A vision of the future…

Thoughts?  Too much?  Not enough?  Probable?  Improbable?

Killer design, either way (produced by Oh, Hello….and, yes, Microsoft).

Daily_Blog: 1/14

I’ve gotten to a point where there is so much I want to write, so much I want to express, that somehow welding all of these thoughts into some cohesive yet barely meaningful blog post is virtually impossible.  

So I’m not really going to try.  My fingers are just going to move for a while.

I’m in the midst of a creative renaissance, yet my one legitimate shot at using whatever skill I have professionally (at least for now) is gone.  This was expected, but still a little bit of a downer.  I have a lot of projects on my plate right now, and I’m even doing some further exploration during my “down time” (I can’t get enough of the world 3-D modeling and its infinite possibilities, even at just the demo level…perhaps associated with my PIXAR addiction…).  I’m very nearly done with a unique Seesalt promotional video– definitely unlike any we’ve ever done– and I’ve spent an exhausting two days throwing it together, driven by the opportunity to actually create rather than just quilt together redundant highlight video shots.  I have roughly five more videos to get done before Chillipepper next Friday, I’m frankly worried that I won’t have the same excited drive to pull me through those.  But pull through I must.

I just typed a long paragraph on the the dichotomy between the creative work that drives me and the more-prevalent, busy work that is somewhat soul-crushing.  Then I deleted it.  Keep moving, fingers.

So, seminary.  Why?  Sometimes it feels like I’m going just because I don’t know where else to go.  Other times I feel that this is a confirmed calling and a real opportunity.  I’m hoping for a bit more revelation and guidance than that, and soon.  I don’t want to not go and realize I missed a great chance to dive deeper into something I already find very fulfilling.  However, I also don’t want to get there and realize that I wasn’t ready to dive that deep, or that often.  I know that I’m passionate about theological education.  Theological education, in this “Christian nation” is lousy.  No, make that Lousy.  That’s right: capital-L and italics.  If I have the opportunity to spend the rest of my life encouraging students/people to think very seriously about matters of faith, religion, and theology, I would be very grateful.  I just don’t know yet if graduate school and eventually the classroom is where I’m supposed to do that.  I probably will never know for sure.    But I do know that I want to do something.  

Jake Delhomme played lousily on Saturday.  I’m normally in your camp, Jake, but I have to call it like I see it.  

At the McAfee preview weekend, one of the topics that my peer/faculty panel discussed was the blurring of divisions and the elimination of labels.  ”Liberal Christian” and “Conservative Christian” (or just “Liberal” and “Conservative”) simply don’t work anymore, and they never should have.  A person cannot be defined by our perception of where they may fall on some theological or political spectrum.  It’s an excuse to not get to know someone for what they really think (about any matter; not just, say, homosexuality).  I could rant so much more about this, and I may one day, but for now I simply ask: do your best to never use these labels in your everyday conversation.  I still find myself doing it, just because it’s easy.  But it doesn’t help.  

The first one hundred pages or so of Rob Bell’s Jesus Wants to Save Christians are very interesting.  I don’t know about the other pages yet.  Some may call it revisionist history, but I at least applaud Bell for refusing to accept Sunday School interpretations of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, recognizing that Solomon was an utter failure as a King, for example (he then goes on to claim that Jesus fits the bill as the “true” son of David).  It’s definitely thought-provoking.  American Nationalists may want to steer clear, though.

Actually, go ahead and read it.

Also (completely unrelated), go to www.capacity.tv and check out the new branding job that Capacity did for Cartoon Network.  The Capacity folks are truly, truly, truly talented motion designers, and if you watch TV, you’ve undoubtedly seen a ton of their stuff (NBC, NFL Network, and about a dozen other stations).  I first found out about Capacity when they were profiled in an old issue of Relevant Magazine, and have kept an eye on them since.  On their website, be sure to check out “Planted,” an animated short based on the Parable of the Sower.  It’s neat stuff.

If you made it this far, you are a patient, patient person.

Sleep-blogging

I should be in bed.  I have a killer migraine and took Tylenol PM over an hour ago.  Anyways, there’s been a lot going on lately.  

The new Concoxions website is finally up.  After weeks of being convinced that I was in no form or fashion suited to do web design, it just sort of materialized.  It was exhausting…after a few days of working with even the most primitive HTML and CSS coding, I’m beat.  I couldn’t really go all out here, and you can’t expect to dig up gold your first time out.  So I’m really thinking of this as a merely a 1.0, with 2.0 coming with a big update after Chillipepper.  Chillipepper is the only branch of the website that also got a facelift, and the others need to follow soon.  Joy?

I’m not convinced that I should be a designer.  At least, in my current life situation, I’m just not growing that much artistically, and I’m struggling mightily to be perfectly honest.  I enjoy the practice of design and am fascinated by the communication possibilities, and I really would miss it if I gave it up.  My attitude just isn’t following through right now.  

Segue: I’m applying to seminary for next school year.  That’s a part of my life that I have given up and do miss.  The art of theological conversation was planted deep within my soul over the last four years, and it hasn’t been fed.  My dissatisfaction with this has led me to consider over the past few weeks that some part of me is supposed to continue this conversation on a serious level.  Therefore, rapid-fire style, I’ve arranged to apply to McAfee School of Theology (a branch of Mercer University) for next school year.  Tiffany had already applied to McAfee, as seminary has been in her plans for close to two years now.  So we may be that married couple.  Like the Nelsons.  She’ll probably end up doing something pastoral and communally-edifying, and I’ll question for years whether or not I’m supposed to bite the bullet and try for a Ph.D. so I can be the sandal-wearing ministerial-yet-challenging professor/chaplain I’ve always dreamt of being.  That would be great.  Or God could end up leading me into something completely different.

Like design.

I’m ready for this election to be over.  I’ve gone from being annoyed to downright terrified at the state of public discourse in this nation.  As much as both candidates speak about reaching across aisles, I doubt there’s been a moment in my lifetime in which this country has been more polarized.  And I’ve been falling into that trap, too.  There’s been a lot of anger and hate thrown around, and you start taking it personally, even though there is absolutely no reason to.  I have a pretty firm grasp on who I’m voting for and have probably spent to much time researching the issues important to me (in order: tax structure, economy, infrastructure, health care…all of which are completely linked).  The candidate not receiving my vote is a man I used to have a lot of respect for, and I probably will learn to respect him again once this circus is over, whether he is president or not.  This election has turned both of these honorable men into something regrettable, and hopefully they and their respective parties will see that one day.  

I’m not holding my breath for the parties.

Adobe CS4 is shipping but Adobe REFUSES to put up the trials along with it.  I check their site probably 5 times a day hoping I can get my hands on some integrated design goodness.  If my artistic side is struggling, maybe my nerdy side can provide the proper motivation.

If anyone has read Rob Bell’s Jesus Wants to Save Christians, let me know what you think.  And then let me borrow it.  Please?

The new MacBooks look slick.  The Pro’s video card makes me a little envious, and the plain-old MacBook has vastly improved innards over the previous generation…but what’s with the shaft of Firewire?  That is borderline unforgivable right now; Firewire is still very much needed.  I think we need to wait a couple more years before we “move on.”  So my reliable year-old MB Pro suits me fine, terrible battery and all.

Tylenol PM kicking in.  Stream of consciousness fading.  Goodnight.

Whoa, I have a blog?

Hmmmm….so, yeah.  It’s been a while since I’ve posted on here.  It’s a pity, too, it was going so strongly through the summer.  Now that I’m starting to get settled in to “life” some more, I hope to continue the conversation some more.

So here’s a little bit of what has been going on and what I’ve been up to.

First…the thing I get asked about a lot…I’m being considered for a position with the North Point Community Church (Atlanta, well, Alpharetta actually) media team.  This is obviously a pretty big “life detail” that I would love to see figured out.  I have no real indication of my chances of getting the job, and I think they’re still interviewing people, so such information would probably be pretty inappropriate at this point anyways.  But it’s an exciting possibility.  I’ve met the team, and it has got to be one of the most insanely creative collection of people I’ve ever encountered.  You should see their stuff…which, if you’ve ever been to North Point, then you have.  The position I’m being considered for is a hybrid designer/motion designer/anything-else-that-could-conceivably-fall-into-the-category-of-”media” guy.  That was 10 hyphens, for those who were counting.  Anyways, this has been (and I anticipate it will continue to be) a long process.  The limbo of not knowing whether or not I’ll be shooting of to the ATL anytime soon has had me pretty stressed/unsettled.  But I thing I’m chilling a little bit more.  

In the meantime, it’s the busy season at Concoxions.  I’ve been squeezing every last ounce of creative juice in me to come up with some quickly, and there’s still a looooong way to go….web designs, some new ideas we have for promotional material, promo videos, the works.  So we’ll see how it goes.

First up, Chillipepper…

This is the foundational design for the final promotional theme (mainly the poster) for this coming winter.  The typeface has remained mainly the same, but the idea has continued to evolve ever since the Coldplay/iTunes commercial gave the promotional video a kick in the pants.  The resemblance is perhaps a bit stronger here…

Disappointed that I had to “fake” the volumetric lighting effect (light rays coming through the letters), curiosity got the best of me and I fired up my Cinema 4D demo just so I could see what this motif could look like with full 3D treatment…lovingly called the “erupting version” by Tiffany. (Click for full size version.)  

I really, really, really, really want to get into 3D modeling/animation.  There’s just so much you can do typographically (which is what I mainly do).  But it’s expensive, at least for someone in my position.

We’re wanting to get the Seesalt stuff at the same time as the Chillipepper stuff, so believe it or not, I’m already having to come up with some drafts, about half a year sooner than I’m used to.

There’s a lot that isn’t quite up to snuff with that particular design, but it’s something to run with.  And of course, I couldn’t resist…

I am apparently addicted to big, bright lights.

Finally, we needed a design for “Art to Heart,” a traveling special-effects chalk drawing production (which we’ve already thrown together once this season, in front of about 1,000 students at Gardner-Webb…that’s a fairly large test audience).  I’m actually pretty stoked about this design, and trust me, that is RARE.  This one may have some potential.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, it’s college football season.  I am a strange wound-up ball of happiness, stress, excitement, and tension during this blessed/cursed time.  But I tell you, this Furman team has the earmarks of something special.  We’ll know for sure this Saturday (home against #6 Delaware…HUGE game).  Meanwhile, I’ve been acting as the weekly “College Football Pick’em” guy over at amalgamblog, and (not to toot my own horn) I’ve been doing pretty well.  I may miss some games here or there, but I seemingly have a knack for guessing margins of victory pretty accurately.  But, we’re only three weeks in.  College football can be screwy.

Okay, I think I’ve made up for the lack of posting.  That’s enough for now.

Back to School (Design project)

I’m loving getting to do these little Freelance projects along the way.  This particular one is for North Point Community Church in Atlanta (the second time I’ve had the privilege of working with them) and a program they’re doing called “The Back to School Project.”  It’s a great outreach effort for low-income families who need school supplies for the upcoming school year.  Check it out here for more info as well as a short little video in which the design is used (I only was involved in the static design this time around, but I like what they did with it).  

To be perfectly fair, I thought I would show the part that I submitted, as well as the changes…I don’t want to take any credit for changes they made once I moved back into the frantic world of Seesalt.

 

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