Where I've been

Let me explain my hiatus. After spending months looking for jobs while freelancing on the side, I decided to take a short break and find a small summer job in a magnificent place- just for the experience, since I'm young and want to travel. I decided to take a risk. Usually, I would keep plugging away trying to find a position in my career field, and I am definitely passionate about it, but I needed a change and time to refocus.

Although I usually resist change, I grow impatient from getting stuck in cycles. I crave inspiration and a better understanding of what generates great ideas and a productive work process for me. I believe that expanding my experiences gives me more to draw from, therefore making my work better.

I left for Yosemite in late May and drove across the country with some friends from highschool. We stopped in Texas for a night and continued the drive all night until we reached the Grand Canyon, then Yosemite late the next night after. I remember arriving that night and feeling so alienated from this place. It was dark and I got lost in the camp easily. I felt so new and wasn't sure how the place could become my home for the next few months. Then I woke up the next morning, stepped out of the tent, and realized I was surrounded by towering cliffs and magnificent trees. Walking toward the main part of the village, I saw the gigantic waterfall in the distance and passed wide meadows. It was a sensory overload that almost made me cry, as cheesy as it sounds.

Over these past few months, I've had a myriad of experiences, each enhancing my growth. I've seen absolutely beautiful things and met some amazing people. This place has become my temporary home. I've gotten used to storing all of my food in a bear box, accustomed to community kitchens and limited storage space. I have found the places I go in the woods when I need time alone- a favorite rock that cradles my body just right or the log beside the river which is the only place I can nap. It is a comfortable life here, but I know I must leave it soon.

I'm getting restless again. I love to travel, to see new things and meet people. I love people; I really do. I want to get to know them on a deeper level that means something. I want to love them in the most simplest and innocent way. I was discussing with one of my good friends here how interesting the divide of cultures can be, but how universal humans remain at the same time.

I feel remote from the world around me. These granite walls tower above on all sides, in the midst of them lie meadows and rivers. Sometimes it feels safe; sometimes it feels imprisoning. If I had no desire to know much of "the real world", I could go years without looking at the news and remain untroubled about whatever goes on outside of the park.

But I can't do that. I want to express and communicate and affect people's lives- even down to the minor ways I treat strangers. I've been wanting to design. I've been wanting to paint. Taking watercolors into a nearby field has its charm, but I want a studio where I can build canvases again and cover them wildly in brilliant colors. I need a place for the purpose of working, not just making money. I need a place where I can do my own work, the kind that makes me feel I am working toward my purpose, not the kind of days being repeated in a long redundant cycle.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Designers on Failure

I saw this on Swiss Miss blog (who got it from Brain Pickings).

The Berghs' Exhibition 2011 asked some world-renown creatives to speak on the topic of failure. I have included several of my favorites- definitely listen to Milton Glaser's answer. You can watch more on Vimeo.

There's only one solution, and it relates to what I was saying earlier: you must embrace failure. You must admit what is. You must find out what you are capable of doing and what you are not capable of doing. That is the only way to deal with the issue of success and failure because otherwise, you simply will never subject yourself to the possibility that you are not as good as you want to be, hope to be, or as others think you are (but that is, of course, delusional). So my advice, finally, about fear of failure, which is a kind of romantic idea: there is only one way out- embrace the failure. (Milton Glaser)

Designers Wally Olins and Michael Wolff gave great responses as well.

Stefan Sagmeister – on the fear of failure. from Berghs' Exhibition '11 on Vimeo.

Milton Glaser – on the fear of failure. from Berghs' Exhibition '11 on Vimeo.

Paulo Coelho – on the fear of failure. from Berghs' Exhibition '11 on Vimeo.

Mean Girls trailer, even more Disney:

Olive and Sinclair Southern Artisan Chocolate

I recently acquired a bar of Southern Artisan Chocolate made by Olive and Sinclair. Even though I love chocolate, I usually don't spend $5 for one bar, but the packaging (seen on the Dieline) stopped me cold and I just had to have it. (Packaging wins again.) I like the Victorian feel to it which adds character and a sense of genuine craft, like it's a trusted brand, a bit weathered and down-to-earth goodness all in a chocolate bar. Buy some now- they even have a letterpress variety pack!

Anderson Design Group created the logo, packaging, and promotional posters, which went on to win best of show at the Nashville ADDY's last year (see their blog entry).

Here's how they make the heavenly chocolate:

Olive and Sinclair Artisan Chocolate from josh anderson on Vimeo.

Magritte coat hangers

Igor “Rogix” Udushlivy created these great coat hangers inspired by René Magritte’s iconic painting The Son of Man. (Seen on CMYBacon).

Coca-Cola celebrates 125 years!

On Sunday, May 8, Coca-Cola celebrated its 125th birthday! In 1886, Coca-Cola debuted in Jacobs’ Pharmacy in Atlanta. It sold for 5 cents a glass at the soda fountain.

Coke is promoting 125 in different ways, from an illuminated display on the office headquarters in Atlanta (see video below) to giving out free Cokes in London and other European cities, kicking off their "125 Years of Summer Fun" campaign. They also threw a free birthday concert and donated $1 million to the Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta and to the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation's Peopling of America® Center.

Zoe Howorth, market activation director at Coca-Cola GB, said: "Coca-Cola is a timeless icon that has been synonymous with happiness and is still as relevant today as it was when it first began in 1886." (Brand Republic)

Also to promote the brand's rich history, Selfridges is selling the 125 Years box set (~$65) which includes several versions of the most recognized and iconic bottle in history housed in a commemorative wooden crate. They are also selling the Hutchinson bottle for about $3.22 U.S. dollars. How cool is that?

I also thought this video was cool, asking people on the street what they would do to make the world better. It's something each of us could think about:

Open happiness!

Barbra Streisand.

I know this has been out since last year, but I love it 'cause it's New York, and I can't get it out of my head.

"Barbra Streisand" continues to perfect the Duck Sauce sound, which joyously mashes classic disco house with forward-thinking dancefloor energy and expert production. A-Trak and AVH are bona fide DJ heroes whose team-ups are fueled by anything-goes samples, an almost childlike sense of fun, and 100% NYC attitude. This approach has made Duck Sauce fans-for-life out of partygoers around the globe, and will continue to convert anyone within earshot of "Barbra"'s instantly addictive, whistling hook.

For the video, director So Me (Justice, Kid Cudi, MGMT) uses the song to soundtrack a hyperactive, ecstatic New York City travelogue. Shot over a week of long nights out with A-Trak and Armand (including live footage from the Fool's Gold "Day Off" labor day block party), the clip is a pop-art adventure starring commandeered taxis and hotdog stands, sexy strangers, and a who's-who of famous friends: rappers, producers, indie rockers, graffiti writers and nightlife icons all take turns adding their own special sauce to the song, turning "Barbra Streisand" into one of this year's must-rewind clips. (Mr. Goldbar on Vimeo)

Duck Sauce - "Barbra Streisand" from Paradoxal Inc on Vimeo.