WOW!. I just discovered that I havent written anything in a year.
Not that I've had all that much to say. The past year has been very blah. I have no idea what I want to do with my work and I have no money and no source of steady income. Seems like all I do is try and sell off enough stuff to pay the rent, and I'm not sure how long that will hold out. I mean i do have a lot of crap but seriously I can see the back wall of the storage closet.
The few interviews have been met with the same old song and dance. over qualified, you have no degree, blah blah blah.
Do I really seriously need a degree to place a sofa next to a chair on a rug in a store? or to follow corporate's direction on what goes with what?
And a big fucking shout out to all of those who laughed when I went for a job in a design house. Thanks for all your support and thanks for laughing outloud when I said it was a position that would entail me showing others around the show room. "YOU? HELPING CUSTOMERS AND BEING NICE?"
I know my future doesnt necessarily reamin in the event or floral biz. I really don't care about ur cheap ass wedding or party.
Working freelance is tough, so many different ways of doing things and I have to remember them all. This one like perfectly round, that one doesnt know round from Celine Dion, but thinks she does, this one thinks that copying a picture out of a book is designing.
I come home from these few and far in between days exhausted and drained of any creative thought I might have once had
I'm not taking pics of this stuff for myself cuz its NOT my work. I am simply doing what I'm told to do. And There's no way I want my name associated with this drek. But alas, I must grap a cup of coffe and pretend to be interested.
Hmmm paper hat, flipping burgers? Maybe
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Friday, October 2, 2009
Thanks for playing our game.. Now get the fuck out.
A good friend recently left her place of employment after 12 years of service. She was personally responsible for bringing millions of dollars of sales to the company as well as much repeat business.
She tolerated many, many stupid decisions by her employer with grace. She went with the flow as the company rapidly expanded, changed and evolved, often without any form of leadership or direction.
When she decided to move on, she gave notice of almost a month. She made sure all of her files were in order and all of her pending jobs were up to date and ready for the next person to take over.
When she gave notice, two of the owners stopped speaking to her... no great suprise there. They have the social skills of Junior high school girls with low self esteem, and the younger one does WHATEVER the older one tells him to do.
On her final day, not one of the 3 gay caballeros deemed it neccessary or prudent to get off their fat asses and walk 50 feet to her desk to say Thank You , Good Luck, Sayanora, Hasta Luego or Kiss my Ass.
CHARMING
Not even a non personal email. NOTHING.
I think they should reap what the sow... NOTHING!
P.S. The Orkin looking Logo is still UGLY!
She tolerated many, many stupid decisions by her employer with grace. She went with the flow as the company rapidly expanded, changed and evolved, often without any form of leadership or direction.
When she decided to move on, she gave notice of almost a month. She made sure all of her files were in order and all of her pending jobs were up to date and ready for the next person to take over.
When she gave notice, two of the owners stopped speaking to her... no great suprise there. They have the social skills of Junior high school girls with low self esteem, and the younger one does WHATEVER the older one tells him to do.
On her final day, not one of the 3 gay caballeros deemed it neccessary or prudent to get off their fat asses and walk 50 feet to her desk to say Thank You , Good Luck, Sayanora, Hasta Luego or Kiss my Ass.
CHARMING
Not even a non personal email. NOTHING.
I think they should reap what the sow... NOTHING!
P.S. The Orkin looking Logo is still UGLY!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
The Death of Design...
Oh Yeah. Things are tight all over. When the economy of any situation takes a down turn, flowers and decor are always the first itme on the chopping block. apparently beauty is expendable.
Floral designers have a tough job anyways. People either assume flowers cost nothing to grow and therfore should be free and all designers do is copy a picture out of a book and only derserve to be paid in magic beans and 6" subs from Subway.
Not every person who works in a flower shop is a designer. much like David Bromstad is actually a shopper and not a designer.
Let me define what a designer is.. A designer is inspired by others he doesn't copy them. a designer takes something ordinary and thinks what different way to use this can I come up with...?
Inspiration comes from many different sources. Nature, Art, Color, Texture, a billboard, a seashell, cracked cement and the sunglasses worn by a punk Japanese girl on the #3 bus.
It's what the designer does with that inspiration that makes him a designer.
So much of my job is to take guidelines from people who have seen one too many FTD catalogs and try to create something original, fresh and beautiful.
One woman doesnt like sunflowers, one guy doesnt like orchids, one only likes tropical flowers one lady only wants only white flowers that dont have a fragrance and they need to be kept low, small and unobtrusive.
One customer doesnt want fresh flowers at all because they "just die anyways". OY VEY.
I have always thought that one of the best parts of flowers is the memory. Everyone remembers the first time they've received flowers from someone special. Ask any woman and she can tell you what flowers she carried when she got married. When you look at photos of any wedding, is the rubber chicken dinner prominent? OH HELL NO...
We need a little brightspot. Maybe a lil vase filled with yellow Gerbera or a bowl crammed with orange roses.
And buy them from a florist and not the grocery store. After all , even though your mechanic sells ground beef and quartered chickens, doesnt mean you should buy them there.
Floral designers have a tough job anyways. People either assume flowers cost nothing to grow and therfore should be free and all designers do is copy a picture out of a book and only derserve to be paid in magic beans and 6" subs from Subway.
Not every person who works in a flower shop is a designer. much like David Bromstad is actually a shopper and not a designer.
Let me define what a designer is.. A designer is inspired by others he doesn't copy them. a designer takes something ordinary and thinks what different way to use this can I come up with...?
Inspiration comes from many different sources. Nature, Art, Color, Texture, a billboard, a seashell, cracked cement and the sunglasses worn by a punk Japanese girl on the #3 bus.
It's what the designer does with that inspiration that makes him a designer.
So much of my job is to take guidelines from people who have seen one too many FTD catalogs and try to create something original, fresh and beautiful.
One woman doesnt like sunflowers, one guy doesnt like orchids, one only likes tropical flowers one lady only wants only white flowers that dont have a fragrance and they need to be kept low, small and unobtrusive.
One customer doesnt want fresh flowers at all because they "just die anyways". OY VEY.
I have always thought that one of the best parts of flowers is the memory. Everyone remembers the first time they've received flowers from someone special. Ask any woman and she can tell you what flowers she carried when she got married. When you look at photos of any wedding, is the rubber chicken dinner prominent? OH HELL NO...
We need a little brightspot. Maybe a lil vase filled with yellow Gerbera or a bowl crammed with orange roses.
And buy them from a florist and not the grocery store. After all , even though your mechanic sells ground beef and quartered chickens, doesnt mean you should buy them there.
Monday, July 14, 2008
stick an iron in the fire
Every so often I re-brand myself. My brand is me. It is how potential employers see me. It is recognition. I'm in the mood to rebrand myself again soon. Please selct the brand below that you like and share ur choice with me. you can email me at floralgod@gmail.com
You can also visit my website at http://patrickknight.net/
#1 current Brand 
Option #2 
give a man a digital camera...
Got a new Digital SLR camera recently. LOVE IT
here's just a few shots that i really liked.
A wedding reception at the Four Seasons..jpg)
Moments before walking down the aisle at Villa Montalvo.
.jpg)
The ringbearer and flowergirl at a wedding in Sonoma.
Taken at the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park.
Taken at The Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park.
Clematis in the Sonoma sunshine.
Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park.Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Nuttin says luvin like a dead cat on the lawn
Have you ever been someplace and the toddlers were better behaved than the adults?
I witnessed a wedding the other day in Sebastopol. And yes, the children had more manners, more class and better shoes than the adults.
OK here goes.
I love being casual, just hanging out in jeans and my old vans. But not at a wedding. If the bride is bold enough to try to wear a new pure white dress, the least you can do is put on some shoes.
The guests at this wedding were dressed um... casually. Men in Cuba Vera shirts (i suspect knock offs) jeans and tennis shoes. Add a Wal-mart cowboy hat and you get the picture. Women in empire waist short dresses and tennis shoes.
OK new rule.. if your calves are bigger than your thighs, you are no longer allowed to wear Capri pants. That's just my opinion.
Casual wedding attire... for the men, LONG sleeved shirts tucked in to khakis, a belt and dark shoes of the nonathletic variety.
For the women, dresses in the correct size that come no higher than mid thigh, no neon colors. And SHOES of the nonathletic variety. (flip flops DO NOT count). A moderate heel is preferred.
A wedding is the celebration of the start of a new life for two people who are good enough friends to buy your ass dinner, buy your ass drinks and get your ass out of the house for an afternoon or evening. Do your part by dressing correctly.
OK, now some simple rules about being a good guest.
Don't yell and holler at someone across the room. Go over and talk to them.
Don't stick your fingers in the cake... The bride's uncle did this (we suspect he did it three times).
Do NOT. get up during the ceremony and go over to the dinner tables and plop down your Louis knock off suitcase you call a purse on the table because you want a seat near the buffet table.
Do not bring your gift to the reception, send it to the couple BEFORE the ceremony.
DO thank the parents as you leave the reception. Even if they didn't pay for the day. They are considered the hosts.
Do not take the centerpiece unless you've been told by the hosts that it is OK. And you are not allowed to take them till the event is over. And do not take more than one.
When participating in the toasts, never mention past indiscretions of the bride or groom. No stories about either of them vomiting outside Chili's or how the bride can out drink an Australian sailor with the flu. If the story involves one member of the happy couple in the back of a Ford F250... don't tell it till after they cut the cake. And then only tell it to the people at your table.
Never ever say to the mother of the groom... "That's a lovely dress, didn't it come in your size?"
(leave that to the florist)
One trip to the buffet is the limit,(unless the reception was held at Fresh Choice) If the plate is too heavy to carry on your own, then you have taken too much.
As far as manners go, A wedding should be treated like a funeral with out the squabbling over Grandma's Noritake China service for 8. Be respectful. Your behavior and appearance at a wedding should never rate a guest spot on Jerry Springer, no matter how tempting that is to you.
The topper to the day in Sebastopol, was discovering a dead cat on the lawn during the reception. After all it IS the country.
I witnessed a wedding the other day in Sebastopol. And yes, the children had more manners, more class and better shoes than the adults.
OK here goes.
I love being casual, just hanging out in jeans and my old vans. But not at a wedding. If the bride is bold enough to try to wear a new pure white dress, the least you can do is put on some shoes.
The guests at this wedding were dressed um... casually. Men in Cuba Vera shirts (i suspect knock offs) jeans and tennis shoes. Add a Wal-mart cowboy hat and you get the picture. Women in empire waist short dresses and tennis shoes.
OK new rule.. if your calves are bigger than your thighs, you are no longer allowed to wear Capri pants. That's just my opinion.
Casual wedding attire... for the men, LONG sleeved shirts tucked in to khakis, a belt and dark shoes of the nonathletic variety.
For the women, dresses in the correct size that come no higher than mid thigh, no neon colors. And SHOES of the nonathletic variety. (flip flops DO NOT count). A moderate heel is preferred.
A wedding is the celebration of the start of a new life for two people who are good enough friends to buy your ass dinner, buy your ass drinks and get your ass out of the house for an afternoon or evening. Do your part by dressing correctly.
OK, now some simple rules about being a good guest.
Don't yell and holler at someone across the room. Go over and talk to them.
Don't stick your fingers in the cake... The bride's uncle did this (we suspect he did it three times).
Do NOT. get up during the ceremony and go over to the dinner tables and plop down your Louis knock off suitcase you call a purse on the table because you want a seat near the buffet table.
Do not bring your gift to the reception, send it to the couple BEFORE the ceremony.
DO thank the parents as you leave the reception. Even if they didn't pay for the day. They are considered the hosts.
Do not take the centerpiece unless you've been told by the hosts that it is OK. And you are not allowed to take them till the event is over. And do not take more than one.
When participating in the toasts, never mention past indiscretions of the bride or groom. No stories about either of them vomiting outside Chili's or how the bride can out drink an Australian sailor with the flu. If the story involves one member of the happy couple in the back of a Ford F250... don't tell it till after they cut the cake. And then only tell it to the people at your table.
Never ever say to the mother of the groom... "That's a lovely dress, didn't it come in your size?"
(leave that to the florist)
One trip to the buffet is the limit,(unless the reception was held at Fresh Choice) If the plate is too heavy to carry on your own, then you have taken too much.
As far as manners go, A wedding should be treated like a funeral with out the squabbling over Grandma's Noritake China service for 8. Be respectful. Your behavior and appearance at a wedding should never rate a guest spot on Jerry Springer, no matter how tempting that is to you.
The topper to the day in Sebastopol, was discovering a dead cat on the lawn during the reception. After all it IS the country.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
OUCH... Stop It....That Hurts
I have managed to go 47 years without doing too much serious damage to myself... Little did I know, that a man made Bamboo plant would take me down.
I guess it's karma... speak your mind about something and it will come around to bite you in the lower back.
It feels like a 1978 Pinto, rammed into me, dead square in my lower back. I never did like Pintos, the horses are OK I guess., the beans , not so much, the exploding cars.. no thanks.
I lifted an 8' tall fake bamboo plant into a 5' tall container. Apparently I shouldn't have. Why, you ask, did I lift said fake plant into said container? I'm a giver. yeah that's it, That's my story and I am sticking to it.
I like to give....
Advice, instructions, opinions, directions, (my favorite direction is to get on the 38 Geary bus, go to the end of the line, cross the street, board the bus heading back and ask the driver your silly question.) It's a wonder I haven't been shot by a tourist from Kalamazoo or El Segundo.
I also like to give grief, at least that's what they tell me.
Really, the back wall of that tradeshow booth looks like Walt Disney's tomb lit up for St. Patrick's day. Upon hearing this, some said I was harsh, some said brutal. All said OMFG.
Good design can go bad with a simple wrong choice of a color gel. Green lighting belongs at Disneyland and the nearest Irish bar on March 17th.
Apparently, mediocre is good enough, Not for me it isn't.
Life is full of compromises, but I don't compromise on design. If its good, I will tell you, if it's bad, I will tell you louder. I expect the same.
And don't play at being designer, it's insulting. Leave it to the professionals. I have never heard of an amateur skyscraper window washer. At least not a live one.
Being a designer takes years of study, whether formal or not, a keen eye for detail, and the ability to look at something and translate that inspiration into something fresh and different. Another aspect of design is the ability to foresee something working the way it was intended. Color, light, shadow, scale, positive and negative space, spacial planning, texture, did I mention color?. How will all these elements work together in the space you are designing? If the light is too harsh or too bright, how does that effect the other elements? If there is too much black showing on the charger, what does it do to the dinner plate? EVERYTHING matters, its the details.
Some mistake my passion for bitchiness, yes I am bitchy. It's part of my charm. But above all I am passionate about what I do, I design.
Words used to describe me in the recent past have included.. bitchy, caustic, harsh, honest, sweet (thanks mom), kind, generous, professional, talented, exuberant. I will take them all.
I will also take a crane to lift me off this couch.
There seems to be a trend these days towards a kinder, gentler attitude of "oh, it's OK, No one will notice". I NOTICED. Just OK is NOT good enough. It can be perfect with just a little attention to the details and a little listening to a professional.
That's where I come in.
And now back to our regular programming...
I guess it's karma... speak your mind about something and it will come around to bite you in the lower back.
It feels like a 1978 Pinto, rammed into me, dead square in my lower back. I never did like Pintos, the horses are OK I guess., the beans , not so much, the exploding cars.. no thanks.
I lifted an 8' tall fake bamboo plant into a 5' tall container. Apparently I shouldn't have. Why, you ask, did I lift said fake plant into said container? I'm a giver. yeah that's it, That's my story and I am sticking to it.
I like to give....
Advice, instructions, opinions, directions, (my favorite direction is to get on the 38 Geary bus, go to the end of the line, cross the street, board the bus heading back and ask the driver your silly question.) It's a wonder I haven't been shot by a tourist from Kalamazoo or El Segundo.
I also like to give grief, at least that's what they tell me.
Really, the back wall of that tradeshow booth looks like Walt Disney's tomb lit up for St. Patrick's day. Upon hearing this, some said I was harsh, some said brutal. All said OMFG.
Good design can go bad with a simple wrong choice of a color gel. Green lighting belongs at Disneyland and the nearest Irish bar on March 17th.
Apparently, mediocre is good enough, Not for me it isn't.
Life is full of compromises, but I don't compromise on design. If its good, I will tell you, if it's bad, I will tell you louder. I expect the same.
And don't play at being designer, it's insulting. Leave it to the professionals. I have never heard of an amateur skyscraper window washer. At least not a live one.
Being a designer takes years of study, whether formal or not, a keen eye for detail, and the ability to look at something and translate that inspiration into something fresh and different. Another aspect of design is the ability to foresee something working the way it was intended. Color, light, shadow, scale, positive and negative space, spacial planning, texture, did I mention color?. How will all these elements work together in the space you are designing? If the light is too harsh or too bright, how does that effect the other elements? If there is too much black showing on the charger, what does it do to the dinner plate? EVERYTHING matters, its the details.
Some mistake my passion for bitchiness, yes I am bitchy. It's part of my charm. But above all I am passionate about what I do, I design.
Words used to describe me in the recent past have included.. bitchy, caustic, harsh, honest, sweet (thanks mom), kind, generous, professional, talented, exuberant. I will take them all.
I will also take a crane to lift me off this couch.
There seems to be a trend these days towards a kinder, gentler attitude of "oh, it's OK, No one will notice". I NOTICED. Just OK is NOT good enough. It can be perfect with just a little attention to the details and a little listening to a professional.
That's where I come in.
And now back to our regular programming...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)