design

best packaging of 2009

Did your headphones come in a sweet case? See a bottle of tea in another country that stood off the shelves?

My vote: One Condoms. It's about time.

 

magnetic attraction analysis 101

One of the most powerful questions you can ask yourself is: What am I drawn to? Plenty of people are inspirationally challenged - not sure of what lights their fire. Others are so selective about what floats their boat that not much new can get past their preferences.

Whether you’re confused or highly particular, curiosity is a form of power. Use it.

What are you attracted to? Make a list.
Here's mine. I'm attracted to, intrigued by, enamored with...

1. Pure rose oil, that's so pure it's peppery.
2. Kids.
3. People who are comfortable in silence.
4. Convents.
5. Old Egypt.
6. Word economy - saying a lot with a little.
7. Inquisitiveness!!!
8. People who are confrontational.
9. Old African men who smile with their eyes.
10. Scars.
11. Innovation.
12. Alleys.
13. Musicians who have never worked a day in their life.
14. Wealthy, self-made entrepreneurs who aren't excessive.
15. Philanthropists.
16. The seering brilliance and heart of the TED talks.
17. Filthy at the end of the day construction workers.
18. Rothko paintings.
19. Elvis in 1969.
20. The greeny turquoise with brown flecks.
21. Cosmology.
22. Nests.
24. Gold. Can't get too much gold.
25. Great teeth.
26. Text art.

What's on your magnetism list? Now ask yourself what’s so interesting, or soothing, or sexy about the things that you gravitate towards. Go with the first thing that enters your mind, no matter how silly or grandiose it may seem.

I can see a pattern in my attractions: mystery, hard work, glamor, sacred devotion, currency, artistry. Sounds like the essential ingredients to the masterpiece I want to create, or my everyday my ideal life.

Being aware of not only what we are attracted to, but why we’re attracted to it, gives us access to the most tender and creative places within ourselves. If you put your finger on the magnetism, you can attract more of what you want into your life.

. . . . . . . .

RELATED:

say yes to your dream: how frank ghery made the leap

are you positively addicted?

 

i’m loving: eggs + authenticity

1. I'm loving the unbounded, multi-disciplinary creativity of Stella McCartney. Check out her new horse chandelier.

2. Yoko Ono's REVELATIONS. She makes me giggle and coo at the same time. She's still out there waving the love flag and approaching "other" as "I". This sweet song put little ruffles on the edges of my heart.

3. I'm loving that, at our house, we believe in the Easter Bunny and fairies.

4. I'm really really loving that I'm working with cool chicks to produce Fire Starter events in the following cities!: Los Angeles, Portland, Toronto, Atlanta, New York. It's all happening very magically...like the right things tend to. Stay tuned!

5. Laser engraved ostrich eggs from tattoo artist Scott Campbell.

6. This very lucid perspective on Honesty vs. Authenticity from Betaworks:

There are many who see honesty as a noble goal within business or personal relationships. Though I think honesty captures the passive and reactive components to the open exchange of ideas, authenticity extends the responsibility to be a proactive representation of your true self. Where honesty has an on/off switch, the ethical center of authenticity requires it to be always on. It isn’t opportunistic. It is a contract that embodies a level of candor that is often uncomfortable. Given there is no growth without struggle, authenticity provides the fertile soil to grow at all times.

7. I rarely dis', but I'm loving that Billy Bob Thornton had to cancel his band's Canadian tour because of the backlash to his supremely asshole behavior in this Jian Ghomeshi for CBC interview.

8. And while I'm feeling patriotic, I'm loving this pop art from Timothy Wilson Hoey (who's upcoming shows are selling out before the art gets on the walls.)

9. I'm loving redefining what wealth means to me. It's flexible but focused. It's heart-based but pragmatic. And every one is accounted for. Cha ching.

It's spring. What are you loving?

 

Pattern Language, Christopher Alexander

 

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