Spent the last week in Kaua'i. Rough life, I know. It was nothing short of heavenly. This being my first trip to that anomalous paradise we call the 50th state of the union, I had day-dreamy expectations at least 20 years in the making and wasn't sure the real thing would measure up...It did.
But flipping through a magazine on the flight home (from LA, not Kaua'i--spent that one crashed out across a whole row of empty seats) enjoying the ramblings of my internal ad critic, I realized that particular voice sounded oddly unfamiliar. Scanning back in wonderment over the preceding 6 days, I realized I couldn't recall a single piece of paid advertising from the entire trip.
Typically, at least one shows up in my mental highlight reel of the vacation, but even racking my brain, I couldn't think of a single impression. I hadn't turned on the TV, listened to the radio, gone online, opened a magazine or (gulp) driven past a billboard in 6 whole days! (figure there's got to be a law on the billboard thing--who wouldn't want to put one up in the Mecca of US tourism?)
The second realization, almost paradoxial at first, was that I felt strangely inspired...creative...energized. Something in the plumeria-scented breeze, the crashing waves, the searing sunsets had driven me to be a better designer, a better communicator.
Perhaps there's more than one way to go back to the source material.
I was pleased to be able to go there this summer. I thought Kauai was a beautiful island. I took some pictures while I was there. Gorgeous island. With the lack of advertising, it seems the island spoke for itself.
Sometimes after you finish writing a paper at 12:30am you just have to take one more look at SJ's blog and make a comment. I was happy with this design on a PC, but now that I look at it on a Mac all the time, I'm really happy with it. Font smoothing is a wonderful thing.
Glad you could chill in the tropics for a while. I'm totally jealous. Nature has a funny way of refueling the soul and refreshing the creative mind.
Oh, and congrats on two consecutive weeks of blogging! ;)
How is it possible that you did not tell me you were going to Hawaii? You sneeky girl.... I'm going to Jamaica this summer, wanna come?
Sorry that last comment was from me. I just assumed you would know....