Hi, I’m Matt Balara.I solve design problems with my head.

On the last day of this year, Polaroid will cease production of its magical film.

In 2004 I became fascinated by a beautiful old chrome and leather folding SX-70 polaroid camera a friend had. Within a week I had bought two on ebay, and a year-long project was born. Every day I carried a camera with me, and made one polaroid of something interesting I saw that day, and published each of them online at Polaroidiary. It was an exciting exercise in seeing, discipline and storytelling, and the resulting collection is an evocative document of a turbulent year of my life.

After playing daily with the SX-70, and the magic of holding the framed object-photo and waiting, breathless, for an image to surface out of the grey murk, the finality of polaroid’s decision to cease production does indeed feel like the death of an old, well-loved friend.

Here are few of my favourites from Polaroidiary. You might also like to look through the archives, or just start at the beginning.

It’s definitely just not the same, but in typical optimistic, cheerful Photojojo style, they’ve gathered some ways to keep the Polaroid spirit alive in spite of it all.

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There’s not much worse than reading a blogger’s self-flagellation about how long it’s been since he’s written anything, and his pathetic excuses as to why not. So I won’t be doing that here and now. But a few people have asked, so I’ll just say this…

I made it to Sydney, and everything is absolutely wonderful.

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I failed to mention a pretty important event in my online life a couple weeks ago. Without us actually knowing each other at all, Stowe Boyd invited me to not only redesign his blog, /message (I did mention that), but he also invited me to write with him and a growing cadré of smart people over there. In case you missed it, I wrote my first post, “Why Aren’t You Talking to Me?” on the disconnect between my meatspace friends and my online social life. My second post, “Hello New Social App. Why Should I Use You?” just went online.

From now on I’ll be focussing more on design here, and shifting the whole social/web 2.0 stuff over to /message.

I must admit, the invite took me by surprise (floored me actually) and I’ve been very plesantly surprised by the response to my first post both on FriendFeed and in the comments. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Stowe for giving a relative stranger and unknown blogger a chance.

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The left brain tells me it’s totally stupid to give a crap that the year is over and a new one’s begun. I mean, what’s a year? Just a measure of time invented by us hairless monkeys to make it possible to plan all of our stuff. Is the first of January any different than the twenty-third of July (if you’d been to a big fat party on the twenty-second)? Other than the temperature and when it gets dark, not really. This may all be logical, but the right brain (or maybe it’s the little sweaty lizard brain back there in the dark) says, “shut the hell up, it’s a new year! Woohoo!”

So, accepting that it’s a new year and that this does in fact mean something to me, how was 2007 and where do I want to go with 2008?

More Focus, Less Work

I worked a hell of a lot last year. As far as position, money and recognition goes, the effort was worth it. But my relationships, health and personal projects suffered just as much as my career advanced. No matter how I look at that equation, it’s a bad deal. But being someone who believes that almost everything — if not actually every last thing — which you experience, good and bad, is your own fault, I can’t really say “damn clients!” or “damn colleagues!” and not even “damn boss!” There’s only “damn Matt!”

What to do? Staying more organised and focussed — let’s call it disciplined — is my plan for 2008. Look ahead, plan what’s next and what’s after next, keep an overview, and identify my procrastination tricks and develop antidotes. My theory is that all of this leads to less work and less stress. I’ll let you know next January.

Live in Meatspace

I’ve said for years that I could do my job just as good, if not better, if I were a brain in a jar wired to a computer. I still believe that (more or less) but as shown above, I’m not my job. I have a body and I need to do something with it.

Last night I took my first Aikido course. Today my shoulders and knees are four big bruises, my legs are pissed off with me and I can’t remember the last time I sweated so much in any single hour. And every bit of it feels good. Without getting too proud, I’ve got to say I’m pretty damned happy with myself, and plan to stick with it.

Ass + Cushion

I’ve been a Buddhist since 1997. Buddhism is a way and a goal that’s bigger than just about anything, so it’s also more important to me than just about anything. But self-honesty goes hand in hand with looking backwards and forwards at the beginning of a new year, so the truth I have to admit is that I’ve become a lip-service Buddhi. I can think and talk about it all day long, but when it comes down to the work — getting my ass on the cushion and meditating — I’ve always got a reason why I can’t. But there is no reason why I can’t, and many very good reasons why I should. This year I’ll be thinking less, talking less, and sitting more.

Kick Ass

I hope you’ve also had some time to think about your year gone, and that you’ve got a few ideas how to enjoy, grow and learn more in the one we’ve just started. Have an excellent 2008.

What Did I Forget?

Oh yeah, I’m definitely going to buy me one of these this year. Probably even this week.

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I’ve enjoyed a moderate amount of success as a web-designer, but something’s been burning in my conscience for many years now, and it’s finally time to come clean. I can’t claim the credit for anything I’ve ever designed. None of it.

When I was a young and fumbling student at VCU, so many years ago, I met a new friend. He can’t talk, so I don’t know his name, but I call him “Little Designer”. I take him with me to work every day, and when I’m pushing pixels, sitting in meetings or presenting to clients, he’s sitting under my hat (yes, that’s why I wear a hat every day all day), pulling my hair, dictating my every action, and making sure noone ever knows that I can’t design. Although being discovered as a big fake is probably the deepest fear of many designers, I can tell you it’s like a breath of fresh air to get this off of my chest…

Okay, okay, hopefully by now you know where this is going. I saw Ratatouille on the weekend. If I had to name the most creative company of the last 10 years, I’d say “Pixar” without hesitation. Ratatouille won’t change your life (but what will these days?) but it’s fast-paced, full of interesting characters, the story’s great, and best of all, it’s “I can’t breathe any more” funny. Go see it. If you regret seeing it afterwards, well, I’d be in fear for your soul.

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Damn it’s been a long time. Where have I been? Well, first I was in Clientland, which meant I was not only distracted from anything not related to the project but also basically happy if I managed to get more than 35 hours of sleep a week. As soon as the site went online on August 1st, I then disappeared into a far too short week and a half of holidays, which ended yesterday. The most interesting thing I did was lock myself in a flat at the beach and paint. Not the walls, either.

I studied painting many years ago but strangely haven’t painted anything in over 13 years, due to a mix of being too busy and not having the space (the excuses) but also not having any ideas, being disappointed with everything I started painting, and a general fear that I’m not really capable anymore anyway (the cold hard truth). And the more you feel stupid about not doing something, the more you keep not doing it.

These two little pictures (30 x 30 cm) aren’t by any means masterpieces, and it was a real fight with myself getting them to a point where I was happy with them, but they were worth the trouble if only because they reminded me of three important things: it’s enriching to do something creative for yourself for a change, without anyone placing an order for it; I fall in love with work like this while working on it which seems to be good for me; I can still paint, and not too bad either.

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Last year SinnerSchrader, the company where I spend most of my time, celebrated it’s 10th birthday by hosting a conference for all things Internet. The conference has now become an annual fixture in the German net landscape, and today is next07. Googlites are, as we speak, rubbing shoulders with Second Lifers, net t.v. & radio moguls, online bankers and of course e-commercializers. Fortunately for our company but unfortunately for me, I’ll be driving up to Denmark shortly to present our work to a client we love working with. I wish everyone at next07 at the very least some entertainment, and I’ll see you at the party!

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As someone who works in a web agency, makes thousands of digital photos every year, listens to MP3s every day and writes on this here blog, I sometimes forget what a stupidly simple and sensible storage medium analogue is.

I needed a serial number for Photoshop the other day. I asked our office manager if she could give me my serial number. “It’s not in the list,” she said.
“What list?”
“Here in Excel, we have all of the software with serial numbers for inventory, but not whose computer they’re installed on.”
“Um, could you open the cupboard for me?”

She was surprised to see that each box had a name written on it in big black magic marker, indicating where it was installed. Things like this make me think I should start keeping all of my telephone numbers and email addresses scribbled on dead trees, just so I always know where they are. Like back in the 80’s.

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What does a web designer/blogger/sms writer/flickrer do when he’s lucky enough to take a month holiday in Australia? Well, first he turns everything off. Read on…

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What’s the use of having a blog if you don’t use it to shamelessly promote yourself and leverage your audience to increase your fame and fortune?

I’ve submitted 2 photos to JPG magazine. If you’re interested in photography and don’t know about JPG, you should. Even if you’re only interested in the internet, you should know about the only magazine (I know of) to combine the best of Web 2.0 and print in one project.

Anyway, back to my photos. If one of them gets printed I get $100, a subscription, and maybe a lensbaby. Why am I telling you this? Well, in the grand old tradition of Web 2.0, whether or not a photo gets printed depends at least partially on how many votes it gets from the digital masses. That’s where you come in. Go check out this photo and the other photo too, and if you like them, click the big green button. That’s it. I’ll be eternally thankful, especially if I get published. And if you vote and leave a comment here to let me know, I’ll even thank you personally.

Damn, what could be Web 2.0ier than using your blog to send people to vote on the photo you uploaded somewhere else?

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