, sometimes, people care more about that little date written on your drivers licence than how really mature you are, and that scares me. I’ve also become a man of opinions and found a way to be heard.
I also got my first real job. I think it changed the way I see things. I had a shift of focus, caused mainly by two thoughts: there are other things as important as school (choose how you spend your time wisely) and that you’re not as easily replaceable as your boss thinks you are. It really was a great learning experience for me and it landed me my first webdesign job (and many more to come). Apart from that, I did for them print design, advertising, email newsletter, photography and a few more. My official job title is still “bossboy” (titles mean nothing). I could never have guessed that all this would happen.
I’ve also met tons of new people (friends of friends, co-workers, new people) which I really love and spend a lot of time with. I also discovered many inspiring people on Twitter and had the chance to take part in this wonderful community. I smile each time I get a new follower on Twitter or Dribbble because it’s amazing to see that some people you don’t even know are interested in your work and your journey. I couldn’t be more greatful.
I’ve also found a new partner, Gabriel Gagnon (if you speak french, you can follow him on Twitter) and together, we created Touch The App, a website dedicated to mobile app reviews. We learned a few things along the way, like identity design, promotion and community curation. It’s been a fun project and it recieved really good reactions.
My goal for 2011, was to become someone — have opinions, thoughts and ideas. And I had a blast. Things went really well and it was a really exciting year. I am more inspired than ever and my creativity flow is at its best.
2012, going forward
My word for 2012: experience. I’ve already got things coming down the pipe for the next year which will be really fun. I think you can expect craft to be everywhere and design will be brought forward. I’m currently rethinking my website, and the next major revision will come in 2012. Expect me to do some print work and get a bit into illustration. I will take everything I learned in 2011 and put that to work in a big project of some sort and try to push boundaries even more.
