Stable Environment

I will be taking two weeks off after my last day at my current job to catch up on some freelance work as well as spend some time resting with my wife. But starting June 01 I will become the 4th member on the UX team at Fellowship Technologies. After much prayer and consideration I see this opportunity as the right move for me and my family right now. But that’s not to say I didn’t struggle with feeling like I was selling out to “the man” or anything. The notion of freelancing full-time still intrigues me and is something I want to pursue someday, but right now we need something stable while my wife finishes her degree.

The UX Team that has already been assembled at Fellowship is something I am looking forward to. For the past 2 1/2 years I have been a lone ranger figuring things out for myself. Not to say that it hasn’t had its perks, but one can only go so far on his own. So this transition into a team environment is something I’m really looking forward to. Plus, I will be working with people my own age that I will actually have something in common with. My fellow team members include: Matt Vasquez, Nathan Smith and David Brooks.

Walk by Faith not by Sight

I am continually blown away by the grace and favor that God has given me. By continuing to seek His will, I made a decision of faith last week without any secure plans ahead of me to quit my job. I knew that a position with Fellowship was in the cards, but they still hadn’t given me a firm decision. So my plan was to work freelance full-time. To which I received an immense amount of support and encouragement in. But in following my heart I found something better than I expected. Sorry, I don’t mean to keep repeating myself here, but I just hope to encourage you to stop being afraid, trust God, and let go of all that’s holding you back. I don’t mean quit today, not by any means, but start praying and see where God might lead you. I know I’ve waited for over a year now before making this move.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
- Philippians 4:6-7

Last but not least

I still plan to do side work, but more than likely I will be very picky about what projects I work on. (If you have already contacted me about freelance work or would like to you can email me at: hello[at]kylesteed[dot]com.) I think that’s one of the greatest advantages to working full-time, you can pick and choose very carefully about what other projects you want to work on. Also, I have no immediate plans of returning to school. This last semester really proved to me that school is a waste of time. Being in my current situation I can see how school is only slowing me down from what I really want to be doing, and what I’m already doing. It’s sad to me that we put so much pressure on kids to go to college and get a degree. I don’t want to go off on a huge tangent, I will write a post on this topic, but I know people who have their degrees and either (A) aren’t using them or (B) still don’t have a job.

I know this much. I am blessed to have a vision for my life, a wife that supports me and the skills that pay that bills. Or something like that.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
- James 1:17

So What’s Next?

Right now I have a month’s worth of freelance ahead of me, and after that I’m not sure. I do have a couple of leads right now with some other companies but nothing set in stone. I hold fast to what Jesus said in Matthew 6:25-27,34 -

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Community

Of course I wouldn’t be where I am today without the great community I’m connected to. You know who you are. And a few of you I’ve already reached out to asking if you have any upcoming design work. I feel like this is a big part of not only my future, but all of ours. As one has a need another can help out. Sometimes that will be in the form of a job and sometimes not. I’m not interested in meeting people just to have a connection, but to build a relationship. And I don’t expect anyone to give me hand-outs, please hear me on this. When I say community, I’m talking about a group of people who have the same vision, goals and aspirations as their peers and can depend on each other.

How You Can Help

You can pray. If you don’t pray you can start. Just kidding. But seriously, I would love your prayers. Thank you.

So far we’ve looked at the events in my life and the creative process it took to lead to my new design. The other area I want to cover is how my faith has played a part in this whole ordeal. But I don’t think it will be as easy to convey as my design process was, it’s a bit difficult to make a wireframe of my faith. But nonetheless, I will fill you in with what God has been showing me.

Maturity and the Joy of Suffering

We learn by those things we suffer. Whether that be in life, design or faith.

“…though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.”
Hebrews 5:8

In my relationship with God, the times I suffer are always the most rewarding. It doesn’t always feel good to me at the time, but looking back on the hardships and bumps in the road I can see how I was being perfected.

In the same way that I suffer in my faith, I can relate that to design. Working with a difficult client, or on a stressful project, is a great way to exercise my faith. When things are going good it’s really easy to forget the grace of God. But when times are tough and we struggle just for an ounce of inspiration, we are quick to remember the one who brings us peace.

During this redesign process I became completely overwhelmed and frustrated with the direction I was headed. No amount of outside inspiration could help, in fact it was hurting worse. That’s when I had to take a break and rest from it all. I spent a week in Florida with no computer and no focus on design at all. It allowed my mind to clear and prepare a path for new ideas. When I got back home I felt refreshed and more at peace with not having to get my design done right away.

Growing Up is Hard To Do

“… though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again…”
Hebrews 5:12

Living a life of “what ifs” is a fantasy. Running from responsibility to fulfill our own desires is foolish. But thankfully, Jesus came to fulfill the law and set us free from having to be perfect. This is where His Grace comes in. So as I learn to grow up and face responsibility I am free to make mistakes along the way. And most assuredly I will. But it doesn’t excuse my mistakes. No, rather it offers me the chance to get back on my feet, dust myself off, and try again.

We can use those little victories in our lives to pull strength from in time of need. When I feel defeated I like to remember all I had to overcome in the military. I didn’t go to war physically, but there was a great spiritual war going on.

Our faith should be one of utmost dependence on our Heavenly Father.

So when I design something the process usually involves a lot of changes. Sometimes I get started on the right track the first time, but more often I end up having to go back and refine my original idea. The arrogance that I could get it right the first time is how I operated when I first started out designing. But over time I have been humbled enough to know that even though I may start on the right track, there is still room for improvement.

Bringing It All Together

The design process is an integral part of my maturity just as my life is an integral part of my faith. They are all interwoven together to form the fabric of what makes me, me. For example, I can’t live my life without being a Christian, just as I can’t live my life without creating something. That’s as simple as I can put it.

I hoped this series helped give you a greater insight to the choices I made for my new design. If you haven’t already, please go back and read Part 1 and Part 2.

Thanks again to everyone who continues to support me and show their love by leaving comments and re-tweeting. You rock.

A Huge thank you to all of you for your continued support and love through twitter and the comments you have been leaving. And now that Chat Creative is underway I feel like I get an even bigger chance to give back to this great community that I love so much.

Meet Firehost

If you haven’t heard of Firehost yet, just wait, they are taking the hosting world by storm right now.

A few weeks ago I was having issues with my old hosting company, which seemed to be a regular occurrence, and while venting to a friend of mine was recommended that I try out Firehost. That same night another friend on twitter messaged me about a partnership opportunity Firehost was offering. So I filled out the form and BAM! the very next day I got an email from the CEO telling me they would love to partner with me.

Needless to say the past week has been a breeze getting my site migrated over to Firehost. Their support team is friendly, courteous and very knowledgeable about what they’re doing. This opposed to my previous hosting provider who I held on this pedestal as the “Best Thing Since Sliced Servers”, but ended up leaving me dumb-struck as to what all the hype was about. So please, go check them out at Firehost.com and learn about their Advance Secure Hosting services.

Back to School

Going back to college has been a constant struggle for me over the past year. One day I will convince myself that it’s a good idea and the next just blow it off and continue working.

Well this past weekend my wife and I were able to spend some quality time together and talk through some things, one of which was school. And now I feel confident in my decision to go back to college and finish my degree. The plan right now is to finish my core classes at a community college the next two semesters and then starting in the Fall 2010, transfer to the College of Visual Arts and Design at University of North Texas.

I know it won’t be easy, and I’ll probably feel like giving up more than once, but with a good support system (a.k.a. my wife) I know I will pull through. And in the end I can look back on what I accomplished and feel proud that I stuck it out.

Meet Josh Cagwin

I first met Josh in tinychat over a month ago, and then just a few weeks ago met him in person when I flew out to Southern California. Josh recently just launched his website/blog over at CagwinDesign.com where he shares his thoughts and experiences in design. Yesterday he posted up a new article called “What Makes Us Hungry” where he poses the question about what inspires us to do what we do.

I think that we as creative people, more than any others, wrestle with feelings of inadequacy and the desire to always be better. You can read more about that here. But what I really feel inspires me the most is the chance to meet (and work with) great people and do great things. Fame is fleeting but change is permanent, meaning that I could care less about being famous and more about helping people realize their true potential.

On faith

I’m not usually one to be so open about my faith. But when I’m passionate about something I can’t help but speak what’s in my heart. It’s been a hard lesson to learn, and I still have a long way to go, but I’m learning that I don’t need to be approved by anyone to feel complete in what I’m doing. God has already approved me. But I just like to share what He has done.

Today is a special birthday vlog. This week has been crazy busy, with my Mom being in town and all. But I wanted to share a few things that have really struck me recently.

1. Yesterday I watched this clip of Gary Vaynerchuk at the 2008 Web Expo where he talks about doing what we love, and forgetting the rest. Not necessarily that we quit our day jobs, but that in our spare time we really dig deep in to what we our passionate about. And if we can turn our passion in to profit then that’s even better.

I have a huge amount of respect for every single freelance/independent designer out there who is making a living. They are the ones pouring their hearts in to projects that they love, not projects for some other company or organization. One day I will cross that threshold, but for now I am going to kill it in my spare time.

2. Tinychat is blowing up. I’ve been on it at least 3-4 times over the last week, and it’s a great way to put a face with the name of the people you talk to on twitter. I’ve had some great conversation already, but I’m really excited to explore the possibilities it offers us.

Earlier this morning I had a chat with fellow artist and twitterer Brad Colbow about his work. I’ve been following him on twitter and on his website for quite a while now, but tinychat allows us to break the visual barrier and meet semi face-to-face. While we were talking he showed me a board game he designed for his daughter last christmas called Soapy the kitty game. Brad is seriously talented.

Finally, I have to say I’m extremely grateful for Garth Humbert throwing a few projects my way. I met Garth through Aaron Irizarry and have to say he is another talented, freaking awesome guy I have met via twitter. I am really looking forward to collaborating with him on these couple of projects and whatever is to come in the future.

Here is a sneak peak snapshot of me sketching away on one of the projects. (via @charleswilliams)

Thanks everyone.

p.s. – If you haven’t heard already, Squarespace is giving away 30 iPhones in 30 days. Genius marketing scheme? Or the end of twitter? Either way I want one.

There has been something growing in me over the last year or so. Maybe longer. Possibly since the beginning of time. I have known the scripture in my head where Paul writes to the Romans stating that we are no longer slaves, but sons. But there is a difference between knowing something in your mind and having it applied to your heart. And when something passes from your head to your heart it can really impact your whole existence.

“Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”

- Romans 8:14-15

I used to be unsure about all the different analogies of who we are to God. Was it better to call Him Lord or God or King or Master or Father? I couldn’t quite figure out what my ultimate relationship with God was? But it seems really clear now, we have been called to a Father/son relationship. Look at the example Jesus showed us while He was on earth. He never did anything except for which He saw His Father doing. (John 5:19) And I think that was the perfect example for us to take hold of. Please don’t misunderstand me though, God is all things from King to Master to Lord over all (that’s what makes Him so wonderful), and I respect Him as such, but I think all roads lead to us becoming sons of God.

“And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”

- Galatians 4:6-7

I have really been digging this podcast called churchthink, by Ben Pasley. You may recognize his name from his music with Enter The Worship Circle. And if you haven’t heard of either one of them then I highly recommend you check them out. l have been really blessed to listen to Ben talk about the truth of God’s heart for His children. It amazes me how God meets us where we are in life and gives us the tools we need to dig deeper in to Him. And that’s what I feel has been happening these past few months. And even within the last week I have been building a new relationship with Ben while he’s asked me to do some design work.

Growing in to sonship from slavery is both easy and hard at the same time. On the one hand it’s easy because it’s true. We don’t have to work harder to be any more of a son than we already are, and we don’t have to try and impress God with what we do because His love for us is unconditional. But on the flip-side of this, we (well I say we, but am really talking about those of us who grew up inside the organized church) have grown up believing that being a slave to Christ is the closest we’re gonna get to the Father. And while being a slave to Christ is far better than not, it still doesn’t hold the fullness of who we are meant to be.

“just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will”

-Ephesians 1:4-5

I was talking with my friend Charles over a burger and some beers on Wednesday night and was sharing with him about this wonderful journey we’re on, being sons of God. And when I brought up the verse in Romans that talks about us receiving the Spirit of adoption, he told me something I had never heard before. According to the present time in Rome when Paul wrote his letter, children were able to separate themselves from their parents, but when you were adopted in to a family that was a bond that could not be broken. So for Paul to tell the people in Rome at that time they had received a “Spirit of Adoption” must have been really powerful. This act of adoption is what Jesus was talking about when He compared us to branches and He the vine, and how we must be “grafted” in to the vine.

God’s Spirit is stronger than any human emotion, physical strength or religious theology. It can never be broken, bound or forgotten. And it is this same Spirit that comes in to our hearts and cries “Daddy, God”. It is the same Spirit that prays what we don’t know how, and the same Spirit that never fears, but believes, hopes and endures all things. Without the Holy Spirit of God we are just orphans.

“Creativity is more important than knowledge”
-Albert Einstein

Over the past month I’ve turned my focus more internally to see what I might find. It’s easy for me to find a new activity and become so engrossed in it that I lose site of the more important things. And this blog was becoming that distraction for me. Not that I regret it or think anything negative of it. Because my blog was, and will remain, a great tool for me to share who I am. But it’s important for me to stop and look around once in a while at what my desire each day is set on.

The week before Christmas really took a toll on me. I was under a heavy workload with a tight deadline and all I could focus on was just making it through one more day. I didn’t want to stop and enjoy the day for what it was. I was taking time for granted. I was being selfish with how I spent my time. And then I had to get all the pre-travel plans in order. Not that any of this is worth mentioning, but it felt like a heavy load to bare.

Can creativity really be lost once we’ve found it?

Why do I feel so empty and unable to make anything worthwhile?

Sometimes the easiest answers are always the ones we don’t see. But when I drift away on some rickety float in to the middle of self-doubt I don’t see anything but negative space all around me. A void. Yet the simplest things like a child smiling or the sky at sunset can turn my heart from red to green. And then I feel free again to accelerate in life. Because the real truth is God doesn’t care if I believe in Him or not, He believes in me. And He is always there with me, not judging me or dictating my life, but offering me a greater way to live. He’s giving me the choice! Wow! I don’t know of anyone else who is so patient, so loving, and so creative in the ways He chooses to show His love for me.

One final thought. While visiting my grandparents over the holidays I had the great fortune of looking at old slides from when my grandparents were still young. Things seemed a lot simpler in those pictures. Those moments captured in time. And the way my grandfather narrated the whole presentation, it made me want the simple things in life. Not that this is some sort of New Year’s resolution, but more of a shift in my soul, my spirt.

Staring out my car window, parked next to my house, I noticed the two bushes that were planted as a mere covering for the eye sore that is our ac unit. The one thing that’s always caught my attention since moving in close to a year ago is how one of the bushes is completely dead, and the other is full of life and green as can be. Both bushes receive the same amount of sunlight day after day and both are on fertile soil. Yet the one on the left remains dead and void of any life.

So why am I writing about my two bushes that remain as a covering for the eye sore that is our ancient ac unit? Glad you asked. As I was sitting in my car staring at them God spoke to me “choose this day what tree you will eat from, the tree of life or the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?” And my answer was a no brainer when looking at the contrast between the bush that was brown and ugly and void any life, and the bush that was green and vibrant and it’s leaves reaching to the sky in full splendor. I choose life.

I want this life. The fullness of life found in Jesus Christ. The life that is always full of life and beautiful and reaching evermore for the light. I’m amazed at how God offers us His simple truths hidden in plain view every day of our lives. If only we can stop a second and think on Him and quiet our hearts to hear what He might say we might be amazed. I know I was today.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Further reading:

Genesis 2:9

“And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”

Proverbs 11:30

“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who wins souls is wise.”

Revelation 2:7

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”

I love helping to bring people together because I know we all learn from each other’s mistakes as well as successes. So when I watched Jason Fried speek at the Business Innovation Factory (BIF) 4 Conference last week I was inspired by what he had to say.

In short he compared how chef’s have no fear of showing people how to cook the food they love to cook to the way companies fear sharing their information. It was interesting and thought provoking because so many people in the business world want to keep their work a secret, filing patent’s and lawsuits day after day. But what Jason says throws all the rules out the window, and it really hit home for me where I agree that we should loosen up and open up our ideas, our visions, our best-practices and share with everyone how to do what we do. Because when we do something well we shouldn’t be afraid of sharing that with others in fear that they might do it better than us. That’s nonsense.

Here is a short summary of the things I’ve learned so far and don’t mind sharing with you:

1. Disappointments make you stronger in the end
2. Forgiveness always wins over a grudge
3. Brush your teeth before bed
4. Always pack an extra pair of socks
5. Listen to your spouse
6. Knowing God doesn’t happen just one day a week
7. Keep a record of your important contacts on paper
8. Learn the shortcut keys in photoshop
9. Dwelling on the past hinders your future
10. Always, always, always return phone calls, emails, tweets, or other forms of contact

Now it’s your turn. I would like to hear what you have to share from the lessons you’ve learned in life, design and faith. Then I will compile the results I get over the next few weeks and put them in one large post, similar to what I did on my “Branded Designers” post. Also, if you’d like to include a link back to yourself please include your website and/or your twitter name.

Share everything you know and don’t be afraid.

Thanks everyone.

I first stumbled upon, no pun intended, Aaron Irizarry a few months ago when I read his article “Blessed are the flexible“. As I continued to read his blog I found myself thinking his words where exactly what I had been thinking. Aaron has a very genuine writing style that is easy to read and full of personal experience and compassion. Getting to know and talk with Aaron over these past couple of months have been great. He was even featured in my “Branded Designers” post. We both seem to share a common desire in that we both love design but we want to do more than just use our talents for our own personal gain.

So when I started talking with Chuck Westbrook a few weeks ago, he mentioned that he was also talking with Aaron, and thought it would be a good idea for us, Aaron and I, to do some collaborative work. Well you can look forward to that in the near future, but until then I wanted to do a personal interview with Aaron so you too could get to know him. I have divided the interview into three topic; Life, Design and Faith. I chose to go this route because I wanted to do this interview in a unique way that also tied in to what my site is all about.

1. To start things off, tell us a bit about yourself. Anything at all.

I am a simple man trying to make my way in the universe (quote from Jango Fett in Star Wars – Attack of the clones)

2. Where do you see yourself in the next 5, 10, 15 years?

With grey hair ( I have two daughters)…

Really though I hope to still be an active part of the design community, more on my terms… I have a personal goal to teach or speak at conferences or something along those lines eventually. I really admire Jeffery Zeldman and others who have a wealth of knowledge and experience and gives back to the design community through speaking. Or just running a design firm or art gallery somewhere along the coast, or back east( New England area).

You never know though… it will be interesting to see how it all plays out.

3. At the end of your life what do you hope to be remembered for?

Someone who was passionate about what he believed in, and what he loved. Someone who invested in those around him and left things better than he found them.

1. When did you first become cognizant of the fact that design is something you wanted to pursue as a career?

Well I always loved being creative… and it took on different forms of expression. While I was in a band (Point of Recognition) I started trying to make shirts and stickers, and the next thing you know I was hooked and i guess the rest is history.

2. In your own words what would you say are the fundamental elements of design and how do you apply them to your own work?

Not really sure… I know there are answers in a book somewhere, or that you learn in a classroom. I would say that for me personally the most fundamental element of design or creativity is vision. The ability to look at something or hear about it and envision in in a creative form. To hear someone’s vision for a product, or something they are passionate about and see the creative expression… to conceptualize it and help them achieve it.

Be flexible, think openly, take risks, and be open to criticism (constructive or otherwise).

I totally just rambled on… but keeping those concepts in mind when designing for work, or just because i have an idea, serve as a good foundation for design, and then add technique, skill, and the desire to make cool stuff, and i am usually heading in the right direction.

wow hope that answers the question… i really rambled there for a minute…. I guess that is the whole reaching my mid 30′s thing.

3. Paper or digital? In your opinion which will outlast the other?

Digital will continue to become more practical, and efficient as technology advances, and paper will become a novelty / collectors item.
With that said paper doesn’t need to be charged, and can’t crash or have compatibility issues.

And even though i am not very good at drawing there is a lot to be said for unplugging, sitting down with a pad of paper and either writing out your thoughts or sketching a creative vision. It can be refreshing and i definitely recommend it.

1. Did you grow up in a church?

Yup and hated it. I got to see all the behind the scenes stuff that made me want nothing to do with God or the people who followed him. I was to young to realize that is usually what happens when people lose focus of what a relationship with God was really supposed to be, if you read the bible so much of who Jesus is described as is pretty opposite of what the church is doing today.

I am not the poster boy for modern “Right Wing Christian Fundamentalists” I am not a republican ( I don’t think Jesus was either), i dont pretend to be something I am not, I am not perfect, I listen to good music, and I don’t judge people, I do have firm beliefs… but it is not my job to change people… that is what God does, but it is my job to represent God, and His love for others by how I live (not just what i say) and interact with others. I believe that Mark Driscol said it best when he said to “Contest and Contextualize” Which means I contest for my beliefs, and don’t compromise them, but i do contextualize them and make them real and relevant to others, not by pounding them with rules and a fake do gooder attitudes, but by being an open and honest person and hopefully dispeling the lame stereotypes that we have earned for ourselves as “christians” that often get in the way of people truly experiencing who God is.

I know this… I believe in God, and do my best to live for him openly and honestly, but definitely not perfectly, and hopefully I can contribute something positive to others. Wether they share my beliefs or not. It is the whole “Loving people without an agenda” concept where I have love and respect for all people because they are worth it, not just to get them to believe what I do.

2. When did you realize a relationship with Jesus was more important than any religion?

When I had tried everything on my own ( a whole separate story on it’s own), and was still empty inside I knew there was something more… I knew God was real…. but i had so many questions that weren’t answered. So i started search for the answers, and the more i tried to disprove, the more it became real to me.

3. As a family man, how would you describe the difference between your relationship with God now as opposed to when you were single?

I have been married for 12 years. It has not always been easy but it has really taught me about living selflessly, and putting other people before me. I have two daughters and an amazing wife who definitely keep me in line ( I really need it sometimes). I consider myself blessed. Other than that i was only a Christian for about a year or two before i got married so i cat compare to much.

Thanks again Aaron for taking the time to share with me and all my readers. And if you would like more info on Aarron, here are some links:

Website – This Is Aaron’s Life
Portfolio – Aaron’s Portfolio
Twitter – @aaroni268
Linked in – Aaron Irizarry