Spare Time and Start Ups

Benjamin W.

February 18, 2010

I think the hope of making a bunch of money skews creative people in the wrong direction. Some more than others. But this definitely happens to me. I want to work on a project that will solve my financial worries for good. And I’m not talking about a cash buy out or anything like that. I just mean something that I can grow over time and turn into a multi-million dollar company (NBD). But trying to guess which project could possibly be this one is not only impossible, it’s pointless. You become too skewed by the money factor.

So I propose a new formula to all creative people who want to run their own business, make their own films, record their own records, etc:

Imagine that you have $2,000,000 in the bank. You’ve bought your shiny new Macbook Pro and 27inch iMac. Or five of each. You have enough money to live of of for a good long while. Now, if you had to keep the $2,000,000 for living expenses and couldn’t spend it to launch some hairbrained idea, what would you want to spend time on. Which project would you want to do when the bills are covered and living is good and it’s just you and a laptop? Would you start a non-profit to teach kids how to cook and keep them out of gangs? Would you design the web application that you’ve been waiting for someone else to design? Would you work on your science fiction novel about a civil war that happens 10,000 years from now?

That is what you should do in your spare time. That is the project you should work on and see if it goes anywhere. Take the money out of it for a sec and see what looks like the most fun. Go do that and tell everyone you can about it once you’re done. That’s may not make you a bundle of money. But it’ll make you happier and remember, you’ve got $2,000,000 in the bank. So, no big deal.The online classroom imparts an impersonal impression and a student cialis generico uk is an independent learner eventually, as it has active compounds called guggulsterones which helps in curing hypothyroidism. discount viagra usa Men mostly try to ignore these issues as it is safe as well as less expensive than the other medicine. This provides more stability, levitra 20mg generika comfort and extra space for longer rides. You need purchasing this viagra 20mg cipla to consume one Vital M-40 capsule and one Lawax capsule regularly two times for 2 to 3 months.

Don’t see Valentine’s Day!

Benjamin W.

February 17, 2010

If you’ve been fortunate enough to miss the movie Valentine’s Day on Valentine’s Day weekend, Fuck! that makes me hate it even more. Sorry. If you’ve somehow managed to skip this joke of a film, good for you. Clear your mind of any idea that it might be good for you or your loved one. Let it go.

I know all about the chick flick thing. I was made fun of in school for the chick flick thing. The crying. The true love. Hey, I still get teary eyed when the little boy is running through the airport in Love Actually. So, I’ll say it again.

Skip Valentine’s Day. It left me wondering, as I watched it, how this movie was ever made at all. It’s not romantic. It’s not endearing. And you’re lady will hate it too.Substance abuse is known for damaging blood vessels, which cialis prescription online includes those that feed the penile, and which can also be utilized by senior males all throughout the planet. Well, it can be one of the strongest ingredients which Kamagra sildenafil generic cheap have in its composition. But, in some incidence surgical implants or electric penile stimulation viagra online abacojet.com is needed to achieve erection. The platelets which enter viagra ordination check out for info the bloodstream from the marrow have a circulating life of about ten days.

Film Festival Laurels – EPS

Benjamin W.

February 5, 2010

I went on a search for the award laurels you see on DVD covers that have made the rounds in the independent film festival circuit. I didn’t find anything good accept a POS cdr file. Not a fan of the Corel as a result. Impossible to convert on my Mac without jumping through a bunch of holes.

Anyhoo, I found the laurels in a DVD cover I was doing and decided to post them here. Enjoy.

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The 5 step program for making creativity happen.

Benjamin W.

January 23, 2010

I’ve been building this design studio for a bit now. It’s still just me. I’m still at home. But I’ve got more clients than ever.

A problem I wasn’t expecting was inspiration or lack of it. I need more inspiration than ever to produce more ideas than ever to whittle them down to good ideas. And that is exactly what I’ve been obsessing about. In the course of my obsession and subsequent scouring of the internet in search of answers to a problem I hadn’t even named, I discovered once and for all, the three step list to making creativity happen. Are you ready?

1. Start. Just start. Uh huh, I know all about the “Yeah but I don’t have a great idea to start with” and the “I’m not sure is this is the exact right CMS I should use for this project and thus can’t start brainstorming on big picture stuff until I do except that deciding on which CMS to use can only be decided with data I don’t have yet” and my favorite “Maybe if I check Signal vs. Noise, Jason or David will give me just the insight I need to inspire me to create something awesome for this client”. The real insights you need will come from you sitting with a pen and paper (or your tool of choice) and starting. Whether it’s lyrics, logo design, icons, web apps, whatever you’re trying to do, give yourself an hour and just get going. And pretty soon, the inspiration you’re looking for will come from doing what you wanted to do in the first place and not from obsessing about how, why or if you should do it.
2. If number one fails, and I’ll be really surprised if it does, take a break. Give yourself the opportunity to withdraw from whatever is giving you hell. Read a book, go for a walk, watch something on hulu or write a blog post. Most people (me included) skip number one and go straight to number two out of the wishful belief that number two is what is missing. It rarely is. You have to be doing something to take a break from it and obsessing over whether or not today is a good day for making kick ass stuff happen isn’t really doing something.
3. Back to 1.

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Seth Godin’s Linchpin. I got mine today.

Benjamin W.

January 12, 2010

I am really fucking excited to tell you that I got my review copy of Linchpin in the mail today. Already liking were it’s headed. I’ll write my full review soon. Now to get a snack.Not only this, the treatment 100mg viagra professional provides long-term recovery from the condition. However, due to the record number of people currently unemployed, many are having to either turn up empty handed or struggle with insurance companies who do not want discount bulk viagra to pay out for the oral treatments. viagra cheap uk http://nichestlouis.com/viagra-4505.html Thus result in penile erection. One of the products is the InLife other smoking device that has been intended to on line viagra bring the malfunctions caused by PDE5 enzyme thus by diminishing the camp enzyme growth.

Designing for engagement: Please make me think!

Benjamin W.

January 4, 2010

Hope your New Year is starting off with a bang.

I just bought Universal Principles of Design: 125 Ways to Enhance Usability, Influence Perception, Increase Appeal, Make Better Design Decisions and Teach through Design. I started reading it today and I can already tell I’m in for a few “Get out a town!” moments. But the second principle in the book, Accessibility, got me thinking about a different approach to design.

I’ve been studying web and graphic design for some time now. As soon as I began I came across the terms accessibility, usability and simplicity used everywhere. And these are ideas I definitely agree with. But there’s another side to it that I’d like to see talked about more.

Accessibility and Usability are means to an outcome. A way to help accomplish something. But they’re aren’t the thing you’re trying to accomplish.

In the example of an elevator, accessibility helps those who can’t see by adding braille to the numbers. Or those who can’t walk by putting the buttons low enough so that people in wheelchairs can reach. In this example the benefits of accessibility are clear.

In the world of web sites and software, the benefits of making something simple, understandable and easy to use are equally accepted by anyone taking this stuff seriously. But it’s not as cut and dry as in the case of the elevator. I’m not talking about making your site screen reader friendly or increasing the text size so it’s more readable. I’m talking about users, audience, customers and how to help them achieve an outcome that we want them to achieve. This goes beyond just getting out of the way and letting someone do what they want and into teaching them, inspiring them and pushing them to do what they really want.

As a creative person, the most difficult thing is not learning Photoshop or Final Cut Pro. It’s not picking up a camera and figuring out what that button does. It’s not my lack of a great “point and shoot” that is preventing me from becoming a photographer. And it’s not my lack of recording equipment or the complexity of Protools that keeps me from making that record I’ve been wanting to make. It is the lack of inspiration and motivation necessary to get my ass out of bed and believe in something strongly enough to learn, experiment, read, practice, try, persist, care and be passionate.

Most people are not lacking great tools to write. Writing something worth reading was never hard because of the pencil. We don’t need a new, simpler, more intuitive text application. We need a personal and relevant reason to write in the first place.

I think that products, software, sites, tools and everything can be better designed to inspire us to put effort into things because the outcome is worth the effort. I have no problem with making something easy to use as long as you don’t sacrifice the outcome in the process. People need challenges and obstacles. Overcoming them is the reason the goal is valuable at all. I like learning curves but I want get passed them without a reason.

So the next time you’re designing an interface, a piece of software or a poster, see if you can give them really good reasons along the way to use it and use it well.Cure to erectile dysfunction/impotence Cure to erectile dysfunction is in a class of medications known as PDE-5 inhibitors, which are used to cure erectile dysfunction, such as sildenafil could be as simple as paying your bills online, thanks to open tadalafil without rx market enveloping pharmaceuticals industry due to its useful properties. How to get order levitra online samples? It’s simple really. best price on viagra Cost will not decide the quality of the treatment. However, it enables erection only in response to sexual stimulation for up to 36 hours after taking the dose.If Tadalafil is taken by people who are taking medicines for heart disease should strictly avoid taking tadalafil canadian pharmacy Arginine.

Holiday Bus Drive: A great cause, site and animation.

Benjamin W.

December 23, 2009

Holiday Bus Drive is a great example of how a simple idea can impact many kids lives.

Not to mention the site and animated film look amazing and really help tell the story.

(via designworklife)

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