#new background since i rearranged and cleaned and organized my room

[masked-artist-xp]

Outfit for Christmas eve dinner >w<

[festivecuriosity]

[October 13, 2020]

♡ Mercury retrograde in Scorpio is happening tonight. I can already feel/see it's influence. It also doesn't help matters that my current household is primarily made up of Scorpios or Plutonian individuals (most of my roommates are "essential workers" like EMTs or caretakers). Brad (the most Scorpio of the house) has called for a rare consideration; that there be silence in the living room (communal space) when he comes home. He's never asked for that before. This feels very symbolic of Mercury Retrograde in Scorpio. A moment of silence in our otherwise very talkative household. Besides that, he's coming home right around the time MRX/Scorpio would be officially beginning.

♤ Identifying omens is part of my practice. It's one of my oldest, foundational, cornerstones of how I communicate with the Universe and my guides. When you notice something (really notice it) to the point that it stands out in your mind and you end up thinking on it all day, it is an "omen". A symbolic representation of the message the Universe is sending you. I was given an omen by the Universe yesterday as to the immediate future/Mercury RX in Scorpio. I was outside (smoking) when I saw a hawk soaring in the air, being pursued by two black crows, and navigating around their assaults. The hawk (personally) represents my spiritual vision/focus/accuracy. The two crows, I believe, represented thoughts that attack my focus. I.e. Huginn and Muninn, thought and memory. Although, Huginn and Muninn are technically ravens. Not crows. I still think the message from the Universe is to tame my PTSD/where my mind goes/stay focused on my goals instead of letting my negative thoughts pick at me.

Also kind of reminds me of the qliphothic sphere/inverted sphere of Netzach. Where the "crows" pick at the beauty of Source. Another reminder to keep my inner criticism from attacking my spiritual focus/my ability to see the beauty in my life and self.

Two other people in the household got omens on the same day as me. One person got a vulture eating roadkill on the side of the road, the other got a brown cricket. Since the vulture means rebirth and ressurection through shadow work, I think the household is going through a transitional phase (what affects one person in the house typically touches all of us). I am not certain on the brown cricket, however. Good luck? What struck me the most about it was that my roommate was trying to catch it...and it always knew when to hop away just in the nick of time.

♧ I've been rearranging/unpacking my boxes from Seattle finally. For a long time now, I've just been living out of boxes, and refusing to do much magic. I didn't even set up my altar when I got all my stuff back from [Redacted abuser]. It's taken awhile to even get myself back to directly communicating with my guides...much less the Universe/Source. Anyways, I'm finally going through my boxes, and setting up an official altar area. When I was getting into my old rock and crystal collection (I was into that stuff way back before I realized how harmful the crystal/gemstone trend is for Earth's environment), I found an old piece of Mookaite that I friend gave me. And I shit you not, the thing physically vibrated in my hand when I touched it.

I've been holding it ever since. Have totally and honestly forgotten all the exact properties of the stones I own. It's been such a long time. I was also practicing "crystal/crystal energy psychicism" when I was homeless as a means to survive the streets so...I'm pretty sure my PTSD is blocking a lot of that information out.

I guess it's time to rediscover crystals again? Not buying any new ones. Just utilizing the ones I already have to the best of my ability. I feel like it was wrong that so many of them were taken from the ground to be pretty baubles for people. I might as well make it worth something by using them to help myself/others/incorporate them into my active life so they hold meaning.

Mookaite feels very grounding and soothing already. It feels like a very receptive stone, inviting energy into it much like organic pearls do. I also notice that it has almost a dream/trance-like affect to it's grounding energy. I think maybe I'll take time to meditate with it tomorrow.

◇ Brad pretty much runs the household that I live in. Further details; I live in a BDSM polycule, Brad is one of the doms. One of Brad's relationships was very close to being homeless recently. While normally, being homeless is... [redacted PTSD disassociating moment] being non-binary and homeless during COVID-19 is even worse. So we took them in. Inevitably, we had to make some major adjustments (about space, because technically we're fitting 9 people in a 2 bedroom house). It's been a test of adaptability through chaos for everyone. One of the major areas of contention is that everything inside the house is getting moved, rearranged, or tossed. And some people (mainly [redacted name]) is absolutely 100% terrible at adapting to change, unless someone is literally dying. Also, while I get that none of this can really be helped, I'm also a bit annoyed by the sudden introduction of someone new.

But even if I'm annoyed by it, I wasn't about to say "no" when Brad told us what was going on. I'm not a monster. I was homeless too and Brad helped me get off the streets. This person, while I don't know them well enough to make a judgement, deserves the same chance that I did to get stable in an era where stability is a pipe dream.

I'm actually not the one having the hardest problem. Surprising, it's the spirit of the house that's having the hardest problem. Our house is an old 1950's model built at the corner of a crossroads. Technically the house kinda exists as a liminal space. And there's so much stuffed inside of it that theoretically anything *could exist* in the house. Sometimes weird shit pops up and then disappears. It's very similar to the Seattle house I lived in when I was with [KILL BILL SIRENS] but has less of a metaphorical underworld cave vibe and more of a Howl's Moving Castle vibe. Anyways, the house itself is having a bad time adjusting to all the change/cleaning that the new roommate is doing...because it keeps hiding and moving (specifically) all the stuff that the new roommate has. They're not a stoner. They have a decently good memory. And I know that nobody in the house would do something like that. Plus, they apparently heard disembodied laughter right after discovering something was missing. The genuis locci (house spirit) is fucking with 'em hard.

I've never seen the genius locci do this before. The worst it ever did to me was hide a really expensive Egyptian cotton pillow case once. It eventually spat it back out after cuddling with it, I imagine. Seriously; Egyptian cotton sheets. Get you some.

So after the 100× time today that the new roommate was swearing about their missing things, I suggested that maybe they need to butter up the genius locci with gifts. Kinda romance the house a bit. Give it something so that it builds a relationship with the spirits that live here. They're a (self-professed) baby witch whose background is Jewish. They mostly excel at kitchen witchery (for now) and incorporating the works and wisdom of the Torah into their life. So they weren't too certain on ritualistic offerings to a house spirit. But with some suggestions from me and listening to their own intuition, they were able to put something quick together. It's nice to see people using magic around the house and learning new skills. And to their benefit, I felt the house chill out a bit after the ritual/gift giving was done.

I have been giving the house/my guides a portion of my nightly tea every now and then. It's honestly nothing fancy but I figure small gifts count for something right?

[tsgbatonrougelouisiana]

SCOUTED SPOTLIGHT — with Becky Walker of The Design Studio

How did you get started in the design business?

For as long as I can remember, I’ve veen obsessed with design and fashion. As a young girl growing up in New Orleans, I remember constantly rearranging my bedroom while keeping things clean and organized. I loved to look at pictures of interior design and fashion magazines.  After high school graduation, I was originally headed towards Fashion Apparel at LSU. However, I quickly figured out that a degree in Interior Design would potentially provide more opportunity. Another bonus was that I enjoyed it just as much as the fashion world. The interesting thing is most of my family is in the medicine field. I definitely got my interest of design, fashion and social event planning from my mother, Percy Russo, and my organizational skills and work ethic from my father, Dr. Courtney Russo.  

After receiving my Bachelor’s degree of Interior Design from LSU, I worked 10 years for a contract furniture group in Baton Rouge. This time not only made me aware of what I wanted to achieve in business, but it also taught me what not to do in business. During those years I passed my national qualification exams (NCIDQ) and received my Louisiana Interior Design License, which enabled me to start my own business. In 2003 I started The Design Studio and over the last 15 years we have grown and incorporated different divisions including: Commercial, Multi-Family Apartment Development, Contract Residential and Residential Retail. In 2015, I started TDS Staging Products and Services. This service ultimately assists with production builders, such as our partners Level Homes, and other real estate sectors that need our staging expertise services to help sell properties.  

Please share the history of The Design Studio.

As mentioned above, The Design Studio started in July of 2003. Amazingly, my husband, Len Walker, and I were blessed with our son in October 2003. I basically had two babies to take care of at the same time and have raised them together ever since. It certainly was a challenge and lots of sacrifice but with the support of my husband, lots of prayer and determination, I am happy to say we continue to operate and grow 15 years later. The years 2008, 2009, 2010 took a toll on The Design Studio. The financial recession was real! I had a staff of five and had to unfortunately let our whole talented and amazing team go due to the recession. It was one of the most horrific times I had ever experienced.I held in there, put my heels in the ground and worked until things started improving. Now we have a new team of amazing and talented members who continue to impress me every day. We have expanded each division of services and products, started a secondary company and maintain a side business that coordinates social events for Americana and Rouzan neighborhood developments, another passion of mine. Our continued success is due to the love, support and faith we have from our clients. If it was not from their support, we would not be a success. We owe it to them for their continued business and the opportunity to create successful end results.  

Since starting TDS what have been the biggest lesson you’ve learned?

The big one that really steered us towards the opportunity to success was becoming diversified. I can remember when at LSU our professors would tell us, choose an industry you like and only focus on that. After the recession I said “forget that.” After surviving the recession, I was only going to diversify our company. I was never going to put all of our eggs in one basket again. I truly feel it has been the reason for our continued growth. I am always open to considering how to continue to diversify our services and products.  

How do you handle setbacks?  

Ask anyone who works with me or knows me well, I preach about “do not react.” Take each scenario or setback, think it through, come up with a plan or strategy for the best end results and then handle it. Your end results will typically be more of a win-win for everyone involved.  

What is the best advice you’ve been given?

“Don’t over sell”.

Hire individuals that are smarter and more talented than you.

Communicate, communicate, communicate

If you make a mistake, take responsibility and commit to making it right.  

What advice would you give someone considering entering your field of work?

Put your seatbelt on —you’re in for a ride!

What is one of the most fun parts of your job?

Watching our clients reactions after a reveal!  Worth it all.

Collaborating with our staff. Not only is our team super talented and hardworking but these are some of the funniest and entertaining individuals I have been around. They make me laugh every day. We work hard and play hard!

What are you top 5 must-haves for any home?

Unique and amazing light fixtures. Light fixtures and lamps are the finishing touches of the interior architecture.

Functional layout and millwork.

Personalized touch.

Kick ass wall covering.

Of course, amazing throw pillows.

When you’re not busy designing beautiful spaces, what do you and your family do for fun?

Len, Jack and I love spending time with social activities. We have a tailgate krew (LTTK) for LSU games that we love being a part of here in Baton Rouge. We love to travel on long trips or just a weekend trip to NOLA. We love spending time at our River House aka “camp” on Old River in Bachelor, La. We ride our party barge, go skiing, tubing and jet ski, as well as watching LSU away games. We just recently started to enjoy attending Catholic High Football Games - GEAUX BEARS!

What are words you live by?

It’s really my Dad’s quote: “Take it day by day and pray.” The other words I live by are, “Don’t react to things, take time to digest and allow yourself time to respond to achieve a successful end result.”

Trends to stay:    

Neutral backgrounds (We love a good white) with soft accent colors.

Painted brick

Brass details

Simple Drapery / Window treatments

Living rooms you can actually LIVE in

Open floor plans

USB ports and electrical access in the kitchen

Sophisticated Home Technology (iPhone remote-controlled, hello future living!)

Original artwork

Acrylic everything

Wallpaper has made a huge comeback and we are loving it, but only the right patterns and textures are welcome to stay indefinitely

Trends to go:

Bold Accent Colors

French Country

Oil Rubbed Bronze

Mudroom Lockers

Granite counter tops

Mass-produced artwork  

Heavy overdone draperies / mini blinds

Unused formal living rooms

Chevron print

[assholemurphy]

it’s now 2 and a half hours into 2019.

i have successfully organized my closet. it took around 4 hours with 3 hours for fucking around.

i can now start on going thru the 2 giant blue tubs, the giant box, the crates, and the multiple smaller containers of varying material so that i may finish organizing my room by 2 am on the 3rd. i also have to do laundry. and on the 2nd i’ve got too much to do plus i have to clean the living room and kitchen before my roommate gets here to move out. my mother plans to help me with that.

on the 3rd i’m supposed to have a surgery (to remove my gallbladder), therefore, i’ll be out of commission on the 4th. so i’ll only have the 5th and 6th to organize the rest of my apartment post-roommate. i have to reorganize everything, partly bc she’s leaving and there’s more space, partly bc of how unorganized she made my kitchen (tupperware with the pots! oil with the bread! cans on the wrong shelves! no space for anything! open a cabinet and 8 pans fall out! it’s a goddamn tragedy of a mess and i’m rightly pissed abt it and have been since we moved in!)

on the 6th, i’ve got to make sure i’m 100% ready for class to start, also. bc it starts the 7th. after that, i won’t have much time to do anything but basic routine cleaning. no hardcore organizing for me. i’ve also got to hang up all the shit i want on my walls and rearrange the living room furniture. and hook up the blu-ray player and kcup coffee maker i got for xmas, despite me being the literal worst at setting up new technology. i can do it, but i rly don’t like it, and therefore am bound to get frustrated.

but the good thing currently is that i don’t need a roommate. i’m going to take some of the money i get back from my student loans and pay half the rent/bills for the semester. then during summer, i’ll get a job, and in the fall, do the loans thing again. my mother is still covering half of everything for me. i don’t plan on having a roommate unless someone i already know ends up needing one. then okay. but i don’t want a stranger or someone i can’t live with.

anyhow, i’m in the middle of cleaning my room, which is a task and a half, bc i’ve got roughly 31 hours to completely organize this mess (i never fully moved in so my stuff is still in these tubs/boxes) and i’ve got to get at least 10 hours of sleep between tonight and tomorrow night. so 21 hours. that’s not a lot with my adhd ass. but, i will do it!

bc of this, i’m not rly replying to messages/asks rn, but i swear i’m not ignoring anybody! i will get to them probs on the 4th, depending on how much pain i’m in (if not a lot, then i’m cleaning instead) and how strong my meds are (i would like to be semi-coherent in my responses). if not then, then soon. it just depends on how soon i get my room clean. but once i’ve done that, i’m moving on to the living room.

but, that’s just the update with where i’m at currently. i’ve got to get back to cleaning while elementary plays in the background bc i hate silence and i have to have something occupying my mind unless i’m writing/doing schoolwork. cleaning requires noise.

[mujeeburrehman]

Our Cozy Cottage Basement – The Inspired Room

One of the things we loved most about this house when we first looked at it was that it had a basement! I wasn’t really looking for one (not all homes here have them), but with a small home having a nice basement is definitely a plus. Although in many houses we looked at they seemed like damp, dark, or possibly rat-filled spaces hahah! This one was clean, cozy and filled with natural light. No rats! PRAISE! We changed out the carpet and added new flooring when we moved in, which also really helped this space feel fresh and welcoming.

Our house is 1500 square feet, but with a finished basement we gain some very helpful extra living space. We often rearrange how we use these rooms, so it’s always very practical and functional for our current needs. It’s obviously not a fancy basement, but it is comfortable and serves our needs! I really enjoy having my work areas down here, and especially that I have plenty of cozy places to write away from the noise of the other parts of our home.

All of our furniture is second hand or pieces we’ve had for awhile. You’ll probably recognize many of the things from our previous home or various phases of this one. I’m a fan of using what you have and collecting things you love along the way. I find it all works together, if you love it.

It’s fun to play around with options and see what you can come up with. But of course, if a combination doesn’t seem right to you, it’s no big deal. Try a different arrangement or move things you love to different rooms, paint things, or let them go. It’s all a process.

I’ll do another post soon with more of the staircase makeover, which you can get a little peek of in the background here.

My oldest daughter Kylee and her husband sold their townhouse this week, so they will be staying with us until they figure out their next steps. It’s nice to have room for them! She has a lot of plants so we were able tuck them in here and there and put them on the shelves around all of my blue and white things! We had set this room up while our other daughter Courtney was here so most of it hasn’t changed much.

If you missed yesterday’s post about my daughter Kylee and her husband moving in here temporarily, click here to catch up!

This is my quiet writing room. I just shut the door and curl up on the daybed! I had those curtains in my office at our old house, and they still make me so happy! Decorating should be fun, yes?

We would love to add built-ins in all of our lower level, but for now, freestanding pieces are holding all of our office, business and decorating supplies!

I’ve had this iron bed since our girls were little. I still love it! We plan to repaint the rest of the walls down here and add paneling at some point, but I hung some art we weren’t using elsewhere to bring a little more interest to this wall in the meantime. The curtains behind the bed are my temporary creative concealment idea for the mirrored wall!

Normally this wood cabinet is where my printer sits, but to make the room cozier it’s currently a quilt cabinet and the printer has been moved to the other room. The white Ikea Pax cabinets hold all of our oils supplies! I’m feeling so organized! I’ll show you the inside sometime.

I’ll show you more of the staircase makeover soon, it’s turning out pretty cute! Almost as cute as all of these faces :). Notice that Lily is often missing from the group photos. She’s an introvert and is usually off sitting on a cozy chair by herself. She’s really been enjoying the spring sunshine we’ve been having here! Follow us on Instagram to see more!

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Navy paint color: Hale Navy Benjamin Moore

White brick paint: Simply White Benjamin Moore

Guest room paint color: Coventry Gray Benjamin Moore

Flooring Details

Neva Sofa from Sixpenny in Jasmine Rice. Read more about our sofa here.

Our leather sofa we’ve had for years is this one! Ours is the loveseat in Toffee (which isn’t a color option anymore but there are several that look similar).

Blue and white patterned rug

Similar coffee table.

Similar leather pouf.

Similar blue and white pillows.

Faux jade potted plant.

Faux potted moss.

Bamboo shade on door.

Knit weighted blanket on daybed.

Patterned curtains — mine are out of stock but I got mine HERE and there are similar options!

Rug source in daybed room (Click here for my thoughts on Ruggable rugs and favorite styles).

White painted armoire makeover details.

Gray patterned tassel trim rug in guest room (one of my two rug designs for Annie Selke–see details here!)

Blue and white floral bedding in guest room

Navy white check shams in guest room

See another part of this room here in our rechargeable light bulb post!

Staircase paint makeover details

Source link

source https://civilco.construction/our-cozy-cottage-basement-the-inspired-room/ from Civilco Construction & Interior https://civilcoconstruction.blogspot.com/2021/04/our-cozy-cottage-basement-inspired-room.html

[soundrooms]

Soundrs: Ignatius

My name is Steve. I release electronic music as Ignatius. I’m also part of a duo called Cascade Data along w/ friend and fellow musician Jason Goodrich who releases music as TechnicolorYawn. I’ve also collaborated with Jason Ploekleman and released music as Exeisms. I guess all of this music would get lumped into ‘experimental’ but it’s all pretty accessible and is variations on downtempo, hiphop, ambient, electro and techno. I run a label called Buried In Time which is where most of this music is released. I’ve also made a couple commercial sound libraries. I have some experience working in commercial recording studios but left that life in 2001. Since then i’ve had 9-5 jobs and currently work in a synth shop in Portland called Modular8.

http://ignatiusmusic.com

http://buriedintime.com

• What are your inspiration sources?

I get inspiration from lots of places. Reading, movies, friends, new sounds… There’s a lot that happens in Portland and on those rare times when i do leave the house and go to some event i generally come away inspired… but also labels like Raster-Noton, PAN… The Synth shop i work at, Modular8.com, also has a well curated record section. A lot of things come through there that i’ve never heard of. On that recent Pharmakon record there’s a track called ‘Nakedness of Need’ that changed my life for about a month.

Lately i’ve been inspired by some recent live sets from Anon (Anna Sitko) and Baseck. I’m also still pretty gassed by the 2015 Autechre live sets. They played two shows here on consecutive days and I went to both. They released a bunch of those recordings from that tour and i’ve played them a lot. Richard Devine played here a couple years ago and that set has stuck with me. It was a Trash Audio synth meet/party and there were performances that night. He spent four or five hours patching up his rig in a back room where the synth meet was happening. His set was really lush. I guess i get inspired by people doing stuff… Making music, art or whatever they’re into and just forging ahead with whatever their thing is. I try to keep working regardless of how i’m feeling or what’s going on in life. I have some chronic health issues that sometimes leave me spun out and frustrated or just make normal daily life more challenging so getting to that baseline for normal functioning takes a lot of effort sometimes. I have some friends in similar situations and they persist and overcome their situations. So, there’s different kinds of inspiration of course. Making music is kind of an inspiration feedback machine when it’s working well. If i’m making tracks i like and learning new things all the time then that kind of feeds itself.

• Tell us something about your workflow.

I often have no idea what tempo i’m working at. I don’t think about genre. I just start making music and whatever comes out is what it is. Of course i push things one way or another and have my own aesthetic i apply to things but i rarely sit down with genre in mind. Mood is another thing though so if i’m angry or sad or anxious that tends to come out in the music or a sound or a whatever. I split up my work flow sometimes. Basic tracks or jams on machines that then get edited in Ableton and mixed in Logic. If i’m working all in the box though i’ll mix as i go because it’s all part of sound design that way anyways.

• How would creative rituals benefit your workflow?

I don’t know. I think it’s best to just keep working. I don’t have many rituals for workflow… I just start somewhere. I try not to get bogged down and just try to make it all a learning experience. Maybe it doesn’t generate a song but nothing is wasted. That two hours you spent doing some complex thing with gear or plugins or automation or whatever might come back around some other time and be useful or lead somewhere else. I guess one thing i do is take time not to actively work on a song and just work on making synth patches or editing or exploring a processor with no song or bigger idea in mind. I tend to think in long term. If i make a lot of tracks then the chances improve that some of them will be good. So i like to make tracks. In the end that’s what it’s about for me. Folders full of tracks. Though i haven’t been sitting on many lately. They all seem to find their way to Bandcamp.

• How do you get in the zone?

I have no idea. I try to unplug now and then and go on a long bike ride or do some other thing not music related but generally i like to have a big block of time to be in the studio or sit on a couch with a laptop or drum machine. That’s really all i need. But if i’m not feeling like working on stuff for whatever reason then i don’t force it to much. I will push myself and go in the studio and do something just as a way to forget about whatever is going on in life and to be productive because i find it actually works well for that kind of thing. Have a lousy day or get some bad news, the studio is a good way to cope with that or get through it. A few hours in the studio has a way of turning things around.  I often will record then put all the files in the laptop and sit on the couch w/ headphones w/ some Syfy or anime like Ghost In The Shell or Akira or something dark on the TV at low volume. It’s like having a fireplace going; flickering in the background while i deal with edits or arranging. Sometimes i need to decompress from life before going into the studio or doing any real work so sometimes i end up sucked into a ‘media night’ watching a movie or a show or whatever.

• How do you start a track?

Any of a number of different ways. Often just jamming with gear or software. I like to change environments for making tracks though i’ll also focus on one piece of gear or process to make stuff. Having too many options can be paralyzing so i try to limit what i’m using at any one time or on a given project. Though, changing work environments helps me feel unstuck and seems to help breaking habits and routines. It’s a fine line though. When i make a sample library, once it’s finished, i generally end up throwing a bunch of those sounds in a sampler and having a go with them and that usually leads to tracks or several versions of one track. So, between the modular, the Octatrack and a computer i have starting places i’m comfortable with because they’re all different enough. There’s so much to do/try in a modular system though that i often just start patching. I try not to think about it. It’s better for me to just start something. It’s easy to overthink things so it’s best to just start something and let it take shape or experiment freely w/o any real goal of making a track. sometimes there’s all kinds of mental gymnastics i do in life so i have to just chuck that and simplify and get something done.

• Do you have a special template?

Not really. I guess default DAW templates are a thing but i haven’t customized them too much. They just represent connections to synths and stuff in the studio. So they’re  a convenience. I will build up templates in the Octatrack depending on what it’s patched into. Recently i got a Eurorack module called the DublDecca and it’s made for integrating the Ocatrack with Eurorack modular so a template in the Octatrack is necessary to get the data out of the Octatrack and into the modular for routing LFOs and trigs and notes etc…

• What effects do you put on the master channel?

Usually Cytomic the Glue. Sometimes the limiter from Fabfilter but only just to catch peaks. I don’t compress a lot on the master channel because i like to get things mastered later and I don’t want to squish stuff and make the mastering engineer’s life harder. Besides, the mastering engineer will do a better job of that than i can. I did recently get the New Fangled Audio plugin bundle so will check those out during a mix next time around. They’re pretty amazing plugs. Lot’s of uses for creative processing and sound design.

• How do you arrange and finish a track?

Sometimes it’s a performance straight to stereo mix. Usually i multitrack so i can move things around a bit and cut out some mistakes or leave in mistakes! Often i just do long jam sessions then ruthlessly edit out what doesn’t need to be there. But it really depends on the track. Some times it’s all in the computer so arranging is a different thing than if i patch up the modular and jam with it. That’s all real time and there’s no timeline or anything… It’s just feel and turning knobs and patching cables. Generally things end up in Ableton for editing then go into Logic for mixing. The collaborations i’m part of are all data swapping of projects in Ableton.

• How do you deal with unfinished projects?

I don’t! I leave them there until they want to be finished. I have a hard time abandoning a track or idea so have to finish it or it bugs me. Unless it’s just really bad… Then i often chop it up and use it for something else. If something isn’t working out then i save it as it is and move on to something else. Then sometime later.. months .. years.. I’ll have some time where i feel like going through old projects and that is often when things get trashed for good or finished or repurposed.

• How do you store and organize your projects?

Redundant raid backups. Usually i have a folder full of current things i’m working on and another that is versions of finished tracks. But once they get released they are potentially online forever. But i have redundant back ups or finished and in progress tracks as well as sample libraries.

• How do you take care of studio ergonomics?

I used to rearrange the studio a lot. It’s been in its current state for quite a while. I rearrange the modular often though just to focus on different modules and see what having a different group of modules together will lead to. I like to have the thing i’m really interested in right in front of me though. I also like a clean desk. I don’t have a lot of synths. Not a big rack of them. A few desktop synths and few older cheap FX boxes. It’s all routed into a patch bay. I use an analog mixer. It’s easy and fast to patch things around w/ the patch bay. I just have all the inputs and outputs staring at me.

• Tell us something about your daily routine, how is your day structured, how do you make room for creativity?

I try to work on music or music related things after work every day.. or most days.. then late into the night when the schedule and life allow. I tend to get pretty miserable if i’m unable to work on music for a length of time so i need to make sure i get some creative time regularly. I have to be disciplined but i don’t obsess or try not to and i make room for other things and get some exercise and have some fun going cycling or something.

• Share a quick producing tip.

Always be recording. Don’t start jamming until you have your DAW recording the output of your hardware. Focus on modulation. Don’t discretely program everything. Make a really long pattern and loop it.. add some delay in it somewhere.. go lay on the floor and let it loop a while. Eventually you’ll hear it in a different way and what to do with it will become obvious. Tracks know where they want to go sometimes. Also, be ruthless w/ editing. Don’t try to fit it all in one track. If you have a bunch of good ideas for a track then make them all as different versions of the same song. Remix yourself. Change the tempos in your default DAW templates.

• Share a link to an interesting website (doesn’t have to be music related).

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/

• List ten sounds you are hearing right this moment : )

Ancient Aliens Broadcast Season 12 Ep. 2, water boiling in the kettle, my neighbor remodeling his house DIY style so those sounds come through the earth and i can hear them.

 If you want to get featured, send a message here on tumblr or an email to soundrooms@icloud.com.

[lordofthebigtimesupernatural]

Hey, I've read your whole single dad shiro series and I absolutely love it! Would you write one about shiro breaking his leg badly and 15 year old Keith having to take care of him and help at home? Thank you!

Hello there! This was a funny prompt to do. Because guess what? Shiro is the WORST patient ever. But Keith still loves him and helps him, but seriously, it’s like taking care of a child. Thank you for such a lovely prompt and for enjoying this AU! I hope you enjoy!

x.V.x

              “I swearto god, if you get off that couch onemore time, so help me, I will duct tape you to it.”

              Shirofroze entirely, halfway off the couch. He could feel Keith’s piercing glarehitting the back of his head, and burning holes into it, and he could picturethe look of annoyance on Keith’s face. He knew that the threat was very real inKeith’s voice and the fifteen-year-old certainly wasn’t joking. He would ducktape his father to the couch, without hesitation.

              Slowly,Shiro lowered himself back onto the couch. His face immediately fell into apout and Keith sighed with relief.

              “That’smore like it.” Keith said before entering the living room. He ignored the puppydog look on his dad’s face, in order to rearrange Shiro’s foot (which wascurrently in a cast) back onto some fluffy pillows. Then he sat Shiro’s lunchdown on the table beside him. “You heard the doctor. You need to stay off itfor at least two weeks, then you can somewhatwalk around on the crutches.”

              “ButKeith, this is so booooooring.” Shiro sighed dramatically, causing Keith tosnort. Who knew that a man nearly in his forties could sound like atwo-year-old.

              “Tough.This is your fault for stupidly trying to clean the gutters on your own.” Keithreplied sternly and fluffed Shiro’s pillow once more.

              “Keith,I’ve been doing my own gutters since before you were born.” Shiro pointed outwith a raise of his eyebrows. Keith rolled his eyes and huffed.

              “Yeah,but you’re getting older now,” Keith said, to which Shiro gasped. “You’re moredelicate.”

              “Iresent that. Why would you wound your father, who is already injured?” Shirocrossed his arms over his chest and pouted again. Keith couldn’t help butsnicker at his dad’s attitude. Sure, he felt bad that his dad had been hurt andneeded to wear a cast for four weeks at least, but he was more concerned aboutkeeping his dad off his feet and resting.Shiro was a hard worker and Keith had grown up knowing just how hard his dadworked all the time. It was a struggle to get Shiro to slow down or rest, butthis was serious and now that Keith was getting older, he wasn’t about to letShiro dismiss his own health.

              Heneeded his dad to be healthy for the rest of his life.

              “Butthere’s still so much I need to do.” Shiro said quickly, hoping that this wouldget Keith to change his mind. “I never finished the gutters. Then there’s thelaundry and someone has to be a the training shelter to make sure all the dogsare okay. And balance the accounts out. And –”

              “I’mgoing to stop you right there,” Slowly, Keith’s hand rose in a motion to stopShiro from speaking. “I can help out with the chores and anything around thehouse. You literally have a staff atthe shelter that you personally hired, who can handle things while you’re gone.And if you’re that worried I can go to the shelter in your lead.”

              “ButKeith…”

              “No. Youare not moving from this couch, except to eat, use the bathroom and sleep.”Keith said quickly, with a firm look. It was a look that he had learned fromShiro, and was one that meant there was no room for argument. Shiro still wassensible enough to see when he had been defeated. “I just want you to getbetter dad. You need to stop and take it easy or you’re going to make itworse.” Shiro felt a tad bit guilty upon hearing the slight bit of pain in Keith’svoice. Of course he felt bad that Keith had gotten a call from Shiro, statingthat Shiro had fallen off a ladder and could probably use a ride to thehospital. He hated how Keith’s hands had shook on the steering wheel whiledriving him to the hospital, and he hated that Keith had worried so much.However, he was proud at Keith’s ability to stay calm and keep a leveled headin the situation and talk to the doctors on his own.

              Whatsucked was that now Keith was in charge.

              He was never going to let Shiro move until hisleg was fully healed.

              “Fine.”Shiro finally relented with a grumble. He knew defeat when he saw it and Keithwas not letting up any time soon. Hopefully, the next couple of weeks would goby so quickly.

x.V.x

              “…”

              “…”

              “…Tellme again, why I’m putting all of thepictures in different spots around the house?” Keith asked. He had a pictureframe in his hand and a hammer and nails in the other. Shiro was seated on achair in the kitchen, observing over Keith’s work with a tentative grin.

              “I justthought we could use an update. We’ve had the same pictures in the same placefor so long that it’s a bit of a drag.” Shiro beamed and nodded for Keith tokeep working. Keith sighed but didn’t argue with his dad.

              He hadoffered to do any of the work that his dad had planned, and if it made his dadhappy enough to stay off his brokenleg then Keith was willing to do it. Without complaint.

              “Do youwant this one to go here?” Keith asked, raising the picture above his head onthe wall. He heard Shiro quietly muttering to himself with a frown, andpatiently waited for a response.

              “Hm,actually no. Not there. There’s not enough room for them all. Try that wall.”Keith turned around to see Shiro pointed at a wall to the left of Keith. Onethat still had pictures on it. Keith sighed.

              “Youwant me to move those too then?” Keith asked, setting the frames and nailsdown. Behind him Shiro nodded.

              “Yes. Ithink we could do with a good move of allthe pictures in this house.” Shiro said quietly and Keith nodded in response. Whatever dad wants, I’ll do.

              “Fine,let me get them off the wall and hang these two up.” Keith quickly set to workof taking down the three pictures on the wall and hanging up the two in hisother hand. However, just as he was about to hang the last picture onto thewall, he could hear his dad clearing his throat.

              “Do youthink we should change the photos in the frames? They’re all kinda old, don’tyou think?” Shiro asked. Keith stopped before he placed the final frame on thewall and closed his eyes. Although, instead of annoyance or anger, a smallsmile had graced Keith’s face and he found himself laughing quietly.

              “Suredad, whatever you think.”

x.V.x

              “Did youknow that apparently Big Foot doesn’t even have big feet.” Shiro announced oneday after Keith had gotten home from school. Lance, Pidge and Hunk were followingbehind Keith, through the front door. Each of them waved to Shiro beforescattering throughout the house.

              Keithpaused to blink at his dad in confusion.

              “What?”He asked dumbly. Shiro never looked up from the laptop screen in front of him.

              “BigFoot. His feet probably aren’t as big as everyone makes it out to be.” Shiroexplained slowly. Whatever he was looking at or watching on the computer, ithad captured his entire attention span. “Proportionally to the rest of hisbody, his foot is pretty average size. It might seem big to us, because itwould be close to a size 14 or 15, but still. It’s not huge. That’s why peopleshould keep calling it Sasquatch, and not Big Foot.”

              “Right?And the Yeti. Totally related to them. It’s a subspecies, I’m sure of it.”Pidge announced suddenly. Keith almost jumped, having not heard Pidge reenterthe room.  He smiled with a roll of hiseyes when he saw Pidge brining over a package of cookies, before sitting downbeside Shiro. Quickly, Shiro scooted over, as he kept his leg elevated and thetwo began a deep conversation about the proper name for “Big Foot” andsightings that they may have seen ofthe creatures.

              It wasnerdy and adorable, but Keith couldn’t help but smile at the two and snap acouple of pictures and videos.

              “I thinkyou’ve had enough internet for today dad.” Keith laughed, causing Pidge andShiro to look at him in horror.

              “I’vebarely scratched the surface Keith. You don’t even want to know about theChubacabra.”

              Keithlaughed harder than he had laughed in months, in response.

x.V.x

              “Keith,he refuses to take the pain medication.”

              Keithsighed, fumbling with the phone against his ear and his shoulder as hecontinued to organize the back room stock of the Rescue shelter that his dadran.

              “Allura,you’re an adult. Surely you can force him too?” Keith asked, huffing when helifted another bag of dog food onto the shelf. He could hear the sounds ofmuffled voices on the other end of the line before Allura growled.

              “Despitebeing a leg and an arm less -”

              “Sure could use a hand Allura!”

              “Shiro,be quiet!” Allura snapped and Keith snickered to himself. “You better not belaughing young man.” Quickly, Keith sobered up and maneuvered the cellphonefrom his shoulder to his hand.

              “Sorry.But seriously?” Keith asked quietly and Allura groaned.

              “He’s alot stronger than he looks. I cannotforce him to do anything. Don’t youdare give me that look Shiro, I know you’re in pain.” Allura snapped, mostlikely to an offended looking Shiro and Keith bit his lip to keep from laughingagain.

              “Alluratell him I said he has to or else.”Keith finally said quietly, causing Allura to sigh in acceptance. She quietlyrelayed the message and Keith could hear the sound of Shiro’s voice in thebackground.

              “He saysor else what?” Allura repeated and Keith felt one of his eyebrows raise.

              “Orelse, I’ll take away that new Pokémon game on his phone that we just installed.”Keith replied.

              “Hesays, he doesn’t care. It’s not like he can go far anyway. Besides he caught a Pikachualready.” Allura said quietly and this time Keith almost groaned.

              “Fine.”Keith growled. “Then you tell him if he doesn’t take his pills I won’t be bringinghome his favorite seafood and instead I will cram boiled liver down his throatfor dinner tonight.”

              “…”

              Keithlistened as Allura spoke to Shiro over the phone and to the silence thatfollowed.

              “He’staking the pills now Keith.”              

              Keithgrinned. “That’s what I thought.”

x.V.x

              “I neverthought anyone could do it, but you did it dad.”

              “I toldher I was sorry. Several times in fact.”

              “That’snot enough.”

              “Whatmore can I do?”

              “Did yougive her a belly rub and scratch her favorite spot on her hip?”

              “Yes!”

              “And didyou get her a new toy and give her some of your lunch meat?”

              “Yes!”

              “Well,then I don’t know what else to do. You’ve done the impossible dad. You’veannoyed Red to the point where she’s hidingfrom you.”

              “…I saidI was sorry.”

x.V.x

              “Everythinglooks good. I’d say just another couple weeks of physical therapy andeverything should be back to normal. The cast can stay off.”

              “Oh,thank goodness.” Keith almost slumped back in his chair at the doctor’s wordsand Shiro rolled his eyes playfully. Clearly amused at the two, the doctoroffered a smile and a small laugh before excusing himself from the room.

              “Don’tbe so dramatic, I was not that bad.” Shiro said playfully, causing Keith toalmost choke on his laughter.

              “Dad,you were so bad. Horrible. You are the worst patient ever.” Keith said.

              “Youknow, grandma used to say that too when I was a kid.” Shiro rubbed his chin thoughtfully,and this time Keith did in fact laugh.

              “And youwonder why?” Keith laughed again when Shiro stuck his tongue out at him.Despite his exhaustion and what he had just said, Keith would have doneeverything over and over again if Shiro needed him to. More than anything hewas just glad his dad was alright.

              Okay, so a tiny part of him was glad his dadwouldn’t be asking him how to work the tv remote every five mintues.

[mykatesingh-blog]

  We continue with the little book I’m having fun writing during April’s NaNoWriMo challenge.  Once again, for those who are just starting on this novelette, no editing energy has been expended so ignore the errors and enjoy the book.

  Chapter 6

Super frugal and thrift. It Ain’t borin’

  Everyone talks of frugality now. It’s interesting and inspiring for those trying to make big changes in their budget. If it’s a new thing to you it can be very fun to get on the thrift train and ride all the way to a lifestyle that will be so much easier and less stressful.

I don’t know what the future holds for any of us, I know that we are not as prepared as some of these amazing homesteaders I see on YouTube. We don’t raise animals for milk or meat or eggs. We just planted our orchard and will be waiting years before we have a basket of fruit or berries. My seeds haven’t sprouted…I may have started too late and I’m working with a new climate. However, we started and we dove into what we do know and understand.

The frugal and thrifty lifestyle has been ours for years and years with constant improvements each season and passing year. To me, it is a game and with this game we have seen our abundance increase and have doubled our properties. Things I never thought we could accomplish have been done. Yet we live on so little. The trick is simply this: have NO debt. Have vehicles paid off, take good care of them, try and have cars that last like Toyotas and get great gas mileage. Live on far less then you make. Have a small mortgage or rent. Practice every frugal trick you can learn from the wise ones that went before us (mostly grandmothers and great grandmothers).

Then there are all the details to living frugally.

We have already discussed growing a garden, cooking from scratch, stocking your pantry, but what about stocking your savings? What about saving all those pennies for a rainy day…or to move to a better location, buy land, start a business, travel, or one day work less?

Buy less. Have month after month of no spends. Make saving money and stretching that paycheck a game. Set goals and challenges each month. Each time you grocery shop. Each time you shop for anything. Free is a magic word and making it yourself is a craft.

When I need something, say some extra shelving in the pantry, I try and find it free on Craigslist. Even the side of the road. It takes waiting and foraging. If I can’t find it I may make some shelves with old boards and crates or buckets. I may find them cheap at last from Big Lots or a yard sale.

I try to use what I have. I decorate with what I have. We just moved into a 120 year old house. My furnishings looked perfect in the other little 1941 stucco bungalow for which I slowly found and selected pieces. They don’t really fit this old house that has seen two World Wars, the Spanish Flu, and the Depression. But we are here having our own bit of history with the COVID19 and a looming recession. I don’t dare spend a dime on furnishings, not even thrift store furnishings half off on the first Saturday of the month. I just keep rearranging what I have, throw a new piece of cloth on the couch, rearrange the paintings. It’s shabby chic, for sure. Do I really care? No, as long as we are warm and dry in the winter and cool and sheltered in the summer. I make things cozy with throws, rugs, candles, lush plants, and my beloved TV.

We aren’t going out anymore. Well, we can’t right now. We are sheltered in big time. If we even walk downtown a cop will pull over and ask what our mission is? We can walk in the woods…that is all we have left outside the house and yard. So, what a great time to start the practice of not going out. Perfect time for a no spend!

I cook delicious meals at home. We love good food. If I cook good food with flavor, variety, and throw in treats, baked goods, and snack plates, then we don’t long so much for restaurants.

I have an Italian stovetop espresso maker and handheld milk frother. I always have a big stash of good coffee, Cafe Bustelo, which is divine (literally the best coffee I’ve ever had) and cheap, grass fed milk and some sort of flavored creamer that I add just a smidge to the milk to get a fantastic creamy, sweet latte every morning. Do you thinking I miss the coffee shop? No, I am actually disappointed in the coffee cocktails I pay for at the café. I make the best ever and I rise and shine each morning in great anticipation of my golden coffee beverage.

I can bake wheat bread and Amish white…trying to prepare mentally for sourdough. Then there are my crackers (a bit thick but great with cheese) and graham crackers (also a bit thick but they pull it off better than the crackers), and my blessed tortillas!

I love beans…and potatoes, so this is not a hard life. Fries, baked taters, then burritos, or combine the two and make chili fries or just a plate of fried onions, potatoes, and pintos. It sticks to the ribs.

So, we eat well but it doesn’t cost much because our base foods are simple, inexpensive foods. Sometimes we do have baked brie or something luxurious now and then but it is usually a sale I’ve discovered at Grocery Outlet.

And my dear Grocery Outlet. I get organics and good hair dyes, make up, luxurious lotions, and frozen pizzas now and then.

Then there are the things I do to save and reduce spending. I use cloth everything; menstrual pads, stovetop coffee pots that don’t need filters, cloth napkins, and towels, washable dishcloths, washable mop cloths. I clean out my vacuum bag over and over making a disposable bag last a year. I water down dish soap, shampoo, laundry soap to make it stretch.

I use a Berkey water filter and we have the cleanest water, never buy bottled water.

I’ve graced the movie theater a handful of times since being married and having babies. Now it’s sort of out of the question. I did spend a little cash on a Roku TV for my bedroom. Cost $118 and is the greatest joy of my evenings…No cable bill, not even a Netflix payment. Free movies and TV and music galore for the whole family.

I know this life isn’t for everyone. Many a man and, woman, don’t find spending their days cleaning and cooking fun. But this is my job and career. I take great joy and pride in making my home cozy and keeping it clean (for the most part). I enjoy cooking. Gardening is a great pleasure for my husband and I because you reap so much abundance from it and the savings is tremendous when you can grow tons of organic food for free. An organic nectarine can be $3.99 a lb. We grow our own now. We can gorge ourselves on organic nectarines and the only cost is the labor of picking it each morning filling a breakfast basket with this delicious fruit.

I love cleaning and decorating my house. It is my grown up dollhouse. When I was a child I loved my dollhouses. I had a nice victorian one and one made of boxes that I painted, glued hand made curtains and made rugs from scraps of old towels, furniture made from egg cartons and various cans and little food containers. I think I loved my box house more than the victorian.

Today I have my old grown up dollhouse that we live in and I rearrange the furniture and decorate all the time while I have my music or an old movie playing in the background. I put on a pot of coffee and go about tidying my house, giving thanks that I have a roof over my families’ heads. We have soft beds and all the luxuries such as TV, washer, and dryer. If you have had to use the laundromatt in the past or present you know what a luxury this alone can be. To have a full kitchen with working stove, to have a bathroom with a tub. To have a pantry! I never had a real pantry before…and I probably don’t have an official one now but I had so much room in my laundry room that with the addition of a fridge and shelving it was quickly transformed to just such a room.

We have a quarter acre to garden like mad. Gardening is a craft, maybe even an art form. We can decide to have orchards, kitchen gardens, bees, chickens, rabbits, goats. We could raise almost all our food except flour, rice, and coffee. We could trade with our homegrown groceries.

Each day I can choose to greet the day with gratitude and delight in that we have a home and land that we can build and create for as long as we choose. I can turn my duties into rituals and ceremonies. I light candles when I wash dishes and spend that time in quiet to rest my mind. The burning of incense when I vacuum and dust to change the air. A good movie while folding the laundry, afternoon tea and biscuits with the boys, a book in the evening, a walk on forest trails anytime we like. People plan trips and drive long distances to walk forest trails on vacations. We take nothing for granted.

To drive here and there, shop at the malls, go out to eat, these things can be fun but they are also a waste of money and precious life. Going out should be a once in a while treat, not a daily or weekly habit. Driving should be reserved to a day of errands and appointments. Groceries only need to be purchased twice monthly and maybe not that often. There is too much wasting of gas and time because everyone is used to being busy. They fill up their days running about.

The only way to save money and grow your life is to nestle into the home and focus your energies there. Those of us that stay home have orchards and gardens, we have homes that are cozy and inviting, we have pots of coffee or tea on the stove, we have hot meals at dinner time. It cost very little to keep a nice home, to cook homemade meals, to sit in your yard and enjoy the birds and bees and flowers, to cuddle your children while watching Moana for the tenth time…or in my case Godzilla.

Find your entertainments, joys, and fulfillment at home. Grow your wealth and use it for good and a piece of mind. My greatest fun right now is planting things…vegetables, fruit, flowers. I can see how my huge, bare yard will look in a few years. My other is having my coffee and a chat on the phone with other friends and family that are sheltered in. People that are normally too busy have time to chat, to sip a hot drink and plan out a new yard. They are pondering more time for fun, rest and family.

Well, time for my chamomile and book. We’ll chat more later on this wonderful subject.

    Make it Stretch…Chapter 6 Super Frugal and Thrift. We continue with the little book I'm having fun writing during April's NaNoWriMo challenge.  Once again, for those who are just starting on this novelette, no editing energy has been expended so ignore the errors and enjoy the book.

[dawnajaynes32]

What’s Wrong with This Picture? Designing a Logo with an Online Service

Is it Possible to Commission a Decent Logo Online?

A memorable and effective logo design is like the ballet: It looks easy, but it represents thousands of hours of hard work and sweat, research and thought, plus an occasional dose of frustration, distilled into a tiny beautiful moment. Within the field of graphic design, logo design is a subspecialty that commands high prices, and for good reason. However, there are now plenty of websites where, for nominal fees, anyone can commission a logo or create one themselves by choosing from a kit of icons and typeface options, mixing and matching to their heart’s content.

This development was inevitable, and many professional designers hate the thought that their years of training and expertise are not valued by potential clients who think design services are overpriced and that their kids could do just as good a job designing a logo. It’s almost too easy to make fun of the whole thing as a design travesty, etc.

But assumptions aside: Is it possible to commission a decent logo from one of the interactive places? We decided to find out.

Designing a Logo with an Online Service

I invented a company whose sole product is called Cat Crunchies, and randomly selected a logo design website. It promised four separate logo concepts (though you receive only one as a final) created by two dedicated designers, with 48-hour turnaround, unlimited revisions, and a money-back guarantee. With a coupon offer, the lowest-priced package cost $39 (normally $149).

On each round of comments I gave deliberately ambiguous feedback. In an ideal world, when this happens a graphic designer comes back to the client for a quick conversation to clarify and learn what he or she was really hoping to see. Because my only option for phone contact was with a very nervous-sounding project manager working out of what sounded like a telemarketing room, I was never given an opportunity to communicate directly with the people responsible for bringing my vision to life.

JOB SPECIFICATIONS

Exact name to appear on logo: Cat Crunchies

Slogan (if any): Vegan, gluten-free treats for cats

Preferred style of logo: Modern

Look and feel: We want to convey the feeling of love for your cat and wanting to give him or her the very best healthy treats.

Additional comments: Comes in six flavors, provides 12 essential vitamins and minerals, cleans teeth and promotes healthy gums, responsibly sourced ingredients.

I added a random photo of my own cat, who sadly never made an appearance in any of the logo versions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE BUSINESS

Started in a garage in Brooklyn in the fall of 2017, Cat Crunchies aims to give cat owners a healthy alternative to heavily processed treats found in supermarkets. We give 15% of profits to animal shelters and sponsor quarterly Adopt-A-Cat fairs. Every batch of Cat Crunchies is baked by hand and packaged in our signature tins.

EXPECTATIONS

Based on the information I provided and the above criteria, ideally the logo would allude in some way to a cat, perhaps communicate the idea of a crunchy treat as opposed to a daily meal, and also emphasize a healthy, small-batch, socially responsive vibe. I asked for “modern,” so I was hoping to see clean, contemporary-looking solutions to the assignment.

Version One: The Aristocat

This solution was puzzling from the get-go. The Disney quality of the illustration doesn’t fit with any part of the design brief.

Client request after round one: Can we please try different and fewer colors, these look cartoon-y, and a more modern style of letters? Note: It isn’t only the colors that’s lending this one its cartoon vibe; it’s the illustration style. The designer needed to read between the lines of what I asked for and what I was objecting to, in order to fully resolve the issue.

What I got back? Salmon pink makes an appearance and the typeface has gone from a vaguely thorny serif to a squared sans. Not more modern, but definitely different. Cat remains the same.

Client request after round two: I like the colors better, but the cat looks very feminine. I worry that cat owners will think these treats are just for girl cats. Is there a way to fix that?

Resolution: Disney cat is gone, replaced with Maneki Neko, the lucky cat charm popular in Japanese and Chinese cultures. Huh? Less feminine perhaps, but not more appropriate—in fact, that kind of came out of nowhere, and doesn’t suit the brief either. Many people associate the color pink with femininity, so the designer might have tried to address that by presenting another color choice.

Decision: Unusable.

Managing a Web Design Project from Start to Finish: A HOW Design University Course

Version Two: Corporate Cat

Navy blue and maroon are odd color choices for this project, considering they are most often seen in conservative palettes used for banking and/or insurance companies. Nothing about the color choices feels organic or food-related, says “cat,” or communicates anything about the use of natural healthy ingredients.

Client request after round one: I would like to see how it looks to play up the “Vegan” and “Gluten-Free” on this one since this is important to our customers. Can the colors look more like cat fur? [Note: this last remark was a deliberate attempt to be annoying.]

What I got back? Vegan and gluten free are now red instead of blue. No other methods of emphasis: change of scale, typeface, position were sent. Comment about cat fur colors ignored.

Client request after round two: Can we put the “vegan/gluten-free” into a separate little burst or a bubble? Also it would be good to try colors that look more like a cat.

Resolution: Half-hearted bubble drawn around existing words, with addition of a background color that is the same value as the red type, so the type basically disappears from lack of contrast. Second ask to try cat fur colors ignored. Designer appears to have given up.

Decision: Unusable.

Version Three: Hello Amoeba Kitty

This one was so depressing from the get-go (boring colors, unappealing blobby cat) that I almost didn’t attempt to work with it. Still, hope springs eternal.

Client request after round one: Could this one feel more exciting and show how owners love their cats? Maybe the letters are too plain, or the colors? [Note: This is a kind of typically vague client feedback. Unhappiness is expressed, but no real solid direction offered.]

What I got back? I have no idea what happened here. I imagine the designer with six YouTube windows open, texting, and microwaving a Hot Pocket while talking on a headset.

Request after round two: This one still doesn’t feel like it shows how you love your cat, maybe it’s the color or maybe it needs something that says love, like hearts or a hug?

Resolution: Holy crow. That heart is applied like a Band-Aid with no attempt to integrate it into the rest of the design. If the solution doesn’t work, solve it another way. Colors unchanged.

Decision: Unusable.

Version Four: Peek A Boo

The initial try had a playful quality that I appreciated. Although the cat looked a bit like an insect, this one seemed the most promising of the four design options.

Client request after round one: I think this would look good with fun colors and if the word crunchies was not cutting into the cat. Is it possible to say “cat” without showing a drawing of one? [Note: this was not a direct request to take the cat out.]

What I got back? The cat is gone, never to return. Colors are definitely more “fun.” The word crunchies is still overlaid atop the word cat, though.

Client request after round two: The word crunchies is still cutting into the word cat, can you move it down? (Perhaps I should have asked for the restoration of the cat drawing just to see what might have happened.)

Resolution: I got everything I asked for.

Decision: So is this a good logo? Sadly, no. Just filling a client’s requests doesn’t make for good design; a designer has to listen to feedback then think on it and offer better solutions. Most clients don’t speak the language of design well enough to be able to say what they really want; a designer’s job is partly to act as interpreter, define and solve the problem, and make suggestions on how to get there. This logo has some worthwhile qualities—the use of a textured typeface that jumps up and down from its baseline for the word Crunchies communicates noise and activity, and overall the design feels lighthearted, suitable for a pet treat product. But the kerning on “cat” is terrible and the word cat is not properly centered over crunchies.

Why It Just Didn’t Work

On all four options, there were no real explorations of other concepts or potential solutions on any version after feedback. Changing small details like a type color or adding a burst to an existing design that isn’t working tends not to solve the problem. If a client asks to put something into a bubble, chances are good the designer has to rearrange things, play with scale and maybe a different typeface. What I got back weren’t really new versions, they were just quick alterations on the first idea. It felt like there was no opportunity for the designers to play and experiment, to try other options as what-ifs … in other words, the fun part of their jobs seemed absent.

This is not meant as a critique of the talent or abilities of the people assigned to my project. It’s more an illustration of the basic fact that all design, and logo design in particular, is about communication and vision. The designers and I never spoke but went through comments provided through an online form, via a middleman who probably had a dozen other projects he was trafficking at the same time. Even at the busiest, largest design agencies a client always has a chance to meet with the people on the design team, hear what they have to say, engage and exchange ideas, and collaborate. That’s what was missing from this experience, and that’s how I ended up with a hot pink and lime green logo for my vegan, gluten-free, small-batch Cat Crunchies.

Know what it is to put your own design acumen behind a great logo design? Don’t just let it sit there. Submit it for consideration to the HOW Logo Design Awards, accepting entries for a limited time!

The post What’s Wrong with This Picture? Designing a Logo with an Online Service appeared first on HOW Design.

What’s Wrong with This Picture? Designing a Logo with an Online Service syndicated post

[dawnajaynes32]

What’s Wrong with This Picture? Designing a Logo with an Online Service

Is it Possible to Commission a Decent Logo Online?

A memorable and effective logo design is like the ballet: It looks easy, but it represents thousands of hours of hard work and sweat, research and thought, plus an occasional dose of frustration, distilled into a tiny beautiful moment. Within the field of graphic design, logo design is a subspecialty that commands high prices, and for good reason. However, there are now plenty of websites where, for nominal fees, anyone can commission a logo or create one themselves by choosing from a kit of icons and typeface options, mixing and matching to their heart’s content.

This development was inevitable, and many professional designers hate the thought that their years of training and expertise are not valued by potential clients who think design services are overpriced and that their kids could do just as good a job designing a logo. It’s almost too easy to make fun of the whole thing as a design travesty, etc.

But assumptions aside: Is it possible to commission a decent logo from one of the interactive places? We decided to find out.

Designing a Logo with an Online Service

I invented a company whose sole product is called Cat Crunchies, and randomly selected a logo design website. It promised four separate logo concepts (though you receive only one as a final) created by two dedicated designers, with 48-hour turnaround, unlimited revisions, and a money-back guarantee. With a coupon offer, the lowest-priced package cost $39 (normally $149).

On each round of comments I gave deliberately ambiguous feedback. In an ideal world, when this happens a graphic designer comes back to the client for a quick conversation to clarify and learn what he or she was really hoping to see. Because my only option for phone contact was with a very nervous-sounding project manager working out of what sounded like a telemarketing room, I was never given an opportunity to communicate directly with the people responsible for bringing my vision to life.

JOB SPECIFICATIONS

Exact name to appear on logo: Cat Crunchies

Slogan (if any): Vegan, gluten-free treats for cats

Preferred style of logo: Modern

Look and feel: We want to convey the feeling of love for your cat and wanting to give him or her the very best healthy treats.

Additional comments: Comes in six flavors, provides 12 essential vitamins and minerals, cleans teeth and promotes healthy gums, responsibly sourced ingredients.

I added a random photo of my own cat, who sadly never made an appearance in any of the logo versions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE BUSINESS

Started in a garage in Brooklyn in the fall of 2017, Cat Crunchies aims to give cat owners a healthy alternative to heavily processed treats found in supermarkets. We give 15% of profits to animal shelters and sponsor quarterly Adopt-A-Cat fairs. Every batch of Cat Crunchies is baked by hand and packaged in our signature tins.

EXPECTATIONS

Based on the information I provided and the above criteria, ideally the logo would allude in some way to a cat, perhaps communicate the idea of a crunchy treat as opposed to a daily meal, and also emphasize a healthy, small-batch, socially responsive vibe. I asked for “modern,” so I was hoping to see clean, contemporary-looking solutions to the assignment.

Version One: The Aristocat

This solution was puzzling from the get-go. The Disney quality of the illustration doesn’t fit with any part of the design brief.

Client request after round one: Can we please try different and fewer colors, these look cartoon-y, and a more modern style of letters? Note: It isn’t only the colors that’s lending this one its cartoon vibe; it’s the illustration style. The designer needed to read between the lines of what I asked for and what I was objecting to, in order to fully resolve the issue.

What I got back? Salmon pink makes an appearance and the typeface has gone from a vaguely thorny serif to a squared sans. Not more modern, but definitely different. Cat remains the same.

Client request after round two: I like the colors better, but the cat looks very feminine. I worry that cat owners will think these treats are just for girl cats. Is there a way to fix that?

Resolution: Disney cat is gone, replaced with Maneki Neko, the lucky cat charm popular in Japanese and Chinese cultures. Huh? Less feminine perhaps, but not more appropriate—in fact, that kind of came out of nowhere, and doesn’t suit the brief either. Many people associate the color pink with femininity, so the designer might have tried to address that by presenting another color choice.

Decision: Unusable.

Managing a Web Design Project from Start to Finish: A HOW Design University Course

Version Two: Corporate Cat

Navy blue and maroon are odd color choices for this project, considering they are most often seen in conservative palettes used for banking and/or insurance companies. Nothing about the color choices feels organic or food-related, says “cat,” or communicates anything about the use of natural healthy ingredients.

Client request after round one: I would like to see how it looks to play up the “Vegan” and “Gluten-Free” on this one since this is important to our customers. Can the colors look more like cat fur? [Note: this last remark was a deliberate attempt to be annoying.]

What I got back? Vegan and gluten free are now red instead of blue. No other methods of emphasis: change of scale, typeface, position were sent. Comment about cat fur colors ignored.

Client request after round two: Can we put the “vegan/gluten-free” into a separate little burst or a bubble? Also it would be good to try colors that look more like a cat.

Resolution: Half-hearted bubble drawn around existing words, with addition of a background color that is the same value as the red type, so the type basically disappears from lack of contrast. Second ask to try cat fur colors ignored. Designer appears to have given up.

Decision: Unusable.

Version Three: Hello Amoeba Kitty

This one was so depressing from the get-go (boring colors, unappealing blobby cat) that I almost didn’t attempt to work with it. Still, hope springs eternal.

Client request after round one: Could this one feel more exciting and show how owners love their cats? Maybe the letters are too plain, or the colors? [Note: This is a kind of typically vague client feedback. Unhappiness is expressed, but no real solid direction offered.]

What I got back? I have no idea what happened here. I imagine the designer with six YouTube windows open, texting, and microwaving a Hot Pocket while talking on a headset.

Request after round two: This one still doesn’t feel like it shows how you love your cat, maybe it’s the color or maybe it needs something that says love, like hearts or a hug?

Resolution: Holy crow. That heart is applied like a Band-Aid with no attempt to integrate it into the rest of the design. If the solution doesn’t work, solve it another way. Colors unchanged.

Decision: Unusable.

Version Four: Peek A Boo

The initial try had a playful quality that I appreciated. Although the cat looked a bit like an insect, this one seemed the most promising of the four design options.

Client request after round one: I think this would look good with fun colors and if the word crunchies was not cutting into the cat. Is it possible to say “cat” without showing a drawing of one? [Note: this was not a direct request to take the cat out.]

What I got back? The cat is gone, never to return. Colors are definitely more “fun.” The word crunchies is still overlaid atop the word cat, though.

Client request after round two: The word crunchies is still cutting into the word cat, can you move it down? (Perhaps I should have asked for the restoration of the cat drawing just to see what might have happened.)

Resolution: I got everything I asked for.

Decision: So is this a good logo? Sadly, no. Just filling a client’s requests doesn’t make for good design; a designer has to listen to feedback then think on it and offer better solutions. Most clients don’t speak the language of design well enough to be able to say what they really want; a designer’s job is partly to act as interpreter, define and solve the problem, and make suggestions on how to get there. This logo has some worthwhile qualities—the use of a textured typeface that jumps up and down from its baseline for the word Crunchies communicates noise and activity, and overall the design feels lighthearted, suitable for a pet treat product. But the kerning on “cat” is terrible and the word cat is not properly centered over crunchies.

Why It Just Didn’t Work

On all four options, there were no real explorations of other concepts or potential solutions on any version after feedback. Changing small details like a type color or adding a burst to an existing design that isn’t working tends not to solve the problem. If a client asks to put something into a bubble, chances are good the designer has to rearrange things, play with scale and maybe a different typeface. What I got back weren’t really new versions, they were just quick alterations on the first idea. It felt like there was no opportunity for the designers to play and experiment, to try other options as what-ifs … in other words, the fun part of their jobs seemed absent.

This is not meant as a critique of the talent or abilities of the people assigned to my project. It’s more an illustration of the basic fact that all design, and logo design in particular, is about communication and vision. The designers and I never spoke but went through comments provided through an online form, via a middleman who probably had a dozen other projects he was trafficking at the same time. Even at the busiest, largest design agencies a client always has a chance to meet with the people on the design team, hear what they have to say, engage and exchange ideas, and collaborate. That’s what was missing from this experience, and that’s how I ended up with a hot pink and lime green logo for my vegan, gluten-free, small-batch Cat Crunchies.

Know what it is to put your own design acumen behind a great logo design? Don’t just let it sit there. Submit it for consideration to the HOW Logo Design Awards, accepting entries for a limited time!

The post What’s Wrong with This Picture? Designing a Logo with an Online Service appeared first on HOW Design.

What’s Wrong with This Picture? Designing a Logo with an Online Service syndicated post

[dawnajaynes32]

What’s Wrong with This Picture? Designing a Logo with an Online Service

A memorable and effective logo design is like the ballet: It looks easy, but it represents thousands of hours of hard work and sweat, research and thought, plus an occasional dose of frustration, distilled into a tiny beautiful moment. Within the field of graphic design, logo design is a subspecialty that commands high prices, and for good reason. However, there are now plenty of websites where, for nominal fees, anyone can commission a logo or create one themselves by choosing from a kit of icons and typeface options, mixing and matching to their heart’s content. This development was inevitable, and many professional designers hate the thought that their years of training and expertise are not valued by potential clients who think design services are overpriced and that their kids could do just as good a job designing a logo. It’s almost too easy to make fun of the whole thing as a design travesty, etc. But assumptions aside: Is it possible to commission a decent logo from one of the interactive places? We decided to find out.

Designing a Logo with an Online Service: Is it Possible to Commission a Decent Logo?

I invented a company whose sole product is called Cat Crunchies, and randomly selected a logo design website. It promised four separate logo concepts (though you receive only one as a final) created by two dedicated designers, with 48-hour turnaround, unlimited revisions, and a money-back guarantee. With a coupon offer, the lowest-priced package cost $39 (normally $149).

On each round of comments I gave deliberately ambiguous feedback. In an ideal world, when this happens a graphic designer comes back to the client for a quick conversation to clarify and learn what he or she was really hoping to see. Because my only option for phone contact was with a very nervous-sounding project manager working out of what sounded like a telemarketing room, I was never given an opportunity to communicate directly with the people responsible for bringing my vision to life.

JOB SPECIFICATIONS

Exact name to appear on logo: Cat Crunchies

Slogan (if any): Vegan, gluten-free treats for cats

Preferred style of logo: Modern

Look and feel: We want to convey the feeling of love for your cat and wanting to give him or her the very best healthy treats.

Additional comments: Comes in six flavors, provides 12 essential vitamins and minerals, cleans teeth and promotes healthy gums, responsibly sourced ingredients.

I added a random photo of my own cat, who sadly never made an appearance in any of the logo versions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE BUSINESS

Started in a garage in Brooklyn in the fall of 2017, Cat Crunchies aims to give cat owners a healthy alternative to heavily processed treats found in supermarkets. We give 15% of profits to animal shelters and sponsor quarterly Adopt-A-Cat fairs. Every batch of Cat Crunchies is baked by hand and packaged in our signature tins.

EXPECTATIONS

Based on the information I provided and the above criteria, ideally the logo would allude in some way to a cat, perhaps communicate the idea of a crunchy treat as opposed to a daily meal, and also emphasize a healthy, small-batch, socially responsive vibe. I asked for “modern,” so I was hoping to see clean, contemporary-looking solutions to the assignment.

Version One: The Aristocat

This solution was puzzling from the get-go. The Disney quality of the illustration doesn’t fit with any part of the design brief.

Client request after round one: Can we please try different and fewer colors, these look cartoon-y, and a more modern style of letters? Note: It isn’t only the colors that’s lending this one its cartoon vibe; it’s the illustration style. The designer needed to read between the lines of what I asked for and what I was objecting to, in order to fully resolve the issue.

What I got back? Salmon pink makes an appearance and the typeface has gone from a vaguely thorny serif to a squared sans. Not more modern, but definitely different. Cat remains the same.

Client request after round two: I like the colors better, but the cat looks very feminine. I worry that cat owners will think these treats are just for girl cats. Is there a way to fix that?

Resolution: Disney cat is gone, replaced with Maneki Neko, the lucky cat charm popular in Japanese and Chinese cultures. Huh? Less feminine perhaps, but not more appropriate—in fact, that kind of came out of nowhere, and doesn’t suit the brief either. Many people associate the color pink with femininity, so the designer might have tried to address that by presenting another color choice.

Decision: Unusable.

Managing a Web Design Project from Start to Finish: A HOW Design University Course

Version Two: Corporate Cat

Navy blue and maroon are odd color choices for this project, considering they are most often seen in conservative palettes used for banking and/or insurance companies. Nothing about the color choices feels organic or food-related, says “cat,” or communicates anything about the use of natural healthy ingredients.

Client request after round one: I would like to see how it looks to play up the “Vegan” and “Gluten-Free” on this one since this is important to our customers. Can the colors look more like cat fur? [Note: this last remark was a deliberate attempt to be annoying.]

What I got back? Vegan and gluten free are now red instead of blue. No other methods of emphasis: change of scale, typeface, position were sent. Comment about cat fur colors ignored.

Client request after round two: Can we put the “vegan/gluten-free” into a separate little burst or a bubble? Also it would be good to try colors that look more like a cat.

Resolution: Half-hearted bubble drawn around existing words, with addition of a background color that is the same value as the red type, so the type basically disappears from lack of contrast. Second ask to try cat fur colors ignored. Designer appears to have given up.

Decision: Unusable.

Version Three: Hello Amoeba Kitty

This one was so depressing from the get-go (boring colors, unappealing blobby cat) that I almost didn’t attempt to work with it. Still, hope springs eternal.

Client request after round one: Could this one feel more exciting and show how owners love their cats? Maybe the letters are too plain, or the colors? [Note: This is a kind of typically vague client feedback. Unhappiness is expressed, but no real solid direction offered.]

What I got back? I have no idea what happened here. I imagine the designer with six YouTube windows open, texting, and microwaving a Hot Pocket while talking on a headset.

Request after round two: This one still doesn’t feel like it shows how you love your cat, maybe it’s the color or maybe it needs something that says love, like hearts or a hug?

Resolution: Holy crow. That heart is applied like a Band-Aid with no attempt to integrate it into the rest of the design. If the solution doesn’t work, solve it another way. Colors unchanged.

Decision: Unusable.

Version Four: Peek A Boo

The initial try had a playful quality that I appreciated. Although the cat looked a bit like an insect, this one seemed the most promising of the four design options.

Client request after round one: I think this would look good with fun colors and if the word crunchies was not cutting into the cat. Is it possible to say “cat” without showing a drawing of one? [Note: this was not a direct request to take the cat out.]

What I got back? The cat is gone, never to return. Colors are definitely more “fun.” The word crunchies is still overlaid atop the word cat, though.

Client request after round two: The word crunchies is still cutting into the word cat, can you move it down? (Perhaps I should have asked for the restoration of the cat drawing just to see what might have happened.)

Resolution: I got everything I asked for.

Decision: So is this a good logo? Sadly, no. Just filling a client’s requests doesn’t make for good design; a designer has to listen to feedback then think on it and offer better solutions. Most clients don’t speak the language of design well enough to be able to say what they really want; a designer’s job is partly to act as interpreter, define and solve the problem, and make suggestions on how to get there. This logo has some worthwhile qualities—the use of a textured typeface that jumps up and down from its baseline for the word Crunchies communicates noise and activity, and overall the design feels lighthearted, suitable for a pet treat product. But the kerning on “cat” is terrible and the word cat is not properly centered over crunchies.

Why It Just Didn’t Work

On all four options, there were no real explorations of other concepts or potential solutions on any version after feedback. Changing small details like a type color or adding a burst to an existing design that isn’t working tends not to solve the problem. If a client asks to put something into a bubble, chances are good the designer has to rearrange things, play with scale and maybe a different typeface. What I got back weren’t really new versions, they were just quick alterations on the first idea. It felt like there was no opportunity for the designers to play and experiment, to try other options as what-ifs … in other words, the fun part of their jobs seemed absent.

This is not meant as a critique of the talent or abilities of the people assigned to my project. It’s more an illustration of the basic fact that all design, and logo design in particular, is about communication and vision. The designers and I never spoke but went through comments provided through an online form, via a middleman who probably had a dozen other projects he was trafficking at the same time. Even at the busiest, largest design agencies a client always has a chance to meet with the people on the design team, hear what they have to say, engage and exchange ideas, and collaborate. That’s what was missing from this experience, and that’s how I ended up with a hot pink and lime green logo for my vegan, gluten-free, small-batch Cat Crunchies.

The post What’s Wrong with This Picture? Designing a Logo with an Online Service appeared first on HOW Design.

What’s Wrong with This Picture? Designing a Logo with an Online Service syndicated post