Holly Gordon

And I loved it. Even the spiders.

Happy 2010!

Yes, it’s true. I, Holly Gordon, am traveling thousands of miles away, into the depths of Micronesia. To a tiny island – isolated in the North Pacific – hovering vicariously over the Mariana Trench, the very deepest, darkest valley known to the ocean floor.

Okay, so it’s not that treacherous. It’s a US territory located three quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines. The native language is Chamoru, the official language is English and hey! it’s “Where America’s Day Begins!”

From what I’ve learned, Guam is a pretty interesting place. Most of the homes there are made out of cement and rebar, so they – and the occupants inside– survive the violent tropical typhoons. The Jungle in Guam is home to pesky ancient Chamoru spirits – the Taotaomona – who will pinch the hell out of you and leave you covered in painful red welts.

No biggie.

There was quite a bit of destruction on the tiny island during WWII. During the rebuilding process, a creature called the brown tree snake made it’s way over as a stowaway, from Australia or Papua New Guinea. This hungry feller had a heyday, feasting on all the exotic, rare and especially beautiful native birds. The island has been without song ever since.

Guam really is jam-packed with curiosity. Everyone there drives, there’s a university, hospital, breadfruit trees, beautiful beaches, water parks, vampire plants, golf courses, the largest K-Mart in the world, giant African land snails, a WWII tank graveyard, pink sand and lots of barbeques. It’s like a tiny suburbia smack dab in the middle of paradise. I’ve even heard it’s comparably just as gorgeous as Hawaii – except that you have to be super careful of the wild packs of hungry, stray pit bulls.

At least there aren’t as many tourists!

Somehow, I have been churning out work for the past 3 and a half years on a dated iMac that seemed to be suffering from a severe case of Alzheimer’s. I finally upgraded to a gorgeous, shiny and impressive 15.4 inch, aluminum and glass (cool!) MacBook Pro with enough RAM for the entire city of Boston.  The display is as bright and beautiful as the sun – with a sleek and sexy figure to boot.

And the most important perk of all: I am no longer chained to my desk! I AM FREE TO ROAM. I love being able to hang out in the coziest corner of a coffee shop with free wifi and good music.

Right now, I’m at Espresso Royale in Back Bay. Where are your favorite places to work?

You know, it’s weird for us kids these days. We get out of school all revved up and ready for our big break. We’re told by our professors time and time again that we must find a job. Keep sending your resumes. Keep calling. We read stories about the people that inspire us – how “they” did it. Parents call on a daily basis, driven by pure anxiety, with an endless supply of tips on how to get it together.

I have a feeling my generation is going to tap out the pharmacies for anti-anxiety medication at this rate. Student loans are looming, rent needs to be paid, there is a global economic downturn – worst job market in years, and my school is already demanding statistics for my yearly salary. In this fabulous economic climate, we need to get extra creative with what we do and how we do it – a little bravery and innovation wouldn’t hurt. And those are two themes that are not recurring in the recycled suggestions of our predecessors.

My response is to weed out the irrelevant advice. A successful career does not have the same meaning that it used to. For me, a successful career involves the intense satisfaction of supporting myself doing what I love, being able to travel, having the opportunity to teach, inspire others, and to work with people who can match me in enthusiasm and challenge my ideas. Climbing a corporate ladder, one rung at a time, until I’m old and immobile is not included in my business plan.

So as I continually explain myself to others – I do, in fact, have a job – and yes – it is for real – I’m going to keep on working and loving what I do. I’m up to the challenge and I’m excited for what the years ahead have in store.

Most of my summer was spent in a wonderful chaos. It flew by and somehow, in it’s wake, I have some incredible finished projects that I can’t wait to show off! I’ve been working hard – building my own brand and getting comfortable with the thought of freelancing as a professional. I’ve settled into a great new apartment with an environment that really encourages concentration and focus. I’m incredibly thankful for finding that!

Now I’m looking forward to that untapped reserve of energy that the autumn never fails to bring. This is the season that everyone in New England is reminded why they are still here. Something in the air changes, and as always in the mysterious fall, come the unexpected, refreshing twists that make life so inspiring and intriguing.

It has been one crazy summer so far, and I’m proud to say the number of projects I am working on is hefty. I am moving into a one-bedroom vintage apartment building in a few weeks on a picturesque, tree-lined street in Brighton. And although I’m sacrificing majorly on kitchen size (a 20-inch stove?!), I will have my own office. Joy! I will look forward to a major increase in production – hours and hours of pure, roommate-unadultered concentration. Can’t wait!

Here is a picture of the temporary tattoos (excuse the brazen mermaid) that were designed with love and ordered on Friday for, you guessed it, Wine Riot! Everything from the tickets to the t-shirts, newspaper ads to the guide were designed by yours truly!

I’m so busy, which is awesome – but I haven’t had a chance to post in a while! I’m working on some really wonderful projects at the moment –mostly websites –  including one for the American Meteorological Society! Stay tuned for some new portfolio updates!

There’s nothing more refreshing than opening a new, fresh batch of business cards. Better than the farmer’s market in the middle of summer. Well, only if the market was all out of strawberries.

Right now I’m working on some really awesome stuff at the Second Glass. I started there as an intern, but I think I’m going to stay for as long as I can. It allows me to create the really fun and lighthearted work that makes me happy, the kind of stuff I’m sure is difficult to come by and doesn’t come by very often! If you ever feel the need to broaden your wine horizon, the Second Glass is the place to do so. Check it out to drink, learn AND see some of my design skills in action!

Alcohol, education & fabulous aesthetics. I can tell this is going to be a wonderful summer!

Welcome to the new, updated site! Ever since I finished the last one, I’ve been wanting a cleaner, more open layout to display my graphic design services and portfolio. Thanks to Adam at The 42nd Estate for being superbly amazing and helping me get this up and running. I definitely couldn’t have done it without him!

So, stay as long as you’d like – have a look around! If you find any major quirks, let me know and I’ll get on them, stat!

Here’s a screenshot of the old one, for comparison’s sake. And for future nostalgia.