nature + quotes

Self portrait, Olympic National Park, 2014

Garfield Park Conservatory, 2016

Love > fear

scribbled scratched n sprayed

Public Ally #1

hopscotch kind of day

What do you get when you have an awesome stoop, a busy sidewalk and some rainbow chalk...
a fun way to get to know the neighbors :)

urbanarily ordin

beyond the art institute

behind state street

a bus ride home




seventh floor cubicle

womb with a view

oh, dream catcher
let my dreams come through
and catch the fires that burn within
so that in the morning sun
I may reflect upon the ashes
and watch the green sprigs grow 

CHARCOAL SLUG WARRIOR GODDESS

neverevereverevereverevereverevereverevereverevereverever lose the place of Wonder

The Place /

where people go for answers / why am i here? / seems as good a place as any /
statue stands with open arms, looking down at me /
i wait / it's warm for late september / sparrows sing & dance & play / child sobs / two men drink & laugh & sing some more / languages i cannot understand /
i listen / look up / above the outreaching mary / that beautiful arrow cuts through sky / that sharp cloud / and from my view / meets between two peaks, where crosses meet / and softens
/ disappears

. . .

I feel my fate: my fate finds me,
I feel my star: my star finds me,
I feel my aims: my aims find me.

my soul and the world are but one.

life grows more radiant about me,
life grows more arduous for me,
life grows richer for me.

[ rudolf steiner ]

sunsets bring sweetness

saying goodbye again. easy to appreciate these moments

ode to Heart

she amazes me, the Heart.

so resilient in her path

gentle and uncompromising

no baggage for the trip,

she knows

the only way to Life

a Heart unburdened with

that monstrous conductor pleading no, wait, please

where are we going? I must know, I must!
yet cannot bully the heart,

who yields, who smiles

who sees.

be strong dear one, and persevere—

Yours is the noblest endeavor.

My synapses are on fire

This happens periodically—-and it’s a good sign when it does—-sensory overload, brought on by the realization of something new, or when I’m in the process of discovering a passion. The mundane calls it mania. I like to visualize it as the synapses in my brain meeting and making love, with an orgasm that expands throughout my being. Babies are being made. My heart picks up, tingling shoots down my arms and into my fingertips, my jaw tickles the way it does sucking on sugar. It’s a feeling of utter aliveness, of being connected with the world. I am in touch with my inner Creator, and it is powerful.

The trick is not to drain all my energy in this process—-to ‘blow my load’, as it were. (and perhaps that’s what would define it as mania.) This feeling demands an outlet, fireworks can’t be shooting off indoors, after all. And when it comes to a release, the more streamlined the better. (for the sake of your comfort I will not continue with the sexual comparisons, though I’m sure you already went there, and besides! creation is creation)

My point is, I’m learning better how to gather this potent energy in a constructive way. As I grow older, I’m excited to remain in touch with this youthful connection to Magic, and couple it with the ability to refine and manifest it into something useful for the world. It’s a beautiful thing, to be alive, and yes, the Truth is corny!

look up

ready, set, BEGIN

I have a vague idea.
with both of me, preparing for takeoff.
touching the ground for strength, with energy to lift me forward.
something like this...

google maps is watching YOU

heyy... whatchya got there?

where ya goin....? 

can I come?

Design Is ... WORKSHOP!

The whole purpose of the "Design Is..." newsprint has been to distribute it to students interested in the visual arts. As designers, we personally know how little high school education focuses on what design is, what it is capable of doing, and that it's not only a realistic career path, but a worthwhile vocation---even (especially) in this economy.

Well, sometimes the planets align.

In reaching out to Chicago Public Schools, a program called Project Osmosis offered to share our publication with over 100 students as a part of their Design Youth Forum this week (!) Even more amazing, we were invited to coordinate and teach a day-long graphic design workshop for 20 of their interested juniors and seniors (!!) And, because that's not incredible enough, we were asked to begin the day as THE keynote speakers, giving us the opportunity to explain what design means to us, why it inspires and how it impacts the world---in short, getting the creative blood flowing for a day full of design (!!!)

A few photos of this amazing day, below

 

^ by the time we arrive, the kids already have our newspaper in hand

^ after introducing some inspirational and effective real-world design examples, we go through the contents of our newspaper, explaining the meaning behind each image

^ then it's on to the workshop, where we start off manually sketching ideas for posters that the kids will be working on for the remainder of the day. Because the theme is "Design for Positive Change" we get everyone to begin by thinking aloud, What causes do I care about? Where do I want to see change in my environment?

^ finally it's on to the computer lab to digitize and finalize ideas. Everyone has his and her own way of expressing---some focus on meaningful words, others are confident in their illustration skills... many choose to collaborate... all of the designers work very hard. 

We finish the day with two of our students presenting their designs to the rest of the forum, proud (and a bit nervous) to showcase their pieces. I think everyone left feeling excited and inspired. For me, this experience has been a blessing from start to finish, and reminds me of what I love about design: the power of bringing people together.