ZEN IN LOS ANGLES TRAFFIC

I’m 27 and just got my driver’s license. Whatever, eff you! I grew up in New York: my non-driving alibi forever. So it turns out that driving in Los Angeles, and life, are pretty similar.

                                                                                                                                                 

• Go at a speed that’s comfortable for you. Don’t let the Porsche-whipping dudes on their fourth midlife crises change make you feel like you’re moving too slow.

• When you’re at light, considering a turn, don’t get intimidated by the crazy, honking car behind you.

• Think about changing lanes. Make a decision. Then move confidently in the direction of your dreams. (Don’t forget to indicate)

• Make sure your car is clean. A dirty hoopty looks infinitely worse than a shiny hooptie.

this is only half right: clean rims! rusty hoopty! 

 

• If traffic is snailing, don’t get anxious, thinking about where you could be. Be content to that you’re alive, pushing a spotless hoopty, blasting your favorite album: Kenny Chesney? Keith Sweat? Barry Manilow?

Preach!

 

|DUSHANEOSWALDRAMSAY|

Design Your Mind

Today I got rid of a bunch of stuff: 2 jackets, some shirts, things I said I would read but never did, music. The world is increasingly influenced by “design”, and I’m no different (you probably aren’t either) and part of that means acquiring content and then pairing it down to the essential (did you catch that, that was a free class in great design).

You might not notice, but the world is being heavily influenced by people who think in shapes, colors and use Adobe Creative Suite. City planners, editors, publishers and marketers are ponying up to the fact that we all hate the trite moral and fully judge books by their covers.

Penguin realizes we’re all judgey, so they redesigned covers to some classics.

The brands, people and things we interact with in real life and in digital life are not aiming to be brands, people and things. They’re aiming to be ideas. They’re aiming to be nothing but symbols that generates a positive feeling in you. In the early days of marketing, when someone like Don Draper actually existed, taglines and explanatory content sold products. In today’s marketing to world, you’re no one if your logo doesn’t stand up on it’s own.

All of Starbucks’ logos have included some text to attract tired consumers to the java and other goods to help them through another day in hell…I mean, the office. This year, the brand realized that they could sell whatever they wanted, breakfast sandwiches, CDs, juice- the two tailed mermaid had such a deep connection with consumers that losing the borders and text around her would mean nothing. Even as a marketer, I assumed I’d feel betrayed by the change in fascia, but I only cared that the barista smiled when he gave me my grande-nonfat-triple-upside-down-caramel macchiato.

Cities like New York are refining roadways by adding express lanes, bike lanes, pedestrian malls and de-trafficking one of the most jammed thoroughfares in the world. Facebook, Twitter and Spotify compete to have the most effective and streamlined user interface (remember when iTunes was genius?). And folks in their late twenties realize that they don’t need jackets in every primary color, they (hopefully) round off on a personal style and aim for quality over quantity.

The Free Dictionary explains the typical way of understanding design: to plan out in systematic, usually graphic form. Step into the future friends, design is more: the process of organizing content and ideas.

Most importantly, the Europeans are great at this, and it’s the American Dream to be better than them.

|DUSHANEOSWALDRAMSAY|

ART & COMMERCE: GaGa’s Workshop

Interested to see how crazy Gaga’s Workshop turns out to be. Also interested to see how many people sleep outside of Barney’s to get a top sirloin blouse.

If you don’t know, Barney’s is allowing GaGa and her visionary, Formichetti, to convert an entire floor into a holiday pop-up shop. In a stroke of branding (social) genius, she’ll be donating 25% of proceeds to her Born This Way Foundation.

http://gagasworkshop.com/#welcome

And there are balloons!

I might check it out, for research sake. But if there’s an indication of a line, I’m bee-lining it to Starbucks, instead.

Launch is tomorrow, 11/22 (read the claw, below)

Happy pandemonium, suckers.

 

|DUSHANEOSWALDRAMSAY|

Longs Days, Green Chairs

I work a lot. However much you think you work, bump that. I’m lapping you. Unless you work on Wall Street, or you’re down at Occupy Wall Street, then you win. But if not, I’m still at the office while you’re leaving after a 10 hour day. In this situation, it’s the little things that help my spirit to stay afloat:

Spotify Premium | music to match any mood with no annoying commercial jabber about Living Social.

 

Candles that smell like manly-good stuff | pinion, refined musk, tobacco, rugged leather. Yeah, I’m real strong.

This scent is balsam and cedar by Illume. My fancy ass go this at Treasure & Bond

 

 

Robe | building hasn’t turned the heat on yet? No problem! Restoration Hardware plush robe to the motherfucking rescue!

 

 

P O O O R N N N | I’m sayin’ though, we’re all sexual beings, and a brother has needs.

 

 

Big, green, wingback chair | my second favorite place to fall asleep.

The little things are a big fuckin’ deal.

 

 

 

 

|DUSHANEOSWALDRAMSAY|