The Top 10 Albums of 2015

These are the ones that left the biggest imprint. The albums that, when I look back on this year, I can feel them shake my being and alter the standard course of my day-to-day trajectory. Without further ado, in no particular order:

Apple Music

And if I could have 11, I’d include Wolf Alice, My Love Is Cool. But thems the breaks.

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?

What we learned in Schuyler

Project complete. From SWOT to final document, Sessions 1–6 went off without a hitch. Looking back, it was so awesome to get to collaborate with Katie on something like this. Aside from the workshops, there was lots of drive time, lots of planning time, and lots of extra computer time in an already packed work schedule. But it all was worth it. We just published a story on Medium about what we learned. Take a look, let me know what you think. And be sure to tell your friends about the good things happening in Schuyler, Nebraska!

Read on Medium »

Tuesdays are for giving

On this global day dedicated to giving back, here are a few wonderful organizations to support today and through the end of the year. They truly do amazing things. The Union for Contemporary Art unites artists and the community to inspire positive social change. They have big, exciting things planned for next year. Nebraska Appleseed advances the fight for justice and opportunity for all. Bold Nebraska has a store stocked full of great stuff. And a friendly reminder to save the date for next year’s Omaha Gives!: May 25, 2016.

Honest Social

What’s your favorite social media network? Mine’s Twitter. My reasoning is because it’s the place where I’m the most me. On all the other networks of my digital self, I heavily curate. Facebook I’m super selective about what I post. Instagram I art direct and post sparingly. Dribbble I put up only my best designs, Medium only my best writing. Twitter is where I talk like me, make inside jokes, take jabs at Republicans, and share anything I come across on the Internet that I’m even the slightest bit interested in. Which is why I consider Twitter to be an incredibly valuable tool. If you want a primer for an in-person meeting, to see if we’d be a good fit working together, or just want to follow along, go there.

Many Thanks

You all are spectacular. Your enthusiasm, your great ideas, your laughter, and your good heart. You all make this life a wonderful experience. Many thanks to you, for all that you’ve taught me this year. For the high fives through the good times, for the hugs through the bad, and for my deep rooted excitement for what’s to come. 

JKDC offices will be closed until Monday. Enjoy the time off!

Are you terrified yet?

Last week, for the first time in a long time, I found myself in a classroom setting giving out my opinions on student graphic design projects. Oh class critique, how I’ve missed you. I used to do critiques a lot in Lincoln. While now, I certainly enjoy pontificating about ideas and design, I remember a time when I was on the other side. Terrified of being torn apart. Scared of what smart people would think of my student work. Shaking while presenting, voice timid and trembling.

All of those situations, however uncomfortable, were so very important. To be a solid designer and a valuable member of any team, I believe you must start at the bottom. You must be called out for lazy thinking. You must be pushed to a place you hadn’t wanted to go. You must be exposed and you must be vulnerable. 

Gliding through a career with exceptional work and being able to make any idea seem magical certainly happens for some people. But I’m not interested in those people. I’m more interested in those of us who have had to go through the shit. Of being terrible to be being okay to being solid and putting in the time at each phase to advance simply by the sheer will of your determination. Yes! Those are the people for me. 

So fear not terrified student. If you’re up for the task, to be a solid designer who makes beautiful work and makes any team better, you must go through the bottom rungs. Get exposed, get torn apart, get vulnerable. If you want it bad enough, the early phases will only make you better. You just have to hold on for the ride.