Fail. Don't Let the Plateau Win.

Failing always sucks. I can't think of a time when I would choose personal failure over success. However, I need to fail in life, and I need to do it often. I realize that sometimes even when I know I'm not good at something I still need to push through my failures in order to learn how to succeed. What if Picaso quit every time he messed up? Or what if Thomas Edison quit after his first failed lightbulb attempt? He didn't and he eventually succeeded through what he learned from his thousands of failures. In a creative profession it would seem that failure is not tolerated, yet we are expected to always outdo ourselves. How then are we to learn by only creating for the purpose of work? Well, we won't. We will simply keep pulling from the same safe and tried-and-true bag of tricks we know because we know they have worked in the past. I suppose Edison could have just kept using candles but he pursued his goal in spite of frustration and failure.

Trying something new in a project is dangerous; a lesson I've learned the hard way. I am learning the value of experimenting and often failing outside of work, in order to be continually growing as a designer at work without losing my job.

This doesn't just apply to design work though, any profession should always be progressing and improving. Hitting a plateau should be your worst nightmare in everything you do. The fear of becoming irrelevant terrifies me. If you are the same person, friend, brother, leader, or whatever that you were a year ago or even a month ago, shame on you. Shame on me for the times I have let complacency win.

It doesn't just happen. It takes a lot of effort, discipline, and sacrifice, but I challenge you: Grow, do, create, fail, improve, learn from it, and be better everyday. Strive for more, strive for greater, be more excellent than you are. Learn from your failed attempts, because they equip you for successes. Let's do this together. Go.

Amazing Things Will Happen

This is Conan O'Brien's Farewell Speech from NBC. It's really well laid out and beautiful. Kudos to Jacob Gilbreath for this great work.

Created in Illustrator, Soundbooth, Cinema 4D, After Effects

This Kinetic Typography project was created from the dialogue of Conan O'Brien's final episode of The Tonight Show on NBC. In this farewell address, he describes his feelings towards NBC and the situation at hand. His personality exudes positivity and humor allowing this dialogue to describe his character very well. Even through the hardships of leaving NBC he promotes hard work and kindness.

The concept behind this video is to show Conan O'Brien as a the monumental entertainer and solid wall that he is. Conan O'Brien is and will continue to be a seasoned television entertainer. After drawing inspiration from Lou Dorfsman's Gastrotypographicalassemblage, this concept was achieved by creating a literal wall from over 60 individual typographic layouts. These custom crafted layouts reference a variety of eclectic type design. The combination of eclectic typography and modern 3D letter forms achieved in Cinema 4D provides a contrast between old and new. This contrast emphasizes time to create a sturdy and timeless object. This solidity and timelessness is the perfect representation of Conan O'Brien.

Save PBS

I used to love PBS as a kid, I remember watching a ton of shows on it that were always geared for learning. I also can remember watching Yanni in Concert, but that was a random one... Let's do our part in making sure that other kids have the same chances to experience culture, the arts, and learning that we had.

Let's Save PBS. Go to 170millionamericans.org to find out more.

click for full view

Without Vision, It's Merely Work

I wear a lot of hats at my job. And while at times it can be somewhat overwhelming, it is truly a privilege to be able to do what I do. It is sometimes easy to lose sight of what is most important when you are in the daily grind of work, especially in "ministry". Things become mundane or routine and the monotony of maintenance can definitely skew priorities if not proactively managed.

A place riddled with unmotivated and defunct attitude toward the concept of work is absent of vision. Vision that gives meaning and purpose to why you are putting in the effort toward the greater cause. Effort and work are essentially the same thing, but the former has purpose, where the latter is no more than a means to achieve status quo. We as people, as living, breathing, feeling humans, love to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. Knowing we have a chance to be a spoke in the wheel of something that has purpose and a goal emits a virally contagious energy. Yet, often we miss that part, we just see the goal, the product, but not the "why".

However, the "why" is what what matters most, people will go above and beyond for something they believe in, and yet that is often poorly communicated. For myself, I have to constantly remind myself of the reason that I do what I do, because when it comes down to it, on a core level, I just make things prettier, or simpler, or less confusing. What good does that really do though?

If it was just me that's all it would be, but God in some miraculous inexplicable way takes the inadequacy that I have to offer and uses it to draw people to Him. And on a day to day for me, He allows me to help people have to do less of the logistics of ministry (or at least do it more effectively and efficiently), so that they can do actual ministry in the lives of others. Now that is the vision that keeps me going.I get to be a part of helping others help others.

That is how God uses my abilities, my passions, my skills. It's all from Him, and for Him. I need that reminder everyday. That I am called not to do the same thing over and over again (thus slowly fading into irrelevance) but to continually seek ways to allow other people to more effectively interact with other people. For me that isn't work, it's a vision that I can pour my efforts into, furthering the continual progress God has called me to.

Movement Vs. Progress

Many times the concept of movement is confused with progress. Something can be continually moving or in motion, but it takes a lot more effort, risk, and passion to have something that is continually progressing for the better.

"Movement" is defined as:
The act of changing physical location or position or the general activity or bustle of people or things in a particular place.

"Progress" is defined as:
Forward or onward movement toward a destination. The advance or development toward a better, more complete, or more modern condition.

Though seemingly similar, there is a difference. Movement is just that, movement. You can "move in a circle" you can even "move backwards". Movement does not necessarily constitute forward motion of any kind, and thus can be confused with actual progress in a direction. Progress on the other hand has a goal in mind, a destination, a focus. Progress is not flippant repeated circular movement doing the same thing over and over again. Progress requires constant learning, refining, and a consistent path towards the completion of a goal.

Movement could be illustrated as drawing a circle on a page over and over again, or even the shuffling of a deck of cards. There is movement involved when drawing the circle, but really nothing is being communicated. Nothing is a new accomplishment once a circle has been made. It simply becomes repetitive. The same goes for the deck of cards—sure the cards are being shuffled and reorganized differently overtime, but it's the same cards. Nothing new, no new risks, no new thoughts or tools, just the same things. All lacking progress.

Circles are not progress. A deck of cards will always be a deck of cards. They can require movement, but after they're done once, are no longer progressing. I can see areas where I have experienced true progress and it's incredible to look back and see how far you've been able to come and are that much closer to your end goal. In contrast, I have also seen movement mistaken for progress and I feel obliged to step in and help people. I want to see people be able to experience the thrill of creating something new rather than fooling themselves by drawing the same circle over and over again. I see potential in almost everything and love sharing it, but potential is only potential until it leads to progress, to betterment, to refinement, to improvement, even to achievement.

I am never satisfied with what is, because I always seem to see what could be. As soon as I get to what could be, I want to know what's next. Movement is not progress. Do something better, something different that takes you to the next level.

Movement is over-hyped. Grow. Improve. Progress.

Free Time

I love having free time. It's time, that is completely free for you to do with it as you choose, who doesn't love free time? In years past, I have always been an exemplary steward of my free time. I love creating for the sake of creating, learning new things, reading, exploring, sports, and other various activities all within the bounds of my free time. However, recently I've realized that in an effort to make my free time the antonym of my work time, I've become a bad steward of my free time. Boooo me.

Now by antonym I am not implying that I hate my job, but I am very anal about my work time being productive. I enjoy what I do, and want to do it to the best of my ability and allow for the maximum amount of results with the least distractions possible while I am in "work mode". So by antonym, I mean that I've, without consciously being aware of it, made my free time: relax and do nothing time.

Now to most people, I've just described the ultimate goal in life: Relax, and do nothing. However for me, I hate being idle and even get restless. I need to be doing something. Recently I've filled that time with Netflix, reading blogs, syndicated Seinfeld episodes, etc. All things that are mostly meaningless intake and don't really improve me as a person much at all. But yesterday I realized what I had allowed to happened and got really frustrated with myself. I couldn't believe it had happened, and happened without my realizing it. Embarrassing.

So now I am somewhat on a mission to reclaim the uncared-for time I have been gifted, and to become a better steward of the ever depleting time I have left to learn, grow, experience, do, and achieve. I feel as though I have been given this time to make use of it and not waste it on my own "relaxation" time when I could be doing something that truly matters. I am learning that it isn't just about me not being idle for selfish reasons, but how I can honor God with this time, and continually being more disciplined and thus more consistent and better all around.

I love learning, I would honestly choose it over any other activity, and yet I let stupid stuff like TV, that I don't really care about, steal that time from me. I think sometimes I can lie to myself and confuse learning with work, but I know deep down inside me that's not true. Sure, learning often required me taking on some new software, exploring a new technique, creating something for the sake of creating in order to learn a process, explore a theory, or simply just to get the creative river flowing. But not more excuses, I need to do it. Now is the time for me to continue to become a better me, not to say that I did, but so that God is pleased with who I am in Him and for Him.

So here's to not just existing and going through the motions. Here's to not just living, but thriving and striving to do something bigger than myself.

 

Nick Campbell - The Creative Gap: Becoming Better Than Most

Nick Vegas is a wise sage, that is no lie. However, what trumps his ever growing wisdom is his passion and desire to continually learn and better himself, his ability, and the growth of others. He runs an amazingly influential blog and specializes in After Effects and Cinema 4D.

This is a talk he gave to a group of students encouraging them to never settle and to be always strive to be better than they were yesterday. There are some definite nuggets of wisdom and inspiration in here, and if you do anything regarding any sort of creative work I encourage you to watch this. It energized me, I hope it does the same for you.

If you watch it, I'd love to hear your favorite quote in the comments.

Original Post: Here.

Choose Constraint

I've long struggled with writing. I've tried various schedules or setting loose deadlines for myself to ensure that I'd write. Often as quickly as I made those faux promises to myself I would break them because I wanted to write something that mattered, something that would change someone's life, possible for the better. I tried to convince myself to begin writing as a discipline, but then it just became a chore, or a hobby I wished I had but knew I may never get better at. However, when the life changing things didn't come, I didn't write anything. I didn't write anything because I felt like I didn't have anything to write, but because I could write anything, I didn't write anything. (I'll know give you a paragraph break so you can read that last sentence over again before moving on.)

I need constraints. I need limitations, guidelines, a category, a topic, something. Because I could write anything, I didn't write anything. How lame. Writing has become a way for me to thinking linearly. I think sometimes in my mind I think that creative thoughts should just appear out of thing air, but the reality I'm realizing is that creativity is part of a continuing process of refining out what doesn't work, and then assembling what does work into some sort of new idea or expression.

I realize that if show someone something I created, they can only appreciate it for what it is, but unlike me they can't appreciate it for what it's not. I can look at it and go back over in my mind the process I went through of discovering what wouldn't work. What typefaces didn't match, what color schemes sucked, what textures didn't match, what subtle details weren't there, but they don't see any of that. You just see what I chose out of the slew of possibilities. Nick Vegas said "If you can break down what you're doing step by step for someone else to replicate, what you're doing isn't very creative." At first I disagreed, but now I get it.

There are things about creative thinking and problem solving that are just inexplicable. I often can't articulate what got me from "that creative brief" to "this solution" other than to say that I know what wouldn't work, and I'm constantly searching for more things to bring together that will work better than what I would have chosen yesterday. If you ever feel like you've learned everything there is to know, congratulations you are now irrelevant. But in all this focus is key.

Constraints help weed out what is automatically irrelevant to a potential solution. It doesn't mean it's not valuable, just not relevant. If no restraints exist, then I create my own restraints to either weed out or to challenge myself. Things like "I'm only going to use one color, or just this typeface, or only circles and paper texture. But in the limitation, it gives you a limit to push. How much can you do with just one typeface, paper texture, circle shapes, and one color? You'd be surprised if you tried I'm sure.

All this to say, that constraints help me focus, not just in my graphics work, but in all areas of my life. Writing being one of them. I could write about anything, but now I just choose to write about what I learn, feel, create, or do. Not all at once, but just one.

Ironically, constraints bring me freedom.

The Bridge // Documentary

There is something different that happens within us when we see or hear a true life story being told. I am so much more moved by something when I know that a real, tangible, human being actually experienced something like that. The emotions, the sweat, the heart racing, the adrenaline, whatever; It's vivid. I can watch a TV show like 24 and it be some of the most intense things ever, but my mind knows that no matter how real it may seem, it's not reality. Jack Bauer is just a name for Kiefer Sutherland and all his stunt doubles. Yes, I realize that there are in fact people that experience things like that, but not that story line or that person, etc.

However, I can watch something like Saving Private Ryan, The Pacific, or Band of Brothers and be crying at the end. It's like I'm overwhelmed by the fact that people actually experienced conditions like that. I start to play out what would go through my mind in those situations, what it would smell like, the exhaustion, the heartbreak, the anguish, the pain. It seems impossible. Things that matter and are real move me. Enter, The Bridge.

The Bridge is a documentary about The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, CA. More so it is about the stories of the people who in the year of 2004 committed suicide by jumping off the bridge. It was inspired by an article in The New Yorker magazine in 2003 entitled "Jumpers" by Tad Friend.

I had no idea what I was getting into. The opening sequence took me. I couldn't believe what I was watching. I hurt for them. Hearing the stories from those who knew them—so sad. Hearing the stories of their search for meaning, for value, for hope, for a purpose in life and yet it all lead to a single moment. It was indescribably bleak to literally watch the last moments of these peoples lives after hearing the stories leading to that very moment. It would be simple to write it off as a tragedy for "those people", or they were sick or they had this or that, but it doesn't change the fact that they are now gone. Hopelessly gone. What a juxtaposition to see such tragic things alongside beautiful imagery of the Golden Gate Bridge.

It made me thankful for my family, my friends, what I get to be a part of, and for the hope I have in Christ. Afterwards I sat for a moment wondering what God could have done in them. It seemed like they tried to find hope in everything else and each time came up empty. I don't have much of a conclusion to any of this, because I think my brain is still processing through it, but it is definitely heavy in me.

I encourage you to see it, it's intense. Goodness it's intense, but it moves me in a way that makes me thankful for where I am, and thankful that I don't have to choose what is next in my life. Each day as I take the next step He leads and orchestrates my path for His purpose. Giving up control is hard, but it has literally saved me from death.

Stories move people. I want my story to move people closer to Him because of what God's done in me, not in spite of me and my failed attempts at trying to do it on my own. Often we as humans need to be saved from ourselves, and I know that often applies to me.

Watch on Hulu or Netflix.

Reward & Time Stewardship

Sometimes people say,"Oh, well you see I work better under pressure." It is possible to perform adequately under pressure, but I feel that is typically the mantra of those who are often unmotivated procrastinators. I mean, how many people can honestly say that they work better under pressure than when the times when they have time to truly think out a concept and take the adequate time to hash out what something really could be. I often think that people "work better under pressure" because it's when they actually start working, so naturally it's better than their not working state.

There are times for me when working under the gun is necessary, and sure I can typically create something that will be adequate for the need, but rarely is it my best work. There is, at least from my eyes, a noticeable difference in my ability to uphold the level of detail that I long for when I have to rush. I think that is somewhat expected, but when I am done with a project like that, I always have to make sure to review why I'm rushing.

Was I rushing because I just got all the info from the creative brief at the very last minute, was the whole project altogether just way behind schedule, or was it just me putting it off and having my priorities out of whack? If I could always choose, I would of course work on the projects I like first and keep pushing off the boring ones to the back-burner. However, working for other people's design needs I really don't have a choice of whether or not I want to work on something boring or not boring, it just all needs to be done in a timely manner. All of it.

This allows me to introduce priority, organization, and reward. Allow me to explain what each of those looks like to me:

Priority: The order of things, sorted by importance according to my best judgment (at times chosen by others for you by those with higher authority than you, which at times can be nice but is in fact rare in my cases).

Organization: The manner in which a person chooses to keep track of various priorities so that they can work effectively and efficiently to execute the priority list in a feasible time frame.

Reward: A motivator or incentive for something that in itself is not rewarding. Usually after enduring some sort of task that would not ordinarily be chosen, but has been deemed necessary. Often self-created.

There are things I do that I wouldn't necessarily choose to take on, but they are a necessary priority to someone, thus I do them. However, knowing that I'm more of a forward thinker than a maintainer, I need to organize and provide myself with some sort of incentive to get through the seemingly mundane tasks: Reward.

Sometimes I can reward myself with another task. For example, "if you wade through all these revisions of this or that, you can start to plan out this logo concept that for a new ministry." Or sometimes it'll be completely unrelated like "If I get through edited all the date changes on these loop slides I can go buy a Monster Energy drink from Sheetz." These things help me. It helps me break down big tasks that I could easily just dance around and think of doing, to actually doing them. It works for me, really well.

I hate seeing things go wasted, and time is definitely something I guard. I've been learning a ton about boundaries in life, learning when to say no, leave for the day, take a trip, or just be still and quiet. God has shown me a lot about myself and how He's wired me, and I continue to learn how I can serve Him best.

I know my time is limited and I have a lot that I'm responsible for, so wasting time on frivolous meetings, impromptu small talk conversations, and other various interruptions can cripple my productivity. I'm still learning as always, but it's getting better and better. Be better than a procrastinator, give God your best work and not just "what you are capable of coming up with in the last minute when you didn't need to be doing that. We're in this together.

Innovation vs. Boredom

It's easy for me to get bored if I'm not doing something innovative, new, or challenging.

I love having purpose in what I'm doing, and enjoy knowing that what I'm doing is for something that matters. It is so good to be a part of something that is bigger than you are, that is going to change something, that could change lives even. But what if all you're doing is the same thing over and over and over?

How does one innovate in a holding pattern of maintenance? I've tried every way i can think of to continually change things for the better when faced with maintenance. A little dash of extra this here, two more layers of that there, color correct this part like so, etc, etc. Yet, I can only fool myself for so long with those kinds of things. Thus, I seek out things that I can take underwing to improve, make better, simplify, streamline, or even eliminate to make space for more growth and continued progress. I love changing things for the better, not just for different.

New things are always fun. It's new, it's unknown, it needs to be explored, broken if necessary. How does it work? What is it capable of? How far can it be pushed? I love new, it's unknown and often, when new is involved, you get to be the one that helps other people learn how they can benefit from new. Granted it takes people who actually realize the value of new and can equate it with not just better/different, but tangible improvement when it's possible.

Challenges are fun, especially when they're achievable. I enjoy when something is not only difficult, but something that I am capable of or have been equipped to achieve. I could not scuba dive deep into the ocean, as that is out of my skillset/interests, however i likely create a poster, banner ad, and strategy that would help you get a lot of people to watch you scuba dive to the depths of the earth live on Ustream. I like helping people find out about other things or what other people are doing/learning. It's exciting. I enjoy being the vehicle of communication, and that is new every time to me.

There's new ways to connect people, new people to connect, places for them to connect. It's boundless and something that is never done. It can't be a one time solution, a method, an algorithm, but a constant tension to be utilized and acted upon. It is life fashion, or art, or car design, it's never done, but always changing for the sake of improvement and betterment. When did it become ok to settle and just continue doing something because it worked?

I cannot deal with myself being stifled by circumstances, so even when I'm handed maintenance, I will still seek innovation. I can't help it, God has made me this way and in me it feels like "just going through the motions" would be dishonoring. Can't help it.

How do you handle boredom in doing the same things over and over? How are you innovating to change things in your circle of influence for the better? I'm learning.

Sleep

Why do I have such a distaste for sleep, though I cherish it so much? It is the epitome of a love/hate relationship to me. I recognize the value of sleep, the necessity of sleep, and yet on a daily basis I choose to avoid it at all costs. I love being able to acknowledge and benefit from a good nights rest, yet I rarely reward myself with such a prize. I fear the answer to such a mysterious quandary may lie in my personal priorities. There is a short list of things I love more than sleep, but the greatest culprit for keeping my eyes pried open longer than they alone would choose is my desire to learn. I love knowing more. The more you know of something the easier you can explain it to someone else with having to simultaneously explain it to yourself.

Knowledge is a great tool, but wisdom and discernment are the doorman to my warehouse of knowledge. That duo tells me when to share and when to shutup. When to explain more in depth and when to recognize that I've lost someones attention. They are the two that make the knowledge worth something.

All this to say, I need to better my sleep habits. I have made a habit of not having sleeping habits. For shame. On that note, good night.

I Like Giving Practical Gifts

Priorities are a funny thing. Gift giving has a lot to do with priorities in my book. I have learned about the way that I spend my time & money and where I hold my value in those areas. I have never been a "I have to have this right now" kind of person, but at the same time I enjoy when something is well researched and I know that what I am buying is something worthwhile and quality.

Researching for me is a three-fold win for me. It allows me to make educated decisions on what would be a wise purchase for me if it something that I am interested in purchasing, it allows me to offer advice to other people in the moment when they ask me about something I have knowledge about, and lastly it helps me more accurately learn what other people would be best served by, maybe before they even realize it. So when it comes to gift giving, money and time management, and the like, this makes for an interesting tension in my brain.

I enjoy giving gifts and meeting needs for people, but just buying "something" is something I feel like is against my religion. I just have such a hard time adding to the noise of someones life with a gift that is not well thought out. When something helps meet a need, simplifies something, helps organize, or is something they've truly wanted for a while, I feel like I have done my job as a gift giver. I would honestly rather give nothing than just something. But when it comes to Christmas, when I'm to by for people I really care about but don't get to see often, I feel like anything I get for them is a stab in the dark. I work hard to listen, to pay attention, to be keen to hints, but those are all just hopes in a lot of cases.

Being a good steward of what God has provided for me is something I don't take lightly. For me, anything I buy for myself now-a-days fits in one of three categories: It helps me do something better, or it is a need, or it comes out of my limited "fun money" category. Something better would be some needed software. A need would be a dependable car, food, a new pair of jeans each year. Fun money would be Starbucks, Angry Birds, Cut the Rope, Bucky Balls, or things of that nature.

I like giving people gifts that derive from the first two categories, but lately I've learned that sometimes people only like gifts from the fun category. Things that don't matter and are just fun. Kinda shifts my paradigm a little bit, because it's different than my way of thinking. I would just rather have something that allows me to function, live, or work better than just having something. However, I've learned some people just want "stuff".

I suppose to each his own, but it's showed me that (believe it or not) not everyone thinks through the same filter that I do. I'm learning to listen, and learning to prioritize. It's tough, but so necessary.