Looking at the universe and I see everything and anything at all. I see all the lives, all those deaths. All those inevitable deaths. The hundred ones that are happening right now. The million ones that already did. And the infinite ones that are still yet to come.
And I'm watching all these babies that are born and the ones that are still only a dream. And I see all these dreams, this willing of making it happen. This sense that life needs to have a meaning and people always searching for it.
And I see it as music, a never-ending song talking about tragedies and fairy-tales, and crimes, and brokenness and solitude, and companionship and love, and hope, and happiness and everything in between.
And I am so sure: it will be written on the stars. All these beautiful, somewhat bitter-sweet stories. These stories I'd like to learn and live and feel and pass on along.
Taking part of this uniqueness...do you imagine how lucky you are? The universe gave you the lottery ticket for you to spend it just the way it pleases you. You're among the elite. Everyone is like you. You're like everyone else. And yet, we're snowflakes.
The universe, we'll never leave it. I wonder where I'll be. In a flower. In someone's heart? Pure sunlight. The breath of the wind. The shadow of the moon. In a smile...
My wonderlife will be about enjoying all these little moments. Good. Bad. Not so good and not so bad. And make of them the best they'll possibly be.
My song has to end someday, I want it to be beautiful, to make people cry and laugh at the same time, to inspire them and bring something good to their hearts. Something they can pass along as well.
It's time to show you some of my newest works! I've been working on Flash lately, to rust off my skills and learn some new techniques. I'm also improving my CV that will be done (almost) entirely on this program. Any comments are appreciated!
This first one is in Portuguese, I made it for a job interview and it will be later integrated in my CV animation. I tried to associate colours to my personality, they are: violet for passionated (just like passion fruit), yellow for optimistic, dark blue for creative, red orange for ambitious, greyish blue for dreamer (is the colour of The Venus Project), pink for solidary, white for persistent and black for perfectionist. Click the link to see the animation.
So, I've a lot of news to tell you. I'm very excited to get back to this sweet home of mine and tell you what I've been doing lately. I sure missed my readers...
Today's post will be a little introspective, closing the doors of the past and open new ones to the present. I hope you'll not get bored but it's something I need to do. You'll see new changes around here (good ones) and more accordingly to the person I am today.
2012 started really well. I didn't achieve all my goals yet, but I accomplished some important things already. I'm starting to deeply know myself - I feel I'm blooming and be the person I always wanted to be. Four important things happened in my life that contributed to that and I'm very glad to be lucky enough to have this opportunity. I'm happier, healthier and smarter.
My diet is almost, almost on its end. I have the weight I desired for so long but there's still extra meat that I want to get rid off. Finally I feel good on my skin - beautiful and sexy. :)
That formation of former's course I told you about is over and I finished it successfully. I met a loads of wonderful people from every kind of backgrounds and I learnt a lot with them. I also have to say that my communication skills are much better (I worked intensively, since reading out loud while walking around the house to making silly faces on the mirror). I also feel much better when talking to a crowd. I really enjoyed giving a lesson about personal marketing in the end of the course and acknowledge that people were enjoying what I had to say. It made me feel special.
I'm still learning Mandarin and you know what? It isn't as difficult as people claim, you just need persistence and a good memory. Training every day helps you too.
As you know, I've been penpalling since December and it's a hobby I'm really enjoying. It's incredible how you can discover yourself by communicating with others and see in them a (big) part of you. I met inspiring, kind and intelligent people that taught me what confidence is all about. That was all I needed.
I also need to thank you for following me and my blog, supporting us with your comments and thoughts. It means a lot to me and I'm happy to have you in my life. ♥
P.S. About the image I chose: one of my dreams is to inhabit a caravan and live every month in a different place of the world.
My newest work project is about the days of the week. I didn't finished the flavours yet, but I'm working on that.
I like to think on the origins of things and the week days were always present on my mind, because they vary so much from country to country. Wednesday in English, mercredi in French, quarta-feira in Portuguese.
Wednesday comes from the word Wōdnesdæg (Old English) and means "Day of Wodanaz" and it could also means "Mercury's day". I prefer the Nordic mythology to the Roman. Vikings are so cute.
Wodanaz (in Proto-Germanic) is Odin, the major god in the Norse mythology and the principal member of the Æsir (the major group of the Norse pantheon).
In futhark (or runic alphabet is an ancient Germanic and it is used for writing, divination and magic) , Odin is represented by the rune Othala //sorry, it's Ansuz!(the 4th rune; rune means secret) that represents intelligence, communication and inspiration. And today is a good day to stay at home, it's so cold outside!
Maybe you don't remember, but you all have seen these runes before At Lord Of The Rings, by Tolkien or in Nazi symbolism. I could say much more about the Nordic Lore, but it's mythology it's so complex it would take much time to write it here. but if you would like to know more about it, just ask me and in my next week-day work I'll give some more insight.
I was talking with Barbara from Momographica when this idea hit me. I never showed you where I come from and I know most of you don't know how Portugal look like. And it's a shame because I live in a such a beautiful country. I also offer you the challenge to do the same and share the wonders of your own country. ;)
This is Portugal:
Lisbon/Lisboa, the capital city (the music is a Fado from Carlos Carmo and it's called "Lisboa, menina e moça"):
Now the city I'm currently living in, Oporto/Porto (music from GNR, "A pronúncia do Norte"):
And my hometown, Viana do Castelo:
So, where will you go on your next vacations? I'll be at Viana do Castelo next week! :D
Everyone likes sales and free stuff: brands and clients. There's no better way to promote your work than by offering your product/service for free.
If you're tired of the lame designs available in words' documents and want something more fancy yet formal, this pack is for you. You can choose between 6 different designs and even have access to the original file, so you can give wings to your creativity and change everything as you please. Just don't use it for commercial purposes. You can share alike, but please give me credit.
I keep my promises, even when they come a little bit late. I don't know if you remember this post, but I finally managed to do the typographic work I wanted. It took a while because I always seek perfection and things didn't come out the way I desired for some time.
Experience is the new thinking. Is that true for you?
Yesterday was a very rainy day. It feels like winter, these last days, I even need to wear boots. But it was a very good 24h day (I know I'm repeating myself a lot, sorry). I was called for my first job interview after finishing my course and in my field (marketing/advertising). I also went to my first consultation with a dietist, a very funny one.
But you know how my day ended? With a beautiful rainbow when I was going back home. Don't you love rainbows? For me it's one of the more amazing miracles that nature have. That and lightnings (and bubbles!).
So today I'll present you some representations of that one-of-a-kind, special moments that we have in our lives. Get inspired and cross your fingers for me, ok?
I'm back and it's not even August. Yeah! I do not have much to share with you right now (have to catch up with my feeds and such). But... I saw something that might please you.
I follow a very cute girl (on facebook, deviantart and her blog; yes, I'm a stalker sometimes ^-^), her name is Renata Owen and she's such a sweet illustrator! I hope someday I can innerview her.
But today I'm not here to talk about her work (maybe tomorrow ;)), but of a post of her blog: 50 reasons not to date a designer. Like her I'll put here the list and make my own comments. In red are the ones I do more often.
1. They are very weird people.// Weird, it's me, no doubt!
2. There are billions of them in the world, like colors on the screen of your computer. // That's not accurate, but... whatever.
3. They will analyse conversations in layers. // Where did that come from?
4. You will spend the day assembling furniture from IKEA. //Not only IKEA, but yeah. 5. They drink and eat all kinds of weird shit just because they like the packaging.
6. They hate each other. // We looooove each other! 7. You’ll come out the last out of the movies because you have to see the full list of credits.// And if you don't you can miss some fabulous things.
8. They cant change a light bulb or without making a sketch. // Quoting Renata: That's stupid.
9. They fuck up all the tables with their cutters.
10. They rather study the paisley pattern on your outfit than listen to what you have to say.
11. They will fill your house with magazines and whatever is out there that has drawings. // Design, design, design.
12. You never know if it is really an original or a copy.
13. They make collages with your photos.
14. They do not know how to add and subtract, they just understand letters. //Actually, we deal with numbers, rulers and grids are our best friends. 15. They idolize people who nobody knows and speak of them as if they were his colleagues.// Like David Airey, Saul Bass and Erik Spiekermann?
16. They take pictures almost daily and all are cut in weird shapes. 17. They ask your opinion about everything but they do whatever they want.// I always do that.
18. Everything is left justified, right or center unless they arrive late. 19. They hate Comic Sans with the same passion they love Helvetica.// Any doubt?
20. They use iPhone for everything, because everyone has one.
21. You can not decorate the house without consulting them.
22. They steal street signs. // I wish I had.
23. Always carry their hands painted with something.
24. They buy dolls unfinished for them to paint.
25. Everything becomes something other than what it really is: cards as tickets, cards as …
26. When arguing, you will be nicknamed like the OSX spinning wheel (not affectionately)
27. Do not know how to dress without consulting the Pantone book.
28. They hate Excel.
29. They read comics. 30. They want to save the world only with a poster. // We really can? 31. You will spend the day brainstorming.// I brainstorm for everything...
32. On vacation they will take you to countries that you do not know exist and have no beach.
33. Museums are their second home.
34. They know more positions than the Kamasutra. // That's a good reason, right? 35. They can’t go to a restaurant without secretly critiquing the menu design.//Yes, yes, yes! (no relation with the above question)
36. They listen to music you have never heard of. //There's always someone...
37. They can´t cook a normal dish, they always have to experiment with new ingredients. //I'm there.
38. They read rare books: stories of children, Semiotics … //Yeah, semiotics...
39. When you are going to tell you something, everyone has read it in their facebook and twitter.
40. They have own iPods before you knew they existed.
41. The orgasm they remember is when they heard that Adobe was acquiring Macromedia. 42. They have their own shops just for them and there are the most expensive in the city.//Getting there. :P
43. They want to spend all the money in the Apple Store. 44. You will never understand their gifts.// Hope so!
45. They see ordinary objects and laugh. 46. You wake up in the middle of the night hearing them screaming “When is the deadline?”// I dream a lot about design and get a bunch of crazy ideas, like Comics in 3D --'
47. They see CMYK and RGB like Neo sees the Matrix. 48. They dream of the day nobody will make a single change to their designs.// Welcome to Heaven!
49. They rather pay for a font than for a special birthday gift.
50. They are always sleepy because they work 24/7.
My life is starting to change: I finished my graduation (didn't entered the Master,though) and this weekend I'm moving in to my new house. Regarding this, I also have "bad" news, I'll don't be able to post every week because I don't have Internet there, but in August that issue will probably be solved.
Young Adult Fiction: Die for Me by Amy Plum, Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
This week I'm writing about books, they occupy a big part of my day: may be reading or giving me some ideas for my creations. About the title: there's a Portuguese forum about literature that I visit sometimes, its name is Bad Books Don't Exist and I think it's appropriate for today's post.
I read an article today about Young Adult fiction that I had to share with you. Have you read Darkness Too Visible from Meghan Cox Gurdon? I'm four days late, but there are discussions that we can't leave behind. If you didn't go read it and then come back to our little discussion.
This so-called journalist clames that Young Adult fiction needs to be about happiness and pretty things. In her own words: "a careless young reader (...) will find himself surrounded by images not of joy or beauty but of damage, brutality and losses of the most horrendous kinds."
We live in an ugly world, just face it. There are violence and crimes everywhere. When I go to youtube I just see this horrible comments how your taste sucks or racist/homophobic insults. And watching the news is horrible: murderers, pedophiles, sexual assaults and even violations. We live in a dark world and do you want your child to read fairytales and close her in a redome of "(sugar, spice and) everything-nice"? And what will happen when se has to face the real world? Probably she will be another racist person, because she only knows one reality (white little princesses with their blond hairs with a with a witch by one side and a prince charming by the other).
YA helps teenagers to face problems otherwise would be taken away from them. Taboos shouldn't be completely erased from our lives. There are things we don't talk with our parents or teachers and others we don't even talk with our friends. And teenagers aren't innocent. Those kind of books will help/warn and not corrupt them.
Young adult fiction, like all the other books, lets us get in touch with another world and feel blessed of not being on that situation or realizing that they're not the only ones and have hope that that will change.
Banishing books like these won't soften our kids and won't make them more happy or tender, but surely will develop their moral values: better ones. Reading about an homossexual assault will hurt them and they will feel how it's like to be beaten for no reason. They'll think twice before looking at them differently. And this is just an example.
I think it's worst to live in a fantasy where good people are beautiful and bat people are ugly and the good will always win.
When I was a teenager I didn't think if that book was for my age and my parents didn't prohibited me of reading this or that book. I know that at the 90's there wasn't such "darken" books, as Meghan calls it, but I played on the street, where people say bad things happen, and it did me no warm. I'm a good person after all, my moral values aren't damaged and I'm happy.
P.S. Don't forget to take a look at the comments, it's always good to read different stories and perspectives. P.P.S. "(sugar, spice and) everything nice" is not only a quote from Powerpuff Girls. It's an excerpt of a nursery-rhime, dated from 1820 about what boys and girls are (well, were) made of. It's called "What are little boys made of".
When you're a designer, or want to become one, you have to have not only a creative portfolio, but also a CV that will stand out from the crowd. And I'm not meaning information only, but also the layout.
The most part of us, when writing a resume, think of impressive data. What we want to say is that we're better than the other applicants. But why saying when you can show it? We all know how to write and sometimes we doesn't say all the truth, and let's face it, they know that too. But actually do what we say we know how to do... it's a bit more difficult, right?
It will take time and sometimes can be frustrating, there's so much information you want to put down... Just make it simple: less is more so put only the really important data. And don't forget to make your contact visible, or else, no matter how much they liked you, they'll could never reach you.
There is some outstanding examples that I want to show you and in the end I'll present to you my own creative CV, it isn't as good as the others, but hey! Everything I learned is self-taught!
You can see them on two great websites: hongkiat and in save delete, they already did the hard-work for me so let's enjoy it!
Mine is right here, I'll only show you a print-screen, but I'll upload it at my behance and deviantart portfolios.
Do you remember sweet? 3 months passed since then, but I didn't forgot my project of creating a series of flavours. Today I present you Acid, among other two works I did this week.
One of them is Synaesthesia. I think I never told you about this neuropathology before, but I've been obsessed by this for the last 3 years because it's such a different way to see the world. It seems a good disease to me (if that exists) because we can relate it to design and creativity. My master's thesis will focus on this for sure.
Synaesthesia can be explain as a mix of senses ( a linkage really), in a sort of way. We use just the eyes to see, only the ears to hear, and the hands to touch, and so on. But people with this pathology can use eyes to hear or ears to see. They associate colours to letters and numbers, or even music notes! That doesn't sound amazing?
We use synaesthesia very often in our lives too, specially when we write. When you say 'what a sweet sound' or 'I'm feeling blue' you're being synaesthetic.
Maybe you don't know Florbela Espanca. She was one of the greatest female poets of all times. A friend of mine called her the Queen of Sonnets and that's so true.
One day she wrote: "Não costumo acreditar muito nos sonhos... porque de todos se acorda". In English is something like this: "I usually don't believe much in dreams... because from them all we wake up". Sometimes we have day dreams, some look very real, but in the end they're nothing. But who doesn't like to dream?
I'm saying all this because the news I was going to share with you no longer exists. It's not a good news, but I think isn't too bad either.
I can't give you sweet almonds or yummy chocolate eggs, but i can send you a hug and wish you a delicious Easter and promise you that designing dreams will return to its regular posts. Yay!
I've been away from the blog world (posts&comments), and I apologize for that, but I have a very good reason. It's a surprise though, you will have to wait for tomorrow to know all the details (you won't regret it).
Meanwhile pay attention to this small Ted talk about "being wrong". We all want to be right all the time and most of our discussions (the bad ones) doesn't turn well because of that. However being wrong is not necessarily bad, we don't need to feel ashamed by that our criticize others for viewing the same thing in a different perspective, even if we don't understand it. Being wrong implies a change and a bit more of knowledge, so don't be afraid of being wrong more times, ok?
Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.Hellen Keller (via bits of wisdom)
Today I re-started my yoga sessions. I don't know why I stopped, maybe because I'm lazy or filled up with excuses. The fact is I love yoga. Yoga is peace, is love, is happiness. Yoga is harmony and strength. Is connection (nature, body, mind & soul). It's perfect to loose weight and find inner-peace, even if you're exhausted.
I don't feel good with the way I am, physically speaking. I feel this away for too much time. And I needed to do something about that now. I think I need to care less about others and start to love me more.
Today is a good day, although this last ones weren't very pleasant, with my grandpa in the hospital. And it's a good day because he's at home now and it's also my birthday. I'm 27 now, but not feeling old yet.
I thought in doing some sort of wishlist, but my mind have been occupied with other things, as you can imagine. And what I really want today is to be close to my loved ones.
Anyway, I still can share some of my always-wanted-kind-of-dreamed-stuff. I'm not shallow, you should know that, but who doesn't like some luxury? Good design is expensive...
First one is my sweet perfection Lamborghini Murcièlago. I would be happy just to drive it once.
