unOFFICIAL OR Spring Epic Ride 2017 - May 20, 2017

[snot]

I have a pass no kitchen required... Just sweeping.

[2talltim]

Well I was going to try real hard to make this one then I had to go and jump off a cliff for shits a giggles. Won't be riding yet to make this, still hoping to make the Ozark and gap trip on 2 wheels.

[DerekClouser]

Sorry ladies and gentleman, I've accepted a new job that is requiring me to move to Toledo and my truck just blew a timing belt that I'm sure has fried the motor so all my time has been preoccupied with trying to navigate all these details.  Yes, the ride is still on and I'm still attending.

 

I will update the first post with this information  ASAP.

[what]

4 minutes ago, DerekClouser said:

Sorry ladies and gentleman, I've accepted a new job that is requiring me to move to Toledo and my truck just blew a timing belt that I'm sure has fried the motor so all my time has been preoccupied with trying to navigate all these details.  Yes, the ride is still on and I'm still attending.

 

I will update the first post with this information  ASAP.

No worries Derek, good luck with everything. Sorry about Toledo. 

[DerekClouser]

4 minutes ago, what said:

No worries Derek, good luck with everything. Sorry about Toledo. 

Appreciate it.  Like I said, I'll still be attending this event and still holding these events in the future.   I won't let the distance hold me from riding the good SEO roads.  

 

Fortunately I still have plenty of places to stay in Akron when needed.  So I'll be riding in on Friday nights, crashing somewhere, and riding out like normal  on Saturdays. 

[DerekClouser]

I have updated the first post to include the meet spot.  

[Kruse08]

Potential chance that I could have 4 other people coming to this which are not on this forum.  They would all start out in the new/beginner group but I wanted to let you know in case you needed another group.

[MidgetTodd]

Why do these always happen on days I have immovable plans? Saturday is my daughters graduation and birthday party. 

If it gets moved to rain date I'll be in attendance. 

[Tpoppa]

2 hours ago, MidgetTodd said:

 

If it gets moved to rain date I'll be in attendance. 

I can only ride Sunday.  We could plan a non-epic-rain-date-ride.

[MidgetTodd]

We can do that 

[Grokked]

Looks like I'll be able to attend this one - unlike last year when weather and other plans didn't cooperate.  slow or medium group 

[B-Mac]

Derek, I plan on making this. I just put 90/10 streety tires on the V-Strom for a trip with the wife so I will most likely bring the VS Beast so "The Romer" is not the only ADV Bike in the group.

 

P.S. Like your Throttle Lock stuff.

[CBBaron]

1 hour ago, Danimal said:

Anyone from the Akron area trailering down to the Epic Ride?

I need someone to haul a tire there for me, and What (Andy) will take it from you at the pre-ride Meet

just strap the tire to your top box or rear rack like all those RTW guys do

 

[TimTheAzn]

25 minutes ago, Danimal said:

you're assuming that I am going to the Epic ride Craig

 

Or do you mean just haul the extra tire down with me to the Gap?

Certainly could, but would prefer not doing so.

 

On the 2018 trip to SA, I'll be hauling two spare tires that will get mounted in Guatemala.

Guatemalans cant mount tires for shit, everyone knows this.

[Qman]

14 minutes ago, TimTheAzn said:

Guatemalans cant mount tires for shit, everyone knows this.

They may not mount tires for shit, but will for Quetzals!!

 

[Tonik]

3 hours ago, Danimal said:

Anyone from the Akron area trailering down to the Epic Ride?

I need someone to haul a tire there for me, and What (Andy) will take it from you at the pre-ride Meet

We can put it on my back seat no problem. Ill be back in town Sunday.

[what]

1 hour ago, Tonik said:

We can put it on my back seat no problem. Ill be back in town Sunday.

Cool, I'll trailer over then. 

[Casper]

3 hours ago, Danimal said:

solid plan with solid folk

You're tires will end up in Vietnam. 

[Blitz]

On 4/5/2017 at 11:18 AM, DerekClouser said:

Clearly this will be the last one I create shirts for.  

Anyone else can take the hours to develop the design.  

As a graphic designer by trade, I can tell you that it doesn't matter whether you are designing a t-shirt for a softball team, a print ad for NASA, or a motion graphic for a multi-million dollar company....you will ALWAYS receive criticism, and rarely is it constructive. I've had to get very good at shrugging it off. It's one of the hardest parts of my job.

Design is subjective. Everyone has an opinion. Sometimes an emotional opinion, and sometimes someone will say "I don't know why I don't like it. Maybe cause that thing reminds me of a (insert nonsense here). Usually the only criticism I take seriously comes from other designers, because I know they understand the theory of design, and why some things work and some things don't.

So, all of that being said.....don't take the criticism so hard. You were going to receive it NO MATTER WHAT you produced. That's just how it works.

[2talltim]

 I hauled my pair to Coolville for Justin to mount before out VA trip several weeks ago.

Edited May 12, 2017 by 2talltim

[JustinNck1]

7 hours ago, Blitz said:

As a graphic designer by trade, I can tell you that it doesn't matter whether you are designing a t-shirt for a softball team, a print ad for NASA, or a motion graphic for a multi-million dollar company....you will ALWAYS receive criticism, and rarely is it constructive. I've had to get very good at shrugging it off. It's one of the hardest parts of my job.

Design is subjective. Everyone has an opinion. Sometimes an emotional opinion, and sometimes someone will say "I don't know why I don't like it. Maybe cause that thing reminds me of a (insert nonsense here). Usually the only criticism I take seriously comes from other designers, because I know they understand the theory of design, and why some things work and some things don't.

So, all of that being said.....don't take the criticism so hard. You were going to receive it NO MATTER WHAT you produced. That's just how it works.

This is probably the most truthful thing I've read all week. I definitely grew some thicker skin over the last 5 years of working in design.

[Tpoppa]

5 minutes ago, Isaac's Papa said:

Art is very subjective. Lyns went to college for design. She's damn good at it but always has critics. She learned a long time ago that her art isn't important. Getting the money is important. 

I pretty much stopped giving a damn about the opinions of anyone other than my closest family & friends sometime around 1988 

[JustinNck1]

51 minutes ago, Isaac's Papa said:

Sure, but trying to make good art and give customers what they want is a delicate job. She doesn't care what they think, but she has to give them what they want, while maintaining a modicum of professionalism in her work. Everyone is a designer, dontcha' know? Lol

Ain't that the truth. I build digital advertising, and people want an 8.5x11 sheet of paper worth of info on a tiny banner ad. Then when I do it, they say "It looks cluttered". I wonder why....

[what]

1 hour ago, Isaac's Papa said:

Sure, but trying to make good art and give customers what they want is a delicate job. She doesn't care what they think, but she has to give them what they want, while maintaining a modicum of professionalism in her work. Everyone is a designer, dontcha' know? Lol

The biggest problem you can have in the design field is an ego. Sometimes I end up making stuff that I absolutely hate because the client requested it. Often times when I'm giving options, the option I spent the least amount of time on and put the least amount of thought into is the option the client picks. Clients, generally, are looking for something to meet a few basic needs and nothing else matters beyond that. Of course I'll throw in some fluff if I can or try to make it cool if it's super basic but every now and then the client wanted A, I gave them A and they don't want B, C or D to go with it for free. 

 

I like it when clients love my work, but I also don't take it personally if they don't. If the client doesn't like my work it means I screwed up somewhere along the way and need to try again. Probably the most important part of the design curriculum at the school I went to, beyond the design foundation classes, were the brutal critiques we were required to give and receive on every project. People running out of the classroom crying and/or dropping out because of what a professor/fellow student said about their work was fairly common. Can't please everyone. 

[Blitz]

2 hours ago, what said:

The biggest problem you can have in the design field is an ego. Sometimes I end up making stuff that I absolutely hate because the client requested it. Often times when I'm giving options, the option I spent the least amount of time on and put the least amount of thought into is the option the client picks. Clients, generally, are looking for something to meet a few basic needs and nothing else matters beyond that. Of course I'll throw in some fluff if I can or try to make it cool if it's super basic but every now and then the client wanted A, I gave them A and they don't want B, C or D to go with it for free. 

 

I like it when clients love my work, but I also don't take it personally if they don't. If the client doesn't like my work it means I screwed up somewhere along the way and need to try again. Probably the most important part of the design curriculum at the school I went to, beyond the design foundation classes, were the brutal critiques we were required to give and receive on every project. People running out of the classroom crying and/or dropping out because of what a professor/fellow student said about their work was fairly common. Can't please everyone. 

Yes. The critiques in class were brutal....intentionally. And I learned some valuable lessons from those critiques.

But for whatever reason, it's easier to take criticism from a professor or fellow classmate that can back up an opinion with a sound, 'design theory' based argument. It's the criticism without sound reason that makes you crazy. It took me a couple years to figure out how to handle it. And it's still not always easy, especially when I know my design is good.

But, that being said, there's always a nugget of truth in every critique, no matter how unreasoned. That where I try to find peace with a critique. Use it to make the work better.

Like Paulie said, art is subjective which makes it approachable and open for discussion. But the field is unique in that professionals have their work readily critiqued by any layperson. Imagine people walking past a Doctor and saying "Uh sir, I think you should take another look at those X-rays. Maybe it's the lighting, but I think you may have missed something." Or walking past a civil engineer and saying "Ummmm, Mr. engineer...I know you're pretty far along on this project, and I'm ok with how the bridge looks in a general sense. But don't you think it would look better if you put it over there? And used a light blue paint for the abutment? I'm in a blue mood today."

It is what it is. That the tough part about the job. But, I wouldn't trade being a designer for anything. No matter how hard my wife pushes me to get a Master's.