Here’s a little teaser for a personal project I am working on:
I was just going through my files on my laptop, and I found a word document that has a list of my goals that I made for the year on January 1, 2009. The list was as follows:
:: Have a portfolio website consisting of flash and CSS
:: Learn the basics of 3D animation
:: Animate a video using 3D & 2D software and elements
:: Spend more time sketching & drawing
:: Graduate from college
:: Get a job in advertising
:: Continue to boost freelance work (1 job/month)
:: More sincere scripture study (topic based, not just a check-off)
:: Be more health conscious and work out more
Ironically, I haven’t looked at this list since I wrote it one year ago, but have managed to accomplish each goal on the list. That’s pretty cool… especially since people are ALWAYS saying “if you write you, you do it.” I wouldn’t say I had forgotten about this list, but I definitely haven’t opened it up and reread my goals since they were written.
So, in an attempt to commit myself (even if only subconsciously), here are my goals for 2010:
:: Become more proficient in 3D animation (modeling, animating, etc.)
:: Build 5 high-end animations using 3D animation that I can add to my portfolio
:: update my portfolio website, and build it in a way that is easily to maintain.
:: Go to the temple at LEAST once / month.
:: Continue meaningful scripture study
:: GET MARRIED (I’m tired of this single crap.)
:: Get more in the habit of eating well and working out.
:: Only drink soda once / week
:: Find one thing to be grateful for every day.
I really feel like 2010 is going to be a big year for me. I don’t really know what it entails, and maybe they are small things that make a big difference. Who knows.
Either way, bring it on. 
A coworker of mine posted this on facebook, and I thought it was hilarious (depressing / inappropriate subject notwithstanding).
Along the Road
(let the song download, and listen to it while reading this post)
This is a Tribute:
A tribute to where I’ve been.
A tribute to what I’ve experienced.
A tribute to the creative attempts I’ve made.
A tribute to the inner critic inside of me.
A tribute to things not happening the way we planned.
A tribute to the failed dates I’ve been on, or the ones I should have gone on, but didn’t.
A tribute to those who said, “You can’t.” Or, “You will never.”
A tribute to anyone along the way who has doubted me, as well as those who’ve supported me.
A tribute to looking back.
A tribute to living now.
A tribute to creative successes.
A tribute to silencing the unhealthy self-judgment.
A tribute to the process.
A tribute to gained experience.
A tribute to proving people wrong.
A tribute to shattering expectations, and making people proud.
A tribute to then,
A tribute to now,
and a Tribute to when.
… I know. Its rare. An update on my blog. Given that it’s been forever since I last wrote on it, here’s a quick overview of updates:
1) I am still employed by Struck. However, we’ve merged with Axiom Design. So, now we are Struck/Axiom. It’s a rad group of people, and we are going to blow the minds of the world.
2) I have a king size bed. Thank you, Nu Skin.
3) Dating is still a cruel mistress (as a whole, I am not dating ONE GIRL who is a cruel mistress.)
And, basically, that’s all there is for now. I have plans for a pretty rad creative project that I am going to start working on, which I plan on taking the next year or so, so you will see updates about that from time to time. And now, for no other reason than pure delight, I share this:
The late Elder Neal A. Maxwell, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, gave an address in a BYU devotional in 1979. His topic was that of patience. A topic which has so easily avoided my grasp and mental understanding in my life. The passage of time in my life, has produced a soul, who for this first time, might have the beginning inklings of it.
Elder Maxwell said,
I recorded the substance of this speech about three months ago while driving to a stake conference in Elko, Nevada, across that rather barren, but beautiful in its own way, stretch of desert. Incidentally, as soon as most of this speech on patience was dictated, my car threw two fan belts!
During that drive it was brought forcibly to me that the seeming flat periods of life give us a blessed chance to reflect upon what is past as well as to be readied for some rather stirring climbs ahead. Instead of grumbling and murmuring, we should be consolidating and reflecting, which would not happen if life were an uninterrupted sequence of fantastic scenery, confrontive events, or exhilarating conversation.
Patience helps us to use, rather than protest, these seeming flat periods of life, becoming filled with quiet wonder over the past and with anticipation for that which may lie ahead, instead of demeaning the particular flatness through which we may be passing at the time.
This summer has, indeed, helped me fix the broken fan belts and use the lowlands to enjoy the ascensions into the mountains.
Without going into great detail on this (I will be happy to tell you the full story in person), I will say that my job, my life, and my understand of my connection to my Father in Heaven have all become quite clear and certain to me.
I have a great job, and was hired full-time amidst the worst economic climate in decades. I love who I work with… I even wanted my labor day weekend to end faster so I could get BACK into work. I’m 100% happy there, and feel like I am really where I need to be.
My life, while different than I had planned, is exactly what I need. Sure, there have been disappointments, but I’ve realized that these once “catastrophes” are really nothing more than mere “fan belts.” Fan belts which have been repaired, and I am cruising along comfortable and content, ready for whenever the valley ends and the great heights begin. I’m ready for the climb, and may have even seen road signs indicating some important information… I’ve learned to roll down the windows, turn on some good tunes, and enjoy the ride… Who doesn’t enjoy a good road trip, after all?
My relationship with my Father in Heaven is stronger than it has been in a long time. I attribute it to increased sincerity in prayer and scripture study, meaningful contemplation and acting in faith. And, the scriptures iPhone app hasn’t hurt either.
Basically, Things are great. I have hints of what is coming, but I still have no idea what they are in their entirety, but I’m excited for the forks and bends in the road, because I have a properly fueled and maintained vehicle for the trip.
…produced by the one and only, Struck.
This was a campaign to create awareness for men to check for prostate cancer.
Growing up, we all knew there were different classes of kids: Kids who were cool, kids who weren’t. Kids who “got it,” and kids who “didn’t.” Each of which stood out in his or her own regard, and that’s how school yard life was.
Sure. But, there is a class of kid that got overlooked, and somehow snuck through the radar. Kids who, by divine providence were no more than serfs of the playground, but had aspirations of climbing to a higher nobility. These kids were the kids who started to follow the trends the cool kids set. They’d jump on every point of fashion, every catch-phrase, and every trend. They weren’t able to set the trends themselves, but would capitalize on any opportunity to follow. As a natural result, they would then BEAT that precious trend into the ground, making the “new” become “old” and making everyone sick of it.
Where are all of these kids now? Well, they’ve grown up and run companies. Some are cool (apple, google, etc.), some are not (Microsoft, Ford). What about the kids who were in the middle? Well, since they didn’t stand out in the playground, they don’t stand out in the business world. You will find them running start-up, local, or even national companies. They will grab whatever trends are popular, and beat them to DEATH.
After a very long intro, I present to you my list of personal “tick-me-offs” that are a result of followers sans-punctually adopting pop-culture.
1 – Anyone who advertises their product or service as a “stimulus package.” We get it. the recession hit, and it sucks. Why would you KEEP reminding me that there isn’t a lot of money going around right now, and that you guys want what little left I have? Trojan, as far as I know, was the only one to successfully use this concept in advertising: (see it here)
2- iAnything but Apple. Steve Jobs and his crew did a great thing… they took the creative and technical world of movie-making, building websites, editing photos, and doing it on a powerful computer, and brought it to the rest of the world. From that point on, any consumer could say, “I made a WEBsite,” or “I edited this MOVIE.” “I bought a MAC,” is another one. As a result, the marketing plan was natural and smart: “iLife” software, and put it on an iMac. WOW! It makes great sense! Turns out apple is the cool kid… the trendsetter. What happened next? EVERYONE wanted to be like that. Countless companies built websites, products, and even marketed campaigns around the idea of putting a lowercase “i” in front of their product.
The result? No one likes you. Putting an “i” in front of something merely gives you the credibility of a copycat. And, consumers are sick of seeing it. I for, one, look at something of this nature, and my brain automatically assumes the company is ACTUALLY saying, “iAm not creative,” or “iCopied,” or “iAm a tool.”
So, the long and short of it is… it is unoriginal, dated, and washed up. PLEASE… DON’T use this technique. The world deserves better, and so does your delicate brand.
3- “We Won’t Jerk You Around.” Those of you in Utah will know this.. the car dealership that starts with the jingle previously cited within quotations. NO KIDDING. I don’t EXPECT to get jerked around. You want me to come buy a car from you because your unique selling point is the idea that you are honest. Well, congratulations… you’ve found a way to be proud of something that should be a given fact. That’s why there is the BBB… to make sure guys like you DON’T jerk anyone around.
4- “Suits.” I spend my entire day (and usually nights) working hard to concept, design, and present a final product to a client who has hired me for my creative experience and talent. Clients will usually even start out a relationship with, “I don’t have a single creative bone in my body, that’s why we’ve hired you.” Everyone laughs a little bit, and the creatives feel a little flattered, but then when feedback comes in, it is invariably one (or all) of the following:
-”Would you mind making our logo bigger?”
-”What if we add more gradients to it?”
-”We’re worried people will be offended.”
-”Put our name, phone number, URL, etc. on there really big. And, make the logo match it”
-”My wife came up with a good idea… we’d like to use it.”
-”Could you go ahead and make the logo a little bigger still?”
Listen. I get it. You want to make sure your money goes as far as it can in this ad creation. I know. You want people to know how great you are. You want them to know how to get ahold of you. You want them to be able to see your logo. However, just because I get your concerns, doesn’t mean you are right. Trust the creatives you hired. They are wearing stylish clothes and hairstyles you don’t understand. They are in a different world than you, and you need them, just as much as they need you. Let’s make it a symbiotic relationship, and go forward. You trust me with the creative insights, and I trust that you will pay on time.
I issue this challenge to anyone who owns a brand: TRUST YOUR BRAND. You didn’t start this company or build this product simply to copy an over-used marketing trend. You did it because you thought, “Hey, this would be a GREAT idea!” And you did it. You got funding. You’re doing sales. People actually LIKE your brand. PLEASE do not sell yourself short of the potential your brand has to BECOME the next big thing… to set the trend, and to be what other people want to copy. The economy is recovering, and the best stimulus package is to let those haunting memories die out. No one likes “i” anything any more. And don’t let your power as a CEO, or the power of your wife, get you into an ad campaign with a crappy jingle.
Unless you business model is, “iHave a wife who thought this jingle was cool to help in the bad economy,” I implore you to take a higher path.
If not, your business will fail, and you could find yourself saying, “iSuck.”
Many of you may recall that I lived in Manhattan, New York, or the Big Apple last summer. It was one of the best experiences of my life, in that it tried me, tested me, beat me up, and eventually apologized and massaged the wounds it caused me. In hindsight, I see that it was necessary for it to break me down in order for me to grow, and I thank New York for having the strength to administer “tough love” for the greater good.
What New York didn’t expect, though, is that all the beatings and bruises would leave a tender spot in my heart for her. I have been back a couple of times since to visit, this last weekend included. Quickly, here are a few pictures I took on my phone:
It was an amazing time. A few friends came out with me: Norm, Lalis, Liz, Nate, and my sister, Angie, and a few friends I have that live out there (thanks Billy, Megan, Vanessa, Tommy, Lori, Kaisha, etc. etc.) and myself showed them around. It was an amazing time.
For those of you interested in a refresh of my dealings with New York last summer, here they are:
the “before” attitude
the “changing moment”
the “after” attitude upon leaving
As I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge Saturday night, and as our vacation drew to a close, I felt the heartache return of knowing I was leaving New York before I was ready, not sure when I was to return.
In order for someone to fully understand how hard it is for me to not be in New York, imagine a recent break up you had. If you’re married, imagine the last painful breakup you had before you were married. When a relationship ends before you want it to, you can’t look at pictures of the person, you can’t hear anything that reminds you of them, without feeling a small pit in your stomach. It’s as though even your digestive system is bent on reminding you that life was REALLY good, and now you are missing out. Often times, in a break up, it’s hard to even see mutual friends you had with the person…
…and all of my friends are in New York.
I’ll be fine, no doubt. I love Struck and the opportunity to be there. I love Salt Lake… it’s where I am from. Yet, there is something about it all, each day, that makes me feel like I am trying to convince myself that I am okay not being in New York. It’s as though this time of my life is nothing more than a “rebound” fling until I either get back together with New York, or I find a new city that I love even more.
