So, I lied. I tried to come up with my list of ten things that make me happy without listing collage, but look at this stuff. How can it not make you happy? If it doesn't make you happy, you must be a communist or socilist (that's how you spell it, right?).
4. Collage. If you have yet to check out all the great design over at Society6, do it now! Chris and I are selling some posters over there (well, attempting to anyway) and received an endorsement from some guy named Matthew Billington. So, I clicked to check out his stuff and it was amazing.
How amazing? Well, these collages are all by Matthew Billington! I almost choked when I saw that he was endorsing my design work. Was he just being nice? Eh, it doesn't matter because I was so excited to be introduced to his stuff. I mean, it honestly blows my mind. I love the way he combines all of the elements...the retro imagery, typography, delicate illustration and perfect use of color. Check it out for yourselves. And if you love it as much as I do, his prints all sell for under $50! I know, right? Enjoy...I had a hard time editing down what to show you.
I recently revealed that I had applied to California College of the Art's MBA in Design Strategy Program. As soon as I hit publish on that post I broke into a cold sweat fearing that follow up post I'd eventually have to write revealing that I didn't get in. But luckily...
5. Two Words: Congratulations - Admitted. I will happily admit that I've been obsessively checking my application status daily since the day I submitted it. And everyday I convinced myself that would be the day, well, until Tuesday. Tuesday I was distracted and checked out of habit. Lo and behold...something changed. Woo hoo! I will officially be a grad student this fall.
I know that doesn't sound that exciting, but I've been planning on going back to school since my Junior year in college (and that would be 10+ years ago..egad). I've looked into many programs and have talked about applying ad nauseum, but this was the first one that I truly felt fit. And I can't wait!
Oh, and that Project H meeting...super inspiring! I have a meeting next week and I'll let you know how it goes.
In the meantime, did you see Emily's super cute apartment on Apartment Therapy today? I'm kind of obsessed with the photos. I think they might just be my best ones yet.
I tried to get through this list without mentioning type. I really did. But I realized that wouldn't be very honest of me if I denied my love of type because it truly does make me happy...dorky graphic designer happy. So without further ado...
6. Typography Instead of starting from scratch, here are a few of my favorite posts about type on this blog:
It kills me that we continue to cut arts programs in this county. Just imagine being 10 years old and taking part in this amazing chorus. Imagine the confidence that would be gained at such a young age. Imagine working as a team and being a part of something that is bigger than you. Imagine how it would have helped you as you grew up. And yet these programs continue to get cut in school districts around the country... Okay, I'm stepping off my soap box now to move on to what makes me smile today.
7. The PS22 Chorus
I recognize that I'm a little behind on this as PS22 has been taking over the internet for the last year or so, but I thought there might be a few of you out there that hadn't heard of them. These kids don't just sing the words, they feel them. Watch how incredibly expressive every face is, how they dance without concern for what others make think of them.
New York Magazine featured a great story on this chorus comprised of 5th graders(!!) that you should definitely read since my recap won't do it any justice.
Cheers to PS22's chorus director Gregg Breinberg! Your passion and dedication to these students is an inspiration to us all! And to the students that have been a part of the PS22 chorus, please don't ever stop singing!
Landslide by Fleetwood Mac (warning...tears will come to your eyes)
I thought it would be nice to make it through this list of things that make me happy without getting all materialistic, but I like things and some things make me happy. And I think things with triangles and varying hues of blue and gray are pretty awesome.
8. Jonathan Adler Helix Rug This Jonathan Adler Helix Rug makes me smile, although I would be grinning from ear to ear if it was actually on my floor (if someone could also rip out our lame carpet and replace it with hardwood floors, I'd be eternally grateful). The $1,050 price tag...not so much.
So, I will immediately acknowledge that this is quite possibly one of the most random things you've seen that makes someone happy, but just wait til you watch. I discovered this little guy today (thanks to a tweet from Andy Roddick...if you are reading this Andy, you played great!) and I can't stop watching.
9. Japanese Kid Playing the Ukulele I don't know his name, but he is now 5 years old. He and his mom (??) started playing the ukulele a year ago and initially learned by following along with a television show. The kid can rip it up on a ukulele. He has one of the cutest giggles I've heard and makes the most adorable faces when he starts rocking out. Since he doesn't know English, he sings the sounds that he hears.
Scenes shot from a streetcar in SF in 1905. Music by Air...funny how a modern song fits this film so well.
Um, hi. Remember me? You probably forgot that I exist considering I've been missing for 2 weeks now. This blogging thing must be like going to the gym...you miss a few days and it's hell getting back (and you don't even want to hear how long it's been since I was at the gym).
Alison over at Lipstick on Your Teeth thankfully called me out and gave me an assignment. It's my turn to tell you 10 things that make me happy. And since I'm currently in the business of getting as many posts out of as little content as possible, I'll only be posting one at a time. It might be cheating, but at least I know what the next 10 posts will be. Well, sort of. I'm going to try to do this without mentioning ampersands, collage or typography. Ugh. Now on with the show...
10. San Francisco History I've always been a fan of history, but usually leaned toward history primarily dealing with art. Thanks to Chris' recent injection of San Francisco history into his art (like our little train project), I've been learning more about it. It's so ridiculously interesting. We've totally started dorking out on it. For example, last night, we went to hear a lecture at this incredibly old San Francisco institution, the Mechanics' Institute. With a room full of septuagenarians and their glasses of wine (yes, they serve wine with their lectures! old people still want to party), we listened to SF native Charles Fracchia discuss his book, When the Water Came up to Montgomery Street, and the growth of San Francisco during the Gold Rush.
Let me reference my notes for some interesting tidbits (yes, I took notes. I did say dorking out).
Did you know that before the Gold Rush, San Francisco only had about 800 residents? It's estimated that 350,00 - 500,000 people migrated to California from 1848-1859.
There was a period in 1849 when the population of San Francisco doubled every ten days.
Prior to the 1906 earthquake and the subsequent fire that destroyed the city, San Francisco had already had 6 fires that virtually destroyed the city.
If you've visited San Francisco, the Embarcadero area and much of South of Market were not here 150 years ago. Those areas are all built on land fill, sand and debris from fires and the 1906 earthquake.
Map of San Francisco from 1849 and one from now. Click to see it bigger.
My favorite tidbit of the night was due to an epiphany Charles had about the unique nature of the City. If you've lived here or visited, there really is something magical about San Francisco. There's an air of limitless potential, hopefulness and inclusivity that you don't find many other places. Charles realized that it's probably due to the way the city was built. It was one of the only cities in modern history that's diverse population came together all at once. During the Gold Rush, people came from all over the world. Within a year, San Francisco already had immigrants from China, Japan, South America, Malaysia and Mexico as well as people of Italian, Irish, German and other heritages. Granted, other cities are just as diverse, but none had it happen virtually over night. Since it's inception, San Francisco has opened its arms to everyone and I love that you still feel that to this day.
Geez...you better hope I'm never away for a month or you will have a novel to read.
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