One of those morning’s where even the disappointment of bad surf can’t bring it down: wake up in the dark, drive down to the beach with coffee to check the waves. Mushy, messy and caught by the wind. I don’t often walk down without without a board. And once down there, I’ve never not jumped in for a quick paddle. This morning was nice, a little introspective, and sipping coffee watching others struggle over the mess of confused seas in the breaking light was for once better than being out there, struggling and angry about the conditions. Nice to have a moment of not struggling and be able to observe. Not sure where to go with that thought, but I wish I’d brought my camera. Morning light rolling over the connector was beautiful.

Kudos to Bob Williams – instagram is changing my world. Or rather, taking the mundane, and making it interesting again. Like the first time I used a camera back in college and it all seemed so much more interesting….

I like both concepts and feel they both have relevance inside a company. The “Autuer” concept comes off a bit dictatorial in the beginning, but as you read on you realize that as a decision maker, your job is to foster good design through others, not dictate. And I think that’s a concept I’m a bit more comfortable with. It’s also runs opposite of the current crowd-sourcing concept that is so prevalent in the internet. That collaboration matters, but that decisions are singular. Also took time to read Douglas Bowmans resignation from Google some years back – the part that resonated was the lack of a “designer” in a leadership role.

Two very good reads to frame my thoughts as I finish one job and mentally begin to prepare for a larger design role at a smaller, fast growing company.

The new book has been a excuse to begin digging into 15 years of art supplies and fountain pens that have done nothing but gather dust in a long time. And something of creating a goal to keep writing a bit, and try to do it consistently… Even on a Monday where I’m a touch out of sorts, little sleep and a lot on my mind, working a sketchbook back into my morning is a comforting thing. And perhaps a good outlet for the angst I’d rather not carry with me to the office.

I’ve had the same portfolio format for several years now, constantly tweaked and changed, but essentially a known quantity. But then you find something exciting you’d forgotten about and that brings it back. Portfolios are fickle things. When less is more, it’s hard to find that perfect screen when you need 10 to tell the complete story. But maybe the listener doesn’t want the entire story, just the highlights. Giving focus/balance to your own work is so extremely hard, but essential. I still enjoy trying to get that organization on paper as well. Where my online portfolio can sprawl in though and without predefined boundaries, paper creates the need for more focus and a set of constrains that comes with a printed page. Old school, yes, I know.

And in the end, portfolios are not for job interviews or showing to friends, but for yourself. As a point of pride, a mark of accomplishment, and sometimes a necessary closure to a job or series of projects.

My favorite part of the process is creating the labels. First batch I ever did, my dog Tobey got ahold of & started chewing on the yeast packet… the last step in the brew day. Hence the beer was named Tobey Drool. I miss that part of my former life that allowed for creative freedom, so I’ve been entertaining myself with the labels and fictitious brand: Hound/Lab beer.

oh. and happy 2011. my new-years resolution is not to be an asshole. I mean less angry. last years was patience. that didn’t work out too well. I blame all the stupid people that surround me.

Came across this interview with James Victore yesterday. Points such as work is work – get it done and get out, and using traditional sketching methods were interesting. But what really resonated was his argument of Design vs. Organizing. In his context, I’m a terific Organizer. It’s what I do 90% of my professional career as a “designer”. I take information and “organize” it into a layout, or a webpage, or a hierarchy or a mindmap. All these things are byproduct of an idea and communicate efficiently. But how often am I truly stepping back and designing.

Great read: http://the99percent.com/articles/6944/james-victore-dont-be-a-design-zombie

Maybe another habit should be to blog more often….

Rotation in css-3. Or moreso it’s application in a baddass little poster experiment: http://www.everydayworks.com/css_typography/everydaytweet.html

And a sweet read on typograpy using css-3 that was well illustrated with some great usage examples: http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/03/01/css-and-the-future-of-text/

It’s the kinda reads that make me look forward to my lunch breaks again!

The only positive thing to come out of my brothers departure from Charleston has been the fact he overbooked himself and couldn’t use his Band of Horses tickets. So I took one for the team and partied on a school-night. bummer.

About a year ago, these guys were hands down my favorite band. Their first album in particular helped me get through a pretty rough patch in my life. They’re Charleston locals, so every once in a while they do a “surprise” show with little notice. This was one of those shows – I think tickets were sold out before my brother even told me about the show. Hence why scoring his was a bonus…. Jeffy, this one is for you, their “pretend last song” of the night, funeral.