IONIC: Manage Your Day 12.29.13

Have you ever felt that you couldn't really complete anything because it had to be perfect? That is the story of my life. Completion of task often times take forever, never getting them all the way done or changing plans because I understand myself to know that it won't be right.......if I keep going in that certain direction. So I compromise. 

Compromising isn't necessary a bad thing. Especially if you can finally complete something. If you are frozen in fear of doing something "unsatisfactory" you won't complete ANYTHING! Chances are your work......as imperfect to you as it may seem.....is most likely unrecognized as such.

A few years ago I started getting back into sketching.....I couldn't. I didn't know what to draw and was afraid to put the first lines on the paper. Finally I convinced myself to just doodle......like I was scratching something out while talking on the phone. When I tricked myself into thinking that what I was drawing wasn't important and was just scrap......I getting some pretty neat doodles. From there I was able to take off again.

Don't hinder yourself with trying to me perfect my friends. Just try it. Something is always better than nothing!

Eugene Thompson

Ionic DeZign Studios

www.ionicdezigns.com

IONIC: Manage your Day 12.6.13

Have you ever got into a situation where you absolutely needed to get something completed by a deadline? A deadline that could not be changed or extended? And the perfect idea or solution just wasn't happening? Some call it writer's block or hitting a wall, in either case it is a barrier that keeps you from producing your best work. 

Sometimes it is the pressure to get it accomplished that keeps you from coming up with that great idea. If time allows I have found that setting your pencil down (do we still use a pencil?) and taking a break will give our minds the opportunity to rest and come up with the answer. 

I have even went to bed at night with the unresolved issue stuck in my brain and the impending deadline looming over me only to wake up in the middle of the night with an epiphany. My wife hates that by the way! But once I have woken up and doodled the solution down I can go back to sleep assured that the answer has been provided by my mind to be addressed at daybreak.

Take a break my friends and let your mind do its magic!

D. Eugene Thompson

Ionic DeZign Studios

www.ionicdezigns.com

Thankfulness

Yep this is another Thanksgiving post about how somebody within our circle is thankful and wishing you a happy holiday. Sometimes we just get inundated with the out pouring of gratitude. Now don't get me wrong. I think we should all be very thankful and should share in the joy of the season. However, have you seen how the "holiday" part is slipping away and the "spending" part has become a big focus?

More and more stores are now open throughout the holiday. I remember back in use day when we forgot something for the dinner and had to try and find someplace open. The only place was a small convenience store with a limited selection. That was what we dealt with and it was all acceptable. Now I think we might freak out if there wasn't something huge open within 5 min of us.

Our attitudes have changed. 

I tried once doing the Black Friday thing......ugggghhhh.....never again. Not interested in crowds. Not interested in rude people fighting over the best deal or the last one of this that or the other thing. Guess  I am not interested in big savings either? Well, not at the sake of giving up all that I hold special. If that is your thing, then go for it. More power to you. For me.....I will take a little peace and quiet during this time. 

Thankfulness? We have a lot to be thankful at IONIC this year. It was yet another year of success. Some years in the recent past have been lean. You can define success in a lot of ways. They could be grandiose and dynamic. Certainly that is wonderful. Or they could be just some pleasant little things.

I am going to keep it simple this year. Sure, I am thankful for all the incredible work this year. It has been absolutely great. And with those blessings we have been able to add more wonderful people to our family. And let me tell you how much of a blessing they are! Hard workers that care about what they do. They are our greatest commodity. They make the office what it is. They are a true blessing. I don't know what I would do without them. I probably don't tell them how much I appreciate them enough.

Our clients, are simply wonderful. The big ones and certainly the small ones too. Each and every one of them are special. We wouldn't be successful without all of them. So for that we most gratefully and thank each of everyone of you. We are pleased to be of service to you. At IONIC we have always cared about the details. Details are small but make the biggest difference. So are the smallest of commissions are just as special as the big ones. All are important to us.

Our consultants, have been the greatest to work with this year. Mechanical, Structural, Civil, and every other engineering included. They keep up with us and combine to help put together a fantastic project. Without them we couldn't do it. Sure we give them work. But they give us great service and make great team members. Never to be overlooked.

Our vendors are equally as awesome. Supporting all the things we doing from printing and products to IT related issues. They are the glue.

The contractors that build our work. Honestly there has been so many discussions about how architects and contractors don't get along. I don't think that is the case with IONIC. The contractors make us look good. Make our clients happy with what we designed. We owe a great deal of thankfulness for their care and handling of what we spent some much time drawing and compiling. 

So with that being said.....yes, it is your normal pretty much typical THANK YOU....THANKSGIVING message. But we certainly mean it. All of us here at IONIC wish you and your families and very happy Thanksgiving this season. Enjoy your time with your families. Enjoy your time shopping. Enjoy the blessings that you have been given this year. Have a great time.

Ionic DeZign Studios

Eugene Thompson

www.ionicdezigns.com

Morning Motivation

Every morning we typically start off the day with the same routine.....but does that routine inspire us? Motivate us? Encourage us? Do we begin the morning with a positive, "Go get um" attitude? Bringing  incredible creative projects life demands much hard work down in the trenches of day to day execution.

Don't you wish you could be like this little girl?

To keep creatively fit, we must keep our minds engaged in on the move - because the greatest enemy of creativity is nothing more than standing still.

Eugene Thompson, AIA

Ionic DeZign Studios

www.ionicdezigns.com

IONIC: Manage Your Day 11.4.13

Our fun and well designed "smartphones" have got their hooks in us so deep that they are changing our manners and our culture. We no longer see phone calls, IMs, or a "ping" as an intrusion into our personal time or space. The gym and park are no longer places for personal development but rather locations to "check in". It used to be that taking a phone call while sitting at the dinner table or on the john was seen as incredibly bad manners or a sign of mental illness. Now it is common place and acceptable. Self respect and etiquette are being nudged out of our lives in lieu of convenient connection. Is it really necessary or can you yourself be enough without having to check in, tweet a update or share a photo as proof of your existence for the approval of your 823 followers.

Getting lost while driving or visiting a new city used to be an adventure and a good story. I have plenty of them about getting lost. I am really good at that. Now we just Use GPS.

One of these days we will learn to follow our own path and learn to walk erect and not hunched over like a Neanderthal Palm gazing and walking into traffic or a light post.

Ionic DeZign Studios

Eugene Thompson, AIA

www.ionicdezigns.com

Congratulations Are In Order

We want to congratulate our very own Matthew Mazzoni for recently passing the A.R.E. tests and becoming an official licensed architect. We all know how much work it takes to get through school, apprenticeship and then studying for the tests. It certainly isn't easy and so many fail to move forward with this important step. Matt is one of the leaders in our office and handles much of the Contract Administration duties for various projects. Currently he is overseeing the construction of the newest Navy Federal Credit Union being built in Chesapeake while wrapping up the exterior construction drawings for the new Chartway Federal Credit Union headquarters in Virginia Beach. Matt also has been working on the documents for the new 22,000 square foot Shore Christian Academy to be built in Exmore. We are all proud of Matt and look forward to his continued success with us here at IONIC.

Take a look at Matt's profile on our website and be sure to tell him congratulations!
http://www.ionicdezigns.com/contact.html
 

Expanding Market

IONIC has been busy on their growth over this past year with new employees to support projects we had coming in. Project growth in our office has increased nearly 40% this year from 2012 and last year was a record breaker for IONIC. 2013 will shatter that record. 

We were very selective in our selections of new staff understanding that we would need those individuals that could easily handle our current work load in RETAIL, RESTAURANT and CORPORATE clientele. However, the emphasis was to expand into markets that we have currently less presence in. If you know IONIC you understand that we have chosen to diversify across the spectrum of design services for a broad market. In short, we do a little bit of everything.

There are pros and cons to this approach. PROS: We are able to have a nice portfolio of varying accomplished works in just about every market. It keeps us fresh and focused on innovative ideas rather than regurgitating the same old thoughts. CONS: We cannot say that we have done two dozen libraries. Some clients want to see the full embodiment of work relating to THEIR particular project type.

Time will allow us to overcome the negatives. Right now we have only three library projects in our portfolio however over the next ten years we might have accumulated over a dozen. Likewise on other areas within the design industry. We will focus on our strengths which our clients are looking for: COMMUNICATION, DESIGN INTEGRITY, TIMELINESS and the ATTENTION TO DETAIL.

So what markets are we looking to expand into? Glad you asked! And we hope you can help us accomplish this.

MULTI FAMILY projects have been one of the markets that we have been working in for a considerable time. We have one active project currently on the design boards for the first phase of over 195 dwelling units. We also are waiting on several other apartment building projects that we have proposed renovations and upgrades to gain financial and corporate approvals. Two other apartments are seeking our concepts for upgrades to their clubhouse and other adminities including adding additional units. We would love to do more within this market including: MIXED USE, ASSISTED LIVING and CLUBHOUSES.

RESIDENTIAL is an odd market to focus on right now since our portfolio doesn't often highlight our past work in these areas. We are working on changing that. Additions to our staff now give us a stronger presence in this market and involvement in programs such as the PARADE OF HOMES and HOME A RAMA. Several of our past projects have won awards. HISTORIC RENOVATION has been an on going aspect of our work in Gloucester with preservation of an old home originally built in the late 1700s. 

MEDICAL field is an ever growing market and it continues to redefine itself. With limited design resources in Hampton Roads, IONIC hopes to make an impact within the MEDICAL OFFICE landscape and the smaller specialized private practices. We don't expect to be invited into the big hospitals just yet but certainly a possibility in the future. Individual portfolios within IONIC has a strong background in these fields. We are currently waiting approvals on a large development of individual medical office spaces.

EDUCATION has much promise with so many school districts looking to upgrade older buildings or expand due to their population growth. IONIC doesn't look to be a contender with some of the firms that focus on exclusively. However we feel we have much to offer when it comes to reuse and revitizing out dated buildings for HIGHER EDUCATION. We are currently at 75% construction documents on a small private Christian school on the eastern shore. We have a fond desire to direct our attentions to LIBRARY developments as well.

As always we are still working hard on the corporate resumes, retail centers, religious and hospitality projects that we can assist developers, contractors and real estate agents in all the new and renovated development work that may need. Please give us a call to talk or take a stroll through our website. We would love the opportunity to sit down and talk with you and share our ideas.

Seeking to make our relationship a foundation of development.

Ionic DeZign Studios, Inc

www.ionicdezigns.com