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."