The 37 second mark of this track is surely what heaven sounds like… and again at 1:48. From the I Heard the Angels Singing Electrifying Black Gospel collection. Listen below.

Slacking on your holiday shopping? Order your Church of Powder Day Saints T today to receive in time for X-mas. Besides, what better way to celebrate ole JC’s birthday than to wear him on your chest? Remember to use SHOPLOCAL at checkout for 20% off.

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12 O’Clock Boys Exclusive Trailer. This is what raw talent looks like. Can you imagine the riders these kids would be if they had the opportunity to get off the streets and ride a real track. It would only take a fraction of the money and resources Red Bull spends on one of their stunts to get these kids an endorsement deal.

Grandma stood under 5 feet tall, but she left some big shoes to fill. Even after her death, she continues to inspire me to do better on both a professional and personal level.

My grandmother’s death was unexpected. While ultimately better for Grandma, it was a shock for the family and the many lives she impacted. My grandma devoted her life to the church, and while she could be set in her ways, Grandma was one of the most compassionate and loving people to ever live. Every year, Grandma and Grandpa together would set out to give a bag of groceries to just about every family in need in Monroe County. The lives they’ve touched over the years are immeasurable, a fact that was ever apparent at Grandma’s visitation, which had a line out the the door the entire time. Who was the last person you stood in line over an hour to see lie in a casket?

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As a designer, you enjoy building things for other people’s use. Your value is determined by the degree to which you can empathize with groups of people around a given topic. Historically, this relationship has required a large(r) company to act as mediator for the emotional mass-transaction. Companies provide you with an audience inasmuch as they have customers, and that’s enough for you because you just want to design stuff that solves stuff.

The internet kills all middlemen.

You now have direct access to the raw vein of popular attention. The pixels you’re pushing have a higher exchange rate than you’re giving yourself credit for. No hounding client payroll, no selling other people’s stuff, no building other people’s wealth, no nephew’s cousins stepping in with the authority to change everything you’ve been working on.

Designer Ben Pieratt speaking some truth.

The man upstairs is back by popular demand with the Church of Powder Day Saints. Locally designed and screen printed on the super hip and comfy Next Level Tri-Blend, our T’s are some of the softest in the West. As always, this shirt was made with posthumously-baptizing free labor practices. Don’t miss out on this second coming.

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It might be -18° here in Park City, but it’s bike season somewhere. Check out my photo essay from a road trip earlier this fall to Gooseberry Mesa. Featuring my wonderful wife & the Neko monster in front of the lens.

Gooseberry Mesa Adventure Essay >

Design is not only an act of creation, but an act of what to create… You are responsible for the work you put into the world as well as for the effects that work has on the world.

Mike Monteiro from Webstock 2103

Mike’s call to arms, which is posted below, should be mandated viewing for anyone who calls themselves a designer. If you don’t think design has the power to influence change, solve real problems, and determine policy, just look at the Healthcare.gov fiasco. We have the power to be more than cake decorators folks. Step up and own your work.

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I’ll admit… I’m a slacker and was too busy standing in line at Best Buy last week for a free VCR to get this posted. But, as it turns out, you don’t need some phony corporate holiday to buy shit. Your hard-earned dollars are just as welcome on Regular Ol’ Tuesday as they are on Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, & Cyber Monday.

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It’s hard to reconcile our lives on days like this. We’re told to live like there’s no tomorrow. Follow our passions to the fullest. That we only get one go on this Earth. However, with these notions come a sense of responsibility. To do what’s right. To be selfless and take care of those we love, no matter the cost or personal sacrifice. Especially when it comes to family.

I’ve always tended to be a bit on the selfish side, and I’ll always carry a level of guilt with me for moving away from home. I know you are proud of me, however I also know there’s nothing you wouldn’t have done for me to be closer. Though you can rest peacefully in knowing your spirit lives on through me and will continue so until the day we’re reunited. The strong, while at times harsh, sense of honesty and wit. Your commitment to your beliefs. The desire to live life with purpose and on your terms. An unapologetic attitude for who you were, your roots and your path have all shaped and made me the person I am today.

In everything there is balance. As such, there must be balance between following our own hearts, as well as fulfilling our obligations as friends, family, and humans, who were all put here to help each other pull through to the other side. Perhaps I failed at finding this balance with you, a burden I will carry with me the rest of my life. A hard lesson learned, and a little too late, though be it one I will never take for granted or forget.

I love you Grandma. I’ll always cherish the times we had together. I’m sorry I didn’t call as often as I could have. I promise to drive carefully and be good.

Forever yours, with a heavy, grieving heart.
Grandson

In remembrance of my Grandma, Naomi Ruth Deckard 1936 – 2013. Pictured here the last time we were together on my wedding day in Milton, Kentucky.