KWDesigns

I know I’m one out of a gazillion other people posting an article or story related to Earth Day 2008. But I feel compelled to share my part in giving back & striving towards sustainable living. For some reason, this day, celebrating the place we all call home, has more significance than those previously. Not to say that I haven’t been conscious of my living habits, but I don’t think it had such an impact as it does now. I’m old enough to see the impact of wasteful living.

I feel extremely privileged to live in Portland, Oregon, a place that whole-heartedly practices sustainable living. Much of the new residential construction in The Pearl adheres to green standards and Portland is one of the few US cities that has an electric car dealership.

I could name a few more ways Portland practices sustainable living…but that isn’t the intension of my post. Living in Portland has influenced me greatly, as well as the simple fact of ‘getting older makes you wiser’ (hopefully). Since moving here more than 6 years ago, I’ve changed my habits for the better. I’m a faithful user of public transportation, use cloth totes instead of plastic or paper bags for my groceries and recycle just about everything in my house. I know this is a small contribution & I can do more.

Napoleon Dynamite rocks! Admit it, we all have an inner geek just dying to take center stage to show off our killa’ dance moves…

Ok, maybe just me

Any excuse to feel good, right? :>

Daily Stank Image Bank: “A Wings”– Photography by Kristin Wall is being featured on PDXPipeline!

A series of photographs, entitled “Camp 18″, are available in a custom 12 month 2008 calendar. Be sure to check out these killa’ Camp 18 photos & other cool PDXPipeline schwag.

“A Wings” - Camp 18 series, photography by Kristin Wall

I recently returned from a trip to Whistler, Canada where I spent a week exploring the dirt trails on my mountain bike. This is home of serious mountain biking. I was prepared to get dirty and hoping to acquire a few “war wounds” along the way to prove my worthiness.

What I did get was an amazing insight to the lush landscapes and hardcore trails of Whistler. My riding companions were lucky (or unlucky?) enough to experience a black bear, up close & personal. No harm given or received! And no, they didn’t stick around to “feed the bear”.

The Art Institute of Portland Graduate Portfolio Show is less than two weeks away - Friday September 14th 2007!

I’ve been attending the graduate portfolio show for the past 2+ years, eagerly anticipating the work of my fellow students, learning from their successes & failures. Now it’s my turn.

I enrolled in the Advertising program at AiPD in the fall of 2004 and for the past 3+ years it’s been a constant struggle to find a balance between school (in & out of the classroom), work and being a wife & a mom. There have been many sleepless nights to say the least and many sacrifices made along the way, but I knew the payoff would be priceless.

During my time at AiPD, I’ve had the opportunity to accomplish some pretty amazing things. Two notable items worth mentioning:

1. Recipient of the Gold Student ADDY award in March 2007 for a cervical cancer awareness public service announcement
2. Founder, VP of brashcreative (a student organized advertising agency that works with Portland businesses to develop integrated creative solutions)

Words can’t describe how good it feels to finally finish my BS and at the same time help create a legacy that other students will benefit from in the years to come.

In the last few days before graduation, I’m trying to stay sane and must remind myself that it’s ok to sleep. The infamous portfolio will live on…