New blog

http://nacrepearl.blogspot.com/

I don't like the title of this blog, so I'm migrating.  I choose Nacre because it's pretty, but more importantly, it's very strong, resilient, and iridescent.

21st Century Marketing for Professional Services

Article from the Society for Marketing Professional Services that I'm reading:
http://www.smps.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Research&Template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=4948

Font Architect. Indescribable Witchery.

I just received an interesting interview from myfonts.com with Ryoichi Tsunekawa, and architect of display fonts.  Read the interview here: http://www.myfonts.com/newsletters/cc/201012.html


I like finding interesting and unusual fonts and wonder how they are designed digitally.  Also, in the course of the interview, Mr. Tsunekawa says, "vernacular letterforms are adorable to me...they have indescribable witchery." 

If the output of Japanese foundries represented on MyFonts is anything to go by, Nagoya must be the number one font city in Japan. Not only has Ray Larabie established his Typodermic foundry here; it is also home to Flat-It, one of our most prolific microfoundries specializing in lively retro and script fonts. Flat-It is run by Ryoichi Tsunekawa, who also created two specialist labels — Prop-A-Ganda and Holiday Type — to celebrate and market letterforms inspired by… well, propaganda and holidays. His taste is eclectic, his skills are remarkable, his production is huge. Meet Ryoichi Tsunekawa, architect of display fonts.

Songs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwqhdRs4jyA
End of the Line - Travelling Wilburys

Let It Go Follow-Up

I had posted this in November:

Let It Go

The other morning I had an extreme round of self-doubt...sort of imagining all possible kinds of things that were wrong. It was a really tough hour for me, but I got through it by holding each one of my fears up and really looking at them honestly, before telling myself to "Let it go." Breathing helped, too. When you stop breathing, it's not good.

I just learned that despite letting it go, sometimes your worst imaginings are true.
 
And you still have to let them go.

Inspiration

I always have a notebook on the right hand side on my desk.  So keyboard at 12:00, mouse+funky paper mousepad at 1:00, notebook at 3:00 (I don't do anything at 2:00).  I take notes in my notebook (counter-intuitive, I know), but also use it as a running record of everything.  I don't often go back and look at my notebooks, because it's mostly work assignments, but I really like them.

My most recent notebook is from Staples.  Usually I get the biggest college-ruled notebook I can, but this time, I found that Staples has a product line called Sustainable Earth (eco easy) and this notebook is made from 80% sugarcase plant fiber waste.  I couldn't find 300 page Sustainable Earth notebook, so I bought three 100-pagers, which cost less in the end than the Universal 300-page college-ruled notebook that I usually buy.  The paper is good quality and I am happy that it is made from the waste of sugarcane production.

So the point is, I'm trying to use the notebooks as less of a boring to-do list, and more of a hardcopy source of inspiration.  Getting back to my funky mousepad (http://www.galison.com/Pinwheel-Floral-Memo-Mousepad-P2366C0.aspx), I often write lyrics or quotes on my mousepad where the stay for several weeks until it gets too full or dirty, when I tear the page off.  Now I will tape those pages in my notebook so they contribute to the record.

What is on the page I just tore out and taped in my notebook?

"You owe it to us all to get on with what you're good at." -W.H. Auden

"We imagine that when we are thrown out of our usual ruts, all is lost, but it is only then that what is new and good begins.  While there is life, there is happiness.  There is so much before us.  I say this to you." - Tolstoy


P.S.  Aside from these inspirations, I'm working with Dreamweaver to do some web design (or try) and I'm excited to try to create some beautiful web pages.  I have a lot to learn!

Songs

I just heard Andrew Lipke's cover of Just Like A Woman, which I really hope he will release with an upcoming cd. 
http://www.andrewlipke.com/
Very very wonderful.