Know what you do, what you can’t, when to push it, and when to bow out. Limitations make design projects possible and they mold design careers into what they become. I typically love limitations. Sometimes I hate them. They can make you better, they can lead you down a path where you crash and burn, and paying no attention at all to limitations can be disastrous. They’re always with you, regardless of where you are. If you look upon them as another cog in the machine that is your creative output, they’re an integral part of what you need to make it happen.
Vaginas
I was on a client call presenting logo concepts. Going through the mockups and the lady who hired me said, “Justin, I need to stop you there and tell you, these all look a lot like vaginas.” And I said, “yeah, that’s the idea.” And she said, “no, I don’t think we want to go this direction.” Then I said, “but it might be the right time for such designs, to be bold, and direct.” And she said, “no, I don’t think so.” We ended up going another direction that was better, which was good. After all, this was no early-2000s gig poster.
Loser
So here I go these days, this way and that, to and fro. Walking the dog, off to work, heading out to lunch, running errands, cooking dinner, and so on. The phrase C’mon motherfucker put your clothes on c’mon running through my head so very often. More than most things. Whether because of government incompetence or the negative feelings I have toward my ISP or the way people who work on houses can really suck, I’m typically not impressed and even though I still have to get in the mix with these idiots I find comfort in this mantra to get me through the nonsense. It’s a phrase that for me goes all the way back to Beck’s legendary 1994 debut album.
Tech Fatigue, Tired of Tech
Yes, I have nagging feelings of technology overload. And two-factor authentication. Password resets. Fear of identity theft. Is your data plan enough to keep you from accidentally using a thousand dollars worth of space? Register your domain. Then decide on your hosting plan. Google keywords getting people to you? Have you heard about filter bubbles? I hope so. Why does my Bluetooth go out frequently? Bluetooth speakers? No, thank you. (UPDATE: Do you have the latest update?) ((Security improvements.))
Wireless was a game changer. Wireless is always following me. Have you spoken with Alexa lately? Are you being tracked wherever it is you go? Are your files all backed up in the cloud? Is it cloudy overhead? Please, clean up your desktop. Do you need to dust your desktop IRL? Be sure to back up your files on the hard drive(s). Be sure to drink your Ovaltine. (Your video will begin after this advertisement.)*
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One Side
There are two sides of American democracy but they are not equal. Only one side has embraced a very anti-democratic agenda in order to keep their power. Not only is the Republican party the one side who has embraced a ruthless strategy of making it harder for people to vote, now they are changing the rules after the vote has happened, limiting the power of the Democratic party. This is not normal. This is not acceptable. This is a threat to our collective future. And it must be stopped.
Making what I want how I want to make it
A good amount of weirdness. That’s still beautiful. It’s collaborative in the idea and with the back and forth in the design. Bringing people in and such. Just the right amount of constraints with just the right amount of no rules.
It feels “alive.” And it feels worth it. Like this thing is unique and deserves on its own merits to be explored and enjoyed.
Can’t love everything. When trying to level out a work/life balance, I’ve had to get better at learning what I don’t like. There are only so many hours in a day and you simply can’t do everything. I find it reassuring to be honest and say to myself, yeah, I don’t like this thing, moving on to the next.
The Freedom of Design
It is different from art, and while there are boundaries or restrictions or parameters needed to define/contain the design, there is still the fact that the best design happens when there is freedom to make it happen. Yes, I work poorly when micro managed and nitpicked to death in the name of feedback from a whole host of opinions. When that happens, I’m too cautious, I design for approval, and I really just want the project to be over.
But when I’m working in a client/designer relationship where they do what they do and I do what I do, the benefits of such a relationship reap a multitude of benefits, both trackable and untrackable. I generate more ideas, I use my time better, and I deliver what I would consider to be a higher quality of work. There is also the extra time spent day dreaming about the project, noodling over here and over there, and looking for opportunities to take things to unexpected levels. I’m not just looking to complete the project, I’m looking for the best outcome possible.
You might say I should do that all the time, regardless of the relationship. To which I would say, I’ve been doing this long enough to know that just ain’t how things shake out.
