Life Lessons.

I have learned something VERY important in the past 3 months. I will never be a "suit." I'm curious and interested in what happens in the "world of business" and I completely understand that it directly relates to what we do as designers and consultants, but my strengths are definitely in the realm of creativity, innovation, putting things together in new and different ways, aesthetics, and visual communication. That is where I find joy, meaning and purpose. I find myself, at times, feeling inadequate....like I don't know enough (not that one ever really does) or that my skills are less important than those of us more skilled in business. That is a tough one for me because I never want to be perceived as "not smart enough" and, honestly, I feel that more than not these days, but you can't be EVERYTHING in this world. Maybe some people can, but in that race to be first in everything, I will probably expire from exhaustion and frustration. I suppose as a curious person, I will go down the rabbit hole from time to time, get lost in worlds I know very little about and then start to question how I got there in the first place...perhaps that is where I am now and it is just a matter of finding my way back to MY home. Maybe it is really just as important to know who you are NOT as it is to know who you are. Alas, you will not find me at Talbots shopping for a new navy blue business suit anytime soon.

So true.

This is a hilarious parody of what would happen if Microsoft were to design the iPod packaing...further proof that the best design is reductive in nature and reason #3490 that Mac will always be the designer's tool of choice.

Bobos.

A book I recently read and love:

If you've ever wondered why our culture has become obsessed with stores like Starbucks, REI, Anthropologie, Whole Foods and Volvo...read this book. It is a non-judgemental, humorous, and insightful look into how we have become a culture of principled, borderline snotty, over-intellectualized (at times), capitolism-loving, bag-of-contradiction embodying consumers. A must read for ANYONE in creative, culture-defining vocations, a shocking reflection of self (for some), but absolutely critical in understanding the values and principles of a population who is driving much of our country's policies and cultural values.

Yeah, take a minute to soak that in.

BrightHouse Excellence.

Not to bombard my kind readers with assorted video footage, but this is a work-video I put together for my most dynamic boss, Joey, on his ideas around "soulful excellence," the complementary business practice to "operational excellence." Let me know what you think and don't be TOO jealous of my video editing skills!

Happy Monday :)

Joke Friday

I am going to attempt to start a Friday tradition. I'm going to call it "Joke Friday" and I will broadcast a video of myself telling a joke that I think is pretty funny. It may suck, but I am willing to take a creative risk. Let me know what you think!!

Chilling.

WATCH THIS STORY
What is so alarming about these photographs, is, exactly what the commentator says, that these were REAL people, with REAL lives, families, and pets...they were just like anyone else. But they were responsible for exterminating millions of people, simply because they were different. Group-think is such a scary phenomena...it happens today, all over the place, in the US, in our schools, in our communities...we should ALWAYS question EVERYTHING. Always dig deeper, always go to the source, make your own decisions, take the time to figure out the TRUTH. I think that is what is really missing in our current culture. We exist on headline news, commentary from blogs, powerpoint-condensed information but seldom do we take the time to really go to the source and decide for ourselves what to think. It takes time, it takes energy, it takes a willingness to be wrong, to look at things differently, but the truth is the most important thing we can seek. Perhaps if more people had looked deeper, questioned authority, questioned themselves, this horrible atrocity would have never happened.

Lucky.

These are the cookies I made yesterday for my co-worker, Ashley. She is awesome and it was her birthday on Sunday.... At BrightHouse we usually get cakes and champagne for people's birthdays but Ashley doesn't like cake so I made peanut butter-cookie sandwiches. Don't you wish you worked with me? I'll post the recipe because they are mmmm, mmmm, good.
Don't be TOO jealous.

a couple of observations....

1. Spring Forward Tonight. Yes folks, daylight savings time happens tonight and I could not be more pleased. I didn't realize how much I loathed the darkness and cold temperatures until I was forced to face them as a result of having a 9-5 job that prevents interaction with the sunlight during the week. Whoa, I could NEVER live in the north where it is, more often than not, cold and darkness prevails. Kudos to those of you who do.

2. Current Fashion. My lady and I went shopping yesterday and all I have to say is what the FUCK? I don't know if I am getting to that point in my life where I look at current trendy fashions and don't identify anymore....maybe this is a sign that I am getting older, not identifying with the "youth culture," but I need some things. I need some shirts, some skirts, some pants....and I refuse to wear skinny jeans (I mean, seriously, who can wear those things?), I don't want a lot of ruffles and I hate these poofy-sleeved shirts that are reminiscent of the 60's. I just want simple things. Simple lines, a nice color pallete, nothing too crazy, but things that look good on my body. Yesterday's outing was nothing short of humiliation....I did, however, get a new pair of glasses that I am pretty excited about. I'll debut them here soon....once I spend the one million dollars to have my super-sonic lenses created due to my near-blind vision.

3. Dogs. I think that dogs are the best thing on the planet. People who do not like dogs, I just don't trust. They are such perfect little souls that require so little of us but love, food and petting. Is anything in life really that simple? I think not....

Hillary.

This just in....compelling new photographic montage of democratic presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton from DanzFamily.com.

Whoa.

Liars and Brains and Dogs, oh my!

On my way to work today, I was listening to this program via my local NPR station and the topic was, "the brain of a liar." I was struck by how similar a liar's brain is to a creative's brain in it's ability to quickly parse and assimilate information. I've never been a good liar...I've tried but failed more often than not which is why I believe (for the most part) that, despite our biological tendencies, the one thing that does separate us from animals is our ability to choose...to make thoughtful, rational choices. This may not be as accurate when it comes to things such as mood but it certainly does when we talk about behavior. If not, then there is no difference between human beings and dogs....not that I'd mind being a dog...Lord knows, I love dogs....but what do you think?

Milton Glaser

So, for my "March Forth" I decided to start a series of "paintings/illustrations" of "famous" designers....or, better said, designers that I think are exciting, smart, inspirational and interesting. My first one is Milton Glaser....I've been reading Debbie Millman's book and decided that in a future life, I would like to come back as Milton Glaser's daughter/best friend/maid/whatever. What an amazing man.

New Favorite.

This is my new favorite blog.

March 4th. BrightHouse Style.

As you may know, we celebrate a special holiday, March 4th. We don't take the day off, we take it on and March 4th on our dreams. This year, together with Campus MovieFest and Phyzix Concepts and Choreography, we created a short film. We hope it inspires you to share it, to make your dream a reality, and even to post your own video response on youtube of what you did on March 4th. Enjoy the film and the holiday.

books.

I am notorious for reading about 10 books at a time. I am lucky to finish any of them within 6 months but so far this year I'm doing pretty well. I've read the first 3 books of "Tales of the City" which a co-worker told me I must read before I could consider myself TRULY gay. Who knew? Certainly not me...and how foolish could a homosexual feel being schooled by a heterosexual on how to be an authentic gay. Truth be told, I started reading them about 4 months ago...but they are a very fast read.

I just finished "Confederacy of Dunces." I would have to say it is probably the funniest book I have ever read. I LOVED it....completely loved it. Having lived in Baton Rouge and frequented New Orleans a lot during the years I was there, it made me think of a lot of really good memories and made me a little sad that the New Orleans I loved is not the same. I'm almost ready to read it again...except that it does make me laugh out loud which does not help lull to me into sleep at night.

For a good sleeper, try Molecules of Emotion...whoa, great topic but probably the most boring read I've ever encountered....I've been gnawing away on that book for over 2 years now and am STILL not finished.

So, what is anyone else reading that is interesting? Care to share?

BrightHouse!

This is a video from BrightHouse, where I work....you'll see a cameo of me riding a scooter in here.
Pretty cool.

Dreams.

This is a short film....my first film with a purpose...about Dreams...sort of a "work" project, sort of not.
I'd like to thank my wonderful girlfriend, Montana, our pets and the Beatles (for letting me use their song, "Flying" for this film.)
Enjoy!

LIFE.

There must be something in this theme of "timing" these days...repetition is usually an indication that life is handing us a lesson.

A quote by Carl Jung.
"There are as many nights as days, and the one is just as long as the other in the year's course. Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word 'happy' would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness."

ONCE

Anyone who knows me knows that I am, probably, the most movie-illiterate individual on the planet. Blame it on my undiagnosed ADD, but my ability sit and stay long enough to watch a movie has created a real information/culture deficit in the stockpile of otherwise worthless information that taken over the majority of my grey matter. That said, through the amazing convenience of NETFLIX, I have started to watch many more movies. True, I mostly watch documentaries....most recently, Ayn Rand:A Sense of LIfe (I give it 4 stars...watched it twice), C.S. Lewis and The Chronicles of Narnia (I give it 1 star, it was really quite boring and didn't illuminate anything truly interesting about this amazing author and thinker), My Architect: A Son's Journey (I give it 4 stars....it is about Louis Kahn, a famous architect....very interesting), The Nazis: A Warning from History (definite 4 star rental....so interesting and offered a different perspective on one of the most profound tragedies of our recent history).

Last night we saw ONCE. For a movie with not MUCH of a story line, there is something most amazing and spectacular about this movie. Perhaps, it is the music....which is amazing....I just downloaded the soundtrack. I would say, more than likely, what makes this film so special is its authenticity and emotion. Maybe it is just that life is about timing. And, really, the older I get, the more I realize that everything comes down to timing. It is one of those things that makes life so amazing and confusing and mysterious. In hindsight, perhaps everyone of us can look to a situation, a relationship, an experience and say, IF ONLY the timing had been different...if only I had been older, younger, more mature, less mature, braver, less scared, if only things had been different...but they weren't. And that is life. I guess things don't always work out the way we want them to, they don't happen when we want them to, they come together and fall apart in moments that don't make sense. What I do get is that our timing, our need to have things the way we think we should have them is not always the way we are supposed to experience our lives. Maybe this is the "divine" plan that we are intended to live. I don't know...maybe that is just a way to have peace with the "bad" timing. Whatever it is, I am endlessly curious in trying to figure it out and I guess I'll be busy trying to figure it out for the rest of my life as I don't think there really is an answer or a reason or a theory that will satisfy my concerns.

Don't laugh.

Okay, so lately I have been suffering from incessant insomnia. I mean...up all night tossing and turning, twitching, jerking, not getting any rest. Needless to say, I am a bit crabby and borderline insane. Has it helped my creativity? No. So, for those of you who think insanity lends itself to creativity, I am here to tell you that it does not.

While surfing iTunes today to find some "relaxation" music/pod-casts/whatever, I came across this: a PurrCast. If you simply search (not that anyone other than a sleep-deprived lesbian would) "purrcast" on your iTunes, you will find it and WOW it is so relaxing. I don't recommend listening to it while at work the day after you have not slept the night before but I am going to give it a whirl if I wake up during the night tonight.

I'll let you all know how it goes.

BS.

I don't mean to be insensitive...really, I don't. I have such respect for anyone who struggles with mental illness...I have seen too many friends and loved ones suffer at the hands of depression, bi-polar disorder, eating disorders, anxiety...you name it. It can be debilitating. Your life can be literally ruined by something that doesn't cause you to bleed, lose your hair, or cause you to run a fever. Mental illness is misunderstood, underestimated and discounted in its destruction.
It is not, however, an AMERICAN TRAGEDY.
COME ON, Rolling Stone. This is not the Dalai Lama...it is Britney Spears. She is a girl who suffered from arrested development which clearly developed into some SERIOUS mental health issues. Uh, shocker?! What would you expect? The ONLY reason we care is that she is a celebrity...but what a heinous over-statement.