introverts are underrated

I read the cover story of the most recent TIME Magazine just one day after having a discussion with some fellow design students about the positive and negatives of introvert and extrovert personalities in our field of study. This really resonated with me because back in my undergrad one of my professors was adamant that introverts could not succeed in our industry because of the necessity for self-promotion and constant client interaction. In this class we also took a questionnaire that gauged our societal tenancies and I remember falling smack dap in the range of introvert and feeling momentarily panic-stricken. Was I headed into a career in which I was destined to fail?

However, I quickly recovered and realized that this was not news to me. I've always known that I am more a listener than a talker, that I have my limits with it comes to socializing, and that hiding in the bathroom for a moment to myself (like the author of the TIME article describes) is an experience that I can relate to.

The article hits the nail on the head when it talks of the challenges introverts face in today's world where everything revolves around the loud and the talkative. However, I feel my skills as an introvert are often overlooked. My introvertness is often misinterpreted as shyness, or worse, snobbery, and I get the question "Why are you so quiet?" pretty incessantly. Instead I am watchful, attentive and contemplative and while it took me most of my adult life to come to terms with, these are qualities that I appreciate in myself.

Another point the article focused on was the ability of introverts to fake extrovert-ness in some situations. Prior to reading this I thought my ability to do this just made me a little confused but who would have guessed that this is just one of many ways we introverts adapt to our environment. We can BE extroverts, but only for a short amount of time before we're exhausted and ready to turn our attention back to the good book we left at home.

So what does this mean for my future as a designer? I think it just means that I'll no longer feel guilty for rewarding myself with a night in after a taxing day of charming clients, or when I find myself alone in the kitchen for a moment to myself at dinner parties, or when I bribe myself to talk to a stranger (yes, I've done that).

Image from Toothpaste for Dinner.

365: week four

1. Just outside my apartment during a nasty rainstorm  2. My sewing table turned desk during a stressful week of homework  3. Some pretty shadows in the alley next to my apartment  4. Eric Baker lecture that I attended  5. Laundry day  6. The Presbyterian Church on Hull and Bull Street  7. A cute little walkway that I passed with a 1/2 address which I have a fondness for.

muppets!

First, play this song before continuing.



A truly spectacular alphabet featuring the muppets.

Designed by Mike Boon.

background noise

I am rarely not surrounded by some sort of noise; I am your typical twenty-something in that regard. I wake up to music, I walk to class with headphones, and then have an assortment of ways to be auditorially distracted while doing homework. As I write, my favorite Pandora station—Ben Folds—is playing. I am lucky enough that a large chunk of what I do can be improved (or at least made more enjoyable) by having these distractions. Laying out type can get tedious otherwise.

I have quite the system for deciding my distraction of choice so I created a little flow chart of my thought process.

 

Yes, that's right, news. 

I've compiled some of my favorite podcasts that I regularly listen to.

This American Life / Stuff You Missed in History Clas

Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me / Radio Lab

Podcast images from iTunes.

music monday: gotye

I think the video is just as good as the song! Enjoy!

365: week three

I'm going strong!

I'm afraid you're going to get a lot of typography-related photos in the next few weeks. I'm a little bit enamored with my creations so I'll probably be annoying with the in-process documentation!

Now the questions is to include captions or not? This week I will.

Top to bottom: Group work session at my favorite coffee shop; jogging in Forsyth Park (shocking, I know for anyone that knows me!), a palm tree along the street, a somewhat-successful product of our calligraphy experiment in class, my current reading list, a delicious coke enjoyed out of a glass bottle, and my many variations on the letter G.

73 letterpress

 I love this daily letterpress series by designer Ian Coyle. Here's a collection of my favorites.

See the full collection here.

adventures in cooking: penne with roasted asparagus and balsamic butter

I hate balsamic vinegar.

The taste, the smell...everything. However, I recently learned that it is much tastier once reduced, therefore, this recipe looked promising and I'm always looking to expand my pasta recipes.

This one turned out to be quite delicious! It was just as good as leftovers too! I originally pinned this recipe on Pinterest from Food & Wine. Other than being lazy with my measurements, I stayed pretty true to it.*

I have only two minor complaints. First, the pasta to asparagus ratio was extremely low. If this were intended as a side dish; that's one thing, but as a main (vegetarian) dish I think 2 lbs. of asparagus would have been more fulfilling. My second complaint is a little nit picky...this recipe produces an annoyingly large amount of dishes between the roasting of the asparagus, the simmering of the vinegar and then the pasta. It was a daunting pile.

Anyway, luckily it was worth it and it was delicious and I will be breaking this recipe out again!

The Recipe:

1 pound asparagus (or 2!)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 cup plus 2 T. balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1 pound penne
1/4 pound butter,** cut into pieces
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Snap the tough ends off the asparagus and then cut them into one inch pieces. Put them on a baking sheet and toss them with the oil then sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Roast until tender, about 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, simmer the vinegar in a small saucepan until about 2 tablespoons remain. Stir in the brown sugar and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Remove from heat.

3. Cook the penne as directed. Drain the pasta then toss with the butter, vinegar, asparagus, Parmesan and the remaining 1 3/4 teaspoons salt. Serve topped with more Parmesan cheese.

*I lied. Keep reading...
**As I was copying this recipe I realized that I originally read this as 1/4 CUP of butter and freaked out for a moment. Luckily I faulted on the side of less instead of more AND I only ended up adding about 4 T of it anyway. Phew!

365: week two + 200th post!

made by me

One of my wonderful Christmas presents this year was a handy tablet (Wacom Intuous4 wireless). They don't come with a real case, just a thin little bag to protect it inside the box. Like everything I own it'll probably get hauled to and from class with me so I wanted to make it a cozy little home that'll keep it safe.

I had this amazing plaid fabric left over from an old project and used gray fleece to line the interior. Then I used two buttons to create a wrap enclosure (you can't see the flap which is covered by the tablet) with a spare shoe string. There is even a pocket included for the cord!

10 things i'm loving: dog edition

I got the lovely company of my own dog while I was home over break and miss her constant presence. She makes sure you are always within her eye-line no matter where you are which can sometimes make her a little underfoot but is endearing none the less. This is her cute little face.

 Here are some more fuzzy faces that will make you melt.

one / two / three / four / five / six / seven / eight / nine / ten
All from pinterest.

my day

I think my friend Jess would agree that this explains our morning perfectly. 

 Print by Wasted Rita.

my 365 project

In an effort to try to take more pictures and provide a little more documentation of my life I'm tasking myself to take at least one picture each day. Not the most groundbreaking of New Year's resolutions but my attempt at self improvement must start small. I'll be posting my photos throughout the year in (hopefully) weekly increments to provide a bit of accountability to keep myself on track.

I've been posting them all to instragr.am as well, so if you'd like to view my daily results you can follow me @emilyhampton.

beautiful typography

This page caught my eye in a book I recently checked out from the library.

From Made with FontFont: Type for independent minds by Erik Spiekermann and Jan Middendorp.