LongstreetWorks

My Poor {Blog} Life

Thu, 02 Aug 2012 19:08:36 -0400

This is not a pity party.

I have big issues with people who choose to gripe constantly online to an imaginary audience about how terrible their life is and how the world is unfair. Yes, life is unfair and deals you some unimaginable blows, but in reality things can be SO MUCH WORSE. This reminds me of a quote from the movie PS I Love You (I know cheesy, but I love it anyway. After an earth-shattering break up an evening of this movie on repeat and two bottles of wine got me through.)

This is my one and only life, And its a great and terrible and short and endless thing, and none of us come out of it alive.

Cheesy movie, but that is some great writing.

I got laid off from my job in February and I was devastated. All I could think about was how if I was better/smarter/creative/nicer/did I say smarter? - than I wouldn’t have been (essentially) fired. Working for a company for three years and being completely invested only to have my position eliminated broke my confidence. I was lost. This is not what you picture your life to be.

Since February I have taken some time to think about the things I want and what is going to be important to me. I spent fun times with family & friends, got re-excited about being a talented artist, started to learn coding, and created a kick ass LinkedIn profile for that magical day when I would return to work. (Don’t even get me started on how so many people aren’t letting their LI profile work FOR them! Contact me if you want some help on that biz).

And now I have returned to work at a stable, international company that values marketing, has great people, and great products. I don’t feel lost anymore, I am exactly where I should be and I am valued. There fun things to look forward to and write about, so there will be no more neglecting my poor blog.

I would love to be all “everything happens for a reason” but I’m human, so I say the A-holes I used to work for can suck it. And good luck to you.

“Is the digital world killing creativity?” by Sam...

Wed, 30 May 2012 13:35:54 -0400

“Is the digital world killing creativity?”

by Sam Laird - Image courtesy of iStockphoto, Clicknique

Inspiration! Anatomical Cross-Sections in Tissue Paper Lisa...

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 06:50:45 -0500

Inspiration!

Anatomical Cross-Sections in Tissue Paper

Lisa Nilsson, lisanilssonart.com

visual-poetry: “danger” by pei-san pg The most dangerous...

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 17:06:06 -0400

visual-poetry:

“danger” by pei-san pg

The most dangerous things are the ones that are this beautiful :)

I mean, who didn’t study the heck outta this guy?! If you...

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 14:49:55 -0400

I mean, who didn’t study the heck outta this guy?!

If you ever took a class on the History of Advertising YOU KNOW they could make a whole study track just about Apple. Steve Jobs’ influence brought on some great stuff.

Infographic of the Day: Why Should You Care About Typography If...

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 13:01:05 -0400

Infographic of the Day: Why Should You Care About Typography

If you think typography is simply about personal whim, you just haven’t been looking at it the right way ~ from www.fastcodesign.com.

nevver: The 10 best street art works

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 09:20:21 -0400

nevver:

The 10 best street art works

Oh, Illustrator. I love you. Since I whistle-while-I-work at a...

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 11:06:00 -0400

Oh, Illustrator. I love you.

Since I whistle-while-I-work at a resort I use a lot of different programs, one of which is for booking. It is primarily gray, red, boring, and horrible looking. Blech. Working in Adobe is colorful! exciting! and it is so nice to see visual changes happen so quickly throughout the day. This video showcases GREAT skills in Illustrator and reminds me why I LOVE being a designer.

~ Thanks to @mvenema for tweeting this video.

Speaking of Movies… Someone catch that somnombulus! Long,...

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 14:24:35 -0400

Speaking of Movies… Someone catch that somnombulus!

Long, long ago I chose to minor in art history (yawn) with an emphasis on film (YAY) so I got to see some great stuff while watching movies in class. Thus began my love affair with Weine’s The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. It is just beautiful and the sets are to die for. If you haven’t seen it YouTube it right now. You aren’t that busy anyway and it is worth it. Promise.

side note: Be careful signing up for a grad level class in experimental film. Very strange things will be burned into memory.

"Funny how 40 years swoosh by: June 1971 is the date the Nike Swoosh was launched. Designed by..."

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 14:05:00 -0400

“Funny how 40 years swoosh by: June 1971 is the date the Nike Swoosh was launched. Designed by Carolyn Davidson for $35 - a “Bargain Brand,” the Dept. of Nike Archives notes in its extraordinarily understated tabloid-sized newsprint history.”

- Swoosh: 40 Years Fly By

When I see the Nike logo I think of the movie Without Limits. You know, that movie about Pre (Steve Prefontaine). No, the one with Donald Sutherland, not the one with Jared Leto.

“Young Blood” ~ The Naked and Famous You keep my...

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 12:47:00 -0400

“Young Blood” ~ The Naked and Famous

You keep my secrets hope to die. Promises, swear them to the sky

Free Falling

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 09:19:08 -0400

Free Falling :

I adore this cover of Tom Petty’s Free Falling by Stevie Nicks. So many things to love about it, but I am just going to listen now. Thanks.

I want to run around life calling people dipshits in a tone that...

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 14:00:05 -0400

I want to run around life calling people dipshits in a tone that conveys this image. “Hey, dipshit! Love that shirt, dipshit! Have a great day, dipshit!”

A Wandering Wondering

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 14:35:00 -0400

Do you think AES will defer my student loans if I tell them I had to quit my job because I could no longer suppress my desire to be a kick-ass (but unpaid) street artist? I will look into this. Erie could use some color.

via freshorphresh: Presenting Horrible Movie Clichés, an...

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 14:31:00 -0400

via freshorphresh:

Presenting Horrible Movie Clichés, an illustrated guide, brought to you by the New York International Latino Film Festival.

You MUST love a nicely designed chart/graph. And one that brings some hilarity based on ridiculous movie genres is a bonus. Remember the episode of HIMYM where Marshall finds out there is a department at Goliath National Bank that will just make charts & graphics? And he pulls out a chart for everything? Good stuff.

I love The Muppets. And I love their letterhead. And their new...

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 15:45:00 -0400

I love The Muppets. And I love their letterhead. And their new movie this fall? Yes, please.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1204342/

New IDEA

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 14:12:45 -0400

“That song just changed by life”

If music is so powerful that it can change your life, it deserves some pretty serious kudos. Boyfriend Kelly said this phrase about a year ago and that song has since hit (some) mainstream success. More importantly I have found that the power behind this particular tune has also had an impact on me. Like when I hear it I swear my heart is bursting out of my chest and I feel the lyrics in my soul. Cool stuff. So I have decided to create some of my own work inspired by this song and others like it that have momentarily floored me in the best way possible. Work starts tomorrow and I’m posting progress along the way. See you then.

side note: It is seriously impossible to write the word idea in all caps without thinking of IKEA. Damn Swedes, they got me.

Hand Drawn Inspiration

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 09:32:41 -0400

Oil and Water Don’t Mix ~ David Hefflin, Denton TX
(via Print Magazine’s Hand Drawn Illustration Contest, 2011)

This image is what finally did it. This entry in Print Magazine’s contest was the last push I needed to get back to working on projects that I find inspiring. A simple form made with simple media that evokes a lot of emotion and beauty. So perfect.

I’ve struggled for a few years now about my career in corporate marketing & design because I used to make art that, you know, wasn’t completely soulless. But as it tends to do, the stress of working in a corporate environment and long, tiring commute hasn’t fostered great work. When I saw this image last week it brought back all my old feelings of what being a creative means to me and my life. So now I’m making myself set aside the time to sketch, paint, weave, whatever. Because that is who I am and what I want to be about. Not whether the May revenue is up or down over 2010. A little soul-awakening is SUPER APPROPRIATE for a Monday morning.

So thanks David. I don’t know you, but to me you are a star.

Check out the other entries and the big winner at www.printmag.com.

“A Girl, a Boy, and a Graveyard” ~ Jeremy...

Thu, 05 May 2011 10:17:59 -0400

“A Girl, a Boy, and a Graveyard” ~ Jeremy Messersmith

She says life’s a game we’re meant to lose. But stick by me and I will stick by you.

The ALL CAPS approval. When an email approval response is in...

Thu, 05 May 2011 10:02:55 -0400

The ALL CAPS approval.

When an email approval response is in all caps does that mean:

A) It looks REALLY good

B) You are pissed because it looks so good

C) You didn’t notice the caps was on

i will never know.