Oh, and more of it too? These and other questions you will need to know how to answer in this independent life. I’ve found it’s never easy enough to always have the same answer. Yes or no or something in between. It always varies. And it just comes with this territory of being out there all by yourself.
I need to get better at...
...asking for help, asking for more time, and asking deeper questions about the why. Being less nose to the grindstone and more face into the wind. Standing firm on what all this costs. Traveling more. Creating more. Thinking about work less. Embracing uncertainty. Blocking out time to make something for no reason in particular. Being even more selective about the projects I take on.* Understanding the divide between talk and action. Experimenting. Getting all philosophical. Acting intentionally. Having conversations at a deeper, more profound level. Not feeling bad for being pissed. Not just going with the flow. Not accepting of the way things are. Letting things go. Showing more of the love. Enjoying more of this life as it continues, at an increasing clip, to move on by.
* As of now, I feel like this will be a big theme for this year.
Do the projects you’ll be proud of
And here we go. 2016 off and running. New projects, new clients, and new energy. But before getting too far along, let’s make a special note about 2015 and what made it great. Sure, there we low points, but this is about the highs. It’s about those projects that make a designer feel he or she is worthy of taking up space on planet Earth:
- All power to the people! Design + Social Justice Symposium
- In small-town America: Schuyler Media Network
- Let’s give together: Omaha Gives! Raises $8,867,886
- ORGANIZE! Manifest Justice Exhibition
- Actions do speak louder: The 5th Appleseed Poster Show
- Thanks Obama: Keystone XL Rejected
- Let’s get loud: Round and Round Coworking
Why mention these now? Because it’s important to be able to go back, when needed, for extra guidance when it comes to what to take on next and how to make sure it’s as good as it can be. It should always be about doing the projects you’ll be proud of. Because without that, on the working side of life, what else is there?
A year of our weekly consciousness
2015 has been the year of coworking. In early January, Jake Welchert and myself began operating full-time out of a small space in midtown Omaha we branded Round and Round. Last month, Adam Casey joined the fold. It was initially conceived as a space where independent creatives could come together to work, learn, and enjoy their careers. To think and make, to share and collaborate. On those accounts, it’s been a wildly successful year.
I’ve come to think of the space as a consistent source of inspiration and momentum. Where to go to make things happen, to create impactful work, and to enjoy these days of working on projects with some really amazing people in our city. Part of the R+R mission is to make great design available to organizations and causes we believe in, whether in the arts, the environment, or equitable community development. I’m really excited for what the new year is looking to bring on that front.
High level, looking back on what went down at 5013(?), I can say with some certainty that the Boss was the most played artist, the Bulldog the most preferred for lunch, and people looking for the tailor our favorite guests. We now all get professional haircuts next door, most of us honed the skill of yelling loudly, and one of us can speak with a pretty good accent. And I think it’s a toss-up between what we’ve made fun of more, either the shitshow that is the Republican field for President or LinkedIn.
If you’re curious, you can view the type posters I typically made every Saturday morning to recap the previous week. Starting with #1, you can scroll through a year of weekly consciousness of the independent designer mind. That was life this year, documented and retold with emphasis in our favorite typefaces.
Where to next? We have a fairly good idea, at least for Q1. If you’re in the neighborhood, definitely swing by. We can talk 2016, top 10 albums of this year, and try to determine what to destroy next. If we don’t see you, in the twilight of 2015, keep on keepin’ on.
Punk Rock, Political Science, and Nebraska
My foundation for what it is that I do. The how, the why, and the where it comes from. This is how I frame all my presentations and was the basis for my 5-year self-evaluation. Read that marvelous piece of work on Medium. And after five-and-a-half years of independence, these 3 philosophical framings still hold. All intermingled yet profoundly important enough to stand on their own. So punk, so political, so just another guy from the good life, land of the flat water.
Oh what to do...
... when you find yourself locked in a meeting with a blowhard. In my experience, the blowhard is the least effective member of any team. They talk and talk, and talk and talk. And seek to fulfill no other purpose other than to firmly assert themselves in the middle of something. A lot of times this thing they feel compelled to insert themselves into is moving along just fine without them. But of course, they couldn’t give less of a shit about this fact. Instead, they must pontificate, insult, assert, and simply assume to be the end all be all of anything and everything. It’s what they do.
If you are unlucky enough to find yourself in such a situation, I suggest this approach; listen, play nice, seek clarity, and reiterate the fact that you are going to keep things moving. If you’re feeling bold, you can, of course, thank him or her for wasting everyone’s time.
How do you plan to evolve?
How do you plan to keep at it? How will you stay nimble? How will you change, adapt, and stay relevant? How will you get new skills or new solutions or new ideas? How will you get better? How will you maintain? How will you not get mediocre? How will you continue or grow or pivot or scale or rotate? How will you stay interested? How will you stay hungry? How will stay above the fray? How will you stay in the thick? How will you work? How will you make it? How will you be constant? How will you be different? How will you be the same? How will you come to understand all of it?
