Digital Sketch

My creative exercise for the day. Fifteen minutes with Photoshop and a random word generator. I don't know where the soft colors came from. This would be the perfect poster for the bedroom of an eight year old girl.

Experiment

I'm starting a blogging experiment. I want a blog to save the world.

We all know the power that blogs have to bring people together, people who would never have met otherwise. Blogs can entertain and inform and shape our lives in unexpected ways. I want to take this power and use a blog to help those who need it most.

Over 1.1 billion people in the world, right now, don't have access to a clean source of drinking water. Children are hurt the most - 1.5 million children under the age of five die every year from water-born diseases. Every one of these deaths is preventable.

Just by having access to a computer puts every one of us in a position of great privilege and power. What will you do with that power?

I want to do something, so I'm starting another blog to explore what we can do to address this global crisis. We are all affected by the way water is used and misused, whether we realize it or not. My new blog will be a discussion of what we can do. I don't know what form it will take. It is something that I hope will start a discussion and grow as we try to figure this out together.

So please visit Water Is . . . I chose that title because water is so many things, to so many people. Water is hope, it is freedom, it is power, it is life. I will update it daily, so check back and help me find ways to make it fun, as well as informative. Together we can save the world, even if it is for one person.

Resolutions

I've never been big on resolutions because I've always been pretty good at self motivation. If I want to do something I don't wait for a certain date to start. So I began my resolution a few weeks ago. It's my goal to sketch something every day. I tried to do this last spring but life was a little too complicated. Things are no less hectic now, but I'm making this a priority because sketching helps me relax and it helps me design.

These sketches are meant to be quick and casual. I've taken drawing classes but I've never been taught to shade with a pen. I'm sketching now to try and teach myself how so they will be very experimental. I'll share the sketches here and on flickr when I have the chance.

The Design of the World

My passion is my frustration.

I have accepted the curse of the designer. I will forever be able to see what is wrong, know how it could be better, and not have the power (the time, the ability, the money, the cooperation) to make a change. Even if I could, it is too much. There is too much that needs to be done, to many things that need to change. It is overwhelming to think about, to imagine. Yet I see it everywhere. It's not about the environment we live in. Though our environment influences every aspect of our lives. It's not about making things "look pretty", and never should. It's about making a difference. About making things better.

I have been blessed. I have been given more than I will ever deserve. It's humbling, and staggering, to think of all that I have. Now I feel a responsibility to give back. With everything that I know, and everything that I've experienced, it feels immoral for me not to do everything in my power to help others. I'm not trying to make people happy. It's not possible, and it's not right. Sometimes the thing you need is the thing you don't want, or the thing you fear. Change is hard. Change is agony and exhilaration. And change is a constant. You either move forward or you move back. Nothing stays the same.

Life is a choice and I have decisions to make. I pray that they will be wise ones. I will use this blog to raise questions as I continue to explore the world of design and my place in it.

Week in Review (a little late)

To hold myself accountable I will give you a report of the progress I made on the goals I set for myself last week. No organizing or cleaning got done, correspondence was partially written and I only averaged seven hours of sleep every two days, but I accomplished more than I expected. I said no twice, I saw the premiere of Lost, I relaxed for one entire night on Friday, I read the first chapter if Bruce Mau's Massive Change, and my plans for saving the world are firmly in place. Not bad results for such a crazy week. I should set short-term goals more often.

Progress

I am so proud of myself. I am well on my way to accomplishing my goals for the week. In spite of a deadline in the morning and a general proclivity towards being a workaholic, I took some time off this evening and watched the premier of Lost. And it was worth it! I've never seen a show as well written or executed as this.

I have also said no twice this week to things I was asked to help with but really don't have the time for. I'm still not doing well on getting enough sleep and have done no cleaning or organizing, but I'm making progress. I even have some plans for saving the world. I may not be able to do it by Monday, but I will do it.

My 10 Things

When I check in on three of the blogs I read regularly, and they all have the following lists, I guess that means I should do it too.

10 Things I Did This Week:

1. Received the LEED-NC 2.2 Reference Guide and began studying for the LEED AP exam.
2. Worked ridiculously hard on a class project and completed a mock up of the finished brochure.
3. Began work on another class project, which will be even harder.
4. Solved the mystery of the History of Architecture test scores.
5. Faxed in all the paperwork to organize USU's first Campus Center of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA).
6. Put together my Honors Thesis Committee, composed of two architects and a commercial designer.
7. Found a bunch of design competitions, compiled a list, and passed it out to the junior and senior studios.
8. Watched "The Lake House", the THIRD movie I've seen this year! It was about architects. Even when I try to take a break I can't!
9. Watched General Conference.
10. Drove to Clinton to visit my brother and his family, and to get some help on #2.

10 Things I Wanted to do This Week, But Didn't:

1. Send out thank you notes.
2. Get enough sleep.
3. Relax.
4. Clean my house.
5. Watch just a little bit of TV to know what's going on in the world.
6. Read.
7. Email a few people I need to keep in touch with.
8. Finish #2 on the first list, so I can get on to #3 on the first list without distraction.
9. Help with a wedding.
10. Back up my computer files.

10 Things That Made Me Smile:

1. My six year old niece who sounds out my name and spells it H-O-L-E.
2. My five month old nephew who just learned to roll over.
3. My four year old nephew who is obsessed with chocolate and Star Wars.
4. My four year old nephew (they're twins) who named his fish Murdock.
5. Winning the IDSA weekly photo contest and getting a candy bar.
6. International hits on my little blog.
7. Knowing that I'm making a contribution.
8. Fall leaves in the canyon.
9. Fresh salmon.
10. Getting a lot accomplished.

10 Things I WILL Accomplish Next Week:

1. Get my studio space organized.
2. Get IIDA records organized.
3. Say No to something.
   
4. Write all outstanding thank you notes and emails.
5. Take one evening to relax.
6. Get the equivalent of seven hours of sleep each night.
7. Read something I enjoy (whether it's design realted or not).
8. Clean my bedroom.
9. Watch the premier of Lost (harder to do with my schedule than you might think).
10. Save the world.
    

A Sketch A Day

Inspired by Justin Clayton's Daily Paintings, I have a new goal - to sketch every day. I draw well, and when I began sketching on a regular basis a year and a half ago I found it frustrating. Sketching is not drawing. It's an entirely different discipline. I found it difficult to capture images or ideas quickly and my attempts were tight and timid. I began to improve only when I realized that sketching is like any other skill. It takes practice.

My sketches will be experimentation. They are meant to be quick and dirty. I will explore different mediums - pen, pencil, marker, maybe watercolor if I'm very brave. I'll sketch from real life, from my photos or from magazines. Sometimes they will be rooms, other times objects. Interiors or exteriors, items or ideas. I want to capture a bit of everything. And they will be bad. I don't pretend to be good, I just hope to improve. But I will do something every day. I'll post them here and on flickr to hold myself accountable.

I started last night. Here are my first two sketches, both from magazine photos.

#1:



#2: