Mike & Cole Schindler
Christmas Camel 2009
Mixed Media

Much of that early content was lost (I don’t remember how, but let’s just say it was during a hurricane evacuation, because that really did happen). Anyway, I really can’t say the loss of those writings was such a terrible blow to culture as we know it today. But in my heart, I’ll always remember how it started. I spent a lot of time working on a portfolio site, which I still can’t find the courage to take down, despite its tarnished age. Back then I taught myself HTML through endless tinkering, trial and error, and more than a little time at my day job reading the paper print outs I’d made of Jeffrey Zeldman’s site (back then, he was calling himself Dr. Web, but if you called him that now, he’d probably think you were throwing down for a fight).

Nothing but love, Jeffrey.

So that’s where it all began. And I’ve re-designed the site today to celebrate the longevity of this experience. It has been something to watch–even for myself. And I look forward to sharing more content with you as I continually evolve and hopefully mature into the next phase of my existence.

Mike Schindler
Two Turtle Doves 2008
Mixed Media / Holiday Card

Yesterday, at 5:21pm, our daughter Chloe Annabel was born. She weighs seven pounds and thirteen ounces. When she came out, she immediately spoke to us with a soft, squeaky cry. It was love at first chirp.

Her three and a half year old brother, Cole, excited to see her for the first time, kept saying, “Aaawh, she’s so cute!”

Mommy and Daddy certainly think so too.

… See more pics over at Flickr.

Me: Oh, yeah? For what?

Pregnant Lady: For my mouth. Is that a good enough answer for you?

Me (absorbing howls of laughter): That’s going on my website. Your name’s going to be “Pregnant Lady.”

In 1983 my grandfather suffered a debilitating stroke which rendered the left side of his entire body non-functioning for most purposes, including his brain. Because of his paralysis, he was robbed of speech for the remainder of his life, limited only to a few non-sensical words.

In his health my grandfather was a gifted musician who could play any instrument, from banjo, to drums, to piano–you name it. He operated in high command of his creative right brain for the better part of his time on earth. Part of the tragedy of his stroke was the thought of never seeing that side of him again.

Having visited him so often while he was in private care, I had witnessed many days when his inability to communicate clearly frustrated him, at the same time revealing his conscious sense of sadness. Then one quiet day, when my family got together for a special occasion, perhaps on his birthday, he gave us all a surprise. My aunt, who was also talented at the piano, decided to play a familiar song for my grandfather. And without hesitation, seemingly out from nowhere, he started to sing for us. In perfect clarity. Forming perfect words. Perfect melodies.

It was simply one of the most spiritual and at once scientific experiences I have ever encountered. It fascinates and inspires me beyond my own powers of articulation. One day we may come to understand the consciousness of being. Until then, we’ll slowly be informed by these tiny little awe-inspiring surprises.

…

And because it simply cannot be missed, here is Jill’s recent talk.

I’m not exactly sure why, but more people than usual have been asking me about my Christmas card this year.

This one started with some direction from my wife, which she stated plainly enough to me one evening, “You’ve never done a Santa before. You should do an old-fashioned one with rosey cheeks.”

I suspect that I’m actually way off the mark of what she was thinking, but somewhere in-between what she said and what I was feeling at the time, the image of a man playing a banjo kept appearing in my head. I don’t know why, but it made perfect sense to me. And when that happens, I just follow through.

I used this photograph as a referential base, which I found simply by searching for “banjo player” via Google images. It’s actually the first image in the results, but the best one I found after scanning several pages.

The racial ambiguity of the “Santa” like figure was intentional. Also somewhat key to the delivery was my recollection of work by Jack Levine. Other than that, the actual rendering was done rather quickly with ink wash on painted wood (the same board I use every year for texture). The result was then scanned in and colorized via Photoshop. Some embellishments, such as the patterns on the suspenders were layered in, but no filters (nor any harm to small kittens) were used in the making of this card.

As always, the most pain-staking process in making my cards is the hand-deckled edges I compulsively tear from the edge of each and every card, which then get glued on the front of card stock.

It’s a labor of love, and one I couldn’t stop myself from doing even if I tried.

Where I thought I’d find the time to start or finish a book, I don’t know. But in the tradition of sharing my dashed dreams and aspirations with you (do they really count if I don’t remember them?), here’s the pitch I was apparently going to send the publisher.

Mac OS X Web Design

The Vision
The vision for Mac OS X Web Design is to act as an inspirational and technical catalyst for beginning, intermediate, and mildly advanced computer users, which targets academics, hobbyists, and creative professionals—people who Apple has traditionally marketed towards, but specifically people who are either new to the Mac OS platform or web design in general. The book is a solid foundation for modern web practices as they appear in Mac OS X (Aqua-themed screenshots of popular web design applications are plentiful).

As Apple’s Switch campaign called out for new converts to the platform, more and more curious individuals are purchasing Macintoshes and running Mac OS X everyday. This is a wildly new experience for most people, even for those who have worked in the creative industry using pre-Mac OS 9 for many years.

The growth of Mac OS X users along with the web design capabilities hidden therein has the potential to grow exponentially, yet to date its knowledgebase has gone practically unanswered in book format. There simply is no definitive work for Mac OS X web design. Yet, as more and more website bloggers and interactive designers continue to follow Apple’s successful marketing lead, which challenges status quo computing, many Windows and Linux are finding themselves at a pivotal turning point.

Modern Operating Systems have started growing up.

And more often than not, the one that stands out above all is Mac OS X. Using my skill set as a professional website designer and consultant, this book instructs the reader how to use Mac OS X client as part of a new craft.

The Audience
Mac OS X Web Design looks to court the people who’ve decided to try something different. Using the power of positive affirmation and a readiness to tackle a sophisticated experience, the book will educate the user on specific areas of interest—from design basics to web standards, from designing a prototype website to scripting server side technologies—this book wants to get the reader up and running and doesn’t waste time with unnecessarily complex details.

For the beginner, who may simply be a student of music who’s lured in by Apple’s new GarageBand application and looking for a way to set up their web presence, the book is a springboard for participation and a solid foundation for an achievable skill set.

For the hobbyist, who may already be an established blogger who’s new to the Mac OS X platform, the book spotlights technologies they’ve already grown accustomed to and puts them into a new Aqua skin.

For the advanced user, who may already be a working professional using a Mac, the book offers validation for staying with the Mac and is a voice of passionate inspiration. They want and need to recognize Mac OS X as a powerful platform too.

I’d like to focus on being an inspiration, but I’d like to teach in a practical way also by using “Workshops” which will actually get the reader started in the process of dynamic website building.

The Pitch
I do not have aspirations of becoming rich from this book. However, I feel that there is a definite void in the market today for any book of this nature—using this topic or this approach—which has thereby convinced me that it will succeed in a high number of sales. Traditionally, Mac users have been creative types and Apple has made tremendous strides in capturing their hearts and minds. I hope to do the same with this book.

One morning during my Junior year of college, my sculptor professor, a scruffy-looking curmudgeonly man, who also happens to be one of the most well-spoken individuals on the topic of art I’ve ever met in real life, led our small group through the art building’s court yard area.

We must have been doing a class critique of some student work, when we came across an old, torn-up mattress that had been abandoned next to the art building and seemingly staged for display. On it somebody left a piece of paper with some words scrawled on it.

“This is art. Smell my fart.”

For a minute, I saw the stunt for what it appeared to be on the surface–a prank begotten of laziness, opportunity, and a few too many beers by some asshole fraternity members wanting to get rid of some old junk–and I probably even chuckled to myself at the culprit’s audacity.

But as I stood there debating the delivery of a sardonic comment that never came, it soon sunk in that this was something of a test for me.

At that time, I had just begun accepting the fact that I would be dedicating part of my life to making art, or at the very least something of creative value for others and myself. And here were people telling me how worthless it all was–belittling my peers, my institution, and what I thought at the time was my purpose. In fact, they were willfully acting out against the idea of art itself and I couldn’t help but to take it personally. At the peak of this moment of college self-discovery, I knew there could only one side for me to stand.

When my professor read the note, he didn’t seem surprised. But his disappointment couldn’t be contained either. He later recalled to us his own story of a public sculpture piece he created as a young artist, which repeatedly fell victim to a local vandal.

“That’s when I learned,” he said in his usual deadpan, “that some people can’t handle creative expression. They’re so intolerant of any point of view that they don’t understand or simply don’t agree with, that they’ll try to destroy it.”

This unrehearsed bit of wisdom still resonates with me today. It reminds me to expect the unexpected. And it helps me understand that creative expression can sometimes speak powerful words to people who are too closed minded to simply sit back and listen.