Well hey June!… Congrats, you’ve made it to the midpoint of 2014!… How disturbing is that?! lol. I don’t know about you but I still feel like 2014 just started!! I guess I have some serious catching up to do! In the meantime, here’s a few amazing things to start your June with:
1) The Message is Medium Rare: You know… everything I ever needed to know about life, I’ve learned from hamburgers… ok, not really- but wouldn’t that make a great book title?! The idea isn’t actually that far fetched though. Have you ever noticed how much you learn about yourself (or people) from sitting down and having a meal with others? This was kind of the starting point for a blog/design project that Christopher Simmons has created called, The Message is Medium Rare. Every week for a year, Christopher and his colleague Nathan Sharp go to a different hamburger place and then Christopher writes a design review based on the experience. As he puts it, it’s “…part design blog, part food blog, and 100% a labor of love (with health consequences). The premise is that every burger is a unique metaphor for a design challenge.” I was immediately intrigued when Christopher emailed me about this project. I’ve been a fan of his work from way back, when he created his “Everything is OK” tape. Now, I hope you’re not reading this before lunch, because you’ll soon be craving burgers after you have a looksee at the site- but if you read further, Christopher’s insights are actually really poignant and quite a few of the “creative lessons” really hit home for me.
I especially loved a review of Joe’s Cable Car, which wasn’t so much about the burger, but really about self-awareness. If you’re a creative person and … how do you say, of a certain age now? This post might just resonate with you.
Anyway- young, old, hungry not hungry- The Message is Medium Rare, and really worth a read. (And if you’re in the SF area and like burgers, a great reference for the best burger joints around!)
2) HOLY GEE MOLY- Big humble thanks to Domino Magazine for including me in their list of the 26 best design blogs. I am so honored to be amongst such blog royalty. Check out the full list here.
3) In case you missed it, my pal Will from Bright Bazaar was out here last month on his US book tour for his new book, Bright Bazaar: Embracing Color for Make-You-Smile Style. While he was in LA, we met up with our other friend and creative creature extraordinare, Dabito. Dab and I then took Will on a tour of my favorite spots of Venice Beach, CA. Above are a few behind-the-scenes of our shenanigans. Check out all our color hunting on the West Elm blog.
4) So if you have been following my Instagram, you might have noticed that I’ve apparently been in Vegas the past few weeks… like… a lot. Well, the truth is, yes. Actually, within a four week span, I was in Vegas a total of 3 times. All with different people and all for completley different reasons. It wasn’t initially planned that way, but that’s just how it happened. Luckily, it’s just a short 45 minute flight from OC to Vegas. Those of you that have followed me for awhile can attest that clearly I am not a newbie when it comes to going to Vegas, hehe, but I made a short little Steller story about my trips through a #mundaneaesthetic lens.
Check it out below: (click on the image and let the pop up load. It also works best on Chrome or Safari to see the animation and hear the music – if you’re on a Mac and use Firefox, I suggest viewing it through one of the other browsers mentioned) or better yet- have you downloaded the Steller app? it’s super fun! (you can find me under the Discover tab under “search users” box)