Newsletter 2020

2019 was a busy year. Hence, no newsletter blasts from the offices of JKDC. As we get rolling in 2020, I just wanted to get in touch. Say hey. Share some stuff. Pass along some details. Remind you election day this year is Tuesday, November 3rd (GOD HELP US ALL).

JKDC EMAIL BLAST

The Top 12 Albums of the Decade

End of the year. Closing out the decade. Done and done and so much to talk about. The politics, the films, the technology, the change, the golden age of television, and so on.

For me, to break it down into how I felt about it all, here’s my list of 12 albums that defined the last 10 years:

Listen Via Spotify

The best of the best, no more, no less. These albums made the time spent so much more layered, rich, energetic, contemplative, and enjoyable. Whenever something felt off, one of these albums went on and everything started to make a little bit of sense. Whenever an extra boost was needed, these albums delivered. And whenever feelings of loneliness crept in, these albums assured us that we are all in this together.

Into the next decade, here we go.

Round and Round, Year 5

Our little engine that could just finished operating its 5th year. That’s right fuckers, Round and Round is a high five old. Maybe this next year we’ll finally get around to throwing a party to celebrate. And maybe we won’t. Either way, we’ll still have this book. The 5th book in our ongoing series.

For this one, we want to take a moment to give a round of applause to all the beautiful people who were with us along the way and helped make this journey possible. Without them, we’re just three dudes clicking our mouses into the void. With them, we’re a design machine who kills fascists. With them, our skills fight for a better tomorrow. With them, we capture lightning in a bottle and let it loose for the cause.

Tumblr Men »

This is my 40

As in, this year. The year of me turning 40, I approached the milestone with a steady, measured approach. Such is the passage of time, if you’re lucky.

And maybe, just maybe, this age milestone would be when I finally stop caring about what people think. Which has always been a personality trait of mine. But there are signs of it waining. Just because it can be exhausting and I’m busy dedicating energy to things that actually matter.

Anyway. 40. Here I am. Rock me like a hurricane.

I remember when my dad turned 40. I could see his nervousness. Over the hill, they say. The best part of life is over, they say. Glory days gone, they say. But as I’m caring less about what people think, I’m not paying much mind to such things. I’m older for sure. But how I handle my own aging is up to me. Nobody else.

Is 40 the new 30? I don’t know. What I do know is that 40 is old. When I was in high school, it was so far away. People who were 40 seemed so distant, so out of my understanding.

Have you ever seen Gattaca? At one point, two brothers at odds are racing to the other side of a lake. The water is turbulent. It’s stormy weather. The more genetically superior brother says he’s calling it, he’s turning back. If they don’t turn around now they won’t make it back to shore because the high waves are sucking all their energy. Forget the race. But the genetically inferior brother (Ethan Hawke) refuses. How he’s gotten to this point, overcoming great odds and racing his brother who on paper should clearly win the race, is that he never saves anything for the trip back. His aim is alway the here and now, the future return be damned. And he swims on while his brother turns back.

At least, that’s how I remember it. But I don’t remember how the race was resolved, if at all. One trudged ahead, the other played it safe and returned. But what were the results?

It probably doesn’t matter.

Yes, I’m 40. Which in the grand scheme of things, probably doesn’t matter.

Yeah, I dropped the ball this year

Not gonna lie. In the back and forth of everything that happens, I typically have, in the past, always been someone you could count on to deliver no matter what. But now, new dad and all, that’s just not the case.

My main job, the job of JKDC is to make sure all the client work gets done and gets done right. After that, with the projects and extras and side hustles that have typically all added up to this independent design practice, well if those falter, so be it. I have a kiddo to keep alive, which is job one. Everything else comes after.

So all this is to say, if I didn’t deliver for you this year, if I dropped your ball, failed to return your email, and was the crickets on the other end of your communication attempt, I am sorry. Once I get the hang of this dad thing, maybe I’ll do better. But then again, I probably won’t ever get the hang of it. Just remember, it’s not you, it’s me. And the kiddo.

The Top 10 Albums of 2019

Go deep, look into yourself, and feel the pounding of your own heart. It’s there, at least for now. It can feel you, you can feel it. And when you give these 10 albums a listen, that heart gets ready to explode in all the best possible ways.

Apple Music

These albums are all so fucking good. And there are other fucking good albums that didn’t make this list. Why? Because we live in an age of so much fucking good music! I know we’re fortunate. We may not have universal healthcare, but at least we’ll be able to die a preventable death because we can’t afford treatment with a smile on our face and a beating in our heart.

Better Social

I want to be better at social media. In the beginning, I started out slowly. I was intrigued by all of the connection and the platform that came with each account. I ramped up as a digital optimist as it helped my work grow and reach new people in far off places. And now that I’ve plunged into disgust and am slowly rising out of that, the way I want to approach all of these tools is with clear eyes and a full heart.

I want them to be better. And since I can’t control what the heads of those Big Tech corporations do to fix the situation, what I will do instead is change how I approach them. Less snark, less shit talking, less angst poured into the void. Instead, I’m going to be professional about all of this, as best I can muster. Which is why I started using any of it in the first place. It was to further my career, to connect with people in order to keep the creativity flowing. So that’s what I’m going to do again. It’s completely within my control so I’m going to give it a go. Here’s to better social.