Painting by Yukiyoshi Omaki
Older people are smart, experienced, and totally underrated by Generations X and Y.
DK had a fantastic conversation Sunday night with some good folks who like good stories.
They’re the parents of a good friend of ours, and we’re lucky to get to know them, bit by bit. It’s different from hanging out with either my parents, because there’s not that weird stuff hanging around that you don’t want to talk about from Back in the Day. Or with Akira’s parents, because they’re in Japan. And we were in Chapel Hill.
What I like the most about this is that you can get to know people in the most unexpected places. I thought I might come back to North Carolina and see, say, the kids I used to run with in high school and college.
That’s all well and good, but we’re all older and different and have new tastes and preferences. Evolving and maturing and everything.
That’s the bummer about being an adult and not a freewheeling adolescent ready to befriend anyone else who feels angst the same way you do.
You guys know what I mean. That whole period when you get along just because you like the same kinds of Graham crackers, or cheese, or author. (Large and square, cheddar, Isaac Asimov, whom I mentioned in this post about Design Kompany’s overture to rebrand Alaskan Airlines.)
Openness and stegasauri
Our friend’s parents have many books. They have music. They have stories from their many travels, both with and before their children.
It’s been nice to learn from them such things as tips on snacks for toddlers, what’s coming up next, and how to potty train (or not).
What I love is that they’re so open. Openness is there. Many viewpoints. Fascination with different ideas, because they’re different. I realize as I write this that it’s the exact quality DK loves in our clients, too. People ready and up for trying us out tend to be on the edge of the edge when it comes to taking chances.
Which I can totally understand, because yeah, Akira and I are doing this blog and have a couple of portfolio pieces now and sure. But really, we’re a very unfancy mom and pop shop here. We’re totally not going to be glossy and glam and “edgy,” although what we are into is real, honest, and straight-up conversation that gets to the heart of what matters.
I feel very lucky to be working for some of the smartest people I’ve ever met. People who are sharing with us a big piece of one of the most important decisions they’ll make—the move to start a business, either from scratch or over time. Launching on your own and trusting DK to find a visual voice.
Man.
That’s pretty heavy stuff, huh.
Kush had fun, too. There were tons of little dinosaurs.
Special thanks to J & CF.
And BF, if he’s out there reading.
It’s stegosaurus! Get it right, man.
–former dino nerd.