things look different @ THIRTY THREE THOUSAND FEET

Water it, so that it grows, so that you have to cut it.

Upside:

• The days are long. 8a to 6p? No problem. 7a to 10p? You bet.
• Limited interruptions
• No meetings, except via Skype
• Limited human interaction
• Pants optional, except when checking the mailbox
• Shoes optional, even when checking the mailbox
• I can work anywhere
• I can be easily distracted. I loves me some Twitter, RSS, and Pandora.
• Lunch on the deck
• The dog is always there
• The wife is almost never there ;)
• The kids are almost always there, at least during the summer
• The upside can be the downside

Downside:

• The days are long. 8a to 6p? No problem. 7a to 10p? You bet.
• Limited interruptions
• No meetings, except via Skype
• Limited human interaction
• Pants optional, except when checking the mailbox
• Shoes optional, even when checking the mailbox
• I can work anywhere
• I can be easily distracted. I loves me some Twitter, RSS, and Pandora.
• Lunch on the deck
• The dog is always there
• The wife is almost never there
• The kids are almost always there, at least during the summer
• The downside can be the upside

Word.

It hit me about 5 years ago. There were some substantial things that needed to be changed. I had surrounded myself with some of the wrong people, we were going virtually nowhere, and every day was a grind. Time to take action.

Our move to Boulder was key. An opportunity presented itself which allowed me to make a break from the things and people that needed changing, and I simply couldn’t say no. While the progression of events didn’t go as I may have planned, it was a path that lead me to where I am now, and I don’t regret it a bit. 33k is motoring along in a great way, and HotShoo is rockin’ the house, launching publicly on June 4. Things are happening.

As the New York Times will tell you today, there’s a different spirit around the community here in Boulder, one that nurtures and supports in many ways, and one that can provide ‘opportunity opportunities,’ as I like to call them. I feel like I can get to anyone on any given day, that they are more likely than not to try to help out, and that I have an obligation to make myself available and to do the same for others. If you haven’t experienced it firsthand, it all sounds kinda’ hippy-dippy, but…it works. I’ve also found that I’m applying this approach outside of our little 24 square miles surrounded by reality.

I read that article this morning (no less than 6 people forwarded it to me from around the country, by the way), and went back to why I came here. The need for a head space adjustment drove it, and I landed with a clearer focus on the things that I (currently) need to have in place to function the way that I think I should.

Today, I was finally able to capture the 3 simple words to express what I need and expect in absolutely all situations.

• Contribution; I have to contribute in every way possible, and I expect the same of the people that are involved in the things that I am involved in. If I/you don’t want to consistently provide an additive affect, then why am I/are you here?
• Progression; some days may be small, some days may be big, most will be somewhere in the middle, and on some days, things just don’t happen. It’s all good, as long as we see a general progression throughout the span of whatever. That said, I need faster movement rather than slower. That’s just me.
• Simplicity; this is where it all starts and ends. If a process is not straightforward, it needs to be changed. If someone in the mix is making things difficult, they need to be moved out of the way. If anything is limiting our progress or making us focus on things that are not getting us to where we want to go, it needs to be eliminated. If I find myself in a situation where things simply aren’t simple, and I’ve tried to adjust things and failed, I need to get out. Fast.

…

Contribute to everything that’s going on around you. Progress and innovate every minute of every day. Make everything as straightforward as you can. It’s all part of the mantra. What’s yours?

This one goes back a bit, but sometimes we have to keep projects under wraps until they are released to the public.

This summer, Imagine a World, RMI and the City of Denver will be launching a project to build an integrated, Living City Block as part of the 2010 Denver Biennial of the Americas. 33k provided conceptual design and visualization services, in collaboration with Rocky Mountain Institute.

From Imagine A World: “Living City Block is a tactile, real-life experiential demonstration of things that are possible today, but that are as of yet not being brought together as part of an actual functioning system. Things that range from “last mile’ mobility solutions and energy capturing sidewalks, to living roofs and vertical gardens, to on site renewables and cogeneration, to home metering and IT driven consumer behavioral change. There are individual examples of each of these beginning to be adopted across the Americas, but due to the reality of commercial adaptation, spotty availability, political will and practical implementation periods, there is no existing example of all of these things being done in a real living environment. These things can only be accomplished at this time as a demonstration project.”

We’re currently working on the next phase of the work, and are proud to be members of the team on this very important project…

Mental floss to start the day…

Our latest. Take a look at http://www.drdavidluce.com, and let’s hear what you think!

In honor of Don Pardo’s 92nd birthday…

As much as I love cycling, I generally dislike riding the trainer in the basement. It’s been a long winter here in Boulder, colder and with more snow than we have seen over the past few years, so I’m stuck.

Part of my new morning routine is to ride while I watch as many inspirational video presentations and interviews as I can. I generally don’t like the long-form stuff, but this setup gives me the opportunity to dedicate an hour or so every day to learning new things in a different way. TEDTalks and Mixergy are my favorites right now, with Mixergy providing interviews with interesting entrepreneurs, and TED exposing my brain to totally different areas of thought.

This morning on Mixergy, Andrew Warner interviews Simon Sinek, author of Start With Why. His thesis is that great people and companies are not driven by what they do or how they do it, but by why they do what they do. So, I started to think about my own personal “Golden Circles,” as Simon calls them.

Thirty Three Thousand Feet

• What? We reshape the way that people experience places and the Web
• How? We create design frameworks for a total and immersive experience, and then orchestrate all the required parts and pieces needed to make it happen
• Why? We strive to help our clients succeed with their business strategies

HotShoo

• What? HotShoo is a unique online catalog of inspirational and reference images for designers of all types
• How? We curate crowd-sourced images and write extensively about design throughout the world, exposing our users to the best of the best
• Why? We want to have an impact in the biggest sense by enabling design professionals to do their best work

JK

• What? I generate and expand ideas, and create structures that foster innovation and execution
• How? I do extensive research in areas that are related to projects, and stay extremely aware of things that I feel are important to know about so that I can apply them when appropriate
• Why? My goal is to inspire and enable the people that I work with to do the great things that they want to do

—

I’m very interested in how others define their Why. Leave a comment below, and let’s hear about yours!…

The Most Lame Answer of All Time, to just about any question. “Let’s look for ways that we might make that happen,” or, “Maybe we can look at other alternatives” are both much more positive, lead toward discussion, and create an opportunity for alternative approaches to be vetted by the group. Sure, we may decide not to do it and end up where we started, but at least we gave it our critical thought.

I’m involved in a relationship where The Most Lame Answer is nearly always the first answer. Example: While reviewing an annual budget that shows a loss, I asked if there were ways that we could tighten the budget to reduce or eliminate the deficit. I also asked if there were alternative revenue sources that again might reduce or eliminate the loss. I’m sure you know what the answers were.

I pressed it. I asked if there was anywhere in the budget where we could reduce expenses. The answer was “no.” I asked if we could save even $1. The answer was “no.” I said that that seemed impossible. The answer was that it’s absolutely impossible to reduce expenses. Yeah, I don’t think so.

I’m on a personal mission to never again start a response like this, and I will continually call Bullshit on anyone that does. Watch out…

I’m a busy guy.

I have my work to do at 33k, our design firm. Getting the work. Doing the work. Keeping the clients happy. Handling the admin stuff, and being on top of our business and business development strategies. Studying the world around us, and “knowing” that things exist that can or should be integrated into the business strategies of our clients, partners, and friends.

I have my work to do at HotShoo, our Web startup. The Idea. The Execution. The Development. The Writing. The Marketing. The Thinking. The Doing.

I have written here before about Working The Network™. I have to stay connected with the people that we know in every way possible. I have to identify potential new connections, make the connections, grow those connections, and keep the connections.

Oh yeah, and I have a wife, Lynn, 9-year-old identical twin daughters, Alexandra + Giselle, and Reima, our puppy.

And I want to start a new band.

But…

One of the most important parts of my day, no matter how busy I may be, is my Brain Time™. This is my time during the day to break out of the routine (okay, okay, Brain Time™ is, technically, part of that routine). I read newspapers (always online BTW).  I read blogs (maybe too many). I write this blog, the HotShoo blog, contribute to others, and comment a lot. I think about stuff. I’ll watch a video on The YouTube, or listen to some music on the headphones, eyes closed, laptop sleeping.

I like to look at the work that we have done, the work that we are doing, and imagine the work that we will be doing. I especially like to look at the work that others are doing, and think about how what they are doing affects what we are doing.

Brain Time™, a minimum of 1 hour per day, usually more like 3 or 4. Are you doing the same? A different approach? Let’s hear about it…