Honesty Hour!

I'll just get this out of the way, first and foremost: I've been really sucky at maintaining this blog and at staying focused. I've been too easily distracted, and once again have let myself get caught up in the muddle of routine. I know I say I'm trying to refocus and plan for the future, but I've done a shitty job at it as of late. So, now that's out of the way, and we move forward. I'm completely in charge of what I do with my life, and where I end up, so it's time to take control of that and actually do something. So here we go (again!). The day job has been alright lately, besides the regular hiccups that you would come across anywhere. It's still not that satisfying or where I want to be, so it's up to me to change the routine. I've been working in a different area of the department, which has actually been great. I've been working a little more closely with someone who has his own photography studio, so he's been really fantastic to bounce ideas off of every now and then. It's nice to have someone to talk to, who actually has relevant advice and similar interests. Another coworker recently decided to start his own photography studio as well, and asked me to design a logo for him. He had some pretty well-defined ideas to start with, and it was a real pleasure for me to work on something that will actually be used. I ended up with three complete and different ideas, and he ended up choosing one that had a good blend of both his initial vision, as well as a bit of my clean design style. For your viewing pleasure, here's his final choice:

It was a relatively quick and easy project, and I'm pretty pleased with the outcome. It'll be really fun to see him use it for his business once it gets going and turns into something. And it's good practice for me, so I can't complain! :D I'll be sure to link to his website and work, as it becomes available. As for me, I've been spending some time working on calligraphy. I bought some books, which have both been fantastic resources for hand-lettering tips and advice. If you're interested, check out Modern Calligraphy, by Molly Suber Thorpe, and Creative Lettering, by Jenny Doh. I've always had an interest in hand-lettering, and I think it would be a fun skill to really master and utilize in my future career. I think back to when I was a kid, and made my mom buy me so many gel pens and hand-lettering books, and I just sat and played around with them. Even when going into certain stores, I would always make a beeline to the writing aisle. I think it's kind of funny when I look back at things like that, and realize how much of an impact design and creativity have actually always had on my life. It's what I'm meant to do! :D I'm going to make an honest effort to squeeze in at least a little bit of time for Ruby July every week. Whether it's a blog update or just working through ideas in the sketchbook, it's about time I actually get back in gear and do it. Wish me luck! :)