Paris is full of all kinds of wonderous shops. However some of my favorites were the multitude of paper shops, many of which were located right around the corner from our apartment. My favorite, by far, is Calligrane. This minimalist shop does not look like much at first, until you start looking at each amazing piece and product.
Celebrating its 33rd birthday next year, the shop is run by a very friendly and passionate woman, Ana Barth. She has devoted her shop entirely to unique and creative stationary items, unlike any others I have seen in similar stateside shops. Look for me to post some of finds over the next week or so. Definitely worth stopping into next time your in Paris!
South swell is pumping today in San Diego. Dawn patrol session this morning got me thinking of the hurricane action happening on the other side of the globe and how that must be stirring up some waves in Europe. I’ll be in Ireland in just a few days, a while this is not going to be a ‘surf trip’ I’m going to make a point to try to get some waves while I’m on the island. It would be a truly special experience to surf in the waters that my forefathers lived off of a century ago.
Here’s a few of Ireland’s finest in a beautiful cinematic piece showcasing some of the finer points of my fatherland. Cheers.
Loving the simple muted colors and geometric style of British illustrator Matthew Lyons. I’d particularly like to see the “Movie Title Screens” in motion! But alas, they are merely concepts, for now…
Another great post from the folks at 99%. Andrew Zuckerman discusses the lessons he learned from his WISDOM project, in which he interviewed “elders” from around the globe including Chuck Close, Bill Withers, Jane Goodall, Frank Gehry, Massimo Vignelli, and many more. Zuckerman talks about the anxiety we feel as we start a new projects, how fear can help us get things done, and the importance of honesty and good, old-fashioned hard work. His project consists of a truly inspiring collection of priceless thoughts from people who are masters in their craft and arguably at life, so it’s no wonder he came away with more than a few insights.
If found this particularly relevant as I embark on a massive project, that will most likely take years to complete. Maintaing the curiosity and rigor that made us want to start this project is what it’s going to take to keep it moving forward. A few ideas that I took from this that I’ll be keeping in mind as we move forward: focus on the essential qualities of the subjects themselves (surfboards in our case) and let that shine through. Don’t get too caught up in the technicalities, just work hard, get things done and keep moving forward. Work on ideas that are important to you and don’t worry if it’s too similar to something else that might be out there.
Pretty much my favorite blog of all time. It’s difficult to put into words the feeling of calmness I get when scroll through this meticulously gallery of aesthetically pleasing and carefully arranged images. Curated by Montreal based designer and art director, Justin R. Saunders a.k.a JRS Rules (both pictured here), each new blog starts of with a title or a quote that seems to set the theme for the images that follow. No descriptions, no links, just perfectly arranged images of beautiful products, people and places that makes you question (or recognize) their origin and inspires you to seek them out. Sometimes it’s nice to take the overly connected element out of the internet, forcing you to seek things out on your own. Check it out and bookmark it, now!
Oregon’s wooden eyewear maker Shwood just premiered their latest (and already sold out) collaboration with San Francisco streetwear label HUF. I know what you’re thinking, another streetwear collab., whoopie. I say think again my friend, this one is actually doing something different! Sticking to shwood’s eco-friendly ethos, they’ve found a way to combine forces by melding each other’s physical products into one. These glasses are made from old broken HUF skateboard decks resulting in a unique wood treatment they’re calling “six-ply fade.”
This piece, along with everything else in their collection, is crafted entirely in Shwood’s Portland, Oregon woodshop. This particular one-of-a-kind pair of sunglasses was created out of curiosity, just to see what was possible. While not the most cutting-edge approach to the upcycle movement, you can’t help but appreciate the thinking behind it.
The team at shwood also just launched a neat little “inspiration site” called Experiment With Nature. Give em a look, here.
The Eames Lounge chair is perhaps one of the greatest chairs of all time (which is probably why I want one so badly!). If you’re not familiar with the chair already, it was designed by the husband and wife team, Charles and Ray Eames. Originally the two designed the chair as a gift for a director by the name of Billy Wilder. There wasn’t much to the chair, but the goal was for the chair to feel lean and have a sense of playfulness and the sophistication of modern living.
During the team’s initial approach to projects, they asked themselves questions that every one of us should ask before and during projects:
Does the design truly interest and intrigue us or its viewers?
If you’re not doing something interesting, intriguing or innovative, then what is it that you’re doing, because those are a few of the keys to successful projects.
Can we make it better?
If you can make it better, don’t settle, just do it. Nike says it and, well, they just do it. I’m currently building a project that would normally take a team of oxen to do, but I’m just doing it.
Are we having fun while designing it?
It’s quite evident by the work of Charles and Ray Eames that they enjoyed what their work. Quite frankly every project we do, we should too. If you’re doing a project that isn’t enjoyable, don’t do it. Please don’t make someone do it. If we’re honest and truthful in business clients and audiences will recognize that and come to you because of it.
John Jay of Wieden + Kennedy was recently named one of the most creative business people in 2011 by Fast Company. His position as W+K’s executive creative director takes him between all of the W+K offices in an effort to breed those cultures into the main headquarters in Portland.
In this video John Jay talks about his creative process. He takes a step back and approaches his interpretation of process from a wise view. What I’ve drawn mostly from this is that it’s about conversation. Most importantly it’s about listening to what people have to say and then taking that to make it relative and understandable to other people.
The last thing that I’ve drawn from this that I agree with is that you should always place yourself around people that you aspire to be but don’t let that keep you from placing yourself among those that differ from you and your goals. Those that you aspire to tend to share similar values and viewpoints. You need to rattle your cage every once in while and step out of your comfort zone. This is what helps keep us creative and thinking differently.
In the end it’s really about surrounding yourself with positive energy. It sounds cheesy but it makes a world of difference.
The greatest thing we can offer is to be great listeners.
Sir Ted Robinson presents one of my favorite TED talks of all time. If you haven’t seen it, watch it now (or at least listen to it). If you have seen it watch it again! Always inspiring and extremely entertaining.
