Tag: Change

I’m moving to New York City

I have some bitter/sweet news to share with everyone. It is bitter because of how much I will miss everyone but sweet because of the fresh opportunity and adventure. After living in the Emerald City, a place I’ve called home for the last five years, I have decided to move to Brooklyn, New York.

My desire to move to the Big Apple was not a quick decision, but rather one brewing over the course of many years. In high school, I always talked to my art teacher about dreaming about New York to see Warhol paintings in real life and photography all the urban landscapes. After college I had the hope of going to grad school at The School of Visual Arts or Hunter College in which the opportunities did not pan out. Finally, I went to visit NYC with my college roommate Scott and it blew me away.

It was everything I hoped for and imagined…and more. I absolutely loved the pace there, and the people were so nice. Yes, I said New Yorkers were nice. After a few days in New York I realized, “you can ride the wave of energy or just get totally consumed by it.” I decided I want to choose the latter. There are so many people here—the best in the industry.

Dreamers are here. Hopeless romantics are here. Yeah, creeps are crackheads are here too, but you see where I’m going.

After returning from Europe I had this realization about Seattle. At first it was negative, but then it revealed it’s true self. My desire to move from Seattle is not “to get away from Seattle”, but rather, “to experience the rest of the world.” There is so much in the world I want to see.

My recent visit in September confirmed that I wanted to be in Brooklyn, New York. The place fits me like a glove and I feel like I’m in my element there.

So what’s next? Well, I’m going to sell everything and get rid of all my posessions, then move. The only thing I’m bringin: A bag of clothes, my Mac and my cat. I will continue to work with Xhatch Interactive and am excited about us having our presence in New York.

This is not an easy move for me. Five years of my life, important years, have been here in Seattle, Washington. I was raised in the Northwest, and I will dearly miss all of my friends I have made here, it it is a bit emotional for me to think about leaving everyone. Seattle may not be the city where I was born, but it was indeed the place that defined my identity and took care of me. I will be forever grateful.

The bitter is leaving my dear friends, but the sweet is the potential and opportunity. I am looking forward to people watching on the subway and long walks through the neighborhoods. Everything will be seen through a fresh lens. Let’s not forget I can easily go watch the New York Yankees play next Spring. I see New York as a place I can make a career here, meet new friends, converse with passing strangers, and hopefully meet that special person and fall in love.

There is much work to be done before I leave. No Sleep ‘Till Brooklyn.

P.S. Here’s a clip of Mike Doughty performing “The Idiot Kings”, one of the songs that inspired me to move to New York.
P.P.S. What’s that saying…”If I can move a 23 pound cat to New York, I can make it anywhere”? I think Sinatra said it.

+ david
P 10/29/2011
t Blog, Brooklyn, Personal
CBrooklyn, Change, New York, Seattle
9 4 Comments

My thoughts on Tac Anderson’s Change Story

My twitter friend Tac Anderson, whom I’ve never met, but soon will once I go to London to visit him, wrote a great post about his change story. As he felt compelled to record a video and share this very personal story, I was compelled to write my thoughts about his post. This video really touched my heart because I have a lot of friends going through a hard time similar to what Tac speaks of. I feel he and I seem to relate a lot on our emphasis on change (sometimes drastic) and what you need to do to re-invent your career.

Some of points I would like to touch on that Tac mentioned:

Sometimes you have to let things break all the way and build something new.
This one really touched me because I’ve been there before. I was in a job (not career) in an industry that I did not really want to pursue. My realization was I had to find a breaking point and completely separate from that industry and move into the User Experience Design industry.

Find that one thing you need to be where you want to be.
Probably the one thing that people forget about most. Tac mentioned that if you had everything you needed to do what you want to do, you would be doing this. So true. I don’t want to take this lightly either, but if you are looking for change, there is something you have to do about that change. The reality is, which is unfortunate, is that a lot of people are in this situation. There are a lot of qualified people trying to find work, and that makes things tough. You need to find something that will separate yourself from everyone. Maybe it’s a skill, or a professional connection, or a mentor.

I can’t stress enough how much getting a mentor can benefit.

The pressure put on men
This. This right here. This isn’t to say things are easier for women or that there is no pressure, but Tac hit it on the spot. This is something not often talked about. I come from a pretty traditional family where it is seen that the man is the provider. There are no pills tougher to swallow than this for men; to not be able to provide and support his family, or himself for that matter. This touches on the first point of somethings you have to meet the breaking point or hit rock bottom. That almost happened to me.

When I was at the job I didn’t see a future in, I quit in the midst of the collapse of the economy in 2008. I had a few months of rent saved up, but time was running out, and my plan was collapsing. I was getting no calls or interviews for design jobs that I was seeking. I was getting to the point that I thought I would have to find a job just to pay the bills, one that might be seen as humbling or (for lack of better words) “embarrassing” considering where I was before.

I knew I had about one month before I ran out of money, so I spent every day (literally) at Zoka coffee and started learning more HTML/CSS, UX Design and whatever I needed to find a job. Six weeks later, I got a job at ExactTarget. Yes, your math is correct. I ran out of money and had to put some charges on my credit card. However, I knew I had to go all the way with it.

Check out Tac’s full article here. Read the full story here. If you want to read my story, it’s here.

P.S. Never leave David + Tac in a room with Excel.

+ david
P 10/03/2011
t Personal
CCareer, Change, Tac Anderson, Thoughts
9 6 Comments

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 is something we can’t control, and sometimes they affect us. However, I can assure you there is so much we can work on as ourselves as inviduals in our lifetime that we don’t need to worry about other’s problems—can work on ourselves. By improving ourselves, we can help inspire those around us.

Change yourself. Change those around you. Change the world.

+ david
P 07/20/2011
t Inspiration
CChange, Man in the mirror, Michael Jackson
9 No Comments

Tag: Change

I’m moving to New York City

My thoughts on Tac Anderson’s Change Story

Starting with the man in the mirror

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