Tag: Quotes

Together

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Verse 14. Together

Together-Henry Ford

Henry Ford’s quote “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success” highlights my forethought on Diversity = hence the picture reference. Nonetheless, it is immeasurable how far one could go with a unified front and as a team.

Like this African proverb states “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together”.

Success itself is a journey and requires a combination of factors to get there. Coming together, keeping together and working together are part of many strings to these factors.

Design, Art direction, Post
By Philip Abang

Mindset

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Verse 12. Mindset

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Much is said about adopting a positive mindset. Michael Jordan’s quote is an indication of turning a perceived negative into positive. Cultivating a positive mindset deters weakness. A positive attitude supersedes negative thinking.

Athletes are trained to have a positive attitude in facing challenges. Pay a close attention to when athletes speak, they use phrases like ‘I am excited…’ or ‘I feel excited…’ rather than ‘I am nervous…’ or ‘I feel nervous…’ when faced with a task. A switch in ‘terms’ creates a positive mindset turning a perceived weakness to strength as Michael Jordan has stated. Michael Jordan is one of basketball’s all time great, an extraordinary player and one with a trained mindset.

Best selling books or novels are sometimes written from a place of obstacle, sorrow or pain. This is a case of turning weakness to strength. You may get a thousand ‘Nos’ for one ‘Yes’ that changes everything for a lifetime. From disadvantage to advantage, a case of erasing dis to your advantage.

Plant a seed of positive mindset in order to harvest positivity, strength and unlimiting belief.

Furthermore, attitude equals latitude.

Design, Creative direction, post
By Philip Abang

Mastery

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Verse 11. Mastery

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There is the temptation to have our fingers in every pie. With growing societal and personal demands, it seems like our craft is no longer enough to sustain these demands. The underlying pressures stretches us to become almost everything from photographers, designers, writers, illustrators, bloggers, entrepreneurs, business owners, and the list goes on.

Graphic design is said to be everything. Look around and you find design everywhere, from packaging, logos [Identity design], branding, collateral design, environmental design, iconography, information design [infographics], posters, advertising, editorial, motion graphics, you name it.

As a graphic designer there is the pressure to be good at all the above. However, you can master any of the above and still do well. For example, there are prolific poster or logo designers whose sole earning comes from mastering the art of logo or poster design. Same can be said with editorial, motion design or any other.

Michael Bierut is a prolific logo designer. Also, Milton Glaser known for the ‘I ♥ NY’ logo is a prolific poster designer. These famous designers are specialist in their craft. Other graphic designers worth mentioning that I admire and to many are role models include Stefan Sagmeister, Massimo Vignelli, Paula Scher, David Carson [Exploratory Typography], Sean Adams, Bonnie Siegler, Jonathan Barnbrook, Erik Spiekermann, Saul Bass (Title Designer), Edward R. Tufte (Information design), Kyle Cooper (Title Designer), Vince Frost, Margo Chase, John McWade and Ina Saltz. These designers are masters in their craft from environmental design, exploratory typography, identity design, branding, motion, editorial, exhibition, interior design, type design, and teaching design.

Today’s designers are asked to be all of the above. Honestly, that takes your entire life trying to master everything, and I’m afraid to say, there is a chance you remain master of none.

Bruce Lee’s quote denotes a case of mastery in a specific area. The Principle of Specificity indicates that one becomes skilled in a particular area. Nonetheless, mastery requires persistent practice, from fundamental to advance, and from advance to mastery.

I admire those with a signature style. A style that can be pinned to a particular individual in any work of life. I still strive to attain mastery in a specific area in graphics, with 10,000x practice that is achievable I will say.

Lest I forget, Bruce Lee was a genius in his craft.

Design, Creative direction, Post
By Philip Abang

 

 

The Mind, The Body

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Dear ZedTears. The Mind, The Body

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Mind-controls-Body

I have heard people say things like ‘the mind plays tricks’ and I do wonder if this is true.

There are many cases of the ‘imposter syndrome’ affecting intrinsic abilities, performances, downgrading personal achievements, and feeling like a fraud. Could this be a case of the mind playing tricks?

I read a while back that ‘Love in the mind is eternal’. Is this true? How about the growing number of divorce cases in the modern age, where did love go?

Many superior teams have been well beaten by lesser oppositions in sporting competitions. Is it a case of David defeating Goliath or a case of mental strength and focus not being right or present on the day. Was the mind absent?

“Success is focusing on what we put our minds to consistently” _Tony Robbins

Tony Robbins makes reference to the mind affecting our state and well being, and like his quote will suggest; we improve. Then again I wonder, why will the mind suggest that all the success you’ve been able to achieve isn’t particularly good enough. Or maybe, you actually did not solely achieve it as in the case of the imposter syndrome. What really is the mind up to here?

The mind controls self confidence, expertise, preparation, character, discipline, extra ordinary performances and more.

“Learning never exhaust the mind” Leonardo Da Vinci say. Study about the mind seems ongoing. Will the mind continue to present itself like a minefield or will it indicate where it resides, because a thorough question could be put to the mind if it really does play tricks… Does it?

©Dear ZedTears

Design, Creative direction, Illustration, Post
By Philip Abang

 

 

Creativity

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Verse 10. Creativity

 

 

Brene-Brown-GIF

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I was watching Ije Nwokorie at 2015 AIGA Design Conference: The Future of Creativity in the Age of Automation a while back and I came across Brené Brown’s quote above. Ije referenced her quote to qualify his thoughts on creativity and directions we can take when we allow our innate creative ability take center stage.

Ije’s work provides a platform for clients and everyone to use a creative process to solve problems. Very intriguing I must say.

I have also seen Brené Brown’s lecture on TED.com on The Power of vulnerability. It is worth noting how she uses her creative ability to woo the audience in a mesmerizing manner whilst demonstrating her art of storytelling.

We may not all be designers but we all have creative abilities. In an age where automation is profoundly evident in our everyday living, our creativity still trumps everything.

Our creativity is evident in how we speak, dance, write, see, think, draw, design, illustrate, solve problems etc. Creativity is born out of our intuitive mind. The rational mind should learn to shut up when our intuitive mind speaks.

As Albert Eintein puts it;

“the intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind a faithful servant.”

We should be more aware of our creativity and let it be exhibited in whatever we do. Sir Ken Robinson makes a case for schools hindering creativity. In his talk on Do schools kill creativity?  (also worth watching), he clearly makes a robust case for schools killing creativity.

He describes creativity as thus;

“creativity — which I define as the process of having original ideas that have value — more often than not comes about through the interaction of different disciplinary ways of seeing things.”

Graphic design showed me a way of seeing things and as a result, I can express my thoughts visually, in writing and in design. I allow my intuitive mind dictate some of my creative approach.

“Creativity is part of life” _ Ije Nwokorie

Ije’s response to Brené Brown’s quote was a resounding ‘AMEN’. I concur to his affirmation with another huge ‘AMEN’ to that!!

Design, Creative direction, Post
By Philip Abang

 

Failure

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Verse 9. Failure

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There is often a sense of resignation when failure knocks us off our stride in a process of effectuating an action, a goal or a target. There have been countless incidence of businesses, individuals, or designs that have failed. Be that as it may, countless have also succeeded.

Case study revealing how businesses, designs,  ‘great minds’, or entrepreneurs succeeding despite draining the wells of failure are too numerous to mention. Ironically, many whom have been through this path will suggest there is no such thing as failure. Every act of failing is only an indicator, a lesson, an insight, a benchmark to new ideas, a different and better approach to reaching an intended goal, target, resolution, and solution to problems.

My attempt to demonstrate the grits and determination of names we may or may not know that have scaled the fences of failure will be bitty, and no where near the never-ending tales of failure to success.

Nonetheless, Thomas Edison is a common case study of how he failed 10,000 in his attempt to develop a practical incandescent lamp. His quotes below sums up his thoughts on failure;

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work”.

“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up”

“There’s a way to do it better – find it”

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time”.

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Oprah Winfrey’s thought corroborates Thomas Edison’s, William Whewell’s, and many others. Some names worth mentioning includes Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, and James Dyson.

Failure and success seem to be at two opposites ends of the scale, but relatively speaking, both are closer than we can imagine. I see both as a reflection in a mirror. Looking in the mirror is a figure of oneself staring back, beyond the figure, is a depth of potential, greatness, talent, possibility, knowledge, and more. Tapping into this depth determines how far we climb or how low we descend. Learning from every failure is the start to tapping into the potential of success.

This amazing quote from Samuel Beckett is a start;

“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”

Design, Creative direction, Post 
By Philip Abang

 

You

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Verse 8. You

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Barbra-Streitsand-Gif

I am a huge fan of Barbra Streisand and always will be. I can’t stress how incredibly talented she is having watched her films and listened to her songs. Her multiple awards won in both film and music speaks volumes. She is an actress, singer, filmmaker, song writer, you name it. Her intellect illuminates in this quote above. The design puzzle is yours to dissect.

Have a guess how many times Barbra Streisand uses the word ‘YOU’ in this quote. A good understanding of how we associate meaning or deconstruct meaning with words aids your critical thinking, self awareness in life terms, communication and problem solving in design terms.

This quote can be associated with most of my posts thus far.

I will let YOU be the judge!

Be YOU!

Trust YOU!

Still looking for clues?

Design, Creative direction, Post
By Philip Abang

TRY-ing

Posted on Posted in Hello Quotes!Tagged , , , , , , , 1 Comment 
Verse 7. TRY-ing

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Leo Pennant left this incredible quote in the comment section of my post Living. I thought it was indicative of the power of quotes highlighting the words of Alexander the Great; “There is nothing impossible to him who will try”.

In my previous post Living, I eluded to the fact that my plans in the previous years wasn’t to be writing a post or designing quotes using expressive typography for emphasis. As a matter of fact, I had a phobia for using computers over the years.

_A phobia can be described as an intense fear or a disinclination to something.

We sometimes have dreams to attain things in our lives, but contrary to our aims, it takes certain effort to project us to our desired destination. In many a case, taking the first step is the biggest challenge. It is fair to point out the ‘fear’ factor which can be debilitating. Other factors including procrastination, uncertainty, mishaps, et al. could also be a barrier to what we can achieve.

The old adage; ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’ sound cliché but it remains relevant. It is significant to lay the first brick, and in order to create a forest, you have to keep planting trees. The effort we put in by TRYING is pivotal. Effort begets reward.

Look beyond the obstacle along the way, patiently try, just try, keep trying… “little drops of water makes an ocean”, I hear them say!

Design, Creative direction, Post
By Philip Abang
Quote Credit: Leo Pennant