Wiggins and I have been writing about the technical aspect of our venture; the "how" and "what" of software and tools we are using to launch our site and our project.  But no matter how many bells and whistles we build, if there is no THERE there, it doesn't matter.  I want to be mindful of understanding the tools we have available, but at the same time, I understand and embrace that the creative power in our project resides somewhere else, not necessarily in gadgetry and layout.  There is a place for design, but if it is not driven by an over-arching vision for what we are trying to say or communicate, it becomes misguided, and like a shiny pair of rims on a new car, it runs the risk of being just eye candy that adds no significant value to a vehicle (disclaimer: I have NEVER, ever, ever, bought designer rims for my vehicles.  I was tempted once to buy grills for my teeth, but I quickly discarded that idea given some issues I was having with a cavity.  Story for another time).

        

 

Monopoly Anyone?

So how do you start? If you are in square one, how do you start? I want to design a website. I think I know what we want, so now I have to try to put my ideas on paper or into this little box with a keyboard. It’s a daunting task creating something from nothing.

So here I am standing in the Monopoly “Go” space (I like the top hat) waiting for my turn to roll the dice and hoping that when I start going around the board that I find success and maybe gobble up a few properties on my way.

Well I’m not really the top hat but I am standing in “go” trying to start my journey around the web designer board. I’m trying to learn all I can about what makes the various programs tick. I am somewhat computer savvy, I know my way around quite a few programs, but this is a whole different board game. I have to be part artist and part computer hacker. I have to be my “work” self and my “personal” self at the same time. I know that sounds weird but let me explain.

My work self is a person that is very analytical. I program databases and make spreadsheets for a living.  You would think that I would get XHTML code fairly easily, and I am getting it, but it's been slow.  I finally got a book on how to write the code and it is actually eye opening. I wrote my first code today using the different tags and I can't wait to get co the CSS programming so I can put some design into it.

I am writing this blog as my first HTML coding and might throw in a table just to make it a little more challenging.

My personal self loves to create.  I’m a musician, graphic designer, and artist.  I know my way around most of the Adobe Creative Suite. I enjoy recording and editing music and video. I am becoming fascinated with cinematography and how cameras work.

Anyway, here is a list of tools E-Money and I are currently working with/learning:

• Dreamweaver CS3
• Photoshop CS3
• Illustrator CS3
• Fireworks CS3
• Aptana
• Finalcut
• Visio

I'll provide more updates on how we are interfacing with each and every one of these tools as we continue our progress.  In the meantime, we just have to continue putting ourselves in the "Go" mindframe.  Just like a game of Monopoly, we are reading and learning the game rules (and appropriate softwares) to get a sense of how the game is played, and if we want the pieces to move, we have to start rolling the dice.  So step back and watch how we throw these bones... 

(photo courtesy of aMAYzingoO) 

        

Alright, aside from chanting at you like the Bhodi Satva was hollerin' at Johnny Utah about the meaning of life and all that good stuff in Point Break, I am still in the mix with getting our project off the ground.  Like I mentioned in the first post, Wiggins and I are building a site that we hope to launch over the next couple of months.  The site itself, we hope, will be attractive.  But more importantly, it will be functional and serve as a platform for showcasing the content that we are producing, and to utilize the power of social media to take on the dimensions of narrative story-telling to the next level.

        

Have you ever observed water in its natural state? When you look at something as magnificent as the Colorado River carving the contours of the majestic Grand Canyon, one cannot help but contemplate the awesome power of water to shape its surroundings.

The same can be said of a shallow and slow-flowing creek on the Santa Monica Mountains. It may not carry the ferocity and power of the Colorado, nevertheless its modest volume of water still has an impact on its environment.

More importantly, the creek, just like the big river, keeps flowing despite of the rocks and stones that come upon its path. Water always finds a way to flow downstream, and opens up new paths regardless of obstacles. It may not look neat to humans; it may even be downright inconvenient, especially after rain in fire-scorched areas, but it is the way it has been, and will continue to be, unless the fundamental laws of physics get amended (I'll cc you if I hear anything on that tip).

And just like water, our internal calling, and more specifically, our artistic expressions, share the same principles. By observing the laws of nature at work, we can learn how to the flows of these powerful energies that reside inside all of us have the potential to shape the contours of own lives.

Three Ways to Mirror the Rivers

Here are three observations we can contemplate on hydro-gravity matters:

1. Damn the Dams. In our attempt to systemize and civilize our creative voices so they can fit neatly into our conditioned notions of practicality and pragmatism, we build what I call Creative Dams - walls that were engineered to keep these waters in check so as not to overrun the constructs we have erected in areas where water once flowed freely - what I call Complacency Townships. And just like in other areas of the world where once majestic rivers have been tamed, the infrastructure that is built in these townships in our own lives are difficult to tear down. There are myriad excuses for keeping these townships intact, and it validates the existence of these dams to our own detriment.

2. Feeding of Deltas. As in the real world where dams impede the flow of rich nutrients, minerals and micro-organisms that have historically replenished ecosystems downstream, so too do our own Creative Dams impede all the nutrient rich micro-organisms of our creativity to feed other aspects of our lives. Just as we cannot see with the naked eye the impact that a dam has on ecosystems downstream, neither can we readily understand how the varied deltas of our own lives are adversely impacted by avoiding the flow of our creative rivers.

Don't think revitalizing Deltas is important? Just ask the residents of New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina. Thick, rich deltas are critical not just in maintaining ecological diversity, but they also provide powerful natural defense against surges caused by hurricanes.

Let your creative passion flow without barriers, and you will be pleasantly surprised by the richness that accompanies this replenishment, and the benefits and strength it provides you in withstanding life's natural and man-made disasters.

3. Vitality of Fisheries. Although dams have created hydro-electric power (renewable energy is good, do not get me wrong), it wipes out and destroys delicate fisheries, adversely impacting the livelihood of local economies and ecosystems that depend on this valuable protein source.

Imagine the impact of your own creative dams to disrupt potential commerce in your life. How many potential industries and endeavors have you foregone or bypassed by disrupting potentially lucrative opportunities that could have been fed by your creative rivers?

Our creative rivers are vital for the replenishment of our whole being. Impede them, and you adversely impact your capability to replenish and embrace good health and potentially lucrative commerce in your life in ways you never thought possible.

How have you dealt with the creative dams in your life?

        

You all have been asked that question before, I know you have. It doesn’t need to be with fast food either. Actually it gets more complicated the fancier the places get. Let’s say you go to dinner to a nice sit down restaurant. You want a juicy steak so you order the 10oz. rib eye.

        

        

A little bit about me:  My name is Edgar Aguirre.  I am a 31 year old cat with a taste for good draft beer, great company, and a penchant for acting a fool.  I was lucky enough to have a very pretty girl fall in love with me in college, and even better fortune that she happened to be a hippie that loved writing and producing subversive plays that ranged from having barbie dolls hanging upside down from the ceiling to a show about a little coconut falling from a tree a finding his way back home.