Family Tradition

I started a new job a little less than 5 months ago and it feels like I've been working on our holiday card the entire time. While I have probably only worked on it seriously the past month, talk of the card has been going on for ages. One of the most important criteria is to make it holiday neutral, respectful of all cultures and religions.

After many iterations of the card and careful cropping of photos for the calendars, we have our final concepts. I excitedly received our holiday calendars during our work party Friday and look forward to finishing up our e-card this week.

In the process of getting everything approved and in light of the time of year, my co-workers and I have been sharing our family traditions. Everyone has a different way of celebrating the holidays but I feel extremely lucky when I talk about all of the time I am able to spend with my family. Most co-workers were shocked that I had such large gatherings (even more shocked by my abundance of first cousins), and thought that my family had it all figured out. I am so happy to be spending another year with my close knit family and hope that everyone has a great holiday.

Postal Designer

Designing a stamp for Canada is a prestigious project and only the best artists and designers are commissioned to do so. Much thought goes into the design of stamps; will the image be strong at stamp size, how will the details print, will the subject offend any citizens, and so on. From my experience projects with government organizations generally involve working with a committee which makes the process even more difficult as you have more than one person to please with your design.

You can now avoid the hassle of working your way to the top and being asked to design a stamp by using Canada Post's Picture Postage application that helps you create personalized stamps for you and your loved ones. While stamps are thoroughly checked over and inappropriate designs are rejected, it is a fun opportunity to put an extra personal touch on your holiday cards and mail.

Please enjoy my latest design below.

The Plan Ran Out

A friend from work posted a link today to a great article about millennial women in the workplace. (Why Millennial Women Are Burning Out At Work By 30). After reading the article I quickly checked that I was in the age bracket then continued worrying that I might let this happen to me.

The article explains that while young professional women may not be dealing with difficult financial struggles, they are still frustrated that their lives are not turning out how they expected. These women may seem to have it all, but before they reach 30, many are burning out at work. Like me, many women plan how to do well in highschool and post secondary but stop short of planning for what will come after they have graduated or secured their first job in their field.

I remember being excited to graduate but extremely nervous about what would come after. I had been planning for college graduation since grade 10 when I took an aptitude test and discovered graphic design as a career option. From then on I chose courses that would help me get into the school of my choice, and I happily accepted when I was offered a spot at Conestoga, my top choice. After getting into Conestoga I pushed myself to do the best I could so that I would have a great portfolio at the end of the program. What I didn't do was plan how I would secure a job and keep my dream of becoming a magazine designer on track.

After a little more than a year I am happily settled in Toronto and have come to realize that I thought about what to do after graduation quite a bit. When I didn't get a job immediately, I decided to take an internship at a magazine publishing house. After a few months of interning and a short contract I had enough experience to get a job in production at a book publishing company. I thought that I would like production, but realized I wouldn't be happy working if I wasn't designing full time. This led me to look for a new position, taking me to my current position as a junior designer at an architecture and exhibit design firm. The stress level is much higher, but I am really enjoying being busy and useful as a designer. Co-workers come to me and trust that I can design their next presentation or proposal and are happy to work with me to get what they want.

While the article has me a little worried that I will take on too much and make myself crazy, my record of strong, smart decisions has me hopeful that I won't let that happen to me. The article concluded by saying that getting a long sought-after job is unlikely to be the end of the journey. Instead imput from new friends, new places and new experiences will change the end goal and desired career outcomes. From what I have experienced so far I definitely agree. If I had stuck with my original goal I never would have learned about the book industry, nor would I have thought about becoming an exhibit designer. With so many options within my field, I anticipate a long meandering design career.

New to Nuit Blanche

Last night I went to my first Nuit Blanche in Toronto; conveniently the friend I went with is much more familiar with the city and was able to help guide me to the best areas in town. We started North of where I live at the Spadina House and Casa Loma stables. Spadina House had a number of installations that were spaced along a path in their beautiful garden. They also had an interactive piece where one person at a time could put on special glasses and control bubbles on a projected screen (I didn't try it, but my friend thought it was pretty fun). The installation at the Casa Loma stables recreated a birch forest with speakers built into the trees and lighting effects to change the feeling of the forest from light and airy, to dreary and mysterious.

When we were finished with the installations north of Dupont, we hopped on the subway, got off at Union, then worked our way back north. It was disappointing that Union did not have any installations but after walking only a few minutes we were in one of the most heavily populated areas. Walking along Bay, we stopped at the Design Exchange, looked at a fun house, took a break on the steps at the corner of Bay and King, then continued on the City Hall.

There were a number of pieces to see in an around City Hall, but my favourite piece of the night ended up being the suspended pieces in the Eaton Centre titled Vertical Constructions: Dancer #1 and #2, by Max Streicher. The sculptures were made of recycled billboards, sewn together to create abstract shapes that the artist wanted to represent speed and movement.

After much walking we made it to our final destination, Market 707, an urban food court that transforms shipping crates into food stalls. While many of the items were sold out, it was still a great place to finish off, and we enjoyed Korean veggie pancakes and chicken curry dumplings before our quick ride home.

Artistic Anxiety

I love to help a friend out, but when they ask me to design, draw or paint something on the spot I get very nervous. Yesterday my boss asked if I wanted to go to a ceramic painting event, where the bowl I paint will be put into the kiln, then sold at a silent auction for a scholarship fund. I'm excited now, but when she first mentioned it I got worried immediately, I don't want to be the one who makes the ugly bowl that no one buys. If I painted something and knew it was only going to be me stuck with it that would be fine, but I'm supposed to be helping raise money. Thankfully my boss reassured me that lots of people plan ahead and even provided me with this year's theme. If it turns out well I will be sure to post an image.

Two Off the List

In my second year of college I got a job at the information desk. Because of the nature of the job, my boss focused a lot on how we could build our soft skills for the future. One of the things she highly suggested (i.e. forced us to do) was attend Connect workshops, a series she created for just that purpose. While I don't remember what the results were for my personality test, who I met at the workshops or any of the ice breaker games, the workshops opened me up to participating in other similar exercises.

In January I did a one hour questionnaire that asked me to write down things I wanted or valued from a list of characteristics and aspects of life. In addition to that, the questionnaire wanted me to write a list of things to accomplish in the next five years. At the time I thought it was probably a waste and that I would throw the list out or find it many years later, but instead I found it a few weeks ago. I am happy to report that I have accomplished two things on my list. Not only did I take a web course, but my work paid for it. In addition to that I joined a recreational volleyball team and am back to loving sports. I didn't think I missed group sports, but after smiling through the entirety of my first two games I am convinced.

Next up on the list is a trip to Croatia and learning to scuba dive, here's hoping I can accomplish both on an amazing trip to Europe.

Hittin' the Books

I was talking to a friend last night about reading and after a few minutes we realized we had experienced the same thing mere days apart. After not reading a book for a long time, we picked one up and wondered why we had waited so long. Reading a newspaper or magazine is nice, but getting sucked into a great book is infinitely better. I've mentioned this before, but I've been trying to read all the magazines I set aside while I was in school. Every once in a while I let myself read a book instead and all of a sudden I'm making time to read and end up staying up late to fit in a few more pages.

Another thing my friend and I realized is that reading a traditional book rather than an e-book is much more tactile and satisfying. Currently I'm reading Freedom by Jonathan Franzen, and I love that I can see my progress by how far into the book my bookmark is. My parents asked if I wanted an e-book for Christmas last year, and I declined for a couple of reasons, in addition to the greater enjoyment reading a traditional book provides, I also love to see all of my books on my shelf (probably my favourite thing in my apartment).

Overall, I love having time to read again. After making a Google spreadsheet of all the books I've written down that I want to read, I've realized that reading will continue to delight me for the foreseeable future.

Safety Cop

I went for a run after work today, and noticed a crew taking down a tree on Spadina. Shortly before I got to them there was a loud pop followed by a bright burst of sparks. The people felling the tree must have miscalculated and accidentally hit the hydro wire. This accident took out a block or two of power including the lights at Spadina and Dupont.

Half an hour later nearing the end of my run I came upon the powerless lights again and noticed two civilians standing in the middle of the road directing traffic. I love when people take time out of their day to help strangers, a big thanks to the two gentleman making sure everyone made it through the intersection safely.

(A nice reminder of the area from December 9, 1922)

The New and Improved

I've always found the phrase new and improved a bit odd, should it not be either new or improved? Regardless, I realized on Friday how much I take for granted with the design software I use. In my first year of college I was blissfully unaware of the capabilities of the Adobe Suite as I did everything, including typography, by hand. In second year I learned how to use Adobe CS3 and then in my final year transitioned to Adobe CS5.

Keeping up to date with all of the software upgrades is very expensive and many companies skip a version or two to save on costs. At my new job they mentioned in the interview that they use CS3, which I thought was no big deal. I originally learned using CS3 and figured there couldn't be much difference between that and the updated software. I have been happily working at my new job for a month now, and finally came upon an upgrade I am sad to live without. In Photoshop you can use the "stamp" tool to clone parts of an image and paste it over other areas, an incredibly diverse and useful tool. I hadn't done any photo manipulation until Friday but when I did I thought I had forgotten how to use the tool. In CS4 and newer the tool provides a preview so that you know exactly what the tool is cloning and how it will look in the new area you are placing it. After I checked with my co-worker I realized that older software didn't provide this handy preview and that I would have to guess how it would look. It seems like such a simple little thing, but software developers clearly understand what people want and work hard to make our lives easier.

I don't mind working with CS3 at all, but every once in a while you realize how good you have it with all of the new technology we have available to us.

Design School Didn't Tell You

Design Edge's new blog Design School Didn't Tell You is a blunt and humourous blog for newcomers to the graphic design industry. While I disagree with some of the things author Mark Busse writes, it is a fun, light read that reminds you others are in the same boat.

This week's article was about the importance of joining design associations, it offered great reasons to join and equally valid reasons to stay out. Busse urges young designers to join if they are committed to the industry, are looking for a mentor or inspiration, want to stand out against the crowd, or if they want to demonstrate their belief in the value of design. His reasons for not joining, stated with just a touch of sarcasm, include not being willing to place importance on your career and make time, as well as believing you have already learned everything you need to know. Busse wisely concludes that, "If being employed as a designer is all you seek, then you may never need to join an association. If you wish to achieve significance in your design career, you’ll need to understand we never stop learning. Those who engage fully in their community with the humble attitude of the perpetual student will benefit the most."

The Basics

The talk I went to last week at the Design Exchange reminded me of my start in art and graphic design for a few reasons. First, I ran into a classmate who I sat beside for the entirety of my first year. Next the speaker talked about using a grid to enlarge a drawing or painting and finally they brought up the odd things you learn when you become a designer or artist.

I enjoyed sitting beside this classmate during first year, he asked a lot of questions but was also incredibly supportive and creative. I remember him being the one to pick me up for class when I was sick, the one driving me crazy when he asked for the third time when a project was due, and also the one driving me home after a late night working at the school. Our first year of college was very stressful, but looking back, I can't believe how much we learned. At the talk we reminisced about how our teacher Vince used that Karate Kid method of teaching. You never knew why you were assigned the project until you had finished and started using the methods on other projects. I will never forget our first project, we had to cut up photos and splice them together, if any white showed on the edges of the photos you had to start over. While this seemed incredibly tedious at the time, I learned how to properly use an Exacto knife and continue to use that basic skill today.

I often think about how far I have come, from grade nine art, to working at an architectural firm as a graphic designer. Then I realize how much further I can go, it's hard to start new jobs but I am learning so much and enjoying the process of getting comfortable again.

Expanding My Circle

Last night at the DX I was shocked when I ran into a friend from college. I was even more shocked when I recognized someone from my new work at the event. To top it off, this morning I rode past my boss on my bike ride to work. I often tell my friends that its hard to meet people in Toronto, that there are so many people that its actually worse than when you live in a small town. All of this is turned on its head when I happen to run into one of the 20 people I know out of the 2.5 million sharing Toronto with me.

This morning when I recapped the events of the past 24 hours with my co-worker he said that it must be that my circle is expanding and I agree. As much as I hated my bike ride home from work this evening (a 20 minute ride became a two and a half hour work out with my superb navigation skills), with each new place I go, I discover more of Toronto and am given to opportunity to meet more people. My biggest fear about getting a new job was leaving my work friends, but I guess I needn't worry, I still have them as friends and am broadening my circle with new co-workers.

Funnies

I realize it is only Tuesday, but it has been a crazy week. I recently accepted a new job and have been working very hard to try to finish things up at my current employer. To make light of the situation I have collected a few of my favourite 'Funnies' sites, enjoy!

Tall Girl Problems – a website chronicling my (not really, but I've thought about many of these things) thoughts about the humourosly tough realities of being tall

Toronto Strife – top quality GIFs about the lives of twenty-somethings living in Toronto

35 Greatest Animal Photobombs – general cuteness and hilarity ensues

The Future of Retail Packaging Design

During my lunch today I attended Robert Smith's webinar about retail packaging design. Unfortunately my work pulled me away from it a few times so I wasn't able to fully enjoy the webinar, but even without hearing the whole talk, I thought that it was interesting, pertinent and that he offered some great sources for inspiration. When I joined the webinar (oops five minutes late), Smith was telling a story about his parents reaction to one of his projects. He started by saying that his parents like to see his work in the stores and that they had ventured out to find some of his latest projects. When Smith's parents told him about their excursion they also sheepishly admitted that they didn't like the wrestlers on his chip packaging and that they much preferred his more sophisticated work for a different brand. Smith explained to his parents that they didn't need to feel bad since the product was not intended for them. This line of chips was marketed specifically to 20 to 40 year olds and fittingly the packaging his parents liked was targeted to their age demographic. All of this clearly illustrated the importance of knowing your target market to produce the most effective product possible.

Shortly after Smith finished telling this story I was called away to proof a book (the black printed grey again, guess who is looking for a discount!). When I returned he had moved on to how to implement the information you have once you have chosen and researched a demographic. Smith went over a number of different considerations, but one of the things that I had never thought much about was the way that QR codes change the demographic of a product. By putting a QR code onto a package you are assuming that the consumer has a smart phone, has a program to read the codes and that they know how to use both of these technologies. Smith pointed out that because of this necessary knowledge, many consumers will be turned off and will not purchase the product. After all of this, he mentioned that to the target demographic this can be a great feature as easy to read ingredient lists, suggested recipes, and other added bonuses can be linked using the QR code.

At the end of the talk Smith reminded us of a few of his favourite websites (lovelypackage.com and thedieline.com are favourites of mine as well) and gave a list of suggested reading. Embarrassingly I had only heard of one of the books. Following is a list (i.e. my new reading list) of the books he suggested: Box Bottle Bag, Packaging Essentials, I Miss My Pencil, The Art of Packaging Design and Not a Box. I always enjoy these sorts of design talks and will be sure to continue documenting them for your enjoyment and my own future reference.

Insights on Making Ideas Happen

Often when I am on Twitter I get annoyed by the overzealous people in my feed. I want to hear about the news, but if there are four posts in a row from the same feed it's too much. On the other end of the spectrum, there are a number of people that I am always excited to see pop up throughout my day. One of my favourite feeds to follow is the blog The 99 Percent - Insights on Making Ideas Happen, created by Behance (an online portfolio website for creative professionals). The blog has articles from working designers about exciting new innovations, career advice, skill development and a slew of other things that are helpful for young creatives beginning their careers.

The articles are to the point and written by people in the field, because of this they are easy to relate to and inspire me to keep wanting more for my career. I enjoy that the length and format of the posts vary and that their website is so user friendly. If I need to look up an old post I can easily search by theme and find what I am looking for. Overall I think this is a great resource and encourage you to take a few moments to read one of their articles.

Garage Sale-ing

Last weekend I went home to visit with friends, spend time with family and go to garage sales. It may sound silly to go to another town to go to garage sales, especially since I have happened upon some lovely pieces for sale in Toronto, but my bike just doesn't cut it. My main reason for going out last Saturday was to find a table and chairs for my balcony. It is a great size and I feel guilty for not using it, but without any furniture it wasn't very functional. Luckily, with Mom in tow, I was able to find two great wood laminate chairs as well as a handy rolling table for a grand total of twenty-seven dollars.

When we returned home with what I considered treasure, it was quickly pointed out that the chairs were in terrible disrepair and that I had a lot of work ahead of me. Because of this, I wanted to document a few before photos and follow up when the project is completed with another post. Unfortunately, the weather is a bit wet today so I wasn't able to take photos but I found a similar chair to wet your appetite (assuming you like the same types of furniture I do). Hopefully the project will turn out great and I will have tons of photos to show for my work. If you don't see any posts for a while, you know where I am.

Wood you like to be friends?

This week will be a busy one for me, but after getting my Design Exchange membership last week I couldn't help but go to another DXTalk. Tonight's talk was by Jim Taggart FRAIC, recent author of Toward A Culture of Wood Architecture. The theme of the book and tonight's talk was the importance of wood in architecture and how he would like to see things improve in the future.

The talk was very interesting, Taggart's illustrated many of the prominent styles in wood architecture with ample examples from Canada and around the world. While some of the information was a bit over my head (most of the attendees were architecture students), I especially enjoyed what he had to say about the renovations at the Credit Valley Hospital in Mississauga. Taggart started by asking a simple question, "What do you do when you want to relax?" His answer was the same as mine, go to a park, go for a walk in a forest, enjoy the outdoors in any way possible. For people dealing with cancer, this may not be an option. The renovation (pictured below) allows patients and visitors to escape to a more relaxed atmosphere without having to leave the hospital. Further to that point, Taggart indicated that a study conducted by the University of British Columbia proved that including trees and wood in your environment improves general happiness. I suppose that explains why I have always loved walking down tree-lined streets and going on hikes.

Discovering the Wrong

Tonight I went to the Design Exchange for another DX Talk. I prefer this type of event rather than events where it is required that I meet new people and speak intelligently about things I don't know a lot about (often I end up studying prior to those sorts of events). At these talks I have the opportunity to mingle but can also go, enjoy the talk, then leave without being pressured to do anything but enjoy the speakers. I really like the relaxed atmosphere and the opportunity to hear from designers from a variety of backgrounds.

Tonight Ann Thomas, Curator of Photographs at the National Gallery of Canada, spoke to Lynne Cohen about her work throughout the years and specifically about the pieces she is currently showing at the Design Exchange. Cohen's work consists of photographs depicting domestic, commercial and institutional spaces in cool, but welcoming compositions. Cohen creates her photographs by reframing interior spaces in intriguing ways. I say that the work is cool because the the photographs are generally devoid of life and the stark appearance of the spaces are uneasy in an almost wrong way (Cohen spoke a lot about how she is always looking for something that is wrong to photograph). One of the members of the audience brought up an interesting feature of the photographs, while they are cool, they are also welcoming because of the angle they are taken from. Cohen never creates barriers in the foreground, each of the photographs feel as if you could walk through them and into the space (Cohen thought perhaps that was the reason for all the nose smudges on the glass frames). The scale of her work also helps to create the illusion that you could walk through them. Rather than using a traditional film camera, Cohen works with an 8 x 10" view camera, and produces photographs that are approximately three feet by four feet, with both portrait and landscape compositions.

I found the talk very interesting and was happy to learn more about the photographs that I viewed beforehand. I find that when someone, be it the artist or a curator, explains the intention of the work it is more memorable and inspiring. I decided to get a membership for the Design Exchange after returning home from the talk, I realized that I really enjoy immersing myself in design and that having a membership will encourage me to go to as many events as possible.

Sound Advice

I used to read a wider variety of blogs while I was in school, but now that I use Twitter I find it much easier to keep track of a few favourites that way. Today I was looking for a topic to write about and decided to check out some other blogs.

Brian Hoff's blog The Design Cubicle offers great advice for designers on a number of topics such as products, plug-ins, and lessons learned through experience. His most recent post was about the client/designer relationship and when to show concepts. While his posts are brief, he really gets the point across. "Get it right – the first time! Clients often ask Designers if they can update them daily, bi-daily, or other timeframes that suits their craving. Designers, stop doing this." Hoff goes on to explain that showing clients work you are not proud of undermines your abilities and your client's trust. When clients see unfinished work they get worried and often slow down the design process with changes and suggestions. Instead Hoff suggests waiting until you have a design that you feel comfortable standing behind, give yourself a chance to refine your work and come up with something great.

Pasted Posters

When I walk around Toronto I am never looking down but always at the things around me (thanks for the lesson on how to see Vince Sowa!). I have two paths that I take to work (on my bike or the streetcar) and even though I read the posters I see almost every day, there is always something new or different. A great example is a bus stop ad I pass for Gap, it features a model with a gap in her teeth. For a while the ad was left alone, but then someone added white out to fill the gap. The day after that someone drew back over the white out with black to put the gap back. I found it very interesting to see how people were interacting with the poster, fighting with one another as to whether the imperfection should be fixed or flaunted.

Last year I remember seeing the posters for Design Thinkers all over poles in the downtown core. Their vibrant colour (and the fact that I interned with the studio at the time they designed them), really attracted my attention and inspired me to look more closely at the posters around town. Since, I have enjoyed a variety of posters. Some are humourous, others help me better understand the neighbourhood I'm in and still others pop out with sheer ugliness.

While looking for images of the Design Thinkers 2011 posters, I came across a very interesting poster campaign/installation. In 2009, artists Sean Martindale and Eric Cheung attempted to liven up public space by attaching cone shaped planters to a pole at Queen West and Spadina. The result is visually intriguing and I am sure their goal to engage the public was successful.

Bantjes

I'm nearing the end of month two for my "Read all the stuff on your bookshelf before buying more books or getting a library card and borrowing copious amounts" project. It is going fairly well but my newfound love of riding my bike or running to work is cutting into my reading time. I recently moved on to the design section of my shelf and my enthusiasm for graphic design went wild once again. I forgot how much I loved reading design magazines, the articles make me feel like I am part of the club and get me thinking about new possibilities. Regardless I bring this up because I came across another great article.

Marian Bantjes is a "lapsed graphic designer" (Applied Arts Magazine, March 2010) who produces beautiful custom typographic solutions. After seeing a few of her pieces it is easy to identify her work, not because it is all the same, but because of the intricate details in her work. After dropping out of Emily Carr, in Vancouver, Bantjes spent ten years typesetting, designing books and doing production at Hartley & Marks/Typeworks. In 1994 she co-founded Digitpolis Media and taught herself corporate design as projects came up. Bantjes eventually tired of the strategic side of things and took a break to work on her personal style. It may be referred to as a break, but the work she produced and contributed for free to various magazines ended up landing her a job at Details. Things moved quickly from there and Bantjes is now contacted directly by art directors and designers, allowing her to stay fully immersed in her creative work.

My favourite part, aside from the images of her work, is that Bantjes is Canadian. There are many well known and talented designers from around the world, but it is great to have such talent coming from Canada.

Below are some of my favourites. (People who know me from childhood may understand my particular interest in the intricacies of her work, remember my graph paper drawings?)

The web design came back, the very next day

My first attempt at web design was pretty amateur and I almost fell asleep during the lesson (lynda.com is great but not on a day when you are tired). When my teacher expanded on the tutorials I understood enough to get my personal website built, and with a bit of help I was able to get a couple more sophisticated things working. Now that I have taken an eight week web design course I understand infinitely more and am actually having fun doing it.

As I am getting more practiced I feel more confident about my work and am even able to troubleshoot my own issues. Lately I have been working on rebuilding my personal site with proper code as well as updating my work's website. It feels great to be able to help out a swamped co-worker (she ran out of time for the updates) and have people coming to me with new work.

I was checking my Twitter this morning before work and was reminded once again that the most difficult and challenging work is often the most rewarding. After reading this I realized that was why I have been enjoying my web work so much lately, it is definitely a challenge, but now I can figure it out on my own and that feels great.

Spring Cleaning

One would think that reading magazines from three years ago (I've been skimming old issues the past couple weeks trying to catch up on my reading, college really slowed me down) would be a little pointless since all of the information is outdated, but today at lunch I discovered otherwise. My magazine for the day was Graphic Monthly Canada, a magazine devoted to the print industry in Canada. One of the articles near the front of the issue was talking about the effects e-readers have had on the book industry and in turn the companies responsible for printing the books. At the time (2009), the article said that e-books had 2% of the book market, up from less than 1% in the previous year. I mentioned this fact to my co-workers and wondered aloud what the percentage would be now. A tech savy iPhone user quickly looked up some information and concluded we are now up to 13%.

In an industry that changed so little for so long, it is amazing the progress e-books have made in such a short amount of time. The publishing company I work for is currently working on their second run of e-books and our main audience is people over 50. E-books are being read by people of all ages and publishing companies are realizing that. It is an interesting time for designers and I'm eager to grow with the changing needs of companies. I feel that the web course I took is a great starting point and I am excited to continue learning more about this emerging market.

Going Solo

As many of the people in my life know, I am now officially moved into my new apartment. I have been asked many times how I am liking living alone and so far I've only had positive things to say. I love knowing that when I get home everything will still be in its place and there will be the same number of dishes in the sink (zero generally and that's how I like it).

Recently my grandfather told me about a fascinating discussion he heard on the radio about the growing number of individuals in Canada and the United States who are choosing to live alone. The discussion centred around the book Going Solo, a non-fiction novel from Penguin Press. The novel explores the rise of solo living and the impact it has on our culture, business and politics. While it is conventionally assumed that living alone leads to loneliness, author and sociologist Eric Klinenberg, found that people who live alone are usually more engaged in social and civic life. Klinenberg even found that those living alone were mentally healthier than unmarried people who live with others.

With all of this in mind, I anticipate great things for the future. I am just beginning to discover Toronto and am already enjoying the diverse cuisine options, weekly design related events, and the joys of new neighborhoods with so much to offer. One last thing I've discovered is the library down the street, if I'm lucky I'll be reading Going Solo in no time.

Sappi - The Standard 5

Last Thursday around lunch time I realized that the Sappi event I wanted to go to was in fact that day, not the next week as I had anticipated. I made the decision to go anyway and was very happy that I did.

I arrived at the event and was greeted at reception with a name tag and coat check. I was hesitant to put on the name tag but it seemed that everyone was wearing theirs and for once wearing one would be the cool thing to do. I dropped off my coat, then got in line for what I assumed was the printing guide they promised in the invite. I waited alone in line for a couple of minutes then was asked what I was waiting for, after assuring my new friend it was the books we patiently waited together.

The timing must have been perfect, Dana, the women I met in line was at the event alone as well and played perfectly into my wallflower tendencies. At 7:00 we were ushered into a theatre for the unveiling of the new Standard - Volume 5, a book on special printing effects. Sappi's Daniel Dejan presented the book, and I was sold. His quick but enthusiastic explanations of the printing techniques kept you excited for the next page, and built up to the moment when everyone received their own copies.

Overall I had a great time at the event. It was well put together, included a nice time for mingling as well as the presentation and sent me home with dreams of grand budgets and exciting printing techniques. I had received a similar item from another paper company before but Sappi's version is far superior. The only thing I need now is their previous four books, and those are in the mail. Thanks or a great networking even Sappi!

Portfolio Season

I went out for a fantastic brunch with a friend today and we got to talking about pretty well everything. One thing that came up was my online presence. I briefly mentioned this blog and then guiltily brought up my personal website. While I love the design of my site, when I created it my web knowledge was lacking and the functionality of the site definitely suffered. I also realized that I haven't updated my site with new content for an entire year, it's hard to believe that at the end of April it will be a year since graduation, but it's true!

I always have a couple personal projects on the go, but I think I will prioritize updating my website now that I am done my web course and have a much better understanding of web design. I appreciate my teachers giving me the knowledge to create a website, but I am excited to update it with proper functionality (my entire website is made of images, shhh don't tell). I'm also excited to show off the work I did as an intern at St. Joseph Media and the work I've been doing most recently at my current position as production assistant/designer at Novalis/Bayard Canada.

My goal is to fix my site and have new content up in one month, so check back soon!

Going Home

I moved to Toronto eight months ago and I'll be moving again in less than a month. I was walking around my current neighbourhood on the weekend and realized that I am already incredibly comfortable. Since moving away for school I've grown in a lot of ways, one of the most significant being my increasing independence. I love that I am able to call somewhere so different my home, and that I'm able to visit my friends in all of their new hometowns. While it is less convenient to have to take trains and buses to visit my friends, it's fun being shown around. Each of my friends have favourite spots in their respective towns and I'm excited to be able to show off the same kind of knowledge in Toronto.

I may only know a small area of Toronto, but there is plenty of time to explore all of the diverse neighbourhoods.

A Few New Blogs

I used to be much more active on blogs, but since finishing school my focus has changed slightly (all that real world stuff is getting in the way). Regardless I have picked up a few new blogs that are worthy of a look.

The Yard

A lovely blog offering a ton of great vintage, outdoor and animal photos.

Art of the Menu

A neat blog that critiques menus rather than food.

Six Word Story Every Day

A creative blog that displays the result of Ernest Hemingway's challenge to write a story in six words. The creators took it one step further and created one each day for a year.

More About the Web

It's week six of my eight week web course and I have learned a ton. I can now create a website from scratch (it ain't pretty, but still), and post it to our test server. Our first day started off differently than I expected, but the professor has impressed me time and again with his wealth of knowledge and patience for newbie coders.

After each class we are assigned homework. It feels like I spend one hour making the site and then two finding the little error I made that is messing everything up. My professor is gracious enough to make us feel like idiots by troubleshooting our remaining issues in minutes when we arrive the following class, which I love to hate. I think the thing I find most frustrating about learning something new is that I can't be immediately good at it. I am just starting to understand the basics of web design, but at the same time I am designing projects at work that I want it to look professional which seems to be beyond my current capabilities. So far I have been able to get my projects to look how I want, but I'm looking forward to the day when I don't have to pester people to help me and when I can accomplish more sophisticated things within the designs.

I have mentioned to a couple people that I'm not really loving web design compared to graphic design, but I have realized that when I finish a project it feels great. Having to struggle through the project makes me appreciate the end product more and makes me want to show it off to everyone. Overall I plan to stick to print design, but having web as part of my job has made me work harder, learn more and has given me a great sense of accomplishment.

Time to Move

I've been looking for a new apartment ever since my landlord told me he was planning to renovate and needed me to move out. I was hoping a real estate agent would be able to do the work for me, but looks like my budget doesn't quite cut it. I've realized that it is incredibly time consuming to look for new apartments, even with other people helping me look. My biggest hurdle is figuring out what area of town I would want to live in (that I could actually afford). So far I am liking Spadina Road (north of Spadina Ave) and anywhere in Cabbagetown.

I am finding it frustrating looking for a new place (especially since my current place is amazing), it sucks when you take the time to go view an apartment and someone beats you to it. Regardless, I am excited that I will eventually have my own space, and even more excited to decorate and finally be reunited with all of my things (a 6.5 by 7.5 foot room ain't a lot of space).

Come Dine with Me

I have been watching a lot of Come Dine With Me Canada and have realized that barely anyone likes what other people cook. If that's not the case then they have intentionally chosen a ton of terrible cooks to create the drama that I love to hate (likely scenario).

I like the idea of having a dinner party, but similar to the cooks on the show, I think my food would fall flat with the stress of other diners. I have been cooking a lot recently but I've only been satisfied with about half of my meals. Last week I did a roast chicken (about 3/4 of the way down is the rub I used) and it was great! The soup (lost the site the recipe was from, sorry!) I made with the chicken was good too, but when I tried to make a vegetarian version I realized how much better chicken really made the soup. Next up was stirfry without any store bought sauces, I realized I need to invest more time and make a homemade sauce, spices just didn't cut it. This week the vegan/gluten free shepard's pie I made was my favourite, I accidentally added double the amount of spices called for, but it still turned out great.

Overall my cooking skills are improving, I wish I had the natural ability some people seem to have, but it will come with time. I should also warn you that I'm intolerant to everything good and that my "good" may differ greatly from yours (try no dairy, gluten, egg, garlic, honey, banana or pineapple). So if you try either of the recipes linked feel free to change the ingredients to more normal things.

Gratitude Journal

I received a lovely email from my Grandparents the other day in which my Grandpa brought up the idea of a gratitude journal (then unintentionally highlighted some things I am grateful for). My Grandpa heard the idea on CBC radio and thought it was very interesting, perhaps even worth pursuing. I have to agree, it is a great idea and helps to provide a sunnier perspective on life. When I take time to think about the things I am grateful for I come up with a huge list and usually end up feeling guilty about the things I complain about.

Sarah Ban Breathnach, the author from the broadcast my Grandpa heard says that, "[I]f you give thanks for five gifts every day, in two months you may not look at your life in the same way as you might now." Hopefully the journal writer will feel more content and be more aware of the things they already possess, may they be psychical or emotional. On that note, here are 5 for today

1. My family's unconditional love
2. The experiences and trips others have offered and shared with me
3. My ability to learn things quickly
4. The joy of reading
5. The security and warmth of my home

I know I'm a huge sap and that I've brought it up before, but really, thanks everyone!

Fitting In

It's been two months since I started my new job and I realized that my career aspirations are going to help my social life. I've always enjoyed reading and watching movies, now everyone at work likes the same things and give me great suggestions as to what I should be reading and watching. Each day at lunch I try to read, then end up putting my book down to talk about what everyone is reading and the latest movie they saw, its great!

Case and point; a week or two ago a girl at work lent me the Hunger Games, it's amazing. I haven't made it to bed at a decent time since, and when I finished the first book last night I realized that I won't until I finish the entire series.

Busy, but Fun

My week has been just that, busy, but fun. I started a web course, went to a great design event, and hosted a friend at my place for the weekend.

The web course started off differently than I expected (a whole day on Google), but it is going really well. The instructor is very knowledgeable and he definitely tries to make the class fun. So far I've learned the basics of what code means and it's only been two days.

This week was Design Week in Toronto, so the event I went to was put on especially for that reason. The Design Exchange hosted a few events but I decided to go to Making It, a night dedicated to the process work of design. The idea for the lecture sounded great, 20 designers from different disciplines explaining a project from start to finish, it was even better than expected.

Lastly I hosted my friend this weekend. While I'm terrible with directions (she was better than me and I live here) we barely got lost and made it to some of my favourite places in the city. I hope in a years time we can do the day over again and go to all of the new places I discover.

Midnight in Paris

Late last week I finally watched Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris. I was excited to watch it and was pleasantly surprised when I found myself relating to the characters.

Like Gil and Adriana I have often thought life would be much better if I had been born in a different era. I am quite content with my life, but tend to like the ideals and expectations of years past. When my Grandfather taught highschool he was respected and his professional attire added to that. I don't mean that everyone has to wear suits, but sometimes I wish that my bank teller looked a bit more polished. I also think that the level of respect children had for adults was much greater, and that suits my view of the world. I admit I was a priss throughout my schooling, but in my mind what is so bad about that. I understood what I learned, got good grades and received great support from my teachers and professors. One other thing that I daydream about from the past is the strong family unit. I am incredibly lucky to have supportive parents (married for almost 25 years), healthy, active and loving grandparents as well as copious amounts of cousins, but I realize this is not the norm. In the past it seemed that it was typical to be close friends with family members, but from what I have seen lately it seems that the family unit is deteriorating and has become more convoluted than ever.

I realize that I see all of these things from an idealized view, not having to go through the hardships of other eras, but it does sound nice. I often joke that I will have to raise my children in an anti-modernism cult, but as long as I keep my family close I think I will be able to stick to my ideals without such drastic measures.

Through the Glass

Yesterday evening I attended a great webinar, I may not have picked up any tips or tricks for Photoshop but the speaker had great ideas about the larger picture. Aprile Elcich, originally from Toronto, moved to Philadelphia for her dream job only six months after graduating from George Brown College. As a recent grad myself, I was curious about how she accomplished this and how it turned out.

Elcich was much more eloquent in her storytelling, but essentially by pursuing her passion of collage through personal projects and her blog, Not Paper, she was able to showcase her skills to a broad audience and attract the attention of the folks at Free People. After a quick trip to Philiadelphia, Aprile landed the position of Graphic Designer. During her year there Elcich designed all of their marketing materials, both print and online, and most enviably their seasonal catalogues. Aprile did not elaborate on why she came back, but she did impress upon attendees how great the experience was.

Although professors are there to help guide you, Elcich went against what her professors said and pursued her true interests. This may not work for everyone but by continuing with personal projects you can stay true to what you really love. Aprile is a great example of someone who knows what they want and working hard to get it. It will definitely take me longer than six months to get to my dream job, but the work I have been doing is definitely preparing me for when the time comes.