Things I Love and Hate

Love

Illustrated Journals and Moleskins

In 2010, I traveled to South America for 5-months and created an illustrated journal of my experiences. This illustrated journal is one of my favorite things I’ve ever created because it is filled with illustrations and thoughts from an incredible trip.

Before the trip, I considered several factors for the design of the journal including:

• Size: Able to fit in a small backpack (5 1/2"x 8 1/2" )
• Paper Quality: Able to take ink and watercolor well
• Binding: Ring-bound so I could always have a flat book and so I could take out pages or even split the book in half. This is so I could carry one half of the book and leave the other half in a safe place. Robbery or losing it was a concern and in this case I would only lose half the book.

After creating my Argentina journal, I started carrying a Moleskin notebook and a pen in my pocket to draw with. Moleskins are mobile and take ink and watercolor well. My drawing practice has resulted in dozens of notebooks filled with observations from my life. Oftentimes, I watercolor these vignettes and show them to others, which is a way to create a bridge over language and culture barriers. It is a tool for connection and for keeping memories.

Procreate on Ipad Pro

The iPad Pro and the Procreate drawing app are tools that revolutionized my illustrating and design processes. For my work, it is my best tool and I use it for crafting illustrated notes (sketchnotes), detailed drawings, and assets for animation. The iPad Pro is incredibly mobile, it is powerful for its size, and the responsiveness of the pen and touchscreen are outstanding. Procreate is an intuitive drawing app that I learned basic functions easily, but contains layers of advanced functions that are powerful once learned.

Altra Lone Peak

Altra is an American footwear company that was started by Golden Harper in 2009 who cut up and altered different running shoes to provide a more natural running experience with an emphasis on Zero Drop designs.

They are durable, light, offer a Zero-Drop, but their key feature is a wide toe-box. I am an avid multi-day backpacker and Altra Lone Peak shoes are legends with backpackers mainly because of the wide toe box. This feature lets your toes spread out, which happens when carrying weight and hiking many miles. It limits blisters and cramping from shoes/boots that are too tight.

Hate

Autonomous Standing Desk

I own an Autonomous Standing Desk and I love everything about it with the exception of one key feature — there is no emergency stop when it is lowered down onto objects. The keypad allows you to program heights for buttons (1–4) and I pushed a button to lower it without noticing a tall object was under the desk. The desk pitched sideways as the legs closed and the object lifted one side higher, which spilled my computer off the desk. Without an emergency stop, the desk will continue to lower regardless of what it hits underneath it.

iMac 2017 Screen Assembly (and Repair)

Continuing the story from above, my 2017 iMac screen was noticeably cracked. Fortunately (I thought), none of the pixels were damaged. In previous models, the glass screens were easily replaceable and you could simply “pop” them off and replace the glass. Unfortunately, on newer iMacs the glass is fused to the screen so what used to cost $50 for an easy DIY repair is now quoted at $800+ and requires a more technical repair because the entire screen unit is replaced. I found a distributor that sold these screen units ($400) and carefully fixed the screen after watching a few helpful YouTubes.

Honda Element Side Bumper Parts

I own a 2009 Honda Element and in 2012 was in a minor car accident when I hit a coyote that was running across the interstate. The side rail by the driver’s side door was damaged and later repaired at an autobody shop. Several months later, the side rail started to fall off and I realized this main component was fastened to the body of the car by plastic tabs. With the slight damage, they started to pop off easily and made me frustrated that a component that is right near where the driver enters and exits is delicate and poorly designed.