Complexity is an illusion?

http://allemanstudios.com/illusion.html

http://www.askabiologist.org.uk/answers/viewtopic.php?id=146

http://www.visualcomplexity.com/vc/project.cfm?id=734

New Book, New Chapter?

I have graduated college. I earned a BS in Biochemistry. After a summer in the woods (I was a rock climbing instructor at Philmont in north New Mexico) its time to move on to the Next Step... Whatever that may be.

In light of recent events— Steve Jobs, founder of Apple and inspirational entrepreneur, died on October 5th, 2011— I believe it appropriate reconsider what we do and what we expect to accomplish by our actions. I don't want to think too hard though, Jobs said it himself:

Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

And...

The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it.

Last note. I'm looking for jobs in Biochem to give it an honest chance, but I am excited to play with my site and make a new one. Maybe (hopefully) pick up new illustration and design projects. 

Pursuing Hapiness: A Checklist

I wrote thi list and some friends really liked it so I'm making a post dedicated to it:

Pursuing Hapiness: A Checklist

1) You only live once. Life is short, fragile and fast.

2) Figure out what you like, learn about everything even if you don't like it, its hard or you dont understand it.  Try hard. See #1.

3) Don't do things because others expect it of you, do it for yourself. See #1 and #2.

4) Read the Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)- 

"Everything is written by the same hand."

"Life attracts life." 

"There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure." 

"It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting." 

"When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it." 

When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.

When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.

The book is by a Catholic... but give the guy a break, remember faith must exist even if you have to make it up. Believe in something. I leaned a few lessons from it. 

This one is more for fun, I can't cite reasoning... just read books that make you think.

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5) Now that you've read and thought about #1-4 you are ready to throw everything away as soon as you have a dream, find something you like or fall in love. Forget that, remember that in the real world you have to pay bills. remember that in the real world, there are more options that just right and wrong. remember that the real world is cold, hard and can be as unforgiving as it can be divine and wonderful.

-----------------

6) Try and remember what it is that stirs passion in you, but look for ways to use it at a job. Try to not be crazy. This is not a requirement, however. Remind yourself of #1-4, keep #5 in mind.

7) Make a set of goals. If you don't, you risk losing sight of the big things you want while the little ones pile up. This is to remind you that a career, a family and climbing Mt. Everest are all separate, but you can't do them one at a time. See #1-2.

8) Find a job to make $$$. It doesn't need to be what you love, but if you don't start down a path you can't reach the destination. It doesn't mean any job will work either, it just means pick one and use your compass to stay on track. See #2-5,7= compass. 

9) Try to make sense of all of that shit. Try to remember it all. Try to remember it all and still live your life. If you can do that, we need to talk... 

10) Don't forget... success and happiness are different. Success is relative. You define what success is, you are allowed to set that bar yourself. Happiness is a feeling. Happiness is something your heart will only let you really have when you deserve it. Which are you looking for? Check #7. 

Appendix:

Don't give up. (I didn't think this needed to be stated explicitly, but just in case, here it is.)

Poor image...

My online image is not great.

So my website and my blog are fairly casual in tone, probably not best for an aspiring professional. They demonstrate breadth of skills without a focus of intention and lack mastery in a lot of ways.

If I wanted to be more effective as a developing designer (I would design more) I would repackage myself. I know my website has some very amateur aspects. I am in a development stage. I am thinking a lot about life. I am about to graduate college with a BS in Biochemistry. There is a lot going on.

I have a lot of goals and like to do a lot of things. The gist of this post is that I need to take a bearing and pick a direction. I have a lot of destinations I plan on reaching in life so if I don't get moving fast, I'm afraid of missing things. Also, I have overlooked (for a long time) that I have a couple gifts that a lot of people would kill me for not using more. I have to change that.

Tonight I wrote  a list. Mostly for myself.

1) You only live once. Life is short, fragile and fast.

2) Figure out what you like, learn about everything even if you don't like it, its hard or you dont understand it.  Try hard. See #1.

3) Don't do things because others expect it of you, do it for yourself. See #1 and #2.

4) Read the Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)- 

"Everything is written by the same hand."

"Life attracts life." 

"There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure." 

"It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting." 

"When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it." 

When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.

When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.

The book is by a Catholic... but give the guy a break, remember faith must exist even if you have to make it up. Believe in something. I leaned a few lessons from it. 

This one is more for fun, I can't cite reasoning... just read books that make you think.

-----------------

5) Now that you've read and thought about #1-4 you are ready to throw everything away as soon as you have a dream, find something you like or fall in love. Forget that, remember that in the real world you have to pay bills. remember that in the real world, there are more options that just right and wrong. remember that the real world is cold, hard and can be as unforgiving as it can be divine and wonderful.

-----------------

6) Try and remember what it is that stirs passion in you, but look for ways to use it at a job. Try to not be crazy. This is not a requirement, however. Remind yourself of #1-4, keep #5 in mind.

7) Make a set of goals. If you don't, you risk losing sight of the big things you want while the little ones pile up. This is to remind you that a career, a family and climbing Mt. Everest are all separate, but you can't do them one at a time. See #1-2.

8) Find a job to make $$$. It doesn't need to be what you love, but if you don't start down a path you can't reach the destination. It doesn't mean any job will work either, it just means pick one and use your compass to stay on track. See #2-5,7= compass. 

9) Try to make sense of all of that shit. Try to remember it all. Try to remember it all and still live your life. If you can do that, we need to talk... 

10) Don't forget... success and happiness are different. Success is relative. You define what success is, you are allowed to set that bar yourself. Happiness is a feeling. Happiness is something your heart will only let you really have when you deserve it. Which are you looking for? Check #7. 

Appendix:

Don't give up. (I didn't think this needed to be stated explicitly, but just in case, here it is.)

I need to take care of some things then I want to repackage myself. 

Senior Year Grind

While I do biochemical case studies, wet-lab work and independent research I am also helping to manage a service fraternity and currently am serving as the communications chair (student organizations offer unique challenges- building reputation, building infrastructure, membership retention... all great things to learn from).

Working on so many things.

Many references comment that college is the best time to build up your personal design style and clientele. While protected from the real world by the shield of University, college is the time to learn and experiment.

My passion lies in learning about communications and design. My strengths are include working with new information and science information. Combining these things is my personal challenge.


Unfortunatly this To-Do list just keeps growing. I am looking at internship opportunities, making sure my graduation plans are in order and balancing a part-time job.

I find myself splitting my attention a bit more than I should and it is taking a toll on my work. Kind of  bummer. I have high personal standards and I want to make sure my own site shows what skills I am learning in web design and communication and I want to expand my portfolio with work that shows I am progressing...

I certainly don't have to worry about being bored. Just need to keep going. Cheers until next time.

Hopefully in the next month I will have some quality work to show off and can improve my own site as well as those I have designed for others.  Maybe even crank out some cool artwork.

Can you believe I am a Biochemistry major? Me neither...

Wordpress CMS inspiration... got to try some new layouts and backgrounds out.
http://wpinspiration.com/

Cool citation site:
http://citationmachine.net

If I had time for another project, there is funding available on campus!
Lushe | Vertical Garden | Living Wall | Green Wall | Landscaping Melbourne | Edible Wall

HTML 5.0! must learn!
http://diveintohtml5.org/

Encountering Issues

I have begun to take on website projects as well as commission graphic art and design and my responsibilities as a senior Biochemistry student, bartender and officer in the Mizzou service fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega. I wonder if I am working in too many different directions. I really was hoping my interests would converge at some point into what would become the job I create for myself. Solidarity dear friends.

I just want to express my frustration with web projects. When someone asks for a website, they must not be thinking about what they want, rather, just the notion that "Hey, a website with my name on it would be cool." I'm sure every designer has encountered this. The client decides to ask for something they have not thought about, but hope will materialize from their imagination onto the Web. 

Scratch that. Materialize from the designer's computer, telepathically from their own minds, onto the web. Sound about right?


What is the answer? Draft a worksheet, like from grade school, with blanks to fill in so a McWebsite can be cranked out? or do you try and heft the client's idea from the depths of the chasm where a brain ought to be?

Broad Skills, limited Time

Two weekends ago I was able to attend the Sonja Hillgren/Farm Journal Agricultural Journalism Field Reporting Institute through the University of Misouri– Columbia school of Journalism and Agricultural Journalism School. Three days on a bus, driving across Missouri; a group of journalists and students visited farms, urban gardens, distributers, and community centers.  We were exhausted and sleep deprived. Our faculties worn, and mentors watching, we questioned, interviewed and reported at each stop. We made connections and tried to grasp at the big picture; gathering bits and pieces of information to form a story.  

Ok, I know, a little dramatic, but we had a great time and it was exhausting.  I was trying something new and had experts observing me.  

This past weekend I attended the Biotech University sponsored by the United Soybean Board. The seminar, based on presenting background information on biotechnology and its future as an industry, was another event hosted by the Journalism School at Mizzou.  Another foray into the foreign art of reporting, I have gotten used to being called out as an outsider. They call me "The Biochemist," a pretty cool nickname, if you ask me. 


Now I want to hone my pencil to a sharp tip and write a great story. Partially to prove myself, but more to learn to communicate well with other industries. I think studying science so often, I have lost some of my communication skills, and every time I write I think I learn a lot.