nimbletoad blog

I just wanted to take moment before I dive into the subject of art and functionality to introduce myself. My name is Nicole Schmidt and I’m Nimbletoad’s newest addition to the team. I’m here to offer design support and maintenance to the everyday operations. I’m excited to join the team in forging new media trails. When I’m not updating and developing sites my passion is creating art with my hands instead of a computer. Here is a a look at my offline passion.
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Visual art, in the traditional sense, is simply mechanical reproduction. In the days of the masters it literally was reproduction because copying someone else is how people learned how to create art. Even with today’s modern and contemporary art movements visual art is still an imitation of nature, imitation of fantasy, interpretation of other peoples art or an attempt to be original through circumstance. So if visual art is subjective and functional art like the Taj Mahal is objective how can you have functional visual art?

I think my form of art is the pinnacle of functional static 2D art. I say this because my art is not just an expression of mine it is a product of repurposing. I take paper trash and recycle it to create my art. It’s one step further in getting the most functionality out of something that originally was made to have one function. Would someone know the original function of my materials was to report on the latest printed news or to inform the recipient their APR was being increased to 29%? Probably not but then again that is what I was going for, art made from trash that didn’t look like it was made from trash.

Some art purists may say it matters what the art was created with, a true artisan uses only the finest materials. For them art is not that subjective and they hold fast to a certain set of beliefs, this is what brings them to their opinions of what fine art is. It’s ok they can stay in the stone ages where functionality and art were two separate entities I myself will keep forging ahead carving new paths for those that follow.

My art is on display at Vine To Glass, 210-A N. Coast Hwy., Oceanside, CA 92054 through August 8, 2009. Come for the last hurrah with my art on the walls: Sun & Sea, Vino & Tapas at 6:30 p.m., Vine to Glass & Vigilucci’s Present the following pairings:

• Bailly Lapierre Blanc Brut Reserve, Cremant de Bourgognepaired with Endivia e Salmone Affumicato (Endive and smoked salmon)
  
• Venica Jesera Pinot Grigio paired with Prosciutto e Melone (Parma Prosciutto and Cantaloupe)
  
• Casa Barranca Red Blend paired with Involtini di Melanzane (Eggplant stuffed with wun dried tomatoes, goat cheese and basil)
  
• Ramos Pinto Ruby Port paired with Tartine alla frutta (Mini fruit tarts)

Cost is $35. Please RSVP to (760) 757-1037 or via email at tastings@vinetoglass.com no later than 5pm on August 6th.

So I guess the myth that celebrity deaths comes in threes has been dispelled with the recent news that TV pitchman Billy Mays died Monday, June 29th. What brought Billy Mays TV pitchman celebrity status? After meeting Max Appel, Orange Glo International founder, Mays was recruited to demonstrate on shopping networks for the company. It was pretty evident what Appel saw in Mays’ delivery style. Not only was his enthusiasm infectious but he showed you why it was such a great product. Billy Mays, another great example of why functionality comes first.

Although FrontPage has been out of development since 2006 many people still use it despite the headaches and limitations. Microsoft’s replacement software, SharePoint and ExpressionWeb are even more complicated and designed to only work well with other Microsoft programs and servers. When we show people our open source solutions it is like the blinders have been lifted. Web development built on open source frameworks frees clients of the proprietary shackles and allows their web presence to flourish freely.

Open source CMS such as Joomla, Drupal and WordPress have become powerful web development tools because of the freedom of instant collaboration. Developers can construct websites with the peace of mind that they will work while still being able to customize the design to fit the clients aesthetic. Not to mention the infinite possibilities for customization with independent PHP programs one can develop to plug into these CMS sites.

Functionality first, design second. This really is what we want in everything, the only exception to the rule is art because the aesthetic is it’s function. Today websites are focusing on functionality first because frankly we don’t have the attention span for the theatrics of an all Flash site. We have become a society that is plugged in everywhere and connected virtually at all times. That is what makes the worldwide community of idea sharing and collaboration known as open source all the more important. Open source allows our websites, blogs, and social networking to operate across all our media gadgets. Proprietary programs just don’t have the functionality, freedom and speed we need in today’s media market. ###