Symbols matter. Symbols are powerful. And how we choose to use symbols says a lot about us as a people. It takes very little effort to learn just a little bit about why Confederate monuments are seriously problematic and should be removed. There is no “other side” that can even be considered respectable. The symbols of slavery, oppression, hate, and racism should never be celebrated. It does seem, at this moment, we are collectively setting out to fix that wrong. We shouldn’t let up.
Get in there and figure it out
It can be tempting to try to have everything figured out before you start to design. Or to talk it all through until there’s nothing more to discuss. And then everything will work itself out. This is, in my experience, quite preposterous. I’m not saying to go in without a plan. But when it comes to design, the only way to really get it done is to just get in there and do it. Get after it, go down the rabbit hole, get lost in tangents, and when it all needs to get pulled together, then use your blood, sweat, and tears to pull it all together. Goddamn it, this is how shit gets done! It doesn’t get done by talking, wishing, looking, contemplating, emailing, texting, slacking, or whatever else we do to put off the doing. Especially not going to another meeting. Never has that ever worked. To get the design work done, you simply have to do the design work. End of story.
In Amazement
Given all the cultural, political, social, and other commentary we find ourselves being encircled by, I’m currently most amazed with:
All the shit talking about the new Arcade Fire album, especially if you thought Reflektor was great. Don Jr. being seen as a boy and all black boys shot by police are considered scary men by the media. Why she didn’t just use all the dragons. Conservatives in creative (and tech) positions being all pissed off because their outmoded worldview isn’t being “heard.” Emails to & from people I regularly correspond with all of a sudden go into the spam folder. The “new” slogans the Democrats came up with. What passes for legitimate news sources these days. And what’s labeled “Fake News.”
I’m just amazed by these things. Not in a good way. Please mark it down for the record.
On Goals
Copy and pasted from JoeSparano.com (because I agree with it):
Hunter S. Thompson on goals — “The goal is absolutely secondary: it is the functioning toward the goal which is important.… [B]eware of looking for goals: look for a way of life. Decide how you want to live and then see what you can do to make a living WITHIN that way of life.”
Don’t Read The Comments
This is true for virtually all articles posted on the Internet. Pretty much all Facebook posts. And Twitter? Well, Twitter...
Today in modern society everybody has an opinion about everything. Seem like by default. Whether they should or not. And while criticism is good to receive, comments on the Internet are not. Comments are a different thing. Mostly I consider them disqualified communication because they’re lazy. Snarky, dickish, mean, sarcastic, etc. But mostly, they don’t count because they are lazy.
I used to be in the camp of all dialogue is good dialogue. Comments makes the original post better. The Internet is the great unifier for all types of discourse. I don’t think that anymore. Sometimes there are shining exceptions. But today, a Don’t Read The Comments mantra is the best way to carry oneself online.
Payment By Exposure?
This is not a thing. Please do not ever suggest that it is. Of course there are exceptions. But unless you’re the 44th President of these United States Barack Obama and you have something you want discuss, do not ever think that myself, or anyone I work with, is OK with the idea of getting paid with exposure. There’s a chance I would make an exception if Arcade Fire wanted me to come up with some crazy shit for their next album, but even then. Hard to say if I’d be down.
Measured. Considered. Thoughtful.
Enough with the knee-jerk reactions and the zip off of this and that. Emails, Tweets, opinions, responses, solutions, and so on. Why so quick to shout and growl and assert? Why so quick to not only assume you’re right but that you need to offer your voice to the conversation at all? What happened to listening, contemplating, and then, if it’s called for, acting? In this age of lightning fast fill-in-the-blank, maybe we need a measured, considered, and thoughtful shift. To the slow, meandering, late, or maybe even, not at all.
