Uptop

So I'm in a Dunkin Donuts on Lyons ave in Newark, NJ. I just got burned for a buck, but the chicken parm flatbread did me some justice. I came up here for a Class Reunion Cookout and walked into a thunderstorm. Now I'm contemplating a mad dash for MD. The VP (who is pregnant) and myself are just plain tired. At least I made all of my meetings.

Pitiful

So here I am in the local DD. The owner gave me a free stale donut to go with the 2 stale ones I paid for. I fell for it again. I just finished delivering business cards to a client and built my first wordpress situation. I had a good day, but my blog sucks! Maybe it's this old sugar jelly donut I'm chewing on that has me thinking stale is a description I don't want to earn, but my blogging habits betray me. Maybe it's the coffee that has me believing that I can change it. We'll see.

Message to the Thrifty Client

Recently, I have had clients acting off of the confusion that arises from a typical production schedule. By typical I mean, EVERYDAY Murphy's Law is in effect. Things can and will go wrong. A client's awareness is the key to minimizing the impact of those realities or at the very least UNDERSTANDING why things happen. I've decided to state my opinions on the topic. These are in fact MY opinions but they should read as logic to some with experience in production.
1. Don't believe in miracles or miracle workers.
If someone pulled off an amazing feat for you in a clutch situation, don't expect them to be successful everytime. You will be wrongfully disappointed.
2. Plan Accordingly
Give your project, whatever it may be, the time it deserves to be the best that it can be. Planning is FREE and it can save a lot of money.
3. Research for yourself
As you plan, you should become familiar with costs and turnaround times. Set deadlines for your project and obey them. IF YOU FIND YOURSELF BEHIND SCHEDULE EXPECT TO PAY MORE AND ACCEPT THE POTENTIAL OF YOU NOT GETTING EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT.
4. Establish Direction
Now that you have the plan and the numbers, you must establish the route that you will take to carry it all into fruition. Selecting your vendors + service providers and communicating the needs of the project to them. Becoming familiar with their requirements + your responsiblities as a client.
5. Coordinate
I've learned to view coordination as juggling. You control several movements being acted upon by an external force. You set several parts of a plan in motion being acted upon by time. If you are unaware at this stage, you will drop something(s). Whatever you didn't know, didn't ask or points of detail you didn't express will add a blindfold to your juggling act.
6. Prepare for the worse
Worst case scenarios are considered because they are always potential. Even with the best planning, sharpest research + the clearest direction, you still can't predict the weather. Things go wrong. If you were doing everything right, you were prepared for this with a Plan B + enough time to implement it. If you weren't doing everything right, then there's proof that everyone involved is human.
I am human. I am not a miracle worker. I am a graphic designer who has coordinated many projects between quite a few vendors over the past 9 yrs. I know how stressful not having approximate times is. I personally compensate by giving myself more time when planning. I know what happens when you rush...usually double the price + the opportunity for more mistakes.
I prefer not to put that pressure on others whenever possible. I definitely don't appreciate haggling over the price associated with accepting that weighted responsibility with someone who most likely created the condition. Harsh? Paying for a clients lack of planning is harsh. Especially when you didn't charge them the RUSH price. Identity crisis. Thought I was the miracle man.
In closing I'll say this, I transitioned from a Graphic Designer to a Graphic Design Service after spending years IN production (Silk Screening, Environmental Technician, Communications Technician,Art Production Assistant in videos+ films). The talent is the design but the work is the service. I wanted to bring the talent + the logistics to small business graphic dilemmas. As novel an ideal as that may be, even when our all is given we will lose at the feet of poor planning. We will bicker over un supported beliefs and negotiate feverishly to ensure that you get more for less. Even then, after you've waited to the last minute, cut every corner + shaved every dime, we may be able to get your project what it needs. We will most definitely try. We always do. However, your business model will still be the product of poor planning. Harsh? Waking from a life lived as a lie is harsh, but
necessary.
If you just want to hustle and you want your project handled correctly hire( or assign ) a project coordinator and they will lose hair + sleep to make sure the balls never hit the floor and you don't have to stop earning to pick them up. If not, don't get your hair done with have several hats for you to try on. Next time.

Dungeon Talk

I'm in the basement, where the Black and Mild smoke won't irritate my wife. This where the drafting table and all the equipment lives. Admittedly, I don't spend much time down here. I work almost exclusively off of my laptop, on the dining room table. This is the only way I can stay focused and still spend time with my significant other. However, when I'm down here with the music and the art, I can't help but feel as though I am neglecting a huge chunk of me. I know that I use elements of my artistic person in my commercial pursuits. Typography is grafiti to me. Graphic design is doing a piece except the wall is a monitor. Those clever slogans are just homeless lines from "dope rhymes". I am passionate about it all, but only a fraction of it has been profitable. That fraction is what I base my career on. Just typing that feels crazy, besides actually living it.
I live on the web now. I'm constantly face to face with the competition and their product. I am furnished with armor in the form of information and the constant reminder that there are plenty of gifted people in this field. I have always been one to believe that awareness promotes evolution and that humility is the foundation of power. A lot the people who do what I do, do it better than me. Twitter has led me to quite a few. Don't get me wrong, I always operate at a professional caliber but sometimes professional is wack. There is always room for growth. Motivation is being exposed to those who have grown.
With that being said and the black (black and mild) being 2/3 ash, I'll announce the launch of the new HDS site. A little bigger. A little bolder. Not as slick as I envisioned, but better than before. As I tighten my grip on CSS, I promise you all a more pleasurable online experience. Maybe my business schoolmate @smerx or my comrade Chen from the Florida side can offer a bit of tutelage. Either way, the knowledge will be acquired. I also updated my Twitter background. It took outrageously long to actually upload, but that's Twitter. It's cool, but I'm paying more attention to colors now so I'll say it's OK. I will most definitely be laying out a new composition, but I welcome any feedback on the current one.
I dudded the black out. This beat has been playing for an hour. I have forgotten a verse I wrote in my head while I was writing this. I am skitzophrenic and every one of my personalities is exhausted. I think I'll stay up til they pay up, but this money on my mind is the money I can't find. Next time.........

Quickie

Just a quick thought.
If you use Twitter correctly, it is an invaluable tool that connects you with what you want to know and who you want to know. If used incorrectly it becomes another disease den where we lay our IPs. Its all up to the user.

Warning

Quick update. You designers have a couple of months left. Once I get in tune with CSS via Dreamweaver, the weak will have no relief. I am poised. Twitter is like mainlining information (stay tuned for Hollagraphics Design Services PSAs on Twitter. Jewels.......). The resources and the tutorials are like steroids, except crap graphics are the only thing being destroyed. My brain is lit. My mind is light. My grasp extends........

One for the Road

Nothing like designing with HBO Comedy playing in the background. To keep it 100(as in 100 percent or absolutely true)there are so many things that are better than this scenario for other folks, but I love it. Sometimes I let the news trudge on as ambient noise and successfully poison my peace of mind. For certain styles of design, chaos is fitting. However, I prefer to program tranquility via pen stroke. Other times, like this, I just let the design be.......

My bad.....

Sorry for the hiatus, but sometimes you've got to get filthy in order to clean up. My house was out of order, mentally, physically, personally and professionally. I can admit that and I don't miss the weight on my shoulders. There are still several monkeys in my bookbag, but they don't count. At this point in life, as I know it, I am just happy to BE.
Over the past two weeks, I've been on and off trains and buses, hired and fired, but not defeated. I have performed as a diligent Production Assistant on a major Optimum Online Commercial at Silvercup Studios in Long Island City, NY and dawned the role of my father's namesake at his 60th surprise party in Goldsboro, NC. I have held my tongue in the face of bigotry and reserved my opinions in favor of decorum. I have experienced an epiphany beneath the stars and recognized the need to accelerate ALL of my efforts. As far as life is concerned, my skillset is too narrow to support an arrogance as broad as my own. If you believe that you are extraordinary, than a lot is far from enough.
With that being said, Shout out to my partners Keve Huggins + Oscar Perez, Jr for their continued support and energy as well as Tanya Morgan for killing their listening session in DC. Til next time.....hustle on!

Splattermaddens.jpg

Almost forgot....

We support hustlers at Hollagraphics Design Services. Shout out to mvpbus.com. They are about that bread + this driver is apparently related to Ricky Bobby!

Headed OT

If I'm on a Chinatown Bus, it can only mean one thing: there is production work in NYC. The third partner of HDS and owner operator of Hollagraphics Productions, Keve Huggins, gave me the call last week. The art dept needs us for a commercial or something. I never really know until I get there. I do know we will be at SilverCup Studios in Brooklyn.
I love and hate these trips. I love the exposure, the experience, and the opportunity to be in the film industry....even if most of the time it's independant. I hate the bus, late night subways and leaving my wife. Sacrifice is essential in life and business. You've got to give to get. I've come to grips with this concept, yet I remain indifferent with the ramifications. In other words, yeah, yeah I know, but it's still wack!
The ultimate downside is making a sacrifice for a project that's destined to disintegrate due to poor planning. I always manage to draw a jewel from these situations, but I just can't replace the time and effort. The interpolation of egos is a trip as well.
This is why Hollagraphics, as a movement, struggles for power over marketshare. The power is in the people. Network trumps net worth in the world of the unwealthy. We want to control Our products and propogate them through Our networks. Obviously, we work for other people. We just don't always see eye to eye with them. This is commonplace for individuals that only assimilate in theory not belief. In otherwords, saying "sure we can do that for you" while thinking "but it's still wack!" Integrity without honesty is a boldfaced lie. If that rubs you wrong, you're probably being lied to often.
Well thanks for letting me work this out of my system. I hope you got a little more insight on the philosophy behind the Hollagraphics Brand. I'll be posting pics of my trip soon. Next time......

the write of way

My favorite class in school was Geometry. My favorite teachers were English teachers. Geometry taught me to argue mathematically, while English teachers gave me practice. English teachers always got more out of my rants than the rest of the instructors. They just couldn't convince me that I was a writer. Although I've been doing it for years, I've just recently started to BELIEVE.
Hollagraphics Design Services has put me to task as far as writing is concerned. Producing the copy for the Business Plan, Website and all of the marketing wasn't extraordinarily difficult but it did require a style I do not normally use. I had to be more informative than poetic for the sake of the company. So far no complaints, no negative feedback. Now I'm blogging. So far no comments. Where are my English teachers now?
Still I post. I have an ever ascending standard of excellence and a commitment to self mastery that will not allow me to focus on anything but elevation. So still I learn.
You're not really asked to write at length as an adult unless it is part of your job detail. Frankly, it is a skill that fades quickly when not in use. Most of my clients, friends and family are scared to death of writing. My opinion in no way means that the world is sympathetic to those who choose not to be represented by the written word. Not hardly. If you run a business, you should be writing. In my opinion, ANY family in America IS a business. We should all be writing. If we don't, someone else will be writing the plan for our futures. Think about it personally and professionally. When you are asked to produce will you be able?
I will be revisiting this topic often, but for now read this I found this an article from the latest issue of Website Magazine. When you don't know where to start or how to build your copy, this should help.
I appreciate you letting me practice.

Penitentiary Too exploitative.......

Alright, I watched two Penitentiaries when I was young. Too young to know I should be offended. Too young to recognize the difference between the east and west coast. Too young to notice the omnipresent hand of Corporate America guiding this primarily all-black cast into a stereotypical hell. I saw Schlitz malt liquor hats, babies being fed Coca-Cola, and "Too Sweet" in the street with a Puma sweatsuit. I was uncomfortable watching Ernie Hudson play the bad guy and they had Mr. T dressed up like a genie (complete with magic lamp and a gold MC Hammer suit....top & bottom) I also noticed that Leon Isaac Kennedy looked like Lil Bow Wow does now. Creepy.
After having had worked on a couple of Independent Films (Wonderwall, Stickup Kids, etc...), i could watch this debacle with a critical eye. Zero production value but major corporate sponsorship? Maybe that's wrong. I'll say prominent product placement by major corporate players.....in a prison boxing movie. Either way, if you want to see Power Brokers capitolize off of social conditions and simultaneously perpetuate those conditions you can watch CSPAN (all day & nite) or rent Penitentiary II.
We wiil probably spoof this trash when we get a budget right. What up R. Carty? What up Keve?

For Real......

To all my hustlers worldwide, don't forget to eat. There aren't enough hours in the day to chase ALL the paper down. Sometimes, you just have to eat and take it down. I know, you can't produce anything in your sleep but a dream. I made that phrase up. However, deprive the body of a necessity and it will shut down or revolt. Like a car with no oil or the Earth with no soil, If you respect the game, honor the balance. You used it up, put it back.
So far today I've fallen out of consciousness 3 times already. I still assembled a flyer (Hollagraphics Marketing), revised several estimates (3C's Down Home Soul Food) and completed a pro bono logo (Ethiostar Entertainment). I'm currently on a teleconference, cooking Jerk Turkey Chops and blogging. The thin line between love and addiction is on a hunger strike. Business and Design run my life! Neither care if I eat or sleep and are constantly reminding me that they don't need me. I can't hear them over the growl of my gut or my playlist on youtube. Nope. I can't hear them and I can't stop. I can, however, fall out, so I will slow down for dinner. Peace.

You can do business without being busy. I get busy even when it's not. Right now it is. I'm juggling several projects currently and they are due impart to my website (Thanks again MediaLab and Yahoo). I am getting positive responses from all over! Between this blog (Thanks Blogger) and Twitter (Cheers Twitter) I'm making a minor spectacle of myself.
I'm being RSS fed to a couple of sites (like Star Quality Entourage ) and I'm gathering followers! I only have plans of digging in deeper and developing this brand into a noteworthy venture and a family keepsake.
I decided to pump my brakes and take this time to say thank you to all the hustlers in the universe that give themselves to the game of life in the pursuit of excellence. Thank you to all the workers with the will and all the customers with the wants. We do this for you, not for TV.
Shout out to Deepside Digital and Mr. Samuels. Don't worry brothers, Hollagraphics is working it out like Spring Training! I will be posting some of the latest projects soon. Plus an interview with a funkgee black chik........One!

back in the building (the foyer anyway)....

Wow. You get so used to running hard (even if in place) that you forget that fatigue is real and has the patience to outlast your will. That is not "bitchassness" as Combs might quote, as much as it is a metaphysical fact of life. If your using a lot, you have a lot replace. Being conscious of this, before the crash, may be a saving grace. I eased up a bit. I did so just long enough to realize how heavy life is right now and was damn near crushed by the thought(s). I need sleep, money and atonement. The fact that I can't tell which is more important, disturbs me on so many levels.
If money came as easy as sleep, I'd be great. Unfortunately it doesn't and I'm a grouchy when desperate. My Vice President (my wife for those that haven't read past blogs) paid the car note, which was past due 60 days. Even as a self-proclaimed philosopher I must say losing and being a loser just SUCKS. At times like this, I can answer to no other title. To my defense I have may be $3000 worth of speculative work on the table @ the deposit phase, but that doesn't work @ the gas pump. To make matters worse, I have to locate my swagger in order to handle new clientele. Not an easy task to achieve, when you're watching your wife carry weights no one person should lift. Bad time to blog.
Today I woke up, composed myself, and made all the right emails and calls. Finalized a design for my Father's 60th birthday party invitation, responded to a Muse revision request and had delightful client interview with the Co-owner of a Soul Food restaurant. Suddenly I realized how heavy my skill set is and I started flexing before the mirror that is my mind. Coordinates of Swagger triangulated. Blogger, I'm back......woohoo!

Supernova on novacaine

Right now my tongue feels like a boogie board stuffed in a baloon. Nothing like hi tech needles in the AM. The machine removing all feeling from a quarter of my face sounds like a garbage truck in reverse. My bottom lip is Hindenberg status right now. Oh and let's not forget the drool..........so sexy. Can't wait to get back to the office. I've got Myspace pages and T shirts to design.

cycle ad

A motorcycle club wanted to see how I handle bikes in a layout. They didn't supply a name so I had a guest appearance by Gene Eric (generic, ha). I think they both work.

I love it when people don't settle. That's not to say I draw joy from unrest, but when bland is a trend we forget the world is round. By that I mean, when people lose themselves in other peoples opinions and decisions, the individual is placed in jeopardy and identity is compromised.
Nadia Surin of Social Work Express, came out of nowhere as a client. She followed all protocol (deposits, email requests for revisions, timely responses, and active understanding of workflow) and purchased a logo, business cards, and two (2) sets of flyers from us. Her website is Social Work Express.
After perusing the original site, I offered a little professional advice. Her banner consisted of just the logo and an uncomfortable amount of white space. I offered to redesign it, because I felt it was taking away from the serious tone of the sites function. Also, she had Comic Sans font sprinkled on different sections of the page. Not cool.
She contacted me 2 days ago and requested a color change for her logo. She had her site redesigned and I must say, now it looks proper. I snatched a PDF screenshot of the proposed site, swapped out the colors and sent them off. Now the site is balanced and as an owner, Nadia can hold her head high.
The moral of the story is: be professional, don't cut corners, hire professionals you can count on, and don't settle......

this aint a shoe blog, its a true blog

Okay so, I'm an admitted sneaker freak and b-boy for life. Yeah, I sport the button ups and slacks with the casual cut when I'm in the CEO of sales role, however I think I was born in denim, my first baby shoes had a swoosh and my first word was probably "word". I tend to attract the mathmatically minded, so putting two and two together, you may have also realized that I am a lyricist, complete with a partner that'll make a pinata of your rhyme book. B-boys are vehicles of expression. We are not limited to one area, medium, means, or style. We spill over into everything we do...like these custom painted kicks. The B'more Greens are my design, but the ultramagnetic Dno Dunks (designed for Defend New Orleans)and New Orlean Swamps are Slavemarket Clothings'.
They will soon be available online. Stay tuned.

So I'm having Urban Bbq company right now. Never had it or heard of it, but its worth it. The layout of the restaurant, the design of the menus and uniforms and of course the food make this a winner. They don't need me, but I gave them a card anyway(then I took my cornbread).

Now I'm in the Dentist's Office seaching for relief. I probably didn't mention it, but I am so very afraid of drills and hooks for my mouth. The sounds they make are the soundtrack to my nightmares. At no point during a dental visit, will you be able to claim cool and the inadvertent squirming caused by the offshore mining going on in your grill makes you question EXACTLY how thorough you are. But I'm here now, so that I might rest later. I'm tired and starving. I've been up all night dumping Ibuprofen and rinsing with Peppermint Oil. I can't do that again tonight. I've got meetings.
First things first, when I walked in the office I grabbed the Office Managers business card. For the Medical Field, the card is poorly spaced information wise, the font choice is questionable, it is driven by the photo of the card owner and muddled with a logo that gets busier when you shrink it. This is the woman I have to pitch my business barter concept. She isn't here.
As Iook around the office, I become even more confident that I can close some type of deal here. From the in-house signs to the vendor provided educational material, there is a severe wobble. I feel I can establish consistency throughout the office. I can see a cool color palette, custom icons for print and web, staff and area photos to embellish in house signs, screensavers and more. At times like this I feel like I've always been a designer, but I'm just realizing it now. My mind has always been this analytical. I just wrote it off as general geekiness. Go figure.
The doc is here, so it's metal in the mouth time. Later.

the benzocaine kid....

Alright, so I got the Gaza strip going on in my gums and not a dollar in the bank. As a matter of fact, both of my banks claim I owe them for being poor, but that's another blog I'll probably never post. Anyway, the pain is here, and I'm rapidly outgrowing my home remedies (peppermint oil, dental gum, salt water, not sleeping, benzocaine soaked q-tips, etc.). I know I need a root canal, posts, and a crown. I can probably scheme up enough money for an extraction. I made the appointment out of desperation and pain induced shock. I had a wisdom tooth removed at Angel Dental Care and I remembered two things. 1. They snatched my negative enamel out in 4.5 minutes + devoid of reckless tugging and 2. they were badly in need of a new logo. My plan? I would like to and am seriously pursuing, a barter situation where I swap out an identity system for dental work. Unsure if it's a stroke of genius, the last sign that I've lost my mind, or just the status quo of the self-employed in the land of the fee and the home of foreclosure. Either way this is what I came up with.



This was the first angel I drafted. I didn't like the pose for a logo, but I knew it would serve purpose all over a fine tailored t-shirt.....probably bamboo or organic cotton.

Explanation.....

I'm not making any new money, but I'm learning new programs. I am respectfully approaching Flash, After Effects, and Fireworks now that I've transitioned into web design. I say this as a disclaimer to my 4 followers. Sorry for any lapses in blogging. It's for the cause and not just because.

This is the 'Ikea' style t-shirt ad that I did for my brother (he's a technician for Trumpf). This is pure vector flexing. Hats off to the pen tool and my Back playlist on youtube.

Yeah, complicated right. I didn't design this, but I did redraft the the text though. I am not a fan of Livetrace results, so I use the pen tool religiously.



This is the original downloaded from the web.

Fw: big-will-flyer-2.jpg

Assignment for my partner, Oscar Perez, Jr.

competition is none

So for the past 2-3 months I have been frantically trying to reorganize HDS to move into the future. Revising my marketing plan and recalculating my target markets wasn't enough. I knew I had to change my outlook on business and how I was conducting it, if I ever wanted this movement to survive.
For a long time, I have been against competition. My reasons are simple. 2 people create 1 life (or more). It takes 2 parties to transact business. It takes at least 2 people to compete. Life begets life. Business begets business. Competition begets elimination. I have always tried to hi-light the life in business and vice versa. Competition, in many of its forms, inspires a sense of self-centeredness that most likely extends back to infancy. A me, me, me factor. Rather than it be about the greatness of a particular act, an act is immediately measured against another persons experience in an attempt to assess the difference in worth between the two (or more). There is only one "winner" in these scenarios and greed is transmogrified into determination and drive. I never chose to compete. I always chose to compel. As a missionary, I'd be spot on, but as a businessman sometimes I feel like an open bar on skid row.
In 09, I have no choice but to compete. I can no longer sustain this movement with little fish the big design firms throw back. I can't even strength train those fish for the future. Their eyes are too small. They lack the foresight. No,I have to offer products comparable to my competition and charge prices in the same range. I have always studied their strategies, but never chose to adopt them. I no longer have a choice. This economic climate can be described as nothing less than a fight for survival. When competition becomes a fight, it sheds the leisures of sport and dawns the obligation of the living to preserve life. Design is my life and I will survive (you might be thinking disco clip, I'm thinking soundbyte from '300').

So I'm doin what I've never done before. I'm having a coffee and muffin @ the local Dunkin Donuts. I don't eat in but this gives me a chance to use the mobile blog.

So I had a little hiatus. My customers appreciate my willingness to NOT blog in favor of investing 150% into their projects. I'm going to take this time out to give a hats off to Bigfoot Sneakers, Muse Annex, Starquality Entourage & Hollagraphics Marketing, as well as positive ex. I still got meetings, but I'll be back like the governor of Cali!

There's nothing like stumbling around a page of HTML trying to do something...anything, and coming up with nothing. As you can probably deduce from my first post, I'm not the web guy. After becoming one with Photoshop and Illustrator, I had no idea that Dreamweaver would be such a rude awakening. I actually learned multimedia on Macromedia's Director, but I never really got comfortable with the concept of code. I had just learned how to turn a computer on,so programming was not high on my list of priorities. It still isn't. Neither is learning to swim, but it may save my life. Web related products are in demand and draw a higher rate than my printed services. My understanding of this medium is critical to the survival of HDS. So, study I will........

I realize I talk a lot. I'm trying to write more than I speak, but people do not have time to read all of that. So, here's a recent design. I call it a thought card. It's function is to provoke thought, more so than promote business. I gave them out during Black History Month, but if you're not in the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia), you probably didn't get one. It's all vector art printed on 16 pt cardstock with UV on the art side and matte finish on the info side. I also use the cards to teach clients the power of marketing and art direction. What does it make you think about?

With my birthday celebration (pause to cough)...well under way, I'm feeling more connected to the web than ever before. After watching an interview with Talib Kweli & Hi Tek and a prompt from my proper peer, Ayesha Callahan, I set up a twitter account for Hollagraphics. Woohoo! Yet another channel to discharge this nervous energy through. Aaaaahhhhh! I even have a couple of followers. Makes sense because I'm following people now. Quite a few people. It's kind of ill, ill meaning "cool", that based on my interests, I can use my PC as a bounty hunter to satisfy my curiosities. I still investigate personally, but now I have agents tailing my targets and doing stakeouts! Up to the minute updates via RSS feeds make me more Big brother like (Que the evil laugh, light reverb, pan left). Actually, they make me a sharper individual because I don't follow fools or foolishness. To be granted access to the opinions and perspectives of your friends, family, peers, contemporaries, and icons/idols gives you more to reference as you write your page in the Book of Life. I, personally, enjoy uncovering the similarities in people and their lives, no matter how radically they may differ. I feel we are all stars serving a term in the flesh. Starstruck is never a condition I have suffered from. People amaze me. These lives and times are the mystery. Sounds like the start to a wack script or something. In any case, I like to hear about how businesspeople deal with business problems. In person, an individual might not be so forthcoming with advice and tutelage whereas, online they are in discriminant. Competition is what competition is and some people are more passionate about profit versus how they make it. I can understand that. I don't follow those people. I watch them. Other people are so good at what they do, that they can only talk about themselves and their experiences. I read them. There are still others that actually teach by being genuine. I spend time with them. Which category are you in? Its been a pleasure spending time with you on my birthday.

Today I completed my 34th revolution around the sun. Compared to an infant, I am ancient. Compared to this planet, I am an instant. Let me tell it, I am waaaaaaaaaaaay older than my age, but my spirit is eternally youthful and my soul is infinite. I draw off of those resources and not the physical. The physical is built and destroyed, while you are reborn in the mind. I have celebrated many a birthday that can't be marked on a calender. This is not to take anything from my parents. They were/are gateways nonetheless.
Happy B-day messages starting chiming across my blackberry around 11:45 last night. My Elizabeth High School peoples are definitely on Facebook. Justin Roman (Afteryellowred), Tirzah K. , and Phil Lynch all sent me love yesterday. My mother and big brother called this morning, but when I do sleep it is a minor coma so, no connection. My mother did text me and that was an accomplishment (she's not one to press a button 3 times to produce one letter). Its not only the thought that counts, its being thought of.
I never understood why people lie about their age. That's so disrespectful to your experiences here on Earth. I try to learn and grow daily. Understanding isn't generally instantaneous. It is accompanied by trial and error which are separated by time. For me to pyschologically adjust my years in speech (it can't be changed in reality) would be an unconscious attempt at stunting my maturity. When I truly reflect on my experiences, I feel like I'm too old to lie about important things and not old enough to start falling apart.
At HDS, we're thinkers. We talk sh*t with a lot of thought behind it, beside it and in front of it. If we were immature, our actions could be misdirected and our future could be compromised. Because we acknowledge the reality of ourselves, we conduct ourselves like the adults (not grown ups) that we are. A common quote around here is "Time is God's currency. It is difficult to save, so invest it wisely." -D. G. Wooten II I live by that. Does it make sense to you?

A common start to these blogs will be: a time and specific meeting with my Vice President. We meet frequently throughout the week and balance 4 separate entities (Graphic Design, Real Estate, Travel, and Natural Products). Beyond all this she maintains a Business Consultant position in a Fortune 500 company and still finds time to be the most awesome + supportive wife a moody multi-media starvin artist could get to commit. With that being said.......
12:00 Late Breakfast Meeting with my VP @ Ihop. We always wait 20-30 mins when we're here. Its the only 'real restaurant' around our area. We always discuss putting them out of business with our own venture. We're actually dead serious until we get to the part of the discussion that covers capital. Then things generally go silent and we go back to critiquing (complaining) over our respective meals. Something to consider for business owners. Often times the competition is in your lobby, assessing your weakness and waiting for that window of opportunity. Raise the bar. Make them jump higher.

4am I had a meeting with the Vice President of HDS. This was after I spent hours tinkering with this blog and waging war on the mouse dancing in my kitchen. (I know I am dangerously naive for saying mouse instead of mice, because they are rarely alone, I just don't like to feed them that ultra magnetism. I don't want to attract them with my thoughts. There will be a separate post on "Murdering mice in your life-metaphorical and literal" in the future....)
The VP gave kudos on the blog and website + wanted to know "What's next?" "Marketing and Promotion" was the instinctual response. I would've said it, but I was overwhelmed with thoughts of distinction. 'Overwhelmed' is a blatant exaggeration. I was exhausted and the new set of thoughts was sucking up the fumes that were keeping my engine running. Distinction. I thought before we can promote either of these properly, we have to partition the public perception (say that 3 times fast) to accept the site as professional and the blog as life with a professional backdrop.
Overall, the HDS business model is different. We bring the life back(?) into business. Even when we're practicing professionalism, we're very organic when interacting with clients and the community-at-large (local, domestic + global). Organic? No, we don't feed everyone spinach salads while wearing three piece bamboo suits. We, well, I would like to but it wouldn't improve the overall product. Warm, anti-alienating, informative interviews however, draw clients and the community towards and into our world. In our world, business and life are inseparable and interchangeable like space and time. Neither can exist without the other, nor are either to be taken lightly. In my mind, profit and understanding are identical. They are bound by philosophy which is the foundation to my style of design.
Some of this philosophy spills over onto the site (check the 'contact' page on the site. We are definitely trying to make you laugh while bringing awareness to a particular client condition) and may raise a brow. If it does, we probably don't want you as a client and you most likely wont consider us as a service vendor. We are cool with that arrangement. It is balanced. However, the blog is life with a professional backdrop, so anything can post there. Tutorials, project reports, recipes, music, events, you-know-what-really-grinds-my-gears sort of rants, and/or but not limited to idle blogging. Don't judge our work ethic or our professionalism by our blog. Appreciate our transparency and value that integrity because we accept the truth but we exist for change.
Is this an effective distinction?

This is our first newsletter. This is still developmental so feedback is critical. You got some? Well give it up.



Next we have the Hollagraphics.com flyer. It's square, but we're not. We are hopelessly addicted to design, however. That's awesome for our clients and horrible for anyone that can't grasp the worth of the craft and its impact on business behaviors (not to mention, our loved ones who can't seem to get a hold us because we're busy getting busy). More often than not, I create on impulse. This flyer is the result of deciding not to fixate on personal debt, but rather to accentuate one's worth.Though it was rushed (45 mins from scratch-including uploading to go to print and a PB&J on wheat...)and it is structurally questionable (alignment issues and awkward spaces) the motivating factor that led up to its conception is still sound. I would rather design than be depressed.

Its been an exciting week for Hollagraphics Design Services (HDS). After years of burning midnight oil, impersonating a technician (cable and environmental) and crafting some of the lamest rants to justify my procrastination.....we launched our site (www.hollagraphics.com) and a blog (www.hollagraphics.blogspot.com). Woohoo! I'd like to thank the good folks at MediaLab, Blogger and my proper peer (my peoples) Jay Baker for all the support during and beyond the build. I'd also like to thank Honda Financial Services for giving me an extension on my car note. Those monies help expedite the process and was greatly appreciated. Of course, now I'm 2 months behind on my payments and a grand away from having $20 to my name. My name? Wholihane. I am HDS' voice of reason, raising, and reaching. That phrasing will be explained over time. What's important now is that you get a clear visual of a small business fighting for its life against the undertow of a powerful Recession. Yes, our eyes get blacker, but our hearts get bigger and beat harder. We've been knocked down but we always get up before the three count, smiling with blood on our teeth and made rigid by adrenaline based ambitions. We breathe deep with broken ribs because we know the brain needs oxygen and the mind wins the war. We never leave the ring. It is always with us. We learn from losing, so we have never lost. How do you define success?