It’s been a strange last two weeks. I’m still finding myself thinking a lot about my time in Zambia, the people I met there and how I’m going to let this experience affect my path through the next few years. The fact that my time in Africa affected me so deeply is an encouragement for future travel/photography/design possibilities. While I would absolutely welcome the chance to return to Zambia to visit the people who took us in, I’d also love to visit a number of other countries to experience their cultures and traditions.
Now, the tough part. What do I do here in Edmonton to find fulfillment in my job? For the past year, while my nights and weekends have been focused on design and photography, my day job has been at an industrial supply warehouse. Not a glamourous job, but fulfilling in the fact that I work hard and earn my wage. I don’t feel this is the area where I’m meant to be for the long term, and I’m pursuing a full-time graphic design position again. I need to find a position that matches my desire to work for a meaningful result. To work for a company or project that is more than just rampant consumerism and irrelevantly ephemeral.
I’ll keep you updated on the journey. In the meantime, here’s a video that made my day last week.
Here I sit, roughly 24 hours before my flight leaves to take me to Zambia. The total travel time to get to Zambia will be almost 24 hours. I’m nervous, excited, prepared, unprepared, scared, anticipating and ready all at the same time. Our team of 4 has been preparing and meeting for this trip for approximately 8 weeks and we have been briefed on what to expect, how to act, what to do and what not to do.
Our meetings have focused on poverty; its causes, solutions, misconceptions about it and our role in dealing with it. I’ve realized that we’ve been conditioned to believe that we need to give money to poor people to make their lives better. Is this always the right answer? Does throwing money at a problem make it disappear? History shows us that this is not the best solution. Perhaps a better alternative is to develop relationships with people who are in need. Talk to them and learn what their needs really are. The Zambia Partnership that we are working with is trying to do just this. Our goal is a long-term relationship to develop methods of allowing the Zambian people to be self-sufficient and able to use their own gifts and skills to increase their quality of life.
It’s been eye-opening for me to realize that this journey will be more about developing relationships with the people than building a school.
I’ll try and post one more time before I leave, but if I don’t get the chance, I’ll talk to you again in three weeks.
I’m less than a month away, so here’s another update on my upcoming Zambia trip.
Our team of 4 leaves from Edmonton International Airport on January 27th on a direct flight for Heathrow Airport in London, England. After a brief layover there, we continue on to Nairobi, Kenya where we will transfer to a flight to Lilongwe, Malawi. From Lilongwe, we drive the remaining distance (approx 600km) to Chipata, Zambia to meet up with the Zambian team who will be hosting us.
In an effort to help raise more funds to pay for this trip – which is now only 2 short months away – I’ve set up an online gallery of photos that I have made available for purchase. Details can be found by clicking on this link.
I’ve been given the opportunity to travel to Zambia, Africa in early 2010. This both excites me and terrifies me.
Excites me in the sense that I will finally be using my education and background in English, graphic design, and photography to work with a cause that is more than just commercialism. To be able to use my photography to create awareness of the work that our church (The River) does with a group of villages in South Eastern Africa is a dream come true. As much as I can appreciate the beauty, planning, and time that goes in to creating commercial advertising campaigns and publishing great design, I’ve always wanted to do more with the skills that I have learned.
Terrifies me in the sense that I really will have to take a leap of faith for this trip. While I’ve traveled extensively throughout Canada and the United States, overseas travel is something that I have not had the chance to experience until now. It will be interesting to see how I deal with foreign customs, two new continents, unfamiliar food, and yes, foreign washrooms. I’ve grown up in a North American bubble for 26 years and have become too complacent in my surroundings. I know this trip will shock my system of beliefs in what life and its hardships actually are. Will I complain and gripe over the cost of fresh vegetables and fruit after I return from a region with so much poverty and food shortages? Probably not. Am I going to let a traffic jam ruin my day? Probably not.
The challenge for me over the next two and a half months is to raise the money I need for travel and other expenses. It’s a big cost ($4000) that I need to find somewhere. Be prepared for me to ask you to help support me in my fundraising, be it through the sales of Fair Trade Coffee, sales of prints of my photography, or some other means. All gifts will be tax deductible! Please email me (nvandriel@gmail.com) or post a comment if you have any questions or words of encouragement.
Thanks for reading. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers over these next few months.
I had a moment the other day. One of those moments that just hits you out of the blue. While on a bike ride past the open fields near my house, I was struck by the sheer number of blessings I’ve experienced in my 25 years of life. I have an amazing family who has supported and encouraged me in any and all of my hobbies and passions, friends – both old and new – who challenge and inspire me to continually grow as a person, and opportunities that have shown me places and people that will forever be a part of my life.
While I stopped and thought about this, the sun was shining through some clouds late in the evening and a soft, golden light was covering everything. I could feel it on me, a warm light and a soft breeze, and I knew that life was great. I can’t wait to see what kind of adventures are in store for me in the future.
I’m sitting here at my desk after a busy day and I’ve finally got the chance to relax. How do I unwind after a day full of physical activity and movement? By grabbing a stack of magazines and bike catalogs and flipping through them, analyzing, critiquing and being inspired by the design I see between the covers of each of the publications.
I’ve always been one to appreciate creativity and out-of-the-box thinking as far back as I can remember. I think one of the things that pushed me into graphic design as a profession was the design and creativity behind magazines I would read and bike catalogs that I would anxiously collect and save each year as companies would show off their new offerings to the public, their next, newest and best technologies and designs. Seeing each company’s approach to information design, photography and layout opened my eyes to what was possible in the world of print design.
One of the companies that’s always been held in high regard in my eyes is Odyssey BMX, based out of Cerritos, CA. Always looking to push the envelope in terms of their design and advertising, Creative Director Jim Bauer has succeeded in creating a brand that people look up to. Whether it is the new product catalog with products put into unique situations, their website, their clothing or their office space, Odyssey is a brand that has always stayed relevant and their success is, in my opinion, at least partly due to their knowledge and implementation of good design.
I had the chance to meet and speak with Jim a year ago on a trip down to Los Angeles and it was great to talk design with him. Often times the subtle things that only some people will pick up on – for example, the spot varnish on the cover of the numbers of the 2003 catalog – are the ones that end up being the lasting bits that people remember. By not using stock photography, clip art and free fonts in all their marketing, Odyssey proves they care about design and its effectiveness.
It is companies like Odyssey, Burton, Wired, Color, and Monster Children that keep me inspired on a daily basis.
In preparation for the upcoming spring and summer months, I decided to check out some local shops in the hope of finding a new bag for my bike trips around Edmonton. I had a few requirements for the ideal candidate:
Must be comfortable.
Easy to put on and take off.
Sufficient room for a camera, extra lens(es), bike lock, a magazine or two, and some odds and ends.
Something that does not cover my entire back. After hours of riding, a full backpack causes my back to sweat like crazy, soaking my shirt and earning me the occasional strange look when I stop somewhere for a break and my clothes are almost dripping.
It’s gotta look good.
I ended up at Easy Rider trying to find a Dakine Messenger LG bag that I had read about online. When I asked John at the front desk, he showed me what they had in stock (not much) but told me he could bring in a bunch the next day to let me test out. Very nice guy. Easy Rider has a great atmosphere.
I went back the next day and he had five bags set aside for me to check out. Two colourways of the Burton Mess Pack, a Burton DJ Bag, the Burton Promoter and one other one. After trying on the Burton Mess Pack, I knew right away it’s what I was going to leave with. With a leather and cotton construction, beefy metal/plastic buckles, a thick padded strap, and all the bells and whistles I was looking for, it met every criteria on my checklist.
Features include:
Brown and Tan colour combination. Classy yet casual.
Integrated iPod jack in the strap
Ratchet snowboard binding on strap allows for easy adjustment and quick release
Secondary cross strap for stability
Laptop compartment, large storage compartment, and two other pockets
I’ve tried this pack out on a few walking trips and it has met my expectations. Even when loaded down with 15lbs of camera gear, magazines, iPod, wallet and other stuff, it doesn’t get uncomfortable.
This is a post copied from my previous blog at Blogspot that I felt was relevant enough to me to post again on this new page.
“Just returned from a week-long trip to Pasadena, California and the surrounding area. It was a bit of a family trip, meeting my sister and brother-in-law, my parents, and my youngest brother down there to enjoy some sun, beaches and In-N-Out burgers.
One thing that I realized while down there is the fact that I seem to associate myself a little bit with surf culture. Never having surfed before in my life, I find this a bit odd. I’ve got a lot of surf-inspired clothing, enjoy reading surf/skateboard magazines for the layouts and photo stylings, stuff like that. The clothing styles, the design, the attitude, the social consciousness, all seem to strike a chord with me. I guess I associate this with my inherent need for a new and exciting lifestyle. Not content to just sit back and live in an office, I’ve tried to seek out random experiences, new life options, traveling and other cultures.
I took some shots of the surf lifestyle down there that I really enjoy. Check my Flickr page to see them.”
Well, as you can see, things have changed slightly here at vndrl.com. Attempting to break out of my safe world of print design, I’ve decided to explore web design a bit in hopes of expanding my skillset and what I can offer potential clients.
I’m hoping that as I become more comfortable and knowledgable with the web interface, updates will become more frequent. If you have suggestions or comments, please let me know what I can do to make this a better experience for you, the reader.
I had a moment the other day. One of those moments that just hits you out of the blue. While on a bike ride past the open fields near my house, I was struck by the sheer number of blessings I’ve experienced in my 25 years of life. I have an amazing family who has supported and encouraged me in any and all of my hobbies and passions, friends – both old and new – who challenge and inspire me to continually grow as a person, and opportunities that have shown me places and people that will forever be a part of my life.
I’m sitting here at my desk after a busy day and I’ve finally got the chance to relax. How do I unwind after a day full of physical activity and movement? By grabbing a stack of magazines and bike catalogs and flipping through them, analyzing, critiquing and being inspired by the design I see between the covers of each of the publications.
In preparation for the upcoming spring and summer months, I decided to check out some local shops in the hope of finding a new bag for my bike trips around Edmonton. I had a few requirements for the ideal candidate:
