In the mad dash to wrap up 2014, all the to-dos can make a fella just a little grumpy. As projects conclude and the beginning of 2015 comes more into focus, the downtime around the corner will definitely be enjoyed. Going offline for a good stretch, one thing about this year I want to emphasize is the people. Wonderful, amazing, and inspirational people. Trusted client partners and collaborators who can really bring it are the network who help make JKDC possible. I am extremely impressed by the people I get to work with every day. So creative, so smart, so thoughtful. They make me want to do my absolute best on whatever thing I happen to be working on with them. They have made this year particularly great. With that, my advice for the new year to anyone reading: surround yourself with great people and be thankful.
The Middle, Part 2
Start off with poor direction or frantically crunch a ton of work into the final stages of a crazy deadline, as long as the middle creates something magically, all is well. We know the finest, most well-intentioned talk at the beginning of a project is just that, talk. And all the polishing that happens at the end can only do so much if what you have to work with isn’t that good. If the middle gets shirked, the finished product always falls short. The middle must be the point of emphasis. Put more of the blood, sweat and tears into that stage of discomfort and heartache, and when the end is reached, you’ll be able to confidently proclaim you’ve arrived at something worth telling others about.
The Middle, Part 1
Of all the projects happening at any given time, it’s important to have some in the beginning stages, some in the end stages, and not too many in the middle. And when I say “the middle,” I mean where all the shit goes down. Where the most brainpower is needed. Where momentum meets exhaustion. Where ideas collide with blank screens and where the magic is missed, merely alluded to or firmly grabbed ahold of. It’s the zone between what is and what could be. Between simply talking about something amazing and actually delivering something amazing. If you’re going to be really good at any one of stages of a project, it’s gotta be the middle one.
Don’t Get Fooled
The last month of Q4 is always a good time to assess the year. To take note of successes and failures. And if applicable, celebrate important milestones and reflect on formative regrets. One milestone this year would be Willie Nelson rocking Neligh, Nebraska in the T-shirt I designed. Stoked on that for sure. One regret would be the realization that I’d been had. Being fooled is no fun, but this particular time it turned out to be an incredibly motivating experience. It led to refocused energy and new priorities where, in the end, I was loads happier and way more fulfilled with the work I was doing. There’s certainly still regret looking back, as I never like wasted efforts. But now I do have more healthy skepticism when it comes to what people/things say they do. Which helps keep ideas grounded in reality and usually means more successes for everyone involved.
Is it always right up to it?
Do we have to always come right down to the wire? Must it always be pushed to the bitter end? Yes, of course, and probably. Why does it have to be this way? Just because. You ever have those times when you finished early and you were able to twiddle your thumbs? Sure you did. And what happened? Mediocrity, that’s what. We push on to the bitter end because we want things to go as far as they can in the constraints we have. We don’t want to be workaholics, but when we’re working, we’re really working. It’s on, as they say. And we squeeze every ounce of creativity out of any idea until we arrive at the wire and we can call it good just in time. Then we’re on to the next.
Gratitude
I got the best email the other day. It was from a client, partner, friend. She was absolutely ecstatic about a print piece we did together that had just returned from the printer. She was so grateful for all the work that went into it, and in turn, I was so grateful to be able to do the project. With some clients, mostly the smaller ones, who painstakingly work within small budgets and are extra mindful of time, cost and outcomes, there’s a level of mutual gratitude that is really something to marvel at. When working with someone where what he or she does is a life passion and has all of themselves poured into it, it’s not something I take lightly. Sleep can be lost, project obsession can take over and schedules can get a little chaotic, especially as we get down to the wire. But the outcomes can be magical and is why being a designer can be a wonderful thing.
Woe Email
I think I used to be good at email. Really on top of it. Nothing ever slipped through the cracks. I received and I responded in a timely manner. Communication quality was high and thorough. Across the board. Sadly, that is no longer the case. Why? It’s nothing personal, I just have a lot to do. And anyone out there who has been on the non-receiving end of expected email communications from me, consider this a blanket apology. I’m trying to be better, because it’s bumming me out not being on top of my all important inbox. Honest. It might end up being a 2015 new year’s resolution or something. Regardless, I hope there are no ill feelings due to my tardiness. Very soon, though not as soon as I’d hoped, it will be remedied.
