Fourteen days in... August daily project recap

I DID SO WELL. For like, a week...

 

And, then I started getting caught up on finished perfection. Not wanting to half-ass things. Well, I still don't want to half-ass things, but I think I've got to make a few modifications to my rules. For all of the days that aren't represented above (I'm looking at you, August 9, 10, 11, 12) I do have some starts/sketches that just aren't complete. So for yesterday, I decided to keep it small and simple. The colors are fancy because of lighting and phone camera, which I then inversed, and that's kinda what I got. Keeping it small is a good idea for me as I can't get as burnt out on coloring in when I've got a structure I like, but I want the finishing to be tight. Simple, well, I guess I mean less overthinking/planning. So far I've got a few favorites, and some I'd totally already revisit, so why not just dive in and do all quickly rather than work on finishing up something that I'd already re-do? As a daily thing, I don't think I had the intent of putting more than an hour per day in to it. Hopefully much less. I think I can get as much out of producing something every day as producing something finished feeling on some to most days. Let's make. 

Everything, a little less. 

Where this is all going.

You know that song that you can’t hear without recalling a particular moment/feeling/memory EVERY time?

I’ve collected a playlist worth of those songs. And I’m in process of writing about the moment/feeling/memory that each song conjures.

Rules to follow.

In the meantime, August has turned in to a fun-a-day sort of month, and following in the ambition of Mike, I’m committing to doing some one thing every day for August.

Aug. 1 : Great Expectations

Since I’ve been dabbling with hand-lettering lately, and most often of song lyrics, to make the jump to lettering out a line of lyrics daily was a logical one. And with this writing project as the driving force, I’ve already got a playlist full of songs that mean something to me as fodder. 

I’m committing to the crazy. For a month at least. I’m pushing to try other materials and styles of letters (honestly I’ve begun to default to a very narrow range).

I don’t know where this is going and what will happen, but I do ask that you all keep me accountable, push me, comment, “like", tell me why you hate it, tell me why it’s working, throw some feedback at me, and whatever else.



You in?

Follow along on instagram & my tumblr blog, that's where the daily updates will be happening! 

Taking and giving and giving back

I've been asking some ridiculous things lately. Making outrageous requests, if you will. My thoughts on asking are that when you ask, you don't have an expected answer. Maybe a hopeful one, but not expected, so it doesn't hurt to ask, worst case you're in the same spot that you started in, and at least you won't wonder what if you had asked. I partially credit this TED talk that, among other points, encourages making use of your weak ties.

Everyone has been so awesome lately, and pretty much everything I've been asking for I've gotten in some degree. (Numerous helpers with my basement flooding including getting the water out and offering me hot showers while the water heater was out of commission, being offered places to stay out of town (with excessive hospitality), dog sitting while I was gone, borrowing of equipment, giving/sending me excellent mixes, and so on.)

So it's my turn.
In the past week I've signed up for a couple volunteering opportunities at upcoming events, one this weekend and one in August. I'm really excited to be a little part of a bigger machine and give back a bit to lots of people at once, even though it's really just little stuff in the big picture. I'm not exactly saving the world by passing out water to runners or pouring beer for festival-goers, but if I can put a smile on their faces, that works for me.

I've also had this big Gratitude Postcard project on my mind's back burner for literally years (I'm pretty sure I discussed it with Katie soon after meeting her at The Fest 9), and I think this is my push to start it going. It's going to be different than originally thought (current lack of letterpress access and all), but I think it'll be better this way, a lot more personal. I also think I'm not going to figure it out completely ahead of time. Start anywhere, right?

Currently.

Rocking:

My 5k training. Starting to really feel better about running, and seeing progress in my distances/pace. There's a nice social aspect too, if I go on a run with a friend, we can chat/catch up, and yet still get our run in...seems easier to fit in than catching up over a drink. 

Fostering:

A dog through a local pitbull rescue, about 1.5 years old. He's super sweet, happy, bouncy, and at the same time laid back. Like, if we're outside, his ears will perk up if he hears something interesting, but he won't suddenly run to the fence and start barking. Same thing with seeing passerby's  he takes a look, then goes back to whatever he was doing, be it sniffing around, or playing. We've got a very structured transition process for him being at the house, and with coexisting with my own pup. Which honestly hasn't been the easiest, as the dogs appear eager to play and want to check out each other up close, but definitely for the best as I'd rather have a slow-n-steady introduction and they both get to practice patience rather than a too-fast one and one or both of them is uncomfortable, leaving us with some counter-work to get everybody happy together. again. Bringing me to...

Looking forward to:

Being able to fully integrate foster pup into the daily routines. So excited for Remi to likely have a playmate at home, and I know Socks is dying to be done with his transitioning.

Regretting:

The lunch I had. Might have been a little big and I feel like I've got a huge food coma/tummy unhappy right now.

Listening to:

This playlist that I made on my birthday-eve last week. Full of somewhat odd pairings of Lesley Gore, Smoking Popes, Jimmy Eat World, Damien Rice, and Brand New. Give it a listen!

Thinking:

about, well being inspired by the people and work around me. I attended the Rochester ADDY Awards last week and was witness to many great advertising spots and campaigns, as well as being surrounded by the Rochester advertising community. Hundreds of people at the convention center. I didn't have anything in the show this year, so there was no pressure or worrying about whether I'd take home an award or not this time around.
Then, last night I made the trek to Utica with my friend Sarah for an AIGA event "Will Work for Work" with Mikey Burton. I had worked with Mikey while in Philly, and it was great to see him again!  He gave his talk to a packed room of designers, design students and the like, and was gracious enough to stick around for some Q&A time too. Afterward, we found the smallest ottoman (below).

Currently format ever-so-thankfully borrowed from Dani at SometimesSweet! <3

Mentoring Notes II

Industry, creativity, inspiration, and interesting stuff...from your favorite AIGA UPSTNY SPARK Co-Coordinator & Mentor

There seems to be somewhat a pair of themes this time around for the mentoring notes— Love & Money. Take this as you will. 

Audio

• WMC Fest Kick-off Podcast — Weapons of Mass Creation Fest is going in to its 4th year, I went last year and had a great experience there and in Cleveland. Loved all the speakers, the bands, the neighborhood, and probably spent too much in the gallery on screen prints! If you love design, music, and awesomeness all for a very fair ticket price, this festival is for you. If you watch the video on the site's landing page closely, you can catch a glimpse of me crossing the street in slow-mo around 0:23-0:27
• Two Hand Fools — Been really digging this band, especially the split with Ridgemont, which, coincidentally is available for streaming or free download here

Visual

• Chrome & Poppies Etsy Treasury — getting inspired for my dining room's transition. 
• Type & Lettering, Oh My! pinboard — this stuff honestly makes me drool.
• Pantone Queen.

Video

• The first rule of business is LOVE (James Victore Q&A tuesday)
• YES to LOVE

Reads

• Frank Chimero's Advice to Design Students — to be honest, I think this can apply further than just students, too, although they're the focus of it. 
• Why Would You Ever Give Money Through Kickstarter? I did. And now there's going to be a Veronica Mars movie!
• Amanda Palmer on Crowdfunding.
• Rate Increases
• Graphic Design Resume Tips
• Secrets to Success: Running a Business is not for the faint of heart
• Never read an email Twice —the OHIO method of inbox zen

Interactive

• Don't use Dumb Quotes — Quotes and Accents, a very useful resource by the always lovely Jessica Hische
• The Future of Responsive Typography
• Rich Blocks, Poor Blocks — City map overlays separated by income or rent levels. Really interesting as well as telling. 

Other

• Digital Detox — we all could probably use this.

What notable stuff have you found lately?

Physical Inbox

I'd like to share some of the lovely things I get in the mail... sometimes it's for content, and sometimes it's for delivery...

First one comes from Kristin! She was sweet enough to think to send me a thank you card for teaming up with Michele (from Short Girl, Long Island) for a giveaway a little bit back (which, she won!). Wax seals are awesome, I think I need to look in to getting one of my own. I *LOVE* getting mail (non-bills, non-spam), and even more so when it's stamped with my creation on its return, I just seriously love seeing these things in the wild... so if you've gotten a stamp from me, you've got my address—send a message back, it'll probably make my day!

Next up, this lovely print by Lea Rizzo. It was a perk for the IndieGoGo campaign from The Yards last Fall, where I opted for the Lea print with my donation. The Yards does amazing art shows and events and are truly a great addition to our community in Rochester. They're located at the Rochester Public Market, in a great, versatile space.

What have you gotten in the mail recently that's put a smile on your face?

Resolution Check-in #1

It's been a few weeks...ok, it's halfway through February now...  and traditionally this is the time of year that most resolutions are actually kept, before the bulk of the population loses steam and retreats to their comfortable habits.

I, however, am taking it a little bit at a time... I think so far it's an okay start, but there's definitely room for improvement. I'm hoping that some of the small things being repeated just become good NEW habits so I can move on to bigger and better things. I've skipped some of the items that I haven't really started with anything on yet... so here we are! The colors are for the different sorts of categories I split my resolutions in to ...

.	Goal	Status Summary so far...
.		Through Feb. 18, 2013
.	dance at least 1x/wk	Total failsauce - not danced once yet this year! Ugh. Soon. I swear.
.	cook 3+ dinners/week	Pretty decent at this so far, though not exactly 100% -- the last week or two has been lacking on the mealplanning bit, I pretty much lost some steam leading up to/right after the ATE dinner
.	better bedtimes/sleep (11p on worknights, flexible on wknds—oh hey, there’s an app for that!)	Kind of ok, but not even 50%. I've noticed significant improvement on this since starting my NoBo 5k training though, here's to that!
.	be ready the night before (work lunches and outfits set before bed)	Not exactly, but thinking a little bit ahead.
.	run semi-regularly	Game on. I signed up for a 5k training through a local running store, I'm in my second week of that now, and it's going well. This whole having a schedule and working out as a group is pretty great for actually getting off my butt.
.	run a 5k	Signed up for the Flower City Challenge Wegmans Family 5k at the end of April, which is what this training is leading up to!
.	Walk 500 miles	5k training comes with walking, so this helps. Puppy also comes with walking, though I've somehow lost track of the miles for the walking. Let's say it's over 15 miles but under 50 so far. I've got work to do.
.	lose about 15 more pounds	Good grief this is going poorly -- I'm at about 156 right now, having been about 152 at New Years. Not a huge jump, but still that's an increase rather than decrease or even constant. Bad Laur.
.	play some basketball — find a league or something casual	Discussed the possibility on two separate occasions with two separate people/groups, but nothing yet to come of it. Might be hard to fit in another athletic endeavor now that I'm at 4 days a week of running/training anyway.
.	2 hits at most of the snooze button allowed daily	Probably 1/3- 1/2 of the time, hard one to keep exact stats of.
.	Wear more dresses (1x/week?)	Yes! Usually on Thursdays, and to top it off, I've started also started a weekly Battle of the Dresses with my friend Emily P! Wearing our dresses in the eye of the public definitely helps remind me to keep to the once per week. Oh, and sweater tights. Those are the best.
.	get less distracted	Huge fail.
.	stuart email rule - 10 mins on the hour	WORKS GREAT when I don't make any exceptions. Need to work on this more.
.	wear my nightguard so i don’t grind my teeth down to nothing	Did great the first two weeks of the year, and haven't really since. Let's shoot for that to be better by the next check-in.
.	Get my birdie tattoos finished	Nope, not yet. Megan is out of state and I haven't exactly decided on the location for the last few birds yet...
.	get my rowhouse tattoo	Linework done as of 2/11/13! Color to be completed in a couple weeks.
.	get a new OB/GYN in my health system	Looked up a practice that's in my health system and not scary, just have to actually call for an appointment now. GETTING ON THAT BY THE NEXT CHECK-IN!
.	stay more hydrated	Definitely improved! Seltzer, green tea, and the wonderful citrus infuser waterbottle I got in late January is a total win. I drink SO MUCH more water if citrus is involved.
.	paint my nails and maintain (not a week of chipped)	Did good for a few weeks in January, but have been bare since then. Hard to set aside time to do these and hide in the bathroom, because the birdies can't be around the fumes while I'm paining them. I do have good colors picked out for next time though!
.	get a manicure (suggestions for where to in/near Roc?!)	Bought a groupon on 2/17 for a mani/pedi! Now, to actually go use it.
.	get a pedicure (omg never have. suggestions where to in/near Roc, & someone to join?)	Bought a groupon on 2/17 for a mani/pedi! Now, to actually go use it.
.	Gauge my ears bigger (0?)	Gauged up to a 4g as of beginning of February. Can't get the double-flared plugs in yet though.
.	bake bread & things	I've baked brownies. Once.
.	Open a ‘hidden’ emergency account that I really do not touch	Done it! Account open.
.	Have two months of funds in said account by end of the year	Auto-depositing a bit each check, magically.
.	make a budget and stick to it COLD TURKEY	THIS. Working on it, but the cold turkey part is hard. Goal for next update, only using my cash allowance for non-needs.
.	be AWESOME at my job	Added this after the inital list. Not that I'm bad at my job, but can't we all be better at most things? I'd really like to impress and hold on to this one, as my last job became pretty painful for me until I was able to accept this current gig. Here's to betterness!
.	write a song journal (playlist already set)	I've got a playlist, and the stories running through my head. Maybe I need to sit down twice a month and put a song to paper each time.
.	read 1 book/month	Finished reading: Happier at Home; and I've started Designing for Emotion. On track so far, just need to finish the second book within this month!
.	take more photos on purpose (try a 365 again? maybe.)	Yes! Been taking outfit/dress photos, and also did a photo-an-hour in January which I'd like to keep up each month. Just work days are kinda boring for that, note to self. Oh, and always photos of the pup.
.	go to more shows (1x/month?)	Yes! So far: Miracle of 86 reunion show in January, Staten Island; and the Acoustic Basement tour in Syracuse for February
.	See Lord of the Rings (1st one) ALL THE WAY THROUGH, NO NAPPING	Ian picked up the DVDs of all three of these, just a matter of having a movie night now!
.	See Lord of the Rings (2nd one) ALL THE WAY THROUGH, NO NAPPING	"
.	See Lord of the Rings (3rd one) ALL THE WAY THROUGH, NO NAPPING	"
.	Listen to more podcasts (1/work day)	Sure. Off and on, not going to list what podcasts I listened to each week though.
.	explore! try new stores, new routes, etc.	Took Amtrak to NYC, took LIRR to JFK. Took some new roads randomly, been trying to mix up paths for walks with Remi as well!
.	install CS6 (what have I been waiting for? :I )	INSTALLED, after mess-up/scare in early February.
.	take calligraphy class	Can't find one! Been looking online for classes in ROC.
.	get a laptop ($$$$$$$$$$$)	Visited the Apple store, found out that regular MacBooks no longer exist, there's only the Air or a Pro... base model 13" Pro's are ~$1199. Maybe near the end of the year...
.	expand my etsy shop & build on the success ( http://www.etsy.com/shop/lauriebreaker )	Added a new stamp design in January (the Elliot), joined some teams, working on SEO, Titles, images, treasuries. Brainstormed new designs/products, and just recently made a monthly schedule of new designs and products to add, as well as advertising opportunities and blog features.
.	learn more about letters (general)	Always an observer.
.	schedule out etsy promotion (blog features, giveaways etc.)	Had reviews, features, giveaways from: SometimesSweet, Short Girl, Long Island, Erica D House, SRSLYLIZ, and more to come!
.	get my etsy sales to average 6 per day, up from the current of 2 per day	Sales have been very down since post-holiday, but I think that's how that goes. Got plans in order for adding new items moving forward, and promotion.
.	reply to messages & emails right away	Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Definitely need to get on this more.
.	Scour pinterest weekly (inspiration, organization, recipes)	Usually take a look once a week or so, would love to have time set aside for it.
.	Do my postcard project	nope
.	Inbox: zero	Newly added: I'm really not an inbox-zero person, but I think I can go through and get rid of a lot of the message that I do have. Sersiously.
.	be more social (at least 1 purely social encounter per week, whether over beer/coffee, or phone/skype/hangouts)	Roc Nerd Night, SPARK mentorship meetings, Brunch with friends in NYC, Hummus Tasting at Reagan's, Hosting an ATE, went to BOYS vs GIRLS opening, so far, not bad!
.	get ATEs rolling (http://ate-rochester.tumblr.com/)	Had one! Scheduling #2 right now. Weather was a bit menacing with storm #Nemo, but we still got 6 out of 8 there regardless!
.	send nice things in the mail	Participated in a Cara Box, sent my sister a housewarming & birthday package, and another Cara Box coming up SOON!
.	spend more time in coffee shops	SPARK with Kim is a few hours in a Starbucks, so that counts a bit!
.	purge “stuff” (at least 1 trash bag/month of things that can go—trash, donated, traded, whatever).	I've got one small box of donatables!
.	paint my dining room	In progress as we speak, should be done soon.
.	organize & maintain: kitchen	Got a pot/pan lid organizer rack from IKEA, and also got different garbage can & recycle bins for the kitchen, which have been keeping that much more organized.
.	organize & maintain: dining room	Big clean-up initiated, much things displaced because of ATE and painting. Also, coatrack acquired!
.	organize & maintain: book nook	Ordered a desk from Zulily, it's the wrong one, and currently in process of resolving this with the vendor.
.	organize & maintain: living room	Got a small storage ottoman for Remi's toys and chews, works fantastically!
.	go through all my mail & keep up on it	This needs to happen by the next update, especially because of taxes!
.	SAVE things less -- use as soon as makes sense to, and replenish when needed	YES! I think about this everytime I think to 'save' something and just go for it.
.	get a chore/household duty system in place	Got the system in place, working on getting it going--some big things disrupt a system.

Battle of the Dresses No.3

weekly dress battle to cure workplace attire monotony & incite creative spirit by means of friendly competition

                                                                                                                                                                        

A little backstory from Emily about her outfit:

Sweater: Forever 21; Skirt: Target Clearance; Sweater Tights: Vera Wang from Kohl's; Boots: Fergalicious brand (I know) from Boscov's.

It's funny how you don't realize just how much of your wardrobe comes from the Target clearance rack until you start keeping track of your outfits! I love long sweaters, they're super comfortable and warm. I especially love them because I work in a place that is essentially a farm, so it can get cold! This skirt is a fun blue tweed type fabric too. The boots, are not something I'm super proud of. I never thought I would own anything designed (in theory) by Fergie, but these are super funky and fun and I get compliments on them all the time, so eff it.

And from me (Laura):

Dress: Old Navy on a whim, Necklace: Truche Etsy shop, Boots & Leggings: same as last week, way too comfy to go with other ones!So this was my Valentines Day outfit, but I think it works well for a President's Day post too! Check out our Red, White & Blue! So, I really like birds, and red is a color that I enjoy wearing as well, that's how this happened. The Original United States of Love necklace is from Truche on Etsy, it's of my home state Massachusetts, with a heart cut out over my hometown! Love the idea, and a cute small necklace that can go with most anything!


And now...  please cast your vote. I think criteria for choosing can be anywhere from fashion/style only, to who rocked the look best, to best styling/accessorizing. Yes, skirts are legal (you'll be seeing plenty skirt combos to come!)  What's most likely to sway your vote? Tell us in the comments!

Battle No. 2 results....

What you were saying about No.2:

Emily:

"10 points for pockets!"

"Emily resides in the perfect space between funk and class.  A little place I like to call... flass."

"I love the contrast of Emily's dress and the pockets are always a favorite feature of mine!"

"I have the same dress and I luuuuv it! You've inspired me to wear it to work. Plus the necklace is super pretty. Nice work, Emily. "

Laura:

"Lines on Laura's are smashing. The neckline of the shirt just screams to be with the higher waist of the skirt. From the pictures it also seems like the texture of the shirt is light where as the skirt seems stiffer and those two are great compliments. I feel like the combination is stronger."

"Very flattering silhouette and the color combo is somehow both classic and unexpected."

Read more about the Battle of the Dresses.

Mentoring Notes

Industry, creativity, inspiration, and interesting stuff...from your favorite AIGA UPSTNY SPARK Co-Coordinator & Mentor

Audio

• I'd like to buy you coffee. (Interview with Robb Hohmann regarding passions, photography, success, and quitting your day job). I was fortunate to befriend Robb working with him at Nerd Camp some summers ago. Welcome to the dark side.
• Let's Make Mistakes 80: You only need to win a job once

Visual

• Gorgeous handcrafted lettering work by Wayne Brezinka that also happens to be featured in the new Steven Heller book
• Deer Sweetheart print from Stephanie Buscema

Video

• Beautiful film/video about being alone, not lonely
• 1975 Gallery owner Erich Lehman's TEDxRochester talk : Defining Moments
• Especially love the end of this talk where Kate Bingaman Burt  is asking you to define the five things that really 'do it' for you at present, the 5 things that are why you work how you work. Something nice to strive for, define what these 5 things are for you at any given time. Also, where she's talking about her set of parameters/rule structure that yields creation.
  Be thoughtfully looking, and thoughtfully making. Rather than lazy looking, accidentally making boring work.
  From Weapons of Mass Creation Fest III in Cleveland, OH

Reads

• Blog post about keeping/getting your digital photo files organized and accessible from a former boss of mine
• Pinterest & Retail fail

Interactive

• Frank Chimero's new portfolio site

Other

• MelamedRiley Grad School conference gone Webinar series. Also now, FREE!
• MailChimp 2012 Annual Report
• Have you been to the Two Paperdolls shop? Great letterpress prints and apparel, utilizing fun typography and illustrations throughout. 
• More etsy lovin' via pinboard, I'll be adding things constantly. 

What notable stuff have you found lately?