Oranges, Canadian Bacon and a side of Banana Hammocks - Tracy Cristal

This is dedicated to my friend and fellow designer, Tracy Cristal and her photography.

I am so happy that she has published her first book "Oranges, Canadian Bacon and a side of Banana Hammocks".  This book is a humorous photo commentary on the "Canadian Snowbirds" that flock to Hallandale Beach, FL all year long.

I started this entry planning to write a glowing review based on answers to a few questions but found that her responses were so great I really don't have a lot to write! So, read on, enjoy and support Tracy's photography!

I remember when Facebook introduced timeline among other changes to user profiles and news feeds not so long ago... It was met with uproar.  Facebookers were not happy with the change.  I must admit that I was reluctant to embrace the timeline feature but, when I tried it out I found that I actually liked the visual impact it makes.  Even if most of your friends rarely check out your profile page it just makes your page "look good" and easy to navigate.

I like it so mcuh that I have been trying to update my Cover Photo every 1-2 weeks to sort of set some type of theme and found myself wondering if/when Facebook would do this for businesses because as a designer I think this would help so many brands "tell the story of their business" even more powerfully if done right.  So, Island Design Studio just went live with the new look which will be mandatory come March 30, 2012.

The second blog post about my friend and artist Tracy Cristal has been delayed a bit and rather than have you wait I wanted to share this womderfully inspiring video about the role women play in society's all around the world from war torn Afghanistan, to Ghana and beyond.

I've wanted to start a blog for quite some time but have been stuck on the idea because of fear... Yeah, fear. Fear that my writing won't make any sense, fear that I won't be able to keep the Blog going, fear that my Blog won't be anything like the blogs I visit... And on and on.

Imagine that! I build websites and blogs for others with ease. Encourage others to "just write!" And yet I haven't been able to get past the idea. I guess it has been easier to encourage others because I wasn't the one doing the writing!

So, what got me to take this first step?... My love of sharing and teaching. I would like this blog to be my little "classroom" if you will, where I share the things that interest me (technology, design, travel, small business successes, entrepreneurship and a lot more) and hope that anyone who stumbles upon it finds something of interest and shares it with others. I also made a commitment to my goals this year... Notice I didn't say to "me?" A commitment to my GOALS. Redesigning IslandDesignStudio.com was one and so is starting this blog... Two down, only 5,000 more to go!