Life is a mosaic of memories

Posted on August 23, 2020 Posted in MY WORLDTagged Design, Feelings, Graphic Design, Gratitude, Journal, Life, Moments, Mosaic, People, Quotes, Thoughts, Type, Writing4 Comments

Life is a mosaic of memories

Staring at the skies, visible were the stars staring down in harmony.
Praying to the heavens, heart pounding heavily against the frame of my chest.
Thoughts of our last conversation flashing through.
Within was uncontrollable tears, ‘Lord please save him’ I cried.
He was in a coma… Flashback of that moment rared on.

Life gives us a blend of joys and sorrows. What more than to cherish each moment and to express gratitude and joy to our dear ones. A pledge to treat each other with the kindest of deeds and acts, because all that we can give and leave behind are memories, a legacy of how we have made them feel, a mosaic of memories that are embedded in their hearts for eternity.

Something to cherish and to keep;

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” _Maya Angelou.

P.S My warmest appreciation to all my new followers. It’s been a while since I have posted on my site. I am very grateful you found me, and I hope to make your visit and experience a pleasant one.

Thank you for stopping by.

Design, Artwork/Art direction, Post
By Philip Abang

Let this sink in

Posted on April 4, 2019April 18, 2019 Posted in MY WORLDTagged Advice, Art, Design, Feelings, Gift, Graphic Design, Inspiration, Journal, Learning, Life, Mindfulness, Special7 Comments

Let this sink in

There are things we don’t say to ourselves as often as we could, like the way we truly are as individuals, blessed with unique abilities and idiosyncrasies. Allow these words ‘YOU ARE SPECIAL’ sink into your subconscious repeatedly, then you’ll begin to realise how awesome and special you are. Not just to you but to your loved ones, your peers, colleagues, and to those who you’ve just made their day today. Putting a smile on a person’s face requires something special from within. People never forget how you made them feel remember, and you’ve managed that, well done!

Anytime you begin to feel worthless, low, inferior, or useless, ruminate on the words above over and over, allow it to marinate in your subconscious, and you’ll begin to feel differently about yourself, who you are as a unique being (there is only one you) and what you bring (a gift) to this world.

You are special indeed! Truly!!

Design, Art direction, Post
By Philip Abang

Within

Posted on March 11, 2019April 13, 2019 Posted in Hello Quotes!, Oh My! Quotes!!, UncategorizedTagged Advice, Art, Body, Comfort, Design, Feelings, Focus, Inspiration, Journal, Learning, Life, Mind, People, Progress, Quotes, Tranquility2 Comments

Peace Within

Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without. _Buddha. Philip Abang — Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without. _Buddha

A quote to start the week.

Have a fantastic day today…

…and a peaceful week.

Design, Art direction, Post
By Philip Abang

Big Opportunity

Posted on March 8, 2019April 13, 2019 Posted in Celebration, Hello Quotes!, Oh My! Quotes!!Tagged Art, Blogger, Celebration, Community, Design, Feelings, Happy International Women's Day, Journal, Life, Mothers, Opportunity, Quotes, Typography, WomenLeave a comment

'Big Opportunity'

“Your big opportunity may be right where you are now.”_Napoleon Hill. Phlip Abang — “Your big opportunity may be right where you are now.”_Napoleon Hill

You probably might be wondering where your big opportunity is.

It just might be at your door step, on the project you are working on at the moment, where you’re heading to at the minute or right where you’re sitting.

Meanwhile, talking about ‘big opportunity’, please allow me to wish all the wonderful women and especially those in my life a…

…more power to you.

Design, Art direction, Post
By Philip Abang

Take a Moment, Be Thankful

Posted on January 17, 2019January 17, 2019 Posted in MY WORLD, Oh My! Quotes!!Tagged Art, Community, Creative process, Creativity, Design, Feelings, Ideas, Inspiration, Life, Pain, Pain Visualisation, Thequoteproject, Type, Typography, ZedTears5 Comments

Take a Moment, Be Thankful

take a moment and be thankful,,, — Take A Moment and be thankful to those that want you to succeed.

It’s been a while since my last post. Hope you are well. Last time I uploaded a post was on 1. 1. 19., how can I forget. To be honest, I am still saying my ‘Thank YOUs’, especially for being on this platform and meeting so many amazing and talent people. Life in general have been a good teacher despite its sweet and sour combination.

I learnt so many things from reading, listening and watching some incredible video contents. A lot were motivational, inspirational and educational. I guess you see why my ‘Thank YOUs’ lingers on. Collaborating with Dr Perry on Life is an ever-changing blend of sweet and sour was truly special. I gained more friends in the community as a result.

Without wasting time, I am starting another website http://www.zedtears.com where I try to explore experimental image making to visually represent nerve pain or nerve sensations in abstract forms. It is a different kind of challenge I know, but it is truly remarkable how the nerves work if you’ve ever experienced any form of nerve issue or nerve pain. I will also attempt to explore pain in general. I have carried out a few interviews where I try to examine how people describe any form of pain condition they are going through or been through. Some of these will feature on the platform.

Pain, be it psychological, emotional, or physical is non-visual. The question is, can abstract images visualise pain? A Picture speaks a thousands words they say. One thing I can say though is that pain by its nature is abstract. People describe their pain in metaphorical or in abstract terms because they can’t physically see it but they can feel it. Let’s attempt to capture our pain in writing or other forms and express these in a form of art, how about that?!

The images that I create are visual representations and are entirely open to interpretation. You are welcome to join me as I explore the abstract world of pain.

Your thoughts and comments are highly welcomed.

Abstract image denoting the a form of nerve sensation.

Design, Art direction, Post
By Philip Abang

31.12.18 and Thank YOUs

Posted on December 31, 2018January 30, 2019 Posted in Celebration, Hello ZedtearsTagged Art, Blogger, Creativity, Design, Family, Feelings, Graphic Design, Gratitude, Inspiration, Life, People, Quotes, Together, Typography, Writers3 Comments

31.12.18 and Thank YOUs

I know it is New Year’s day at some regions/places. It is 22.40 GMT here at the United Kingdom. I will like seize this moment to thank you all for being part of this adventure of mine.

I started my website in late February 2018 and posted my first blog post on Mar 4, 2018 7:07 PM titled Happiness followed by Potential and Confidence respectively.

Some of my favourite posts have been Living, Together, Storybook, and of course, Kojo and Not Just a Pretty Face by Tambu Geeray respectively. I must state that Collaborating with Tambu Geeray brought out the best in my design concept to bring his story to life.

96 posts and counting, I wouldn’t have been here without the amazing followers and readers that have become a huge part of this journey.

My initial intention when I started was to at least have someone have a peek at my portfolio (which seems outdated now) having gone and studied Graphic Design as a mature student and doing the best I could. Life is about learning and discovery, and also rising to challenges. Studying Graphic Design in my mid to late thirties was no exception. It was very tough, but I enjoyed every minute of it. Imaging not trying at all. I gave my all despite my struggles, and in the end I graduated with a First Class Honours in Graphic Design.

“Don’t worry about failures, worry about the chances you miss when you don’t even try.” _Jack Canfield

In all these, I have met so many wonderful people along the way, and on the WordPress platform I have discovered some gems in people, their writings and stories. Simply amazing!!

This post barely has the space to express my gratitude. But here is to you all that have helped shaped and moulded me to who I have become. I can proudly say that I blog, I design, I inspire (I’d like to think so), I aspire, I illustrate, I……, I TRY.

2019 holds greater challenges but we will all rise to the occasion. Let’s go!!!!!!

Thank you again from the bottom of my heart and have a blessed 2019.

Happy New Year.

Yours sincerely,

Philip Abang

Design, Art direction, Post
By Philip Abang

Change happens

Posted on November 4, 2018 Posted in Dear ZedTears, Design, Hello Quotes!Tagged Advice, Art, Body, Change, Creativity, Design, Expressive typography, Feelings, Graphic Design, Inspiration, Learning, Life, Mind, Progress, Quotes, Reality, Tony Robbins, Type, TypographyLeave a comment

Dear ZedTears, Change happens _Tony Robbins #2

Design, Art direction, Post
By Philip Abang

Bon anniversaire Le Prof Wenger

Posted on October 22, 2018October 22, 2018 Posted in Hello ZedtearsTagged AFC, Arsene Wenger, Art, Confidence, Creativity, Design, Drawing, EFL, Feelings, Football, Football and Tech, Genius, Graphic Design, Greatminds, Happy Birthday, Illustration, Inspiration, Life, Pencil drawing, Quotes, TypographyLeave a comment

Hello ZedTears, Bon anniversaire Le Prof Wenger

I believe one of the best things about managing people is that we can influence lives in a positive way. That’s basically what a manager is about. When I can do that, I am very happy. _Arsene Wenger

I want to cease this opportunity to wish Arsene Wenger a happy birthday. You have been one of the greatest managers the English Premier League has ever seen. You helped change it’s history and arguably the way modern football is perceived and played. You are one of the greatest Arsenal manager of all time, and many will agree that you are the greatest. You made history going an entire season with a team that was unbeaten thus garnering worldwide recognition and tagged The Invincibles.

I have been a huge admirer of your works, your ethos, and how you exude class. Your quotes are gold especially for me being a sucker for one. How about this for a start…

“A football team is like a beautiful woman. When you do not tell her, she forgets she is beautiful.”

Your sense of humour is epic. There is no denying that the English media miss all that you brought to the table, your constant battle zipping your elongated and oversized coat at most match days thus giving the viewers a bucket full of laughter, montages of gold footage, your press conferences, your banter with other rival managers but above all your incredible intelligence of the ‘beautiful game’ and life itself.

Thank you for inspiring this sketch…

Let me once again thank you for inspiring my third post ‘Confidence’ on the ZedTears platform…

Thanks for inspiring this project Football and Tech. You’ve been an advocate for sport science and VAR from the cradle.

Happy birthday Arsene Wenger.

#genius #great #class

Find some of Arsene Wenger’s amazing quote here.

Design, Art/Creative direction, Illustration
By Philip Abang

Our internal demons

Posted on August 30, 2018August 31, 2018 Posted in Dear ZedTears, Hello Quotes!Tagged Advice, Art, Body, Brendon Burchard, Creativity, Design, Feelings, Inner demons, Insightful, Learning, Life, Mind, People, Progress, Reality, Tony FahkryLeave a comment

Our internal demons

I read this article ‘Here Are 5 Ways To Face Your Demons And Free Yourself From The Pain Of The Past’ by Tony Fahkry.

In the article, Tony Fahkry detailed how to face and overcome your demons. I was drawn to this quote by Brendon Burchard which Tony referenced;

“Our internal demons poison us with worry and fear whenever we might be vulnerable, stunting our growth and vitality. Our destiny is decided by how well we know our demons of Doubt and Delay, how well we defend against them, and how many battles we win against them each day of our lives.”

Tony referenced a few other quotes although this one struck a chord.

As a creative, there is the issue of imposter syndrome, fear of failure, fear of rejection, the fear that your work will be ill-conceived, fear that your work will be judged harshly, and the list goes on. One is overwhelmed by the angst which creates doubts in ones ability leading to a lack of confidence, and the inability to strive forward.

We are all faced with our own inner demons whatever your status, and the best way to overcome these demons is by facing it head-on as the quote suggests.

I battle mine constantly on a daily basis. I will strongly recommend that you read Tony Fahkry’s article at your spare time. It is an interesting read.

Design, Art direction, Post 
By Philip Abang

Life is a succession of moments

Posted on August 2, 2018August 27, 2018 Posted in Dear ZedTears, Design, Hello Quotes!Tagged Advice, Art, Blind, Brand, Branding, Brian Collins, Chris Do, Coca Cola, Collage, Collins, Corita Kent, Creativity, Design, Digital collage, Dropbox, Feelings, Gem, Graphic Design, Illustration, Inspiration, Learning, Life, Life and living, Mastery, Ogilvy, Painting, Progress, Quotes, Result, Spotify, Success, The Futur, Typography, Writing6 Comments

Life is a succession of moments. Corita Kent #1

Many thanks to Chris Do, Founder/CEO of Blind and The Futur for yesterday’s YouTube life stream Why Redesign the Dropbox Logo? Design Master Brian Collins Explains. I have learnt so much about design from Chris Do, his lectures, talks and videos. I am a big fan.

Chris Do is one of the most influential designers presently in my opinion, changing the way design is viewed and communicated. He also teaches about the business of design. The wealth of knowledge which he has accrued over the years as a designer, director, strategist and educator, is helping both young and experienced designers on new ways of approaching design and strategy.

One of his greatest attributes is his act of giving. He features some of the biggest names from the design industry on his media channels. His kind gesture also extends by featuring personalities from a non design background.

Yesterday’s live stream was remarkable featuring Brian Collins, CEO/Founder of Collins. Brian Collins’ achievements are immeasurable. His design work spreads across brands like Coca Cola, Ogilvy, Spotify, Dropbox and so much more. Collins was sensational, sharing tips on how he approaches design and branding. It was nice to see him surrounded by books from his office library which contained over 2000 books. He states that “books are rockets, they can take you anywhere, past, future…” — Books are the genesis in helping you create new and future design solutions by looking through past designs.

These are my take away from the live stream:

Seek influence or inspiration outside of design (if you are a designer).

Design something that will last for a long time.

Extend your idea through time, and be in the moment.

Put sincerity and honesty in your work.

Be authentic and extraordinary.

Fame is easy but mastery is hard.

Seek mastery.

Mastery takes time, mastery is earned.

Poetry is branding.

Brands are based on two things, the familiar and the surprising.

Brian Collins also shared the work of Corita Kent, a nun, artist and educator. Corita Kent is one of his influences. Her works are a breathtaking. Her philosophy in life is as the quote denotes; “Life is a succession of moments, to live each one is to succeed.”

It is good to be in the moment, and appreciate the little details which are often ignored.

I will be sharing more wonderful quotes from Corita Kent and more insights from design icons and role models from the industry.

Thanks again Chris Do and Brian Collins, you are both geniuses.

Design, Art/Creative direction, Illustration, Post 
By Philip Abang