A Lollipop Moment

This week I watched various Ted talks on the Internet, in search of one that had some material that I was passionate about. I stumbled upon a Ted talk by a man named Drew Dudley from Toronto. Drew spends about six minutes talking about the importance of leadership in our lives today. He speaks of something called Lollipop Moments, where we may do something, or perform an action that we didn't realize would positively affect someone in the long run. They're the little things that we do to brighten people's days, whether it's smiling at them on the street, opening a door for a stranger, or just greeting someone passing by, all of these are examples of lollipop moments. In Drew's Ted talk, he goes in depth talking about his favorite lollipop moment on his college campus. 

Drew also raises many compelling arguments as to what leadership truly is. On of my favorite things he said was, "As long as we make leadership something bigger than us, as long as we make leadership something beyond us, as long as we make it about changing the world, we give ourselves an excuse not to respect it everyday for ourselves and for each other." Drew talks on, and eventually argues that leadership qualities aren't just reserved for the extraordinary, everyone has some inside of them. These leadership qualities can be brought out and used in your work places, schools, and homes. 

https://www.ted.com/talks/drew_dudley_everyday_leadership

-LH

The Long Awaited Update

It's been a while since my last post, and it's about time for an internship update! I have spent the last two and a half months at ID/Architecture, an interior design and architecture firm, about fifteen minutes away from my house. I spend about five hours a week, doing various different things, from organizing the sample library filled with hundreds of samples, returning color swatches, helping create project boards, going on project site visits, and helping out wherever I can. 
 Some of my favorite experiences to date have been accompanying our designers on job site visits. On these trips, I have gotten to tour spaces that are potential projects for us, buildings in construction, and completed spaces. I have learned that a lot more goes into designing a space, than your initial design on paper or on a screen. There are a lot of logistics that need to be seen in person, in order to understand the space you are in. The design process before beginning construction on a site can be very tedious and time consuming. The first layout you make, most likely won't be the final design plan executed, many drafts are made and proposed to the tenant owners before construction begins. Even thought I don't work on design plans myself, I see that it can sometimes be a challenging task. 
Another job that I enjoy helping out on, is creating project design boards, that we present to clients. Our boards consist of a picture of the project design, and samples of all the materials we plan to use in the project such as paint, tile, and wall bases. I find it really enjoyable to match different colors and materials that fit the design plan best. This is definitely something that I hope to help out with more in the future. 
Some of the less enjoyable projects I have been tasked with have been stuffing folders and returning color swatches. But even in tedious jobs like those, I enjoy, because as an intern i'm glad to help out in any way that I can. Contributing to that, the people and the work environment of the office, make everything I work on enjoyable, because all of the employees and designers are so kind, and love sparking conversation.  
I'm looking forward to seeing what the rest of the year brings, and all of the various experiences that I will encounter!

"Design is not what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works."

-LH

The Alchemist

Over the next few months I'll be reading a book called "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coehlo. This book is about a shepherd boy who travels to Egypt, in search for a hidden treasure buried in the Pyramids. On his journey, he encounters many different people who help direct him in his quest. Little did The shepherd boy, Santiago, know that his journey wouldn't be about the worldly treasure he's been seeking, but the treasures found within his adventures.

I chose this book becuase I feel like I'm in a pivotal time in my life where I'm experiencing a very similar path as Santiago. Most of my time lately has been spent trying to figure out what I want to do in my future, where I want to go to school, and who I want to be. Through all of these major decisions and thinking that I am doing, I've gotten the opportunity to learn even more about myself and about life in general. Specifically through my internship, and working in a professional work place, I have learned a lot about the real world and how to be an adult in a work environment. And how to interact with different types of people and situations.

In the first section of The Alchemist so far, the author begins by setting the scene for the rest of the book. The main character, Santiago, is in his hometown where he is a shepherd, who sells his sheep's wool. He soon encounters a merchant's daughter who enchants him, and fascinates him. The merchant was more than satisfied with Santiago's wool and his service, and promised to come back next year. Santiago accepts the compliments, and looks forward to the merchant's return, mainly so that he can see his enchanting daughter once more. 

I'm excited to continue reading this book, and to learn more about an adventure that unexpectedly turned into something greater and deeper than intended! 

~LH

Hey friends,

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal, it is the courage to continue that counts."

-Anonymous

It's been a while since i have updated you guys on how my internship has been going, so here's a brief update.

 I've been working at ID/Architecture for nearly four weeks now, and I'm loving almost every moment of it. The people in the office are such nice genuine people, with huge hearts for what they do, and the clients that they work with. Since my first day, I have been helping all the designers out in any way that I can. My main job has been to help organize the library, where we keep all of our product samples; from fabrics to furniture, flooring to tiles, and lots and lots of paint! I never knew there were so many shades of taupe! Aside from helping sort and organize our sample library, one of my favorite things is to watch the designers through the process of laying out and designing each of their different projects. Projects that we work on rage all different sizes and timeframes. We work on small accounts like elevators and restrooms, to designing massive building facades and lobbies. 

Last week I had the amazing opportunity to get a tour of a finished job site that one of our designers had just completed. When I was first presented with the offer to come visit the site, I was completely stoked to see the final product of something that many people had been working very hard on. The project was an old technology office building, that we had converted into a huge modern functional multi use office space. Some of my favorite parts of this building, were the fact that all the walls had been knocked down, and the entire space was opened up and flooded with natural light. The coolest part of the building was the outdoor space provided in the back. I learned that a lot of the new companies are trying to compete with big top dog corporations like Apple and Google, who have created a lot of different ammentities for their employees to enjoy while not working. This particular building had a basketball court outside, along with a horse shoe pit, outdoor tables, a barbecue and even a nice garden. That sounds like my kind of work place! I learned so much from my few hours spent at this newly completed property, and I really hope that I will have many more opportunities like this in my future! 

-LH

Dear bloggers,

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."

-Winston Churchill

This year i have chosen a mentor at my school, who I can go to for advice and to talk about my experiences at ID/Architecture. Her name is Mrs. Fitch. I had Mrs. Fitch my 9th grade year for freshman health. The fact alone that she taught freshman health shows you just the dedication and patience this woman has, to deal with little freshman, teaching them about the human body. After being in her class for just only a few weeks, you could already tell how this lady was slightly different from most other high school teachers. Mrs. Fitch was a teacher that was so passionate about her students and their lives. She genuinely wanted to be there to help us out in our transition into high school. She created a learning environment where her students felt comfortable in her classroom, and were some what excited to be a part of the class. Aside from teaching, Mrs. Fitch was also the club advisor for FCA, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, a club that I was a big part of, and still am today. Quite possibly my favorite thing about her, was the fact that she was a teacher who was open about her faith in Jesus Christ, not only in our club, but also on our campus. Today, Mrs. Fitch is a counselor, and gets to interact with different students on a personal basis, showering her love on them daily. All of these qualities about Mrs. Fitch are some of the reasons that I chose her as my school mentor. I wanted to choose someone who inspired me by the way they loved on others. I hope to one day have as much passion and dedication in my future career as Mrs. Fitch currently has with hers. 

-LH

My Mission Statement

Hey there,

 

It can be daunting to think about why you're here on this planet. What you were put here to do, to achieve, to create. I have only been alive for eighteen years, but in those years, I have come to find some sort of sense as to what my purpose is.

 

My mission is to serve Christ and serve others to the best of my ability. I will contribute to society in a positive way, and influence others by the decisions I make and examples I set. I know that my purpose is greater than just myself. We only get one shot at this whole life thing, and I want to have left some sort of positive impact or memory on the people around me. I will live my life to the fullest, and I won't let any obstacles get in the way of that.

 

"The two most important days in your life are the day you were born, and the day you find out why." ~Mark  Twain

 

-LH

What time is it?

Friends,

 

There's always something that we can improve on as students, employees, sons or daughters. But whether it's big or small, our imperfections or weaknesses are never something worth dwelling on. We should be taking those weaknesses and trying to build off of them. I think one of the most common problems people have these days is with time management. I know for myself, that I try to cram as many activities and things in my day as I can. Most of the time that doesn't work out the best for me. As a result of over planning for myself, I have learned how to improve my time management skills, and I've taught myself to value my time, and make every minute count. Making every minute of your day count, doesn't necessarily mean that you have to fill your whole day up with activities. It just means that in the times that you're not doing anything allow for a moment to reflect on your day, and why you're doing what you're doing. A lot of times we'll find that what were spending our day doing, we aren't really doing for us. We're just doing them to please other people such as our parents. In the big picture, this isn't our parent's life. It's our own! In order to successfully live our lives for ourselves, here is something that may come in handy during those hectic days:

 

 "Luke's Top 5 Totally Handy Tips for Terrific Time Management!"

• Always plan ahead! Use a planner, or the calendar on your phone to help plan out your day, and even week.
• Keep your phone or any distracting electronic device on silent while working on important deadlines.
• Give yourself a maximum time limit for every task you have, once your time is up, cut yourself off!
• Prioritize! What is the most important thing you need to get done that day?
• Allow time for small breaks throughout your day, so that you don't overwork yourself and end up stressing out even more.

As an interior designer, there is nothing more important than time management. You're always tring to put out quality work, and constantly need to meet project deadlines. This past week was my first week at my internship. After just one week, i've already noticed how many projects everyone is juggling and working on in the course of just a few days. This simply showcases how time management certainly is a big part of nearly any profession.

 

 

“Time lost is never found again.” – Benjamin Franklin

 

-LH

Waddup bloggers, 

“Surround yourself with people who make you happy. People who make you laugh, who help you when you’re in need. People who genuinely care. They are the ones worth keeping in your life. Everyone else is just passing through.” ~Marx

There are many people in my life who I care about, and who care about me as well. It took me a while to come up with a list of only five people who will inspire me as I venture into the world of interior design, but I finally did. I'd like you to meet some of the most important people in my life:

*My dad Tim, because of his dedication to our family, and constantly providing a positive opinion to rely on.

*My sister Devon, because she always knows how to find the diamond in the rough. 

*My Aunt Erin, because she is probably the most determined passionate women I know.
*My best friend and one of my mentors, Chris, because of his amazing ability to love on others no matter what the circumstances are.
*My grandmother Oma, because she is the sweetest most loving lady, who's Southern accent makes you love her instantaneously.

  

These people are people that I depend on daily, to encourage, motivate, an inspire me to do the best I can, and live a life worth living. I need these people to motivate me and help me to do some things that I have been putting off for a while. Besides putting away the huge pile of clean clothes on my desk, here's my current to-do list:

• Finish those college applications.
• I should probably clean my tornado of a room as well.
• Then I need to buy a birthday present for my brother's birthday this week.

• And start running training for that half marathon in a month.
•  Receive my high school diploma and finish out school strong.

My to-do list could really go on and on, but these are some of my more important priorities. I guess we all could be a bit more on top of things, and try to seize life's every moment.

Until next time blog world!

-LH

Designing My Senior Year

 

Hey blog world, I'm Luke, this year I am exploring the world of Interior Design and Architecture.  When you think of design, what comes to mind? Patterns? Furniture? Buildings? Truthfully, every answer is correct! The world of design is endless. From the computer screen you're staring at right now, to the chair your sitting on, the room your in, and the clothes you're wearing, they have all been thoughtfully designed by someone with a simple vision: to create something others can enjoy. There are so many different realms of design, but this year, I am focusing on one of my passions, which is interior design. When I was little I would take time to admire the buildings in the city, or the materials used in a particular space, and I watched much more HGTV than I care to admit. And this year, I finally get to take all my admirations and ideas, and make them a reality. Throughout the next ten months of my senior year, I will be spending a few hours a week at ID/Architecture, shadowing designers and helping in any way that I can to complete their projects. I hope to gain more knowledge of what a career in interior design would look like, and if this is truly a path that I want to follow. Along with this internship, I will be focusing on reaching and achieving my academic goals of getting into my ideal college or university. My next few months will consist of college applications, visiting schools all over the country, prepping for the SAT, and even more college applications. In the midst of all the hard stuff, I will also be super involved in our campus here at Cal High. I was voted ASB President, and am very excited to help lead and contribute to our school and it's student body in many different ways by continuing to create the positive encouraging environment that we have on campus. This is a big and exciting year for me, and I'm stoked to be able to share it with you!

-LH