Howdy Do It came from “how do you do It,” the question Ellie & Margot found themselves asking about their freelance lifestyles, and so Howdy Do It was born, a column about the things we do to keep ourselves organized, inspired and on track. Right now, Howdy is only making sporadic appearances here on Pitch, but you can read all of Ellie’s previous posts here and my previous posts here on Mint.

Of course, the floor is still open for discussion on our formspring, so feel free to ask us any related questions if you are inclined.
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Happy Friday friends! Here’s a special edition of Howdy for you in honor of my birthday today. It’s a mini mix! Why so small you ask? The idea is that the 28-minute mix gives you a short period of total concentration on one task. It’s loosely based off the Pomodoro Technique, which is all about breaking up your time with short bursts of intense focus. So far I’ve been finding it especially helpful at the end of the day when I’m running on fumes, or when I find myself procrastinating on a task, like email, that can suck a whole day away if I’m not careful. Plus I like that this system doesn’t expect you to be on task all day long so I am allowed to balance in my own time here and there.

Typically for Howdy mixes (previously posted here) I favor a more up-tempo feel, something that’s pretty energetic. I’ve been on a hip-hop/soul/electronic kick these days so this particular mix reflects that.

1. 1969 / Boards Of Canada
2. Walk In The Sky (Feat. Bajka) / Bonobo
3. Weapon Of Choice / Fatboy Slim
4. Kaili / Caribou
5. Cellphone’s Dead / Beck
6 . Don’t Gotta Work It Out / Fitz & The Tantrums

Download Directions:
It’s a .zip file (virus free, I promise) which contains a folder of the songs and an import playlist file. First drag the songs to your music library and then import the playlist (File>Library>Import Playlist). It will make you a nice little list in your iTunes and you should be good to go.

That’s it from me today, I’m going to go celebrate! Chad got me a super cute purse from this chick and it’s got convertible straps for biking so we’re going to test it out.

Any or all of these would look AWESOME on my wall. By Barcelona shop, Hey Studio.

New paintings from Jennifer Sanchez. Via Dear Ada.

I’m a huge documentary nerd. I could honestly watch one about paint drying if it was done well enough. But last night I saw Herb and Dorothy (instant play on Netflix) and it might be the most inspiring film I’ve seen all year, even edging out the Banksy film, Exit Through the Gift Shop.

Herb and Dorothy Vogel are the most unassuming and charming couple, they’ve been collecting modern art since the 1950′s, but on a modest middle class income. A postal worker and a librarian, they’ve amassed a collection of over 4,000 pieces that astounds art historians today, making them some of the most respected collectors in the country. For no other reason than they just love art, Herb & Dorothy’s obsession is completely endearing and contagious, and wow, they’re just dripping with taste. The film is pretty low-budget, nothing special production-wise but it matches the everyday feel of the older couple really well.

Really nice to see a view of a professional art world that is accessible and has zero to do with status or class, and that there are normal folks out there who are invested in putting beauty into their lives.

Lovely branding & typography from all-in-one design shop, Telegramme Studio.

I’ve spent the last four days building an installation for The Post Family’s We Are Family opening tonight and I totally didn’t anticipate how much it would be owning me. Whoops. It’s finally up and I’m pleased with how it came out, but I’m in the weeds big time. But I’m dying to tell you about all this exciting stuff, so here’s a quickie update. It’s at least a little something until I can get some sleep, sort things out, and form proper sentences again.

By Reba Rakstad, RarRar Press

I got to do a guest post for Etsy’s blog this week! The post is all about my fave artists & printmakers on Etsy, and the inspiring color palettes they use. Big thank you to my other bloggy-friends at COLOURlovers for setting it up.

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We Are Family: Emerging Talent in Chicago:
In conjunction with Chicago Design Week 2010, the Post Family welcomes nine voices from the far reaches of Chicago’s graphic design community to the Family Room Gallery for a look at surprising, evocative and oftentimes challenging work that consistently redefines the boundaries of the field.

Participants: Also Design, Shawn Hazen, Letterform, Plural, Scott Reinhard, Sonnenzimmer, Isaac Tobin, and David Weik.
Sponsored by the AIGA Chicago, Intelligentsia Coffee, and Goose Island Brewery, and Colorphonic.

7:00 pm-11:30 pm
1821 W Hubbard St, #202
Chicago, IL 60622
Free