4 posts tagged “life”

In a recent discussion with a friend, it was suggested to me to write about what I am passionate.  I think for most people that this question is somewhat easily answered, at least on a superficial level.  "I love video games!"  "I love music!"  "I love my job!"  All are very appropriate answers to the question.  However, I am never so simple.  "What am I passionate about?" I asked him.  Because I truly haven't a clue. 

I'm not sure there is anything that I feel so strongly about that I would call the emotion passion.  For example, I'm a graphic designer currently, and whereas I enjoy it, I don't know that I'm "passionate" about it.  There are definitely things within the design community that I feel passion for.  I love typography and happen to be a type purist.  When I'm working with type, I try not to alter the type too dramatically if at all, and it urks me when I see my favorite font twisted into a former shell of it's beauty by some ignorant or egotistic designer.  I am very interested in information design and get angered when the design of a piece hinders it's communication - because for me, that is what design is about - communication.  Even though I have strong opinions on these subjects, I don't know that I have it in me to write about them.  Or at least not enough to give voice to it in blog form.  Perhaps an essay here and there...but a blog?  Nah. 

I suppose you could say I'm passionate for video games as well.  I mean while, I was in school I designed a whole magazine targeted to women gamers.  Then again, I don't feel like writing about it. I just don't care that much.

The only thing that I can think of that I might be passionate enough to write about would be music...but do I really?  Is there enough in me to warrant a blog on music?  Do I have anything to add really to what's already written about music?  Sadly, I don't think I do.  And even if I did, what I would write about would be for such a niche audience that I don't even know that it would be worth my time.  Especially, since I don't know nearly as much as the experts (self-proclaimed or otherwise). 

I'm not sure where any of this leaves me though.  I'm back at square one, wondering what I'm passionate about, and what I should focus my blog on.  Writing this has given me a few inklings of ideas, but I doubt this blog will be focused on any specific aspect. 

Perhaps I'm just passionate about writing...the way words work together...  Or maybe I'm just boring. ;)  That is always a definite possibility. 

I wish that I could have stuff just magically pour out of my head that would inspire or enlighten the two or three people who read this thing, but the fact is that I just don't have anything interesting to write about.  I get ideas in my head of stuff I could write about, like my father or my current obsession with World of Warcraft, but when I sit down to put my thoughts into words, I just fail.  Perhaps I'm too much of perfectionist.  Perhaps I just get bored too easily.  I don't know what it is.  I'm going to try to force myself to write more though, because when I actually start pouring stuff out, I find myself enjoying it.  I love the way words flow together, and the way they sound in my head.  And I love to imagine people reading them and laughing or nodding their heads in agreement with the things I have to say. 

So, we'll see where this thing takes me...

When you're driving down route 26 towards Portland, OR, you eventually reach a tunnel that splits off into three directions.  The right most lane takes you towards I5 South which leads to places like Wilsonville and Salem.  The middle lane takes you straight to downtown Portland, specifically right down Market.  If you stay on Market you'll eventually meet up with the Willamette River.  The left lane takes you towards I5 North which leads to Washington State. 

This left most lane is one of the most exciting lanes to drive in, because it is so perfectly banked that you can zip right down it without slowing down much at all.  So it is with dismay when I drive down this lane, whether it be morning, noon or night, and people slow down to incredibly crazy speeds, and therefore take one of my more pleasant adventures away from me.  Don't get me wrong, I don't advocate driving down this lane at 70mph or anything, but you surely don't have to slow down to 30mph, do you?

Why do people want to take my fun away?

For those who don't know me, I am a graphic designer.  At least, that's what my shiny new degree has to say on the subject.  After I graduated this June, I decided to take the summer off to recover from a program that quite honestly kicked my ass (yet, in a loving, caring way), and to perhaps come to some decisions about which direction I would like to take my life.  I had some soul searching to do, because up until two years ago, I had believed I was destined for a career in music.  (I have an old dusty degree that occasionally speaks up on the subject, but is muffled by someone called apathy and the shiny upstart of a new degree.)  It's somewhat scary to envision yourself in a role different from that which you had originally planned for the majority of your years walking the planet.  So, I took it easy, enjoying some new found freedoms, and catching up on massive amounts of lost sleep.  Eventually, I came to terms with my new role in life.

So, it made for a quiet summer, esepcially with regards to work.  The biggest project I did was to design some business cards for a new company Values of n. The business cards were a huge hit, and opened the door for me to design materials for an upcoming launch of their product Stikkit at Web 2.0.  In addition to these projects, I've also been contacted by a number of people who wish me to do work for them.  I went from being stagnant (and relaxed, I might add), to being super busy and barely able to keep my eyes open most days. 

I've heard that this is the way of the design business.  Either you are mulling around with little to do, or you are so overwhelmed with stuff, you don't know what a bed looks like anymore.  As the old overused saying goes, when it rains, it pours, and I'm definitely in the midst of that experience right now.

In very many ways it is exciting, but there are times when I'd like to find a nice comfy rock under which to hide.  You wouldn't happen to know of any with a nice ocean view, would you?