Aug

16

“I Can Barely Breathe” Music Video

Post Category: Blog Posts, Creativity, Music Reviews, Videos 

An absolutely amazing music video for the song ‘I Can Barely Breathe’ by the equally amazing band, Manchester Orchestra. The gorgeous visuals for this video were filmed on the amazingly adept RED ONE HD camera by the guys at Destroy Rock Music. I don’t know how or when but I’m going to have these guys do some video work for me one day.

You can watch the video here but if you can, take a minute to watch it in HD on Vimeo. It’s worth it. (ht: double3)

click here if you can’t see the video - click here to watch in HD

Aug

13

Becoming A Yardstick of Excellence

Post Category: Blog Posts, Creativity, Leadership, Makes You Think 


Photo by AuntiP
Have we grown too accustomed to accepting less than the best from ourselves and those that work with us?

I love this quote by Steve Jobs who has become well known for setting high standards for his company:

“Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.” - Steve Jobs

I’ve repeatedly said that every Church should be the hub of creativity and excellence in their community. They should send out the best authors, artists, businessmen and musicians.

I’ve experienced first-hand what it’s like when churches set standards of excellence that produce phenomenal results (example, example, example). I’ve seen the kind of people it attracts. And I’ve heard the message it sends to the community - we value excellence, we won’t settle for second-best.

Here are some questions to ask yourself:

  • Am I comparing my work against other “comparable” organizations or individuals or against what I know is my best?
  • Do I stop short of what is required to take my projects or team to the next level or do I settle for “acceptable” results?
  • Am I setting new standards for excellence in my field, job or organization or am I just trying to keep up with the standards others have set?
  • Am I placing limitations on myself because of what I think is “possible” instead of reaching for the impossible?

Remember, excellence doesn’t have to do with size or budget. One of the most popular music videos a couple years back was produced for $10 on a borrowed camera and the highest record setting movie of 1999 was filmed for $35k but grossed $248 million. The only boxes that limit you are the ones you build in your mind. Excellence is bred by those who consistently attempt the impossible.

Food For Thought:
Do you feel you or your organization is a yardstick of quality or do you measure yourself by the standards others set?

Your thoughts?

Aug

9

The Movie Font

Post Category: Blog Posts, Completely Crazy, Creativity, Videos 


(click here if you can’t see the above video)

Have a fling with Comic Sans. Just make sure you trash the files in the morning. (ht: Larissa Meek)

Aug

1

Pick Up Dog Poo In Style

Post Category: Blog Posts, Completely Crazy, Creativity 

This is what happens when world-class designers lend their innovation and abilities to solving a simple problem. In the words of their marketing tagline, “Shit happens. Pick it Up In Style.”

The idea for Dog Poo Bags was born out of their passion for dogs and design. The daily walks with Cuno, the agency’s dog, served as a source of inspiration.

These kind of designs remind me that every product, no matter how lowly or rarely used, deserves good design. Even poop bags.

(ht: NOTCOT)

Jul

29

Photos by Daley Hake

Post Category: Creativity, photos 

On Thursday the one and only Daley Hake passed through Indianapolis. Daley, Julie & I were able to grab lunch and then some pics (check Julie out on Virb & MySpace - awesome singer/songwriter).

This was my first chance to work with Daley although I’ve been an admirer of his work for quite a while. He’s got the look and style that I wish I could rock but could probably never pull off.

You can view all the pics on my Flickr page but this is one of my favorites.

Jul

24

My Artwork Featured on Bittbox

Post Category: Blog Posts, Creativity 

Out of over 800 contributers and thousands of pieces in the Bittbox Flickr group, guess whose piece was featured recently in Bittbox’s User Showcase?

I used the Bittbox watercolor brush set to hand-paint the background for this piece so it’s cool to get some recognition from them. If you’re a designer be sure to check out the tons of great brushes, vector artwork and resources available for free on their site.

May

30

“I Am Only One” Wallpaper

Post Category: Creativity, Makes You Think, Social Justice, wallpaper 


This is original artwork I created in Photoshop and turned into a desktop wallpaper reminder that even one person can make a difference. // part of Creative Chaos

Download the “I Am Only One” Wallpaper.
Choose your resolution below.

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May

24

My View Today

Post Category: Creativity 

My view today as sketched in my Moleskine. // Creative Chaos

May

23

“Be The Change” Wallpaper

Post Category: Blog Posts, Creativity, wallpaper 

Here’s a original desktop wallpaper I created to remind us that the change we want to see in the world starts with us. Choose your resolution below.

1920 x 1200
1680 x 1050
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1024 x 768

May

21

Where Do You Find Your Inspiration?

Post Category: Creativity, Marketing 


(a Creative Chaos installment)

I was in Starbucks this morning when I saw a display for their new iced coffee drinks. The colors and layout jumped out at me and I grabbed my moleskine and started sketching away. I had been running into a mental roadblock on a web design project I’m working on until inspiration hit. Eureka!

I find inspiration for my writings and designs everywhere. I’ve almost gotten into accidents because I was looking at creative designs on billboards. Sometimes I thumb through magazines without reading a single word, just looking at fonts, colors and photos. I just picked up a copy of the Lürzer’s ARCHIVE magazine and have flipped through it at least a dozen times.

I suppose there are some artists who can sit down with a blank canvas/paper/screen and come up with brilliant art but most designers I know spend hours geaning new ideas and inspiration from other designers. I’m not talking about copying someone’s work entirely. There’s enough design plagiarism out there. But sometimes the smallest thing can make a light bulb go off in your head and remove a mental roadblock. For example, I just discovered this font on this site that I’m going to use as a redesign for another site I’m working on.

What inspires you? Where do you go, what do you read, what do you do to find inspiration?

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