A friend of mine was telling me how disappointed he was that a friend had muscled him out of a job prospect. She had assured him she had no desire to move to New York for work. Of course, once she had gotten word that he had applied, she swiftly changed her mind.
It is unfortunate of course, but it’s something I understand. She’s a shitty friend, sure, but she is also like many people in her thought process. A move to New York is terrifying and uncomfortable (especially coming from outside of the United States) It is impossible to imagine yourself having the courage to up and move to a presumably cutthroat place like New York. Until someone else does it. And the fact that someone close to her was taking the steps to do what she was afraid to do was the green light. She only assumed it wasn’t realistic.
The four minute mile eluded modern runners for decades, and was even considered “dangerous and life threatening” if attempted. Until Roger Bannister clocked in at 3:59.4 in 1954. A mere two months later, Australian John Landy also broke the four minute mile (losing to Bannister in the same race). The next 50 or so years of running saw Bannister’s record being beaten by a staggering 17 seconds.
“Everything’s impossible until someone does it.” Bruce Wayne (I just quoted Batman)
Designers are an odd lot: creative, moody, pensive, thoughtful, weird. But the one characteristic that separates designers from others is action. They make stuff that didn’t exist before. They take the idea living deep inside their head and pull it out, realizing it in a drawing, prototype, or product. Unlike most people, they don’t just think about it. They don’t just brainstorm. They don’t just imagine something better and then talk themselves out of it. Instead, they act.
They are, in the words of T.E. Lawrence, dreamers of day.
“All men dream; but not equally.
Those who dream by night in the dusty
recesses of their minds
Awake to find that it was vanity;
But the dreamers of day are dangerous men.
That they may act their dreams with open
eyes to make it possible.”T. E. Lawrence (aka Lawrence of Arabia)
I came here with two dollars. I didn’t speak english. I worked to save and bought a $50.00 car. I went to work everyday happy for my kids. If I get stressed and worry and quit, I had no one else. I had nothing. So my kids will have nothing. So I can’t. But you will always have me until the day I die. You are ok. You are smart. I trust you.
My mother, being motherly and giving me a reality check last night at 1:00AM as I talked to her about some work related stress.
You don’t know how easy you have it sometimes.
(A reblog of an older post that I think perfectly sums up how amazing my Mother is.)
(Source: peternyc)

John C Jay, Executive Creative Director of Wieden+Kennedy
1: Be authentic. The most powerful asset you have is your individuality, what makes you unique. It’s time to stop listening to others on what you should do.
2: Work harder than anyone else and you will always benefit from the effort.
3: Get off the computer and connect with real people and culture. Life is visceral.
4: Constantly improve your craft. Make things with your hands. Innovation in thinking is not enough.
5: Travel as much as you can. It is a humbling and inspiring experience to learn just how much you don’t know.
6: Being original is still king, especially in this tech-driven, group-grope world.
7: Try not to work for stupid people or you’ll soon become one of them.
8: Instinct and intuition are all-powerful. Learn to trust them.
9: The Golden Rule actually works. Do good.
10: If all else fails, No. 2 is the greatest competitive advantage of any career.
(Source: aiga.org)
Sometimes life is merely a matter of coffee and whatever intimacy a cup of coffee affords.