After a bit of trial and error, our Christmas cards are printed!  (Only lost one screen in the process.) (Taken with instagram)

After a bit of trial and error, our Christmas cards are printed! (Only lost one screen in the process.) (Taken with instagram)Printing in progress!


A little preview of our Christmas card this year. (Taken with instagram)

A little preview of our Christmas card this year. (Taken with instagram)


Hooray for fall!  Been spending the past few hours cutting paper leaves to hang in the apartment (or at least that’s our plan).  My finger may be cramped up permanently from my X-acto grip, but I’m kinda enjoying it.  Might have to do a bit more with cut paper down the road.

Hooray for fall! Been spending the past few hours cutting paper leaves to hang in the apartment (or at least that’s our plan). My finger may be cramped up permanently from my X-acto grip, but I’m kinda enjoying it. Might have to do a bit more with cut paper down the road.


superamit:

Two weeks ago I got a call from my doctor, who I’d gone to see the day before because I’d been feeling worn out and was losing weight, and wasn’t sure why.
He was brief: “Amit, you’ve got Acute Leukemia. You need to enter treatment right away.”
I was terrified. I packed a backpack full of clothes, went to the hospital as he’d instructed, and had transfusions through the night to allow me to take a flight home at 7am the next day. I Googled acute leukemia as I lay in my hospital bed, learning that If it hadn’t been caught, it would have died within weeks.
—
I have a couple more months of chemo to go, then the next step is a bone marrow transplant. As Jay and Tony describe below, minorities are severely underrepresented in the bone marrow pool, and I need help.
A few ways to help:
If you’re South Asian, get a free test by mail. You rub your cheeks with a cotton swab and mail it back. It’s easy.
If you’re in NYC, you can go to this event my friends are putting on.
If you know any South Asians, please point ‘em to the links above. Thank you.
jayparkinsonmd:

My friend Amit Gupta founded my favorite photography site Photojojo. A few weeks ago, he was diagnosed with leukemia. Amit is one of the nicest, most genuine, most creative people you could ever meet. Prior to founding the awesome Photojojo, he also co-founded Jelly in 2006 in NYC, a coworking community, that’s now spread to 60 cities across the world and helped spark the coworking revolution. It looks like Amit will need a bone marrow transplant quite soon. We can help him with that.
tony b:

Unlike blood transfusions, finding a genetic match for bone marrow that his body will accept is no easy task. The national bone marrow registry has 9.5 million records on file, yet the chances of someone from South Asian descent of finding a match are only 1 in 20,000.
This is where we come in. We’re going to destroy those odds.
How? By finding and registering as many people of South Asian descent as we possibly can.
Tests are easy– a simple swab of the cheek. If you’re a match, the donation involves an outpatient procedure. It’s not fun, but it’s not dangerous either. And doing it could save a life.
We are encouraging anyone of South Asian descent to take a test to see if you’re a match. 
You can get a free test by mail, or, if you’re in New York, you can join us Friday, October 14th for a special party to rally support.
We’ll have test kits on hand at the party, as well as music, booze, and maybe even a photo booth. It will, for the first time, combine a House 2.0-style party with a New Work City-style party, and if you’ve ever been to either, you know they are always something special.

Please spread the word and please do everything you can to help Amit beat leukemia. He’s a superstar.

Much thanks to Tony and pals for organizing this event, and EVERYONE who’s been tweeting and reblogging.
Please help us get the word out any way you can. My life quite literally depends on it.

superamit:

Two weeks ago I got a call from my doctor, who I’d gone to see the day before because I’d been feeling worn out and was losing weight, and wasn’t sure why.

He was brief: “Amit, you’ve got Acute Leukemia. You need to enter treatment right away.”

I was terrified. I packed a backpack full of clothes, went to the hospital as he’d instructed, and had transfusions through the night to allow me to take a flight home at 7am the next day. I Googled acute leukemia as I lay in my hospital bed, learning that If it hadn’t been caught, it would have died within weeks.

I have a couple more months of chemo to go, then the next step is a bone marrow transplant. As Jay and Tony describe below, minorities are severely underrepresented in the bone marrow pool, and I need help.

A few ways to help:

  1. If you’re South Asianget a free test by mail. You rub your cheeks with a cotton swab and mail it back. It’s easy.
  2. If you’re in NYC, you can go to this event my friends are putting on.
  3. If you know any South Asians, please point ‘em to the links above. Thank you.

jayparkinsonmd:

My friend Amit Gupta founded my favorite photography site Photojojo. A few weeks ago, he was diagnosed with leukemia. Amit is one of the nicest, most genuine, most creative people you could ever meet. Prior to founding the awesome Photojojo, he also co-founded Jelly in 2006 in NYC, a coworking community, that’s now spread to 60 cities across the world and helped spark the coworking revolution. It looks like Amit will need a bone marrow transplant quite soon. We can help him with that.

tony b:

Unlike blood transfusions, finding a genetic match for bone marrow that his body will accept is no easy task. The national bone marrow registry has 9.5 million records on file, yet the chances of someone from South Asian descent of finding a match are only 1 in 20,000.

This is where we come in. We’re going to destroy those odds.

How? By finding and registering as many people of South Asian descent as we possibly can.

Tests are easy– a simple swab of the cheek. If you’re a match, the donation involves an outpatient procedure. It’s not fun, but it’s not dangerous either. And doing it could save a life.

We are encouraging anyone of South Asian descent to take a test to see if you’re a match. 

You can get a free test by mail, or, if you’re in New York, you can join us Friday, October 14th for a special party to rally support.

We’ll have test kits on hand at the party, as well as music, booze, and maybe even a photo booth. It will, for the first time, combine a House 2.0-style party with a New Work City-style party, and if you’ve ever been to either, you know they are always something special.

Please spread the word and please do everything you can to help Amit beat leukemia. He’s a superstar.

Much thanks to Tony and pals for organizing this event, and EVERYONE who’s been tweeting and reblogging.

Please help us get the word out any way you can. My life quite literally depends on it.

(via brittanyforks)


Working on things for the new site!

Working on things for the new site!


UPDATE: The new RSVP date is actually February 21st!
Today’s the last day to RSVP for Zinery!  Still working on my submission… good chance it’ll probably involve food.  
All the info is below per Winners Press:

Winners Press will be presenting a group zine exhibition at the 2011 SGCI called, ZINERY and YOU are invited to participate! This exhibition is organized by, Nancy Palmeri, Paul Windle and Winners Press. 
Who are we?!
Founded by designer/printmakers Paul Windle, Spencer Moorman and Whitney Burnett, Winners Press is a traveling Zine School, conducting zine parties and events around the country. 
 What are we doing?!!
We will be creating a zine installation for 2011 Southern Graphics Council International Conference, at Washington University in St. Louis’s Weitman Gallery. The intent is to fill the space with zines to create an interactive exhibition and zine making event.
 What we need from you?!?!
Make an art zine! any size, shape, content. No problem if you don’t have the time, just send something you’ve already made—and please invite any friends this is an open participation project so the more the merrier! Go ahead and have zine making parties - you can combine them with your denim jacket parties, or pumpkin carving contests? We only need one zine, but if you are able to send more we will graciously accept them. You may use any methods that you like—please remember that everyone will be allowed to touch them. The zines will become a part of a travelling exhibition thus wont be returned, so please don’t send your last copy of your very best diamond encrusted zine. We are also planning to set up a DIY zine buffet table at the exhibition for take home zines, so we are also asking you to please send us a 8.5x5.5 page of artwork, as a PDF (of course this can be something you’ve already made!) so that we can include it on the table for visitors to iput in the zines they construct themselves. 
 When we need things?!!?
15 February                          
RSVP to Paul pcwindle@gmail.com if you are going to participate
28 February                        
zine buffet page due to Paul, via above email as PDF file
1 March                                
zines must be received by Nancy Palmeri
Send them to : Nancy Palmeri
UT Arlington Department of Art+Art History
502 South Cooper Street, Room 335
Box 19089
Arlington, TX 76019-0089
What else???!
We will be documenting the exhibition as well as your zines in order to create a Blurb catalogue and will contact all of you when it is ready to order.

UPDATE: The new RSVP date is actually February 21st!

Today’s the last day to RSVP for Zinery!  Still working on my submission… good chance it’ll probably involve food.  

All the info is below per Winners Press:

Winners Press will be presenting a group zine exhibition at the 2011 SGCI called, ZINERY and YOU are invited to participate! This exhibition is organized by, Nancy Palmeri, Paul Windle and Winners Press. 

Who are we?!

Founded by designer/printmakers Paul Windle, Spencer Moorman and Whitney Burnett, Winners Press is a traveling Zine School, conducting zine parties and events around the country. 

 What are we doing?!!

We will be creating a zine installation for 2011 Southern Graphics Council International Conference, at Washington University in St. Louis’s Weitman Gallery. The intent is to fill the space with zines to create an interactive exhibition and zine making event.

 What we need from you?!?!

Make an art zine! any size, shape, content. No problem if you don’t have the time, just send something you’ve already made—and please invite any friends this is an open participation project so the more the merrier! Go ahead and have zine making parties - you can combine them with your denim jacket parties, or pumpkin carving contests? We only need one zine, but if you are able to send more we will graciously accept them. You may use any methods that you like—please remember that everyone will be allowed to touch them. The zines will become a part of a travelling exhibition thus wont be returned, so please don’t send your last copy of your very best diamond encrusted zine. We are also planning to set up a DIY zine buffet table at the exhibition for take home zines, so we are also asking you to please send us a 8.5x5.5 page of artwork, as a PDF (of course this can be something you’ve already made!) so that we can include it on the table for visitors to iput in the zines they construct themselves. 

 When we need things?!!?

15 February                          

RSVP to Paul pcwindle@gmail.com if you are going to participate

28 February                        

zine buffet page due to Paul, via above email as PDF file

1 March                                

zines must be received by Nancy Palmeri

Send them to : Nancy Palmeri

UT Arlington Department of Art+Art History

502 South Cooper Street, Room 335

Box 19089

Arlington, TX 76019-0089

What else???!

We will be documenting the exhibition as well as your zines in order to create a Blurb catalogue and will contact all of you when it is ready to order.


Photojojo and the Impossible Project are giving away a Rainbow OneStep Polaroid camera.  Crazy, right?
Go here to check out the super rare Polaroid cameras, as well as all their other goodies.
Oh… and don’t forget to check out their rad Tumblr!
(My entry is above! Courtesy of Photojojo, of course)

Photojojo and the Impossible Project are giving away a Rainbow OneStep Polaroid camera.  Crazy, right?

Go here to check out the super rare Polaroid cameras, as well as all their other goodies.

Oh… and don’t forget to check out their rad Tumblr!

(My entry is above! Courtesy of Photojojo, of course)


Amazing things happening from Photojojo and the Impossible Project!  
They’re even offering up a Rainbow OneStep that can be won today.  I suggest everybody get a move on this one, pronto.
photojojo:

Surprise! We’ve busted out a new Limited Edition set of Polaroid cameras in collaboration with the Impossible Project (with a beautiful box design by the charming Kate Bingaman-Burt). 
Right now we’ve got three cameras in the shop that span nearly three decades of Polaroid awesomeness.
They’re ultra-rare, and we’ve only got 100 kits total. So if you’d like one, hurry!
But if you’re feeling lucky, we’ve decided to save a Rainbow OneStep Camera edition and give it away to the good people of Tumblr.
Here’s how to enter:
1. Grab a photo of a Photojojo Store goodie from our site
(any photo you’d like, just right click to save, or click on the download link for a hi-res if it’s available)
2. Head to Big Huge Labs or Poladroid to turn that photo into a Polaroid 
3. Share your new Polaroid-ized photo on Tumblr with a link back to the Photojojo Store
(IMPORTANT: be sure to tag your posts with #photojojo and #impossible so we can find you!)
We’ll announce the winner at 8 EST today. Good luck!

Amazing things happening from Photojojo and the Impossible Project!  

They’re even offering up a Rainbow OneStep that can be won today.  I suggest everybody get a move on this one, pronto.

photojojo:

Surprise! We’ve busted out a new Limited Edition set of Polaroid cameras in collaboration with the Impossible Project (with a beautiful box design by the charming Kate Bingaman-Burt). 

Right now we’ve got three cameras in the shop that span nearly three decades of Polaroid awesomeness.

They’re ultra-rare, and we’ve only got 100 kits total. So if you’d like one, hurry!

But if you’re feeling lucky, we’ve decided to save a Rainbow OneStep Camera edition and give it away to the good people of Tumblr.

Here’s how to enter:

1. Grab a photo of a Photojojo Store goodie from our site

(any photo you’d like, just right click to save, or click on the download link for a hi-res if it’s available)

2. Head to Big Huge Labs or Poladroid to turn that photo into a Polaroid 

3. Share your new Polaroid-ized photo on Tumblr with a link back to the Photojojo Store

(IMPORTANT: be sure to tag your posts with #photojojo and #impossible so we can find you!)

We’ll announce the winner at 8 EST today. Good luck!


Friends on the Interweb

How have I yet to mention this here!? Two good friends and former classmates of mine have recently entered the world of blogging.

                          

Jessie-Lee Nichols is a graphic designer who began The Hyphen Tantrum a few months ago in an effort to get her brain around something other than her day job in data entry.  You’ll find her constantly posting great work, things that inspire her and a ton of great items that she’s lusting for over on Etsy.

Kim Davies, a graphic designer and illustrator, just started her blog this week! (She’s already a more frequent poster than I am).  While she admits that the direction of her blog hasn’t been decided, I’m sure it will be filled with her work and many inspiring posts.

Jessie-Lee and Kim are both super talented and wonderful people, so I know they would love to see some new followers.  So definitely keep an eye on these two.


Man… I can totally relate to this. (It ties in with my last post too.) 

Here is Kate’s original post that reminded me of the video (via theokbb)

Ira Glass on Storytelling #3 (via kentj1)

I don’t teach in the summer, but I am talking to a group of sophomores tomorrow at PSU and then later that night I will be reviewing senior portfolios at PNCA, so my mind is back in school mode for the time being.

A few years ago, I stumbled upon a great set of Ira Glass videos about storytelling. The above video is especially good for several of the frustrated design students that I encounter almost daily. They are firmly rooted in the situation where their taste is WAY better than what they are making and they are pissed. They feel stuck. They start to question whether or not they should even do this whole design thing. To them I gift the Ira Glass advice:

“It’s normal to take awhile. You have to fight your way through that. You will be fierce. You will be a warrior and you will make things that aren’t as good as you know in your heart that you want them to be.”

You are NORMAL, but you have to keep busting ass and making work and sharing and revising and making and doing. Each new piece is going to yield a tiny discovery. A small advancement. Something to apply to the next piece.

I remind myself of this daily. And I keep making.

BE WARRIORS! BE FIERCE!

I know what I like and I know where I want my work to be.  It always falls short of my own expectations.  There were definitely instances during school when this caused serious doubts in my mind about continuing in the field.  That passed and so will this, I’m sure.

The new plan: I’m going to be a warrior.