By Rob Dorsey and Christian Bright

Hobbies are a great tool used to bridge the gap between work, school, and personal time. They offer a unique opportunity to demonstrate your hidden talents or uncanny abilities in a setting, far removed from work or home. Personal expression of ourselves is crucial to maintaining the delicate balance between work and pleasure and to do the things we love without making a career out of them; although sometimes our hobbies manifest themselves into a career.

Unfortunately, when our hobbies become tied to any sort of monetary-gain they don’t hold the same value as something that is pursued purely for enjoyment. And often times, our hobbies can become an unhealthy addiction that drives us to ignore our responsibilities in life. It is important not to allow this to happen. For example, having a favorite TV show that you religiously watch and follow closely can be fun and entertaining; calling in sick to work because you want to finish season 4 of Lost to find out if Jack, Kate and the rest of the gang finally get off the island, well that’s another story.

Having a hobby can be very rewarding and gratifying; have you put any thought into what your hobbies might be? This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to go out and collect stamps or study up on the latest quilt designs. There are a variety of hobbies one can engage in ranging from sports and personal fitness, concerts and music, arts and crafts to even dining out at new and different restaurants, testing your culinary intellect.  Allow your hobby to be an escape from your daily grind; an opportunity to decompress from your normal routine of things; don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty. Feel free to even “Hobby Hop” - no one says you have to stick with one hobby forever, get out and explore as many as you can. In turn you are exploring yourself.

Can you tell the difference between a hobby and a job? Are you appropriately designating time to indulge in your favorite hobbies, while not at the expense of your friends, family and career paths?

1. Gives you a chance to turn-off (or turn-on)

A hobby can give you a chance “turn-off” and stop stressing about your day job. You can focus on things that relax you or make you smile. Hobbies can also give you a chance to “turn-on”. Your talents might not be used at your day job but your hobby lets you shine whether it’s art, music, crafts, writing, sports, etc.

2. Injects Energy into your life

Focusing on one task or subject every day, 5 days a week, can take its toll. Most of us want to go home, sit on the couch and unwind. Are we really unwinding? I think work is still on our minds. A hobby can put our focus onto something that we enjoy and give us a feeling of accomplishment. Doing this can push the reset button in our minds. It can give us different perspectives or trains of thought to solve issues we were having at our day jobs. Or, it will simply give you more energy to make it through the next work week.

3. Develop & Nurture Talents

Few of us have day jobs that fall in line with our hobby. Those few get to develop and nurture their talents every day. Even then I suggest nurturing that hobby outside of work life to keep it fresh and fun. The majority of us don’t have jobs that manifested itself from a hobby. I find it crucial for those people to pick up one. Everyone has a talent… whether its one, two, three or more. Find what you enjoy and nurture this portion of your life. It can relieve a lot of stress and give your life more meaning.

4. Chance to explore yourself

If you have no hobbies, finding one is a great way to explore who you are. You can meet like-minded people or be exposed to something different that may change your outlook on life. You may find things that you never new you would enjoy. Explore what makes you feel happy and accomplished.

Become a fan of Hobbies

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hobbies/110094879012652?ref=search

The era of the music video has been dead and a thing of the past for a while now. Networks like MTV and VH1 are riddled with reality TV. Who is to blame for the death of music videos? I think there are a few factors… one of them being that music just sucks now. Storytelling is dead (except for R. Kelly’s masterpiece “Trapped in the Closet” ). Reality TV, whether you love it or hate it, has taken over our lives! (”reality” is shaping reality). Another factor I believe killing music videos is the Internet. I think the big WWW has slowly chipped away the popularity of music video count downs and premier’s and will continue to chip away at television. Everything is about being on-demand… you no longer have to wait for the top 10 countdown to get to your favorite video. The proliferation of YouTube has enabled online users to instantly search for a video at their very own fingertips. Oh the wonders of YouTube, how I heart you so!

Enough rambling… I miss music videos (like this one) and wonder if they will ever make a come back. Recently I visited a sweet website that had an interactive music video clip that allows you to draw the music you’re listening to by using a brush that reacts to the music and lyrics. You can also play it back when its finished to watch your masterpiece. Here are some screen shots

Maybe this can be the future of music. An experience that is more engaging and interactive… allowing the user to become a part of the music and the artists’ message. Who knows? Check it out for yourself by clicking here. prollyROB OUT!

Recently EMG worked on a non-profit website for “The Ecology Center.” I was blessed with the opportunity to create the fun, interactive headers on each page. YIPPPY! If you check out the WEBSITE HERE, you can mouse over the headers to trigger animation.So now you’re probably thinking, “How’d we do that?” Well, let’s move on as I guide you step-by-step on how this was achieved.

Step One: Concept & Design

Once the look and feel was handed over to me, I needed to develop a creative direction for each header in terms of the layout and content. If you’ve noticed, the home page flash header has an assortment of colors spanning across through the depicted nature scene. To proceed, EMG decided to split each colored section to represent a different sub-section for the website. After splitting up the homepage graphic we added some more elements to bring the images to life. Check out the screens shots below.

 Step Two: Import & Layout in Flash Read the rest of this entry »