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It’s been an on going interest of mine to find creative environments. Not just to find abstract day jobs, but for the most abstract forms of  work environments. From pure white holding cells where creativity is cultivated, to warehouses full of bent wood and waxed rails. They are the environments in which happiness is born, smiles are made, and good times are expected.

Working with Liberty Board Shop

It started off with a simple e-mail inquiry, where Rob White of Liberty Board Shop asked me for some information about my services. Little did I know that Rob White and Liberty Board Shop would inspire me so much. Not only did they inspire me by giving me complete creative freedom, they inspired me by showing me that companies with good hearts and true passion still live in America. My service was provided to Liberty Board Shop to create what I feel is a beautiful publication where they could share photographs, news, and video. With complete creative freedom I felt drawn to spending almost every moment of my life working on their design. While time was a factor in this project, at only a month and a half both Rob and I felt this project turned out beautifully. While browsing their Web site I stumbled upon video’s that only continued to give me a breath of fresh air. It showed me that people still believe in art, and still seek out true passion and art forms of all types. I think their company is an inspiration to all and should be seen as the true heroes in any industry, with courage to attempt to differentiate and the style to inspire even younger demographics. There seems to be plenty of other companies and blogs who are out to do the same, it’s something I am completely inspired by.

The inevitable problems with Generation Y’s future

Let’s be honest for a moment, all of Generation Y (born 1980 - 1994) are going to find a difficult milestone to overcome. I will be quite honest for a moment and say that I have been fairly spot on for predictions in the internet industry. From being in 5th grade and creating a Web site that shared Midi files (in which I was told, was a dumb idea) - to wanting to create The Internet Lost and Found (which was also told to me was a dumb idea, and was later bought as a government tool). My next predictions for Generation Y I feel are difficult. The elder generations that experienced The Great Depression are still in a vast majority of industries, they have not retired. So we have a mixture of all types of generation gaps and age differences in companies. It seems as though that by hiring young generations, they are keeping them away from becoming competition. Masked by the “college cocky attitude” they seem to call it in larger companies, let’s look for a moment at some of the top internet entrepreneurs. From Mark Zuckerburg to Kevin Rose, all younger generations who made huge impacts on all types of industries. Wouldn’t it seem only logical to hire young generations with large amounts of creativity to try and import that fresh style into an older company? It would, although most students coming fresh out of college don’t get that chance. In fact, most only get small bits of creative input on projects. The few that continue on seem to aspire to make it, but it seems as though that may be only an aspiration, just like playing the lottery. So what does this really mean? In all honesty, without any conspiracy theories, I truly feel as though Generation Y will have a hard time finding jobs, earning more money than previous generations, and ultimately having a hard time being happy with their work environments. All due to a mixture of the things discussed above. Without going too far into ranting and getting depressed, don’t let any of this usual corporate environment ironing flatten you out. As you have seen from Liberty Board Shop, successful companies with true passion still live on!

It saddens me that sales seem to be 70% lies, and that a large majority of internet based companies seem to be just flavors of the week that found a market to make some money from. I won’t say any names in particular because I may hurt mutliple feelings, but I think the video that I linked to really speaks words of what I feel and how I feel. With all that said, we are starting to make products. Products that allow you to enjoy life, feel the breeze, and clear your mind! Expect news on that very soon!