‘Design’ Category

  1. winter cleaning

    January 11, 2004 :: 11:35 pm

    I am updating my website, and drastically overhauling the design. I’m using kind of the same basic design as I use on this page. I really like the way this page is set up and the way it works in a technical sense. I am very proud of the CSS I wrote for it. The rest of my website will soon be fully CSS enabled. Like you care, I know!

    Anyway, many things will change. I hope to have it complete this week, then on to the next project, which is either going to be A) finishing that painting on the easel in the garage, B) working on a DVD project (maybe Christmas, maybe a slideshow, maybe a music video), or C) starting writing on the next book. I need to do “C,” but probably will opt for A initially, then B later on.

    I’m having trouble typing tonight because I paper-cut my left index finger tip, or rather, I foil-cut it trying to get the foil lid off a tub of blue cheese crumbles. I’m typo-ing every other word.

    Last night I was having a series of weird dreams with very vivid and drastic imagery. I think that John and Melanie Lanning were in it (we spent the evening with them last night). It involved large semi trucks on fire, burning tires, tornadoes, cats, basements, houses I suddenly didn’t recognize, and lots of other strange things that unnerved me.

    I’ve been trying to ignore the news for the past few days, so I don’t know what stupid things that our leaders have done or what crazy ways the media is reporting it (or not). Tomorrow, it’s back to the routine.


  2. the value of things

    July 11, 2002 :: 7:19 pm

    Today I got a taste of what it’s like to design by committee. I feel like I might as well be a trained monkey for all the creativity/originality I will get to bring to the table. That’s a story for another day, though.

    My boss was on vacation in New Mexico, and was shocked at how expensive the Native American crafts and art was. He asked me, as an artist, wouldn’t you sell something at a lower price (say, a small rug for $500 instead of $5000) in order that more people could afford it, and thus increase the number of people buying your art… thus increasing your popularity AND your overall sales? Assuming that your product was just as good as everyone else around you? I said that I don’t know if it really works that way. In theory he’s right, I think, but you also have to look at pricing your work competitively in order to maintain “status.” For example, a $5000 rug is perceived as somehow more valuable than a $500 rug, even if they are exactly the same thing.

    BUT… (and this is a big but)… I think it’s this type of thinking that causes us to STOP thinking. Take for instance the ridiculous farce known as major league sports. WHY in the world should a guy who basically runs around with a ball for a living make multimillions every year? Well, it’s because that’s what everyone else in his field gets, and if he played for a lower salary, people would perceive him as a less valuable player. Right? So is it all about keeping up appearances??

    Maybe they should just chop the salaries of all professional sports players in half and use that additional money to supplement public school teacher salaries. If I was president of the world, that’s what I’d do.