Category: Inspiration
Simply Measured. Simply Inspiring.
I could not be happier when I read the news that my friends at Simply Measured raised another round of funding. Read the full article on Geek Wire
I remember the days of Damon and Aviel co-working at Elysian or Murphy’s Pub (still happens though!) and building their product and it makes me so happy to see how much they have grown. Never in my life have I met two guys who are so in love with what they do. They’re not guys who just decided to form a startup because it’s trendy or so they can “go to South By” to network, but love building things.
In a city where it seems that people care about talking about what they do, it is so refreshing to always be around guys who sometimes don’t have time to talk … Read More »
Starting with the man in the mirror
Every morning I wake up, I do these things: Check the time, take a shower, brush my teeth and listen to Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror.” The King of Pop is my hero and inspiration in everything I do, and I dare someone not get inspired after hearing this song. So often in our society we look at other people to blame, where in reality, we should be looking at ourselves.
Times when I think about this song:
When it comes to relationships, is there something I can do better to make it healthy and happy?
At work, is there ways I can be a better designer to help clients and give them what they deserve?
What is one thing I can do today to be a better person? Can I do it in less than 10 minutes?
Granted, the projections of other people … Read More »
Post-Impressionism is most impressive
I always thought I was a Baroque man. Like they say in Beauty & the Beast, “if it’s Baroque, don’t fix it!” My heart belonged to Rome for multiple reasons. However, after being in Paris for an indefinite amount of time, I’m starting to fall in love with the city. The city of lights has given me the opportunity to look, but more importantly, re-look.
Post Impressionism was a movement I never really appreciated in the art history books. Today I went to look at some of Monet’s Water Lily paintings. Damn, those guys could paint. They indeed, captured the essence.
Thank you Paris for making me take the time to look at things and appreciate.
Ichi-go Ichi-e. One Encounter. One Opportunity
Ichi-go ichi-e (一期一会, literally “one time, one meeting”) is a Japanese term that describes a cultural concept often linked with famed tea master Sen no Rikyu. The term is often translated as “for this time only,” “never again,” or “one chance in a lifetime.”
This Zen Buddhist saying was adapted by Samurai culture: you cannot get any moments back. The lesson being that you should make them all count. It’s a good lesson. One encounter with their enemy, one opportunity to make a strike. The outcome of that one action can determine the fate of his life. It’s quite a beautiful saying. Similar is Japanese style painting, who take one swift brush stroke. The mark they make is forever embedded on the paper.
This is by far one of my favorite sayings ever, and I try my best to live my … Read More »
Reading in the midst of inspiration
Inspiration is vital to a creative person—or any person for that matter. Barcelona, Spain is one of the most inspiring places I’ve been to. Perhaps it is the layers of history that has created such a vast resource of creativity. The United States has only been a few hundred years old, so we have a lot of catching up to do. We’ll get there, I’m sure of it.
This photo is of one of my favorite places. It’s a small park behind Sagrada Familia. It’s no bigger than 1000 sq ft but has a pond that is surrounded by park benches. I sat here to get inspired, whether it was reading a book on my kindle, looking at the massive Modernist church in the background or people watching.
I ended up reading here for about three hours before it started raining and … Read More »
The inspiration of Jack Dorsey
There is only one Steve Jobs. In the not-too-distant-future, we’ll say “there is only one Jack Dorsey.” Jack is quickly becoming one of my greatest inspirations—simply love his work ethic and the way he seeks inspiration. Because of Jack, I now take daily walks to both seek ideas and try to have them come to me during my walks. I try to look at new things, but just as importantly, re-look at things. For example, I somehow never noticed that you can spell “hi” on one hand on a keyboard, despite typing it all the time:
Here is a great lecture Jack gave on inspiration. My favorite quote is “It’s not what we can build. It’s what we can take away.”
Daft Punk's Alive 2007 Encore—Amazing
I wish I could have been there. The convergence of visuals and sound is just amazing. Looks like it was a Hell of an electric bill as well.
How Jay-Z got his stage name
This is not news to some people, but definitely for me. I knew Jay-Z was from Brooklyn New York, but didn’t know how he got his stage name. During my trip to New York I took the subway to Brooklyn and saw this sign. It was as clear as day…JZ.
I looked it up on Wikipedia (because everything on there is true) and confirmed that it was an inspiration for him.
Creativity is everywhere. It’s a matter of us to see it.
The song that made me go to New York
Heard this song when I was 13 years old and knew I had to go here.
Why I trust EVERYONE
When it comes to strangers, I don’t believe in them. A lot of my friends are hesitant to meet new people. At my first stop in a recent trip to San Francisco, I saw this sign that wrote “There are no strangers here, just friends we haven’t met.” I truly believe that. For me, I’d rather be wrong than have a negative perception of someone.
Here’s to finding out everyone’s story.
