This morning I had the pleasure of giving a pretty open talk titled “10 Things Craig Jamieson” at Creative Mornings in Cape Town on the topic of Transparency. Thank you to everyone who woke up early and was present, you were a great crowd, I truly hope you enjoyed it. Please find my deck below.
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I will be talking at this month’s Creative Mornings in Cape Town and the topic is Transparency. It will be held at Friends of Design and if nothing else, there’s breakfast! Best of all it’s free, so register now to join me.
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This morning I had the pleasure of giving a talk to the world class second semester students of Friends of Design. I gave a brutally honest 50+ point presentation on things I have experienced and thought they ought to know.
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Steve Jobs took some classes on typography which hugely influenced his design decision making when conceiving his OS. Type Terms is an animated typographic cheat sheet that is perfect for people to learn the basics of typographic terminology. Whether you are new to typography or here to refresh your memory, then Type Terms is perfect for you.
say “I don’t know”
ask for more clarity
stay at home when you feel ill
say your don’t understand
ask what acronyms stand for
forget things
introduce yourself
depend on the team
ask for help
not know everything
have quiet days
have loud days, to talk, joke and laugh
put your headphones on
say “No” when you’re too busy
make mistakes
sing
sigh
not check your email out of hours
not check your email constantly during hours
just Slack it
walk over and ask someone face-to-face
go somewhere else to concentrate
offer feedback on other peoples work
challenge things you are not comfortable with
say yes when anyone does a coffee run
prefer tea
snack
have a messy desk
have a tidy desk
work how you like to work
ask the management to fix it
have off-days
have days off
I love this it’s ok to … list, something I not only need to share in a future workplace, but a list I need to follow myself.
It’s Valentine’s Day, the date on the calendar that we celebrate our love, usually for someone in a romantic way, be it old love, potential love, puppy love, groovy love or crazy love. I believe every day we should love, but today we celebrate it. So let me remind you that love is abundant, you don’t need to reserve it for a select few, and not only for others, but for ourselves too.
Fall in love with yourself, give your love to the world and attract more love into your life.
Happy Valentines Day my loves, all of you!
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Found this amazing clip “A letter for you” that I feel could help us all reflect and write a letter of gratitude.
Thank you
I’m not one who overly conforms to social norms, so something like new years resolutions are not my thing, I believe if you are going to make a change, anytime is a good time to start, but I’m also not a buzz kill, theres a renewed energy that comes with a new year, so let me attempt to explore my intent for 2016.
Love myself more. Not through vanity, but rather I intend to love myself, respect myself and be myself a lot more. How could I possibly expect others to love me, if I don;t love myself first.
Tell the people in my life how much I value them. I have lived with regret for things I should have said and I know I need to tell people how important and special they are to me.
Dance. I don’t care to ‘klap a jol’ and I don’t expect I’ll be frequenting dance classes, but I will certainly shake my ass at social events like Secret Sunrise. I’m on the lookout for similar experiences, so hit me up if you know of something.
Afrika Burn. This is more of a bucket list type thing. Burning Man is the true experience, but I’m totally up for going local this year and as it happens, I have already made plans with friends to get there.
Camp. Whether it be at an event like Afrika Burn, on a beach or under the stars, I intend on taking my new appreciation for nature to the next level. I have spent the past year or so mostly in hotel rooms, so I can think of nothing better than hitting the road, finding a beach along the coast and crash on a beach for the night.
Eat well. I don’t call if you call it a lifestyle, a diet, bunting or anything else, I call it eating well. Reduce sugar, processed foods, meat, eating out and general waste. Not only is it a waste of money, harmful to the environment, it is also pretty bad for your health. Despite all the training I do, nothing will keep me lean, in good health and mindfulness, than fresh natural foods as I need it, not as society believes I should conform.
Drink well. I am already doing this pretty well, but it’s my intention to stay on this path. I generally drink water, freshly squeezed juice, smoothies and occasionally tea and coffee. Thats right, I have stopped drinking as much tea and coffee and I plan on cutting it out completely, as I have energy drinks, fizzy drinks, alcohol and the likes.
Stay fit. I go to CrossFit, hike up the mountain, frequent the gym, enjoy long walks and I’m generally pretty active and I’ve reduced my weight and increased my fitness. But I can do more and 2016 I intend on pushing myself harder, not as a punishment because I hate my body or being out of breath, but rather because I love myself enough to exercise my muscles. I see no need to be big, I want to be smaller, tighter and fitter so I can enjoy things like surfing, hiking etc without struggling and carrying any excess baggage around with me. I want to be healthy, young and strong.
Reduce debt. While I’m far from actually reducing debt, my first step is to simply not add debt. I have all I need.
Get rich. I have had a bad relationship with money and its probably why I have none. A good friend has been coaching me into changing my mindset about money and I intend to stop feeling guilty about making lots of it. While I’m not obsessed with it, I certainly believe I deserve to live a life where I am not constantly living in fear on not having enough. I am also kind and know that if I was to get rich, I’d be able to afford to do more for others.
Actively pursue my passions. I am passionate about many things, surfing, skating, hiking, CrossFit etc. Instead of loafing on the couch, I intend to take advantage of the opportunity these sorts of activities. I can do them on my own or with others and simply being passionate isn’t enough, I’m energetic, I can find the time and I want to do these sorts of things.
Progress, not perfection. As a virgo, I am quite a perfectionist and it’s actually stopped me from doing many things. I am striving to be more consistent, and rather make progress every day, instead of trying to always be perfect.
Unlearn to learn. Above I said I was a virgo. Well thats something I have been programmed to believe. I am anything I want to be, I do not need to be defined by anything. So in order to be my best self, I need to unlearn a lot of things.
Love nature. I am in no position to do very much to save the earth, I am already quite conscious and do my thing here and there, but I strongly believe that one of the greatest things we can do, is appreciate what we have by bathing in it’s beauty and project our love back towards the world.
Love life. I have a new appreciation for life, so I need to take advantage of it. I have so many things I want to do, learn, experience and achieve. So stop being in my own head and limiting myself, if I want to do it, I need to stay hungry and go get it.
Laugh more. When you laugh, nothing else matters, you are purely living in the moment. So find things that make you laugh, laugh with friends, laugh a lot and laugh loud.
I am excited about all the possibilities ahead of me and ready to embrace each moment to the fullest.
Happy New Year, wishing you and yours the best in 2016!
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2015 has to have been one of the most challenging years of my life and I honestly felt at times I just wasn’t going to make it. But I hung in there and it turned out to be a pretty epic year as I rediscovered a whole other side of life. So in no particular order, here are 15 epic moments I experienced this past year.
Hong Kong
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In 2014 I departed on a contract as a Creative Director at JWT Hong Kong. I got to work on several regional projects for Nikon Asia and a few other local and international brands. It was a tough experience living there, fresh food was scarce, serviced apartments were small, gyms were expensive and I worked all the time, but I found my groove and welcomed in 2015 in a new apartment that felt like a home. While my adventure was quite suddenly cut short and I returned home in March, experiencing living in Asia was an eye opener and something wonderful I’ll never forget.
Surfing
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My most recent accomplishment, it took 40 years before I finally got on a surfboard and I loved every moment of it. I have wanted to do this for the longest time, but thankfully on my last trip to Cape Town, there was some good weather and I finally went to Muizenberg, hired my gear and after a quick tutorial, I was paddling away trying to catch my first waves.
Walking, Hiking & Forest Bathing
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I love walking, it’s something I enjoyed doing in Hong Kong all the time. There is a freedom to being abl to walk outside and explore the city we live in. While it’s hard to do in Joburg, other than walking in malls, I have spent a fair amount of time in Cape Town where I walk along the beaches, the city streets and of course the promenade.
I have also started doing trails/hikes with my friends along Table Mountain. I have so much to explore and even some of the trails I have done a few times, offer the same magical experience. At sunrise or sunset, these walks bring me closer to nature, give me the freedom to walk and offer up some incredible views.
A good friend has introduced me to walking in the many forests in Cape Town, which he calls forest bathing, soaking in the miracle of natures tall trees and feeding our souls with its beauty. It’s a fantastic way to escape the city vibe and reconnect with the land and breathe in some fresh air.
Secret Sunrise
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I discovered that I really enjoy waking up early and starting the day with a good old dance, with like-minded people. With our wireless headphones we collectively wakeup to celebrate the sunrise with a stretch, a hug, smiles, high fives, get really goofy and expressively dance. I have learnt that the more I let go, the more fun I’ll have.
Skating
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I was never a great skater, but I have always enjoyed skating. After years of collecting boards, which I use to hang on my office wall, I decided it was time to kit one of them out and start skating again as I have noticed the trend pick up while at the coast. I don’t expect that I will do any crazy tricks or frequent a skate park, but I do enjoy riding a board again and sharing the experience with friends.
Cape Town
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My job allows me to travel to Cape Town just about every week, so I have rediscovered my love for the mother city and everything it offers. I have always regretted moving back to Joburg, so I really do try to take advantage of my opportunity and make the most of time at the coast. It’s absolutely magical there, surrounded by the ocean, beaches and the magical mountain. I will make this place my home again as it offers me the type of lifestyle I want.
Product Design
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Not satisfied anymore working in the Advertising industry, I decided to take the leap into product design and joined Standard Banks mobile team. I cannot be so bold as to say I will never work in Advertising again, but being on the client side and working with a team who strives to build something useful, people actually want to use, is a refreshing change in my career.
This is 40
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I turned 40 and I remember being young and laughing when people commented that life begins at 40, but if the past 4 months are a sign of things to come, it truly does. Yes I lack the youth I once had, but I feel younger than ever inside, I feel great and I am excited for what the next half of my life will bring.
CrossFit
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For years I have played down CrossFit and despite hearing how incredible this training was, I believed CrossFit to be more of a cult based on what I had seen and heard. But as they say, don’t knock it until you try it. So a good friend convinced me to go and I absolutely loved it and feel it has contributed a lot to some much-needed weight loss and being generally fitter.
Diet
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One of the things I struggled with while in Hong Kong was food and I really changed a lot of eating habits, which have made me realise just how much we over eat in SA and waste. I shop small now, I am not a foodie, so eat out of necessity and through the help of some friends have started ridding my body of excessive sugar intake, reduced the amount of meat I consume and have basically become fruitarian. While I don’t want to define myself by what I eat, I am eating cleaner and healthier than ever and I believe this will greatly contribute to me looking and feeling better, inside and out.
Teaching
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I had the great privilege of being able to share some of my knowledge as I began teaching again thanks to Dave Duarte and the team at Treeshake. I designed a course which is now taught by the team, but enjoyed teaching it too.
Roadtrip
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In an effort to try to move to the city where my heart is, I took a road trip on my own to Cape Town and stopped off both there and back to see family and friends. Travelling alone gives you plenty of time to reflect, observe without distraction and to be with one’s self. While I did not secure the opportunities I was hoping for, driving through this beautiful country was a welcomed experience.
Awareness
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I for the first time in a really long time, am very much aware of the changes going on within myself. Every day I see the differences the new experiences and habits I break and make are evolving me into being the best version of myself.
Friendships
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I have reconnected with more friends from the past than any other time in my life. For the longest time I felt myself distancing from wonderful people, but in 2015 that all changed as I reconnected with so many people who have gone through similar journeys as mine and who have come to the same realisations. I am truly grateful for every reconnection I have made and look forward to the wonderful experiences we will have together. I am also really fortunate to have made some new friendships due to the willingness to experience new things and hope they will be long and full of laughs.
Life
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I will probably shock a few people, but I have not been loving life, I would say I had almost given up on finding any new joy, but these past few months, as I clawed my way out of some tough situations, I have a new lease on life and couldn’t be more excited to enjoy each and every moment, experience new things and open my mind, body and soul to the miracle of this wonderful world we live in. I have an ever growing list of things I want to experience, so follow my feeds if you want to keep up. I am aware, I am alive and I am excited about the possibilities.
Bring on 2016!