Sunday, January 30, 2011

Inspiration EVERYWHERE - Some recent finds...

I've always been a curious person I suppose, but my recent leap into a design career and increased internet surfing has seriously peek my curiousity. I mean, come on people, how amazing is TWITTER?! Compelling content that I ask to hear about. What more could you ask for from a social media website?

Sure does beat the 30 posts a day from that one facebook friend who spends all their time on Farmville...

And Reddit?! Granted, I don't have an account and am not the most frequent visitor, but my bf sends me all the links I'd be interested in. He's like my personal Twitter filter for Reddit :).

And on the subject of inspiration, did any of you head out to the Igloofest in Montreal this month? What a visual trip! The lights, the ice sculptures, the people, the music... and the brilliant event marketing. Igloofest = My Heaven = Marketing+Design for the 20 somethings.

ALSO, TEDxConcordia - Feb 19, I'm there, Baby!

I'm bursting with excitement from all the stimulation and inspiration I've gotten from 2011 so far. I'm hungry for more.

Here are a few items to spark you're curiousity as well:

JOOZE - The sweetest juice box packaging I've ever seen.


http://lovelypackage.com/student-work-yunyeen-yong/

A still from Amelie - exceptional film and the inspiration for my newly acquired haircut :)



3-D Crayola Chalk??!?!? Light years beyond my childhood art tools



Igloofest scene! This shot doesn't do it justice but it gives you a tiny taste...



I dare you not to love this song! Janelle Monae, thank the universe for you. Faster, off her lastest album Arch Android.



Vibrant floral patterns... I'm a sucker for them.



On the topic of floral patterns.... William Morris, Pattern God. (My new title image is a William Morris pattern)



Art by Gordon Reid of Middle Boop



Marian Bantjes -- she must be on the verge of insanity... Her work is insanely beautiful and insanely meticulous



Ink in water.... I am fascinated.



A final image to ponder over: Space colonies. Ya.... sit on that one for a while.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Salad d'Amour!

In the spirit of savouring in 2011, I've been exploring some new food avenues! New restos, and mostly, new recipes at home. What better time to do it then during the coldest months of winter, when all you want to do is hibernate and keep warm. A few extra pounds sure will help the cause!

I must come clean, we did start the year off with several food comas! A phenomenal aged-cheddar and asiago fondue with friends for one... Followed by a weekend of BBQ's, homemade pizza and greasy breakfasts. But we're turning it around! Let's face it, it makes you feel great on a cold winter's night but a meat or cheese extravaganza doesn't sit right at 6:30 a.m. when you're on your way to a 10 hour day of classes. I'm extremely busy with school and my assisting and the last thing I need is to get sick or feel run-down. So.... healthy foods it is!

Recently, I was given the "Vegan on a Shoestring" cookbook, written by the People's Potato Collective. Big ups to the People's Potato - a student run organization that offers free, daily, vegan meals to all Concordia students. All the recipes are focused around health, being informed about what you eat and most importantly, flavour. Also encouraging this delve into culinary exploration is my incessant watching of Top Chef - and again, it's all about smaller portions and bigger flavour.

This week, we have promised ourselves a few things: no eating out, less meat and 4 new recipes!

On our weekly menu:

- A chicken, grape, prosciutto and basil pasta
- A trout filet with fenil and endives
- A lentil bolognese in spaghetti squash
- A "Vegan on a Shoestring" Love Salad

We tried out the Salad D'Amour tonight!!

Here's the recipe for all my foodie followers:

Salad D'Amour
Make this love salad, not war! This recipe is always a hit with friends and family. Thanks Lysanne!

Prep Time: 30-40 Mins
Yield: 1 Large serving bowl

Salad Ingredients:
2 C rice, cooked
3 C bean sprouts
1 1/2 C baby spinach, packed
3 celery stalks, sliced
1 C, sliced mushrooms
1 pepper of any colour, diced small
1/2 C cashews, roughly chopped
3 Tbsp fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

Dressing Ingredients:
1/4 C soy sauce
1/2 C Olive Oil
1 Garlic clove, minced

Directions:
1. Mix dressing ingredients together in a bowl. Prepare the dressing a little ahead of time to let the flavours mingle.
2. Toss all the salad ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Toss well and serve.


Incredibly simple to make and delicious!

We made a few adjustments: To make a more complete meal, we added half an avocado (splashed with lemon) and a hard-boiled egg (salt and pepper to taste) on the side. We also substituted some of the olive oil for sesame oil.... A yummy taste compliment with the soy sauce!

Friday, January 7, 2011

Just had to do it... Resolutions for 2011

Not usually my style to come up with resolutions for the new year, but as I mentioned in my previous post, I'm feeling rather sad about the end of 2010 - so I want to keep up the positive energy and momentum and in true new year's form, I will do so with resolutions. No these will not be the regular, eat better, save money and exercise... although I could use a little of all three - these resolutions focus on creating mental and emotional stability (in my career and in my relationships) and encouraging an INSPIRED lifestyle.

There has been a big change in me since 2009 when I started writing this blog. I strongly believe that a great majority of my personal development is due to the fact that this blog has allowed me to reflect and write down my aspirations. So here they are... by putting them out their for readers, I'm encouraging myself to follow-through.

#1
One-a-day drawing challenge

I learnt last semester that the design can really suck me in, distract me from the other IMPORTANT happenings in my day-to-day, take away from my relationships and cause me to create only for projects, rather than sheer enjoyment. Although I'm loving studying design, I see now that it can become difficult to turn your design brain off in order to focus on you and the important people around you. I want to take this year to learn how to step away from projects.

My boyfriend was challenged to a blog test by his father - Peter must write a blog-a-day (monetary gain is a main driver, but the self-reflection and encouraged work-ethic will be great gains as well). Inspired by Peter's daily blog post, I decided to take on a one-drawing-a-day challenge that will encourage me to stay in touch with myself creatively. It will also allow me to have at least a half hour every day to shut off my brain and step away from the school-induced, design trance. I'm hoping that this forced trance-escape will bring me back to reality and remind me to enjoy my time out of school with my mind also, out of school.

#2
Be present

While in Italy, I learnt that the smallest distraction can take away from the impact of what's directly in front of you. Seems rather obvious, right? However, you don't actually realize it until you shut off your cellphone and ipod, go for a walk, open your eyes and soak up what's around you. (Give it a try!)

We are a distracted generation, and I am a product of these times. Often, I will be focused on several things as once: my work, my laptop, my cellphone, my plans for the weekend, my relationships, what food we need to buy. This inevitably, takes away from my enjoyment of what's happening directly in front of me.

I want to take this year to be present, in the moment, wholeheartedly. When in school, I will not check my facebook. When spending time with my boyfriend, I will shut my laptop. When having dinner, I will focus on the bites rather than the show in the background. I will give myself time to plan, dwell, multi-task, over-think, conceptualize... but once done, I will drop that topic and focus on the next task. Focus on my life.

#3
Savour

This goes hand in hand with being present. But with savouring comes enjoying. I want to enjoy and become inspired by the small things around me. I want to enjoy the flavours, colours, textures, aromas and tones of all around me. I want to see patterns and engrain them in my mind so that I can recreate them with my own flare. I want to smell herbs at the Atwater market, use them to create a meal with my boyfriend, and then savour my time in the kitchen while we make the dish. I want to appreciate the unconditional love that my kittens give me. I want to enjoy more varieties of cheese. I want to learn more about the subtleties of wine. The world around me, including my apartment, community and Montreal, have so much richness, I don't want to let my daily affairs get in the way of enjoying it all.

#4
Become Informed and... Inspired

The only way for me to thrive in graphic design is to know what's out there, who's at the top and what it takes to get to the top. Especially with my interest in sustainable design, a field that has yet to be fully tapped into and which is, just now, growing in popularity, I MUST become informed! What firms are involved in conscious design? How can I get involved on a personal basis?

This year will be one of blog & book reading, image saving, teacher nagging and podcast listening, possibly conference attending? I need to create a bank of information. Once I complete this diploma and am looking for a position, I will know what companies I want to work for, which designers I admire, what campaigns I find inspiring and.. who knows what else? I wonder...

My boyfriend's father told me, while we were speaking about the one-blog-a-day initiative, "you create your habits in your 20's, you live with your habits in your 30's". I want to be someone who takes their personal and professional endeavours into their own hands.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

It's a new dawn, it's a new day

It doesn't happen to me every year, but right now, I'm definitely feeling the New Year's Blues. That nostalgia that kicks in around Dec 30th is sweeping through my thoughts, causing me to be lethargic, moody and feel isolated. I know some of it has to do with the fact that I had an incredibly hectic (and definitely enjoyable) month of December, and now I have only to relax until I start school on Jan. 10th. I know it also must have a little something to do with the fact that I didn't speak to one of my best friends during the month of December (we got into a disagreement that we both sat on for longer than usual). But I think at the core, this feeling of New Year's Blues has to do with the fact that 2010 was just the... best year ever, how could I even try to top it?

I felt so positive this past year. Thriving during my last semester of Marketing, moving in with Peter, going to Italy, getting a great position as a teacher's assistant, deciding to study graphic design and subsequently, thriving in my graphic design courses. And now, this year is all over. I fear that I may loose my momentum. I fear that growing older may cause me to become harder, more jaded, less positive.

I'm realizing more and more that life is tough - money, relationships, competition, stress, deadlines... they all get to you. Doesn't that hard exterior and pessimism just come with age?? After all, I am on the verge of 25, shouldn't an "aged" negativity be kicking in permanently at some point soon? (A fear I mull over on at least a weekly basis).

Since I was a young girl, I always told myself (and honestly believed), that I could do anything and that I could live a happy and fulfilled life. This is a sentiment that I've brought with me into my 20's. As I come into contact with more and more unhappy and jaded people, I realize that my hopes of being fulfilled with my career choices and happy in my relationships, will be much harder to achieve than the 10 year old me, and even 23 year old me would believe. I've realized in the last couple of years that some people just end up on the wrong path, and they don't even notice it until they're middle-aged and completely down on themselves. This is possibly my biggest fear.

It's easy to fall into a rut. It's easy to fall into routines and not push boundaries. It's easy to believe that the worst will happen and not put yourself out there. It's easy to fear rejection and criticism. And as I've learnt more recently, It's easy to fall into line and travel down a predetermined life path - make career choices based on upper management or societal pressures, make life choices based on pleasing the people around you rather than yourself, mold yourself into who others want or need you to be.

As I enter into this deciding year, a year during which I will complete my design diploma, start my career in graphic design, move into my second and larger home with my boyfriend, I find it essential to be in tune with my emotions and remind myself that I am not mediocre - in my choices or my creations. I will not take the easy path. I want to go into this year with as much enthusiasm and grit as the hard-headed, 10 year old me would have devoted to it.

Yes, it is normal to lament on all the great things past, so I will absorb the feeling of loss for today. Then, I will move on. This post is to remind me to look forward, and remind me to keep my mind, energy & positivity in the NOW. It will be difficult to keep up my momentum, and it will be easier to succumb to pressures and become what others need me to be. I need to remind myself that I'm on a mission here - to be happy. Just because I'm getting older, doesn't mean I need to get negative and jaded. This is a mantra I know I'll have to repeat on countless occasions throughout my life. It's not easy to stay true to yourself, keep your positive energy up, thrive from the stress rather than become defeated. Yes, those negative habits can take over and you wake up one day feeling as though your life is not where you want it to be. But I want to believe that if you put the effort into envisioning your life as you want it, and work at it with a positive outlook, things will work out in your favour. Outcomes have less to do with their impact on you and more to do with your impact on them. I have control over my emotions and my emotions shape my life.

2011 is mine for the taking!