realizations.

Well, I am 20. That sounds big... not necessarily special, but just big. No more "teen" ... *sigh*
More things seem real as this year has gone on. Savings accounts seem real, payments seem real, the future seems more of a reality than a dream, mistakes seem real, blessings seem real, friendship seems real, love seems real... I probably sound like a mushy girl. But I don't really mean it that way at all. I mean it seriously. Two years ago I turned 18 and felt like the world was ready for me to experience, and now I'm 20 (only two years older) and I feel like the world is happening around me and I have to fit in somehow. Adulthood is basically at hand what am I doing? I paid my first official bill on my own... I'm giving tithes and offerings to start the habit for my life... I'm saving money so that I can maybe have something when I graduate to start off with... sounds like it all deals with money. I don't want my life to center around money. I know it has to deal quite heavily with it, but it seems overwhelming to think about, really... I've gotten off topic.

Now is when I have to really start praying and working on things that I will need in the future (in my future) that is more and more quickly approaching. I love life, I love where I am right now, and I love where I will be by the Grace of God. This is just my mini rant for my birthday pleasure. Happy 20th freakin' birhtday to me (as someone would say)... let's aim for 21.

Aol. ... really?

Ok, I want you guys to check this out... AOL has redone their identity, and while it is visually interesting, and the use of transparency is quite brilliant ... AOL? really?!? ... not even AOL, it's Aol. does it really need the . ?? It looks stupid. idk... check out the article, lots of info

The Value of Empathy

This is an article that follows the process and designs of Andy Chen. Check it out - he's got some great projects, things to say, and well wishes for the world.

http://changeobserver.designobserver.com/entry.html?entry=11347

Owl on the Fence

Magnificent Owl on the fence,
what ails you so tonight?
Unsteady, perched upon the post
your strength to stand
wanes like moonlight.

Disheveled marble on the fence,
what stole your bliss tonight?
Callous, stoic upon the edge
your cruel past sways
your heart with spite.

Wounded mortal on the fence,
why so grieved tonight?
Stagnant, mourning your lost wings
shamefully clipped
to prevent your flight.

Hopeless beast on the fence,
what led you here tonight?
Ashamed, hiding in the dark,
awaiting death,
can't face the light.

Magnificent Owl, take my strentgh.
Let it keep you well
and enable you to escape this Hell
tonight.

Disheveled marble, accept my love.
Let it break your torpid heart
and give you a chance for a fresh start
tonight.

Wounded mortal, clasp my wings.
Let them remind you how to soar
and rediscover the joy life has in store
tonight.

Hopeless beast, have my hope.
Let it capture you and take you where I can not
and keep you high-minded as you ought
tonight.


Broken girl on the fence,
what ails you tonight?

A Weirdly Cool Video

Hand from Above from Chris O'Shea on Vimeo.

Kitchen Packaging

This isn't terribly new, but I came across it and I absolutely adore the use of different fonts and the classy look it has without feeling boring. Check it out

Word It: The Final Decision

Well I decided to go with the Caesar idea. It was after much toil... I liked the Back to the Drawing Board idea, but I didn't feel as though it communicated as clearly as I wanted it to. So I some-what combined the Stab in the Back with the Caesar idea to create one bold, final image.


Although this is a really crappy view of the image, I like the concept I have behind it... but maybe not my execution... however, overall I am satisfied.

Word It: The Fork in the Road

Ok, so after much brainstorming I have four main ideas that I am deciding between, and they are:



This one basically follows the idea of 'back to the drawing board' and it uses my Drawing Mannequin and my Eraser. I figured it was appropriate to use the drawing tools to convey a theme related to drawing and/or design. so yeah. there's one.



Number two focuses on the word 'drawback' - as if it was not horribly evident by the word 'drawback' written across the background of the image. I really like this image, but I feel as though it's a bit too blunt.



As for this third idea, I immediately think of 'Mr. Bluebird's on your shoulder', meaning happiness and joy... but what if that same symbol of joy stabbed you in the back? SO I really like this image as well, but how I would execute this scares me a bit... hmm. *things to ponder*


OK! sooo this one I didn't like at first, but it's beginning to grow on me. I kept dwelling on the 'stabbing in the back' idea... and then a little birdie happened to mention Rome that day, and connections were made in my brain. 'Et tu Brute' comes from Julius Caesar, if you didn't know and it embodies betrayal. So there's that idea as well...

I'm still in the thinking stages, so stay tuned for a more directional post later. :)

Dude, how sweet is this? ha

This is a new brand thing on lovelypackage.com
And I'm just saying, this stuff if pretty freakin' awesome for real.

And the whole collection...



For more pictures and info you can go here

Word It: The Beginnings

OK, well you get the honor of following me in my process of creating my next project. It's called 'Word It'... I was told to bring five items to class with me. I brought a drawing figurine (an anatomical model), a little bluebird doll, a glass Coke bottle, a large eraser and a flashlight.

So, now that we have those items, we have to devise an image the incorporates at least two of these items and the word of the month on Word IT ... which happens to be 'Back.' soo now I begin the brain storming. :) You'll be seeing pictures later.

Type A+

So, I am certainly a lover of type. I can't wait to get into typography and create my own lettering... I do it all the time with my markers or paint. It's a love I've had since I can remember. In high school I would write notes to my friends and they would be decorated, colorful and the lettering would often be quite impressive (if I do say so myself! ha).

I came across this thing on CYMKern.com and it made me laugh because it said that I should certainly look into these things 'If you enjoy contemporary graphic design, typography and photography of the highest order (if your reading this blog I think you might)." It made me laugh because it's SO true!! So I just wanted you to be able to see that page.. and I think I'll share some of my lettering work (despite the age and poor execution you will see in some of them. Judge not because most of these were from high school.)

This is a sample of my awesome creativity! The left picture seen above is a "tattoo" I drew on Seth for fun, and although not so professional, I was quite proud of the type I came up with. ha
The second image is just a stencil I cut out. Although I didn't create the type myself, I modified it to fit my needs.

This is a project I did for fun my senior year. I loved letters, and wanted to do a project with them, but I couldn't choose just one way to do it. SO I just decided to do 26 panels with different styles in each one. The 'Y' is made out of Cherry Cordial Hershey's Kisses, the 'P' is made of fabric paint, the 'K' is colored in my song lyrics, aaaand the others are pretty cool and weird textures, but nothing out of the ordinary.


This last one was also for fun... I like music, and I like type. SO I combined them both on newpaper (which, again, is a great example of type as wel). Again, execution is a bit sloppy in places, and I tried to fit too many bands on the page which made it a bit crowded, but overall, I like it.

Hope you enjoyed a little look into my portfolio/thoughts. :)

That's Just Swell!

A simply "swell" design by Ruiz + Company that really caught my eye. I adore how the fruit is actually on the bottle, but without being set up in a still life. It's just so simple! That seems to be my new lesson:

SIMPLICITY

Our World is Moving

Watch this:

Moving Brands/ Moving World from Moving Brands on Vimeo.

Aspirations.

So, I'm just saying... if I can make album art like this one day, I could die happy.

Spiffy Banana Designs...

Yep. I'm pretty much awed at the fact that these juice boxes look like bananas.

Nothing Special

I really have nothing great to say, I just found this masterpiece on Creatica.com and HAD to share it. Goodness how I love it.

Not Trying to Scare You...

Note the gorgeous bottle design above... I love bottles. They are pretty and I want to collect them So can I just say that I look forward to being legal drinking age so that I can collect said bottles without difficulty :)

I don't know what most of this even tastes like... but I want to own these bottles. Especially strangely shaped ones like the one above

So yeah... just like I said. I like bottles and I look forward to having them stashed away in a box somewhere. (PS. I got all of these from lovelypackage.com)

Paradigm Shift?

As a general rule, I typically trust people and see good in them on an individual basis. However, when I think of people as a whole I think of self-absorbed, gratification-seeking, greedy human beings of the 21st century. Am I completely wrong? Our world is so driven by the here and now, money and getting higher up on the corporate ladder that we often miss the important things.

Not too long ago, in my graphic design class, my teacher asked us to write a little bit about our generation. I wrote that we are, in fact, selfish to the core. I typically think very negatively of people my age and I think perhaps I am too harsh.

Recently, my church hosted a benefit for my family.

Why? you ask. well... let me explain

In 2008 (shortly after graduation) I was in a car accident and broke my Calcaneus. That picture is not my Xray, however I can tell you that the little bone you see in the picture was broken into about 12 pieces and shifted to the outside of my foot... yeah, it was bad. I also broke three or four of my Metatarsals. So, yeah it was pretty bad. I was told that I would possibly not walk - or if I did it would be with a severe limp after months of therapy - NOT what I wanted to hear the summer before I had planned on going to college. To make a long story short, God answered a lot of prayers, I had surgery and healed well over the next few months - now walking quite well despite the constant pain in my right foot. The pain serves as a daily reminder of God's grace.

Shortly after this accident (still before I left for school) my dad lost his job. So now, my family is facing thousands of dollars in medical bills AND college tuition... not very fun. But, but the grace of God, I still went to school and made it through the year while my dad remained virtually jobless.

After the end of my first year of school, it seemed as though things were picking up, Dad was finding jobs to work for some money - enough to get by. But then he, too, had an accident. He broke his Tibia and the ball of his ankle. It was really bad. With his sudden injury and medical bills, my college tuition and remaining bills, and the lack of eligibility for government aide (because my dad couldn't work anymore)... we were in a bind.

So this brings us to the present... the benefit my church hosted.

Clearly our family was in need, but we didn't really feel worthy to recieve such a blessing - but despite our hesitation, the people of our congragation wanted to help. SO they did. Over 200 people showed up for this ice cream social and silent auction. It was wonderful, people came togehter and had fun, worked together for a selfless cause and showed God's love in wonderul ways. All the proceeds went to my family.

If that wasn't enough to knock my head around for thinking people are selfish, in addition to the monetary donation... I was given, that right GIVEN, a car. The 98 Nissan Altima that is parked outside is now mine thanks to 24 people who felt called to bless me with the very thing I'd been praying for. God works in amazing ways. Not only did He prove to me that His people are not evil, He showed me ONCE AGAIN that He is sovereign and will take care of His people (who are, again, not evil).

Praise God for everything He has done and will continue to do. Never doubt Him or the people He has created for they are in His image and have hearts despite the general perception of people.

Amen. ha

The Future's so Bright... I gotta build a bunker.

I really want you to watch this. I want you to realize where our technology is headed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPIbGnBQcJY

did you watch it? .. all 3 minutes and 53 seconds? ... ok.

Well, initially, I was pretty freakin' scared. This is FOR REAL. The game system is reading your tone of voice, your face and your body movements... tell me that's not a little weird. Did you see how Claire's reflection appeared in the pond? This game system is combining the real world with the gaming world. There is another video in the related video tab that presents this system in commercial form - it seems a lot less scary, friendly, even.

The idea of this system could be pretty cool - not gonna lie. But where will we go next? Have you SEEN iRobot? ... yeah. That's gonna be us. Maybe I'm overreacting about this whole game system thing. Maybe. Perhaps not.

In addition to this little advancement in technology, there is now talk of a mind-reader machine... officially known as a "thought identifier." scared yet?

If you're not... check this out:

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5119805n&tag=
contentMain;cbsCarousel

Ok. again... our techonology is going to land us somewhere we don't want to be. The things people say are bad enough, why do we want to know the things that go on in their brains that remains unsaid? Do we really want to know what assosiations are made in their mind when the word 'hammer' flashes across the screen? Really?? ... I don't really know if I'm trying to make a point here, but I just wanted to share this. No, I wanted to warn you! ha. RUN! HIDE! Milo is coming for you and he wants to read your mind. haha

Random Acts of Vandalism

The other day in the Caf, I randomly decided I wanted a banana... much like my friends odd desire to buy a cake not too long ago, this was an odd decision for me. I'm not a big banana fan - and when I do eat them, they better still be pretty green. None of the bananas were my preferred ripeness, but I wanted one nonetheless. I grabbed a banana and threw it on my tray without much thought.
As I was finishing my food, I went to partake of my banana. WELL... the picture you see above is the very banana that I had in my hands - verse and all. If you're not familiar with this verse, it says:

Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?"

I wanted to post about this the minute it happened, but I was waiting for the necessary words to come. Turns out, I don't really need to say much as the verse pretty much speaks for itself. I have been seeking said 'glory' for a while. I sense His power, His love and His grace so much every day, but His glory is something that I fail to grasp or feel like I would like to.

At first, upon seeing the handwritten graffiti on my defenseless banana, I was appalled. Someone has touched my banana... AND written on it. I mean really, who messes with other people's bananas?! I ended up not eating the banana because it bothered me so much and I was in a hurry so I just threw it in my bag (not such a good idea, but what can I say? I don't really think things through sometimes). I later pulled the semi-deformed banana out of my bag and grunted at the memory of my vandalized banana. But, I decided after a moment to actually look the verse up - I mean, what could be so awesome that it merited publication on the side of our produce?

I read the verse and I was like... Really God? You're just toooo funny. Doesn't He just love to awe us? To make us stop and wonder what other random things he uses to catch our attention? A BANANA! ... geez.

Would you give up your life for someone?

Most people would hesitate to answer this question. Most people would hinge their answer on who it was. Some people would vary their answer depending on the situation in which they were asked. Some people would say 'yes' but mean 'no' in every way. Few people would say 'yes' regardless of any of the possible factors. Few people would be honest and say 'Hell no.'

Where do you fit in?

Would you give up your life for your child? your spouse? your mother? your roommate? your neighbor? the crazy lady down the street raising her three grandchildren? the struggling homeless man? the pastor of a growing church? I could go on...
I'm pretty sure that as Christians we're called to lay down our lives. Not in the literal sense (at least not for all of us), but spiritually. We're called to lay down our selfish pride and pick up the cross.

Jesus came down to Earth as the Word in flesh in order to save our skin from burning in Hell for eternity. He picked up the cross for us and laid down his life.

Will you return the favor?

While you may not readily be ready to lay down your life for [insert name here], don't you think it's only right to give your life up for God?

It's been on my heart lately... the whole, burning-passion-for-God thing... I want that. I yearn for that. I want the love God felt for us, so that he gave his only begotten son to die so that we may live - yes, I want to feel that for Him in return. I want to say 'yes' to Him and lay down my life. I've given my life to Him, and meant it in every way, but my new challenge is to lay it down at His feet and pick up the cross - thus using my life in every way for Him and not for me (essentially giving up my life).

Take my life
and let it be.
All for you and for your glory.
Take my life
and let it be yours.

Take my life
and let it be
All for you and for your glory.
Take my life
and let it be yours.

so... where do you fit in the margin of answers now?

Fleeting Thoughts

Well, the best thing I can say right now is that as I begin this entry, thought is on my mind. No, you read that right... I'm thinking about thoughts. Strange, I know - however, hear me out.

How often do you have thoughts that seem to make no sense or come from no where? Recently, for me, it's been Chicago. Now, I don't really know much about Chicago, but it's been echoing in my head for about three weeks now. I admitted this to someone today, and they seemed to understand my confusion about the sudden intensity of these random thoughts. She told me how she had been walking the other day, and wondered what would happen if someone close to her died. How she would feel, what she would need to be comforted and things of that nature. After a moment of thought on the subject she suddenly began to wonder why am I thinking this?! ... The next day her good friend's grandmother died. She took what she had thought about the day before and applied it.

How convenient.

Another example: A co-worker came to our staff meeting yesterday, and with her brought a Boston Creme Pie (mmm). She wouldn't let us cut into it until she told the story of said cake. Turns out that through the day she had had a fierce desire to simply go buy a cake (which apparently is very much unlike her). So, shortly before our meeting she drove out to Ingles and while there a woman approached her with a loaf of bread and bologna in her hand.

Because of her seemingly random thought to go buy a cake, my friend was able to help a woman in need and provide her food for a while and show God's love in a very simple way.

What if we paid attention to every seemingly random thought, whether about death, dessert or cities? How is God trying to communicate with us? What is he trying to accomplish? How much smoother would it go if we listened?

So like I said... thoughts have been on my mind... wondering about His thoughts, His plans and His goals that we miss out on because we don't pay attention...

Psalm 10:4

In his pride the wicked does not seek him;
in all his thoughts there is no room for God.

Is there room for God in your thoughts?