What’s this? Finally a breakdown of my PechaKucha presentation and only one month after it occurred? Why Sam, you are on the ball, I tip my hat to you…

I wanted to post about this much sooner, of course, but the news that it hadn’t gotten recorded dampened my enthusiasm some. It’s of no matter now, but it did upset me a bit at the time. Read on to hear a little more about the presentation and some of the “reviews”!

“Hey, I know I don’t know you but I just wanted to say that I haven’t laughed so hard in a long time, maybe ever. Great presentation! “
– Random Stranger during intermission

The reviews are in! ‘Failing Upwards or How to Succeed as a Creative Freelancer Without Really Trying’ enjoyed by all. The theatre was packed and the audience laughed in all the appropriate moments. I was somewhat nervous about being in the same set as Ace Burpee, but well, I think I actually got more laughs than him, which is amazing. And he did give me a double high five before he left at the intermission. So now I know I’ve joined the upper echelon of the arts community in Winnipeg…

“All the ladies in the bathroom at beer break agreed, Sam had the most charisma!”
– Sara Maximus

So what is PechaKucha? Well, it’s a night where a group of individuals do 6 minute, twenty second presentations (20 slides at 20 seconds each) on a variety of topics. Most of the subject matter is creative, as it is put on by the Manitoba Chapter of the Graphic Designers of Canada. I really busted my ass to get this presentation just right, as admittedly, I feel many PK presentations are lackluster, either due to lack of preparation or unfamiliarity with the format. I’ve been to a few of these events, so I knew that you really have to keep on top of the timer (20 seconds per slide, and woe be the speaker who goes over time) and let your slides speak for themselves.

“It was f*cking brilliant! I know that everyone I talked to agreed with me! It will live on in memory, we’ll talk it up, it will take on vast mythical proportions. Can’t happen with a video”
- Ian McCausland

In all honesty, I really wish I had a video of it, as I feel like those 6 minutes were my shining moment, and I’m not sure when I’ll have the chance to address a large audience like that again. I’ve included a pdf with all the slides and the basic speech here. I made some changes on the stage, but for those who weren’t there, check it out, you’ll get the drift of what I presented.

“@samposnick amazing presentation tonight @pechakucha, you were hilarous ! Loved every second of it.”
- @adesign_girl

Despite my disappointment at not being captured on stage for posterity, I would probably still do this again, if asked. Hell, I almost felt like a real “professional” up there, and I can’t really discount that. I also got interviewed by CBC for the Scene section of their site, which was very cool.

I attended the PechaKucha event last night and wanted to take a moment to commend you on your presentation. You obviously put a lot of effort into your materials and your delivery was great. I am sure you have heard nothing but wonderful and sincere comments about the great job you did and I wanted to add mine as well.

Thanks for the putting the pants on and entertaining us:)

- John (via email)

While I claim this post is here for those who didn’t attend PechaKucha that night, it is actually mostly for me. I don’t want to forget that I put myself out there and did something special that people really enjoyed. It will keep me warm on those cold, self-doubting nights.

Earlier last week I was alerted to the fact that Chapters has been selling a bunch of paper products with some of my iStockphoto illustrations on them. How novel! How… noteworthy (pun intended). So, of course I had to venture down to the local Polo Park Chapters to check them out.

It looks like there’s still more to come, given that part of the display isn’t filled yet and a few more licenses were purchased on the same day for retail use, so I’m hoping to see a design with my typewriter or bicycle on it. They’ve paired them with some products that have similar (but not my) illustrations and they’re looking good. Some of the colour/cropping choices aren’t what I would’ve done, but it’s great to see my stuff available to a broader market! Now if only it had my name on it…

Please ignore the poor quality of my sneaky iPhone photos and enjoy!

Oh, and if you wanted to purchase them, or see some of the other designs up close, they’ve made them available on the Chapters/Indigo website.

Here’s the latest illustration I have available on iStockphoto. Just wanted to do a more modern take on a traditional, hunting-style image. I like the way this one came out.

RUNNING GOALS

So most of my goals this year are running related. I think it’s easier for me to post these since they’re a bit more quantifiable than other life goals.

1. Run more consistently
Trying to build up my base mileage to a bare minimum of 20 miles per week, preferring to be closer to 30 miles per week. I was at around 25mpw before the half marathon last year, but that was short-lived. Currently I tend to do about 60 miles a month, which isn’t really enough to show improvement.

2. Run 1000 miles this year
This is simple enough and relates to the previous goal. If I can make the previous goal, then this one pretty much comes with the package.

3. Run FASTER
I’m already working on this one by mixing in some tempo, interval and 5k pace workouts. I’ve already chopped about 0.5mph off my pace time and I’m hoping to get to an average 6.5mph speed by the end of the year. Which leads me to…

4. Run a less-sucky half marathon
Yeah, I already ran one. And I enjoyed it. But man, I find my time so embarrassing that I’m hesitant to even talk about it with people. There were a number of reasons, most of them probably based on the fact that this was my first race. So this year, whether it’s the Manitoba Half or an alternate one, I want to get a better time. Even if I decide not to race, I plan to at least run the distance at a much faster pace.

LIFE GOALS

1. Have more fun
I feel like this is a constant goal for me. I always have a good time when I go out, but lately things have been holding me back. I let other people’s moods affect me too much, which in turn affect my social priorities. Me staying home and being miserable won’t make the other person feel any worse or have any sympathy for me (obviously), so why make myself upset? Life is so short, wasting my time sitting around sulking when I could be having fun is stupid.

2. Stop over-thinking everything
A big contributor to my unhappiness is the massive analysis I seem to HAVE to do for every event, every word, every action. I feel I’m able to shrug off some things, but I really spend way too much time worrying about people’s emotions and feelings. I’m not vowing to be insensitive, just vowing to spend less time thinking about other people’s motivations.

WORK GOALS

1. Draw more
Just want to submit a bit more to iStockphoto and work on more custom illustration projects (though some of that is up to chance).

2. Just get things done
I put stuff off mostly because I worry about doing the best possible job on things. I think the key is to, as Nike so eloquently put it, “Just Do It”. I have enough talent that I’m probably not going to disappoint people even if I don’t feel it’s my best work. And most clients would probably rather have their stuff done faster anyway.

3. Improve my web skills
This is kind of a given. Despite my reluctance to do them, I still continue to get web design jobs, so I might as well have an easier time doing them.

4. Be more responsive to emails/requests
Whenever I have a new client contact me, I almost always seem to sit on it for a few days. Why? Do I have some kind of problem with making money?

I feel like I may be forgetting some goals, so I may update this post or add a new one somewhere along the line. Honestly, 2010 really sucked the butt as far as personal achievement or growth goes, so let’s hope 2011 works out better! What are your 2011 goals? Feel free to post them in the comments!

Well, it’s been strangely cold and dry here in Winnipeg, even for November, so putting up this latest piece seems appropriate. If you’re into it, you can buy it here.

Well, not me, but someone will get tattooed with the above image, I assure you…

It was a commissioned piece and a lot of fun to work on. It’s rare, but occasionally it happens that a client and I have the exact same vision for a piece and for something as personal as a tattoo, that’s a great thing! The three birds commemorate the client’s thirtieth birthday and the final product may be infused with some red colouring after it’s been tattooed. I really love how this composition turned out.

Just a quick post to promote a logo/graphic design I did for my cousin’s upstart cupcake catering business- Cupcake Love. Loving the kawaii style, it was a fun little project to work on.

GOAL #1 – RUN A HALF MARATHON

I’ve always been interested in running a marathon, but the sheer length seemed too daunting to me. And the possible damage to joints and muscles makes it a little less attractive to me at this point. However, before the whole appendix issue, I was running a solid 4.5 miles a day, which while it’s not much compared to the 13.1 mile distance of a half marathon, was a good start for distance running, I think.

I’ve caved and bought myself a treadmill, so I’ve already been starting to run again. Once I get back from my vacation at the end of March, I plan to start using the Runner’s World training guide to dictate my runs and hopefully increase my speed a bit. Right now, I’m just focusing on being able to run a steady pace for a good length of time, since it’s been so long.

My friends and I are training for the half of The Manitoba Marathon. It being in June should give us a lot of time to work on it. My goal is not only to finish but to have a fairly respectable time (basically, no walking), so I can keep up with my longer-legged friends.

GOAL #2 – LEARN SCREEN PRINTING TECHNIQUES

Yes, courtesy of the lovely Nik, the much coveted Yudu is now mine. Now I just need to clear out the “spare-spare room” and learn how to use it. This may take some time, due to the amount of work that room needs, but it will get done.

GOAL #3 – MAKE AND SELL MY OWN PRODUCTS

Admittedly, this ties in with Goal #2, since I’ll mostly be producing prints and possibly cloth goods (t-shirts, tea towels, aprons, etc.) with the Yudu. But it’s a goal of mine to be selling my own merchandise. I love working with Cardstore and iStockphoto, as well as the independents that carry products with my illustrations, but I’d like to be able to conceive of and finish something that’s 100% Sam. And obviously, I’d also like to hang onto 100% of the profits.

Well, I have more minor goals to add to these, but let’s not go nuts here. These are the ones I feel require the most focus and foresight, so I’ll try to commit to these. Would love to know what other people have planned for 2010!

Got a tree or garland to decorate but short on cash? Or maybe you’re just looking for something a little different? Consider filling a tree with these origami sparrows! Pattern and more, after the jump.

Sure, a lot of us have seen (and love) those porcelain origami crane ornaments, but who’s got $15 (or more) to spend on them, especially if, like me, you’d want an entire flock of them? Hence my simple solution to make your own. You can place a few here and there for a modern, handmade touch or fill a whole tree with them for impact. Grab a pdf for the design HERE and print away!

The pattern for this type of bird is very simple and I’ve included the pattern with a set of two small folding sheets for you to cut out. The detailed toile-esque sparrow pattern on these sheets is an original Sam Posnick creation and you’re welcome to use it for your own personal Christmas ornaments.

Merry Christmas and happy folding!

More of my illustrations can be seen and purchased at iStockphoto.

Just blogging here to advertise my participation in the Week of Hope with Hope Is In the Cards. From September 1st to the 7th, my partner- Cardstore- will allow anyone to personalize and send out a free card from the HOPE collection (including my design above) to anyone else worldwide. This includes postage! It’s a great way to show some love and encouragement to a friend or partner, so my “hope” is that you’ll all participate!

Feel free to personalize the card’s inside and back with your own photos and sentiments. Then just go through the motions and enter the promo code SENDHOPE at the final checkout point. Easy as pie!

Tell someone that they’re Number One! >