It’s that time of the year again. A time when the city of San Antonio indulges in two weeks of drinking, eating and various other activities that denote Fiesta. While I tend to shy away from over eating and over drinking, I do like to enjoy a few of the festivities each year. The carnival is always fun, the parades are crowded but always interesting, and as a designer I can now look at various aspects of Fiesta through a slightly different prism. In other words, I appreciate this annual event for different reasons compared to years past. Plus, it’s a great time to dust off my various cameras and take some pictures.

My mind runs wild daily. It’s a certainty that’s been with me as long as I can remember. I wake up and I see things as I walk my dog. I see things as I make my breakfast and when I drive to work. Even as I write this my eyes are scanning my desk and noticing shapes, colors, textures. I am imagining a different world in which objects can become whatever I want them to become. It’s my own visual playground.

Sometimes when inspiration strikes at just the right frequency and at just the right time, things become beautifully aligned. These are the moments when I have an opportunity to bring forth images from my mind.

I’ll admit, waiting in a parked car can be somewhat awkward at times. After all, a car is meant to take you somewhere, it’s entire reason for existence designed to propel you forward in space to a destination of your choosing.

However, barring certain times of the year when temperatures would make sitting in a parked car unbearable, I don’t mind doing it. Sure, I may get a few strange looks from people leaving or entering their cars, but I’m simply waiting for my driver to return from their errand or predetermined task of the moment.

I don’t mind sitting in silence, observing that which is around me. For one, I am always interested in observing how things change as they are used. I do this with my running shoes all the time. The moment I take them out of the box, I turn them over and carefully examine the soles. I notice every nook, every bump and dimple in the rubber, because I know in a year’s time these soles will look very different. I take pleasure in observing this everyday occurrence.

Vehicles are perfect specimens for this sort of thing. I take note of new cars and old cars, scratches and bumps, dents and dings. I compare older and newer models of cars and take note of cyclical automative design trends.

This is my cat, Logo. He’s a 15 pound yellow tabby with a big heart that matches his appetite. I feed him three times a day, (small meals of course) otherwise he gets grouchy and starts to nibble on my legs or worse, attack his much smaller female feline. In a nutshell, that’s Logo. His sweetness is directly related to the amount of food in his belly.

One afternoon, I found Logo asleep in my dog’s bed. Yes, this is my dog’s bed. My dog, Akira, is a 75 pound boxer-pit mix, and while she may look intimidating, she wouldn’t hurt a fly, let alone a cat who has taken over her bed.

Either way, all I could do was admire the exquisite scene which serendipitously formed out of the ether. The light was just right, giving Logo’s fur an iridescent glow against the simple plaid pattern of the sheets, and he was still, so very still.

What I found most unique about this moment however, was the amazing form Logo’s body just happened to create. Legs folded into and against arms. Feet, hands and paws all coming together into a perfect dance of lines, repetition and variety. Maybe it’s just the designer in me, but I found this to be utterly irresistible. I couldn’t have done it better if I tried.