Trees are budding, tulips have shown their bright happy faces and the lawns are green again. Life has returned to the midwest and summer will be here before we know it. The rains have come as well, and for whatever reason in the midst of all the colors of new life, I still feel melancholic on grey rainy days like today. Rain is cleansing and essential, especially at this time of year, but days with no sunshine just seem to be heavier. Then again, I am somewhat of an analytical bloke, and my thoughts tend to roll around a bit on quiet days when the rain is falling and the sounds of ambient music inevitably flow from iTunes.
I have been a bit of a logo fiend lately, which is fun and challenging. In the past week I have done like 5 different logos! I am very grateful for friends like Jimmy, Dave and Matt who push me and challenge me to improve. Design is not something you can just throw down and it be perfect the first time. It requires thought, creativity and yes… criticism. I am nowhere near where I would like to be, and half the time I hate what I produce, and the other half I envy the stuff that others do, but I wonder if they feel the same, haha! I think if I had more time to really create, and to have a team around me of creative people to talk about conceptual ethereal things and then bring it to a practical and workable reality, how cool that would be. Not to say I am dissatisfied with everything I do because sometimes I like it. When I get a compliment from someone that I respect as an artist, then I am on cloud 9. The worst part though is to be really happy with a design and then the client asks you to do something that completely destroys that design. So then you have to try and make your case to them why it works and why they should not do the horrible idea they have in their heads and why they should just trust you as a designer. Sigh. It is a great challenge. Now, I need to update my portfolio in the worst way and I am thinking about doing what Dave did with his – just do a simple pdf portfolio of my work. That’s a good rainy day project.
In the evenings, I have been really pushing on finishing the drywall project in the basement. There’s nothing like the taste of drywall dust in your mouth and every surface of your body covered in fine white powder. But I am learning as I go and if it actually turns out well, I will be happy. Once the drywall is finished, it’s paint, flooring, trim and ceiling and then I can move in. I can not wait for that day.