It's been a season for me of doing things I've never tried before the least of which is growing a mustache. I'll get to the why of that in a sec. Other things I have been trying of late. No carbs after 3pm, attending a gym regulary, volunteering while learning to say no, starting a new business and being a dad of a teenager. There's more but thats the gist of things for now.

Here are a few observations I've made while doing some of these different activities.

Taking risks helps you appreciate what you have. Contentment often kills creativity. I'm physically capable of doing more than I thought like dragging a weighted tire over 100 yards. Taking time to talk with and listen to my daughters is more important than I ever realized. I can live on much less than I thought. Time is very precious. I have an amazing wife who is as beautiful as she is selfless. I love being a creative and I have so much more to do and learn. Friends matter and who you hang around with does affect your outlook on life, and finally following your dreams will keep you up a night, but its also one of the most rewarding things you can do.

With all this I hope I'm gainging some knowledge I hope to turn that into some wisdom too. Bottom line I have re discovered just how insanely curious I am about life. I enjoy trying to unravel the mystery of it and also having fun along the way.

Before stache shot Nov 1, 2011

As for the mustache growing this November its sort of a "well why not" and it's an activity that raises funds and awareness for cancers that men deal with, prostrate and testicular to be exact. The other part of it is it's kinda goofy and fun and I endorse anything that's about being ridiculous. If you want to read more about that or donate visit... http://mobro.co/leitgrow

If you took time to read all of this thanks, I appreciate it. Stay curious and do some different stuff. You won't be sorry and hurry up times a wasting.

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The fam took a trip to RiNo to see an odd yet beautiful performance art piece in Denver today. For more detailed info go to http://www.playing-apart.com/index.html

Okay its old news in designville but the typical thing you hear is... "I'm a print designer, and I want to embrace the future but I don't know how." I get this, I've been there and at times I still feel like I think that way.

For me I learn by doing. When I learned to ski I spent forever with my girlfriend on the bunny hill just waisting time. She had this odd training method of every time I stood up on my skis she pushed me down. The pride slicing technique was semi rude but very effective. I learned to stand and not fall over. Still I was going no where. It wasn't till we got on the real slopes that I figured out how to work my skis. Something clicked in my brain and I progressed. Same thing with design and the digital realm. You just dive in, or "flee into the future". It takes time, you make mistakes but eventually you start to get it.  You begin to see the vast potential and how it applies to your own design.

It helps when you learn things to follow people who do it better than you, Jessica Hische for me is that type of person. She's a designers designer who isn't afraid to go digital and use the web and new technology to explore and enjoy type and all things visual. Jessica makes it look effortless and and pulls it off with an amazing sense of style. Check her site out at http://jessicahische.is/awesome/

or you can just see her speak tonight at DAM and get inspired to explore design and dive into the amazing digitally connected world we live in. Hurry though tix won't be on sale past noon I hear.

http://www.aigacolorado.org/index.php?id=166&event_id=167

Back in Jr. High, my music teacher Rick Pilgrim introduced me to some music I had never heard of before. Artists like Laurie Anderson, Lou Reed and a really strange electronic recording by Japanese artist Isao Tomita. Mr. Tomita's 1975 electronic recording re interpreted, Modest Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, a piano suite composed in 1874. Mussorgsky composed the music to depict an imaginary tour of an art collection. This explains the wide range of sounds in the compostion itself that takes all sorts of musical left and right turns.

Being 12 and listening to this helped me imagine fantasy worlds filled with uncharted destinations and ideas that had endless possibilities. Sometimes spooky, other times hillarious and often serene this recording planted a creative seed in my head that still informs a lot of what I do today. I recently stumbled on it on line and I have been enjoying it over the last few days.

"Isao Tomita was born in Tokyo in 1932, and at the age of three moved to China with his father, where he remained for five years before returning to Japan. As a student he took private lessons in composition, orchestration and theory while reading art history at Keio University in Tokyo. At the same time, he honed his art and supported himself by composing for local orchestras." www.isaotomita.net

The recording does sound dated, but its just as fantastic today as it was then. Here is a sample you can listen to 

Thanks to teachers like Mr. Pilgrim who inspire students to discover new sounds, and encourage them to dream big and see that the world is an amazing place to live and create in.