Jazzed in NOLA

I'm back to blogging with my first post in over 2 years - too, too long. All good since this will start me off right - my trip to New Orleans for both business and pleasure. It's been over 10 years since I've been and let me just say, I'm forever inspired. The agency I work for, momentum, held a creative summit there during the same time my kids' spring break took place. Packed up the whole family and drove 700 miles down. Here's some highlights:

A behind the scenes tour of some parade floats




Can't pass up a stop at the voodoo store - pure visual joy!



And a stop at the world famous Hansen's Sno-Bliz



And an awe-inspiring performance by Glen David Andrews

Science Guys

The past three weeks have been all about investigation, discovery and analysis. No, we're not ridding our home of pests (although that process would surely fall under scientific study). Rather, we've been hard at work putting together our first Science Fair project - How Does Mass Affect Distance of a Catapulted Object? Honestly, second-grade science has taught me a thing or two: mass in grams is not the same as weight in pounds (and it's extremely hard to find a proper scale to weigh something less than 1 gram); no matter what the object is being catapulted, you need a very long, flat surface to calculate your results or the object will vanish into cracks and crevasses we'd rather not retrieve from; and as much as we would have liked to use those big 3 and 4 inch foil balls, they don't fit into a film canister lid glued to a jumbo stick at a 20° angle. All and all, a fun process for my son and myself. He worked really hard and stuck it out until the very end (staying up late was probably his favorite part). And now that he's brought home a blue ribbon, we couldn't be prouder. Onward to districts and hopefully metro (did I just say that?) UPDATE 3.12.09: District Blue Ribbon Winner!

Ten Things

I'm preparing yet another presentation for the AIGA Student Conference here next week. Ten Things I've Learned From My Second-Grader compares the trials and tribulations of growing up in a creative household to those of eager students waiting to embark on a very important life journey. This snippet is a work-in-progress of the opening title sequence and intro segment for lesson no.10 - collaboration - and the need to surround yourself with positive influencers, thought leaders and those you'd like to learn from. Now on to the other nine.

Mr. President

My son, Clark, who'll be 6 in April, wrote a letter to President Obama. "He's running for the White House, dad, and won." Very observant young democrat.

Hand Out

I recently spoke to a group of junior/senior graphic design students at my alma mater. I presented to the AIGA St. Louis community late spring commemorating my Fellow Award honor and would retool the presentation for this audience. This was somewhat exciting considering I graduated there 20 years ago. The presentation theme was about my creative path, in general, how I veered off and started new paths, and followed paths that would lead to new opportunities. For obvious reasons, I used my hand as the dominant visual but incorporated the language of palm reading as a metaphor. Needless to say, the poster was a hit and now a template for future presentation promotions.

Weed & Feed

If anyone out there has any question that Missouri is a swing state - look no further. When our second-grader came home from school with his 'political action' poster and we saw that great footnote at the bottom, I realized these commercials and radio spots impact more than just mom and dad!

I Heart NY

We recently returned from an incredible trip to NYC. Many sites to see, restaurants to dine and things to buy. What I find most fascinating about this city is access to anything almost 24/7 and the fact that New Yorkers pretty much know everything there is to know about everything. I see a future for our son, Reid, here someday!