fit, happy
Web Design
Big Omaha 2011
0283 days
Speaker Q & A Session, Day 1*
I spent two amazing days last week at Big Omaha, and I’m still trying to process it all… It’s year three for me and it’s still as overwhelmingly inspiring as ever. It’s impossible to condense everything that is Big Omaha into words, and it’s hard to know how to describe it at all…there’s a part of me that just wants to say: you just have to be there.
It’s a conference that’s part entrepreneurship, part business, part technology, part inspiration, part philanthropy, part philosophy. There’s as much talk of responsibility and work/life balance as there is about landing venture capitol or choosing a co-founder. And above all, everyone is happy to be there. There’s an air of excitement that I’ve never run into anywhere else, and a feeling that anything is possible if you add enough passion and work. It’s a booster shot of motivation like nothing else.
I should add to this a disclaimer: I am biased. Not because I live in Lincoln, and Omaha is practically in my backyard. Not because I’ve spend hard-earned cash to get in for three years running and I need to justify my dollars. No, I’m biased because Big Omaha literally changed my life. Well…Big Omaha, plus a little Gary V.
New Perspective
Gary + You = brain asplosion
It went like this: One day in 2008, see a random link to Gary Vaynerchuk’s 2008 keynote at the Web 2.0 Expo in NYC. Mind asplodes, as the internet would say. Despite the fact that I was working at the time in a job that I loved, with people that I loved, and I couldn’t really imagine wanting to leave my job, I was set on fire by what he was saying. It was a way of looking at the world that was different than anything I’d come across before. I had an idea of how life would go, work would go, and the way the world was, and suddenly it was possible to look at it differently.
To save you a long and tiring story, I shall condense: Because Gary was going to be there, I heard of and went to Big Omaha. And without Big Omaha and Gary, I would not have invested in building a personal site that, at the time, seemed uneccessary. I would not have had my eyes open to opportunities outside of my job, and I would not have spent any time thinking and preparing for freelancing.
Big Omaha...People seem to like it
Because of Big Omaha, I had options when I needed them. I had the inspiration and the courage to get out of a bad situation and start freelancing full time, and I had the contacts to make it happen. Because of Big Omaha, I made it though a year of freelancing and didn’t starve. Because of Big Omaha, I am not trying to figure out why I hate what I do every day, and I am not trying to convince myself to go to work every morning anyway.
Because of Big Omaha, my entire life is different. That’s not something you usually say about a conference.
Inspiration is universal
Each year I have come to Big Omaha from a different situation, and this year I’m on a very different career track, but it has never made it any less life-changing. This year I feel much more at home with where I am and where I’m headed than I ever have; I think that let me absorb things and apply them to what I’m already planning, whereas in years past, I used the energy from Big Omaha to drive me to change my plans and the rut I was stuck in.
Millions of $ to fund a cat picture web site? Why not.
But that’s the beauty of Big Omaha: it doesn’t matter that much where you are, what project you’re working on, or what industry you’re in. Whoever you are, the lessons all transfer, and the conversations are still relevant. Inspiration and entrepreneurship are universal. There is no industry that doesn’t need new ideas and innovation, and no business that is not about building relationships with people (that’s right, B to B people, you are still selling to people. I have yet to see a building pull out a checkbook). So anyone can come to Big Omaha and learn – although the jokes will be a lot funnier if you know what an LOLcat is.
Oh, and for those of you following my medical saga: my foot survived. I defied my better judgement and my physical therapist and wore heels (only once), danced (twice), and generally spent too much time on my feet (did I mention that I spent the day after Big Omaha at the zoo?), but I didn’t come out too badly. I used half a roll of athletic tape, I was pretty sore and there was plenty of ice involved, but it’s actually feeling better than it did before I left! Please do not take this as license to ignore your physical therapist, if you have one. They are very smart people and you should listen to them. But sometimes the party’s too loud for talking and you just give up and dance.
*All photos by the spectacular, amazing, incomparable Malone & Co., courtesy Silicon Prairie News.
On the road to bionic joints
0401 days
Well, I remember how to write code, and that’s good (I keed, I keed). It has been a few weeks since I was into hard-core development, and it’s always funny how fast my brain becomes rusty. It takes a good half-hour of beating my head against things to start things flowing again, and it’s hard to find enough motivation to push through. But push through I did! Made some good progress, too, even though it doesn’t feel like it.
I had to tear down someone else’s crappy old code and build everything from scratch, but make it all look the same…what I love about coding. At the end of the day it’s a hot mess and it’s only a fraction of as functional as it was, but it’s progress! Gotta build up the framework or it’s all going to tumble down, no matter what anyone thinks who just sees the outside. There’s a fitness metaphor in there somewhere, I’m pretty sure, but I’m not feeling the metaphorical vibes enough to try to pull it out.
Plyo rocked me yet again, and I managed to get through with my foot being only mildly sore, instead of screaming in pain. For some reason there’s no spot for that on the workout sheet, I wonder why. Hey, at least I’m being good and modifying the workouts, kids…more than I do sometimes.
On that subject, can I get some new freakin’ joints in here? I was going through my pile of braces and I have: ankle x2, elbow, knee x3, back, wrist, and the various and sundry arch supports for my stupid flat feet. Of those only the elbow and foot are current, although my left knee was complaining a little bit the other day. And of course, if there was a decent way to brace my separated shoulder, I’d have one of those too. Viva la fitness!
The Big Omaha Afterglow
0It’s difficult to recap Big Omaha – yet again, Jeff Slobotski, Dusty Davidson, and their amazing crew put on a conference that was world-class, and I’m overwhelmed with thoughts and inspiration from it. People ask me what Big Omaha is about, what kind of conference it is, and ultimately, it’s an inspiration conference. Yes, it’s informative, yes you meet tons of like-minded people and yes, it’s tech-focused, but in the end, what it’s about is pure inspiration. If you go to Big Omaha, I guarantee you’ll walk out the door ready and willing to take over the world, no matter what you do for a living.
That’s what I love about Big Omaha – it doesn’t just appeal to techies, it doesn’t just appeal to entrepreneurs, and it doesn’t just appeal to the younger generation (although there are plenty of all those in attendance). It appeals to anyone who needs a reason to keep doing what they’re doing – or to stop what they’re doing and start doing what really matters to them.
What I learned, or was reminded of this year: failure isn’t the end of the story. Success is possible, but it won’t be an easy journey. That hard work and patience are irreplaceable. That the approach we take to work can vary from Jason Fried’s excellence through laziness, to Gary Vaynerchuk’s endless hustle (seriously, is Gary made of Red Bull? I love that guy.), and either one can produce amazing things. That Nebraska is still a great place to be building a business and a life, and it becomes more so every day. That happiness is about so much more than money or success. And that what Scott Harrison is doing through Charity Water is the most amazing, well thought out, meaningful, and life-changing charity I’ve ever seen. I’ve never in my life seen that many people as spellbound as during his presentation.
I don’t know, though, if I go to Big Omaha more for the speakers, or the people. It’s phenomenal to be surrounded by that much enthousiasm and talent – look around at any moment while you’re there, and the person beside you is probably on the road to greatness already. Everyone I met was inspiring, and being there felt like becoming part of some amazing movement. There’s fearlessness and enthusiasm everywhere, and it’s contagious.
I’m still not sure where life will take me this year – I found passions reawakening during the conference that I thought were dying and almost dead. I was reminded that although I love technology and web design and hope to always be involved…it’s not my passion. All of the ideas and inspiration that were flying around in my head during the conference were about teaching, and taekwondo, and how change kids’ lives and do things better – maybe using some tech, but not about tech. I want my life to be about more than pixels, and my passion is for teaching and for kids, and it always has been. I need to refocus on that AND web and find some way to do everything and not get distracted.
That’s what I got out of Big Omaha, and I promise that I’ll be back again next year, barring natural disasters, homelessness, or some other catastrophe. Anyone looking for inspiration, or who wants to see the entrepreneurial movement that is springing up in Lincoln and Omaha, should go too. It’s worth every penny.
Barcamp Omaha 2009 – The Panel
0872 days
The panel at Barcamp got me thinking about a lot of things, and they brought up some excellent points, so I’ll try to summarize what I can remember:
None of the panelists like the term ‘Graphic Design’ or ‘Web Design’, or even just ‘design’ – they’re too undefined, and they suggest that all we do is create pretty pictures. The job of a designer is all-encompassing – you have to understand the product and the company, and find the essence of them that will appeal to the end customer. You have to understand interfaces and code, and know what’s going to actually help the business vs. just making it look pretty. Design includes strategy, copyrighting, all kinds of general marketing advice, and a host of other skills, and clients should look for designers who have the skills to really build their business, not just make it look pretty.
A brand is more than a logo – it’s the sum of the experiences and feelings and everything consumers have ever encountered with a company. So ‘re-branding’ isn’t just a matter of making a logo that’s web 2.0 shiny, and it takes more than 3 days to understand the spirit of a company enough to market it well. What designers do is so much more than just aesthetics, and clients should really understand who they’re hiring, whether they’re a fit for the job at hand, and what it is they’re paying for. Some designers will only take a job if it resonates with them, if it’s a product or company they can really get behind and support, but the reality is that bills have to be paid and sometimes you’ll end up taking work that isn’t your ideal. Where you draw the line between money and creativity is up to you. Likewise, if a company has a very strict idea of what they want, they should look for a designer that is willing to do that job, and not try to fight with a designer that’s committed to being creative.
A website is, in a way, a replacement for actual employees. So consider, how many jobs is a website worth? It’s a secretary, meeting everyone at the door, answering questions and passing on requests. It’s a PR person, giving your message to anyone who stops by, giving out the company’s message and making them look good to anyone who stops by. It’s a tour guide, showing people what the company does and what they’re about, giving directions and information. And if a simple three or four page website can do that much, then imagine what an e-commerce site can do, or a large-scale corporate site. It puts a different perspective on what design should really be worth. The biggest takeaway for designers here, I think, was don’t undersell yourself – respect how much work you’re doing and how valuable it is.
When it comes to freelancing, figure out your own standards, and understand that if you really want the freedom to do nothing but great, creative pieces, you’ll probably have to be willing to make a lot less money. But if you’re just starting out, you might need to take some less-exciting jobs, take some jobs that suck but pay well, and do what you need to do to pay the bills without losing your integrity. On the flip side, don’t turn down extremely low-paying or pro-bono work if it’s something you can be really passionate and creative about, because it will add to your skills and your portfolio, and pay off in the long run.
There were a lot of great ideas, and a lot of great points that were aimed at educating clients looking for designers. It’s the kind of thing that it’s important for designers to be able to articulate – if you’re trying to sell yourself to a client, don’t undersell your skills, and educate them so they understand what you can really do for them. That’s what really sets the great designers apart: the all-around skill set, and a focus on making businesses succeed, instead of just making them look pretty.
