Breakout Session

in

I am so excited. This year will mark my first ever public speaking engagement. And what better place to get my feet wet than within a community of creative believers at ECHO Conference. I have to be honest though, the thought of standing before a group of people makes my knees weak. But I believe with proper preparation and practice I can kill this thing. So the obvious question is, what am I going to talk about? I wish I had a nice short answer for you.

Initial Thoughts

When I first spoke to Scott McClellan on the phone about speaking at the conference I just shared what’s been on my heart over the last year. What God has been teaching me about my identity and finding my own style and really being comfortable with that. Not relying on the approval or praise of others. And through that being able to encourage others to take time and find their passion and their own style.

Bringing it into Focus

Like Lucas told Mark in Empire Records, “First thing you need is a name. Then you’ll know what kinda band you got.” Okay, I’m not forming a band, but the point is still relevant. Once I decide on a title for my talk it should help bring the rest into focus. I really want to make it informative but entertaining. Probably do some Q/A at the end. And most importantly, learn to not take myself too serious.

Keeping it Simple

Above all else I want to keep this whole thing simple. I err on the side of making things more complicated than they need to be. Ugh! So my biggest hurdle I believe will be reminding myself to simplify. Just be honest and remain calm. I didn’t end up here by chance.

So if you’re in, or around, the Dallas area on July 27-29 you should come out and see all the great speakers at ECHO Conference. I’m excited to hear/meet Carlos Whitaker, Joshua Blankenship and Scott Belsky. You can register here.

A Consistent Life

in

What’s the first thing you say when someone asks how you’re doing? If it’s at a social function, probably good, at church, maybe really good, and if it’s at work, I think busy is most common. Busy. We can sum up so much without saying a whole lot because we’re too busy to talk.

Well I believe that the words we speak hold more power than we give them credit for. And I don’t like listening to myself say how busy I am, as if I’m some boring business man. My life has more depth to it than how much work I have to do. I am not defined by my successes or failures.

So I’m going to work on changing my vocabulary from busy to consistent. I think the very word, consistent, has a nice ring to it. It makes me think of a river flowing or grass growing or the sun rising. Those things that aren’t very burdensome, but happen consistently every day. That’s how I want to live.

Finding Joy in Others

in

Jealousy. Envy. Defeat. These were the heavy burdens that once ruled my heart when I saw someone’s work that was so much better/different than my own. This happened a lot when I was first starting out in web design. But I think it’s more than just designers that suffer, it’s a human condition. We want to be better than everyone else. But when we only focus on ourselves we miss the bigger picture. There can not be community without unity. No “I” in team. That whole thing. Recently my heart’s been transformed to see and appreciate the gifts other people have. Not just appreciate, but really be happy and excited for them. It’s been a long process happening in me as I’ve become more comfortable with who I am as a person/designer. I like making things that aren’t perfect and I’m okay with that. A lot of my friends are killing the perfect pixel or doing other hand-drawn stuff and I love it.

I’m excited to be a part of the design community. I’m excited to see more people come in to their own and really shine. I’m seeing it happen more and more. I can’t tell you how good it feels to have these heavy burdens lifted and replaced with love and joy for others.

The State of Art

in

Without a sense of purpose the act of creating is purely selfish. If we don’t have any vision or value behind the work we’re creating it’s all for naught. Vanity.

I’ve seen so much work recently that is is empty and void of meaning. Maybe that’s the artists intentions? Maybe like my friend Rogie said, “thats a picture of the author’s condition.” Only God knows the heart.

I am just a judge of the cover. Please forgive me.

Still my heart wonders. Do people identify more with lost and loneliness and less with hope and purpose? Is it easier to create from a place of melancholy and sadness? Absolutely.

But like Paul said, ” these three remain: faith, hope and love.”

What’s the win state?

in

Mr. Chimero posted some brief, but insightful, thoughts about the unofficial slogan of the year, winning. I recommend you take a few minutes and go read his thoughts before continuing on with mine. We all having different opinions based on our background, beliefs and biases but I’m of the opinion that winning only means one thing to all of us. What sets us apart though is how we react to winning, or not winning for that matter.

A lot of us probably feel like we aren’t really winning at anything. We go through the motions more than we make motions of our own. But from where I’m sitting there seems to be a change on the horizon. A new generation is about to wake up to the fact that there is more to winning than a 9 to 5 and a 401k. I’m not talking about the dreamers of pop-stardum, but those who have been working late nights and weekends with a burning passion.

But even when we start to make motions of our own, is that really winning? I think winning is overrated. I just want to play the game and have a ton of fun doing it. Maybe that’s just my state of win though.

A Big Grey Area

in

After writing my rant on photography I realized I needed to clarify some things. My intention was not to say you shouldn’t consider yourself a photographer unless that’s how you make a living. My hope was to express the importance of patience and practice. I am frustrated by the sense of entitlement surrounding our generation. I love the fact that people everywhere now have the ability to capture their everyday lives on camera. The technology today makes it possible for friends and families to stay connected whether they’re across town or across the world. Websites like flickr and vimeo and tumblr have made it really easy to stay connected with people. This is the upside to all our technology.

Which brings me to my point. What is the difference between the enthusiasts and the professionals? An enthusiasts is someone who does it for fun but without any real knowledge of what they’re doing. They may be learning, which is good, but they haven’t reached that level of professionalism yet. A professional is someone who does it for fun but has the knowledge and experience to know when to break the rules.

It’s really hard to be so black and white with an issue that has so many grey areas. I believe we are all learning day-to-day about how to be better at what we love to do. At least I can speak for myself. For someone just starting out the feeling will be totally different than someone who’s been in the game for 10-20 years.

Wherever you on your professional journey please know that there will always be those ahead of you and those behind you. Just be humble and gracious to accept any amount of recognition you get in this life. No one likes a douche.