So how did I enter 2011? The year started with a promotion from Senior Designer to Lead Designer at Electronic Ink. I was elected PhillyCHI vice-chair, and I had a few conferences on my travel list. I decided early on that 2011 should focus on growing the skills I have and less about jumping into the deep end of new ventures. This was both a naive and short-lived goal as 2011 quickly proved to be one of the more challenging and exciting years. Travelling to IxD11 in Boulder, CO I was brought into the IxD12 committee to work on creating a redux-framework for local chapters with Joshua Kaufman (big thanks to Eduardo Ortiz for that). Three months later I start working with Abby Covert as the marketing director for the 2012 IA Summit in New Orleans. So much for taking 2011 easy. This is on top of increased writing, the usual stream of travel, increased responsibility at work, PhillyCHI, and meeting the most amazing woman I have ever had the pleasure to date.

This isn’t to say that I set the wrong goals or failed to meet my goals for 2011. Looking back, I successfully developed skills. I developed my abilities as a writer, and team manager. I developed more time management skills balancing work and my personal life. And I grew my skills navigating the undercurrent of client and office politics. This isn’t to say I was completely successful. I worked harder and longer than I ever have before which, while enjoyable, was counter to the neutral mode I had planned for. Life Lesson 1: There is no such thing as neutral. There’s just a different kind of focus that allows different parts of your brain to relax.

I also had to remove myself from certain situations. Around September, my commitments to IxD12, IAS12 and PhillyCHI were consuming a lot of my time. Unfortunately, I started to neglect some of my PhillyCHI responsibilities. To that I am forever sorry to my fellow officers and thankful for their support. It was a hard decision to decide not to run for reelection in 2012. I believe that to sign up to do something is to sign up to do it to the best of my capabilities. Having stretched myself too thin I was unable to accomplish that. Life Lesson 2: Learn when to say no. It is not a sign of weakness to acknowledge you can’t commit to something and friends and colleagues will respect you more for stepping away from a situation rather than take on too much and hurt yourself, the program or organization, and relationships.

Probably the most important lesson I learned in 2011 is that work is work. My first few years out of school I treated design as a defining characteristic of who I am. Over the course of 2011, I realized I had it backwards. I used to believe relationships come and go but I will always have my identity as a designer. I couldn’t be more wrong. Relationships are what you make of them and deserve to be nurtured and embraced. To those in the design community I have gotten to know better and who have supported me, thank you. And to those outside of the design community, thank you for all of your support and compassion. And while relationships grow, the design community is fickle. Jobs change, people change, and to put that much stock in a group of loose connections is foolish and risky. Life Lesson 3: Cherish the relationships closest to you and remember that you are defined by who you are and how you act and not by what you do. Separate yourself from work enough that at the end of the day you can enjoy a glass of scotch and good company. Do not focus every minute around the design community and do not make every decision based on professional advancement.

So what does 2012 have to offer? It does not have any PhillyCHI leadership involved. It has two conferences with large roles. It has a job I’ve been at for two years and have continued to grow and develop skills I never focused on or knew I had. If 2010 was the year of firsts¹, and 2011 the year of being tossed into near-impossible situations, what is 2012 for? There is a lot to develop and grow. I still hope to have the opportunity to present at a design conference or for a local UX chapter. I hope to continue to grow stronger relationships with those most supportive of me and to recognize those relationships that might be damaging or holding me back. Let 2012 be the year I take my lessons from 2011 and build on them. If 2011 was a year to calm down, let me embrace the craziness of life in 2012; take it one day at a time and jump back into the unknown. Happy new year to everyone and thank you to those that mean the world to me.

- david

_{1 While I failed to write a comprehensive article, I reflect on 2010 as the year of firsts. This is the year I first moved to Philadelphia, switched from in-house designer to consultant, traveled abroad for work, led my own project start to finish, and was connected with many friends and mentors in the design community.}

The Adult Arnold Palmer

I love a good Arnold Palmer (half iced tea, half lemonade). What could possible make it better than adding some liquor to the mix? I first had the notion of lemon-ginger infused vodka based on my youth and love for Lemon-Drop shots. As I thought through the possibilities, I realized using this as a sweetener for Iced Tea was the way to go. I had to go through two mini batches before getting something I am starting to be happy with. The first, I used lemon sliced and fresh ginger slices. It turned out extremely tart and lemony but not a bit of ginger to be found. After some discussions with Las Vegas bartenders (one of the travel weekends) I learned to mottle the ginger and use only lemon rind. This led to iteration two. The lemon was still a little overpowering but it made a fine sweetener to the unsweetened iced tea. My next plan is to add the ginger first and the lemon rind a day or two after.

The Russian Mojito

Mint Vodka. I made it about 3 weeks ago when I came up with the Mint and Strawberry beverage that still requires work*. And the vodka just stayed there. George Diabes, a friend since Carnegie Mellon, then helped come up with the Russian Mojito. This is a great drink for the mint lover who might not enjoy the overabundance of sugar found in rum. The citrus adds a nice balance to the mint for a great summer drink.

• 2oz mint infused vodka
• 1/2oz simple syrup
• < 1/2oz lime juice (bottled is fine)
• 6 oz seltzer (tonic is fine)

Method
Mix the first three ingredients in a shaker and combine. Pour into a glass with ice along with the seltzer. Add additional mint leaves for color.

Ongoing Trials

Looking ahead there are some nice trials ahead of me. This thursday there is a UX Show and Tell event hosted by PhillyCHI at which I plan on sharing some of my concoctions and soliciting open and honest feedback. My brother has started making his own cucumber gin based on my recommendations. And I continue to come up with new thoughts on drinks. With a handle of spiced rum sitting on my counter after one of the weekend travels, I have decided to explore mint-infused rum for rum and cokes and other darker drinks.
Your thoughts and comments are always welcome.

_{*The mint and strawberry drink consisted of crushed strawberries and mint infused vodka. The texture and proportions were off. I am still looking to explore this drink and am curious to any thoughts to make a lighter than smoothie consistency that is not watered down and mixes well.}

• Basil Gin and Tonic
• Cucumber Gin and Tonic
• Jalapeno Tequila Sunrise
• Mixed Melon and Cucumber Gin

On the whole this has been an extremely educational week as far as flavors and alcohol go. Considering my interest in mixology came more as a whim, I have no training or education in how to mix drinks or what the dos and don’t are of cocktails. So needless to say the week has been a combination of tip toeing into the water and full blown experimentations. It wasn’t until after the fact that I realized how unoriginal some of my concoctions are.

Basil Gin and Tonic

This interest sparked from my Summer love for Gin and Tonics. Needless to say, the first drink poured last Sunday was a Basil infused Gin & Tonic. Immediately I was happy. The sweetness of the basil mixed with all the usual flavors of the gin made the drink truly a delight. Nothing in my mind could beat this. Until I had one with cucumber.
Ingredients

• 2 oz Basil infused Gin
• 8 oz tonic
• Twist of Lime

Pour gin and tonic over ice and garnish with lime.

Cucumber Gin and Tonic

Later in the week I tried the same this with the cucumber gin. Talk about a summer beverage. The crispness of the cucumber mixed with the sharpness of the gin. The tonic helped carry the aromas. This might very well be my new summer staple, if only I can keep enough in stock.
Ingredients

• 2 oz Cucumber infused Gin
• 8 oz tonic
• Twist of Lime

Pour gin and tonic over ice and garnish with lime.

Jalapeno Tequila Sunrise

Now I thought I was being creative. I wanted to take the jalapeno tequila and mix it with some citrus. Planning to use blood orange I couldn’t find any and settled on grapefruit. This drink took a few tries to get the proper proportions but what I settled on I truly like. The jalapeno gives a nice peppery aroma to the drink and the grapefruit and lime juice work well to balance the heat and flavor of the tequila. The right amount of seltzer helps to break the flavors apart and to keep the drink from being too powerful.
Ingredients

• 2 oz Jalapeno infused Tequila
• 2.5 oz grapefruit juice (I got about this much juice from a single grapefruit.
• 1/2 oz lime (I squeezed a half to whole fresh lime for this amount)
• 2-3 oz seltzer (tonic works too)

Mix all the ingredients together and shake. Pour into a glass of choice. I chose to garnish mine with one of the jalapenos that made the original infusion.

The Morning Melon

OK, this name admittedly needs some work. Having brunch with some friends from Miami I chose to bring to the table my new concoctions. And a fruit salad. And one immediately became a primary ingredient for the other. Ultimately I asked if they wanted a drink with the cucumber or basil gin (I was low on tequila at this point and had a fresh batch of the other two) and was directed to use the cucumber gin. Looking at the fruit salad I couldn’t decide between using the watermelon or cantaloupe and chose to use both. The final drink had a nice crisp cucumber nose to it and all the melon flavors with a gin finish. One lesson I learned here is don’t skimp on the gin. Fortunately I had a little left in the mason jar and we were able to boost out flavors – not for the alcoholic reasons you might guess but to give it a crisper, sharper edge to it that was missing.
Ingredients

• 2 oz Cucumber Gin
• 3-5 pieces of watermelon (1*1 inch) Mottled in mixer
• 3-5 pieces of canatloup (1*1 inch) Mottled in mixer
• 1/2 oz simple syrup (I’m curious to make this drink again without the syrup to see how it is affected)
• 2-3 oz tonic

Mottle the fruit in the mixer and then add ice. Add the other ingredients and shake. I’m still trying to understand how to shake a drink with tonic and not have the pressure build, so hold tightly and release the top slowly. Pour into a glass. I chose to garnish with what I had, more watermelon though given the nature of the gin I would also suggest a cucumber slice if available for additional color.

Follow Up

My plan is to continue the drinks listed above. With the leftover watermelon I plan on trying a watermelon salsa cocktail (think tequila and cilantro). I also hope to start infusing some vodka in the coming weeks. Some other thoughts that have crossed my mind and have to be sorted out:

• Berry infused vodka with cream soda
• Coffee bean infused vodka with a chocolate shotglass (Winter)
• Peanut/Peanut butter… something? Thinking this can be an enhanced White Russia? (Winter)
• Ginger infused vodka
• Garlic infused vodka

Any thoughts and feedback is much appreciated.

Why Mixology

I love cooking. As long as I remember I have been comfortable in the kitchen and ever since I moved out of campus dormitories I have cooked for myself. I’m not always saying it was glorious cooking, sometimes as simple as adding chicken to a can of soup with some lemon juice or beer for extra flavor, but I have always enjoyed cooking for myself. Over the last three years I have become more experimental with my food – finding ingredients I have never used before and mixing flavors on a whim because I was bored and wanted to try something new. At the same time my interest in beer has continued to grow and I started drinking scotch at a more frequent level. My desire to pair good food and drink increased.

Initially I wanted to start homebrewing beer. When I still lived in Pittsburgh this was a perfect idea, I had a kitchen larger than my bedroom and space and time were of little issue. Then I moved to Philadelphia and found myself in a smaller apartment with a much busier schedule. A year and a half later I still havent gotten past the desire to homebrew. But I can still pair food and drink.

Thus enter mixology. I enjoy a good drink and good food. Why does my creativity have to end with not homebrewing? So now, I am looking at what I can do with my new alcoholic concoctions. A few quick searches on the web, and thinking about the flavors I like, I have come with the following recipes. Stay tuned for future posts on how they came out and lessons learned.

Potential Recipes

• Cucumber Gin and Tonic
• Basil Gin and Tonic with a twist
• Cucumber Gin with Mottled Cantaloupe (and Strawberry?)
• Jalapeno Tequila with Blood Orange Juice

While this list is likely to grow and change, some other items I want to try making and exploring: homemade candied ginger, mixed berry infusions, vodka infusions, and whatever else comes to mind. I will be sure to keep this space updated on my successes and likely failures as I enter this new series of experimentation.

A certain level of honor has become associated with martyrdom lately. Is figuratively “dying” to prove a point an efficient way to create forward progress for your team or yourself?

– Ian Smile, @endashes

First let’s define failure. Is it missing a deadline or bombing on a design? Is it losing a client or speaking out of turn and possibly being fired? There are many different types of failure and many different lessons one may learn or ignore through life. But is it failure that teaches these lessons or exposure to new challenges? A friend asks of candidates he interviews for jobs ‘what was the biggest mistake/failure you have had and what did you do?’ He is looking for you to have everything on the line and to have failed. In this way, he knows that you will not be afraid to push the limits and taste failure, you earn his trust. One of his favorite answers was from the developer who, singlehandedly, disabled Rome’s telephone system for 45 minutes preventing even the Pope from making a call. This level of failure is certainly one way to learn lessons and to gain chutzpah and tact in the workplace. But these lessons can also be learned by pushing to the edges of your limits and reeling the project back in. Is failure in its complete form truly necessary?

Experience equates to dealing with risk and failure – not avoiding it.

– Brian McElaney, @McElaney

What if pushing to the limits is all that is needed. I go day to day waiting for something to go wrong, for me to miss a deadline or a detail, and to have to pick up the pieces and rebuild my relationships with clients and coworkers. I don’t avoid it and I live with a level of anticipation. This paranoia has kept me, to date, from an epic failure, and it has also pushed me through different challenges. Is utter failure a relic of the more senior guard? The idea that you must pick up the pieces after a disaster? But what about the idea of learning from other people’s mistakes? There is not enough time in the world to make every mistake on our own, so why not make new ones based off of lessons imparted by others? Mentorship and team structure comes into play here. It is one thing to fail on your own, and another to be tossed under the bus. What makes us, as practitioners, strong is the courage to ask for support regardless of why you are in trouble. Ultimately the lesson should not be to fail but should be to push yourself to your limits and to learn the humility to seek support. The words I don’t know are three of the most powerful words you can utter as it shows you know your limits and still have a desire to go beyond them.

When I first wrote this article I proposed to myself that my next goal should be to embrace failure. I believed that I could not grow to the next step in my career until I have tasted utter failure. But what does that mean? I need to lose a client or be sent out of a workshop overwhelmed and confused? Does failure always equate tangible loss? Or can I fail in my own way? Can failure be blinders to opportunities around me, or can failure be looking for the worst possible outcome and not learning from minor hurdles?

When have you failed and what lessons have you taken away from them? Which of these lessons could you have learned differently and which are unique to that situation? What defines failure in your career and how have you pushed through it? What is that one lesson you know now you wish you could have known five or ten years ago?