– Marcus Aurelius (160-180 AD)

almost 2,000 years later and this statement is still pretty wild.

I’ve been thinking a lot about life, lately. My little brother is in his twenties and after a life-changing accident, he is struggling with a traumatic brain injury. He’s confined to a bed, unable to speak and barely able to move. As his only sibling, I’ve been affected by it in ways I could not have imagined. I have way fewer answers than I thought.

Our lives are formulated by incredibly complex systems in our brains. Neurons transmit information through electrical and chemical reactions called synapses. These synapses conduct signals that travel through long, slender axons from cell to cell. A single axon can branch information out to millions of the estimated 100 billion neurons in our brains. That’s a number that rivals the amount of stars in our galaxy.

What happens when those systems – huge chunks of those systems – are permanently damaged? Do we still grow and feel emotion? Are our lives still meaningful? Are feelings like love and sadness, strength and courage all just electrochemical reactions?

Exactly how much of our lives is just…biology?

These are a selection of images from my travels across the country that highlight the colorful landscapes of this country.

Here are some photos from the 7,000 miles of road trip endured in one year. With a cat in the back seat.

I moved to Los Angeles last month from Boston. Sold my stuff at a yard sale, got an apartment on Craigslist and packed up the car with the cat (advice: don’t do that). It was a spontaneous decision, and while it may not have been the most thought-out one, I couldn’t imagine settling down in beautiful little Boston forever. Plus, I’d never driven cross-country before and was afraid that I’d be too lazy to drive all the way back if I had just planned a road trip.

So here I am! Only four and a half weeks in and I can tell my experience here is going to be weird. There’s lots to look at –good and bad– which is what initially beckoned me on my first visit. Los Angeles is visual stimulation overload, so there’s lots going on to take inspiration from.

There’s a snobby super-hip art scene, quirky little independent theaters, and really beautiful mid-century architecture (which might explain the Danish Modern furniture stores on every block). There’s even a Frank Lloyd Wright house down the street called the Hollyhock House, which is so lovely. There are hummingbirds and vegan restaurants, great farmer’s markets, and amazing neighbors–my whole building is full of freelancers–score! Everyone here seems to be from somewhere else, and I meet more people here each week from Boston than I did in Boston.

I’m still working for my clients on the East Coast, but would eventually love to migrate more business over here on the West. I think there’s a whole lotta opportunity on this side of the country, and I can’t wait to take advantage of it.

That is all.

So, I’m going to be honest and up front in admitting that I’m going to use this entire post to brag and gloat, but I swear I’m just really excited. So here goes:

So, you know how I designed the Roxy’s logo and truck?

Well, guess what? THEY ARE ON FOOD NETWORK’S GREAT FOOD TRUCK RACE. ON NATIONAL TV.

That means thousands of people will see my truck! And a giant congrats to James and the guys who delivered delicious grilled cheese to people all across the country.

Fortunately, it turns out that “love at first sight” applies to more than just human attraction. Believe it or not, it also applies to Letterpress and I. We’re pretty much getting married after only knowing each other two weeks. TRUE LOVE.

It combines the sterility of modern graphic design with the satisfyingly messy and tactile feeling of fine arts. Images that would otherwise be on the verge of ho-hum are transformed into something way more awesome. It’s hard to feel like a snobby artist when there’s no physical proof that I just illustrated something incredible on my MacBook. Now, my hands and clothes will be stained with ink so I can feel like a true artist, and my sanity will be severely impaired by blocks of lead type.