... as we sang out with the earth ... quiet, then loud ... loud, then quiet ... under the black sky as a human so small, so insignificant, so unable to effect much in the grand scheme of all these things. earth, sky, universe. at once a bright shining beacon, at once someone so common place, at once moving off into the twilight, at once an after thought. here we all were, an established group of stragglers, spouting off to and fro, out into the world landing where we landed without much of a second thought. and then we were gone. separated into the infinite void of space and time and memory. can you paint a single picture of your existence? do you even want to try? what will you force into a drawing you can actually read from a distance? what happens when you zoom in? are those lines refined or are those lines rough? what happens when everything explodes? from the big bang onward, how did we end up here? are we being looked after? are we crafting stories to put something up there overhead? does it comfort us? my alphabet never felt all that complete. it wasn’t enough. if it ever becomes enough, i’d be worried. these aren’t the times to be getting complacent. write your stories because they’re all we ever will have. write them now, and then be gone!
The Social Media Eye
Have you ever been living a moment and thought you must stop, freezing in space and time, whip out your phone and snap a pic with the intention of posting it to any number of social media outlets? Sure you have. I know I have. Many, many times.
So what happened first, social media or my instinct to tell (or show) someone else about something that was happening to me? It’s the latter. The former just being a natural technological extension of our human need to share.
Where do we go from here? Do we get obsessed with sharing everything or do we share only what we want people to see or do we only share things directly with our close friends and family or do we choose to not participate? Depending on the day, maybe all of those?
What kind of American?
We are a country of gaps, with an increasing distance between a life of achievement, economic prosperity, career accomplishment, and enriching relationships for some and a life of suffering, squalor, degradation, and loneliness for others. We have chosen to allow these gaps to happen and we let them persist.
Big Box Brand Business
Have you ever wandered aimlessly down the aisles of a big box store? So small walking under the weight of so many shelves stacked high with endless makes and models of cheap goods by countless manufacturers. Products waiting to be discarded. It all feels part of a con that goes back decades.
The five point palm exploding heart technique really kills
We had just gone to see Kill Bill: Vol. 2 in the theater. A couple friends and I. Afterward, we headed to a small gathering for a few drinks. Also at the gathering were some artsy hipsters who worked at a couple downtown bars. In conversation, it came up we had just seen the film. Asked what I thought, I tried to come up with the words needed to describe my delight; the fight scenes, the soundtrack, the way the story unfolded over blah, blah, blah. As I rambled for a bit, one of the hipster bartenders looked at me intently, paused, and extended his hand out quickly towards my eye. Pluck! An eye for an eye. It was so clear, so succinct. We all grinned, the conversation moved on. That concise motion was a way better explanation for why Kill Bill: Vol. 2 was a great film than my rambling. You can either tell me about The Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique or you can show me.
Poster Shop
At long last, the graphic design studio practice of JKDC is now offering select screenprints for sale online. Available for purchase through an online store, accepting payments via PayPal, and shipping by way of USPS in a sturdy tube. Check it out now, come back every so often as new prints become available. All profits go to the JKDC self-initiated project “fund.” Enjoy!
Know Your Role
I think this is a Fight Club thing. The whole you determine your level of involvement exclamation. Along with that, you gotta know your role. What are you bringing to a particular project? Why are you there? Who are you to the success of this endeavor? I think my role goes something like this:
Push to bring design work that’s creative, cool, appropriate, and as original as it can be to whatever the project is. Thoughtful solutions for relevant outcomes. But I know the clients I’m working with are doing the real work. They’re making the real change, and I’m here to serve those ends. Logo, website, poster, etc. I execute the design best I can, they take it from there.
