Education is everything. (Sam Seaborn, The West Wing)

"...Education is the silver bullet. Education is everything. We don't need little changes, we need gigantic, monumental changes. Schools should be palaces. The competition for the best teachers should be fierce. They should be making six-figure salaries. Schools should be incredibly expensive for government and absolutely free of charge to its citizens, just like national defense.

"That's my position. I just haven't figured out how to do it yet."

- Sam Seaborn: The West Wing.

Which hobbies or experiences have made you a better designer? (Frank Chimero)

Photo by NOAA: cirrus clouds

"Here's what I believe: Reading and meditation open up your head and re-establish a better pace of time versus the frenzied internet. Cooking balances out the sensory experience of design work by giving you texture, smell, and taste. Personal loss forces you take your job a little less seriously. Self-reflection and good relationships help you see yourself as a part of the family of things. These don't necessarily have much to do with design, but if I take care of my whole self, the part of me that is my job follows. Nothing else has ever worked."

https://blog.framer.com/ask-a-designer-frank-chimero-bb2380fd41db

Limit feedback from people who don't make you better (by Seth Godin)

"I never met an author who said 'I just finished reading all the 1-star reviews of my book on Amazon and it made me a better writer.'

Limit feedback from people who don't make you better.

Don't engage.

It will get in the way of your work, and your work is too important."

~Seth Godin

The greatest holiday gifts, by Carolyn Hax

"Given that the greatest gifts loved ones can give us are acceptance of our frailties and gratitude for our strengths, holidays are great opportunities for people to give one another chances to shine. Ask for things they give well, and erase expectations for things they rarely or never produce."

Carolyn Hax

Art show (3 of my photos made it!)

We had an art show at work and three pieces I entered made it on the wall!

Wooded Snowfall

Reaching for the Sun

Assateague National Seashore