JGoode

Designing with a focus

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I just ran across a great little write up asking “Where do you find your focus”, and it got me thinking. Where do I find my focus? Sometimes I really wonder if I have a focus or even know what focusing is. Sometimes I get so caught up in thought – letting one idea lead into the next – that I literally get lost in my own mind… there is no focus there.

Then I started really thinking about the topic – everything I do is focused around the idea that I have designs I want to share. I doodle and I want people to be able to see and enjoy the images. So everything I do revolves around the fact that my drawings exsist. Any marketing or promotion or site building I may do… all points to the jgoode originals I am hoping others will see, like and maybe even pass along.

That sounds like focus to me.

In my reply to the focusing comments, I said:
“I think everyone has their own “doodle” – it’s deciding what it is and why it is important that is the difficult part. Once this is determined, putting a focus to anything else involved is relatively simple.”.

I really do think it’s that simple. You need to find a single cause, topic, product (line), point or purpose and then put all your efforts into that single item’s success. I don’t mean a single t-shirt or single image. I mean a single whatever-you-want-it-to-be. Maybe it’s your entire business model… your whole family, the entire single community you live in. Maybe your single thing is your dream to be a great – fill in the blank -.

As a magnet on my refridgerator says…

Whatever you are, be a good one.

That, in my opinion, is finding a focus.

Tuesday's Topic: Draw your day

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I’ve said all along that my doodles are inspired by my “every day”. Every experience in any day can be and idea sparker for a design… for any of us. I’m fairly reactionary when it comes to creating new images. Sometimes I’ll sit and think about an idea for a while, but for the most part I tend to think “wow, that’s a neat picture” and I create it right then. Which is why lately I haven’t created much of anything. I think “wow – neat” and then rush off to the next whatever it is I need to handle.


Big raspberry pfffft – yeah right!
is what my “available drawing time” says to me now.

Keep in mind,
It’s always good advice to stop and think before you act. Don’t be reactionary is the general rule. However, I have a new suggestion for you:

Be reactionary about your idea process. If something sparks a thought, write it down, make yourself a note to think about it and consider it. Don’t necessarily act on it right then in the sense of making something happen.. but do let your ideas flow and allow them to flourish. Don’t discount an idea right at the moment you have it… you never know when it might be an idea that goes somewhere. besides, there’s nothing wrong with having a idea book of thoughts that do nothing but sit there and spark new thoughts —

This is what I call long lifetime brainstorming.

Maybe when you have enough ideas piled up, you’ll need a new bag to carry them around… Here’s my favorite idea bag:


Butterfly & Ladybug Tote Bag

What inspired this design idea? A lil’ love, a little sunshine and a lot of fluttering around with smelly yumminess I suppose.

What neat idea did you think up today?

Summertime Daisy

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I started out as a doodler, grew into the role of a designer for clients (advertising, print media), morphed with technology into website design and development and then found myself burnt out and unable to draw a single line. That’s when I picked up a camera just so I could add a bit of color back into my day.

This design is a combination of photography and digital design.


Gerber Daisy in Lavendar

I’ve been meaning to create more art like this. I love the combination of organic and geometric with a slightly crafty feel. However, an image has to somehow talk to me for me to create something new out of an already available visual. Lately all I hear are kids and digital noise – wow the world has gotten loud. So for the time being, enjoy this rare bit of art from me. There are others.. if you look for them.

Tuesdays Topic: scrumptiously cute veggies

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Today is eat all your vegetables day – oh yay!

We love vegetables in my house, so that won’t be a difficult thing to do for any of us. I don’t know how I got so lucky with my kids… they all love salad and a huge variety of cooked veggies. They’ve even tried some not so typical flavors – at least not typical in our town.

Some of our favorites include:
Corn on the cob – I think its just fun to chomp on something.
Broccoli with melted cheese
Peas and Carrots with a little butter and garlic salt
and of course loaded veggies salad – don’t forget the croutons!

So today’s featured doodle is Veggie Girl with smilie peas, corn, lettuce and a rather happy carrot… eat happy!

Today is also, National Apple Streudel Day, so when you finish all those veggies, give yourself a yummy treat! ~win

The Veggie Girl design is also available in a variety of t-shirts, buttons and more.

Flower Garden Pig

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This time of year most of my neighbors have already taken a day to plant pretty little beds of flowers. I, however, have taken an hour here and an hour there to do various gardening tasks. I still have 3 backs og mulch waiting to be spread. Packets of seeds waiting to be sowed. Most importantly I now have a lovely wagon full of blooms, still waiting to be planted. It never fails… I think i’ll have time, so i run and buy a handful of flowers I can hardly wait to plant and when I get home I realize I have no time left. Lets hope that Friday will be a good weather day.

Today’s featured design is a sunny green Garden Pig. She’s a pretty little piggy inspired to help bring out the beautiful blooming in any day. She’s available on t-shirts and tanks and even a few tiles.. good for garden decor.

Garden Pig

Everything is a little more sunshiney with a pretty little piggy near by… don’t you agree?

Tuesday's Topic: Commonalities in vibrant colors

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It seems to me, when there is an opportunity to sit and chat with people that have a single common interest with yourself… there is always an abunance of sharing to be had. Sometimes the conversation goes for a twisty ride and you’ll find yourself discovering topics you didn’t know you had an interest in. other times you’ll find your shared liked experiences are so similar you can’t believe someone else can related on such a close level.

I’ve always enjoyed meeting new people and hanging out with friends. I love finding out what others enjoy and why or where or what they like most. I always gain an appreciation for exploring areas I might not have known of before.

Over the past week I have had a number of opportunities to talk with people face-to-face that I otherwise only spoke with online via email or chat. I’ve strengthened current friendships, gained new friendships, gained new appreciations and understandings for people I hardly new and I’ve enjoyed every bit of it all.

I went to San Francisco over the weekend to meet up with peers and collegues. We talked, we laughed and debated… we listened and learned and brainstormed. I was able to talk one-on-one with a few people whom I only knew of as a screen name. I heard stories of how people got to where they are today and I “talked shop” in chaotic spurts.

The energy level was both invigorating and tiring, but absolutely well worth the trip. It’s a fabulous thing, when one works alone from home, to sit in a room full of like minds. There’s a new found motivation after leaving this type of event.

I returned home Sunday with new ideas and new friends.

Then…

Last night I hosted a little bbq dinner party. There were old and new friends… We ate, we chatted, we talked business. Our kids played together as if they had already been friends for a while and we all enjoyed eachothers company. A few of my guests I only met as they arrived at my door. Other friends I have known for years. We come from different areas of the country, have different backgrounds, but we all have one thing in common as a group… The internet. Each of us has some kind of work related connection to the internet; we’re affiliate marketers, designers and retail merchants and internet sales gurus.

As the night went on, we shared ideas, experiences, swapped stories about all kinds of things – work or not. By 10:30 or so we all began to call it night. I’m pretty sure if the need for sleep after a long day hadn’t kicked in, we would have all stayed up until the wee hours gabbing away.

I had a great time.

It amazes me how diverse our own little worlds are, and I often wonder how anyone can go walking through life without learning as much about people as I do… daily. The creative energy, determination and passion for one’s work that many I’ve met have… it’s truly inspiring. I wonder how I can do more or be better… without passing out from exhaustion first.

I think a great image for today’s thoughts is this scrumptious Banana Split We all bring different yummy flavors to the same fabulously delightful dish.

Tuesday's Topic: Appreciating pets and pals

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Oh happy day, it’s Tuesday! Again. That’s one thing that’s nice week after week, the consistency that you can rely on of the same days are going to eventually pop up again and again and again. Instinctively I’d usually say “Ho Hum!”. I’m not a big fan of the mundane. But, today I’ll say HooRay! Because it is the consistency of the little every day things that make it easy to twist in your own creative whims while you can still feel comfortable that the world will continue on if your creativity causes any unexpected chaos. Which, of course, creativity usually results in a wide array of unexpected things — most quiet lovely. (That’s called serendipity ~wink).

Creative Girl

Creative Girl

I’m sorry for skipping the Tuesday blog last week. I hope you didn’t miss me too badly. The family and I ventured off on a road trip for Memorial Day and returned at 3am Tuesday morning. I cold have blogged about exhaustion, in the midst of my delirium… but I decided it might be smarter to sleep.

This week, there are a ton of interesting topics for the day. Tattoo Day, do you have one? I have two. National Chocolate Macaroon Day – I love chocolate and I love macaroons… so I’m pretty sure I would be in heaven with a chocolate macaroon. Pull your pants up day (more for the hip hop crowd, but I’m sure there are more of you out there in the non-hip hop arena), and it’s also The first day of pet appreciation day.

I Heart my Dog
I Heart my Dog

Growing up, my family had two cats and two dogs. Now, with a family of 5 we have no pets – our last fish died about 6 months ago. Our neighborhood, however, is loaded with rabbits – most of which live in our backyard in a rock retaining wall. So, for today, I will appreciate the lawn eating bunnies.

Three Bunnies
Three Bunnies

Share your thoughts for a Tuesday topic… what do you have to say today?

Happy Tuesday!