creative types

What do you design when you're designing for no one? I need to add more to my portfolio and there are only so many things I can think of that are fake. I need some help!

Any ideas?

A girl I used to work with always falls back to her favorites when she's designing. Can't think of anything? Clearly she's going to design something Bulls themed. I think it's a great idea. It plays to your strengths and your favorite things. I don't think future employers tire of seeing good designs of the same thing. That's why they call it a series.

 Guess I'll start designing all my favorite Chicago things soon. : )

typographic nerd alert.

I just spent the last half hour playing this.

and need someone else to go play it so I don't feel like a TOTAL nerd. 

too late. I already am.

click the picture to play... via how about orange

love connections

swiss-miss made me look at this typography 'dating' site

i may never leave my computer again.

(also I legit love Archer and Eurostile together - they're the new Bennifer)

D.I.Y not?

hey! i like long hiatuses between posting! with no information about what's going on in my life! no big! let it go! Okay but for real I've been in a deep creative rut. I have no one to talk about creative stuff with! Most of my friends have equally creative husbands to bounce ideas off of and while amazingly awesome for them, I've just kind of sunk into complacency. It isn't good and I'm not sure what to do about it. I really miss having creative conversations about... anything! anyways...

I was wrapping presents today, which is one of my very favorite things to do around Christmas, besides watching overdose amounts of White Christmas. I love making things pretty and nice and I always cut out brown paper bags to make the "to:/from:" tags because SERIOUSLY why would you buy them?! It always gives a nice handmade touch. Trader Joe's bags actually has cut out to/from tags, which got my brain a-chuggin - why can't I make my OWN to:/from: tags? Duh! Designer. Illustrator. Mouse. BRAIN! COME ON! I'll be printing these out on brown paper bags I'll cut down to letter size. I'm sore excited!!

I also love wrapping my presents with yarn and other bits I find around my house. Seriously. Who needs wrapping paper anymore?! If you make your own totally post them so I can see!

Also if any of you are free after the holidays just to chat over coffee? Please let me know! I gotta get out of this rut. It is sincerely cramping my STYLE.

{about art}

there is no end to how much i love pbs.

don't fence me in

Sometime's I get caught up. I get caught up in being an artist and having every moment be about the art and what it means and having that artistic meaningful moment be relevant to creating more art. How much of a zany hipster do I sound like right now?! I mean I am one but still.

The artist community is competitive by nature. I would say I live on the edge of the artist community somewhere near Musiciansville, Literary Lane, and Homemakers Avenue. I embrace where I set up camp.

Today, I didn't do much in terms of "art" in a literal sense. I did not design a thing, I DID write down a list of goals I'd like to accomplish thanks to Katherine (love her.), I cleaned my room, did my laundry, stared lovingly at my bike and read Real Simple and the book I'm trying to finish so I can start another. I call this a good day.

I am starting to realize that creating one thing every day is tiring and filled with pressure and not very realistic in it's demand. I started to feel guilty that I hadn't "created" a new piece of artwork or worked on something relevant to my craft, SKETCHED more, ILLUSTRATED more, watched more TED talks about the creative MIND. Ugh!

I would say that today I created a relaxing day for myself. That is my one thing I created today. I am first and foremost a reader and got to totally remind myself of that AND i set up future goals for myself! hoorays! I am continually looking for inspiration outside of my computer which has started to give me a headache recently (oh hi college revisited).

I also realize that while I am an artist I am not defined by it. The art I create does not get to turn around and tell me who I am. I think I lost sight of that for a while. I was jealous of the things people do, and create, the opportunities other artists get. But I'm not them. They're not me. I have my own list of goals that, when writing them, came way easier than I thought they would. All of a sudden I had a whole page of things I wanted to do in the next year.

I need to remind myself that I am who I am, don't try to be anyone else. I am pushing myself to build a thick portfolio by next January and that is a task in and of itself. I know I'll get there, too.

by Dana Tanamachi - featured on Design*Sponge today. did you SWOON or WHAT?!

alsooooo i need to stop being so self centered. it is not all about me. i need to remember my friends and bake for them. i want to bake for you, friends. knit you scarves and socks and cowls and hats. make you posters for your wall. smack me around a bit hmm? I can take a beating... 'member that one time I fell off my bike!? chyeah. true story. i'm 25. i bit the asphalt. what of it? that's not the point. if you're into it (cuz i totally am), i happen to enjoy pizza followed by tea and baked goods. Let's get some sometime ok?

feedback

i'll be changing the header in the next few days and trying out some things on here. feedback is much appreciated!

for the record i have NO idea where this header came from. i totally had something completely different already designed and then i just... got a fit of the happy bubbly giggles and that was born. happy bubbles LOL. I'm gonna live with it for a few days then see what goes on.

Also i have something in the works that will be... a miracle if it happens. Basically I just need to design... designdesigndesign all day and all night but I can't design something without material. So that's where you come in. Give me things to design. Suggestions, w00t shirts, logos, posters, your grandmother's 80th birthday invitation I don't care I just know when I do stuff for myself there is NO drive. For the record I am working on stuff for myself, I just deal with deadlines so much better. It's the designer in me? Heh...

If and when things play out I'll tell you the why of what i'm doing. First I need some what's. Collaborations are also welcome (I'm looking at you Kate and Katherine).

let's kern

"When designers sleep next to each other it's called kerning"

that made me lulz.

antarctica

So I'm watching this documentary on illustrators and graphic designers working together making a project called Serious Play and it really makes you think. 

I wish I had gone to an art school. My life would have been completely different. I probably would have been ripped apart but I might have come back together with my own style you know? 

I don't regret the people I've met the choices I've made but there is always that tiny inkling of... 'what if...' and i'm sure thats everyone. 

I feel like i need a close art partner... someone who doesn't want to compete with you... who doesn't want to secretly rip you off like half the art students at my alma mater and just want to help you grow and you help them grow. I think I could become fast friends with this imaginery perfect person. I don't feel nurtured as an artist I feel coddled like a baby. Like I'm way behind in my art and way ahead in my mind... it's a horrible paradigm

lately i've felt kind of in a floaty place. where i'm not really here nor there about anything not really mad or sad in terms of one topic or the other but i'm starting to get to a certain point:

Lots of people happen to be class A idiots.

You talk they don't listen, help they don't take it, love they don't want it, reach out they pull back. So whats the point? after a while you get tired of reaching, loving, talking, helping. The Bible says people need discipline because they don't understand words. Which is true... someone can tell you 'YOU NEED HELP' all you want but until you discipline your mind into changing... you stay the same. I'm not speaking to one person in particular... and if i was? It wouldn't matter because it wouldn't help. the first jump sets everything in motion. take the jump already JUMP otherwise you end up wih nothing... over... and over... and over again

i was out of your range...

lots of things have been going on in my life as of... forever haha i am super excited about some of then and some of them just SUCK. really a lot. but thats a normal part of life! hooray haha
BULLET POINTS!

• iiii made it through my senior show! i didn't think i would actually see that through just because i've never done something SO HUGE before it just seemed physically impossible for me to pull off. but it did. and things SOLD! what? i know.
• i graduated! as of 5 days ago i'm a college grad i have a DEGREE in graphic design HOLY crap haha... that just hit me... its a NICE FEELING. and i graduated cum laude... not bad!
• i have a summer job! a GOOD summer job doing graphics... wonderful
• the supplement is finished.... i've cleaned out my office (save my coffee pot and darkroom prints) and turned in my key. my tiny portion of reign has ended... i feel good having helped put out an amazing book with 2 amazing people...
• i have a new ROOM! i have my own room! ok for all the people that may be reading this scratching their head this is a BIG. DEAL. i... i just haven't had a space of my own in a while and... and i can close the door... and watch tv and DECORATE (i hung three of my pieces) and... UGH its amazing.
• i opened a savings account! FINALLY
• i bought Hideaway by the Weepies... *sigh* if i could adopt entire families it would be theirs.. and the Taylors... different subject though... never mind you don't know them.
• i bought pecan sandies today! obviously cause to celebrate.

I wrote that letter last night... it was more of me just rambling and not even feeling what i felt before. i didn't feel hurt or angry i felt sad like i'd lost a portion of something i really enjoyed before. i also felt LOSS cuz i do'nt think i'll get it back again... it kinda feels hopeless and pointless at the same time... its definitely time to move on. i think i can still rebuild a little bit but really... i just want to move past all this. it also sucks cuz i won't ever get to clear my name with a couple people. i just end up muddied in a lot of peoples eyes. that was never my intention.....

so thats MY life up to date finally! now the school children are invading the library and it is time to GOOOO. :0) g