Hi! My name is John.
I'm from Colorado (since 1984) but I've lived and worked all over the U.S. My goals in life are to read all the books, see all the art and pet all the animals.
I love to create and be creative. My passion for art and design has allowed me to pursue a career in the design industry for the last 10+ years. I've been very lucky to work and collaborate with some amazing people.
I am endlessly fascinated at the ways in which words, images, music and motion combine to communicate more together than they do separately. And I believe that's what we're all here to do, listen, share, inspire and learn from each other.
I'm not fond of blah blah blahing about myself but I do love to share the wonderful things that influence and inspire me! Here are just a few:
Ben has the best motion graphics channel on You Tube! His enthusiasm and creativity are boundless and, most of all, he gets right to the point. Most important lesson shared: We Always Label Our Layers!
Trixie & Katya always pick me up when I need to laugh. Their N(ot always)SFW videos are some of the wittiest examples of creative editing and re-purposing of stock footage I've ever seen. Plus, this picture cracks me up everytime.
Further Reading: Pretty much everything on WOWPresents.
I love philosophy and I love this dude. For a volatile, near-recluse who only published one book in his life, he pretty much nailed the problems of human communication. Language is a tool and meaning is not inherent in any of its definitions. We negotiate meaning through language so it is vital that we work hard to understand each other and not take our words for granted.
Bonus Wittgenstein quote: "If people never did silly things nothing intelligent would ever get done."
Further Reading: I can go on all day about philosophy (if you're having trouble sleeping just let me know) so I'll just say this, Know Thyself.
My BFF
What can I say? She's my wife and my best friend. I've never met anyone I've wanted to spend all of my time with. We make each other laugh everyday, she inspires me, we have an intense rivalry about who is the silliest, she shows me how to be a better human being, she's the best!
Further Reading: Love is like a bottle of gin but a bottle of gin is not like love.
A foundational book on information design. Lesson learned: adding pretty images to charts and graphs is nowhere near enough. He emphasizes to never lie to the reader through mismanaged ratios and proportions, let the data say what it has to say. Edward Tufte shows, through beautiful examples, how data and imagery work best together.
Further Reading: Graphic Design: A New History
I can't pick just one author to admire but, Jennifer Egan has yet to write a bad book. What form of art can possibly be more personal than hearing the thoughts of another human being translated into literature? I haven't read Manhattan Beach yet so don't spoil it.
Did you know that art is whatever we say it is? This was a revelation in the early 20th Century when Marcel came along, signed a urinal and called it a day. His message continuously inspires me, go out - create, sign the world and call it art.
The first philosophy book I ever picked up and I can't get it out of my head. I really don't mean to be so nerdy about this stuff but it says SO MUCH ABOUT EVERYTHING!
A finite game is a game you play to win, an infinite game is a game you play for the purpose of continuing the play. There's a lot of parallels here for me about art (the boundaries and conditions we set to be creative), politics (what's more meaningful, winning or sustainability and the dedication to play), economics (what's best for me vs. what's best for others) and communication (closure is boring, mystery is endlessly entertaining).
Last and never least, Music
The soundtrack to your life is completely up to you.
Astrud Gilberto, Four Tet, Leonard Cohen, Aphex Twin, Pharrell Williams, The Modern Lovers, Q And Not U, Missy Elliott, St. Vincent, Trans Am, Fugazi, Amon Tobin, Nine Inch Nails, Cibo Matto, Pantha Du Prince, The Bird And The Bee, Tribe Called Quest, The Smiths, Neko Case, The Moldy Peaches, Madlib...and on and on and on :)