Better Elevation

Here’s what happens when I drink and try to be productive.

Because I love you, Better Elevation is now Retina-friendly. Both images.

Update: Ditto Airplane Mode, which took slightly more effort.

Another song from the Amsterdam saga, this time a sort of electronic lullaby. Free MP3 on the Airplane Mode site, or also available on iTunes.

Hey look, I’m on Iterate again! This time with Rene and Marc, talking about today’s executive shifts at Apple and what it means for the future of our beloved toys.

I’ve been on the beta of Loren Brichter’s new game Letterpress for a while now. I’m hooked. This is a home screen app for me, and I’m thrilled that I finally get to play it with the rest of the world. But by all means, go read my detailed review on iMore.

I knew with Airplane Mode that I wanted to open with a strong story, even if the song wasn’t entirely representative of what I typically write. I figured I could quickly follow up with a big, noisy rock song to cover the difference.

You may know me as a designer, conference speaker, Internet loudmouth, or podcast host. What you may not know me as—but the way I always think of myself—is musician. Music is my first love, and the thing I care about most in the world.

I have a collection of songs and demos from the last few years, but the insecure perfectionist in me has always come up with excuses not to release them. That ends now, with the launch of a new project: Airplane Mode.

More than anything I’ve ever done, I’m putting myself—my real voice—out there. This is incredibly personal, and feels like a huge risk. But fuck it, it’s about time I shipped something. I’m starting off with, appropriately enough, a song and story about airplanes.

I don’t know what will happen next. Will I release more songs? Will I put out GarageBand files and ask the Internet to sing along with me? Will this whole thing turn into an Internet musical version of How I Met Your Mother? Let’s find out together.

This week on Unprofessional, our guest is John Moltz. It’s really gross and you probably shouldn’t listen to it.

Sponsored by Pixelmator: A beautifully designed, easy-to-use, fast, and powerful image editing app for the Mac.

In the spirit of being independent, a Jolly Apple wallpaper I made for the iPhone 5 and iPad.

One night after a show with my old band, I was approached by a guy from a record label. He wanted to talk about signing us, but I wasn’t interested. This wasn’t some shot at superstardom or anything—the guy was from a regional label I’d never heard of. Regardless, I politely declined. I’d rather retain full creative control and do things according to my own constitution than join a bigger team in exchange for some security. I’ve never once regretted that decision.

Since I left my previous gig there’s been some confusion about what I’m doing next. Mostly because—I’ll be honest—I had no idea myself. I wanted to take some time to think things through and see how I felt before jumping into anything. Along the way, I’ve been working hard on a podcast with my friend Lex, taking on some client work, speaking at conferences, and spending time with my friends. The freedom I’ve found has been creatively invigorating on every level.

I had forgotten how much being indie meant to me.

So I’m going freelance. Our corner of the industry is teeming with incredibly talented, thoughtful, amazing people. I’ve been fortunate to work with some of you. Now I want to work with everyone. I want to argue over interactions with you, teach you, learn from you, help you convince your clients to do the right thing, and help you make the great stuff I know you’re dying to make.

When I speak at conferences, the question I get asked most often is, “where do I find a designer?” Starting now, I’m open for business. I’ll get a site up with a fancy name soon enough, but in the meantime feel free to email me if you want to talk or poke through a portfolio.

I wish I could go back in time and tell my eight-year-old self that he shouldn’t worry and everything is going to be okay, because someday they are going to make this.

I’m especially excited about this week’s Unprofessional, with guest Jonathan Coulton. We end up talking about animals for some reason, and learn that JoCo doesn’t opt-out when going through airport security.

And of course our thanks again to repeat sponsor Igloo Software.

My friend Justin Williams has launched a new Mac app today called Committed, which watches for GitHub commits and notifies you when new code has been pushed. At $4.99, it’s a steal.

Wondering what happened to Darius? There’s an update on his Facebook page.

On the eve of his 23rd bday Darius was hospitalized due to complications with Congestive Heart Failure and DMD.

Only read it if you like crying.

Not content to co-host my own show, I keep appearing on Iterate. This time in a round-table With Rene Ritchie, Marc Edwards, and Mike Piontek to discuss the iPhone 5′s larger screen and what it means to designers. Always a great conversation with those guys.