First of all, I have a strength in adaptability, meaning I don’t get overly flustered when things have to change or diverge from the path they were to take. I learned early on that plans don’t stay as solid as we would have them. I expect them to change and in fact I do look forward to the challenge of change. I like to be challenged and multitask through a problem. With a laid back personality like mine, adaptability fits right in. Overreacting is never a solution to solving a problem.

As a designer, I believe my strength of connectedness is essential to the process. I see things in a different way. I have an inmate empathy with others of various cultures that drives me to learn and understand ways of thought different than my own. I understand my weaknesses and know that I don’t have all the answers. Working alone is never as satisfying as working with others. It also helps in figuring out how others will use whatever it is that I’m designing. Design itself is all about allowing others to connect to life easier.

My greatest strength is probably my ability for ideas. I am an idea man plain and simple. My best friend recently told me that he loves talking to me because every time he does I have some new idea. Connecting the dots or designing something radically different than previously thought of is what comes naturally to me. Why does it come so naturally though?

That would be due to my ability to learn. As a learner I thrive off new information. I enjoy teaching others this information and take it upon myself to learn new ideas, concepts, languages, software… whatever is needed. I’m an avid reader and it’s the reason why I have Designing for the Digital Age. I’m not content with maintaing a personal status quo; with only being “good enough”. There are always ways to improve myself and the world around me. That can only be accomplished through learning,

None of my strengths stand alone, least of that of being strategic. While this is an innate ability and cannot be taught, it does require one to see things in a different way. Just as I have always loved to travel and have felt connected, have had a thirst for knowledge and ability to generate ideas and solve puzzles, I have been able to break things down to their simplest parts and see the way through. Games that require strategy I thrive at. Questions drive me and I’m never at a loss for them. It’s never to prove myself right though or out of vain glory, but an honest questioning to discover the truth. Where the truth lies, there is your best method. I had always had a sense of knowing what will happen if certain choices are made. Connecting myself to others to see the outcome. It’s not a perfect gift, but there is much potential there. I see consequences and believe in them. People…business tends to get in trouble when unable to “see beyond your nose.”

These are my strengths and passions ever since I was little. Something tells me that my best success will be found in pursuing those strengths, which I have sought to do as a designer, conceptual artist, and experience planner. If you really want to find out yours, give this book a read. It could help focus your efforts more effectively. It has my recommendation.

One book I wish I had in school ( I hope there are some professors out there buying this book and trying to use the principles out of it ) is Designing for the Digital Age. While I took courses in marketing, economics, human-centered design, communication, design and had additional experience in my cooperative opportunities, this book just puts everything together from start to finish in an amazing way. The methods of research, analyzing, presentation, design and more put all the information in my head (and things that weren’t) at my fingertips for reference.

This book is truly in the style of a text book with it’s high quality paper and printing, including full color graphics. While nothing supplants experience, we all learn in different methods. For me, this book put into a better perspective ideas and methods that I had previously had difficulty understanding or obtaining. Although I didn’t have this book in school, I have it now and coming from a source like Cooper Design, I know I have a solid source of methodology. In my profession as an experience planner, this has become an amazing tool.

It’s nice to start things new though, and with a new year comes new work.. new ideas.. new designs. So that’s what I’ll be adding shortly. I’ve been working on developing my own tshirt line which I hope to launch shortly. It’s just a matter of getting everything ready I guess. I know it’s gonna rock though and that I’m going to need help in designing and developing additional designs. Fortunately I have a few friends that can help me.

While all that is going on, I always have new ideas popping into my head and it’s nice to see others acting on theirs! Check out this cool little Home Theater PC.

http://gizmodo.com/5441792/get-wood-with-design-haras-home-theater-pc

That’s the basic idea behind the game of Dragon Strike, a game produced by Hasbro Games. I had the opportunity to work on and develop the dragon of this game. Since the neck was not a concern, knowing how it would be produced already, I just had to design the head and body parts. You will see here different original pencil drawings of both items.

Originally completed in blue pencil, 3 of the designs went straight to final concept. The Frodo piece was the only one changed before final approval by New Line Cinema. These pieces were used in both Trivial Pursuit and Monopoly.