Not Where You Want to Be?

One thing I have very little of? Patience. My husband teases me all the time for my lack of patience. When you get out of school most of us have this big shiny dreams of doing something fantastic with our lives and careers, but many of us (especially with the recession) fell on our faces. Many college students are moving back home with mom and dad, and taking jobs that they are over qualified for. It can be a difficult pill to swallow each day when you are not where you thought you would be on your career path.

I too have felt the familiar sting of looking at my path, and I haven't felt like I have lived up to my potential. It can be hard to take when I see my fellow graduates who have moved onto careers at top agencies, design firms, and some have been brave enough to make the leap to freelance. What I have to swallow when I feel like a failure is that everything I do is leading me to some place new, not physically, but my capabilities. I want to rush through the small steps that lead to art direction at a big agency or bold enough to be your own boss. Those small steps are what enable us to be able to handle the big stuff when we get there.

So today I am taking it one thing at a time:

"View from my Desk"

Inspired by Pixelation

I am being inspired by pixelation right now. It has this appealing quality of nostalgia (old graphics from my childhood), color, ambiguity, mystery, technology, and movement/vibrancy. Or maybe that is the idea that many small squares of color and work together to create something more than itself.


Evolution of 8-Bit Art from Off Book

Censorship Towel - I just think this is funny!

Ixxi Wall Art

Eric Daigh

Jacked In or Not?

Recently I took a vacation from work, and there is was the concern of what would happen if an emergency occurred while I was away. My boss calmed herself when she realized that I had a smart phone and could check emails on my phone, but I revved up the anxiety when I explain I do not stay linked in away from the office. Yes, technology has made my life incredibly easy to stay connected, but I know that I don't want it to rule my life. I have never added my work email to my phone. I do not want to hear alerts or deal with the stress of taking work home with me. I already work 8 to 5; I don't need to tack on 5 more hours (that's my time).

Everyone was easily shocked by relaxed notion of being connected 24/7. I pretty much ignore my phone at night unless I am expecting a call. that is the best part of technology I can use it when it is convenient to me, and put it away when I would rather focus on the life going on around me.

Inspired by Vibrancy

I love the shape of ranunculus and the vibrant and vintage-feeling colors of this photo are just beautiful. I have been feeling prone to brilliant colors lately, and I am itching to dye my hair. I just have to be brave enough to commit to colored hair for work. Photo from Sweet.EvenTide

Avoiding Combustion

Recently I read an article by my former professor (a very talented designer) at KU. Burn-out is a danger for all creatives whether you work for corporation, small business, and freelance (it is probably a little scarier freelance creatives, but not necessarily). Our livelihoods depend on us being creative on command, which is not always possible. His use of honesty with clients and himself is essential to knowing how much work that you can take on at once is essential, but more striking is taking in account that we all need time away from work in order to be creative for work.

I need to work on both of these crucial points. I do not do freelance, but I have trouble telling my boss that I am just too busy to get my work done beautifully. This has made me produce some lack-luster work as of late. I try to counteract that by telling myself I need to work on personal projects at home, but that only results in burn-out. What I really need is time out to enjoy my life around me, because that is what I work so hard for everyday. My wonderful husband, my hyper labs, and my sweet niece are what help me regain focus on what I really want in my life. So cheers to a weekend to focus on my loved ones and giving myself a break!