i am gritting my teeth.

Ok, so not everything is sunshine lollipops and rainbows in New York City.

I'm trying to knuckle down and research more design studios and agencies in NYC (the ones I've found though have made me do that whole "I'm shaking my head because I'm so amazed at what I'm seeing thing"), but it's hard to really focus when the library is bombarded by chubby little kids screaming at one end of the library to the next.

I wish they were yelling about kids stuff, like so-and-so smells, or laughing at lame jokes and TV, but these kiddies are talking about who's dating who, this girl has pashed everyone, and did you check out this girls short skirt? Come on. You're 10!
Being bumped and kicked and not apologized to has made me think of the other things that have annoyed me in NYC.

Lack of manners.

I say please, thank you, sorry and excuse me when necessary, and people look at you like your crazy. It's just being polite, why the shit is it so foreign?!

The rubbish, everywhere.

Oh it's not just packets, it's food scraps, it's broken glass, it's furniture and toys and clothes that are perfectly fine! And lack of caring. 

I guess coming from clean green NZ, I'm being ignorant and self-righteous, but it really irritates me when I see people just chuck their rubbish on the ground, 1/2 a metre from a bin. 

I almost threw a wobbly when some drunk fruitloop almost burned me with his cigarette butt he chucked on the footpath. Thank god I was listening to good music, I would have gone all kung-fu on his ass.

And that's it.
I totally love you New York.

Roosevelt Island is a sweet little solitude from the pulsating city

I may live in the hood, but I still see the same sun as everyone else

I am no longer a virgin to the Pastrami Sammich, where have you been when I was eating my average ham and cheese sandwiches?!

i am getting there.

Soo I guess now it's time to really, really SERIOUSLY immerse myself in the creative industry here.
And after 3 weeks of researching/salivating over just an inkling of the design agencies and studios that are sprawled throughout BK and NYC abroad, I've realised that this is what I'm here for.
Whether it's creating work for these amazing creatives, or just appreciating them from afar, it's time to get involved.


I would like to share with you a selection of work from various companies that made me stop, think, and smile. Enjoy!

Perfectly formed, beautiful script by the talented team at Louise Fili Ltd., where Jessica Hische used to work. 
The colors Louise Fili Ltd. use are perfect for creating a well-thought out design style. 
The style they often emulate resembles beautiful old packaging, a style that you see quite often throughout packaging, but never emulated as well as this.

Such a sucker for collage style or hand-rendered design! 
Athletics frickin' ace it. A bunch of young, ambitious designers in a small studio, who bounce ideas off each other as well as work on projects on their own. 
The variation in style across different medias is inspirational.

Oh man. Oh man. Every single creative that I look at, at Hugo & Marie gives me a little tingle up my spine and I do that whole shaking-my-head-in-amazement thing.
Some seriously unique illustrators here.
An amazing showcase of talent. 

Another studio that's got a great array of design styles.

Say hello to Hyperakt.

A tight little collection of work created by Mogollon. I love the combination of the quirky sculptures with the hand-rendered text, with bold splashes of color. 

i am really here.

I think it's finally sinking in. Yep, that's me, living in New York. Now that I'm coming to the realization that this isn't just a wonderland I'm visiting, I'm eager to learn so much more about this place.

I want to know what all the different boroughs and suburbs are like, and why they're like that

I want to know which places only locals know about, and which places are for tourists

I want to know what makes this city so unique and buzzing and fast-paced, and not from a tourists point of view

Times Square is of course, a huge tourist spot. I loved it. it's fascinating just standing still and watching the beeping yellow cabs and hurried businessmen rushing past. New York City reminds me of a pulsating heart. Everything's moving moving moving, to different places to do different important things, but when you look at the big picture, everyone is actually moving in unison

One thing I'm starting to notice, is I miss nature. 

Not that it's totally absent, it's just not as present as in New Zealand. So Central Park was a great place to wonder and ponder your thoughts for half a day.

Looking over to Manhattan, but being deep into Central Park is comforting. You can't hear the screeching cars and incessant beeping. Just the squirrels chasing each other and the non-stop exercisers running off their second helping of ice cream

One of the piers in Manhattan displays a beautiful view of all the different bridges linking Manhattan to the rest of the world. You get a variation of views, industrial, residential and in between. The pier itself had just opened a new food court, which was the first time I had tried shit (and I mean, shit.) food in New York. I wouldn't reccommend it to anyone. It seemed very touristy at this pier too, it didn't have a soul to it like so many places to scattered throughout New York do

Dear Jeebus I love all the street art here. Because yes, the graffitti is art. It's not bullshit that 12 year olds have tagged to impress their friends, it's thought-provoking, space-utilizing, talented art

Have I mentioned the food in New York? Wow. It's huge, it's cheap, it's so so variable and it's everywhere. I can count the amount of times I've actually made food for myself on two hands. 

It's more convenient and so SO tasty to just walk down the street and have a wide choice of good-quality places to  stuff your face

New York is crazy busy, all the time. There's so many people, so many different people, all living, working, being born and dieing in one city.

This city really does have a soul