My final infographic: PLACES I'VE LIVED AND THE TIES I'VE MADE

It's been a while.

Right now I am day dreaming (night dreaming, while awake?) of days to come. I am in my kitchen/living room combo area, in my no-longer new apartment, with my often long-lost roommate a few paces off to the left of me. It feels good right now. At the moment, I am in the belly of the beast with school. Finals week of my second to last semester of college. Lately a lot of topics have been thrown around in school, or between friends. The big F word comes up a lot. No, not the run of the mill four letter variety, but the bigger one, the one that seems more offensive yet desirable as word could be: FUTURE. Everyone grapples with it and I've had my head stuck in futureville for some time now. 

When I returned home from the Southwest this summer I was feeling pretty lost. (I still am, to some extent). It was yet another life changing summer, but this time in different ways. I'm not sure I'm ready to detail anything on the internet yet, especially considering my thoughts about hypercontectivity these days, needless to say, it was big. I left with a whole new batch of questions about life, and where I want to be and what I want to do with myself. A lot of this was sparked by a more subtle reason: I might have fallen out of love with design. Or at least that's the way it has felt this semester, and this past summer as well. I never thought twice about 'design.' I didn't feel the loss and separation from school as I have with other years. In the past, the summers have always started off a little rough. I'd feel a bit empty. After all, you work so hard in the last month of school it becomes your life, and when that end, if only temporarily, it feels a little strange. I didn't get that this year though. I didn't miss school, philadelphia, or the design world. It wasn't that I was actively setting aside former interests, it was just that, they seemed just that former. 

Discussions this semester have shed light on other sides of design in the world. Not just the sexy product stuff, of the science-y material side, but the designing of something less tangible. Designing interaction, or systems, or feelings even. It's gotten me more interested, sure. But I am still not there. I have yet to feel a surge of creativity, inspiration, or motivation. Nothing really. I am great at thinking of places I would rather be. Philadelphia still doesn't feel like home to me yet. It did at one point, but not now. I am just here for the time being, finishing what I started, waiting for the next chapter. At the same time though, I really resent myself for not enjoying what I have here to the fullest extent. There have been many successful efforts to make the most of the wonderful relationship that exists in our class and I am very thankful for those times, and the people I have shared them with. At the end of they day though, I am sad about the fact that I would rather be somewhere else, with someone else. Sometimes, It can feel like the end can't come soon enough. 

But, I am going to stop before I get any farther away from the reason I started writing. I've been pretty absent from my blog for a lot of reasons lately. First, it was my summer in New Mexico. And then it became the start of the school year. After that... I had no desire to share anything. Every time I tried to start a post it felt forced. I shouldn't blog because I have to, I should do it because I want to. Blogging has been filed, along with many other things, under the header of 'dormant creativity.' I want that spark back. It seems like something isn't syncing up. But right now, twenty minutes ago actually, I felt the need to start writing. And writing something to share, as small as my audience might be, it's nice to share things once in a while. Things are good right now. I am not nearly as stressed out as I could be considering the time of year, and I have lots of things to look forward to in the next month. Even if I have been in a bit of a funk for the past few months, one thing I have carried with me from the summer was a faith in the universe, to be put so broadly. Everything does happen for a reason, and it all works itself out in the end. As of a week from now, I will have about four months of school left, and a whole word of possibilities in front of me. I just have to make sure I have fun on the way there. 

Movie made for ProCom class. I had way too much fun with this. Pie has become my go-to iconography. 

I'm trying to get better about sharing things I make on the internet. Usually, if not a project for school, all of my making is for myself. Lately, I have been doing a lot a small drawings and diagrams. They're addicting. This was a map I drew during a six hour class filled with presentations. So in an attempt to get my creativity out of the confines of my notebook, here you go. Soon I'll be sharing the stop motion I made for ProCom, featuring a dancing pie, among other things. 

Got to see my favorite boy(s) this weekend. It was pretty lovely. I'm all smiles thinking about it, even while currently being buried up to my neck in work for the week... :)

Photos of the past few weeks. Things have been off and on around here. A lot of ups and downs. Philadelphia still hasn't welcomed me back with the open arms I was hoping for. It can be so hard when it feels like the city you're stuck in is doing everything it can to push you out. This would be fine if it weren't for the small fact that I am contracted to be here for another 8 months or so. That pesky school thing. It's time for things to shape up, and by that I mean me. I have to hunt down all the things I liked here before I left. Either that, or grin and bear it until may. 

A mix for fall:

Music to create new memories to and reminisce over old ones. This is a playlist that I have had on repeat lately. It's got a little twang to it, so I don't forget the country while living in the city. Hopefully I'll be able to escape to somewhere green this weekend. This might be my sound track. Enjoy! (download here)