me and Hunter...

"It's you and Hunter!" A gift from one of my cousins from Christmas...
Ahhhh, yes, apparently, my family sees me as an owl who loves kitties- so good!!!

note: the owl is wearing glasses, like yours truly....

The things we buy, the stories they tell...

One of my favorite things to do in the bit of free time is to stroll around Target, looking, at the people, as well as what they have for me to buy. People watching can be so educational aside from being super entertaining- who needs tv when you can go out and actually see people, and sometimes talk to them if you're feeling social, rather than watch them on a screen...? Yes, Target is a guilty pleasure, but, well, my life is sort of full of guilty pleasures....you only live once. And what great way to kill tow birds with one stone- I can pick up my day-to-day necessities AND be entertained! So, I particularly enjoy observing WHAT people buy, in this case, it was about what I bought- see below. It's fun to think about what people buy, what they're going to dow with what they bought, and why they bought it?


What stories can we make up about what I bought?
(In case this image isn't clear for you, I bought a GQ magazine with James Franco on the cover, a Revlon lipstick, and a christmas gift for my cat- come on, it's a catnip toy in the form of a can of sardines for pete's sake!)

City dwellers

Upon making my way through Santa Monica, turning down an alley to avoid all the obnoxious foot traffic of tourists, vagabonds and the usual mall crowd, I couldn't help but stop and take a look at this creature surfacing from the underground with big, bright red eyes....even HE wants to avoid the crowd...

the real 'la vie quotidienne' by Lanvin for H&M

So, part of my day consists of wandering on the interweb, as it is also part of your day I imagine...
And this is one of my recent stumblings if you haven't stumbled here already ; probably more ladies than gents, but it's not about gender here...

I love this site for many reasons, but, I few I'd like to point out here:
-the narrative quality all on the main page
-the illustrative style
-the use of color
-the clothes (of course)

I like that this site tells me a story about the TYPE of girl who wears these dresses- in a simple, yet very cute manner. As a consumer, it definitely has me sold on these party dresses; it's like the whole idea behind beer commercials (or advertising in general): if you drink this beer, these hot girls will wanna hang with you....

Also, I love incorporating the hand-made feel into work. To me, it communicates a more personal tone...

As for color, the dresses are the main point of focus, sprinkled throughout the page.

As for the dresses, well, I'm not sure I'll spend $250 on those dresses, yet....

Inspiration for a Monday...

Upon taking a leisurely lunch on this breezy, yet warm Monday afternoon, which kinda reminds me of what my mom would refer to as 'earthquake weather,' I stopped by this bookstore near my work, just because I was out and about. So as I was perusing, I came across one of this series I've been inspired by...
This is London, by M.Sasek is part of a series of books I've been in the processing of accruing. I currently own This is Hong Kong, Paris and New York...
In addition to being charming children's books about world travel, they're also aesthetically pleasing in their simple yet captivating illustrations and layout...
If you spend a lot of your time in shopping malls and plazas, you've probably seen these at Anthropologie and Barnes and Noble; and if you haven't already sat down with these books, maybe now's the time...

In with the old...

So, maybe it's just me, but it's not just about the object but rather the WHOLE experience of the object. I'm sure many of you feel the same.

So, I know how cool it is to walk around with my whole life at my fingertip-literally, on my telephone (which by the way should be called something other than a telephone because it does more than just that...), I can listen to my whole music catalogue WHENEVER I want, but that doesn't compare to this:

walking into a record store, exchanging hard-earned cash with a person for a brand new record, taking it home, opening it to admire the artwork, checking the track listing, smelling the crisp sleeves with fresh vinyl, placing side 1 on the turntable and setting the needle to hear that warm, crackly sound of amplified vibrations, the speakers turned all the way up so that I can hear it from my bedroom if I want to (which by the way isn't very far if you've seen my apartment).

My iphone cannot do that.

And maybe I'm just growing old and nostalgic for the things that remind me of youth...I do not know, but what I do know is that it isn't just these songs by these artists I enjoy. In fact, I don't think I could enjoy it as much if it didn't have the whole experience to go along with it.

I guess what I'm getting at here is that it's this PERSONAL experience that we're losing from downloading from iTunes, or whatever we're downloading from. You don't have to interact with ANYONE to access that music. In fact, we don't even have to touch it. We just click on a few links and it magically shows up almost instantly on our screen for us to listen to endlessly...so weird.

But it doesn't end here. Everything I love, I love because of the interaction I have with it: my favorite places to eat are my favorite not just for the food but also for the ambiance, the service, the crowd...I haven't given into a kindle because I love the smell of books, the feel of flipping pages, the cover art, using random objects on hand to mark my spot, going to the library....I buy things based on the package, partially based on my education in design, which came from my exposure to appreciating objects for their aesthetic qualities, as my mom used to sew a lot, which meant that I of course developed that interest...

My point here is that it's a much bigger picture here: USER EXPERIENCE.

So what if I like all these records, or have them. They're no good collecting dust on the shelf; kinda like a great pair of Chuck's- they're much better after a coupla months trekking across town so they fit to the shape of your foot....

So, this moment I had last night that I just shared with you wasn't about me being nostalgic. I embrace change and modern technology, I own an iphone for Pete's sake!

But to let it replace experiences like listening to records, the best technology couldn't even come close...

NOW! NOW! NOW!

So, I spent my lunch at the beach, as it is right across from our office. I made my way across the scorching hot sand, into the water, just enough to cool down my feet. I stepped into the sand as the tide pulled back and then ran away from the crashing waves, just as the little kids were, except that I couldn't step back into the office with a soggy dress. The little kids probably went to Ben 'N' Jerry's afterward, as they are only focused on enjoying summer.

So then I thought: "Maybe I ought to snap a pic of this moment" as that seems to be this generation's obsession. I was so inspired by the ease of these children's mood. They seemed to be focused on just the ocean, where as I was busy pondering whether or not to pull out my iPhone (this is why I do not have a photo for this entry).

This thought made me realize that we're living in such a time where we document EVERYTHING, and yes, I'm guilty; but I was able to decide, in this moment of connecting with nature, with the season, with the mood/ environment of summer all around, that "Nope-that would just spoil this moment."

What I'm getting at here is that WE'RE NOT PRESENT.

So, I'm here writing this because I thought I'd share this experience with you, so that you can learn as well; and maybe it won't stick for you, but hopefully you'll be a smidge more aware of the fact that you may be blowing an incredible moment. I have these conversations a lot with my friends about tweeting and Facebook about: who cares where you're at, what you're doing, or thinking. If anything, it's a place to brag about how cool you are, but we all participate because we can, and because it's kind of fun, like a guilty pleasure. We're so caught up in all of this posting/ updating/ tweeting/ blogging about EVERYTHING we do/ see/ think / hear/ feel that that amazing moment we experience gets lost in us trying to record it so our focus isn't on the experience anymore, but rather CAPTURING that experience.

We (and I say 'we' because I am guilty of everything) are so in to preserving that moment as if we're never going to experience it again- and yes, that may be true for some experiences, but, well, what I'm getting at here is that I recognized that we spend so much time elsewhere: dwelling on the past, planning the future, in transit from point A to point B, that we lose the NOW. And it isn't long before the now becomes the past, so I say, in those moments that you are trying so hard to record, worry about preserving AFTER the fact, or let someone else capture the spontaneity of your experience (they'll probably capture it more organically than you might be able to). And I'm not saying not to record anything, as it is fun to keep track of life, just don't forget to live...

LIVE IN THE NOW! (sometimes...)

Sharing is caring...

I currently hold three jobs at the moment. One of them is at the Museum of Latin American Art, in Long Beach. I lead art workshops every Sunday, free for all and they are based on what's being shown in the gallery. So, the current exhibition is that of Felipe Ehrenberg, a super cool artist from Mexico, with a lot of very colorful, fun, graphic work. And because his work is so fun, it calls for super-fun workshops, like the one I had this past Sunday, where I had a large image I had to break down into a grid and then have my peeps draw a different part of that grid to be combined into one collective piece. I usually have a nice mixture of adults and kids, in this case, it allowed for a very cool finished product in the end.

So, this job is so cool because I get to create an environment where people of all sorts get to explore their thoughts and ideas in an already inspired environment. Some people come in and tell me they don't know what to make/ do, but in this instance it was a little more direct, and the fact that it was a collaborative project, I think may have added to the pressure to contribute SOMETHING (kinda like those baskets that float around church: no one wants to be that one guy/ girl who didn't leave a contribution). In the end, we had a finished product that was a communal effort, where people could not only admire the work of others, but themselves as well.

It was so cool to be the leader of a creative process, to have cool material to work with as a tool to ignite the creative flame in other peeps who declare they, "have no artistic skills" or "don't know how to draw" or "can't" and that makes my heart swell with happiness.

I'd also like to add that art and creativity, is not about having your work up in a gallery, or trying to understand everything about each image but rather a means of expression (in my opinion and experience). And the fact that I get to share this idea with strangers, and instigate creativity, is so rewarding, (especially when they tell me how much fun they had, or how they've never worked with certain media before, or how this is their relaxing time), it makes my full day of work going from job-to-job, so worthwhile.

Also, I strongly believe in the idea that sharing is caring, and I think this lovely anecdote is just that. So I do hope that if you have something you are truly passionate about, something that gets you so excited, that it'd be nice to share. If you think about it, there had to have been someone who shared their excitement about something with you, right?

your John Hancock please

So, today I helped my boss prepare something to do with his photography side project, and it was in this simple task that it occurred to me of the importance of a signature, or mark, or branding.

So the question was: signature or no signature. It made me realize, that yes, of course you need to sign it- a. it identifies that it was actually made by someone, and b. it gives value to the piece. On the other hand, it also seems pretentious for those same reasons as to why it should be signed.

Regardless, it all goes back to your mark- your identity, who you are, as a designer, as a member of society, as a human being....

Pretty deep, I know...

designing in the un-real world

So, I'm currently reading this very basic, but interesting nonetheless, book called: Stop Stealing Sheep & find out how type works, by Erik Spiekermann and E.M. Ginger.

I'm also in the process of creating wireframes for a website, so my mind is flooded with all kinds of thoughts.

One thought I've been chewing on for a while is the idea of creating something non-existent- I mean, it exists, but not really, you can't touch it, you can only see it, or experience it optically.

I guess I'm just getting at this: the more time I spend thinking about where this project is going to manifest, the more I'm kinda weirded out by it, this worldwide web that's WORLDWIDE, meaning it's everywhere, but really, it's nowhere.

So, this thought isn't anything new, as I'm sure you thought this same thing at one point, but when you actually have to make something to exist in this place that isn't physically existent, it's a bit of a trip- I mean, this is what people do for a living- web designers, user interface designers, developers and programmers, making websites we can only experience visually- we can't touch them, but we can make it look like you can, and that's weird, but I guess it's just like taking a flat, fresh sheet of paper and drawing a landscape and creating the illusion of depth, right? The only difference is that this entails creating the illusion of depth on a computer monitor...again, nothing new here, just me being easily amused and sharing my amazement with you- that's what a blog is for, right?

As for the book, I think everyone should read it- it should be required in school, not just for designers. It's a fun and easy read.

Target kicks ass!!

I haven't seen this dress in any Targets, had to buy it online and I'm so excited to wear it!!

Target kicks ass!! 

Who's job is it at Target headquarters to decide which designers to work with?Whoever has this job kicks ass.

Whoever you are, thank you.

So in love...

So, another rainy day in sunny Los Angeles; who cares though? I'm in love. The rain's  actually quite refreshing to me anyway...

Anyhow, during one of our production meetings here at the studio, my boss shared with us the recent Diesel campaign http://www.diesel.com/, it's pretty awesome, content-wise and visually- simple, neat, yet so much fun! Right up my alley.  If you know me, you know that I love mostly everything, but one part of the day here I love the most is our production meetings. I love them not only for the coffee break, but because it's time away from our desk to respond to each other's work, to brainstorm and to share cool/ inspiring/ fun findings, and then I post them here. But I love also that I learn an extraordinary amount from what seems like a light discussion over coffee. And even though I feel like I am lacking something, I always leave our meetings feeling tons of ideas and thoughts churning through the coils of my brain waiting to make their way on the computer screen- and that's a production meeting. 

The internet is green

So far, the biggest issue I've observed here at the design studio is that the final product is usually determined by the demands/ needs of the client/user/consumer. The issue is how to make the demands of the client work with the creativity of the design agency, whcih seems very rudimentary but I just had to point it out because it's what makes this job so exciting and challenging.

So, I've been doing a lot of research on the internet, mostly checking out websites to see what people are doing, taking notes and then sharing them with my boss and fellows. 

I've been starting my searches with  http://www.smashingmagazine.com. It's a pretty helpful site, a lot of the work is already done for you with sites already neatly compiled for your viewing; I'd recommend giving it a look.

Anyhow, doing all this research made me realize again that there is so much of the same stuff going on out in the world, and the idea of making something new, newness, is kind of non-existent, almost. It's more about refreshing an idea, at least that's what my research has shown. As an artist/ designer, I am influenced so much by my environment and experiences that when I attempt to make something, I don't go for new, I pull thoughts, memories, receipts from the bottom of my purse, whatever reminded me of that thought to create, and I go from there. The interesting thing is that a lot of people out there have the same final products, but what brought them to that final product I'm sure was not the same thought or thought process and to me that's so interesting that we can end up in the same place by way of different routes, like driving on the freeway. I can take the 405 all the way to Santa Monica or I can take the 710 to the 90 and exit Lincoln-either way I go, I'm still going to end up in Santa Monica.

So in the end, we're just recycling-the internet is a "green" environment full of recycled thoughts and I love it(even though I don't really love the term "green").