1. A day off, spent with my wife, walking around Cambridge whilst the snow fell fast
2. Getting paid, man (a mess of long time coming client checks)
3. Delivery Thai food from Bangkok Bistro
4. Taking this photo
5. Losing two hours to the draw of Harvard Book Store

Two and a half years ago, I posted Welcome to the Rest of Your Life, letting my handful of faithful blog readers know that I had resigned from what was then known as New Spring Community Church to go out into the big, bad world to try my hand at being a “real” graphic designer and, to put it mildly, learn what the heck I was doing. It’s been a good 30 months. Three states, three jobs, lots of contract work, lots of clients, lots of projects, and a wife later…

We’ll be waving a bittersweet farewell to Boston soon, in order for me to join the team at NewSpring Church as Creative Director, and also to head up the cultivation of internet awesomeness. It will rock. NewSpring has grown by about 3x since I left (staff, attendance, and managerial structure) and is on the cusp of even more growth and change with the upcoming addition of their first video venue satellite campus, the need for a more-than-just-informational website to connect all those people, some lacking cohesion in branding that needs to be addressed, and a growing communications team. The challenges are big and uphill, but I’m turbo-excited to get to work and into what’s next.

On more of a So Serious-style vibe, I have no desire to do work that is “good… for a church.” I don’t want to “sell Jesus” like a product. That stuff sort of makes me want to laugh and vomit and cry all at once. It’s sad (though wholly understandable) that there’s baggage and pre-conceived notions about what design and the church are supposed to look like. Many of the church’s attempts at visual communication delve into poorly-executed, ill-informed parody, or only cannibalize ideas and co-opt styles from within the church community (which, let’s be honest, is a sub-culture of our own making and often out of touch with the reality most people operate in on a day-to-day.)

What I want to do is really great design work. Attention to detail. Knowledgeable use of typography, illustration, and photography. The creation of a cohesive visual language that creates clear visual communication and engaging environments. And then I want to carry all that online in a seamless way that creates a similar environment there. And in that, I think we might be in new territory for me (and hopefully for churches, too.)

Details to follow. Onward and upward.

I’ve become fairly fascinated with Jelly lately. The idea is simple: individuals who may or may not know each other gather together on a semi-weekly basis in one place and they work together/separately for the day. Quote, “We provide chairs and sofas, wireless internet, and interesting people to talk to, collaborate with, and bounce ideas off of. You bring a laptop (or whatever you need to get work done) and a friendly disposition.”

Quote, “Jelly started in NYC in February of 2006 when roommates Amit and Luke realized that they loved working from home, but they missed the creative brainstorming, sharing, and camaraderie of a traditional office. (Office politics, not so much.) So they started inviting friends to come work from their home one day a week. They soon found that working in close proximity to new and interesting people every couple weeks resulted in new ideas and interesting conversations.” So far they’ve been featured in Wired, The NY Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and NPR.

People are now doing the semi-weekly work-together in Manhattan/Brooklyn, Austin, Atlanta, Sydney, Philadelphia, and Boston. I’ll be working at the Jelly in Boston in December. I look forward to meeting some smart, motivated people, and trying a new work environment for the day. Other Jelly groups are getting started in different cities around the world, setting up their own wikis to stay connected and let each other know who will be where working on what.

Simple idea, huge impact. This is a perfect example of how the way an entire generation of people may come to view work, office culture, office hours, and so many other things that we think have to be a certain way because that’s all we’ve ever known. It’s a whole new work world, one with more freedom and less constraint. But we still crave the benefits of collaboration, social interaction, brainstorming, and human contact that the traditional office sometimes provided.

Maybe now we can have our jelly and eat it too. (I couldn’t resist. I apologize.)

BOSTON, MA—After less than three months as a designer/illustrator for the Boston-area web company Virb Inc., Joshua Blankenship announced Wednesday that he is being asked to leave the group over creative differences. “Well, that was a surprise. We apparently just work and think about work and doing business in completely different ways and that can’t be reconciled,” Blankenship said. “It’s the situational things that lack the most merit, having just moved cross-country for this opportunity, just launched a site, etc.” Blankenship said he plans to embark on a brief solo career, while actively pursuing other positions in the greater Boston area. “I just moved my new family here, and we like it here, so I refuse to be cynical or deterred by one bump in the road. Onward and upward.”

There’s no easy way to say it, but the band metaphor seemed to make the most sense. I assure you, it was as much a shock to me (if not a tad more so) than it may be to you. Moving on, I’ve updated my Resume (you can also download a PDF) and Portfolio, and you can find me on LinkedIn, too. I have a few weeks to make a decision and I’m (very) actively looking at job boards and such. Any leads or connections would be appreciated.

Thanks for listening.

1. Buy fans to combat the humidity and heat in our 5th floor sublet.
2. Park (legally) in Boston.
3. Decide between the refillable CharlieCard or the unlimited Monthly LinkPass for the T.
4. Have gainful employment again.
5. Find a bank. (We will miss you, Wachovia and WaMu.)

1. Driving. Lots of driving.
2. Absurd amounts of walking/exploring Boston with my wife.
3. Absurd amounts of silly videos with Simmy and Brad.
4. Being wicked smaaahrt.
5. Collaboration and collabroation*

The last time I traversed the roads East of Texas, I was moving to Dallas to be near my girlfriend, and now I will be leaving Dallas with my wife - that worked out pretty well. Very poetic and such.

The big day approaches swiftly. On Saturday the Blankenships are moving to Boston. Our planned route heads East, takes a slight detour through South Carolina to see family and friends, and then up the East Coast (how I miss you so) to New England. We’re planning on arriving in Boston on the 3rd or 4th, just in time for the Independence Day festivities, the Boston Pops, and copious amounts of patriotism, fireworks, grilled meat, and flowing beverages.

We have a furnished July/August sublet (thanks, Irina!), so we’re traveling fairly light - one vehicle and no trailer - and keeping the rest of our stuff in storage in Dallas until September, when our “real” lease starts.

Wish us well.

I’m trying my best to get back in the swing of things after what amounted to three weeks (pre-wedding, wedding weekend, honeymoon, Boston apartment hunting trip, jetlag, etc.) being away from Dallas and email and “normal business hours” - whatever that means.

I had 258 emails when I got in, ~90 of which were directly related to unspeakable sexy time spam things, and the rest being legit emails I’m wading through now.

We leave for California on Thursday for a friend’s wedding. I think if I give up sleeping and I’ll be able to accomplish everything I need to in the month of June without much difficulty.

Also, I finally watched the season finale of LOST and it rocked me like a hurricane. I love that show.

The Mrs. and I are in lovely Boston for a few days, looking at apartments (thank you Craigslist and GoogleMaps and HousingMaps), walking the mean streets, and bumming wifi and good times off the Virb Inc. peoples.

Finding an apartment in a city that you’re actually physically in makes all the difference in the world. Send us prayers and good vibes and do a Blankenship apartment rain dance.

1. I get married today, and she is a super hero.
2. We get to go on a two week vacation that made my travel agent jealous.
3. The Guilt-Free Married Sex™.
4. Late-June trips to California and London.
5. We’re moving to Boston.