The Consumer Church

It's not just good enough to buy Toms shoes to make a difference in this world. Faith without actions is dead works. It's that simple. God didn't give us brains and hearts to sit around and wait for some "voice from heaven" to come and tell us what to do. The world doesn't care if we follow our hearts, but we are depriving it of our gifts if we don't. The first step in any recovery program is admitting you have a problem. Well I'm here to admit I have a problem with us as the church. We say we care, yet we continue to spend millions of dollars on new buildings and lighting and sound equipment. We say we tithe, yet we continue to live in debt and live way beyond our means. Our sh*t stinks and the world knows it. We aren't fooling anyone.

But there is hope. I believe there is a major rebirth of artists going on right now within the church. As an artist myself I sense all this stuff welling up inside of me. It feels like the only way I can combat the selfish man inside of me. Making something is much more satisfying to me than buying something these days. And not just for myself, but for all humanity. I believe if we can raise up artists, respect them and let them contribute to the conversation then we might be surprised what will happen.

Charting my course

Finding ones own voice in the midst of a million other people is not an easy task. There are many mountains to climb and many valleys to walk through. But I don't think anything compares to that voice inside your head that makes you think you're not any good. It's the doubt that stands in the way for all of us most of the time. We have that "blank page" fear of starting something new. But if we never made the first mark then how would we know it's any good? Like riding a bike, so has it been for drawing in my life. As a child I loved to draw all the time, but growing up I found other things to keep me busy. So I didn't draw as much. Starting a journal was the best I could do at times. Making doodles on the edges of the paper. And not until a few years ago did I finally wake up to the reality that I am most comfortable with a pen in my hand. Just like riding a bike, it came back so natural for me.

My recent redesign of my website, kylesteed.com, is more about who I am as a person than what I do as a designer.  I wanted/needed it to reflect who I am and still showcase the work I have done. But, for me, the work is secondary. My biggest challenge was making sure the work reflected who I am and not the other way around. Thus is the challenge in all things I do.

I feel like this is a major milestone in my journey as a designer. One that I will look back on 10 years from now with a smile on my face. It feels like I've climbed a mountain and now I can look out over the valleys below, catch my breath, and take in the beautiful sight. Surely I would be a fool to think this is the highest peak along my journey, I know harder and more rewarding challenges await, but for now I am happy with where my feet are standing.

Why I quit shooting

I know that title has a few different connotations, but I will be sticking to the topic of dribbble for this blog post. So if you were hoping for a story about why I stopped shooting heroin or playing some b-ball then feel free to go grab a root beer and enjoy the rest of your day. But if you're actually interested in reading why I've stopped posting my designs to dribbble then by all means you've found the right place on the internet. So welcome. It all started a couple months ago when I was preparing for a worship retreat in Colorado and I made a vow, for one week, to sit in silence any time I sat down to draw or design and see what happened without any auditory influence. What I found has now shifted my whole paradigm. And I know it's been there all along, whispering in my ear, pulling on my heartstrings. But not until I shut off the music could I really listen. The still small voice was speaking to me about my identity and where, or rather where not, to find it.

I know dribbble wasn't created to be a place where people find validation but it sure seemed to be heading that direction last I checked. And who could stop it from happening? With so many good design(er)s out there all coming together a popularity contest was bound to happen. Throw in the comments and you're sure to start a war of words. Throw in the ability to like something and there you go puffing up people's egos. I'm not being cynical, I'm just being honest, whether you agree with me or not.

So I packed my bags and headed home. I still love the design community though, please understand that. I believe that no man is an island and I need others around me just like you do. But I want the work I do to reflect who I am through and through, not by others comments and likes. It's tough though. And a process. I'm still walking it out day by day.

It's been over 2 months since I last posted anything to dribbble and I'm still breathing. I don't hope to influence you one way or another. Just wanted to share some of my life with you. Thanks for reading.

On prayer and silence

Prayer I’ve always been a believer in prayer. But it’s more than just believing, I’ve seen and heard the power of prayer. It’s one of the greatest acts of faith we can exercise here on earth. However, I used to think it was all about me when I prayed. “God help me do this” “God I want that”. Right? I’m pretty sure most of us have prayed the same thing before. But it’s not about me. And that’s awesome. Thankfully I have someone greater praying for me and knows my every need, thus I can spend my time in prayer for others.

Silence

Being comfortable with my own thoughts isn’t something I’ve always liked. As a child I enjoyed the constant distraction of television. Or when I went to sleep having the radio on to help drown out my thoughts. But as I’ve grown up I find I need quite time more and more, and actually get frustrated when I go too long without it. Something about learning to listen to that still small voice that is so important. And I really believe that until we are comfortable with silence we will never fully know who we are.

Putting them to good use

I am learning that prayer and silence extend much further from the walls of church. My prayer life looks more like a conversation and I find myself seeking quiet times throughout the day. Just this past weekend I went against the grain and worked in silence. It was difficult at first to not have any computer or music distracting me. No twitter or facebook conversations. Just me, my pen and my sketchbook.

Agree with me or not, that’s fine, but I still encourage you to try this in your own walk. Let me know how it goes and what you learn.

IKEA Blues

It all started in 2007 when my wife and I moved back home to Texas after living in Japan. We were thrilled to have an IKEA within driving distance of us. It was like seeing those giant yellow letters against the huge blue box hypnotized us and made us give them all our money. No, seriously. We refurnished our entire apartment in IKEA. It’s like that scene in Fight Club, before the apartment blows up.

Customer Service nightmare

Well then it happened. Our first “bump in the road” with IKEA. We wanted new couch covers so we ended up having to special order them and after a month or so when they finally arrived and got them home and were putting them on we found they sent us two left covers. No big deal I thought, just give them a call and they will fix this.

Well what I thought would turn out to be a simple fix turned out to be a 3-4 month process of paperwork and heated phone calls with customer service. Then to top it all off, by the time we finally got the new couch cover one of them was ripped from a box cutter. Way to go IKEA.

Everyone deserves a second chance

Fast forward to January this year when my wife and I were planning to remodel our bathroom. Okay, I had bigger plans than my wife, but still we were both excited to make some updates. So we thought we’d give IKEA another chance, one because they’re cheap and two because we like the design.

Here’s what we bought:

• 1 new vanity with a new sink
• 2 new faucets
• 1 new cabinet to hang above our toilet
• 1 new birch wood storage shelf

Here’s what we had to return:

• 1 new vanity (they messed up and gave us the wrong size)
• 2 new faucets (they were a giant headache, but I’ll get into that later)

All fixtures are not the same

Little did we know that the sizes IKEA labels on all their plumping and fixture is not the size it says. They are all European/Swiss/Elvish sizes and do no work with standard American fittings. Such a freaking headache. I’ve spent more time in Home Depot in the last few months that I deserve a paycheck.

This is the biggest mistake they are making in my opinion. And they don’t even give you a warning, notice or friendly note about it. It’s like they’re saying: “Hey, come buy our stuff, but don’t expect any help when you can’t get it to work. Suckers!”

So ended up buying two new Price Pfister faucets that look amazing and undoubtedly will last longer the ones from IKEA. Plus, the connections work flawlessly with standard American sizes. Imagine that.

Next time around

Next time my wife and I plan on remodling our bathroom I will definitely be saving the extra cash for quality furniture. Am I still frustrated? No, not anymore. Why did I write this post? To hopefully help someone who is in the same situation or think of other options. Will I ever shop at IKEA again? Yes, my wife and I really like their shelves and storage stuff. What is one tip you would give to anyone buying furniture from IKEA? Use wood glue, lock tight, or whatever you can find when assembling your furniture. It will help it last longer.

Breakout Session

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.

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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

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.