No.1; A one-liner in an elevator goes a long way!
A bit weary-eyed from my first full night in Denver, hanging tough with my fave DEN resident—my mama—and hoping I had just delivered an effective message to those good souls willing to listen in my session, I step on the downward elevator and nestle into the back of the box as a courtesy because of my 6′ 4″ frame. I desparately need a java and a regroup before hitting the opening keynote. The car is bouncing like a beachball because we are stopping at every floor, but I’m too wobbly-legged to be annoyed. At one stop I say aloud but to no one in particular, “geez, I guess we picked the ‘local’, huh?”, a reference that any quasi, former or lifelong New Yorker would get immediately. It took the gent that got on at that stop only a second to register what I had said and he chuckled, giving a half-turn, responding, “that was good, I never thought of it that way. That’s funny.” We pile out and give a polite wave and good’day to each other, while no one else in the elevator had said one word.

After java and a recharge, I make my way over, settle into my seat near the front and ready myself for the kick-off of another fantastic creative week at the HOW Conference. After the opening formalities and announcements, the keynote speaker is introduced and up pops this ball of nervous, joyous energy that was instantly recognizable to me… the gent from the elevator! And his name, Andy Stefanovich. After a rousing speech, I walk over to see him surrounded by an adoring handful of people. Not wanting to inturrupt their moments with him too much, I tap him on the shoulder and simply say, “I guess the ‘local’ got us here eventually?” Sharing a laugh he says that he made a note of our encounter and the impression I had made in the just brief moment. The beginning of a hopefully lasting connection that only took a one-liner and a pleasant air about us both. Andy, if you’re reading this—let’s be in touch soon.

No.2; Simply put, keep trying to connect.

During my session, I had the opportunity to sit and chat with those in attendance and my first conversation was a pleasant intro to a group of energetic new faces to HOW. As a fan of good graphic tees, one guy’s attire caught my eye, so I commented on it. This started us down a road of general chatty goodness—nothing too big, but interesting nonetheless. The session time ended abruptly with me needing to scurry… I guess I don’t really scurry… with me needing to bounce to my book signing so we didn’t get to punctuate out discussion with the exchange of cards. He simply said, with no hint of worry, “it’s cool, I’ll find you.” And that he did. Jon, thanks for sticking with it. We’ll connect for sure. I need one of those tees!

No.3; She was hungry, and that had gravity!
She was the first face to step to me as I came off stage after participating on the freelance panel discussion of the Creative Freelancer portion of HOW Design Week. A gentle smile and very eager eyes, she was easy to remember. Skip to the opening of the main conference, Andy Stefanovich told the story of a young, local designer whose employer was hanging her attendance to this event over hear head like the 25 ton anvil that it is to many of us creatives, not wanting here to take full advantage and get back to the local design salt mines. We met in passing later and she says, in a somber tone, “that girl Andy was talking about was me.” She asks if I want to grab a bite to eat and chat, and I say yes, but the walk out of the mile-wide convention center finds me bumping into all types of people wanting a moment here and a moment there. She hung in like a trooper and I apologized profusely… and then, it was her turn.

After his speech, Mr. Stefanovich had said that he would he would help this young lady find the means to attend the full conference and perhaps that would give her strength to forge a new path, devoid of hovering anvils, but it seemed that her follow-up email have fallen into the void that usually happens for a conference speaker away from home and business. But in a fortunate twist, we see Andy standing quietly, checking his email. I say to her gently but sternly, “go talk to him right now!” After some resistance quite typical of young, humble, and perhaps scared designers, she goes. He’s cordial, remembering her and having just seen the email from her. She comes back, he darts to his left down the long ramp and we make for some eats. In hindsight, it was a bit of serendipty that we got our food to go because this young, local designer got a call that brought her to tears in my arms… she had just been told, by none other than Andy Stefanovich himself that she would be able to attend the full HOW Conference, all week at no additional cost to her. Sadly, her employer did lay her off at the end of the week after feigning that they would be okay with her attending. Hey Lauren, it’s all good and I have no worries that you made the right choice! Hustle hard, make your way, and it was a pleasure and an honor sharing those moments with you.

No.4; Her flight was “booked”
As the author of ‘100 Habits for Successful Freelance Designers’, I featured several up-and-coming creatives and their work. About a week before the HOW events, I got an email that said one of those contributors would be in attendance, all the way from the Philippines.

After I dash for my book signing at the HOW Conference pop-up bookstore, I’m winded and needing a breather to allow me to set up and greet people with a smile. All set? Good. Up walks a small woman with a wide smile and eyes that smiled the same. She extends her hand nervously and says, “Hi, I’m Lizza.” Wow. How could I figure that the first book I signed at this event would not only be to a person who was in the book, but who had also flown the world to be first in line?! Lizza, thank you. Simply, immensely, THANK YOU!

No.5; “Where’d you get that shirt?!”
“I made it.”
“You’re RDQLUS?!”
“Yep.”
“OMG, I’ve been waiting this whole time to get one of these!”

That convo happened on the escalator as I hurried to the HOW Marketplace to show my now classic, limited-edition “A’ight DEN” tees. I had never had someone so enthusiastic about my work, so much so that her infectious fervor trickled over to her friend who copped one also! I was on cloud-9 after this encounter so, Erica… thanks so much and check your email. Sent you something.

No.6; His sincerity was enough. His approach was a wonderful extra.
The beauty of HOW for me is the rare opportunity to sync up with the rare few people who are so similar to me in their approach to life that it resonates with me like standing too close to a gigantic church bell.

He walked up to me, slowly, and extended his hand and said, “Steve, I really just wanted to introduce myself and say that I really liked hearing you speak yesterday on the panel.” We commenced to have a couple of great talks over the course of the week about everything from personal and creative philosphy, to food and sneakers. This, perhaps above all others that I’ve met, is one that I look forward to building a lasting friendship with because of the way it started; sincerely, candidly, honestly, openly, and more than anything willingly with no need or end in mind. Luke, my new friend… thank you. This is going to be good.

Steve Gordon is a self-proclaimed “creative mercenary” working under the moniker RDQLUS. He specializes in identity design, branding and strategy. Visit www.rdqlus.com to view the original post and for more information.

As designers we first must choose this point of reference then look off into the distance and determine how far it will go, how much of the scene must be explored. We do this through a wonderful little document called a creative brief. The brief is our point of reference and ALL exploration must relate to that point. Without this starting point (or points) the remainder of the drawing will simply not make sense and will most certainly not provide a desired result for the client. Successful design solutions are just that -solutions. They must follow a path, lines that radiate from the reference point. This does not negate the importance of creativity and uniqueness rather it encourages it and provides a place for infinite interpretation.

As people our thoughts and feelings radiate from a very specific vantage point. Understanding where that point lies is critical. Without knowing the location of this point, perspective is literally lost. All human contact with animate or inanimate objects is based on relationships – how it is we relate to a given person, situation or thing. The relationship has a point of point of reference. If you are a manager or a wife or a father, your style and reactions comes from somewhere. It is based on innate personality traits you posses through no fault of your own and your experiences, some of which you control and others you do not. Add these together with a splash of environment and there is your unique perspective.

Regardless of whether you are creating design or interacting with your life and the people in it, perspective best starts with a point of view that is seen through a wide-angle lens. Too often we find that point of reference (applause inserted here), create relationship between our design, our employees, and our loved ones (standing ovation), but narrow our focus so far that we miss the beauty and the opportunities of the scene before us (boo, throw a rotten tomato). The idea here is to avoid taking a step back to look at the situation because the point of reference often can’t be changed or simply shouldn’t be. Rather than step back or forwards or sideways, try changing what you see without moving your feet. Change your lens to reveal as wide of a perspective as possible seeing the peripheral and the forefront all at once.

Perspective is a way of adding tangibility to an intangible world. When you are asked to create a visual communication solution for a client, a point of reference allows you to plant your feet and perspective allows you to create. When a situation hits you in the face, be a designer. Find your point of view, open the lens as wide as you can, and design your own reality.

This post was inspired by my conversation with Scott Wadler of MTV Networks. As a guest on “Talk Story with Jeni”, Scott and I shared many of our thoughts and ideas on living life large and making your career and your home places you love to be. Click here for a full hour of “Talk Story with Jeni” and Scott.

While at ASFA, I had my first experience with Photoshop, gained a foundation of the arts and learned the importance of a strong work ethic that would totally prepare me for my years in college. At first, I wanted to attend a prominent design college outside of the state, but realized it would be too expensive. I attended a nearby liberal arts school, the University of Montevallo. In retrospect this was a great decision. I gained all of the needed resources to grow my skills and land my first internship that would later turn into a full time position. Plus, my student loans are not too “ridoncoulous.”

During my senior year at Montevallo, my graphic design professor told me about an internship at EBSCO Industries, Inc. I had heard good things about the company and later learned that they had many divisions ranging from hunting gear to information services. I ended up getting the internship and worked hard to become a candidate for a full time designer position.

Here I am; a young designer part of a corporate communications team. We have a new high-energy general manager who has already made significant changes for the better, an awesome rock star creative director (literally, he is the former lead singer for a rock band!), fantastic writers, skilled researchers, great account managers and finally a collective of kick-tail designers and programmers. It almost seems as if a natural progression to this point but as I look back it took a great deal of refining to be asset to a super ‘cool-snapalicious-purely-clowning’ in-house team!

There are many things that I’ve learned along the way, but four areas have been essential to my growth:

1. Having a faith that produces confidence
2. Maintaining a good work ethic
3. Practicing patience
4. Building strong relationships

The ultimate foundation to my life transcends even my desires to be a designer. Having faith that God will provide opportunities for me to use my gifts to His glory, keeps me grounded and allows me to step back to look at the bigger picture of any situation. It also gives me a great deal of confidence to see that my Creator has always come through for me at crucial times in my life.

Having a good work ethic is key when it comes to working for a corporate entity that has a core value of being profitable and measures our success accordingly. There are so many talented designers that are looking for work right now, and I know for a fact that I will become dispensable if I start to slack. I work each day with the same heart I did when I wanted a full-time position at EBSCO as an intern in 2006. When I was interning at EBSCO, my group had a great deal of patience with me. They always made me feel comfortable asking questions and helped me whenever I needed. I always make an effort to display this same patience to others.

Finally, I cannot stress how important it is to build strong relationships with others. I work for a global company with a big-picture vision, but the relationship with my immediate team shapes the scope of how I operate with in it. Our group cultivates an atmosphere that promotes inspiration, creativity, and great work. In turn, I am inspired to be a better designer, co-worker and friend to my team members.”

Will Nash officially entered the design profession in 2006. Watch out world, here he comes!

How Full Is Your Bucket?

How Full Is Your Bucket? is powerful, inspirational and easy to read. Grounded in decades of research and co-authored by Donald Clifton, a pioneer in the practice of positive psychology, this book uses the simple metaphor of a bucket and a dipper to illustrate the effects meaningful “bucket filling” can have on our life. The authors share with their readers discoveries based on research conducted on relationships in the work place, the military and among married couples. Along with scientific research, the authors tell engaging stories and leave the reader with five strategies for beginning to make positive change:

• Strategy One: Prevent Bucket Dipping
• Strategy Two: Shine a Light on What is Right
• Strategy Three: Make Best Friends
• Strategy Four: Give Unexpectedly
• Strategy Five: Reverse the Golden Rule

This book seems to have a heart of its own offering the perfect combination of narrative, explanation and action plans. The back of the book holds a pocket containing a wallet-size interview guide along with a few tools to get you started on filling the buckets of those around you. Additionally, visit http://www.bucketbook.com for more information, tools and tests.

How Full is Your Bucket?
By Tom Rath and Donald O. Clifton, Phd.