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A little chat with myself at the age of 17

araffi
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I was asked a question on social media after changing my profile picture to me at 17 years old. My friend Raymond asked, “What advice would the current you give the young cat in the current profile picture ???” So I figured I’d answer in this blog. You’re not as deep as you think. Although you…

Humanity Is Amazing

araffi
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Humanity is amazing. It has invented the most beautiful ideas In the most terrible situations. It’s coped with, and overcome grave dangers and suffered through the worst of situations and still has been able to find that point of light in the darkness. It has lifted people up to build and pushed those down who…

For the Love of Art

araffi
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Some thoughts bouncing around my head about art at 11 pm on a Tuesday evening. All art is an exchange between the artists’ vision and capability, between the artists’ loves and anxieties, between their work and the consumer of their work. There is an intimacy in these exchanges which, when welcomed, creates an awareness of…

My Thoughts on Leadership

araffi
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When I think about leadership, I remember a personal family anecdote that I only heard once as a boy, that never left me. Since then that story has made a strong impact on the way I see my life and how I perceive the manner in which to approach it. When my grandfather passed away,…

An offense that comes from misinterpretation is vulnerable

araffi
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In 1997 I was creating editorial cartoons for the University of Nevada Las Vegas newspaper “The Rebel Yell”. Not long after the above cartoon was published complaints from offended readers began to reach the offices of the Rebel Yell. The cartoon was inspired by a controversial decision by the school board of Oakland to recognize Ebonics as a primary language. It had kick-started a…

Utopia is a voyage. Not a destination

araffi
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There is an advantage to living in the information age. We have access to the best of everything at our finger tips. But you also run the risk of getting the worst of everything as well. We look to the Internet now for inspiration. If a graphic designer needs a beautiful image of a sky,…

Time is running out.

araffi
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I read somewhere that pirates in the old days use to display hourglasses on their flags to represent the idea that time is running out. The idea is that you should do your best to get the most out of it. I often think about how little time we feel we have to do all…

911 Memories

araffi
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I have many vivid memories of what happened on this day 18 years ago as we all do. But one in particular stands out. The sense of unity we all had. Suddenly we were all Americans again. Not liberals and conservatives taking up space. We forget that at the end of the day we all…

Creative Virtues

araffi
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Creativity is not learned. If anything, it’s remembered from childhood and kept alive by a need for innovation and problem solving throughout our lives. It has always been a driving force in us since birth. It has allowed us to grow and learn and develop all the necessary tools to become the individuals we are…

Come on in, the water is fine

araffi
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As a kid, I remember being at the YMCA and standing on the diving board over – what I was sure was – freezing water. I stared down at my reflection nervous not about the jump, but the cold water. The shock of having my entire body suddenly engulfed by the sudden cold was enough…

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