Gratitude

Every morning on my way to work, I amuse myself with a read from the 24Hour paper.

Well actually I find news quite depressing on the best of days so I wouldn't really call it amusing but none-the-less there are some days when I come across a little nugget of joy that makes me smile, making it all worth it.

Today a reader had been having a rough start to her day and wanted to write in to this newspaper to publicly thank someone for his kind gesture of holding the bus that she was running to catch. I just loved her outpouring of appreciation and I wonder if he realized at the time, how much his gesture meant.

I've been in this situation many-o-times so I can completely relate how much it means to catch the bus you need to catch.

In fact on Friday my bus didn't show so I had to run to the commuter rail station from my house. I had 10mins before the next train came and I had a 12minute run ahead of me. Needless to say I ran REALLY REALLY fast.

After 10minutes of running, I was in sight of the station and I still had time - the train hadn't arrived yet. But just as fast as that thought popped into my head, the train pulls up and I still have a minute or two of running. I kept pushing, harder, faster and finally...I make it!

Thankfully the conductor had seen a few stragglers running and decided to hold the train for an extra minute. I really appreciated the gesture of him waiting. It really would have to sucked to run all that way and have to wait a 1/2 hour for the next one. Luckily it wasn't all for not and I made sure to leave a gratitude card on my chair when I left.

These stories really make me consider my own actions and how much a small gesture can affect others in such a big way. You could literally be making, or breaking, someone's day based on what you do, or don't do. That's why we gotta make 'every...one' count.

Be Creative to Be Creative

I read a great article a couple of days ago that outlined finding your creativity and being creative in order to find it. (Quite the catch-22)

I know at times my creativity goes A.W.O.L. and I'm left with a lot of empty space in my head. It's quite frustrating, especially when I'm in the mood to create but my right brain is not; it can be quite the battle. When that happens, I tend to completely shut off and step away hoping to gently coax my creativity back. (Is this just a "me" thing?)

I've told you about my Do Not Design days right? Well, sometimes it takes more than one for my creativity to appear again and when it does come back, the ideas are abundant (and usually show up at 2am or in a dream so gotta keep that bedside sketchbook handy).

This article not only got me thinking about stepping back more often, but made me ask myself what I could do to prevent such peaks and valleys.

My thought was not going into a creative coma, but to switch gears. Instead of being on the computer designing, surfing, playing, then vegging for days on end, maybe getting back to the roots of art class would be a better, more productive, option? (I know, I know...bad me for not doing that already.)

Now that I think of it, there were a lot of really great art projects that I had such a great time exploring. It would be a great switch from staring at a computer screen for hours on end at the very least.

Ooh remember the good old days of designing a page layout or designing type by hand?!
It's time to pull out the old sketchbook.

A Tourist In Your Own City

Every now-and-then I like to be a tourist in my own city.

Just today I was talking about the amount of times I've been to Victoria (a stones throw away from Vancouver), on holiday or on a field trip in my younger years, and for the most part, did the same things. Over the past few years, I had made it a point to do something different each time. One year my love and I really stepped out of the box and did a ghost walking tour and a whale watching tour on a zodiac. These things I would never think of doing unless I was far away but because I acted like I was far away, it was the most memorable trip there to date.

There's something about exploring things in your own city. Sometimes forgetting the expense or at least trying something new, really makes for a great experience. Just like if you were traveling to some far away land on some exotic vacation. There are no rules!

Yesterday I had the pleasure of venturing out on a lower mainland wine tour with West Coast Wine Education. Having gone on a Napa Valley wine tour a couple of years ago, I thought it would be fun to do one here.

I'm not much of a wine expert but I do appreciate a nice glass of wine occasionally and I love being a tourist. Not to mention I'm naturally very curious about everything so expanding my palette and my knowledge for wines was definitely a welcome opportunity.

We set out at a reasonable hour and headed over to a winery in New Westminster called Pacific Breeze (which you'd never expect to be there). What I liked most is that they are all about selling smaller amounts of wine at a higher quality. I liked that idea and something I strive for when it comes to my design.

The rest of the day we spent in Langley at a few more wineries (Township 7, Domaine de Chaberton, Vista D'Oro Farms <-my fave) sipping more wine, having lunch, and taking photos of the scenery. (I posted 3 of my faves in this posting. What do you think?)

Overall, it was a really fun day. Touring in a nice comfy shuttle bus with my mom, her friend, and 10 strangers made for a fantastic break from the ordinary. I highly recommend it!

There wasn't one particular part of the day that was better than another but if I had to choose a favorite it would be learning more about wine making and the methods taken to produce different flavours. (John was very knowledgable). And I have to admit, I also really enjoyed analyzing the wine labels and bottle designs *snicker*

At the end of the day, I didn't pack any wine home but I did snag a $7 box of really awesome crackers and a $8 small jar of Honey & Raspberries; What can I say, I'm a sucker for honey. The crackers barely fared the day but the honey will be savored nice and slow.

And little did I know, there are actually honey farm tours! Now THAT would be fun! I'll be sure to add that to my list of things to do. I wonder if there are any honey farms nearby I could hit up?

Apples to Apples

With the exception of the cauliflower, these food items are all green. (Anyone disagree?)

But, the question IS, do they all taste the same?

Well of course not. We wouldn't expect them to either because we're not comparing two of the same kind. So of course we're going to get different flavours, different shapes, varying shades of green, and different prices. Nothing is absolute here.

I think this metaphor is a good one to help clients (and designers) understand the variances in the graphic design industry. It's not as cut-and-dry as some may think. There are a variety of designers with different education, experience, professional accreditations, and even creative style. All of this will effect the end price for each project but remember that you get what you pay for.

Too many times I've seen Craigslist postings advertising a logo for $50. Those designers are either undercharging, hoping to land the job in-turn devaluing their work, or they just won't produce high-quality work that effectively communicates and the money spent, is now wasted. As a client, do you want to partake in either?

To further complicate that issue, Wallmart (of all places) is now offering stationery and marketing materials for small businesses through their very own print shop.

These two instances may give the impression that this profession is so easy anyone can do it, even Wallmart. But as I have said in previous postings, that's not the case and never will be.

Graphic designers can also use this as a metaphor for clients too. No ONE client has the same needs as another so having cookie-cutter pricing is also unrealistic and isn't the best business practice. By doing so, you may over-charge or you may under-charge and who wants to run a business doing either?

Like the plate of food, just because they're all green doesn't mean they're all created equal.

I Got Karma In My Pocket

For the past few days I've been making sure to keep my karmic freebies close at hand.

Monday I printed a set and left the house determined to find somewhere to plant one. At first, I didn't think I would have much of a chance to hand them out but as the days went by, I've been pleasantly surprised to see that I actually have more opportunities than I thought.

The bus drivers I encounter on a daily basis, the commuter train attendants, the waiter/waitress that waited on me and my man tonight at a restaurant, the baristas who make my misto to perfection each time...

Once I started handing them out I couldn't stop! I wanted to hand them out to everyone I came across! It not only made me feel great to recognize someone's efforts, but it gave me lots of ideas and inspiration for some more cards that will be added to my site soon.

I only have a few left, so I'm going to try to get out there to hand out some more.

Feel-Good Freebie

Lately I have been thinking about how to reinvent this karma project of mine to make it less like a "shop" and more like a community.

After roaming the internet for some-hours searching for inspiration I came across quite a few sites that sparked some excitement. There was a site in particular called Operation Nice that I was really taken in by. I felt I could really relate to the project and the people involved, even though I had never met them. There was a closeness there which made me think of what I could do with my project that gave people that same feeling of camaraderie and community. I was most inspired by the flower handouts that were accompanied by "Nice" tags. I felt that was a really great way of giving back and making people feel special.

That's when I thought of creating karma cards that could be downloaded and printed from anyone's computer on printable business cards. In this crazy world of super-evolving technology and depressing state of financial affairs, I thought this was a great way to get back to the roots of communication and personal connections.

This first set expresses gratitude towards someone who might give you great service; a waitress, a service clerk, a gas attendant. And because these cards are generic, they can be passed around from person to person.

They are free to download here.

And I would love to hear how you're using them. Or if you have a suggestion or idea for a future freebie, please email me.

Enjoy your karma!

Desktop Wallpapers : August

I just realized that I totally forgot to post wallpapers for July! Here they are in case you want one without the calendar.

Good thing I caught August before it whizzed by!

My favorite (and chosen) wallpaper this month is the memory design mainly for it's vintage colouring and the essence of world-travel.

What's your favorite?

Ready! Aim...Aim...Aim...Aim...Aim...Fire!

Have you ever heard of the phrase: Ready, Aim, Fire?
Of course you have! But I'm not talking about firearms here.

*Story time!*

For most of my creative career (all 5 years of full and part-time experience) I thought I had this ready, aim, fire theory down-pat. If I sought a new job, I went for it without a second thought. This pattern repeated for some years until I realized it wasn't working. The jobs I was landing weren't what I thought they were and I wasn't learning anything new. I was spinning in circles thinking there had to be something wrong with the system or (heaven-forbid) ME!


I went for a short business meeting with an extremely sweet lady who told me that I had the fire, but not the "ready, aim". I had only been sitting with her for less than an hour and she knew more about me than I did! She also reminded me of a book I once read which talked about the "Ready, Aim, Fire" concept.

After digesting her words, I realized that my impatience had got the better of me without even realizing it; I was firing at random hoping that I would hit my target but in the end, I hit everything BUT.

Lately I've been somewhat experimental in trying to see what would happen if I waited things out and let go of expectations. So far it's been really eye-opening to repel every instinctual thought and programmed response I have ever known. The reactions I get from others are even more positive and my results are far better than they have been in the past. Sure my impatience still nags at me, but it's becoming more like a whisper.

I like this new patient me...