Dan Mace is just killing it on YouTube. He blew up when he started making videos with Casey Neistat, but having a high profile YouTuber friend does nothing to lessen just how crazy talented he is. I had only heard of him prior to the advertising industry, I’d never even put a face to Mace, but I understand why the praise was always so high. His latest music remix is just brilliant and he is really starting to showcase his genius, not only as a filmmaker but at a musical wizard. Looking forward to seeing what’s next.
Be a kind Designer
How to be a kind designer, not just a good designer. Taking my cue from an inspirational conversation between Chris Do and Kathryn Dyer, I discuss being gentle and kind as a designer.
Struggle
Chris Do, from The Futur interviews Kathryn Dyer in this absolutely beautiful conversation about personal struggle, vulnerability and self-help.
Swiss Miss
Just over a year ago while attending Adobe’s 99u conference in New York, I had the privilege of meeting one of my favorite bloggers, Tina Roth Eisenberg, who is not only the genius behind Creative Mornings, Tattly and other great business ideas that follow her passion for design and all things Swiss, but the author of one of my favorite blogs, Swiss Miss.
After she delivered one of the kindest and loving talks of the conference, I just had to go introduce myself. While a little awkward, I got the sense she is as introverted as I am, we had quick catchup where I got to tell her what a real fan I was of her daily blog, which I have honestly been reading for well over a decade.
If you want a daily dose of inspiration, from one of the most in touch, human voices in our industry, then, do make your way over to Tina’s blog, Swiss Miss.
50 things I’m grateful for in 2018
- My son Dexter
- YouTube
- My Car
- Meditation
- Ayahuasca
- Sweet cups of tea
- Ichibuns in London
- Camping
- $9 black T-shirt’s from uniqlo
- Friendships
- iPhone
- Hot cakes from milk & madu in Bali
- Lego
- Road trips
- Seattle coffee
- Manfrotto tripods
- The laughs
- Good health
- Salted caramel milkshakes from woolworths
- My talent
- A heart full of love
- Inspiring people
- Nature
- Tattoos
- Passion
- Audible
- Pastrami sandwiches at Katz’s diner NYC
- Value I add
- Long walks
- Deep conversations
- Evian water
- Extra length pillows
- Skateboarding
- Fresh flowers
- System thinking
- Honey comb ice cream from Paul’s
- Morning hikes
- Billboards they say ‘just be kind’
- AirDrop
- Wood fires on my balcony
- Design
- A book apart
- New York wild cherry pie
- The Internet
- Joy of life
- Celebratory dances
- Purpose
- Uber eats
- Clean shaves
- Myself
Bali
After an intense Ayahuasca retreat, I decided to go to Bali for a week. These are my notes I posted on Facebook at the time…
Day 01
– Customs are meticulous and made sure I got the practice packing my luggage in my undersized suitcase, I made it through, officially not a drug mule
– The people are as super friendly as they say
– There are ATMs right outside arrivals where you get to type in 7 digits to ensure you have some cash on you (about $70 or R1000)
– You can get a sim at the airport with data bundles. I picked up about 20Gbs for 300k
– It feels like everyone is nursing a hangover first thing in the morning
– It’s hot, like mind-numbing hot
– There aren’t many pavements, it was an adventure navigating the scooters and taxis just to take a walk
– Starbucks feels like a safe space
– If it’s not honking, you hear air con, like you’re hanging inside an old fridge
– Don’t forget your sunglasses and sunscreen, even to walk up the road for coffee
– Everyone’s riding scooters and they’re available to rent everywhere, you’re even offered them by guys riding them
– There are instagramable statues, architecture and scenery everywhere
– Co-working spaces are plentiful and filled with sarong wearing, coffee drinking, smoothie bowl eating, digital nomads
– The beaches are not pristine white, but they are long and while the sand is too hot to walk on, walking on the wet sand is just incredible.
– The water is warm and so inviting
– There are lounging hangout spots all along the beach front
– The temples, shrines and tributes to the gods are everywhere
– Green Tea KitKats are awesome
– Mosquitoes bite you during the day too 🙈
– There are lots of dogs roaming around, especially on the beach
– It seems to rain a lot, but it’s quite lovely
Day 02
– November until December is the rainy season, it rains a lot
– Luwak coffee sampling is interesting.
– Luwak coffee is really good, considering it’s been pooped
– The rules of the road, don’t really apply
– The monkey temple in Ubud is amazing, totally worth a visit
– Temples, museums, paintings, statues etc are plentiful but get tiring pretty fast
– There are lots to shopping to be had in Ubud, there are literally kilometres of stores on the road up to Tegallalang Rice Terraces
– The rice terraces are ok, but I’ve gotten just as excited about a bag of tastic rice 🙄
– It’s really hot and wet
– Get a driver/guide to take you around for a day, worth the 800 bucks
– Food seems to be the same price as drinks, which makes eating really cheap
– The traffic is nuts, the congestion can literally take forever to cover very short distances
– There are plenty of solid little tattoo shops all over
– Not as many bugs as you’d expect for a tropical island
– Always carry sunscreen, even in the rain
– The bananas are tiny, like eating thumbs
– A sarong is cheaper than a large bottle of water
– The people are so polite, wish we could all be like this
Day 03
– Take a taxi, Uber is not available and they are everywhere and very cheap anyway
– Don’t bother with the breakfast buffet at your hotel booking, there are so many breakfast/brunch options everywhere worth exploring
– It’s someone’s job to blow a whistle and step out into the road and stop traffic so people can drive out of an establishment or cross a road
– Lots of Australians and women who have read eat. pray. love.
– Apparently a year ago the island wasn’t half as developed as it currently is, chatting to locals, they speak English quite well
– You can smoke in restaurants as they’re mostly pretty open and airy
– Lots of couple vibes ❤️
– Sunblock is super expensive, bring your own
– A 90-minute massage is 150 bucks, today I opted for an hour foot massage for 75 bucks
– The ocean is like bath water, just amazing
– The sunsets in Seminyak are breathtaking
– Not a lot of places to Skate, but I did find a cool bowl at the vans store
– Even overcast it’s still amazing here without the rain
– Enjoying the sun, sand and sea is the best part of Bali for me
Day 04
– Enjoy the sunny parts of the day
– Bali is whatever you want it to be, I have enjoyed chilled days on the beach as much as I have enjoyed the adventure, just fill your soul with whatever feels right for you
– Carry cash, it’s surprising how many places don’t take credit cards
– SnapScan in Bali would be awesome
– @livingfoodlabbali offers some great healthy breakfasts, try the granola bowls
– An all-terrain electric skateboard would be fun on the back roads
– The novelty of just walking around seems lost on people, I think everyone should be required to live in Joburg once in their life, where the only walking you do is in a mall or on a treadmill
– The fresh coconuts are sweet and an absolute treat on a hot day
– Doing less, is doing so much more in Bali, let the chill vibes do their thing (chicken wing)
– Had a full body relaxation massage for under 300 bucks that hit the spot
– The beaches get packed by locals and tourists to enjoy the sunsets
– Locals seem to like their bbq corn
– Saturday nights are pretty festive
Day 05
– watercress cafe serves some incredible coffee
– Yoghurt, fruit, honey and granola have become staples to start the day
– There’s so much love shared everywhere by these beautiful people
– there are plenty of walk-in tattoo shops, but it’s better to book in advance for larger pieces
– Kombucha is found everywhere, but have not found any kefir yet
– Sunday’s stores are mostly closed or open later
– Watch where you walk, there are daily offerings to the gods everywhere on the streets, mind your step #respect
– Grab is the local Uber. Could not get the app to work, but their drivers are wearing green jackets and they’re everywhere
– Got some traditional Balinese ink at Charlie Rose tattoo
– Watching the locals rock a sarong makes me want to wear them, they have so many good uses for them
– Negotiate your taxi fee up front as you can be taken advantage of, as you know, sometimes the meter doesn’t work 🙄
– It can get a little cooler in the evenings on occasion, quite a refreshing change
Day 06
– The beaches really seem to be endless, You’ll run out of energy before you run out of beach
– Bread seems rather hard in Bali, doesn’t stop them offering it to you every time you walk into a mini mart
– So lovely to have stumbled upon some tourists who took the time to feed the stray dogs #inspired
– I have PlayStation thumb, but on the soles of my feet from my slops
– There are some beautiful hotels, fancy restaurants and high-end stores the closer you get to Kuta
– I am yet to see one yoga place, in fact, I never saw them in Ubud either
– Breakfast at Milk & Madu is a real treat, monkey Magic smoothies are pure bliss
– Gonna miss having sand sticking to my feet 😢
– I walked through the longest tunnel of bamboo ❤️
– Of course, the default is coconut sugar
– Love the wooden salt and pepper bowls in restaurants
– If you have wanted to meet Santa, he will be making an appearance in the 24th at Milk & Madu 😂
– Despite all the delicious food here, I have lost a lot of weight
– Not sure if they are dildos or ornaments, but there’s a lot of wooden dick around
– Watching the final Bali sunset on the beach this evening was magical
– Love how the locals take in the sunset
– I could have brought less here
– The airport seems small. There’s little seating, so it’s easier to grab a coffee at one of the cafes until your flights checkin is open
– Waiters have iPhone SIM card pin if you want to switch out to your SA card again
– Free WiFi at the airport
– I feel light ✨
– I could live here
– 🙏
View my Instagram and YouTube for some photos and videos from my trip
Do more in 2018
2017 was a really great year, full of challenges, full of adventure and full of fun. I wanted to do a recap, cause I did amazing things, like hot air balloon, go to New York, camp at the coast and so much more, but I never seemed to find the time or the focus. Truth is I really don’t capture things well. I never did do a blog post about living in Hong Kong in 2015 and I have not updated my portfolio in years. I’m just not as excited about blogging as used to be. I am considering vlogging, even if I entertain my single subscriber on YouTube, but I feel a huge need to be more creative, and really make stuff. Experiment with new media etc.
But that’s, not all this post is about, I want to travel more, do more, love more and be more, just like in 2017, but even more than that. So while I will not be shutting my blog down, or likely to not update my portfolio of professional work, I might start documenting all my experiments, my travels as a creative outlet and all the interesting new things I do in my awkwardly interesting life. Yes, I am interesting, I am awesome, even if I’m the only one who thinks so, so in 2018, I’m gonna do more sharing of the stuff I do, but in a new and interesting way.
Watch this space!
Live the Adventure
As I’m planning a little getaway over new years along the coast, I wanted to tell you about this inspiring fella Louis who did this awesome World Flight with his mate JP. I’m quite new to vlogging, and while I have entertained the idea, I am kinda loving stuff like this, rather than watching regular TV. Louis has a little company called Live the Adventure, which has an HQ in Cape Town, of all places, so be sure to check them out. Inspiring stuff, thanks for sharing your fun, Louis.
Peace out, enjoy life and live the adventure, boom!
KLM iFly 50
I wanted to share the KLM iFly 50 website today as it’s the first website I have seen in a while that just blew me away. It’s simple but technically brilliant and I’m truly inspired.
To celebrate the iconic fiftieth edition of IFLY KLM Magazine, we created the ultimate travel collection, presenting the 50 most beautiful, surprising and mesmerizing destinations from all over the world. (found @ Awwwards)
I don’t pay as much attention to these sorts of sites anymore, but I am inspired enough to start keeping an eye out and sharing more finds to inspire you too.
50 Things 2016
The past year was not all doom and gloom for me and I thought I’d mention a few things I appreciated about 2016 and I hope to continue adding this sort of good stuff into 2017.
- Gratitude. I have been practicing giving thanks for the things I do have and I really believe it makes all the difference. I can get lost thinking about all the things I am grateful for.
- Cape Town. I moved down in February and returned in August. But still, the Mother City was a special experience and certainly helped shape who I am today.
- Secret Sunrise. My favorite thing to do, well maybe my second favorite thing to do in the morning, was getting my groove on with the no danger diary crew in some of the most amazing locations, with some of the coolest people to some of the most gorgeous sunrises I’ve ever seen.
- Kidz Banking. Secretly for the past year I was working on a banking app for Standard Bank and launched after I had left the company and not completed as I would have liked, their app was finally released later this year.
- Lego Minifigures. I still have not built my lego display, despite my most recent efforts, but I am excited to now have over 500 Minifigures in my collection. Almost 300 of them are from the series, which looks to be growing in early 2017 with the superheroes series being released in January.
- Creative Mornings. I was delighted to be asked to talk at Creative Mornings in Cape Town in October on the subject of transparency.
- Probiotics. I started drinking kombucha and kefir early in 2016 and what it has done for my body is incredible. Adding live food sources into my body has really helped my anxiety, my digestion and overall well being like nothing I have experienced before.
- Dexter. My beautiful boy turned 8 this year and he is turning out to be such a kind, well mannered and gentle human. I love you, my boy.
- Surfing. I never got to surf enough to say I can actually surf, but I loved every moment of paddling in the ocean and I have not given up on my dream to learn and surf waves around the globe.
- Friends. I have reconnected with old friends, continued with many of the same friends and made many new friends this year. Thank you to each and every one of you for contributing in your own way to my life.
- Sacred teacher plants. As I continue to raise my vibration, teacher plants like Ayahuasca and San Pedro have really opened my mind, taught me so much and done much healing.
- Road trips. I got to drive up and down to Cape Town, on my own twice this year and while road tripping with friends is great, a little solitude on the road can be equally rewarding.
- Romance. I have loved and lost like no other time in my life this past year. To every one of the beautiful people who shared time with me, giving me a chance and sharing yourselves with me, thank you. Guys be a little braver, there are some beauties out there. You know who you are, thank you for the love.
- Joburg. I left you and returned, but I came back a better man and given my career opportunities I’m here to stay, so I’m ready to take on the city of gold in all it’s glory in 2017.
- Prom walks. Long walks, great talks and the most fantastic views. Nothing beats a good prom walk at the end of the day.
- Coconut oil. The say that if you have 99 problems, coconut oil will solve about 80 something of them. Eat it, cook with it, moisturize your skin with it or use it as lubricant, this magic stuff will seriously add value to your life.
- Roommates. I got to be roomies with a lovely couple in Cape Town for a couple of months and with a great friend in Joburg and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed living with people, especially when they are so damn cool. Thanks guys.
- Yoga hike. Two of my favorite things to do, go on a hike, followed by some yoga made for some of my favorite outings.
- Hiker. Some call him Superdawg, others hikey, but the coolest dog on the prom was hikey, the bergie dog I got look after whenever John was out of town, much love little guy.
- UFC. Conor McGregor, stole the show. But selling the UFC for 4+ Billion was pretty impressive too.
- Nedbank. In-house agencies are the new black, that’s why I am proud to have joined the Nedbank team as their Creative Director in what will be an exciting new opportunity to do some amazing work.
- Day Parties. I went to a couple of day parties which was something new for me as I have not been going out as much. They were not huge events, just big enough to have a good time and some sunshine.
- Love. I have learned how to love myself, how to give love and receive love. It’s abundant, just like kindness, sprinkle that shit everywhere.
- CrossFit. I trained at a new box in Cape Town and really got my technique improved, but I am happy to be training at my original box again at B4C. When I can;t get there, I have built up a home gym that’s great for getting a workout in.
- Forest Bathing. Or more commonly known as Shinrin-yoku in Japan is kinda like forest therapy. I have literally soaked up the trees and literally become a tree hugger.
- 21 for the 20th time. I turned 41 and I couldn’t feel more alive than I do now. Age really is just a number and being in my 40’s is great.
- Table Top Tuesdays. Every Tuesday, weather permitting I got to work with some of my colleagues from Treeshake and their friends on top of Table Mountain.
- Friends of Design. I got to give a really great talk to start the term off at this awesome design school. Thanks for the opportunity to share my knowledge.
- Farmers Market. My Saturday routine always started with a trip to the Oranjezicht farmers market to eat good food, drink great coffee, enjoy great conversation and take home the best pastries and organic fruit.
- Being present. I learned this year how to not focus on the past or worry about the future as much and really just be present. I learned that you only have energy for today, so stop worrying about tomorrow.
- Secret Sunset. If dancing at sunrise was not cool enough, we got to enjoy a silent disco on the beach at sunset, which was absolutely epic. After some meditation, we rocked out to thunderstruck along with hundreds of beautiful ladies. Thank you no danger diaries!
- Training. I would do yoga in the morning, crossfit in the afternoon, gym in the evenings, throw in a prom walk at sunset and that I generally cycled everywhere during the day. My training was great and I have really shed the Joburg armor and I’m feeling so much more comfortable in my own skin.
- Airbrn. I joined a great partnership in a gamification platform for business, which will hopefully launch early this year and I am super excited about.
- One meal a day. I generally only eat one cooked meal a day now, snacking in between on kefir and fruit and I feel better fueled than I have been for many years where I was over-eating. Don’t believe the hype in all those meals, eat when you’re hungry, listen to your body.
- Netflix. Local Netflix is not as great as international, but it’s still great to chill and their original shows have been pretty impressive.
- Simplicity. The ultimate luxury is simplicity. I have purged so much in my life and I have proven that I need little more than what I can fit in my car. Yes, I have a storage locker, but that really just some basic furniture. Keep it simple.
- Time. It’s the one thing you are never getting back, but it’s also something that is an art to manage. Time is art, it’s the only true currency. Make it count.
- Letting go. If it comes, let it, if it goes, let it. Don’t try and hold onto to anything that does not want to be part of your life or that is taking up time or space.
- Hiking. I have gotten to climb mountains, forests, and velt. Being out in nature is one of the best ways I can show mother earth that I appreciate her in all her glory.
- Good health. I have not been sick more than a headache once or twice or an upset stomach. Through lots of training, excellent diet and great mental space, I have had the healthiest year of my life.
- Design thinking. We have moved out of the pushing pixels around phase of design and gone into using design thinking to really solve problems.
- Movies. It’s been a great year on the screen and 2017 looks like there will be even bigger films coming our way.
- Less social media. I literally only have facebook and Instagram on my phone now. I occasionally visit twitter and LinkedIn, but I have successfully managed to eliminate all the social media addiction and focus on living my life away from social media.
- Podcasts. The best way to not be bothered by traffic, listen to podcasts. There’s just about every topic on earth discussed and there’s something for you. I have really learned so much during the times I’d usually be frustrated driving my car.
- eBooks. I literally cannot keep up with all the incredible eBooks released. But it’s simply the easiest way I know to read books I’d never be able to get locally and for a reasonable price … oh and I’m saving trees.
- Coffee. I got to drink some of the best cups of coffee and while I will need to kick the addiction, I enjoyed so many great roasts at places like Giovannis, Origin, Bootleggers and my local favorite Seattle.
- Fashion. I switched up my wardrobe a bit this past year, found the most comfortable well-cut chinos, stylish sneakers and comfortable sweaters. While summer is all board shorts and slops, winter I arrived a whole bunch cooler. Next, some tailored suits, not because I work at a corporate, but because I want to feel slick and really show up. Besides, I’m tired of dressing casually all the time.
- Sunsets. I probably took more photos of sunsets than anything else this past year, the most beautiful part of the end of a day. On the promenade, I literally took one great photo after another and used to struggle to choose which I’d post.
- Purpose. I have truly started gravitating towards what I believe to be the purpose of my life, by simply moving towards the things that make me the most excited.
- Sharing. I know I don’t have all the answers, but I have learned so much this past year and I feel no greater joy than being able to share with people. Maybe not everyone, but someone can learn from the things you know, nothing could be more generous than sharing your stuff, giving talks, teaching, blogging, mentoring or any other way, please share!
Wishing you all the best for 2017!