SO i’m going to get back into blogging. Mostly since I rarely remember what I’ve done from day to day. SO i figure if I get an offline blog editor then that might help me out. I’m lazy after all and if you know me at all I’m a sucker for new apps as much as I am for gadgets.
let the good times roll.
Throughout my travels online, I keep running into the above image. I’ve seen it in blogs, and through my RSS, I’ve even seen companies using it when they post new job positions. It got me thinking. I know that my range of experience is a bit more complex then most. I’ve dubbed my situation “deep pockets” since I know a lot of stuff about a great many things. My small boutique experience at Helios, taught me that I needed to be flexible and open to learning the tools ad-hoc on a per project basis. Amassing block of information along the way similar in fashion how I used to collect Lego when I was a kid. Using said block on each new project always adding to my collection and moving forward.
I quickly realized that my bag of tricks sometimes overshadowed jobs I was applying for, or in some cases wasn’t specific enough for some people in one area. Was I spread too thin? Did my new found love for motiongraphics keep me from progressing in flash actionscript? Did my love for code overshadow my design abilities? What I have found is that my skill sets shift as I use one more than another. What I’ve forgotten in AS3.0 I relearn quicker each time I have to dive back into heavier scripting projects. My patience for rotoscoping goes up the longer I keyframe my way through a piece of footage, and my designs get tighter and more true to my ideas the more I spend time in photoshop/illustrator. This floating approach has its benefits and its weaknesses and for now I’m left wondering if its better to focus on one thing and let some slide by the wayside or spend enormous amounts of time and effort to keep myself sharp in all situations.
I’ve given some thought to focusing on one thing specifically, determining that one thing has its hardships since I love every aspect of what I do, and while most things are equal spending time with one more than the others makes me feel like I’ve stopped feeding one of my pet fish (i don’t have any pets) would that fish just die? That’s something I’m not prepared to accept. Then there is the part of me that wants to learn more, heaven forbid that I want even deeper pockets than I already have. The though of getting into new things is intriguing all the time, I know it spreads me thin but at what cost. When does the quality of what I produce lessen enough to make it not a good product due to having my hands in too many pots? What happens when I’m expected to do it all on the time line of 8 people doing it separately? And would staying with these pockets of mine satisfy me the way I need them too? Will these new found skills add to my love of what I do day in and day out, or will it just add to the burden of being a guy who can accomplish alot?
I’m open for suggestions, i’m debating with myself the merits of focus vs loving everything. I find both appealing just not sure I can handle both. Maybe I can… but who knows.
if you know me at all, then you know I have a real problem that consumes my life. Day in and day out. What is it you ask? Well I have a hard time saying no to people I like. People that ask me for help usually get it. Somebody needs a blog? I usually host it. Portfolio site? I’m usually building it. Want me to teach you something, I usually will. The one problem with all of this is that my time for myself easily gets left by the wayside, personal projects get put on a backburner that seems to stretch into the distance, never moving up in the que.
I’m struggling to find a way to keep myself and people I care for happy. It’s a tough road but I think from here on out, I need to help myself first, others second. There are plenty of things I wish I would have done by now. Some simple, others requiring my attention for a longer period of time.
What happens now? Whats the plan?
Plan is to take everything that is currently on my plate and get rid of it, finish it. Kill it and bill it so to speak. While this happens I’ll make structured plans to get my personal projects in order so I can accomplish them at a steady pace.
I’ve realized that I’ve done alot for others but not much for myself in the last few years. I need to be greedy and try and make myself happy by doing the things I spend time dreaming about. Making myself happier is the ultimate goal, that happiness fed by the accomplishments I feel I need to do.
Sorry to say that I can’t help you, I need to help me…
We seriously dont get out enough but when we do its usually for something we both enjoy enough to make a dent in our weekly routine with the embot. Last thursday we went to see dashboard at the guvernment, tho I still remember it as the kool hause but I digress. Concert was good. Openers in Joh Ralstein and Augustana were decent and I even bought a CD for 5$ with a 2$ tip which got me a USB memory stick with an entire show on it plus videos. Not bad.
Highlight for the night was the weezer el scorcho cover, while pinkerton is one of my fav albums of all time it was a decent cover and I happily found it on youtube to share.
The last two weeks of my life have been crazy to say the least. 2.5 months into my stay at TAXI and I found myself up to my armpits in rendering huge files for our 15th birthday. Compiling old spots and print ads plus pop culture references from years dating back to 1992, really made me realize how far I’ve come and how further ahead we are on this planet. Now that the party is over and the files have been backed up. I’m onto bigger things, one of which is diving head deep back into the world of flash to better skill myself in the ways of fine programming, something to which I’ve left by the wayside in favor of recycling the same old cruddy code I’ve developed over the past 2 years of not deving flash like I used too. Oh how it feels to learn again.
At the same time I’ve been busy at home, while the studio’s dance season came to a close I found myself working nonstop to get everything done for everybody. Plus with Emily and Jen at home I felt like my time with them was slim, but I tried my best to make due.
Two projects in addition to this already heavy workload were the updated Franco Shade and Jug websites.
Prolly the simplest site I’ve done in a while a small site for Jug Shoes and Liners. Simple and to the point. There is going to be a blog added and we are just sorting out the database things with that.
Obviously taking far longer than I wanted it too is the new FRSH site. Now fully flash on the front end I have a few menu tweeks under the hood that I wanted to take care of most of which you’ll never see, but its a personal thing. New stuff to be added shortly.
When indulging in activities after a while you would think that one would be prudent and say maybe stretch a little. Take it easy for hte first little bit, while the body makes its changes to this new physical exertion. You would think that I would have learned this by now. I’m 29 and I just skated for the first time this year.
I’m only kinda sore, I know that the second day will be worse. But what I’m really feeling is the hesitation. The carless-ness that I once enjoyed on rollerblades no longer is there. If it is, its not come to the surface yet. But when you get older you staart to think about how jumping on those bannisters will effect the rest of your day, week and life. I dont heal as quick anymore hell I’m not even that old, I’m just out of shape. I’m going to try and do this right this time. Get going more than once a week on my skates and see how things go. 29 or not I still love to roll.
I should have posted this on friday, nothing like a little timestamp editing to make things a reality…..
Wednesday was my last day at Maclaren. Almost 2 years bang on to the day I started I’m moving on to different opportunities, challenges and friends. I leave behind my infamous cave of an office and some friends I hope to cross paths with again. My first agency experience after Helios taught me many things and made me grow a bit here and there in directions I didnt think about growing. I met people and clients I bonded with. Worked on brands that were exciting and new for me. And helped to furthere fine tune what I want out of both life and my career.
That pretty much sums it up, neat and tidy like.
Its been a bit since i blogged on the personal tip. Most times I’m trying hard enough to blog on exclusives™ and I rarely like to mention any personal news most of you might not already know. Plus I’ve been updating the em-bot site with loads more pictures and I WAS getting my relax on with a nice break over the holidays.
Part of me wishes I could tell you whats going on with things but part of me wants none of you to know and if you do know its cause I personally told you whats up. Got some surprisingly big things in store for the 2007 season of drew and company. more work, loads more fun and hopefully by the summer time a skatimg comeback and finally lacing BS Royals like… well actually lacing them.