apartment therapy; from the Ikea 2010 catalogue

a few weeks back carlo and i had dinner with gian and rizza. that night proved enlightening as i found myself answering a few questions ive long suppressed. “how now, brown cow?” “so what now?” “are we there yet?” life is a pretty long ride, and a year of success would not necessarily translate to a lifetime of comfort. doing prod design for ads is backbreaking work but fun. and yet, i feel im in a cycle, a routine of dressing up aspirational middle class homes with SM merchandise and countless broad-C mother figures with silver stud earrings and khaki slacks. i have to do something else besides this. i have to create a backup plan. something that would support my needs financially, emotionally and most important, creatively.

i reckoned i take design further beyond the chroma-walled studios. id venture into interior design. better yet, ill get into production and merchandising for a home line. beds, benches, draperies and sheets. im over my head of details but i feel this could be a wonderful opportunity to stretch my capabilities not only in design but also in business and marketing. one thing ive learned in advertising, the product may be key but to take it to soaring heights, you need an effective tagline, kickass packaging and a winning marketing plan. of course i havent dropped off the dream of directing my own feature length in the future, but for now, id want to venture into this.

yes, it is a bit ambitious, and i havent even fleshed out the specifics yet, but cowardice never got people anywhere. we’ll see where this will take us. but first, i need to clean my room. in the words of madonna, “heaven help me… (when you call my name, it’s like a little prayer).”  cheers!