Honestly, I am overwhelmed…..not by the fact that I found a job in horrible economy, but by all the love and support I have received from everyone. Here is a quick list….sorry if I forgot you.

1. My wife Erica. Thanks babe for everything you have done this past year & for carrying the extra weight while I was unemployed. You are an amazing and strong woman, and you keep me going through thick and thin. I love you.

2. My Family. My family is everything to me and I can’t explain how much your unconditional love means. Mom, Dad, Mom G, & Dad G, Bryan, Rachel & Bobby, & Isaac….Giardinelli, Beukelman, & Jouwstra Fam…..you guys are my all. Love you guys.

3. My Temecula (greater So Cal…and some of texas ) Design Crew (a.k.a. Durdes). I can’t say how much you guys keep me going and keep me inspired. I wouldn’t have been able to run my freelance and stay motivated to push forward without you. You guys are awesome.

4. Lastly….Fat Tire, Coke, In-N-Out, Chipotle, Miramonte Wine, & Papa Johns….you are priceless.

Hey Guys,

Its been a while since I have last posted, but had just a quick thought I wanted to share with everyone this morning.

Joel

Tip #1  ::  Tweet Deck

TweetDeck has been the source of all my social networking and interaction. With platforms like twitter, facebook, and skype at our fingertips we have the opportunity to take on almost any project. The luxury of being able to take on other designers/developers for projects has never been as accessible as now.

Tip #2  ::  ProtoShare

ProtoShare has been the lifeblood of my freelance business. The ability to layout quick and dynamic wireframes with the ease that ProtoShare provides allows me to make my development process extremely more efficient. I encourage anyone in web development to check out this service and try out the 30 Day Trial.

Tip #3  ::  Turn it off

The ability to turn off and unplug is essential in our industry. Setting healthy boundaries and client expectations has been progressively harder the more accessible we get with mobile technology. I know that the more I have let my work consume me, the more I have had design block and stress about projects. Getting away from the screen is essential in approaching our work with a fresh and creative perspective.

Hey Guys,

Here are just some quick thoughts and updates on what I have been up to and experiencing the past month. Thanks for coming by. Dont forget to check out @BeingGringo bellow.

Twitter  ::  @BeingGringo

Blog (soon to be)  ::  beinggringo.com

To see the video from @aaroni268 I am responding to go here.

If you follow my twitter, you probably know my friend, office assistant, and son . . . diesel. I was listening to this song and made me think of my dog (bigger, faster, stronger). He is pretty awesome!

This past weekend, my best friend I grew up playing drums with, Kyle Helm, played his first show with band Three Bad Jacks. This was hist first show of many too come. I’m super excited for him, and it was awesome to meet Elvis, the man behind the magic. They have a pretty amazing live show…. jumping on stand up basses, lighting crap on fire, and probably the most energetic show I’ve seen in a while.  If you haven’t heard of Three Bad Jacks, check them out here. You might also know them currently from the title track for HBO’s series True Blood. I was grateful for the opportunity to shoot this band and hope to shoot many more.

Supernaturals Cymbals

Kyle is also endorsed by Supernatural Cymbals so I got to hang out and chat with Shawn McCain about their product. They have a dope line of cymbals and I got to take some shots for them also. Good time and good people!

2009-09-18_3BJ_0005 2009-09-18_3BJ_0006 2009-09-18_3BJ_0007 2009-09-18_3BJ_0018 2009-09-18_3BJ_0019 2009-09-18_3BJ_0020 2009-09-18_3BJ_0024 2009-09-18_3BJ_0032 2009-09-18_3BJ_0035 2009-09-18_3BJ_0037 2009-09-18_3BJ_0038 2009-09-18_3BJ_0047 2009-09-18_3BJ_0049

Being Less of a Designer

Drum roll please . . . it’s the last week of my series “5 things I would do differently” and I’m super excited about this weeks post. This week I wanted to talk about being less of a designer. When I say “Less of a Designer,” Im mainly talking about two things.

1. Waiting for the question before answering.

I have found that in the last year, I started to solve client problems before they had presented the problem. I find that with the title of designer, we tend to let our confidence go to our head and get a little cocky. I think there is a great value to listening before speaking, and I think we can be much more productive in solving out clients problems when we do listen.

2. Humility.

I have also found that being a full time designer has had the tendency to envelope every facet of my life. This also strikes on the topic of being a little over confident/cocky. I have found that separating my career mentality (creatively solving problems) from my personal life has helped me maintained sanity. Realizing that I don’t have an answer for everyones issue is something I constantly find myself realizing. Even as I’m writing this, I realize how lame this sounds, but I think that this is a common issue for people in professions where they are in a position of authority. Not sure if all of this is making complete sense, but if you think I’m completely off…please leave a comment.