if you can read this, you are too close :

I am consistently amazed by the lack of attention paid by the general population when it comes to an assignment that can completed easily by just going through the motions. During our adventures today, my roommate and I found ourselves at a Wal-Mart searching for a perfectly bound sketchbook. We had not even pulled into our parking spot when my roommate mentioned that the icon marking the near by cart return was upside down. I did not understand what she could possibly mean until I saw it myself. Sure enough, we were looking at a cart turned onto its top. Apparently, the employee who assembled the cube did not realize that he switched the bottom and top pieces, which put the hole on the wrong side, causing the cart to appear up-side-down on each of the other 4 sides of the cube. How could one step back from your work that day and think "Job well done." Maybe that's exactly the problem; The employee had become so nearsighted that he could only observe the specific side he was working on. Sometimes we all need to step back.

continuing [beginning] my education :

Today, I spent the majority of my afternoon in Borders, one of the happiest places on earth. Each time I walk through the front door, I struggle to remember that at this stage of my life, I'm living with a pretty strict budget.

My goal was to purchase TOUR:SMART and Break the Band, written by my new boss, Martin Atkins. I was caught off guard by the shear size of this book when I removed it from the shelf. Minus the hard cover, it's comparable to some of my healthier texts from undergrad. The burnt color palette combined with the text manipulation reminds me of an old WWI propaganda poster. Inside, the simple black and white page layout makes me what to write all over it in highlighter. I'm excited to begin reading.

As a small birthday gift to myself, I also purchased Punk 365. Although I love music from this genre, I realize most of my knowledge is limited to the last 3-5 years; My history needs some serious help. Don't be surprised if you revisit this blog and find that I've only recently discovered some of punk's most important historical figures.

MySpace renewal :

Today's agenda as far as stepping up my game in social networking was getting my MySpace in order. I spent a few semi-productive hours adding about 50 bands to my new friend list.

Once you begin adding bands, the process never ends. This is partially thanks to bands who write to you saying "If you like ____, you will probably like us, too!" Out of the 20 or so similar messages that I received today, there was one very pleasant surprise included, The Crazed. Their light sound made my long process of "friend finding" much more enjoyable. It's so nice to hear great sounds being produced in my home state!

Another playlist that accompanied my MySpace travels today was that of Justin Armstrong. Justin and I were classmates at Marietta College. Another classmate of ours and fellow graphic designer, Christina Moritz, mentioned Justin's music to me. She was right; His stuff is great to listen to while creating, I just wish the playlist was longer.

internship with Tour:Smart :

One week from today, I begin my 18 week internship with Tour:Smart. I am excited to learn about the workings of the small company. During my interview, I learned that their are only two full time permanent staff members. The company utilized 8-10 interns during the summer of 2009. I do not know how many interns I will be working with this fall. During my internship, I hope to not only learn about event promotion, but also gain an insiders view on the experiences, necessities, and benefits of a well promoted tour.

The small building that houses Tour:Smart also allows room for other companies such at Invisible Records, which appears to be run by the same Tour:Smart staff members. Information from the inside to come in the following weeks.

the place this blog comes from :

A few weeks ago, I moved from small town, OH to Chicago, IL in pursuit of a career as a graphic designer in the music industry. This blog is one of twelve steps that I have established to help push my career in the right direction. This set of steps stems from my experience at Traffic Marketing, a conversation with a new friend, and the advise of a specific designing peer.

To date, my experience designing for musicians is limited to my senior capstone which I created at Marietta College. I completed a full [mock] promotional package for the British band Florence & the Machine. The video attached acted as my primary inspiration for the package.

In the near future, I plan to be as vocal as possible about my availability for small local bands who have creative needs.