October 01, 2009
suovren
I haven't posted in awhile because I have been super busy with work. So here is a bullet point list of some things I have been meaning to talk about but have yet to. The quality of this post speaks to what work has done to me. I thought I was once I pretty formidable writer but these days I am just worn out.
- The Ai quarterly portfolio show was pretty freaking good last week. It was in a sweet building downtown which was packed with great talent. There were a number of rockstar students, including Eric Gravlin, Grayden Poper, Roxy Chaney, Sirelli Rodriguiz and Danielle Cullins plus many more.
- The other day I came to the realization that I am much too young to be as tired as I am. I know I should be completely grateful of the wonderful position I am in but I can't help to think that I moved into it too fast. Everyone else my age is just chillin' out, working part time and just doing mellow things while I am working at least 10 hours a day (Monday I worked 8:30 til 10!).
A note on this:
So often people are working hard at the wrong thing. Working on the right thing is probably more important than working hard.
- On Sunday I found myself driving home at 12:30 in the afternoon, something that I haven't done in awhile. It occurred to me then that I will never get to experience that on a weekday. School was a blessing. My schedule was always different, some days I would get off at 12, other days it would be 5, others would be 10. The monotony of the work week is something that I don't want to get accustomed to; it kills me to not be in charge of my own schedule. This daily routine is probably just a fact of life that everyone will have to accept but it is just not for me.
- On Monday morning, I got in a brief argument with an Artistic Director who wanted a website to be "perfect" in his eyes. I replied that there is no such thing as "perfect," as it is a completely subjective point of view. He is from Minnesota, which has produced some amazing people but, yeah...
- Since Friday, I have been dealing with Jeff and Jer's new site launch. I could get super geeky about this but I will leave out the details and say that we had to scale the site really fast; I have felt so legit yet so failed. I am not sure whose idea it was to push the site live without having a proper QA period but it should NEVER EVER happen again.
A note on this:
The best way to graduate from beginner is to get in way over your head. Nothing makes you better faster.
- Due to the previous point, BG had to call in Brian Sturdivan and Peter Cho. bSturd is making flash banners at $35/hr in a private office with sofa while Peter Cho is saving our lives as a sysadmin / scalability expert. What is funny though, is that he has a degree in marketing so if he were to get into BG, he would do good things. Peter is the man.
- Riding off the last point, I will say how important it is to enjoy what you do... or at least seem like you do. Whenever I talk to people at work, I am full of energy. I love my coworkers and work environment; I have a good time even when Jeff and Jer gets DDOS'd. I think my excitement and (moreover) appreciation for my job comes through. But others are really monotone and uninterested in interaction. People pick up on that sort of thing and it makes you much less desirable.
- After all that, you might be able to see why I have been craving the "work for yourself" routine. Everyday I dream about making all my amazing ideas come to life.
A note on this:
Doing what you love on the side means you don’t have to risk everything immediately. You have a steady income so you’re less desperate. You can build it slowly until whatever it is is such a success that it justifies quitting your regular job. It’s a measured approach instead of a toss of the dice. Plus, you can easily turn around if you go down the wrong path (or lose motivation).
ANYWAYS.
Unless the office Halloween decorations are lying, tomorrow is October 1st. By tradition I should have a fall mix compiled by now but it seems that I have completely overlooked it! I just started throwing songs in a playlist so I hope to have one completed sooner than later.Let's see,
Chris, I have this for you.
Mark, I have this for you. (source, literally)
Anyone else want links for them? I am sure I have collected something for everyone...
Jeff Micklos
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Active Discussion
Chris Jack • October 1st 2009 • Reply
cool boom box.
1) People your age are not only going to school full time, but working full time as well. Your friends including me are more lazy and don't do as much.
2) Also, your quote about working on the right thing is more important than working hard. Well, what if you are working hard ON the right thing, then it must be good.
3) Why tell hell would Jeff and Jer get DDOS'd
4) I am UBER sad I wont be down for oktoberfest! so we really need to do some cool Halloween stuff when I come down.
Joey • October 1st 2009 • Reply
haha yeah dude, do you think i like being in school? if i knew what i wanted to do, i would be out there doing it, like you are. man, what i would give to have a stable job doing what i like and getting paid for it AT THIS AGE!
yeah, it is sick just doing nothing and chilling out, but its boring and you feel useless. It is definitely not as cool as making 50 Gs. i think we can all agree on that.
i want a link!
Mark • October 1st 2009 • Reply
A) I know exactly how you feel man. It's terrible. You seriously had such a good life while you were in school though. You were lucky you didn't have to work every spare moment you had during the day to pay bills like some of us do. Even now you may not have the best job possible but you have a damn good job that pays well. You should be happy for what you have. Do you understand now why I have a hard time finding the energy to build an AR app?
B) In that video he hits his enter key with fury.
Jeff Micklos • October 1st 2009 • Reply
Like I said, I am very thankful for my job and I totally appreciate it... even though I am not doing what I enjoy (flash banners, for instance).
At some point in time, you have to step back and measure the worth. Does it worth to stay in a job that wears you to no end for the money? For me, money isn't the most important factor...
Mark • October 1st 2009 • Reply
You gotta start somewhere dude. I'm not saying you should keep that job for the rest of your life but you can't expect to have much better right now. You're out of school, this is real life now. As much as you suck at it, you're IN it now.
On the other hand, you do have enough money saved up now to live off of for a long time while you pursue your projects. But eventually, if a project takes off or not, all roads lead to back to real life.
Annie! • October 2nd 2009 • Reply
You're in it right now, aren't you?
You're definitely in it.
It's amazing that you already have a career, it shows how motivated you are, and you should just carry that with you, i'm sure a lot of people would love to Working with certain companies will allow you to learn something new, whether it is a skill or if it is discovery of self, like what you value the most, like you mentioned. (Smaller scale Ex. GB.ew) At least you know you don't have to be stuck in one place, or that you don't like making flash banners all the time.
At least your Jeff Micklos, a BOMB web designer who made this website and many other things. And at least you know more about type and leading than some of the people you work with.
Just follow your heart
Annie! • October 2nd 2009 • Reply
Jeff, did you see
this?
Once I saw it I thought of you.
Jeff Micklos • October 2nd 2009 • Reply
"Follow your heart" is one of the most iconic sayings in my life, btw. If Joe comes back, he can confirm that.
And yes, of course I saw that quiz! Remember, I am a maven of the internet? How did you do? You share then I will!
Annie! • October 2nd 2009 • Reply
Yes you are, so I figured you did. Ahh I got two wrong, I was doing so well in the beginning, but it was the ALL CAPS that got me. How did you do?
Chris Jack • October 2nd 2009 • Reply
I got 100%! yay!
The all caps ones were hard, the only one I wasn't sure on was TOYOTA, only the O's were slightly different.
Mark • October 2nd 2009 • Reply
I got MATTEL wrong :(
Again, it's the all caps.
Joey • October 3rd 2009 • Reply
DAMN, i got mattel wrong too!
it's funny, because at first i really just couldn't tell the difference. i just went with, "hmmm, which one LOOKS better?" and i got all of those right! hahaha
however, after i got into it, it was relatively easy, like the c's and the t's and the fatness of the letters... that was fun stuff!