• Greg: Hey, I like those Instaparks twitter feeds you made. Is there any way to look at the photos without all the annoying clicking?
• Henry: Nope. Want to help me make one?
• Greg: eh… You should see if Rustin can make one.
• Henry: Will do.

(So I changed it a bit… but the idea is the same. The actual tweets are here.)

I chatted with Henry a few days later and it sounded fun, so that night I made this: Instaparks.com

The whole thing took about an hour to make. I actually spent more time setting up a server to deploy it than I did building the app itself. That speedy turn around is completely thanks to the great work Henry did setting up the feeds. He’s doing all the hard work pulling the pics that get posted to Instagram from inside the Disney parks. I just made a little app that finds the image links out of those tweets and arranges them on a page that you can zooooomify.

I hope you dig it.

We’re very happy to have all returning advertisers this month. Let’s show them a bit of love to say thank-you!

Incidentally, if you know of a product or website that you think would be right for Maingate, give me a holler. We’re always on the lookout!

You’ll see that I actually carry Maingate Ads in the sidebar of this very site. (I know that my personal site content isn’t exactly theme park specific… call it an effort in dogfooding, or being willing to use my own product.)

Anyway, this post is an effort to feature this months great advertisers and show you the kind of killer deals available every day on Maingate ads.

On August 15th, the little company that Janey and I started as a vehicle to chase some dreams, celebrated it’s 365th day in operation. To be fair, the actual company was formed a bit earlier, but we didn’t do any business until I had finished my employment obligation to everyone’s favorite entertainment company.

The year has been a rollercoaster ride of monumental proportions. I’ve learned so much, made many mistakes, hit a few home runs and met some wonderful people.

I have loved the independence to live life on my own terms (which usually means breaking out to hang with my wife and boy all too often). I love working with my pal Nanna (the dog) at my feet, in a studio I put together with my own two hands. I love that my desk is next to my wife’s, and I love that we do what we do together.

We’ve launched a fun new product, that is only the first of several we’re either working on or have thought through. The future is rife with fun and interesting projects that will be executed with passion and love.

All that said, I’ve missed Disney terribly. Well… I miss what I loved about it. I miss the magic. I miss my friends. I miss my mentors. I miss the work, that I did care deeply about. I’m very happy to be consulting on Disney projects, but it’s not the same as being a Cast Member… and even more so, not the same as living and working so close to Disneyland – which holds a place in my heart that I couldn’t possibly describe. Sometimes I miss it so bad that I physically hurt.

Of course there’s plenty that I don’t miss. The sterile corporate crap that happens at any company of that size. I don’t miss red tape or layers and layers of hierarchy. I do kind of miss being the guy who goes rogue to get things done and prove a point. Sometimes it flew, and sometimes it crashed and burned… but I tried new things and it was cool.

There are some people I don’t miss. Mostly the people who’s priorities put process before product, or themselves before their Guests. We didn’t get along and I made a habit of being pretty vocal about that.

In the end, the time seemed right to say goodbye to those people who were bringing me down, even if it meant leaving a company that I loved. We had some dreams that needed chasing.

We’ve only scratched the surface of what we set out to do. We’ll keep chasing and making cool things happen. I’m so happy that I’ve been able to provide for my family doing something I love. I’m so happy to know that we’re scheduled up with both client work and our own projects. I’m so happy that things have worked out so far, and I’m cautiously optimistic for the year to come.

So Happy Birthday, J. Blackbird. You’ve been our chariot through this new adventure. And I’m looking forward to what year two brings.

Betaloft

First, I’ll let you know about the launch of one of my own projects. The re-branding and site design of an absolutely killer coworking facility in Salt Lake City called Betaloft.

If you work independently and, like me, often find yourself talking to your dog during the work day, Betaloft provides a wonderful way to keep your sanity and meet cool people. There really is nothing like the spark of creativity and inspiration that comes from face-to-face time with other humans.

I could go on for hours, but I’ll let you check out the site for more about all that.

Jessica Hische

I was first introduced to Jessica’s work when I ran across her Viney Alphabet in my feed reader. I became an instant fan.

She’s launched a new site full of hand-lettering goodness, and a store full of drool-worthy goods. A must see for type fans of all ages.

On a side note, don’t miss Jessica’s Daily Drop Cap for more beautiful lettering.

Ligature, Loop & Stem

This new site has a small, but wonderful, catalog of type related goods. They’ve just released a white version of their wildly popular Ampersand Test Print that I can’t help but love.

…and just look at that site. lovely.

Teuxdeux

A brand new web app by swissmiss that puts a slick designy spin on the todo app. I love the way it looks, and I’ll spend the next week or so giving it a try.

Mighty

Design hero of mine Jason Santa Maria resolved to work on “stuff that matters”, and he’s launched a studio to do just that. Meet Mighty.

I, and the rest of the web/design universe, will be watching closely for the stream of wonderfulness that is sure to emerge from this little studio.

Prep & Landing

Last, but not least, a beautiful bit of animation hit the airwaves this week. I was skeptical when I heard about it, but last night I watched it on Hulu while I worked. Disney’s Prep & Landing very quickly seated itself as a Christmas classic with me. It’s a creative little story with a ton of heart that will be played right alongside Christmas Vacation and A Charlie Brown Christmas.

If you haven’t seen it… get over to Hulu and check it out.

So I guess that’s about it. I wish the very best to everyone launching something new, something they care about. It’s a difficult but wonderful thing.

Now… back to work.

You’ll remember from my last post that I’ve been busting my butt on some ever-changing plans. Well, that work hasn’t slowed down one bit, as the world keeps throwing interesting situations our way. I’ve been very fortunate to have met several wonderful new clients and made some great friends who keep me in mind when they have design projects and such. I’ve got ten great posts for this blog, in draft form, collecting a bit of dust while I hustle at getting a few more projects out the door.

I guess this is my obligatory sorry-I-haven’t-blogged-but-I’ve-been-busy post. Damn, I hate those.

Ok, how about this. I’ll say sorry, and I’ll make a vague promise of doing better. But I’ll raise the bar a bit and bundle a bit of an announcement.

… remember a while ago when I was asking you all to help me decide on a few things for our new company? Well, that work is complete. I’d like to introduce J. Blackbird LLC.

The J. Blackbird website has been online in various forms over the last month. But it’s only just started taking it’s final shape. For now, only the design/development side of our business has a presence. The event side will come shortly. So… any thoughts about that?

I can say out loud now, that I left the company a little earlier than originally planned. My wife and I had set a goal to have our affairs in order for me to give notice by the end of October. It’s a date we picked fairly arbitrarily, but it was our way of drawing a real line… an actual point in time to hold ourselves accountable. We had talked a lot about our next adventure in life, we made plans for the next step in our personal and professional lives, but it just never seemed to happen. The time never seemed just right, so we didn’t pull the rip cord.

There were a few times we were sure we’d be pushed into making the move. First it was when we decided to move several states away from Disneyland to start our family. We worked up plans and were ready to go, but I was given the opportunity to work remotely (which was truly a pleasant surprise). After that we had a nasty round of layoffs. I was sure, as the only remote employee in our entire global division, that I would be on the chopping block. So we dug up our plans, polished them off, and were ready to strike out on our own. By some miracle I was spared and I went on working for Disney from 700 miles away. Plans were shelved again in favor of a regular paycheck, and I went back to the grind.

Each time it felt like we were on the edge some something big. We prepared ourselves mentally & emotionally… and when things just stayed the same it was almost a let-down. We were ready to make a big jump, a big move. We got our ducks in a row to make something happen, and it kept fizzling out.

Finally, I reached a point that it was clearly time to move a different direction. Without bringing up topics that are entirely inappropriate for this blog, I will simply pull from a post I wrote exactly one month ago: I needed to take the chance to spread my creative wings a little more independently.

It was earlier than we planned, but there were a few big influencing factors that made us sure the time was right. …so we jumped.

So here we are, one month later. What have we learned?.

• Plan for the worst, but hope for the best.
  This old saying has so much wisdom packed in it. Our own experience took us from plan A, to plan B, to plan C, back to plan A, some shuffling through several ad hoc plans, and finally finding some traction with plan J or K. Almost nothing has gone according to plan, but it’s all turned out damn fine.
• Be ready to punt at any time.
  I don’t make many sports references in life, but this one seems to fit. It’s one that I learned in my time planning and executing large events. Sometimes you watch the perfect plan turn to crap right in your hands. It might have been your fault, or it might have been factors totally out of your control. You just have to be real with yourself, and be comfortable when it’s time to kick the hell out of the old plan and come up with something new.
• A deal ain’t a deal until somebody’s signed a contract.
  We had several projects lined up. Big projects. The kind you spend months just planning. We had commitments, and had actually started some work. But those projects fell through, and I didn’t have a signed contract to back me up. I learned my lesson. Contract + deposit = a deal.
• Make new friends, and make sure they know what you do.
  I know, I know, it’s Networking 101, but that doesn’t make it any less important. I had some projects fall through, but happily I’ve been able to fill that gap in my schedule by letting some online friends know what I was looking for. A few messages on Twitter… and a great new client was in the door.
• Stop and smell them roses
  No matter how awesome you are, going out on your own is stressful. There’s a lot to think about. Make sure to take the time to appreciate what’s important and why you made the move. The world is one big beautiful place. Don’t let a day go by without appreciating it.

To wrap this up I will just offer one more little tid-bit. If you’re thinking of chasing a dream, DO IT ALREADY! Be smart, get your stuff together, and chase that damn dream. I chased a dream to Disneyland, and it was truly truly wonderful. Now, my loving wife and I are chasing a new dream. So far, it’s been truly truly wonderful.

On May 15th, 2003, I drove a car stuffed with every worldly possession I could smash in it, to California to begin my life as a Disneyland Cast Member. That day, my birthday, I embarked on what would become the most amazing adventure I could have possibly wished for.

My heart is full right now as I try to find a way to express the deep sadness, and giddy anticipation I’m feeling.

I truly love Disney. I love what it stands for, and the legacy Walt Disney left behind. And I love the people. I love those real down-to-earth people who embody the essence of what Guests have grown to expect from Disney. True pioneers. Pillars of talent & creativity that I have had the great fortune to learn from.

Then why leave?

I’m in a new place in my life, a place where I want to spread my creative wings a little more independently. There are a few big things I want to create. I won’t give too much away now, but you can expect a launch this year.

Still, even though I’ve decided to chase a new adventure, I believe Disney is wonderful. There is not a finer group of people on this planet. I will always proudly speak of the time I was fortunate enough to spend as a Disney Cast Member.

So what now?

For now, in between feverishly working toward a launch of some new products, I’ll be ramping up my consulting work. I’ll even happily be keeping a few Disney divisions on as clients after my departure.

That said, I am looking to fill a few holes in my schedule for the next month or so. If you have a project in the areas of User Experience, Collaberation, Web Design & Development or Live Entertainment Events that you’d like me to weigh-in on, please feel free to drop me a line.

I anticipate this blog will see a boost in content as well!

And so there it is… the announcement is made and the next adventure begins. I hope you’ll come along for the ride.

As my wife can attest, this type castle project was always meant to be a letterpress poster. When I first started laying out the piece, about two years ago, I got all excited about how cool it would be to do a big letterpress poster of some Disneyland attractions all set in typography. I was so excited to share when I finally finished the artwork I decided to set it loose as a set of desktop wallpapers, but that was more of a fun little tangent than anything. Letterpress was always the goal.

Life threw a few curve balls to slow me down a bit and it’s taken me a while to finally get the show on the road… but I’m very happy to officially announce the Magic in Type Castle Letterpress Posters are for sale in the new shop!

Since the posters aren’t quite off the press yet, I’m offering a pre-order discount of $25 per poster through August 1, 2009. If pre-ordering’s not your thing, just leave your email address in the box on the shop, and I’ll let you know when the posters are shipping.

And what would a post about a letterpress project be without a little print shop eye candy…

Well, that last bit isn’t entirely true… but pretty close.

How this all came about

The story on this one isn’t particularly long or interesting. Sometime around the end of last week I thought it might be cool to check out the Twitter API. I didn’t have any particular project in mind, just wanted to see what it was all about.

Come to find out that the API is really awesome, and totally dead simple to use.

So I whipped up a little rails app after work and started to mess with things. All-in-all, development time spent on this was less than 6 hours. I spent a lot more time sorting out the details of it’s deployment. With the use of the new and totally awesome Feedzirra ruby feed library, deployment on a shared host just wasn’t going to be an option (though I did beat my head on that wall for the better part of Sunday night). I just couldn’t make all the custom gem requires play nice, so I reverted back to the always stellar Slicehost.

I swear, every time I’m frustrated with another host for some project or another, I end up back at Slicehost and they never disappoint. So with a new slice up, I had my little project deployed in under 30 minutes.

So, that’s really that. I just wanted to get my hands dirty with the Twitter API. I plan to add some cool features since I really had fun getting this far.

I hope you like it!