Living Imperfectly

Spent tonight with my best friend.  He's like a brother to me and it's been a long time since we've gotten together.  We shared stories about our jobs, our careers, our travels and our recommendations in every aspect of our life.  The evening was rich with joy, observation and expression - and that's why he's my best friend.  Sometimes you need to bounce things off of someone, but you want someone to tell it to you straight - no sugar coating - or perhaps to encourage you to jump when jumping is what scares you but something you need to do.  Being a best friend also means you appreciate the trust and the vulnerable position you both are willing to put yourselves in from time to time.  It means showing your ugly side, but knowing that love and encouragement will only follow - and that's your reward for being open and honest.  

I wish everyone could be my best friend, or at least a very close friend - sadly that's not the case.  But the fact that it's so hard to have a relationship like this - especially with another man  is what makes it so very special.  

ps. we're both straight and he's married so don't get any weird ideas kids! 

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What does it really mean to be a grown up in today’s world? We assume that once we "get it together" with the right job, marry the right person, have children, and buy a home, all is settled and well. But adulthood presents varying levels of growth, and is rarely the respite of stability we expected. Turbulent emotional shifts can take place anywhere between the age of thirty-five and seventy when we question the choices we’ve made, realize our limitations, and feel stuck— commonly known as the "midlife crisis." Jungian psycho-analyst James Hollis believes it is only in the second half of life that we can truly come to know who we are and thus create a life that has meaning. In Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life, Hollis explores the ways we can grow and evolve to fully become ourselves when the traditional roles of adulthood aren’t quite working for us, revealing a new way of uncovering and embracing our authentic selves. Offering wisdom to anyone facing a career that no longer seems fulfilling, a long-term relationship that has shifted, or family transitions that raise issues of aging and mortality, Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life provides a reassuring message and a crucial bridge across this critical passage of adult development. 

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I don't know you but I heart you! 

Buy her books.  

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Wow. I've looked at photos of myself over time and It's really strange. I see others and also think the same thing.  For example I met a woman I had gone to school with for lunch. Her face was exactly the same. Her body, not so much.  Other's have had many physical  features change over time. I myself included.  I think my head's gotten bigger.  Maybe it's the brains pushing against the outer skull.  Maybe it's just animal hormones. All of this makes  me wonder about a more permanent (forever) relationship.  I know that we will both change in sizes and perportions - but how prepared are we  for that. 

Thanks to Conrad for posting.  Check him out here. 

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All the thing's that I used to say, all the songs that she used to sing ... have gone out the window...When you go go go...I know...it never ends..

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Thanks to Narnia for turning me on to Paula in response to my previous post on Obama's font choices. 

Watch the entire clip - it's about design -  but it can easily be applied to all of us, whatever our vocation.   We all need to tap into our inner child. It also explains how we can find ourselves going through rich and expansive and creative periods of our life, but then find ourselves becoming solemn (and boring) about it.  You might call it "stuck in a rut" Personally, I need to tap into being serious (and playful) more frequently.  It's easier said than done. Even Paula recognizes this and found herself in a creative spiral of Serious -> Solemn -> Hackneyed -> Dead!  Ouch. (I think she died when she made the Citigroup logo).

 

So if you ever feel yourself in that same situation, try go back to that time of being youthful and arrogant, taking jobs where you have no idea what you’re talking about, and get serious.

Paula suggest that the best way to accomplish "serious" design, is to be completely unqualified for the job.  And I must admit that I feel this is the case with my photography.  I'm a "child" in terms of my qualifications - but it's what makes it so enjoyable since everything I learn is such a fundamentally groundbreaking discovery.  Getting my first prime lens 50 mm f /1.8  just blew me away.  It is a great counterbalance to my rather solemn day job!

Paula notes that we need serious play to balance out the solemnity in our lives.  Photography is serious play for me. Work is solemn. I need to think about how I might make a client or project a seriously playful opportunity.  Also, I note that she had some seriously playful moments at her country house. Another reason to keep investigating that personally.  

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Fascinating.....taking the night off to relax and enjoy a nice meal by myself.   Bought some cooking mags and having fun experimenting (and screwing up).

I am in the process of watching the movie Helvetica.  It's an amazing journey on the pervasiveness of a single font. How it was born, how it became dominant and the impact it's had on society over the last 50 years - especially the last 30.  After you watch the movie (or stream it on Netflix) you will begin to understand how significant a trend it was. .

Now here's the kicker.  Just for fun, I decided to see if Obama used Helvetica as his font of choice.  Amazing - but no!  He used Gotham.  A relatively new font with a fascinating origin.  God the Internet is a joy - but such a time sink.  Learn about the choice, the Gotham font, and the background below.  If this interests you at all see the movie for sure.  It's great. 

Link:  Obama uses Gotham Font. 

Link:  Gotham  and History here. 

Link:  Great post on Politics and Fonts by the designers of the Gotham Font. Hollfler & Frere-Jones . Good one here.  Another here from the NYT.  And here.  

Wish I watched the movie earlier so I would have appreciated this during the campaign! 

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Feel free to buy the book here.  

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Bio Link.

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I didn't know much about Richard, untill today, but now I am incredibly fascinated.  I love any opportunity to be curious.  Discovering things is (in my view) better or at least as good as sex!  Ok, maybe that's just me. 

What an amazing man. What an incredible journey. You really can't watch this video and *NOT* love the guy. Sadly I feel like professionals today are much more competitive and less respectful. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Feynman

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