Category: Uncategorized

A Commencement Speech?

Lately I’ve been thinking about finishing. I’ve been thinking about what it means to finish something and what it means to start something new. I’ve been thinking about graduating, and commencement speeches. I’ve been thinking about all of this because today I finished school. Some of you may remember me sharing similar news back in…
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Quit Polarizing Art and Design

I’ve been thinking a lot about art recently. I’ve more so been thinking about the connotations around art—how we define it, what we perceive of it, and how we value it. Last year, on this day exactly, I wrote “Why Is Art So Expensive?” In similar fashion to that article, I want to talk about…
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Breaking Through: A Video Essay

About a year ago Jarrett Fuller published “A Rough Sketch for a Video Essay as Design Criticism” which strings together Orson Welles, Tony Zhou and Charles Eames as a means of understanding the video essay. As the title implies, Jarrett explores his interest in the medium of the video essay as a potential vehicle for design…
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The Good in Good Morning

I wrote this a few years ago, and this morning on my run I was reminded of the wonders of saying good morning to the people you pass. It’s amazing how a small interaction of just a few words with a stranger can set the stage for your entire day. Let this serve as a…
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And in summer, I paint

As I look at the scene below, I get to thinking: Is our dichotomous approach to or understanding of how we learn what we make of it? Through art, I continue to question not just how do we learn, but why do we learn? Elbsandsteingebirge, Germany In looking through the history of art, I’ve become…
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You Are A Flower

The sunflower knows not of Monday nor the notorious blues which tend to accompany it. The sunflower isn’t burdened by the weeks or weekends. It knowns only of the seasons and the days which come and go far too quickly. The sunflower stands iron-willed and patient through the night so that every morning it may…
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Find Focus and Don’t Cut Other People’s Hair

I learned to cut my own hair out of necessity. I didn’t have money to get my hair cut, I no longer liked how my dad would cut my hair, and I didn’t want to take the time to get it cut else where. So I learned to cut it myself. This isn’t my profession,…
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Being Less of a Designer

Sitting in a classroom primarily filled with both undergraduate and graduate writing majors, a single architecture major, and finally myself—an undergrad graphic design student now pursuing a masters in illustration—I felt out of place. Last night I attended a small lecture by newly published author, Hannah Palmer where she discussed the intersection of creative writing…
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Why I Hand Sharpen My Pencils

When my pencil dulls or breaks, I don’t reach over to a pencil sharpener. Instead, I have to get up, grab an x-acto blade, walk to the trash can, and sharpen my pencil by hand. I’ve been doing this for a long time, in fact, I’ve been doing this since I’ve been in college. Anytime…
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Don’t Look at Vending Machines or Competition

This is going to be about looking at competition, but first let’s talk about vending machines. Vending machines are the worst. While I rarely make use of them, anytime I resort to getting a drink or a snack from one, I’m reminded of just how terrible they are. Attempting to scan through all of the…
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