Been some time again since i wrote...
I did something yesterday which i had spared myself from doing for a long time... ironing clothes... i had left the jeans for the end bit... and while ironing then i noticed how much thier color had changed since i had bought the pair.. i could see around the seams how much darker they used to be... and how with all the fading i liked the pair more and more...
nostalgia...
perhaps 'markers' of time...are more valuable than we admit..
There are so many little things we look at, that are just affirmations that 'yes time has past'... like sandal tans.... faded scars... length of hair... white hairs...
This reminds me that while doing research on bicycle customisation... it suprised me how much a flaw like a dent or a scratch made people know thier bike more than any other means of personalisation! slowely i noticed that Many people actually know thier products by the product's flaw, a flaw that occuered by a mistake, or through some funny incident... anyhow, that flaw becomes a 'marker' of time.. and something 'of your own'... in a world of mass production, and identical pieces... perhaps the few things that we still have control over are flaws, and those flaws make things our own!
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Everything intertwined…
Ever noticed that while talking to someone with music playing in the background, at a moment of pause in the conversation, the song playing mysteriously says a line that seems to be in continuation with the conversation you were just having? well, when it happens one tends to just laugh it off.
This happens to me more often with books. Sometimes when I read it feels like the book is telling my own story in an allegorical manner!.. When I had just entered Design School, I had also just begun reading Harry Potter. And the similarities were eerie! While Harry Potter had the strangest course material buying list, I too had to go out, and buy A3 sunlit bond paper, French curves, half imperial ivory sheets….things I had not even heard of! The whole struggle between the ‘muggles’ and the witches, and the children of muggles Vs the children of witches…. I too was noticing that some people were from artist/ creative families while some were from families who still could not understand WHAT their child was paying good money to ‘study’! So, by crazy association, I fashioned all of us to be witches and wizards of sorts!
And now its happening again… I’m reading a book with three stories intertwined. One a fairy tale, one of the past, and one in the present ( the past of the auther now!) and I can’t help but feel that there is a fourth ! My present, my Right Now! I read every chapter with baited breath, read the three stories and almost and feel my own building itself alongside!
Scared to reach the end of this book!
This happens to me more often with books. Sometimes when I read it feels like the book is telling my own story in an allegorical manner!.. When I had just entered Design School, I had also just begun reading Harry Potter. And the similarities were eerie! While Harry Potter had the strangest course material buying list, I too had to go out, and buy A3 sunlit bond paper, French curves, half imperial ivory sheets….things I had not even heard of! The whole struggle between the ‘muggles’ and the witches, and the children of muggles Vs the children of witches…. I too was noticing that some people were from artist/ creative families while some were from families who still could not understand WHAT their child was paying good money to ‘study’! So, by crazy association, I fashioned all of us to be witches and wizards of sorts!
And now its happening again… I’m reading a book with three stories intertwined. One a fairy tale, one of the past, and one in the present ( the past of the auther now!) and I can’t help but feel that there is a fourth ! My present, my Right Now! I read every chapter with baited breath, read the three stories and almost and feel my own building itself alongside!
Scared to reach the end of this book!
Monday, February 19, 2007
Flowers for a change!
Really liked these images.
they are actually Xrays! Never thought a rose could look so good!
You can see more images at www.bmyersphoto.com
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Scrappy sketching
Needed to sketch a dragon.And this is the first ridiculous sketch i made. I made many more dragons after this sketch, but this scruffy guy remained the favourite!
Its strange, most often things that happen without intent turn out better than when the things that happen with huge effort and intent!
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
color sound and light
I decided NOT to listen to music today..So it was a strangly silent day..... Except, I heard some sounds that i had never heard before! Like after I got myself a cup of coffee, Ii was holding against my cheek to warm my face, and I could hear a sound like shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I realized that it was the sound of the little froth bubbles bursting!
Color, Sound and Light define ones mood. Primerily.
Around 20 minutes after midnight this new year i felt close to magic. The colors then were deep blue, warm orange.. no maybe glowing yellow, and brown.... there was the distant sound of waves, the creaking of weak floorboards, faraway music and sparse conversation. I was at a beach, and a friend had found a creaky old wodden plank bridge over a small riverett. The bridge was lined with star-shaped lanterns that were glowing deep yellow. I had just stepped out of the water after a crazy midnight swim... slightly cold, but the light was so warm.
That half an hour was pure magic.
And all these little moments when one sees a brilliant color, hears a soft sound, feel a little cold, and then warm again.... make up for all the rest of the loud keyboard sounds, high heel clatter, cell phone brauls, 2 degrees delhi winter, a grey and off-white office, a blue tinted glass that kills all golden light.
and then magic happens again.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Years
Maybe its just my mood...but in choosing an appropriate font for 'years' for some work.... first i just went on reading 'years' as 'tears'... and then after looking at many many font options, the word itself looked alien! all judgement went out the window... How do graphic designers deal with this... or do they never face this problem!
Well then i thought its the year end .. and maybe my last post this year, so i could leave the image here and see if ANYbody else sees 'years' as 'tears' and if they after a point are convinced that the spelling's all wrong!
My mood...
Why are these years just bliping by? years used to be so much longer before!And now like my company, even i have begun thinking in 2-3 year blocks... a year is too short!Maybe my new year resolutions/ and goals too can span out over a couple of years.... that would be good seeing that none of this years goals came through really!.... so i can start this 'carryover' of dreams... like in a multiplication sum!
But if i can have my way... i'd like my next year to be like the '7th year in the 2nd row' its normal... but in a dyslexic way!
Happy New Year!
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Many ghosts
I have finally begun to believe in ghosts.
Memories are ghosts.
And they really are like what fantasy and myth say they are like - they fade in and fade out, they are transluscent, they sometimes haunt us when we are awake, and even more when we are asleep.
dreams ARE a really crazy place... its perhaps the only place where we arn't bound by time!
Memories are ghosts.
And they really are like what fantasy and myth say they are like - they fade in and fade out, they are transluscent, they sometimes haunt us when we are awake, and even more when we are asleep.
dreams ARE a really crazy place... its perhaps the only place where we arn't bound by time!
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Memory of a previous life
Its amazing how TIME plays a central role in humor. Humor presupposes the knowledge of a past, or the knowledge of the expected consequence. Since humor is derived out of something unexpected it is obvious that there IS something expected to begin with!
In this context, i find that Re-Use products add an entirely new category to humor in products.
This is because we relate to certain forms in a set context. When that same product is used in a COMPLETELY different context, the memory of it's ..shall we say 'previous life' adds a smile!
In this context, i find that Re-Use products add an entirely new category to humor in products.
This is because we relate to certain forms in a set context. When that same product is used in a COMPLETELY different context, the memory of it's ..shall we say 'previous life' adds a smile!
Friday, October 20, 2006
Humor in Products
Back to my pet topic - product-humor.
The plan is categorize and understand different ways in which products create humor, and how product-humor plays a role ( if any) in today’s world.
Been thinking-thinking about how to go about my research for some time... been collecting images too, and with every new product-humor' image that I find, I am able to find more basis for categorization.Studying and understanding humor is a lot like studying and understanding art... there's limitless categorization, a lot of subjective judgment, and a lot of personal bias, - and lastly a lot of that scary question " so what?"
I realize what I am doing is a lot of 'translation' is I may call it that. I’m looking at techniques of humor in other mediums such as language, and film, (such as puns, paradox, parody etc) and seeing how that technique is used in products to result in humor.
Like a paradox in a product is perhaps when the product presents an impossible situation…. (Courtesy 100% design)
A pun… a Time-Table (courtesy Juanico)
And like wise… The search is getting more exciting.
So anyone out there, if you ever come across a product that makes you smile/ laugh/ or just tilt your head…. Please do pass it on!
The plan is categorize and understand different ways in which products create humor, and how product-humor plays a role ( if any) in today’s world.
Been thinking-thinking about how to go about my research for some time... been collecting images too, and with every new product-humor' image that I find, I am able to find more basis for categorization.Studying and understanding humor is a lot like studying and understanding art... there's limitless categorization, a lot of subjective judgment, and a lot of personal bias, - and lastly a lot of that scary question " so what?"
I realize what I am doing is a lot of 'translation' is I may call it that. I’m looking at techniques of humor in other mediums such as language, and film, (such as puns, paradox, parody etc) and seeing how that technique is used in products to result in humor.
Like a paradox in a product is perhaps when the product presents an impossible situation…. (Courtesy 100% design)
A pun… a Time-Table (courtesy Juanico)
And like wise… The search is getting more exciting.
So anyone out there, if you ever come across a product that makes you smile/ laugh/ or just tilt your head…. Please do pass it on!
Thursday, October 19, 2006
traffic jam
its pretty strange how weather can effect EVERYTHING!
i was stuck in a traffic jam today for the first time on my way to work.
Background:
i travel by a rickety bus for around one hour to reach office. The usual scenario is like this...
70% of the people are catching up on their last bits of sleep before another dreary day at work
20% are trying to read the newspaper
8% just listen to the radio
2% think about various things, like what they should have said when so-snd-so said that, how the dinner was yesterday, what work is lined up today, methods of poisoning the whole RnD dept etc...
but by and large 100% of the people are in a semi crabby state of mind.
So today when we settled into what looked like a never ending traffic jam, i was curious to see what would everybody do....
but the weather was more than perfect, - it was a little clowdy, a slight cool late october breeze, and the whole world looked light blue....
and the bus transformed!
people jumped out of the bus to go for a walk, smoke a bit, a few started making plans for the bus to take a detour and never reach office, a few bumped up the volume of the radio... jokes about delhi traffic etiquette
Everybody was almost disappointed when the traffic cleared, and the day was back to normal again!
i was stuck in a traffic jam today for the first time on my way to work.
Background:
i travel by a rickety bus for around one hour to reach office. The usual scenario is like this...
70% of the people are catching up on their last bits of sleep before another dreary day at work
20% are trying to read the newspaper
8% just listen to the radio
2% think about various things, like what they should have said when so-snd-so said that, how the dinner was yesterday, what work is lined up today, methods of poisoning the whole RnD dept etc...
but by and large 100% of the people are in a semi crabby state of mind.
So today when we settled into what looked like a never ending traffic jam, i was curious to see what would everybody do....
but the weather was more than perfect, - it was a little clowdy, a slight cool late october breeze, and the whole world looked light blue....
and the bus transformed!
people jumped out of the bus to go for a walk, smoke a bit, a few started making plans for the bus to take a detour and never reach office, a few bumped up the volume of the radio... jokes about delhi traffic etiquette
Everybody was almost disappointed when the traffic cleared, and the day was back to normal again!
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Nightmares
Time and again one realizes that 'abstract associations' are the crux of design. In design one is constantly searching for abstract associations/ metaphors that are very close to being universal so that the product's semantics are communicative.
Now, why I've named this blog 'nighmares' is because I have been having too many of them for the past five nights. And I usually tend to remember my dreams... So, what's skriking me, now that I am forced to think about it, is the amount of abstract association that plays in dreams. When one sits to analyze a dream... It actually often makes sense, and it astounds ME that it was MY mind that conjured up THAT mix of metaphors and story... and it actually HAS meaning!
Since fear has been central in my dreams lately... I've been trying to read the metaphors like:
losing teeth - fear of aging?
losing clothes - vulnerability?
losing hair - fear of loss of beauty?
snakes...
well there's more... But the point here being that perhaps dreams HAVE a higher connect with 'reality'. Ones OWN reality. Storyteller have understood this connect between 'dream' and 'reality' since time... What I was wondering was that can this have any value while 'storytelling through products'?
Now, why I've named this blog 'nighmares' is because I have been having too many of them for the past five nights. And I usually tend to remember my dreams... So, what's skriking me, now that I am forced to think about it, is the amount of abstract association that plays in dreams. When one sits to analyze a dream... It actually often makes sense, and it astounds ME that it was MY mind that conjured up THAT mix of metaphors and story... and it actually HAS meaning!
Since fear has been central in my dreams lately... I've been trying to read the metaphors like:
losing teeth - fear of aging?
losing clothes - vulnerability?
losing hair - fear of loss of beauty?
snakes...
well there's more... But the point here being that perhaps dreams HAVE a higher connect with 'reality'. Ones OWN reality. Storyteller have understood this connect between 'dream' and 'reality' since time... What I was wondering was that can this have any value while 'storytelling through products'?
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
creativity and honesty - a link
Also i wonder why i can't keep my blogs clear of personal angst.
I almost feel jealose of the very interesting and purely 'idea oriented' blogs that i see.
but then a thought stuck me... a strange thought...
... that 'creativity' is the highest form of 'honesty'... ok, iknow that sounds outrageous.. but let me see if i can put my thoughts across... that creative people use their freedom with honesty or lack of inhibitions as their fuel... and thats whats different about them,.... musicians write about love, heartbreak, protest etc... its very bare emotion centric... artists make paintings about normal people and snippets of their life.. or pour their love for god, onto the canvas... film makers..( some) rely on telling 'honest' stories... either illustrating crazily real and quirky people, or about honest magical dreams... but whats the common person about creative thought is that it reveals a nakedness of emotion, and truth, that even they don't show to themselves......
makes any sense?
I almost feel jealose of the very interesting and purely 'idea oriented' blogs that i see.
but then a thought stuck me... a strange thought...
... that 'creativity' is the highest form of 'honesty'... ok, iknow that sounds outrageous.. but let me see if i can put my thoughts across... that creative people use their freedom with honesty or lack of inhibitions as their fuel... and thats whats different about them,.... musicians write about love, heartbreak, protest etc... its very bare emotion centric... artists make paintings about normal people and snippets of their life.. or pour their love for god, onto the canvas... film makers..( some) rely on telling 'honest' stories... either illustrating crazily real and quirky people, or about honest magical dreams... but whats the common person about creative thought is that it reveals a nakedness of emotion, and truth, that even they don't show to themselves......
makes any sense?
another chapter
my fear actually is that i have forgotten how to write.
its been too long. in fact the fear is that everything will sound the way it is sounding... very vague, too self consious... and utterly boring.
but there is so much to say... a whole new chapter ( if i can call it that) has written itself..., life had become so incredebly dull ... that i think i dove into a ready plot of tragidy!
Its strange how hungry people can sense each other... by hungry here i mean nothing explicit.... i mean people with intricate fault.. people who need people.. people who mess things up, people who can help each other, people who end up just doing again, what they were trying to run away from.... patterns do repeat. And everytime they do, i wonder if it was cause i was running away from it, or was it cause i was running towards it...
One thing i like about now, is that this is perhaps the first time i am walking away with no albatros of guilt.
its been too long. in fact the fear is that everything will sound the way it is sounding... very vague, too self consious... and utterly boring.
but there is so much to say... a whole new chapter ( if i can call it that) has written itself..., life had become so incredebly dull ... that i think i dove into a ready plot of tragidy!
Its strange how hungry people can sense each other... by hungry here i mean nothing explicit.... i mean people with intricate fault.. people who need people.. people who mess things up, people who can help each other, people who end up just doing again, what they were trying to run away from.... patterns do repeat. And everytime they do, i wonder if it was cause i was running away from it, or was it cause i was running towards it...
One thing i like about now, is that this is perhaps the first time i am walking away with no albatros of guilt.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
planning
Need to clear cobwebs...
what all do i want to do in the next few months?
NOT what i have been doing for the past few months...
write the paper on humor in taboo form language products
read Something interesting to keep my brain alive
Sniff around and figure out what to study next
Play more music
Swim
travel
hmmm ...
what all do i want to do in the next few months?
NOT what i have been doing for the past few months...
write the paper on humor in taboo form language products
read Something interesting to keep my brain alive
Sniff around and figure out what to study next
Play more music
Swim
travel
hmmm ...
Thursday, March 30, 2006
TIME
been a month now in this place..
So many jumbled thoughts...so much to say... and of course...Confusion.
my days are so full suddenly, - but the strange thing is that i look back at a week, - and really can't figure, what I filled it with.... work is strange, - with very little space for original creative ideas...Actually there is time... but it'll involve a lot of self innitiative.... and i don't have the energy for that....
Keep getting a good idea here and there, - but taking that idea, and turning it into a proposal, - or making a presentation seems like a mammoth effort...
while thinking out my plan, - this script that i am following, - it seems good, - but that same scary thing is happening again... time is again flying and everytime a month goes by, - and i honestly don't know what i did in it , - i get scared.... i don't want to feel that way after 10 years.....
drifting is hell of a scary thing, - cause its aimless, control-less, lacks speed.... So what happens is that after a longish while you land up at a place do did not intend on landing up into, you're even more lost than before, - back tracking is rarely an option, perhaps the only decision left is WHEN you want to stop drifting... and then things truly begin...
My point being that i'm afraid i'm drifting.
Hmm - this song seems to say it all:
Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
You fritter and waste the hours in an off hand way
Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way
Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain
You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today
And then one day you find ten years have got behind you
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun
And you run and you run to catch up with the sun, but it’s sinking
And racing around to come up behind you again
The sun is the same in the relative way, but you’re older
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death
Every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time
Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the english way
The time is gone, the song is over, thought I’d something more to say
Home, home againI like to be here when I can
And when I come home cold and tired
It’s good to warm my bones beside the fire
Far away across the field
The tolling of the iron bell
Calls the faithful to their knees
To hear the softly spoken magic spells.
So many jumbled thoughts...so much to say... and of course...Confusion.
my days are so full suddenly, - but the strange thing is that i look back at a week, - and really can't figure, what I filled it with.... work is strange, - with very little space for original creative ideas...Actually there is time... but it'll involve a lot of self innitiative.... and i don't have the energy for that....
Keep getting a good idea here and there, - but taking that idea, and turning it into a proposal, - or making a presentation seems like a mammoth effort...
while thinking out my plan, - this script that i am following, - it seems good, - but that same scary thing is happening again... time is again flying and everytime a month goes by, - and i honestly don't know what i did in it , - i get scared.... i don't want to feel that way after 10 years.....
drifting is hell of a scary thing, - cause its aimless, control-less, lacks speed.... So what happens is that after a longish while you land up at a place do did not intend on landing up into, you're even more lost than before, - back tracking is rarely an option, perhaps the only decision left is WHEN you want to stop drifting... and then things truly begin...
My point being that i'm afraid i'm drifting.
Hmm - this song seems to say it all:
Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
You fritter and waste the hours in an off hand way
Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way
Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain
You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today
And then one day you find ten years have got behind you
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun
And you run and you run to catch up with the sun, but it’s sinking
And racing around to come up behind you again
The sun is the same in the relative way, but you’re older
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death
Every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time
Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the english way
The time is gone, the song is over, thought I’d something more to say
Home, home againI like to be here when I can
And when I come home cold and tired
It’s good to warm my bones beside the fire
Far away across the field
The tolling of the iron bell
Calls the faithful to their knees
To hear the softly spoken magic spells.
Friday, February 24, 2006
hmmmm, and this is the last week before i again jump into a new chapter.
this week was packed, almost like i know i need to sleep all i want, dance all i want, read all i want... cause after this it will be long time of just getting used to a whole new way of being in delhi...
deicided to work where i will be working after sooooo much debate, so much reason, and the funny thing is that i don't even know if it will actually be something i will Remotely enjoy! strange how i managed to make up mind without even once asking whether i will Enjoy this.... all the reasons are so ... well.. academic, and if someone were to point blank ask me, - will you enjoy doing this.... i'd have to say .... No.... but still, it makes so much sense...
perhaps i will do a job i love..... but not now...
this week was packed, almost like i know i need to sleep all i want, dance all i want, read all i want... cause after this it will be long time of just getting used to a whole new way of being in delhi...
deicided to work where i will be working after sooooo much debate, so much reason, and the funny thing is that i don't even know if it will actually be something i will Remotely enjoy! strange how i managed to make up mind without even once asking whether i will Enjoy this.... all the reasons are so ... well.. academic, and if someone were to point blank ask me, - will you enjoy doing this.... i'd have to say .... No.... but still, it makes so much sense...
perhaps i will do a job i love..... but not now...
Saturday, December 17, 2005
beginings
time to start planning again. its been about 1 month of blank space now. well i did want some free time, but perhaps it should not spin out of control.
its time to start something new. what i really want is to work on project basis, where i only need to work on ONE exciting project. a project that needs me to do some extensive research, research that really means something.. research that brings some new insights to forefront. and then some eally exciting design work. don't know if i want to be in delhi for this or not.
need to start looking.
its time to start something new. what i really want is to work on project basis, where i only need to work on ONE exciting project. a project that needs me to do some extensive research, research that really means something.. research that brings some new insights to forefront. and then some eally exciting design work. don't know if i want to be in delhi for this or not.
need to start looking.
Friday, December 09, 2005
music
a few days ago i went for a small music concert...
they did all kinds of music, the singers were very obviously enjoying themselves. the beat was fun, and i strangely could not keep the tears out of my eyes. Instead of simpy enjoying a good concert, i felt left out. Something i had not let myself think about for so long, just lunged at me from the stage...
where has all the music in my life gone? if i dared to be honest, wouldn't i still love to sing... wouldn't i love to part of this group that was creating all of that...
ever since i lost my voice i just locked the whole world of music and stayed away from it... but what should i do? i miss it so much..
and since i have opened this crazy pandora's box.... out come the same old questions...there are so many things i want to do, so many things that i could become briliant at, if i gave it its due time... but why do i just never stick to ANY one of my fancies for long enough? its almost as if while i begin to become good at one thing, a crazy fear siezes me that i'm loosing out on everything else... i move on, and pick something else... and the cycle repeats...
is this the way it is always going to be?
they did all kinds of music, the singers were very obviously enjoying themselves. the beat was fun, and i strangely could not keep the tears out of my eyes. Instead of simpy enjoying a good concert, i felt left out. Something i had not let myself think about for so long, just lunged at me from the stage...
where has all the music in my life gone? if i dared to be honest, wouldn't i still love to sing... wouldn't i love to part of this group that was creating all of that...
ever since i lost my voice i just locked the whole world of music and stayed away from it... but what should i do? i miss it so much..
and since i have opened this crazy pandora's box.... out come the same old questions...there are so many things i want to do, so many things that i could become briliant at, if i gave it its due time... but why do i just never stick to ANY one of my fancies for long enough? its almost as if while i begin to become good at one thing, a crazy fear siezes me that i'm loosing out on everything else... i move on, and pick something else... and the cycle repeats...
is this the way it is always going to be?
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