Memphis/Make/Think

I am home! I am inspired! I am really exhausted!

The view from our hotel

AIGA's Make/Think Conference was total pwnage. Since volunteering at Gain a year ago, I was pumped for this. Nothing is better than getting to schmooze with some of the legends, hang out backstage and help others, all while wearing a hydrant yellow vest.

Aesthetic Apparatus prints on display

Bullet points of this week of greatness:

• I didn't like the conference branding at first. Then I saw the baller animated title slides. SO slick and Oscars-ish.
• Command X, the reality show for graphic designers, was beyond great. Michael Bierut and Sean Adams are the ultimate game show hosts (and Chip Kidd is the ultimate judge).
• Rain-free trips: Memphis Marriott had an indoor walkway to the convention center. I am officially spoiled for life.
  
• Hearing the inside scoop on the design of Google, Coca-Cola, Stefan Bucher, R/GA and so much more.
• Listening to Sagmeister sing karaoke-style over a Beethoven track.
• Catered boxed lunches on the reg.
  
• Purchasing a gorgeous 300+ page book of illustration hotness.
• Watching Matt as Elvis' bouncer on the main stage.

Harsh words from the judges corner during the Command X competition

Conferenceness aside, I also loved Beale Street, enjoyable Memphis barbecue, a live band played that played all my favorite jams, a tour of the Gibson factory, the best hot wings of my life and the smoothest tequila sour I've ever tasted. We also witnessed a horse-drawn carriage slamming into a parked car, which was pretty unreal.

Matt also made a point to get me sleep talking on multiple occasions, ftw (and not "for the win" in this case).

This trip was one that drained my batteries physically and recharged them creatively. I am going to make sure I put energy into my own outside ideas, as well as give myself regular breaks to focus on myself and reigniting my passion. To see how time off can actually improve your game, here's a similar version of the Sagmeister lecture we saw. That man is truly inspiring.

"We named our inkjet printer Sagmeister. Coincidentally, it stops working periodically." -@andrewcmyk