My undergrad, personal & freelance work ( Jan 2006 - Oct 2009 )
So this is all the stuff that’s been lurking on my mac - just sitting there with no one to look at it. So I decided to put it here so that everyone who wants to can have a look. It’s some of the stuff that I did in my 3 years at Vega, some of my personal stuff, some of the stuff I did for a church while I was there and some work that I did for money, before getting a position at FirstView.
One year of employment
So as of the 1st of October, I’ve been employed for over a year. It’s been great, it’s sucked, it’s been fine, it’s been okay, it’s been frustrating, it’s been fun and really cool. I’ve learned a lot, and if I knew this much a year ago, I probably would still be freelancing or have started my own business. I’m glad for the choices I’ve made. I’ve learned a lot of what not to do and a small amount of what to do in a business setting. My skill level has grown rapidly, as has my ability to work within a team. Doing work for big corporates has sucked, but being in a great team has rocked. That’s it in a nutshell.
Good work
We were at King Shaka Int Airport over the weekend. And while we were having some chow at Mugg & Bean, we noticed this guy cleaning the bin. It was one of those plastic/glass/paper/general bins. It took him quite a while to do clean it - take the stuff out, put it into a separate bags, spray it down, wipe it, move it, clean under it, move it back, put new bags in. He was smiling and some other cleaners came up to him and chatted to him - they looked quite stoked. The one lady even had matching earrings - bright orange. It was great to see, and it inspired me. He was an oldish man, and when I spoke to him he didn’t treat it like a stupid job. He was making sure that people enjoyed their lunch and he was making sure that there were no smells. What a great guy and what a great team. He was making a difference. And it made all the difference in my day.
Can we please be passionate?
You know when companies take a long while to get back to you or never do, or when the product you ordered just sucks, or when the cool product you bought keeps breaking, or when people just don’t give a shit about what they’re doing - like web designers and developers who say that ‘it can’t be done’ when it clearly can. That stuff makes me so mad.
I would love to see people loving what they’re doing, being the best at it, pushing the limits, pioneering in their sector, knowing their line of work backwards and projecting the future. I would love to see people working like old blacksmiths and carpenters back in the day - full of pride for their work, with amazing bedside manner, creating the most beautiful things. It seems like everyone is just pretending to be something. People should go as big as they can, and be honest with themselves if it’s the best that they can do.
I went on to some design company’s website the other day - and it looked okay, but functionally, it sucked. Some links didn’t work, some pages didn’t exist when you got there. Where is the love for doing things properly?
If you want to have your own business or company, please be passionate about it. Make it the best you possibly can. And be humble - you can’t do everything. Let some people help you where you need to be helped. You’ll inspire others to do the same. I can’t understand why you wouldn’t want your company to be successful. Read, learn, study, do whatever it takes to make it work like Swiss clockwork. Do what it takes to be the best and to love everything that you do. If you don’t love it, perhaps give it to someone who will and who does and who is passionate about it. If you’re passionate about something, it’s more likely that you’ll be better than those who aren’t oneday.
We need passionate people. I want to be a passionate person. I want to go big, I want to be the best and I want to rock this world.
My work toys having some fun and doing some limbo stuff.
