I'm not one for resolutions as they don't really seem to work do they? But a manifesto or your own set of guidelines that keep you moving in the forward direction... now that I can get behind. I just need to find a creative way to display them so that I read them on a daily basis. Any thoughts on that one?
Here are some of my favorites from Bruce Mau's Incomplete Manifesto...
3. Process is more important than outcome.
When the outcome drives the process we will only ever go to where we've already been. If process drives outcome we may not know where we’re going, but we will know we want to
be there.
6. Capture accidents.
The wrong answer is the right answer in search of a different question. Collect wrong answers as part of the process. Ask different questions.
8. Drift.
Allow yourself to wander aimlessly. Explore adjacencies. Lack judgment. Postpone criticism.
9. Begin anywhere.
John Cage tells us that not knowing where to begin is a common form of paralysis. His advice: begin anywhere.
16. Collaborate.
The space between people working together is filled with conflict, friction, strife, exhilaration, delight, and vast creative potential.
24. Avoid software.
The problem with software is that everyone has it.
25. Don’t clean your desk.
You might find something in the morning that you can’t see tonight.
26. Don’t enter awards competitions.
Just don’t. It’s not good for you.
28. Make new words.
Expand the lexicon. The new conditions demand a new way of thinking. The thinking demands new forms of expression. The expression generates new conditions.
29. Think with your mind.
Forget technology. Creativity is not device-dependent.
33. Take field trips.
The bandwidth of the world is greater than that of your TV set, or the Internet, or even a totally immersive, interactive, dynamically rendered, object-oriented, real-time, computer graphic–simulated environment. (HA!)
37. Break it, stretch it, bend it, crush it, crack it, fold it.
And my favorite...
40. Avoid fields.
Jump fences. Disciplinary boundaries and regulatory regimes are attempts to control the wilding of creative life. They are often understandable efforts to order what are manifold, complex, evolutionary processes. Our job is to jump the fences and cross the fields.
You can read the rest of them here. By the way has anyone used Cargo and if so do you like it? How does it compare to Indexhibit or Squarespace?
And I'm out until the New Year. Happy Holidays everyone. xox
**
I have no idea where I got that photo I just love that there was an enormous cloud over the living room. I'm really into clouds right now. And yes I know that sounds silly.
If you are desperately seeking a last minute gift for a designer friend of yours may I suggest this book. Alvin Lustig is such an inspiration especially for his ability to cross so many mediums of design. From graphics, to furniture, to textiles, lighting, and interiors he really seemed to conquer it all bringing meaning to the phrase...a designer is a designer is a designer.
"The words 'graphic designer,' 'architect,' or 'industrial designer' stick in my throat giving me a sense of limitation, of specialization within the specialty, or a relationship to society that is unsatisfactory and incomplete, This inadequate set of terms to describe an active life reveals only partially the still undefined nature of a designer."
I know exactly how he feels. I feel that way nearly every time someone asks me what I do. I hope I'm able to combat with the same rigor not being pigeonholed.
architect - I went to school for architecture and it is what I have been actively practicing since.
illustrator - I've done some works but it would be great to expand on this, and perhaps in more commercial work.
textile/pattern designer - This will come with the expansion of the illustration work.
furniture designer - I'm working on figuring out how to make this a possibility. I've done a few pieces within the work procured from larger architectural projects but it would be really great to have a coherent collection.
Forging ahead.
My favorite Holiday card this year by a mile. I was so excited to get this card. It made me all kinds of instantly warm and fuzzy and not because the illustration is by one of my favorite illustrators but also because what it said on the inside. Hope you don't mind Viv and thank-you so much. xox
"I found this card today (12/19/2010) and I immediately thought of you. It is not a Christmas"y" but it sort of looks Holidayish.
then... I read your blog when I got home and saw the artist's name in your entry for today... we were cosmically connected today! I love it..."
It made me think that one of the biggest things about giving is that the person who is doing the giving GETS YOU. You know that is what it's all about isn't it. We all want to be understood and a gift that shows that the other person really knows and understands you is really just the best feeling. It doesn't have to be extravagant or expensive it just has to nod a little bit of recognition to your person.
Obviously this is easier said then done, right? But it also explains why we can get so upset when someone gets us something that isn't a match to our personalities at all. It feels like an affront and of course you instantly feel awful and selfish for getting upset over something materialistic but what you are really upset about is that this person just showed you how much they don't know or understand you and that kind of stings. Of course I'm oversimplifying for the sake of stating a point.
I also think you have to exclude family (especially parents) from this kind of deduction because sometimes no matter how hard they try they still might not get it. Hmmmm, why is that? They should know you better then anyone no?
Perhaps this is a lot of rambling on about nothing but I think with this in mind it helps me to make it through the Holidays with a little less sensitivity (emotions tend to run high this time of year) because that is A LOT of pressure to put on your dear friends and family. Besides I'm getting quite used to the phrase. "You are sooooo hard to shop for." Afterall, I've been hearing that since I was a young lass.
A few of the pieces I gravitated to most on my last visit to Los Angeles were found at the Mohawk General Store. Beautiful geometric bracelets I discovered were handcrafted by Lauren Manoogian. You may remember her bewitching paper clip necklaces. She is obviously one to watch.
Happy Friday everyone. I've been wanting to showcase some local homes here on the hill but it has been raining nonstop here... blech. So it will have to wait xo
When I came across these I guys I fell for them instantly as they remind me of my dear Rasmus and these guys as too. A pretty great idea by Josh Finkle to bring attention to these lost creatures. Shouldn't WWF or someone else in that realm be hiring him stat to make more of these cuties but for endangered darlings?
thanks okgreat
Today is Oscar Niemeyer's Birthday, he's 103 and he still gets up and goes to his office everyday, which is right down the street from my dear friend Jorge's place.
It is not the right angle that attracts me, nor the straight line, hard and inflexible, created by man. What attracts me is the free and sensual curve — the curve that I find in the mountains of my country, in the sinuous course of its rivers, in the body of the beloved woman.
*photo and illustration above by yours truly
I thought you might enjoy this since it makes me giggle every time I stop for a moment and realize what it looks like. Closets are such a personal reflection aren't they.
From this view you can obviously see that I can't purchase a basic item if my life depended on it and because of that my side of the closet is filled with different colors shapes and patterns making it impossible to make anything look neat even though my side of it is just as organized as the Misters by color and item.
The Misters' side on the other hand is a color coordinated uniform. He likes his clothes pared down to their most simple forms and with as little detail as possible. Button down shirts are tailored and slim fitting, and all jeans are with plain pockets and clean cuts.
And both of us have tried to make the most of our tiny closets the best we know how with all types of additional organizational items, shelves, bins, and drawers. Oh to one day design my dream closet. sigh...
Anything I'm leaving out? Can you tell other things about us from peering into our closets? What about you? How do you manage if your closet space is tight? Do you struggle like we do for a bit of extra space somewhere, anywhere. I swear I would create secret closets in every wall cavity if I could and I would rather have a closet instead of a bathtub. It is definitely a tug a war I am losing after the Mister began using wooden hangers.
Funny enough I have seen quite a few strangers closets. It was one of those unexpected parts of the job and something I'm always a bit wary of as it is quite personal to enter another persons home and measure every detail. But I do find it interesting nonetheless it gives me a little clue about how the client lives. From there we can discuss what is sufficient and how they want to live or if there are just fine with the conditions. It is a good feeling if you can improve on someones daily existence by simply creating a more efficient and useful household. Hopefully one of these days I can do that for myself.
The Mister and I went to pick up our Christmas tree this past weekend and while we were doing that we picked up another tree. (Imagine us trying to fit both of those in our little car and that should give you a giggle.) One I've been eyeing from afar. It is a Black Aralia. Here are some fun facts about this beauty.
-It's a slow grower. Which is great for us since our ceiling heights aren't that high.
-It was apparently all the rage in the 30's (So apropos, since it is my favorite decade) and then fell of the map of chosen indoor plants. (So says Clarke from Flora Grubb, by the way Clarke has been at Flora for as long as I can remember and is oh so knowledgeable and super helpful)
-It's hard to kill but if you water it too much or too little or if it gets too cold all it's leaves fall off. Let's hope I can keep it from doing that as that would be an awfully depressed looking tree.
-It's leaves are all crinkly.
-It looks like its own miniature forest in my living room. Okay, so that's not a fact but it's true!
So what do you think? I think it's an elegant and lovely addition to our family... but I am really curious what You think.
Whenever the Mister and I do a little shopping in North Beach we always try to stop by Cafe Zoetrope. While most locals would turn their nose up (I don't know why, too touristy?, owned by Coppola?) at this little gem of an eatery we couldn't be more charmed by it. And on top of a completely darling space that seems to transport you to another city entirely the food is always so fresh and delicious. No Really! Nearly everything we have ever had there has been so tasty. It always feels like our little secret. Although now I've let the cat out haven't I. If you have a chance to sit outside on a nice day the people watching is quite amusing too being right across from House on Nanking (I love that sign)
Zoetrope was actually second on the list as we stopped by Eden and Eden to pick up an early gift from Santa (read: Mister) to me. So exciting! We met the darling local designer Lan Jaenicke and chatted up Rachel. If you are local I really urge you to stop by Eden and Eden to see Lan's new designs they are Gorgeous! After lunch we made a dash for the car in the pouring rain both soaked to the core (there was no end in sight) we drove home to the opposite side of the city. Hope you all enjoyed the moody, wintry, rainy weekend.
is still a rose. Well not this one. This rose was cultivated especially for Sir Paul Smith by his wife as a birthday present and in turn he created this fragrance for his wife from that rose. Really.
I know I don't normally do posts on such things but since this was a birthday gift and I've become more and more interested in how a fragrance is created I thought I would share this one. I would also like to say I don't normally fall for such outwardly floral scents especially rose but this one really grew on me and the story of how it was created is so lovely and romantic. YES, I'm a complete and utter romantic sometimes to a hideous fault, also the reason why I held on to my first relationship far beyond its expiration date. Something about true love blah blah blah. I'm pretty sure I should sue Disney for that one.
Anyhoo, with the advent of the internet you can learn from avid fans of the art what goes into a certain fragrance, I personally like Now Smell This (although they could use a little re-design... sorry it's on my blood) They confirm my suspicions such as all these new trendy perfumes kind of smell the same and give me a little appreciation for Chanel no. 5 which I've always thought as smelling like 'old lady'. They have also sparked a new interest in Diorissimo, now if I can just find a counter that has one for me to smell. I'm no perfume snob but it is so nice to experience each perfume from a standpoint of knowledge instead of how we usually experience them from behind a cloud that those awful perfume ladies spray at you while you walk by in a department store. It's a bit like wine learn a little, experience a little.
Oh I did get another delightful and somewhat naughty gift I can't share here. But let's just say it came from here. We also had a lovely birthday dinner at my favorite celebration spot Bix. (By the way ignore those hideous photos on their website, it looks nothing like that... weird?!)
Happy Friday everyone. xo
I'd be a contortionist because I can almost do what that crazy striped man is doing, I just can't do that trick where he is putting his head nearly up his arse (although I have no idea what I look like upside down) but the bending over backwards and grabbing a little above my ankles yep I can do that. With some assistance from my dear yoga instructor Magnolia of course. I've always been a wee bit abnormally flexible.
Just sharing some birthday booty. Fun stuff that Circus book, it's page after page of delightful layout after delightful layout. I'd get my hands on one if I were you. Hairy Beasts, Giants, Siamese Twins Oh my. And how about that gal spinning around or balancing on her tatty, good lord I wouldn't want to be Maggie Udder. Yikes!
Some other things you might want to know
Unless otherwise noted, all work © Kelly Waters.
If you re-blog my photos or work, please do link back to me.
I try my best to always link back to designers, artists, photographers, chefs, architects, funny people, Misters, supermodels, textile dj industrialists or whomever catches my eye and I end up posting about here but if for some reason you aren't happy with the recognition please say so and I will banish you, um er, remove the post immediately.
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