3 sexy journal designs

In light of my recent contest to win a set of FIELD NOTES notebooks, see here, I've been inspired to pick up my journal once again and keep daily notes. Everything from simple to-do lists about work that needs to get done, to doodling, all the way to my next great idea that will change the world forever. So when I got word this morning from friend and fellow twitterer, Aaron Irizarry, about the "Design and designers you love" writing contest going on over at Designer-Daily I thought I'd show you my list of the top three sexiest journals you need to own.

"The Legendary Notebook"

First off we have the classic Moleskin journal. This finely crafted beauty is one of the top selling journals worldwide. It's sleek, simple design is what first lured me in, as it has it's own gravitational force. But you can't judge this journal by it's cover alone, no you must own one to unveil the real beauty inside. The moleskin will always hold a special place on my bookshelf. And the best part about them is they are offered in a wide variety of styles, to suit anyone's wants or needs.

• Ruled
• Squared
• Plain
• Sketchbook
• Japanese Accordian Album

I have personally owned a few Moleskin journals over the years and they never let me down. Their durability and sleek design make it easy for me to carry them along with me wherever I go. The solid hardcover puts me at ease when it's squashed by tons of books or when my dogs try to get a hold of it. And the pages are of such fine quality that it makes me nervous to jot something down. I know that must sound weird, and maybe it's my OCD showing, but I'd rather preserve the beauty of it's blank pages than scribble something of no use. But that's what a journal is for, to get those thoughts, sometimes useless, out of our heads and on to the paper so we can get onto more productive thoughts. And the Moleskin let's you do this with ease and beauty.

"I'm not writing it down to remember it later, I'm writing it down to remember it now."

As the official quote for Field Notes journals you can rest assured that they aren't skimping on their quality. These little guys remind me of what an archeologist or detective from the mid 20th century might have used. They sport a very simple design and a rugged three-staple saddle-stitch binding. Not to mention that they are all made here in the U.S.A.. When you order off their website they are prompt to get your order out as soon as possible. (I received mine in less than a week.) And when it arrives in the mail in it's beautiful cardboard envelope you can find the following goods awaiting you:

• Three 48-page memo books.
• Each 3-1/2″ wide by 5-1/2″ tall.
• Perfect 1-pica-graphed paper.
• Pencil, Bic Clic Pen & other goodies.

Update: Since writing this post a month ago I have grown to love and adore my simple little Field Notes. They travel with me wherever I go, riding in my back pocket, just waiting until I get a new idea that I need to write down. And when I'm at work they sit patiently in front of me, waiting for the right time when I'll take a break from my computer, and commit to using pen and paper for a few moments. They hold up extremely well and the graph paper makes it great to keep lists and other to-do items. So far I'm still on the first of three notebooks, but I'm already excited about ordering more.

"The French Orange (& Black) Notebooks with a Cult Following"

I must be honest, I've never actually owned a Rhodia journal, at least not yet. But just look at them. The iconic cover with it's boldface font and two fir trees screams "BUY ME!" to any self-respecting designer. Each notebook is filled with 80 sheets of 80 g acid-free white vellum paper. And the unique scored cover allows you to neatly fold your pages over the back. If you have ever used one of these before I'd love to hear your personal feedback on them.

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Well there you have it. That's my list and I'm sticking to it. But please, if you know of any other great journals out there that you like I'd love to hear about them. Surely this isn't the end-all-be-all list of sexy journals. Or is it?

one year blogiversary

In light of my upcoming one-year anniversary for my blog, October 13, I am offering up the chance to win the wonderful FIELD NOTES THREE-PACK for free to one lucky person. No shipping and handling, no call now and get two for the price of one gimmicks. Just a simple, straight-talkin' free gift to give back to this community that I've been a part of for the past year.

Why, you may ask, am I offering just three plain notebooks? That's a valid question. And to answer your question, upon verification from a google search about "one-year anniversaries" I found that the traditional gift has something to do with paper. Whether that be in the form of a notebook, a love letter, stationary, you get the idea. So I thought, perfect, since I'm a designer and most people who visit my site would be more apt to be a designer, or at least interested in design. This would be the perfect gift to keep your ideas close at hand in a stylish way.

The contest will run until next Friday, October 17. All you need to do to be eligible to win is leave a comment below with the best reason you can muster on why you'd like these notebooks. Note: spam and ad links do not count. Also, don’t forget to provide a valid email address in the input field, otherwise I won’t be able to notify you.

Thanks and good luck.

a confession

The following contains a story of hope and brutal honesty that is not popular to talk about amongst most Christians.

For as long as I can remember the grip of lust has followed me around like a lost puppy that I just couldn't say no to. Growing up in the "free world" has it's many advantages, free water, free speech, free education to name just a few, but to every coin there are two sides. The flip side of the "free world" is the glamorous, dirty exploitation of a woman's body to help sell a product. You don't have to be a Christian either to see this truth, just flip through the pages of any popular magazine or better yet, take a trip to your local mall. These images plastered on buildings, magazines, websites with seductive women staring back at us exploit the weakness in men's hearts everywhere and weaken our defenses to keep our minds pure.

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Philippians 4:8

Oh boy, this is not going to be easy. But it always gets worse before it gets better.

A few days before my breakthrough I had sent out a text to two of my closest brothers asking for their prayers. This war inside of me had been building a time bomb and I knew if I didn't call for help then all hell was going to break loose inside of me. Well not literally, but my heart was feeling crushed under an incredible weight and my soul was running on fumes. You see, even though I knew I was forgiven for all sin past, present and future my mind still wanted to mess with me and tell me that there's no way I could be forgiven for how many times I've sinned. But that's why God is God, and His love in unconditional and beyond human understanding.

THEN FREEDOM CAME!

The power I've found in bringing the darkness of my heart to light is out of this world, down right heavenly! The Catholics do have one thing right, confessional. Maybe not in a booth, and maybe not to a person that sits on the other side of a partition, but the simple truth behind confessing our sins can not be argued with.

"Therefore, make it your habit to confess your sins to one another and to pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." James 5:16

My hope is that Christians everywhere would turn their hearts to The Lord and find forgiveness through the power of the Blood of Jesus Christ. That IS the stuff dreams are made of. If you've ever struggled with unforgiveness, the Blood covers that, if you've ever struggled with tormenting temptations, yep the Blood's got it under control, if you've ever struggled with thoughts of suicide, no problem for the Blood of Jesus Christ.

I was born separated from God, grew up living a life filled with doubt, about my salvation, shame, from my addiction to porn, self-righteousness, from never having smoked, drank, or killed anyone (under the assumption that God had a rating scale for sin), and confusion, about how to be a man. But Hallelujah that now I can live a life free from doubt, shame or confusion and be the man that I was always meant to be.

33 reasons to follow me on twitter

1. I won't over load your feed with nonsense
2. Because twittering lowers your cholesterol
3. My middle name is Andrew
4. Two words, Twitter Tools
5. I like to DIGG
6. I know how to FLOAT
7. Like Adelle says, Just Tweet It
8. Or like Dwight says, "Don't think about it, just do it, 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 -1"
9. I prefer quality over quantity
10. BEER ME
11. I'm extremely organized
12. I'd like to use one of my life-lines
13. My breath doesn't stink in the morning
14. I'll be gentle ... promise
15. You WON'T shoot your eye out
16. Are you from Tennessee? Because you're the only ten I see!
17. I always wear my seatbelt
18. I think "going green" refers to sexual relatioins with the Jolly Green Giant
19. I won't play games with your heart
20. I'm a good listener
21. I found Carmen Sandiego ... but still looking for Waldo
22. Part of the DFW WordPress meetup
23. I would rather vote for Ron Paul
24. I know THIS GUY
25. Because words like death don't scare me
26. Willing to share my knowledge about the BARF diet with you
27. Can offer advice to your intermediate WordPress questions
28. Enjoys my morning cup of tea
29. I love to meet new people
30. I know who killed the electric car
31. Because you can never have to many friends
32. It's WAY faster than email
33. To sum it up, I'm pretty much awesome

follow me

interview: Shannon Rankin

Shannon Rankin is an artist based out of Rangeley, Maine. Her work is composed of collages, drawings, paintings, installations, and even a few experimental videos. I first came across the work of Shannon back in May of this year. Her pieces with vintage maps and anatomical silhouette's all being connected with thread really appealed to me. The simple manner in which she constructs her work is what sets her apart from so many other artist. I am really excited to be able to bring the work of Shannon Rankin to your attention and I hope you all enjoy.

1. First off, I love the simplicity of your work. Can you tell me how you first become interested in art?

Thanks Kyle. I was a creative kid growing up with an artistic mother who always encouraged the creativity in me, but it never really occurred to me that I could be an artist until much later in life. In High School, I took one art class that lasted for a quarter of a semester, which was a lot of fun, but not at all serious. Once I got out into the “real” world, I would repeatedly meet artists and designers who became my friends and would inspire and encourage me. One day, it suddenly dawned on me that I could also do this, be this! So, I’ve had a lot of catching up to do…

I went to art school, and it was an amazing experience for me. Everything seemed to really make sense for me there, and I suddenly realized I was in the right place, at the right time.

2. What is your background in art and design, professional or non-professional, and what made you become an artist/designer?

I attended the Maine College of Art in Portland, Maine. I received my bachelor of fine arts there, but my main focus for my final two years was in graphic design, and new media. After graduating, I spent some time creating interactive art, but that didn’t always pay the bills, so I attempted a life as a graphic designer, I moved out west, and began working for clients, etc. I was okay at it, but it didn’t fulfill me at all, and I felt limited being a graphic designer. So one day, I made the decision to dive wholeheartedly into being an artist.

3. Who or what would you say has the biggest influence on the work you're doing?

I would say probably the two greatest influences on my work are nature, and the books I’ve been reading on and off over the past 10 years, books by Alan Watts, Carl Jung, Henry Miller, Joseph Campbell, Carl Sagan, and now Eckhart Tolle.

4. What tools do you normally use for a project from start to finish?

Well, of course that depends on what I am working on at the time. However, it often begins with a mechanical pencil, vellum, paper, maps, an X-acto knife, a lot of blades, a needle, thread, scissors, an awl, a bone folder, gouache, paintbrushes, and sometimes ends with archival glue.

5. What has been your favorite project you've worked on, and what has been the hardest?

It doesn’t tend to happen too often, but if I am working on a series where I feel that someone may have an expectation of me, or the work, I tend to freeze up a bit. So that can be difficult.

However, when I feel that I have complete freedom and the work surprises me, those are the best times, and my favorite projects to work on!

6. How would you say being an artist influences your life? Do you feel you have a different perspective on things around you?

For me, being an artist is a lifelong commitment. It’s a commitment to what I believe is my purpose in life. It isn’t always easy because there are times when it is a struggle to believe, and trust in yourself and the work. That’s when I just have to keep plugging along. I believe part of the struggle is part of the process, and you just have to move through whatever it is that might block you, or allow yourself time to rest. My grandmother always said, “This too shall pass”.

Art making is a meditative process for me. While I am creating, I allow myself to be totally present in the work. It’s that “white moment” that allows me to feel connected to something greater than myself, and allows me to make work that has an energy or essence about it that I hope people resonate with.

7. How do you spend your spare time?

These days my spare time is taking walks with my squeeze | Justin Richel

and our little kitty | Theodore

8. What are your five favorite sites you visit?

I’m a tad obsessed with Flickr (and the lovely community there), so I have to say I love to keep up with what these (how about) 6 artists are doing these days. I feel that all of them are creating some really fresh work that is always hugely inspiring to me!

Betsy Walton

Maxwell Loren Holyoke-Hirsch

Allyson Mellberg

Robert Hardgrave

Alexis Anne Mackenzie

Hernan Paganini

9. In your artist statement you speak of finding connection, do you think you'll ever find what you're looking for or will there always be more to explore?

I hope there will be many more connections to discover! It’s the seeking that keeps me engaged, and always curious about what might be around the bend!

10. Thanks for taking the time to participate. Do you have any last words of inspiration or a favorite quote?

Thanks Kyle for inviting me! I’d say my all time favorite quote is by Joseph Campbell – “Follow your bliss”. It’s a very simple quote and if you can truly follow, I believe all good things will come.

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For more of Shannon's work you can visit her blog or on flickr. And if you're interested in making a purchase please visit her etsy shop.

workiversary

Today I am celebrating the one-year anniversary at my job, aka my workiversary. Looking back on this past year I must admit I've reached a level of success that I didn't think possible. You see, when I left the military and my wife and I moved back home I had no clue as to what lie ahead. My only direction was the way that God was moving in my life. And when He said "yes" to me getting out of the military I didn't waste one second. Of course we had made preparations for our move back home, such as saving $10,000 and making plans to stay with friends until we found an apartment, but there was no job waiting for me. If there's one thing God has taught me though, it's that making preparation is just as important, if not more than, the actual manifestation of his promises.

So it was no surprise when the first job I took was working in the photo lab at Walgreens. That lasted mmm... less than a week, and with the famous last words "Thanks, but no thanks" coming from the manager, I gladly removed my vest and walked home. That was on a Friday, and I started at Half Price Books the following Monday. My month long stint at Half Price was enjoyable, I met some cool people and fulfilled one of my desires to always work at a bookstore. (FYI - it's just another job) But I knew something better still awaited me. And around the middle of September I got a call from a recruiter who knew of a company that was looking for a web designer. Let me back up and say that if it weren't for my friend and resume writing ninja, Sydney Smith, I would've never got that call. Thanks.

I think there are few times in life when you know, without a doubt, that The Lord has directed your steps and you are exactly where you need to be. My interview at WaveTwo was one of these moments. When talking casually with my future boss, John Arnott Sr., after my interview I came to find out that we did the exact same job in the military. Only his service preceded mine by a good thirty years. And that may not seem like much to the natural eye, but after I heard that something inside of me knew this was a perfect fit. Now a year later my knowledge of web design and development have far exceeded my expectations. Even having to work with Microsoft products has taught me to humble myself and my attitude towards those who aren't fortunate enough to know the joys of owning a mac.

So it's been a good great year for me. My only hope is that this next year is even better.

community

I know I've always valued the importance of community but today really hit home.

Saturdays are usually a difficult day for me, one because I have nothing to do and two because I can think of a million things to do. (Note: When you own a home your "to-do" list never seems to end.) So I usually try to take it easy and have no plans made. That way I'm not committed to anyone or anything, making it easier to enjoy my weekend and be spontaneous.

However, within the past few months I've started to take a more active role in becoming involved in the design community in the greater Dallas area. I started with the Refresh Dallas monthly meetings, which are a great way to learn about new and interesting technologies. And just today I attended my first WordPress meetup group. I was nervous thinking about who I would meet and what kind of people actually attend these things. Not to mention that it started to feel like more of a burden the more I debated going. My thought pattern went something like this:

• Will there be anyone I can relate too?
• Am I going to show up and everyone just ignores me?
• Did I put on too much cologne?
• Am I overdressed?
• Thanks TomTom for directions, now where is the damn deli?

My nerves were put to rest the moment I walked in the door of the restaurant, P.D. Johnson's, as I was waved over to the table and began to make my introductions. The next two hours were spent chatting about WordPress (obviously), twitter, dogs, Plurk, servers, Ping.fm, our failing economy, the new homeless, as well as enjoying what everyone else was talking about. The range of experience from everyone brought about a nice balance to the conversations. There are those who run multiple sites on multiple servers to those who are just learning about websites. It was great to see how everyone was treated with the same respect and no one was left out.

Now I just have to be patient for WordCamp Dallas 2009.