I'm sold...

So, it's no big secret that I am a sucker for Scandinavian design. Throw in some clean lines, classic colors, good pricing, practicality and meatballs and you'll find me there. So, it was with eager anticipation that I looked forward to Portland's newest outlet of Northern European yum, with the opening of H&M last Thursday.

Less than two blocks from my office downtown, the lines for H&M stretched around the whole street and around the block. At first I thought people had staked out places on the sidewalk for a Veterans Day Parade (since it was on the same day) but no... it was just a lot of rabid shoppers waiting to be the first in the door. For those of you not familiar with H&M, I'll give you a brief description. Fashionable, affordable and from Sweden. Basically, it's kinda like the IKEA of clothes, but with less meatballs. Actually, H&M (Hennes und Mauritz) was originally founded in 1947 as a womens store (hennes means hers) in Sweden. However, over the years they have expanded their lines to include mens, kids, and juniors and their locations can be found all over any major european city. In the past decade though, they expanded to the US and placed stores all over New York City. (They are actually as ubiquitous in NYC as Starbucks are; however, it's a good idea to visit at least two or three of the stores since they all have "slightly" different stuff.) In recent years, stores have also popped up in Chicago and Seattle and now finally.... Portland.

So, I was looking forward to the opening since anytime I travel to Europe or NYC, I always make a point to stop into a store and try to find something I can't live without. And, because the new store was so close... is actually a pretty dangerous thing. I stupidly thought I might be able to "swing by" during opening day, but all throughout the afternoon, the line just to get into the store still reached around the block. Even on the following day I imagined the crowds to be quite long... so, I waited.

And I waited.

And finally Monday evening after work I decided to make my way over.

And well... it was pretty much what I expected. Standard items of button downs, sweatshirts, jeans, pants, and accessories. If you were looking for a basic item for your work wardrobe you could find it. If you were looking for a new hoodie you could find it. If you were looking for a casual shirt to wear to your friends bbq you could find it. And well, if you ever go out to the clubs you may have even found something that worked. Overall, I wasn't really wowed. I mean, I wasn't expecting much and some of what I saw was pretty much the same thing that was on the shelves in Sweden this summer, but for standard basic items it was pretty good. And yeah, most tops were in that $15-30 range which is pretty affordable for a basic new shirt. I think if you wanted a new coat you could have really made out as they did have some really nice options. As well, I did like their mens selections. I don't often buy in the men's department because the clothes are huge on me, but I love looking. And well, as I strolled through the mens wear I saw a couple of other ladies doing the same. Regardless though, I didn't see anything that jumped out and said "BUY ME JENN, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!" And well, the things I saw that I liked, I realized I already had. For example, I did not need another long sleeve t-shirt, another t-shirt, a pea coat, a button down black shirt, a plaid shirt, or a knit cap... so I walked away empty handed. Satisfied, but empty handed.

What I thought was the coolest thing about the new H&M was obviously, not what they had on the shelves, but the photos they had in their display windows. These, really impressed me. In fact, I was so taken by them that that is the whole reason I decided to write this post... was so that I could share them with you. So, for that I'll give them two thumbs up. Yeah for the gay H&M! I mean, maybe it's just a clever marketing ploy (the gay, you know, is so trendy these days) and maybe these folks aren't really gay... shit... it really doesn't matter. It's implied and well, if you know... you know. ;)

damn... I'm sold.

small rant

So... the other day a friend of mine sent me an email and said her company was looking for some new design work to be done and she thought I might be interested. Well, always looking for more freelance work, I followed her link to get more info on the project and came across this site, 99designs. And, suddenly I was revolted. I mean, don't get me wrong... I was happy my friend thought of me and passed along word of work - but I think I as a designer, am going to have to put my foot down and take a stance on things like this.

Basically, what 99designs is a website where companies, who are looking for design work to be done, can basically sponsor a "contest". And any designer or artist with some time to spare can take as much time as they want to... and enter the contest. The company then picks the design they like best and 99designs pays the designer for their work. Overall, it seems simple and great for the company. They never have to actually deal with an artist and they have tons of designs to choose from.... all submitted to them for free! On the designer end though... if they win the "contest" - great they get some cash. If they don't win... well.... they get nothing.

Full disclosure here, yes.... I have done some design "contests" and yes, I have won some of them. Most of them have been from small companies who didn't really know any better or I myself, didn't really know better. Or, maybe I just had some work that I had done prior that never saw the light of day and entering it into a logo contest was an easy way to earn a few bucks (in that case I get the last laugh). But what we have here with sites like 99designs, is a company who is basically "whoring out" designers. It's letting small companies who don't know any better or maybe have no idea how to hire a graphic designer, get cheap labor and spec work. It makes us as designers... seem like we are all starving artists who will gladly toil our time and creativity away for the small chance that we might win a few bucks here and there. It treats that small company as if they were the king of the world and if we, as designers, should feel privileged to do work for free. That we are salivating... waiting for bread crumbs that come in the form of the sheer overwhelming joy of the slight opportunity to design a logo for your wedding invitation.

And the thing is.... yeah, some of us are going to do it. Sadly, times are tough... no one knows this more than creatives, we understand, we feel... and we need to put food on the table as much as everyone else. So yeah, dangle a carrot in front of our face and we might grab for it. At the same time, it is killing our profession. It is killing the value that goes into what we do and coming up with a unique and original design catered to each project. It is removing the humanity from the craft. Shit, you might as well be going out and buying clip art if that's all you expect your work to be like.

I don't know if this kinda crap happens in any other industry?

If I want a custom bike, do I have each custom bike builder spend their time and hard earned money creating the perfect bike for me and then I pick the one I like best and then pay them? No. Would you call ten plumbers over to your house and only pay the one that fixed your leaky pipe the best? No... even though you migth want to. Would you have six different architects create and design a house catered just for you and then you decide to pick and pay the one you like best? No. I mean, yeah... a lot of time designers and companies have to bid for work and make proposals... but they are never actually finished products. Usually those things mean that you'll get the job and then get more work from those clients as you work with them, but here... no, it's slam bam thank you mam and don't let the door hit you on the way out. Oh, and maybe here is an extra $5 for the bus ride home.

As well, as a client buying into 99designs, how do you know that you are getting original creative work suited for you? How do you know that artist didn't just pull it off some clip art page? How do you know it's not something they directly copied from someone else? How do you know that you aren't gonna get sued when someone discovers your logo is the same as theirs?

Take for example, this summer one of Seattle's biggest music festivals "Bumbershoot" created a contest so that designers could create a new logo for the festival. When word got out about this, the design community of Seattle went bat shit crazy? People expect this kinda stuff from small fry companies... but from Bumbershoot? A festival that is supposed to be supporting the arts? So... hackles were raised, letters were written and eventually, Bumbershoot admitted they had no idea that people were passionate about the issue, they were just uninformed and didn't know any better and later canceled the contest.

AIGA, the American Institute of Graphic Arts, has a strong stance against "spec work" and even works hard to inform students, educators, designers, clients, and the general public on the risks of compromising the design process. "AIGA believes that professional designers should be compensated fairly for the value of their work and should negotiate the ownership or use rights of their intellectual and creative property through engagements with their clients."

Basically, I don't want to come across wholier than thou - but I am going to have to start putting my foot down about this and informing some people about this because they just don't know. And when I say "some people" I mean you. You out there reading this. I may know you, I may not know you, but you probably have a skill or a trade that I myself cannot do. I value you. I value your education and the time you put into your job and your work because that is what makes you... you. If I hire or ask you to do something, it's because I intend on paying you for what your services and skills are worth. At the same time, I value myself. I value my skills and my time and what makes my work unique, creative and original. Unless you buy me tons of beer (my keg of ninkasi is starting to run low) or I am a friend helping you out because I respect you, I am not going to whore myself and my talents out. I am putting my foot down and saying no. No more free spec work. No more "contests". No more work under the guise of "good exposure". And... even if I have to work at Subway making sandwiches to put food on the table, at least I can go to bed at night knowing that I didn't comprise myself or my peers. I can look at myself in the mirror and then wipe the mustard off the side of my face and eat another sandwhich (from Subway, you know?)

Everything is Free

You know, I go see a lot of live shows and it's easy in Portland because so many bands and performers make their way through here on their way to Seattle or San Fran... Portland is just a natural stop. As well, if a singer gets a good base of fans here, it bodes well for them since we have so many well versed music appreciators and musicians in our midst. Anyways, I haven't made it out to as many shows this year as I have in years past. I've actually been feeling a little apathetic recently on the live music scene.

And the thing is... I've tried to figure out where this apathy comes from but it's been hard to pin down and find an exact source. I don't know if it's because I've been busy with other things like bike racing or maybe I haven't been really "wowed" by new talent? Maybe its just that some of my favorite artists haven't released a new album this year and so aren't touring? Maybe they are touring but playing the same songs I've heard over and over again? Or maybe it's just because my favorite filming camera broke and I couldn't bare the thought of going to see a show without it?

Or, maybe it's because I've had a list of "favorite artists to see before they or I kick it" and in the past year I've been able to cross off a lot of those artists. Living in Savannah Georgia, I hardly ever got the chance to see artists I liked and so as soon as I moved to Portland - I jumped at any opportunity to see a band I sorta even kinda liked. I mean, if I had heard of an artist and they had at least one song I liked, I went to go see them. And well, when it came to bigger ticket shows... I even coughed up the money to go see them along with a few thousand other people. Most memorable was two years ago when I went to see Bruce Springsteen. Even though I was in the nosebleeds at the Rose Garden (and I never go to see a show at the Rose Garden), it's one of my top ten concert experiences ever... just because, well... it's Bruce F*cking Springsteen!

Or, maybe it's because recently I've been able to have a more personal interaction with some of my favorite performers? Take for example: I for the longest time have love love loved Natalie Merchant (who I consider to be my gateway drug to intelligent music). I listened to Tigerlilly until the tape deck wore out and I had to buy a new one on CD. I went to Lilith Fair to see just her. I drove across state lines in tiny little New England towns so that I could see her again. At every show I went to, I stood there amongst all the other fans and sang along to every song. But, never in my life did I ever think I'd have the chance to meet her until this spring when my "Special Friend Scott" invited me to go see her at Kink FM's Live Performance Lounge with him. After the short set we got to meet Natalie and I'll never forget the moments that followed (nor will I really want to remember it for it was one of the weirdest, most awkward and oh so embarrassing moments of my life that followed).

(Natalie and Scott and I. Don't ask)

As well, if you know me you know that I'm a HUGE Brandi Carlile fan. In fact, I never never never miss an opportunity to see her when she comes to town or has a smaller show up in Seattle. And well, I've had so many great Brandi shows and Brandi experiences in the past years that sadly, I've become a little bit spoiled and a little bit jaded. I mean, I actually have to lower my expectations for each show to be amazing because I don't want to walk away disappointed. But, it's hard and unfair to the band to beat some of the experiences I've had. I don't think anything could top being able to see Brandi in places like Portland's tiny Mississippi Studios (and have Brandi give you a shout out). I don't think anything could be better than Brandi coming up to you at a bar afterwards to say "Hi" and you then proceed to talk with her about the Mayor of Seattle and his pussy cats (also one of the most embarrassingly awkward moments ever). Nothing could ever really beat that. So, it's a weird place to be in for anyone who's seen as many shows from one artist as I have - and well, I feel a little slightly... um well, nonplussed. And sadly, I feel it's best for me to kinda walk away for a bit so I can come back refreshed and excited for Brandi's next work.

Anyways, when I think why I went to so many shows for so many different artists in the first place, I get a big rush of memories in return... exciting memories, non apathetic memories. I think about all my favorite shows, all of my favorite artists, all my friends, and all of the great venues I've been to and subconsciously, I make a list in my head. It's things like that that make me excited to see live music. Stuff like that is what I need to remember.

And you know what the funny thing is, speaking of going to see live shows and favorite shows, if I had to tell someone what my favorite concert was... I don't think I would be able to. That was at least, until last night. Out of all the amazing shows I've seen ONE really stands out. Ideally, there are a lot of things that make a show a "good show". Sometimes its your seats, sometimes its the people you're with, sometimes its things that happened before or after the show that made it memorable, sometimes it's the distance you had to drive to make it worth it. When I remove all those things that I normally attribute to a concert... and I focus on just the performance, just that moment in time, just being there and everything being amazing, one concert without a doubt stands out.

Last night, while seeing Chris Pureka play a cover, "Everything is Free" at Mississippi Studios, I realized that my favorite concert experience ever (no offense Chris) was seeing Gillian Welch and David Rawlings play and sing that same exact song at the No Depression Festival last summer in Seattle. Yeah, I drove to Seattle for the show. Yeah, I went to the show with friends, but while they held their ground on our blanket in the grass, I went to the front. I stood by the stage and I took all the amazingness in. And, you just can't put a price on an experience like that. I personally think Gillian Welch is one of the best singers and songwriters of our time. She has a certain authenticity and timelessness to her voice that you can't replicate. As well, David Rawlings is a friggin beast on the guitar. Watching him play the chords with his fingers... just using the instrument for all of it's god intended full most purpose, is just... wow. Also, there is no show business to their show. There is no rock and roll, no smoke and mirrors, it's just them on stage doing what they do best. Singing songs.

And the thing is, that's the first time I've seen Gillian and probably the last time for quite some time. She doesn't tour round these parts much and it's hard to make it to her shows. But... all that doesn't matter. It's shows like that that remind me that it's the quality of the show that makes the show, it's not the quantity of them that you go to. And, in order to not be apathetic I think that's just what I need to remember.

mad props...

I give my gf Sam mad props!

Not only has she been racing cross for the first time this year... she's been doing it on a massivly heavy mountain bike. Better yet, all the races she's done so far have been slog fests. Meaning: mud, muck, and glop that makes her bike 10x heavier.

This past weekend at PIR, she was doing really well.... but going into the last lap her chain had a malfunction. She pulled over to the side of the course and fiddled with it for like five minutes before saying f'it... I'm running with it. In this time sadly, the rest of the field still racing passed her. But rather than give up, she started running with the bike... pushing that heavy bastard alongside her for a mile plus.

The last set of barriers were also on a muddy slippery run up. So, not only did she have to haul her bike up this mucky slope, but she had to pick it up and hoist it up over the barriers. Sam may have been the last one to cross the line for the women's beginner category on Sunday, but she wasn't in last place. As well... she gained the love of everyone who saw her tramp with her bike through the sludge. I give her mad props for finishing the race and not just throwing the bike off to the side of the course and look for the closest beer tent. No, she waited till after she crossed the finish line to do that. Way to go babe.

And... Burk Webb made an awesome video of the race last weekend featuring Sam at :42 seconds. It was shot as she lifted her bike over the last barrier and then pushed it up the hill. Her face is priceless...

watch the whole video here:

Cross Crusade Race #4 PIR from Burk Webb on Vimeo.

Top 5 for Fall....

It's that time again my friends... time for seasonal record playing! Basically, my buds at the Buzz About wanted to know what albums have been getting heavy rotation on my ipod this fall and in no particular order... here they are.

Lissie: Catching a Tiger

This album is the ying to my yang. It's a little more poppy than some of the music I find myself returning to over and over, but I can't help it... I love Lissie. This album is a little different than her earlier releases with some tracks like Stranger having a little more of a 60's swinging vibe. If that's not your jam it may throw you off a little, but don't worry - Lissie comes back into her own with tracks like Bully, In Sleep and When I'm Alone. Overall, a perfectly good album to whittle away the days of pumpkin carving and spiced cider.

Chris Pureka: How I Learned to See in the Dark

Okay okay.... so this album came out late spring of this year, but I can't think of any more time of year when its songs are more apropos than fall, especially with titles like Song for November, Hangman and imagery like haunted barns and sinking ships. This is one album that when no one else is around, I blast at full tilt... letting all the feeling and emotion from Chris's music just seep in. As opposed to her earlier albums, Chris is playing with a full band on this one and it helps adds a darker, more dynamic sound that really pushes a musical threshold doubled with lyrics that can just cut right through you. I could listen to this or any thing Chris has released for that matter, every day and never grow tired of it. Favorite track from this album: Shipwreck.

The Head & the Heart: The Head & the Heart

I first ran across this amazing five piece band out of Seattle last month when they opened up for Fences at Mississippi Studios here in Portland. Normally, the opening band on a bill has the smaller audience... so I was thinking that I could arrive right about show time and stand towards the front with no problem at all. And boy... I was wrong on all accounts. Seriously, the venue was packed for these guys (and gal) and I mean... people came for THEM - it didn't take too long to see why. Bright, poppy, catching, with highs and lows and dramatic climaxes to songs that keep you coming back for more, throw in a florish of instruments and a dash of Americana... and you've got yourself a pretty amazingly new band to delight your head and your heart with. I hardly ever buy a CD at a show... but I loved these guys so much I walked out with their CD in hand. It's been on heavy rotation ever since. My two favorite tracks are: Down in the Valley & Lost in My Mind.

Fences: Fences

To start off, I've been a fan of Fences/Chris Mansfield for a while. Maybe it's because he cut his teeth with the material for his new album (produced by Sara Quin... you know, from Tegan and Sara) for a bit up and down the PNW coast and I saw them pretty much every chance I got. So, to hear the material that I've listened to and watched live come to full fruition on a disc, it's pretty sweet. Especially when you layer in some Sara singing background vocals in songs like: My Girl the Horse. Aside from the song "Girls With Accents" I'd suggest that you not listen to Fences when you want to get pumped for an evening out on the town... it's best to stick with the Lady GaGa for that, but when you want to listen to an album and really feel the music, pop in Fences self titled debut album. Expect to hear a lot more from him.

Band of Horses: Infinite Arms

Granted, their album Infinite Arms came out this early summer, but I've just now recently gotten around to digesting them. Maybe it's the slower pace of fall and desire to listen to more layered sounds, like burying myself under blankets and sweaters to keep out the on coming cold, this album and the whole BOH discography are racking up the play counts on my itunes. My favorite from the new album is: On My Way Back Home.

Cross Crusade #4 - Race Report

photo by pdxcross...

I've found that in my first short year of racing cross thus far... that I'll come back home and either love it or hate it. And sadly, most of that feeling is regulated to what the course was like. For example, if there were lots of barriers, hills or places of thick mud that required getting off my bike and running with it for a few miles (aka: basically, any thing that required me to get off my bike) I hated the race. On the other hand though, if it was flatter or drier or had less barriers (aka: basically, anything that required me to get off my bike less)... I loved it. And well, the Cross Crusade #4 at PIR fell in to the later category of love.

As one person said afterwards... "This course was all about power" and I totally agree. The places on the course where you had to get off the bike (a massive run-up with barriers in the middle and a concrete platform) everyone had to get off the bike. There was none of that "I love climbing hills so I rule" mentality to the race nor did it favor those who remount quickly. I felt like the course was a great equalizer, it pretty much came down to how quickly you pedaled through the slop and how consistent you were... it came down to riding your bike... not running with it. And for once, I found myself on the winning end of the spectrum. I for the record, am not a tactical rider... I do well when I can hustle and when I can ride my bike, not just steer it. I mean, granted, it's not like I won the race or anything, it's not like I placed top ten or anything... just that for the first time ever I think I passed more people than passed me. And for someone who has been coming in "just well enough to not get cut" at most of my races, it felt pretty damn good. It felt pretty damn good to pass people I normally only see at the start line and then again at the finish. It felt good to hear people cheering for the people in front of me... and then on the next lap - they are cheering for the people behind me.

And yeah, the course was wet - wet and muddy. It rained shit loads before, during and after the race. In fact, there were several pot holes and mud puddles out there disguised as swimming pools. They were so deep that my feet kicked through the water to get a full pedal stroke in. The spray from the water soaking through the back of my kit and filling my chammy with a little flood of moistness (delightful I tell you). My eyes filled up with mud so many times that at points I was riding a little blind, but I figured it was better than trying to clean mud off of glasses. I wiped out once really early in the race, a few folks passed me and I was trying to get back on the horse... but at least I got that "oh no... I am getting muddy!" thing out of the way.

Basically though, I rode my single speed on Sunday like it was a track bike... meaning, I just kept pedaling the whole time. No slowing down, no stopping. I was moving in a positive forward motion with the intent on passing as many people as I could in front of me the whole race. On your left, on your right, in the middle, nice socks, coming through.

It felt good, I had fun.

End story.

It's not about Denver, part II

Well, if it wasn't about Denver... what in the hell was it about?

Family. Family and the Cincinnati Reds.

You know that part where I said road trips were kinda fun?... well, for the first 10 hours they are. But then, when you realize you've still got 10 more hours of driving ahead of you, you start to get a little discouraged.

I spent more time in the car getting to Denver than I actually spent in Denver. It's pretty sad really.

Luckily though, stopping at New Belgium Brewery in Ft Collins CO helped ease some of the boredom I call Wyoming. Having little sampler of Ranger IPA was like a little silver lining at the end of a long....dull... brown cloud.

Also, who can complain when they have traveling companions as good as these?

So... pretty much long story short... I have a cousin that I haven't seen in ages who lives in Denver and was getting married. The whole extended family was going to be there, including my parents who live in Ohio. When you live in places like Ohio, you start thinking that the whole west is so closely connected and the possibility that someone can just drive... from, I don't know... Oregon to Colorado for the weekend seems like a reasonable thing. So, if you can get that to happen, well... you might as well throw some things in the car to give that person making the long drive to sweeten the deal.

(For example, my mom threw in my Ronald McDonald phone that I won when I was 3yrs old. Thanks mom)

(and my baseball card collection...)

The biggest sweetener though, was a pair of stadium seats from the Cincinnati Reds Crosley Field. My grandparents received them after the stadium was torn down in 1970. While I was growing up and would visit them out in rural Clinton County, I'd see the seats sitting in some back dark corner of the garage. The red C emblazoned on the side let me know they were more than just decorative objects, they were a treasure to my young sports memorabilia collector mind. I'd often ask my grandparents about the seats, but they never really told me too much more than where they were from... which was all the information I needed to fall madly in love with them. So, in my grandparents later years, I made it known to them and my parents... that when they passed... that was the one object I wanted. It's been many years since my grandfather passed in 89 and my grandmother passed just a few years ago while I've been out here in Oregon. When I've gone home since, it's always been via airplane and the thought of getting the seats to me out in Oregon seemed nearly impossible till my mom hatched the idea that we should meet halfway. That halfway point was Denver.

Sadly, it just so happened that this trip happened a week after my cousin (who was an uncle to the Groom) was brutally murdered in Florida while trying to stop people from breaking into his neighbors car. Not only did this trip give my family a chance to share in the joy of a new union, but they also got to grieve the loss of a loved one together.