We hit the road this weekend for a quick trip to Moab in-lieu of closing day. Although only able to get in one ride, the famed Porcupine Rim trail never ceases to dish out the thrills and is well worth the drive in itself. Today some weather moved through and while disrupting our plans to ride Gold Bar, certainly enhanced the drive back north.

Above: Jim rolling around on the dining room table.
Below: Rufio hucking off the dining room table.

See ya’ll in a couple weeks at the Fruita Fat Tire Festival.

Taking the long way home through East Canyon. Mud season be damned.

It’s 2010… everything has been done before. All you can do is something someone else has done before, except do it better or differently.

From Michael Winterbottom’s 2010 film, The Trip

A visual guide to an adventurous spring. Filled with red rock, campfires, bicycles, and sunshine. Tis the season to come out of your hole, get out of town, and fill your lungs with that warm desert sun.

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After returning from that ordeal to resume work and rejoin the internet, everything seemed like trivial bullshit—because it was. Disingenious money grabs highlighted themselves. Haters’ words lost their put-on quaintness and looked like hatespeak. Bad content looked like noise, loud promotion looked like desperation, and all speed was stupid. And it was startling how often loud, stupid, and desperate all came together, as if they were a bundled package given to anyone without confidence in the value of what they were saying.

Frank Chimero

I can completely relate to where Frank is coming from. This past November I lost my Grandma. She was the first close family member that I’ve lost, which makes me more fortunate than most. Afterwards, I wrote about the impact the death of my Grandmother had on me professionally as well as my growing frustration within my current role as a designer, which echoed closely with Frank’s above sentiment.

Now after having had a few months pass, the cynicism I once felt isn’t as sharp, however I still haven’t found the right balance between creating work that has an impact and paying the bills. I’m sure striking this accord is one of life’s great achievements, and perhaps I’m naive in thinking I should have it figured out at 29 years old. That’s what 30’s for right? Let’s hope so, but until then, I’m going to simply resolute to “share what I know.” Which, as it turns out, isn’t as much as I’d like.

The above passage was taken from Frank Chimero’s post, This One’s for Me, in which he writes about returning to work after losing his parents.

John Denver’s full of shit, Townes was the original mountain gangster. Born this day in 1944.

On the road today, I passed a new Lincoln MKZ. The car had some stylish lines, but what caught my eye in passing was the little flange on the fuel cover that sticks out and makes it possible to open with your finger. Almost all late-model cars, especially within the luxury market, have flush fuel covers that allow you to access the tank via interior button or other action. On the Lincoln, this detail seems a flaw that would escape all but the most discerning eyes, but nevertheless, a remnant of inattention that leaves the car looking unrefined and lazy.

Will it affect how the car drives? Doubtful. Will it protect you in a crash? Certainly not. Does it make me want to buy a Lincoln? Nope. If Lincoln overlooks the little things, what else have they neglected to put the finishing touches on? As my father instilled in me, if something’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right. Mind your craft & sweat the small stuff.

In an effort to show my work, above is a mood board, or collage of some reference material for an illustration I’m working on. Mood boards are useful for not only establishing a sense of style and direction, but for providing technical guidance.

Read why I am documenting my process and showing my work.

With the annual East Coast invasion of Park City, better known as President’s Day weekend, we thought it wise to escape the Joey Fest and headed south to Diamond Fork Canyon for a little adventure to the Fifth Water Hot Springs.

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A lot of people are so used to just seeing the outcome of work. They never see the side of the work you go through to produce the outcome.

Michael Jackson

Austin based (seems to be a theme) writer & artist Austin Kleon has been a huge inspiration of mine. His most recent work, Show Your Work, focuses on process not product. Peeking behind the magician’s curtain is always as much, if not more, fun than the actual illusion. However, documenting your process can prove to be more effort than the actual work, and something I’ve struggled with in the past. Moving forward I’m going to make a concerted attempt to follow Kleon’s advice and share a piece of the puzzle from something I’ve been working on every day.

Read more about my process