Evaluation
This site is far too cluttered. This site has a very low signal-to-noise ratio. This changes very soon. Perhaps it’s over designed… maybe not designed enough with the casual visitor in mind? Whatever the actual symptom, the fault is all mine. As I need to possess almost complete control of the web site creation process in order to solve it, I’ll be looking into designing AND developing with the most simple tools available.
Here’s a call for web design/development tools that are easy to use, implement and maintain so that I can bring myself above par within the internet’s over-populated everything.
5 of a Kind
I am going to undertake a little experiment that I believe will improve my organization as well as offer creative stimulation. This idea is comprised of two facets: 1) my organization of stuff and 2) taking on bite-sized creative challenges. I’ve visited this concept in the past, but only on the creative side; known as the “5 a Day” project by which I made five small illustrations a day. Turned out that was kind of tough to keep up with, but I think it was due to my lack of confidence in my own handskills.
This go ‘round will be slightly different and take into account that I have a hard time keeping a consistent schedule. The creative side of “5 of a Kind” will focus more on completing the task regardless of time rather than doing a timed task. In the case of something similar to “5 a Day,” I might do that once a week, as opposed to every day. Another example could be to create five typefaces (or studies). There won’t be a hard and fast deadline, but I don’t plan on stretching these things out.
As for getting a grasp on being more organized, the “5 of a Kind” concept will also extend to the physical space I take up. I will attempt to reduce my collection of crap to no more than 5 of each kind of item. This could be pants, shirts, pens (and/or pencils), Sharpies®, outside projects, number of days I possess a NetFlix DVD, piles of stuff on my desk (in, out, organize, check later, misc). Ultimately, I think that something as simple as reducing my wardrobe could go a long way towards efficiency and less time wasted.
That said, here’s to the first two tasks for this experiment. 5 Pairs of Pants (I’ll go with 3 jeans and 2 slacks). 5 Poster designs for “5 of a Kind.”
Restart
For over a decade, I’ve employed a particular URL for my web presence. SITE | tamashii has been an incredible starting point for me and was a great stomping ground to showcase what was going on in my design life. But that’s not me anymore. At least, it’s not as reflective of where I want my career to be heading. I’ve grown up a bit (not a lot) and feel like I should leave behind the “tamashii” name when in reference to my professional life. This isn’t to say I will completely ditch the name and URL. No, rather, I will simply repurpose sitetamashii.com for something else (of which, I have yet to determine). My online moniker will likely continue to be “tamashii” simply because I have pushed it around for so long and to far for so many entities.
So what am I doing here? That’s easy. This is me, in my industry, talking about things that interest me and have a huge bent toward the design/art fields. This is me showcasing what I like to do, be it in a professional capacity or via a more experimental and playful way. This is my portfolio, my musings, my talents and skills. This is why I chose my name for the address.
Thanks for stopping by and I look forward to growing with the site. There are still some kinks to work out (like almost every link actually acting as a link), but it’s definitely getting there. I’m not a developer, so I rely on the expertise of those who are (in this case, the ever awesome James Kersey: illustrator, coder, general mischief maker). See ya ’round!