Category — Design

Did you know they’re making a live action movie of Where the Wild Things Are, adapted by Dave Eggers and directed by Spike Jonze? Could there be a more perfect team for this project? No. I’m so excited, I have goosebumps.

The other day I stumbled across these still shots from the set. They’re beautiful, I couldn’t wait to share.

And then I saw this video, some test footage from the filming. I love everything about it; the light, the voices, the soft-fuzziness.

It’s due in theaters on October 16, 2009, starring two of my favorites, Catherine Keener and Mark Ruffalo, and Chris Cooper, James Gandolfini, Catherine O’Hara and Forest Whitaker provide the voices of some of The Wild Things.

Ooh! Official trailer!

So. Who’s coming with me?

I’ve been back in my office for almost two weeks now after a four-month leave of absence. I’m a Designer. A typeface addicted, color theory curious, design history loving, visual communications problem-solving designer. In the super-competitive creative industry, my biggest fear is losing relevance, losing inspiration, losing trust in myself. I thought it was already gone. I never knew that taking four months off to spend with my son would be so good for me

For the past three-ish years, I’ve been more active in a leadership role than in a creative role—which is so rewarding, don’t get me wrong, but not in the same way. Before that, I’d always put my whole heart into my work; building my portfolio, staying inspired, reading, participating, sharing… But lately, it’s been more important for me to put my heart into the people than into my creative work. But I know that at my core, I’m a designer first, a leader second. This is where my passion is.

I should have kept working, kept challenging myself, in my free time for my own sanity. But free time? Wha? Even before I had a baby, by the time I got home from my ten-hour day, the last thing I wanted to do was go back to work after dinner. I was getting married, then I was a newlywed with a new home, then I was pregnant, then I was trying to sell our home… I was so burned out and just exhausted.

And so full of excuses.

Motherhood has given me a real ass-kicking, just in reminding me that I have to let some things go. I can’t be a good mother, a good wife, a good daughter and friend and designer andwriterandhousekeeperandcookandOHMYGOD. I needed to be willing to just let it go. And it’s made me a better person, I think. A better person who sometimes lets people down and has a really messy house and two metric tons of dirty laundry, but still. Better. And more free to do the things that my Type-A personality wouldn’t allow me to do before. I didn’t know how much I needed to be creating, needed to be pushing myself, but I do because it’s good for my soul. I’m trying to take care of myself, make me the best, most emotionally and physically healthy person I can be. This is my resolution.

One month into my marathon maternity leave, I started designing again. Nothing too groundbreaking; a couple logos for friends, a few sarahviola.org headers for myself, an invitation. But DAMN did it feel good to be working again. I mean real, inspired design, not micromanaged putthishere and makethatthiscolor and rotatethisinthatdirection and usethisfont. Design for people who trust me.

Design like this.

It’s been so much fun and so satisfying. I didn’t know if I’d get that back. But I did.

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