More mess on the computer.

Learning. Tara from Son’s of Anarchy. Addicted to the Tablet these days. 

The ol’ moleskine as of late. 

Happy New Year everyone! It’s that time of year where we all make goals and find new ways to feel bad about ourselves when we don’t follow through. I’ve definitely been there and I’m sure you have too. Brace yourself for typos and awful grammar.

We Are Not Special is essentially a list of new years resolutions on acid. I set out this time last year to challenge myself, stretch my abilities, and take on new and exciting things. I was really in a place where I was allowing life to just slide by. I wasn’t totally checked out - I was working on my degree and playing my guitar or working out – but I really felt that spending most of my free time in front of a computer screen, on my iphone, or watching season after season of tv series was not doing me any good. Something had to change.

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A new video project with my good pal Jesse Rashotte, for my good pal Michael Banks! 

Just playing with the old wacom way too late on a Friday night/Saturday Morning

Insomnisketchia

Sabrina and I have had the chance to meet some awesome members of the Toronto art and design scene lately. I have to give all the credit to Sabrina for hooking this one up, as she knows Dave far better than I do. A couple of weeks ago we went down to the Garrison Creek Bat Show in Toronto and were amazed by the beautiful baseball bats on display. Dave along with his friends Chris and Ryan have put together a bat company that “combines style and design with a quality, handmade aesthetic”. We are super pumped on any new venture that creative people explore, and this event really blew us away. Check them out at http://www.garrisoncreekbats.com/

On top of starting a standout creative business with GCBC, Dave is an accomplished designer and illustrator. I can’t describe his work as eloquently as the bio on his site so I’ll just post it:

Dave Murray is a graduate of the respected Sheridan College Illustration program, and lives in Toronto. Aspects of cubism, futurism, and Russian avant-garde are combined with a large dose of pop-culture and Dave’s unique eye to create stunning and iconic illustrations.

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Shawn:

(So I had some spare time and I thought I would draw a little picture in Photoshop to add to this post. I need the practice, obviously. Go ahead and laugh, I know what you’re thinking, haha.)

The following post is part of my larger focus of trying to “unplug” more and more from technological distractions. I guess that sounds funny as I type this on my computer, while checking texts and listening to iTunes. Geesh.

Besides physical health, I wanted to focus on mental and spiritual health this year. In all honesty, I have neglected this area over the past few months. In this crazy fast paced world it is easy to lose track of ourselves, and we forget to nurture our mind. Just like we (sometimes) feed and take care of our bodies, we need to do the same for our little command centers. I don’t want to get all hippy on everyone, I can be pretty cynical about the topic, but there are some amazing things that can take place when we take time out to really take care of little brains.

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I decided to head back to school last year to further my education, and ended up at the University of Toronto Mississauga campus. I had completed my college diploma and worked in my field for a while, but I realized more education was necessary to advance further. I chose to go all out and experience the whole residence life at the old age of 23. Since I started this experience when most of my friends from high school were finishing their degree, it proved to be quite different than I expected. One thing that stood out to me was the dedication and hard work that the Don’s put in each and every day running the community and meeting student needs. I find it fascinating that when teens or young adults move out for the first time, they are guided by peers who are there to help them through an important transition. 

Amanda was my Don, and I appreciated the work she put in to make everything work for my community experience. I know how hard it can be to multitask and work on a degree at U of T, but there was never any hint that my Don’s were struggling. They were always smiling ready to help anyone that needed it. I decided to ask Amanda some questions about her experience as a Don at UTM.

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So I just handed in my last paper today at school. Looking back, it’s been quite the learning experience taking all these little projects on while trying to work on a degree at U of T. Come September I know I’m going to have to change up the way I organize my time in order to accomplish more. As weird as it may sound, I feel like I haven’t touched on half the stuff I want to so far. This pressure is compounded by the fact that we have been finding more and more people following us and reading the content of the site.

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I met Amber in our first year of college at George Brown in Toronto. I have to admit that she was the friendly and outgoing one that invited me to lunch, while I was roaming the halls hoping to make a friend. This interview will show you where that outgoing and friendly personality has taken her. Through 2 years of college I saw Amber go from a passionate student to an international traveller working to make the world a better place.  She always has exciting and interesting stories about her travels, and I thought it would be great to share with a wider audience. Now I just want to travel!

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One thing this project has really taught me is the importance of networking. I know we hear about it all the time, but in the case of my progress through this project, I am really starting to notice how a network of creatives, professionals, and friends can enhance your project.

Take music for example. I have now worked with several individuals on songwriting and recording. Each person has helped to open my eyes to new techniques, new approaches, and new ideas. Each meeting, chat, jam sesh, and recording helps refine my skills and serves to help me work outside the box. When it comes to creative endeavors, I find that my immersion in several projects can really work to put me in a box. My thoughts and ideas all start to blend together, and I feel like I can’t take my idea to the next level. A simple chat or working meeting with a friend can really help break those barriers. I have seen song writing from different points of view, and I love the unique harmonies that different minds can hear. 

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