In 2012 I made my first logo for “Kinetic Bear.” It is the image pictured above. It was something I was pretty proud of and a lot of people still ask me about it because of how cool they thought it was. It’s pretty cool, but I don’t think it’s what I’m looking for anymore. […]
We’ve all been one. Not only that, you can name at least one person in your life that is this kind of person when it comes to opinions and just about any conversations. The jerk. So why does it happen? Why do people get so heated up about opinions? Why does there have to be […]
So I spent a few hours trying to design something “difficult.” To me, this was quite the task. So far I have been building more minimal shapes and objects in Adobe Illustrator, but I wanted a new challenge. I also have been wanting to start a series of GIFs specifically in celebrate of The Legend […]
Over the past few months I have been diving into Adobe After Effects more than I ever have in my entire professional career as a video specialist. I’ve been doing video seriously for about 3 years now and the two past years have been in a corporate environment. I mainly used Adobe After Effects for lower […]
This is something I’ve been wanting to create and share for a while. Since I was asked to lead a small photo workshop recently, I figured it was a good time to make it happen. Aimed toward beginners, this guide is a quick and easy look at basic facts about light and how you can use […]
As of September 25th 2014 I have published 735 blog posts to my blog. I start posting to this blog on May 21st 2012, so that means 735 posts in 857 days. I only had 2 posts in May of 2012. My rate of publishing got better and more consistent in late 2013 and even […]
This is the beginning of a series of posts that will share my entire book, The Elements of Blogging, on my blog. One chapter at a time. Each chapter post will be accompanied with text as well as the audio version of the chapter. The entire audio book will be completed in this manner, when all […]
Today is one of those days where things are good. I’ve received good praises for multiple projects at work and I am being given more projects that I enjoy more than the usual work. Good vibes are flowing within me. When you have great days it’s important to embrace those good vibes. Not only embrace […]
In a world that is saturated with things being constantly created, how do we find originality? How do we do something that has never been done before? It can feel pretty much impossible. We begin to realize that everything we say and do is influenced by something we have seen, heard or felt. This is […]
This summer I told myself I wanted to really focus on music and more specifically my guitar skills over the next year. Last week I decided that I needed a plan and some sort of guidance to make that happen. So I decided to purchase a video series that completely covers the skill and techniques […]
You will find peace not by trying to escape your problems, but by confronting them courageously. You will find peace not in denial, but in victory. – J. Donald Walters This morning I woke up and did my usual routine. Shower. Breakfast. Coffee. Hello to my awesome room mate(s) and out the door to my car. […]
When a close friend of mine showed me the Michigan Beer Film at his place in upper Michigan, I had a gut feeling the dudes that made it were pretty darn cool. Guess what? I was right. I saw it quite a while ago, but never took upon myself to reach out to them and […]
It is easy, when you are young, to believe that what you desire is no less than what you deserve, to assume that if you want something badly enough, it is your God-given right to have it. ― Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild When it comes to success in life, you and I are probably […]
You live in a time where we are able to see what everyone else is doing all the time. You constantly think that everyone is always busy creating and doing things you wish you could do. Everyone else appears to be better than you are at every moment of your life. You are never good […]
I love music. Even more so I love guitar… And I have an obsession with guitar pedals. Guilty! I bet some of you are too. When I ran across TryAPedal.net I knew I had to give it a try. Not only that I was so curious as to who runs it and the story behind […]
I am proud to share this motion graphics project that you see above. It was not all me either. I am blessed to work with a talented graphic designer, a copywriter and a fun and creative marketing team at my day job. I’m usually busy making videos with real people in them or snapping photos […]
When I graduated high school in 2006, I pictured myself in a completely difference scenario in 2014. I thought I would have a wife, a kid or two and possibly living in a different state. Just didn’t end up being that at all. I’m single, no children and a daily commuter for work. I’m also […]
I’ve been quietly following Scott Wyden Kivowitz for some time now on Google Plus. I honestly cannot remember how I found him, but after I did, I started hearing other people talk about him too. Even in real life. His name would come up and I would think to myself, “yeah I know exactly who […]
What is your passion? I can bet you don’t do it for a living. Most of us don’t. And if you do, it’s definitely not an easy life either. That’s part of the beauty of it though. Doing something you love for a career is supposed to be a challenge. Isn’t that what passion is […]
I feel like the word “wealth” is fairly misunderstood, abused and just lost in translation. It can easily be conveyed as a way to explain how much money you have at your disposal. That just seems like a wrong way of looking at it. Wealth should not be about finances. It should be about things […]
There’s a lot of strong positive signals being put in our faces every day. I even try to flood myself with positive energy all the time since I am always hustling to get things done. As much as we like to think they are healthy and good for us, it can be the most stressful addition to our life. It’s on social networks, on billboards, signs in schools and institutions… everywhere. Continue reading
It’s so refreshing to catch up with friends that you know have wicked amounts of talent just brewing up inside of them. It can be really hard to stay in touch, but when you do get together, it’s a good time. It’s a time of talking about the bigger picture, sharing the little details and […]
I’ve been wanting to do more interviews on the blog with some amazing people. Photographers, designers, developers, filmmakers, bloggers and all sorts of creators. This is a hopeful start to a great series of interviews to come I thought I would kick off this interview series with someone from the blogosphere. Blogging is awesome and […]
Relationships have tremendous value for us. Even when we are broke as hell and feel worthless, the greatest people in our life can lift us up. They see the potential within us. Not only that, they know how to create good within us. Seeing the good is half the battle. Teaching others to create good […]
You might be reading this because you have been one lazy bum lately and you need that little reminder to get you back in action and kick some serious butt. So if you are that person that has been procrastinating a lot lately, let’s go over a few reasons why you should just get moving and just finish the damn thing already. I’m not trying to hurt anyone’s feelings, I just want to see you succeed. Some of these responses are more serious than others….. Continue reading
It has been an incredible year for me from a creative aspect. I cannot stress how much I have been getting done in comparison to any other time of my life. I thought I accomplished a lot last year, but I have been kicking some serious butt this year. I will say that I am noticing my own progress much more than ever before. I have been writing more to my blog, writing my first ebook (to be released in April 2014), progressing in my photography and design skills and now more recently I have been writing so much music I don’t know what to do with it all. Continue reading
I ran across this post on twitter today from a teacher I had and it totally flashed me back. I can recall spending over 8 hours in that exact room on some days. I actually had a whole semester where I had two, 3-4 hour classes in a row in that room. It was quite […]
I have found time and time again that if I work on ideas or concepts I am passionate about, I tend to progress fairly well in my skill sets. There is something about being crazy in love with ideas and how they can inspire you to just keep on working and do some pretty great […]
I love making little gifs that just feel infinite. Almost no perception of any end. It really forces me to think backwards a bit. How can I make the end look exactly like the beginning in one fluid motion? If you are into Adobe After Effects, try making a infinite GIF yourself. Give yourself 4 […]
An intense sunrise captured last week near Wrightstown, WI.
I honestly can’t remember specifically how Story & Heart and I came across each other, but when they started quoting me and tweeting lines from my blog posts I kind of fell in love with them. They made me feel like what I was writing had some worth to it. As a writer, not professional by any […]
I’ve been collaborating on a project at my church this past week and it’s slowly coming together. I’m mostly helping with cuts, color grading and then some motion graphics work in After Effects. I’m pretty pumped to grind this baby out and share it with everyone. Fun projects make you create some of your best […]
There is so much you can do with the tools in Adobe After Effects. When you convert text to shapes your boundaries are taken away. It’s a very powerful move that you can do within the software. When you convert text to shapes and use the Trim Path function, you can then animate words just […]
The repeater function in Adobe After Effects is one of the most powerful tools I have been introduced to. Once you get your hands on it, the motion graphics world can become your oyster. I really love the feel that this GIF has. It has this very mechanical or industrial feel too it which is […]