It was a very busy week as we spent five long days exploring every corner of the Disneyland Resort in California. This trip was all about Juniper and Henry letting their imaginations run wild. We were privileged to discover the familiar (to us) parks through fresh eyes. As I watched the kids, I took careful note of what they saw and felt, hoping it would make me a better designer. I also took great joy in helping to create wonderful memories for the kids. We had a great vacation!
Memories made
Many years ago, I was offered the opportunity to become a Disney Imagineer. These are the creative folks who design and build Disney theme parks worldwide. Even then, I understood the incredible opportunity I was afforded, but I turned it down in an instant. As I walked through the Disneyland Resort this week, I occasionally wondered which projects I might have worked on if I had taken up the chance… While I love Disneyland and all of the other Disney parks worldwide, I have thoroughly enjoyed the path I chose instead. I have no regrets whatsoever. My journey has allowed me to work alongside my family and wonderful crews to create much smaller, regional attractions. I get to design countless original concepts rather than develop ideas created by others. Then I get to build these ideas hands-on alongside our wonderful crew. While our jobs are definitely much smaller in scale and complexity, they are every bit as creative. These projects still allow me to travel far and wide. Instead of working for a large corporation, our clients are small, family-owned businesses who always appreciate our efforts. Our fun time at Disneyland is now complete. As a family, we have created countless wonderful memories. My creative batteries are fully recharged. Tomorrow we head back home to our studio to design and build more amazing projects. Stay tuned…
When the boss is away...
While our family does serious research at Disneyland, our crew back home keeps working hard to create the magic in the shop. I received this progress picture this morning. Apparently, the Kraken has come to life and threatens their very existence. I should be worried, I guess, but it looks like a typical day there, and I’m sure they will get a handle on things eventually…..
