Whatever I want.

Eddie Opara was this week’s speaker at AIGA Minnesota and Walker Art Center’s Insights Lecture Series. Eddie is a designer with a very interesting background which influences his way of thinking and way of working. British-born Eddie was introduced to the Labor Party at a young age and has always thought things should be shared. There two big themes I gleaned from his talk:

1. Collaboration
2. Transformation

Eddie believes that nobody really owns anything. We all just share everything. This is a really interesting thought that I had never applied to design before. When we come into this world, we have nothing. And when we leave the earth, we can take nothing with us. Therefore, we really don’t OWN anything.

Collaborating comes easily to Eddie. Many designers hold on to control over their projects and wouldn’t want to pass a half  finished project to another designer. It’s a trust issue. Eddie feels the opposite. He thrives on collaborating with others. At his agency Map, everybody does everything. Eddie is excited about how another designer might interpret his original idea.

While working on the Prada account, Eddie had to leave on vacation. He had started the project but was unable to complete it. So he passed off his work to another designer he worked with—trusting that the designer would further his original idea. The completed work was stunning.

Eddie did some branding work for Brooklyn Museum. He wanted the logo to be transformative over time. He created a letter B shape outline which is always surrounded by a solid colored graphic. The B shape always stays the same, but the surrounding graphic is able to transform and change (see image below). The result is a really interesting and strong brand for the Museum. Check out the Brooklyn Museum’s website to see the logo in action by clicking here.

Eddie also introduced the audience to his new content management system, the MiG. This CMS is easy on the eyes AND easy to use. To learn more about the MiG, click here.

Eddie summarized his lecture by saying, “Always changing, never staying the same, always getting better.”

Everything is melting and spring is near. Here’s my latest batch of photos to share:

And these last two photos are just for fun. I ate some delicious strawberries the other day, and one was making a fishy kissy face at me!

I long for spring. At this point, I can only imagine what it will feel like to lose the layers, put on a t-shirt, take a walk and breathe in the scent of spring. I imagine that I will go for a walk around Lake Calhoun, I’ll take a break half way around the lake and plop down in the grass. Surrounded by grass that’s been warmed by the sun, gravity will pull me down to it and I will lie on my back with a panoramic view of the sky. It’s a perfect, red-filter day—the cumulus clouds are set against a cool shade of blue. When shooting with black and white film, a red filter darkens the blue and lightens the red, so the white puffy clouds will really pop on photographs. Only this day I will not be armed with my camera—only my eyes—and my imagination will begin to drift as I see the clouds forming animals, people and objects.

Okay, I realize it is going to be months before I can let my imagination drift while lying on the bare ground, gazing at white puffy clouds. But that doesn’t stop my imagination from being full steam ahead in the winter. I just channel it in a different way—orange peels.

Citrus are in season. The sweet, juicy flesh of an orange is just what my spirit needs on a blustery, snowy day. I challenge myself with every piece of fruit that I’ll peel it on one piece. The peels make unusual and interesting shapes, which I interpret—just like the clouds—as animals, people or objects. See what I mean in the photos below. The rules of this game are to peel a piece of citrus in one piece, then lay the peel flat on the table, rotate and evaluate.

#1. It looks like a fish. A deep sea fish. Likely a new discovery deep int he depths of the ocean.

#2. Buttefly.

#3. From the torso up, it is a bowler, extending his arm back in perfect form. He got a strike. His face even features an eye, nose and mouth.

#4. Swiming toward the left, this is one angry shark. Watch out surfers!

#5. This small animal like organism has a cute head shape, with pig like snout and mohawk.

#6. This one is my favorite, it's a vulture perched on a tree branch about to take flight.

#7. The head of a triceritops, the body of an insect.

What do you see when you look at these images? Leave a comment with your thoughts!

So you think you have the right of way because your car has five times as many cylinders as mine? You think even though (technically) you don’t have the right of way, that you have enough horsepower to squeeze past me and no one will even notice? I realize that you are a VERY important person in a REALLY big hurry but I have news for you—you hot shot driver. Your reckless driving is going to kill someone.

In order to prevent tragedy in the future, I’d like to offer some remedial driving lessons:

1. Right of way. You don’t have it just because you drive a high performance vehicle. Yes, I understand it is a certain right of passage to be able to purchase a BMW (and congratulations, by the way, on your status in life). But right of passage isn’t the same as right of way. For example, if a driver is turning right at a green light, and you are turning left at that very same green light, you don’t have the right of way. Let’s pretend a driver is on a ramp to enter the freeway, and you’re driving behind them—again you’re in a big hurry—so in order to pass them, you take the car pool ramp. The car on the freeway ramp doesn’t see you gaining on them in the car pool ramp. They don’t realize you are about to overtake them. You do not have the right of way.
2. Zig zag. It’s a fun thing to say, “Zig, zag” (not too many words start with the letter Z). It’s thrilling, I know. And I do understand as previously stated that you are a V.I.P. and in a big hurry. But weaving in and out of traffic doesn’t get you to your appointment sooner. Although if your appointment is with the Big Guy upstairs, then maybe it will. This is rude and dangerous driving.
3. Speeding on icy roads. So your car is equipped with all-wheel-drive and crazy performance under the hood. It’s no match for mother nature. When you hit a patch of ice—and you will, we live in Minnesota, after all—your all-wheel-drive won’t save you. Your car will glide and pirouette with grace and ease until a object crosses your path bringing you to a crashing halt.

And so today, you BMW driver who thinks you are hot stuff, I have a message for you: slow down, pay attention, put down your crack-berry and learn to play nice with the other drivers in the sand box. At the end of the day, all drivers on the road—despite their make and model—are just people sitting in machines. And each of us has a life. And it’s precious. Drive safe.

P.S. I realize this letter is addressed to BMW drivers. The reason I chose this luxury vehicle to illustrate my point is because it was a BMW driver who almost killed me today. I realize that bad drivers come in all shapes and sizes. In no way do I discriminate against drivers of high performance vehicles. But I do dislike people who drive recklessly.

Yesterday was a beautiful day. The light was amazing and the snow was glistening. On my way to work, I saw many photos I wanted to take. But I didn’t have time. When I arrived at work, I greeted a co-worker and said in a cheerful tone, “Isn’t it just a beautiful day?” She flashed me a look which screamed that I was off my rocker. So I revised my statement. “It is miserably COLD outside, but it sure is VISUALLY beautiful.” My co-worker gave me a look of understanding.

Since yesterday was New Years Eve, our office closed up early, which meant I had daylight hours to shoot photos! Here’s what I captured.

I shot this photo because I liked the contrast between light and shadow and the texture of the snow itself.

Ice crystals in snow.

Great texture of ice on the sidewalk being eroded away by salt.

Snow on an evergreen shrub.

I wish you a heartfelt Happy New Year and send wishes for a prosperous 2010. Cheers!

I’ve come to a realization: it’s actually really hard to shoot outdoor photos in the winter. There are a few key reasons keeping me from shooting:

1. The frigid, arctic temperatures. (Those who know me well understand that I hate being cold. I even wear scarves indoors. In my cube at work, I run my space heater year round.)
2. Less daylight. I work during the bright hours of the day. By the time I get home it looks like it’s bedtime. So I stay inside.
3. Did I mention how cold it is outside? I have gift cards and Christmas money to spend, but I can’t even bring myself to go to the mall. Because it’s cold outside. I—Lisa Valley—don’t want to shop because I live in a polar ice cap.

Why do I tell you all this information? Only because I want you to really appreciate the lengths I go through to share these wintry, icy, freezing, frost-forming photos.

Side note: Jesse is sitting here discussing this post with me. He hasn’t read it yet. He said, “So do your readers even know how much you despise the cold?”

Well, now you do!

How cool is it to see a liquid frozen mid-pour? Very cool.

I love to shop Target. I shop there every week. Last week while shopping, I saw these iTunes gift cards for sale. As advertised, the $25 iTunes gift card costs you $25. Regular price $25. Funny? Yes. Usually when you advertise a product, you give an offer or discount along with the message. I guess Target just really wanted their customers to know they carry the gift cards. Here’s a tip for those of you who want to buy discounted iTunes cards: buy them at Costco.

I love the frosty windows but not nearly as much as I love the shadows they can make.

Although I’m not jazzed about the cold weather, runny nose and giant puffy coats—there is one thing I can’t deny: fresh snow falls are beautiful. Here are some photos I took on Wednesday, morning after our first big wintry storm.

The holidays are in full swing and I’ve been busy designing holiday cards for Jesse’s photography studio. He has a great promotion coming up on Saturday, December 12. I’ve spent a great deal of time designing 5×8 inch card templates for this promotion. Here they are:

The promotion is a super good deal, here are the details:

Saturday December 12 • $25 for a one-hour session (FREE session when you order 50 or more holiday cards) • Review photos on the spot and select your favorite • Choose from several card designs to go with your photo (see designs above). For more information, visit jessevalley.com. To book your session, call Jesse Valley Photography at 612.382.2867.

I put so much love into designing these holiday card templates, so I hope the day fills up with sessions! If you have friends or family who would be interested in this promotion, pass it on—Jesse Valley Photography gives rewards for referrals!