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Anton Peck

This is the Journal of Anton Peck

The Best Laid SchemesAugust 26 2008

The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men,
Gang aft agley,
An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain,
For promis’d joy!

(The best laid schemes of Mice and Men
oft go awry,
And leave us nothing but grief and pain,
For promised joy!)

Robert Burns, To a Mouse (Poem, November, 1785) Scottish national poet (1759 - 1796)

Meandering Thoughts on TrafficAugust 14 2008

Hello there. The empty bottle of beer sitting on my desk reminds me that I’ve re-written this article at least three times now.  Because I’m still working out the right words that accurately explains my feelings about our relationship. About you coming here to visit me. About you coming here privately, away from the mainstream channels of the internet to see if I’ve drawn something pretty…

I’ve gotten used to being your little secret visiting spot. I’m okay with the fact that I’m not on any list of anything. I’m not in a fancy blog network, and I don’t really get mentioned anywhere.  Long story short: I just want to keep doing what I love to do, and say “hello” to anyone who happens to pass through my little corner of the web, and tell them “thank you” when they leave.  I like to keep it personal.

I hang my head in shame at the mere thought that maybe I’ve just lost interest in traffic, because isn’t the whole mantra of a blogger about seeking the highest number of subscriptions possible? Who am I, to be so blatantly selfish that I maintain this site purely for my own enjoyment, way out here in the middle of nowhere?  I’m just not entirely sure what I would do with all those people, if they ever showed up.

Before some of you cry “hypocrite”, I’ll clarify that I used to care a great deal about traffic.  In the not-so-distant past, I posted and wrote and danced my little thing in the hope that someone would

The SXSW panels are here!August 10 2008

SXSW is once again coming around, and although the festival isn’t happening until March of next year, you have the chance to vote right now for what panels will be listed via the interactive panel picker.  This allows the SXSW administration to create the most appropriate schedule based on your feedback.  With that mentioned, I’d like you to have a look at the two panel ideas I’ve submitted, and decide for yourself which (or both) you’d like to see in person.

By Myself

For those of you familiar with my Artcast (or any of the work that I do with a tablet), there might have been moments where you’ve wanted to see it in person, or find out more about how I actually use the tablet with different apps, or even where to get started with one.

“Learn to Paint with a Tablet!”

With Others

Hot off the heals of the Digital-Web article that started the discussion, Nathan Smith and I decided that we needed to continue the topic in person and in front of an audience. A full list of names has yet to be determined, but there’s no reason to think that this won’t be a fun experience for all. 

Will Draw for Beer 2009August 7 2008

On Friday (August 1st), SXSW opened their doors once again for registration to their 2009 event (and with a new site from Blue Flavor, too). Why is this so early? Because it's that big. Waiting too long to register increases your odds of not getting a room in the nearby hotels. which is a crucial point in getting the most out of your downtown Austin experience.

What makes SXSW so different than other conferences is how incredibly social and interactive it is. It's very grassroots-driven, and allows you to not only find out what the pros are doing, but what other people just like you are doing. You get to learn from your peers. Granted, this allows for a higher chance of hearing poorly-presented material, but the odds that you'll pick up some killer tip that some unknown designer has been using is completely worth it, in my opinion.

It's also a chance for you to get your name out there and directly interact with some very interesting (and possibly influential) people in the industry. That incldues me, but I need your help in raising some travel funds!

Selling Art to Raise Money

Here's my offer: One (1) 5"x7" Pencil/Marker/Ink Illustration for only $30.

Just like last year

The Power WithinAugust 1 2008

Creativity is a funny little creature. Every so often, it will scurry off into some random corner of your mind, leaving you to guess which morsel of inspiration will coax it out of hiding. The difficult part is that the "carrot" to re-inspire can be literally anything in the world (or beyond). The process of getting creativity to come back might be easy, but it’s the process to inspire that’s actually quite difficult. Because it’s the inspiration that feeds.

One of the challenges when it comes to finding inspiration is: where we go for our source material. Most of us look to our peers, because certainly whatever inspires them should inspire us, right? Wrong.

Well... not always.

There are literally dozens of gallery sites that all pretty much share content among themselves. The differences in the top 20 sites? Very minimal. Trends run as rampant as Starbucks. Why does this happen? I think it’s because people assume too easily that what works for someone else will just as successfully work for them. Does that sound very creative to you?

The Blanket Accusation

I expect more from our group than this.

I have a theory: I suspect that web designers decide what they like or dislike based on popular trends more than personal preference. I’d go so far as to accuse most of these people of being lemmings, ready to chatter on about a particular design style even if they secretly prefer