I hope you had a great week! I’ve been juggling a few large projects but also making time to catch up with family and friends. Lunch dates are my new thing — I have one today with a new friend I met at a steampunk convention and of course, lunch with grandma is the best thing ever.

In other news, our mud pit of a backyard is finally taking shape (see above!) and blossoming into something thats a touch rustic, a touch modern and really beautiful. We’ve filled it with palm trees, cacti and a banana tree that’s taller than me (wait, that isn’t all that tall, is it?)

I just wanted to give you a little visual reminder today. I told you a few weeks ago how frustrated I’d been at not acting on my personal list of goals and then, how over the last month, I turned that around by pitching a bunch of new ideas to collaborators. Now, I have so much cool stuff cooking and it’s leaving me feeling more inspired and creative. If you’re feeling stuck, just remember that it’s part of the process and everyone goes through it. It won’t last forever.

When I’m feeling restless with design projects and things aren’t coming together, I get up from my desk, grab a pile of inspiration and start taping it to the wall. Basically, my office is full of old school Pinterest boards. 😉

The client project that’s really lighting me up right now is Rock n Roll Bride Magazine. It’s a lot of pressure designing a 160 page print piece from scratch and it hits the press in less than two weeks. I’m trying to be as zen as possible about the whole thing as my assistant and I pull together the last few layouts. I always feel the self doubt creeping in — could it be better? Could we push the design even further? Then, I remember that good things take time (see above!) and we’ve given this issue our all. Really, that’s all you can ask of yourself.

Joey surprised me with this bouquet of flowers that just happened to match my office. That’s true love right there! Speaking of Joey, if you’re in Portland over the next month, his newest pop art series, Mondo Retro is hanging at Branch Whiskey Bar (yes, another Branch!) Check it out — this work is his best yet.

Have a great weekend, friends!

How was your week?

Mine was all about big stretches, some exciting, some uncomfortable. The first half of this year, I felt like I was crawling towards my goals. I completed a lot of huge client projects (some of which I still have to share) but felt frustrated personally because the dreams and ideas I had were collecting dust, literally taped to my wall and staring me down every day.

In the last month, that’s all shifted dramatically. The new Branch site is finally in development and I’m collaborating on four new projects that light me up every day.

I’ve always felt like I was a late bloomer and maybe you can relate to this feeling, too. Things never happened as fast for me as I’d hoped but then one day, everything would click and a seedling of an idea would bloom even bigger than I could have imagined.

Looking back, even just six months ago, I get it. The timing wasn’t right, the idea was half-baked, the right person to collaborate with hadn’t come along yet. It’s all clear now. So if you feel like you’re sitting in limbo with an idea or a big life change, I feel you. It sucks. But, that’s part of the adventure. If we had everything we wanted just handed over to us, we wouldn’t appreciate it as much. Hang in there. #peptalk

One of the best parts of being a designer is seeing your work in print. It never gets old. When I started Branch, I never imagined that the B icon would end up in a book sandwiched between the work of design legends I’ve admired for years. So surreal.

Big flowers forever. I’ve said it a million times but Trader Joe’s has the best, most affordable selection around. These were $1.99! No, that’s not a typo!

Chubs wanted to stop in and say hello to his internet fan base. What a cutie.

My friend Erika surprised me with this book of Karl Lagerfeld quotes and it’s the perfect balance between genius and ridiculous. I love it.

I hope you have a relaxing weekend and if you’re feeling stuck on a project, always remember to…

“Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” —Francis of Assisi