On music, inspiration.

On the iPod "Unfinished" - Mineral

My drive to work, was the first time I truly felt alone in almost two weeks. Having my fiancé here really reminded me of how having someone important in your life takes your concentration from yourself. And while that's not always a good thing, it was fantastic to be distracted for a few days. I found myself staying further away from the computer, taking a little more time when I ate, enjoying an extra glass of wine and just taking a few minutes to take it all in.

This morning, I sank back into my routine, but the drive was different. I put on some records from my high school years. I listened to Mineral for a good chunk of the trip in on snow covered I-96. It took me back. As I listened, I was reminded of the woman I was dating when I first started listening to the band and then reflected on the woman that ended up meaning the most when I needed that band like air. And after I reminisced for a spell, I listened to the record again, for the first time in years. I listened to the record for what it was, not the emotions I had tied to it.

It was inspiring. The March snow falling, the poetic lyrics of one of my favorite bands being heard again for the first time and my tired mind started allowing wonderful new design ideas to flow forward into my head. When I got to work, I started pouring out code, sketching concepts and building new graphics.

So, I now have a new plan for the rest of this week: Revisit, rewind and redesign. So far, so good.

Happy Monday.