Inspiration, a sometimes overlooked source

Recently I have taken steps to really look at my life, where I've been, my current status and where it is I see myself in the future. This is something that we often forget to do as we get older and we find ourselves along for the ride on the roller coaster of life. I know I'm not alone here, but an interesting observation I've made is that kids are constantly reshaping themselves as they grow into adulthood, with new activities, interests, musical tastes, friends, etc... My kids are no different, but I see some truly inspirational qualities in them that appear in the editorial below. I hope you enjoy and are inspired as well. 

Early Elegance

Grace and poise are not characteristics commonly associated with the young, but if those glimmering moments are recognized and nurtured you may witness a transformation not from young girl to young lady but to an elegant young woman poised to capture the world before her.

Dream & Fantasy

To dream the impossible dream... where would we be as a society without this core part of innovation and progress. Children dream and fantasize all the time. First as imaginative play and then imagining who they will become as adults. 

There is a time later in life that we tend to put dream and fantasy aside and may even become complacent. Life gets in the way, and the day to day drill of our existence becomes an easy road to take. We forget to dream, fantasize, take risks or try something new. Falling into this trap is easy and common but also easily remedied. 

So watch a child closely and be inspired by their willingness to take risk and boldly try new things. Take that inspiration, dream a little dream, and then make it a reality. It doesn’t have to be life changing, although it could be. Just try something new or pick-up something you haven’t done in a while. You just may feel as excited and refreshed as you did when you were child.

Cool Confidence

Confidence without arrogance is an tenuous goal for a young man. An innate sense of “cool” tends to temper arrogance and allow confidence and charisma to come to the forefront. Having these qualities at a young age is cherished and admired by both piers and elders.

Focus & Destiny

A sharply focused photograph brings clarity to the elements and textures of an image. Focus in our lives brings clarity to our goals, aspirations and even our destiny. Finding focus at a young age is priceless, as it jump-starts the intellectual growth process and can set a young man down his chosen path with a bit of a head start.

Of course a big picture view is needed at the early stages as one may discover unexpected forks in the main road providing unseen opportunity. The general direction still remains, and the original focus is not lost.

When focus can be leveraged at a young age it should be nurtured and encouraged. As adults, when focus has been lost or blurred we need to take a step back, evaluate or current direction and make a hard decision whether or not to continue on or deviate from that original path. When we are young we are fearless. Sometimes we may need to remind ourselves to be brave and make a bold choice if necessary.

ALL PHOTOS ©CLAIRE ROSEN

ANY USE IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED

Is Print Dead?

This is often a topic of discussion amongst designers and was raised in a recent post on the AIGA group of LinkedIn. 


I added my thoughts on the subject which went something like this...


Print is not dead. The notion that print is dead is baffling. We don't go to a store and buy items that are not packaged. Instead we choose the item with the better package design. Maybe there is a display involved with a header that showcases the advantages of that product and extends the brand message of the manufacturer. UX is not just for the web. Brand extension in print should not be ignored or forgotten. Do we not see billboards as we drive down the certain roads and highways? Do we not find direct mail pieces in our mailbox? I know it's hard, but imaging being away from your computer for a day or two or simply focused on what needs to get done on it and not being on the web. With that, the only chance a brand will have the opportunity to reach you is through print. In your mailbox, in a magazine, at the store and on the road. Oh yes, there is TV, that but for this example, let's assume that this person is a DVRaholic and fast forwards through all the commercials.

Another wonderful observation I had is this. In PRINT Magazine's Regional Design Issue, page 160, New York City, the winning projects are broken down by category. 7% of all the winners in NYC are in a category that includes Illustration, Infographics, Annual Reports, & Websites. That means more than 93% of the remaining winners are other forms of print!!!

And one final note. If your are ever in a situation that someone has done something nice for you and you want to thank them - use the most basic form of print. Write them a thank you note, put a stamp on it and mail it. It's a wonderful thing to get in the mail and is so much more personal and appreciated than an email.