http://www.storypixel.com/index.php en storypixel@gmail.com Copyright 2011 2011-07-08T16:11:26+00:00 http://www.storypixel.com/post/hello_pittsburgh/ http://www.storypixel.com/post/hello_pittsburgh/#When:16:11:26Z For a person who was born and raised in Kentucky, Pittsburgh is exciting but also an adjustment my family and I are meeting with energetic optimism. After a year of reminding my friends when it was again I was moving to Pittsburgh, it finally happened on July 1st, 2011. Here are my initial impressions. Life Compared to the Kentucky town I hail from (Lexington), Pittsburgh is a faster paced and bigger city. Duh. Stephen Colbert wouldn’t be surprised about that. There are more conversations happening to filter out (or filter in, depending), increased traffic, and an overall elevation of stimuli. I miss some of the people I grew close to (you know who you are). Family A move to Pittsburgh, besides being exciting on its own merit, was a move also closer to my wife’s family. I am very excited about this. Additionally I am focused on moving my other family to the area. Fatherhood People are so nice here. Our neighbors in Bloomfield (a deeply Italian neighborhood) are instantly happy when they see how curly and sweet my son is. It’s a great feeling and maybe a convenient icebreaker to have this giggling cherub by our side. The reaction we get makes my wife and I feel extremely proud. Granted living in a more urban area inspires more vigilance and is an adjustment, but the advantages seem many: less time cooped in a car, more eyeballs looking out for us, more things for Isaac to see, and a concentration of people makes it easier to meet people outside of the typical professional circles. Work Another question I got was what I’m doing for work. I’m doing two things: one is http://dough.pro (a startup I’m doing with Quint Tatro); the other is a string of projects with Aveda. Those projects span some interaction design and a lot of JavaScript/HTML/CSS. It’s very exciting to be doing both of these things while exploring the city on foot (I work out of coffeeshops right now). Pittsburgh (unlike Lexington) has a large number of agencies which I probably could complement really well. I like being untethered to a desk (unless it’s my own) but I admittedly miss having coworkers. We’ll see if I join an agency. House We bought a house and it’s awesome. It requires some updating which will be an opportunity to mould the home to meet our needs. Structurally it is solid. I like older homes because they are built well and have accrued personality. The neighborhood we live in is Bloomfield. It is extremely welcoming, full of character and very tight. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else right now. Some neighborhoods I’ve visited remind me of this song, but this area certainly isn’t one of them. Not to say there is something wrong with that. In the end people are people and places are places, what’s left is style… and there’s no accounting for that. All we can do is respect that different people need and think in different ways. So I’m excited to learn from people… their thoughts, experiences, and conditions. Next Steps My next goals are to adjust to parenthood in a bustling community, make friends, learn from them, learn from the city and its history, do the absolute best work I can, and generally grow into this community. I’ll be attending the 2011 Twootenanny and just having coffee with some interesting folks. I’ll be starting some initiatives and projects which I’ll talk about later. Site launches I don’t do a great job of announcing the things I launch, but I launched http://iamnotsam.com which will be my work-oriented site for the next few years. Story Pixel will be my blog for a while longer. Eventually I wish to grow Story Pixel into a brand for iPad children books, but that’s farther down the road. Experiences, News 2011-07-08T16:11:26+00:00 http://www.storypixel.com/post/redesign_of_epic_small/ http://www.storypixel.com/post/redesign_of_epic_small/#When:15:11:17Z Epic Small is a personal philosophy that became a presentation in 2009, soon adopted by others within a Facebook group, then finally its own site. I have already discussed the concept of Epic Small, so I’ll just announce that I took a few days to redesign the site: http://epicsmall.com. Enjoy! 2011-03-10T15:11:17+00:00 http://www.storypixel.com/post/uprooting_replanting/ http://www.storypixel.com/post/uprooting_replanting/#When:15:42:13Z Since 2005, I have freelanced from Lexington, Kentucky with no real directive other than to do work I can be proud of. At the end of June 2011 I will be moving to a new, very different, very spirited town—Pittsburgh, the City of Steel. Grafting lessons In Lexington, I learned a lot of lessons about freelancing. The first lesson is to never ignore the red flags. Performing the same mistakes and expecting better results is like insanity (Einstein believed that I think). Another huge lesson is your work is the only legitimate basis for work-related pride. All the other things we like to feel proud about—talent, ideas, being better at something than someone else, having a lot of Twitter followers, awards or a fast car—are virtuous to achieve but once achieved are in the past. Ultimately it is about the work. I personally feel as good as my last project. It is motivating and keeps me reaching higher. If I’m on top, then why climb? So, it looks like my plan will be simple—produce a lot of results and work with the best people who will have me. Offerings Like many seasoned freelancers, I have a T-shaped pattern to my working life. Several shallow skills at the base with a long finger of deep skills protruding from the center. This configuration seems to be the most stable for a web-related career. And the T-shaped strategy allows me to hack out some simple ideas I have. I have big ideas and I can’t quite hack them out alone (e.g. Tot Zeens and a dozen others). Eventually I will hack them out, but baby steps. So rather than offer everything, I will offer a few things—and be the best at those. I will define those clearly on my new site I am not Sam. Black and Yellow! I am not a big football guy, however I am a sucker for any sense of unity and can-do spirit. And that’s what I feel in Pittsburgh very strongly. I think specifically the neighborhood of Central Lawrenceville will be the home to many special things in the next ten years. I really look forward to embracing (and hopefully being embraced by) this community. People like Rob de la Cretaz, Jon Dascola, and Jason Head have already confirmed that Pittsburgh is full of talented and friendly people. And to boot I’ll be closer to my wife’s awesome family and my mother will be moving near too. Watching Isaac grow is the best experience in my life. Thanks for reading! Experiences, News 2011-02-06T15:42:13+00:00 http://www.storypixel.com/post/now_and_later/ http://www.storypixel.com/post/now_and_later/#When:14:37:58Z Professionally, it’s been a unpredictable exciting year; lots of changes bring several opportunities to grow. No more Flash A cornerstone to a successful career as a creative is to not confuse your job with your career. Decoded, this means to always be growing something: an idea, a skill, a relationship. Around Christmas 2009 I began to come to terms with the idea that I was too comfortable with Flash to continue doing it. Though I was working with fantastic, hard-won clients who absolutely appreciated my talents, I had lost my interest in Flash. I made the tough decision to leave a lucrative gig with Estee to learn something new. Fineslacks Immediately after stopping Flash work, some friends (Todd Willey, Nick Warner, and Steven Hayes) and I started a new company called Fineslacks around March 2010. The first project, Todd proposed, would be a CMS based on one I had been wanting to see: a Ruby-based CMS as awesome as ExpressionEngine (PHP-based). We had estimated it would take less than a month to complete. I joined under the condition I would be Chief Creative Officer (meaning I would make calls regarding product features, UI, and design). After a few months of growing as a team, we hit a more serious hiccup than growing pains. We met at a coffee shop early in the morning (already not a good sign)... then we got the news: no more salaries. I knew there would be some risk because with any startup, droughts are not unheard of, but this one came unexpectedly early for me. Alarmed with the suddenness and absoluteness of this news, I made the choice to pivot toward paying gigs because I had a young son to support. It was tough because I liked the guys, however looking back it was the right decision. As far as I know, Fineslacks is still planning to release a CMS later this year. No gig After our meeting at the coffee shop, a lot of emotions came forth. I felt a little embarrassed as I had hyped up Fineslacks at SXSW and locally. I was sad that I wouldn’t be able to shape the CMS into something I knew people like me wanted to use. Mostly I was scared… I wasn’t going back to Flash. Estee had left it out on the table that I could return and do iPhone apps, but I was sort of needing a more creative role to grow in… to prepare for Pittsburgh. Punndit After only two days of no gig lined up, Randall Stevens offered me a contract to work on his exciting startup idea Punndit. It allowed me to focus on directing the creative; also I’d have my hands in design and still be involved Ruby on Rails! It was my opportunity, in deus-ex-machina fashion, so I accepted. And that is where I am now. The contract with Story Pixel is continuing. I am not an employee but a contractor (clearing up some rumors I encountered). The new position has allowed me to focus both on design and learn tons of new things. Working in an office everyday is an adjustment but downtown is a welcomed change of scenery. Randall listens to my creative opinions so that was a welcomed change. Next I’m right where I want to be in my career: not afraid where my next dollar is coming from and making the best work I can make with the projects I have. Also in my limited spare time I am continuing to develop both Tot Zeens and some iPad project. Happiness is paramount and I am happy as long as I am developing and learning. I have also been writing more with a few magazines I like: Smashing Magazine and Fuel Your Creativity. More is on the way. Writing helps me grow outside of what projects I’m trusted with. Grateful I am a lucky dude to be working with things I love. Meeting with James Mathias helped me reaffirm that creating websites is like the best job in the world. Duh! While I really look forward to moving to Pittsburgh, I aim to maximize my remaining time in Lexington. Sure that means do the most epic things I can, but it also means appreciating what I have been blessed with. My son and wife amaze me everyday, life is much fuller with them. I do not want to look over my shoulder in ten years and wonder why I can only remember wireframes, Photoshop, and stylesheets. Experiences 2010-09-05T14:37:58+00:00 http://www.storypixel.com/post/about_blinkwang/ http://www.storypixel.com/post/about_blinkwang/#When:18:59:34Z Building Blinkwang was a great experience. Here is a bit about the project and about the people who helped me through my first HTML5 game. I have made my first HTML5 game: Blinkwang! Special thanks This game would have not been as cool if it were not for the help of several folks. Wes Keltner provided tons of great pointers. My wife and family obviously helped a lot. Thank you so much Deron Sizemore and Chris Steiha for the thought-out feedback! Finally thanks to James Smith, Lamar Wilson, to Peter Cook and so many others. The idea We count very well with our intuition. We can also hone our intuitions just by practicing. While I was jogging one day, I started to ponder how well people can walk into a room and guestimate the number surprisingly well. That was a year ago, as far as I knew I’d never do anything with that concept. The contest The contest is An Event Apart’s 10k app competition. Make an app less than 10k in html5. Simple! Right? Lessons learned HTML5 is very exciting. As my game started to reach 15k, I thought it wouldn’t be a big deal to boil it back down to 10k. So I thought. The final app was around 25k. Auto-compressing broke it every time. So it was up to me to hand-minify it. So incredibly laborious. But it’s done and I hope people like it. 2010-08-18T18:59:34+00:00 http://www.storypixel.com/post/jogging_your_creativity/ http://www.storypixel.com/post/jogging_your_creativity/#When:06:39:04Z Approached sensibly and with discipline, running is a benefit to your bodily health, but is it even better for your ideas? A creative exercise Over the last couple of years, I have grown to regard running as a cornerstone of my creative life. While my legs spin off in one direction, my mind wheels in another. The trajectory, often surprising in its dance, touches and connects concepts in delightful ways. A vetted habit Last week I had an opportunity to meet and to discuss in passing my belief with two nice creative gents, Will Gay and Stanley Hainsworth. Stanley is a veteran runner who, as Will explained, helped inspire him to make running a habit. Today, both Stanley and Will regard running as a space to conjure, ponder and refine ideas. I hated to run for years My own entrance into running was bumpier, in fact I dreaded or avoided running for years (event after Quint got me started). Then I began signing up for real races. At first 5k races then, much later, longer ones. After five years, I am running my first marathon in just one week. Neat. Challenge and schedule: keys The combination of signing up for races and sticking (religiously) to a schedule is key. Be aggressive but be sensible. My first 5k was much harder than any running challenge to date. It gets better and better. Tips for starting I hope this helps persuade you to try running even if you’ve tried it with unconvincing results. Identify and sign up for a nearby race Most important: get a schedule Get good shoes (I recommend a runner’s shoe shop) Remember pain is normal and will leave (for me took 3 months) During the initial “hell” phase, listen to music Why I run At first it was for the challenge, then for the health… now it’s mostly for the time to explore ideas. I can easily do it anywhere, even on vacation Regimented running yields discipline Miles of running dwarf work woes Baseline mood improves making you happier and more focused Because it is hard, running incentivizes you to get lost in thoughts You perform beyond best expectations, giving you confidence Running allows time to discern if an idea is good Conclusion It’s so important to have a habit that brings you away from the monitor and closer to your thoughts. Running has been that for me and, if it’s viable, I’d encourage you to (re)try it. Design, Experiences, General 2010-04-25T06:39:04+00:00 http://www.storypixel.com/post/epic_small/ http://www.storypixel.com/post/epic_small/#When:13:10:31Z If God is in the details, then heaven must be in the small creative acts. Welcome to a point of view that I call Epic Small. The problem Always thinking “big” is a fast road to creative constipation. The solution Do something creative this week and share it. The idea isn’t important… the doing is important. Why Lots of reasons. Small creative acts spark bigger acts. It’s relaxing. Inspiration. Doing small ideas frequently helps you better navigate larger ideas to completion. And so on. Like Voltaire said The perfect is the enemy of the good. Best of all, the creative habit helps you avoid the pitfall of perfectionism. The inspiration for “Epic Small” ProgressLex (a local group founded by forward-thinking people like Ben Self) recently put on an unconference entitled Now What Lexington. When I arrived, I hadn’t planned to speak, just to listen. As people were announcing their sessions in the kickoff session, I noticed most every goal was monolith or very abstract. Nothing wrong with that, but balance was needed. I had an idea for a session. I gave that session (with help from Todd Willey) which I called “Epic Small” and it was unexpectedly very well-received. It now has a Facebook group Epic Small which I encourage you to join. What about you? Feel free to share your small idea here or link to where you announced it. Let’s do this! Experiences, General 2010-04-22T13:10:31+00:00 http://www.storypixel.com/post/finish_your_site/ http://www.storypixel.com/post/finish_your_site/#When:16:37:38Z There are so many talented people whose lack of a site is stunting their opportunities. Exposure is underrated A lot of professionals, especially freelancers, feel like their opportunities will be on par with their talents. That’s not how it works. You must expose your work. Exposure increases your work’s value, dramatically. Finish your site now There are lots of reasons designers don’t finish their sites. I’ve been there and I procrastinated as much as the next person. Here were some excuses I told myself: Not enough work in portfolio yet Not good with HTML stuff Too busy with “real work” These reasons are terribly short-sighted, here is how to work around them. Play to your strengths If you don’t have enough work in your portfolio, then make a site that highlights your thoughts, ideas, and personality. People want to work with people they like. They don’t like you yet because they don’t know you. They don’t know you because your site isn’t finished! Trust that HTML is not hard Suck at HTML? That is okay, it is not as hard as you think. There are many options available to you. Wordpress and/or ExpressionEngine have a ton of great templates to begin with. You do not have to be a programmer to put together a site these days. Also: HTML is not a programming language. You are not a mechanic A lot of people will tell you the mechanic’s car is always broken. This is a harmful and outmoded metaphor. Doing your own site will lead to greater exposure, greater value, and to better higher-paying clients. And the latter makes life much easier and work more rewarding. How to start Get out some typing paper. Write down your 1 or 2 main goals (e.g. “showcase my work”, “create a soapbox for my ideas”). Take a tour of sites and make note of the ones you like the most. Don’t bite styles, rather look at their organization. You shouldn’t open Photoshop until you know exactly what content you are putting on your site. Remember: planning is at least half the work. How to finish Finishing a site is both fun and a test of your will. Tell a few friends of your intentions and timeline. Let them ask (even hound) you about it. You can challenge a friend to a “site race.” Also, put a piece of paper next to your desk and write on it “Finish site.” Tape it up in plain sight. Finally: remind yourself that client work makes other people money; your site makes you money. 2010-02-05T16:37:38+00:00 http://www.storypixel.com/post/jealousy_a_friend/ http://www.storypixel.com/post/jealousy_a_friend/#When:14:28:31Z I will admit, I’m a very jealous person creatively. Great works both inspire me and goad me. I think that’s a good thing. The wow factor Through this digital window, the world’s most amazing creative works are in a relentless parade. How can one be impervious to jealousy? Befriending jealousy A passionate person cannot help but to feel jealous sometimes. However, many creatives seem to stop at resenting the creator. That is unwise because it’s useless. What’s wise is to view yourself as capable of doing anything. Richard Feynman’s captures this attitude: What one fool can do, so can another Passion is jealous Jealousy is one of the natural consequences of being passionate about something. If you cease being wowed or stop asking how, then your passion may need some exercise. Stay positive Again, jealousy that inspires action is healthy. Do not indulge in gossip with a jealous person. Instead goad them to express their jealousy as creative action. Then everyone wins. Mingle A lot of us get a healthy exposure to amazing work by browsing sites like Smashing Magazine, FWA, and AIGA. But don’t forget to go to conferences and to attend any industry mixers. These activities put a human face on those efforts you have admired. And once you meet the person behind the creations… you realize… hey… What one fool can do, so can another Professionally we will never evolve away from jealousy, we will evolve because of it. Development, Design, Experiences 2010-01-21T14:28:31+00:00 http://www.storypixel.com/post/what_i_know/ http://www.storypixel.com/post/what_i_know/#When:17:24:13Z Last year a young man from England wrote to ask me what advice I could offer him to grow his Web Design career. I didn’t want to say “do something else” so I wrote this. Obviously a list like this can continue indefinitely, but here’s the highlights from my own meandering experience. Work indirectly with the moneyThe objective of every project for a client is the same: make them more money. I find having a well-organized and impartial liaison between yourself and the stakeholder provides an important firewall during crunch time: when scope creeps and timelines are like a herd of cats. Don’t work with assholesSeriously. Also, so I’m clear on my definition, an asshole is someone who on first meeting “yikes, this person sure seems like an asshole… but I’ll give them a chance because I need the work.” No, unless you are starving, you should avoid assholes. They will shit on you. Be briefDon’t overload anyone (especially non-technical people) with details. It’s nerve-wracking, confusing, and a sign of weakness in their eyes. Appear magicalRelated to the above… but encourage the feeling in your clients’ minds that you have actual magic powers. Don’t be arrogant about that magic though. Appearing magical is how you’ll eventually start that cult *wink*. Be (genuinely) humbleBe aware of your worth but don’t aggrandize your importance. It’s about results not your ego. Know there is always someone out there a little more skilled or knowledgeable. Never be “If-Come Enterprises”Never engage in business with people who want you to do something cheaply on the promise of future work that will be better-paying. It practically never ever ever happens that way. Remain positiveWhen something goes wrong, deal with it but stay positive. Don’t forget that positivity makes you and your team more efficient. If you find that things are so bad you can’t stay positive, fire the client. Firing clients is a key survival mechanism for freelance. Experiences 2010-01-12T17:24:13+00:00