New Job
Well it’s been a while since I last updated aye!
I’ve got a New Job!!!
I decided to leave Click Clack. I wanted more variety of work and I had no guidance while there because there was no marketing manager for 11 months. I also had no one to learn from or room to grow being the only graphic designer there. But I think the thing that really made me want to leave the most was when Loudhailer called me asking for an interview.
I handed in my CV to them when I graduated well over a year and a half ago. When a job opportunity came up they decided to give me a call to see if I was still interested. So, YaY I get to work as a junior graphic designer in my home town!

Sorry for the lack of work lately! Since I no longer have assignments to do It’s been a long time since I posted anything. I did have a few freelance jobs, but nothing exciting enough for this website. I do have some drink photography I could put up…but I’m not sure if it’s worth it?

All Grown Up
Going off what I wrote in my last update: I did get my restricted licence! I’m the youngest in my family and the first to get my licence. I also brought my first car today its taken me so long to find one! But now that I have a car and a great job I can set my sites on buying a house. Exciting



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Clubs

Update
This is just a general update. Things are going well at work. I’m really busy designing the new catalog’s and new product flyers. New photography gear has just arrived so I can’t wait to get stuck into taking new product photos. We are hoping to go in a more artistic direction so I might be able to use some of the photos in my portfolio and on here. I also have a few freelance jobs going on – but they all have to be kept hush hush at this stage.

Apart from work things are pretty quite. I have a few toy designs I was to get onto, but they are taking a back seat at the moment.  I also plan to create a new portfolio this year and a personal website with a shop. Good things take time.
Speaking of that, I’m going for my restricted licence this week! I’m the first of my sisters to actually try…and I’m the youngest of 3! I hope I pass, and if I do prepare for major gloating haley & viv lol!



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Clubs

Merry Christmas!</u>
Merry Christmas to all me friends, family, and watches! I hope you all have a great day and a great break over the x-mas holidays.
My day was awesome I love all of my gifts! Thank you everyone. But whats even better is everyone likes the gifts I gave them.
xoxoxox



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Clubs</u>

Great Horned Owl T Shirt for Sale</u>

Update: this design is being sold on Monday the 23rd from 12pm for 24 hours only on this www.1-daytee.co.nz
If you’re a New Zealander I'm sure you know of .1-day.co.nz by now. But did you know of .1-daytee.co.nz? At 1-daytee designers can submit their designs for a limited edition t-shirt and if accepted the designer will be paid $300 and their design will be sold on their website for 24hours.
Many top designer in New Zealand have submitted designs to 1-daytee and today my design was selected to be sold among them.
I’m not sure of the date it will be put up, but when I know I will post it here and you guys can own a limited edition Great Horned Owl T Shirt


What do you say to this?</u>
The other day I was at a BBQ catching up with an old friend. One of the guests there was a girl that I hadn’t seen since school (6 years ago). We were talking nicely when she asked “So what do you do now?”

Me - “I’m the Graphic designer for Click clack”
Her - “Oh, my little brother is studying to be an Architect, but if the fails at that he said he will be a graphic designer.”

Me- Blank stare

I mean what do you say to that?!? It was a huge insult. On the drive home I though of all these amazing comebacks, but i guess being poise and polite was the better thing to do. However, I would be lying if I didn’t say it makes me feel better to know that I love my job while she stuck getting up at god knows what hour to be a baker at a job she hates.


Guess what I’m doing for my next birthday
While at work today I got a little board, so I decided to Google my birthday. Turns out I was born on Star wars day!
Can you guess why May the 4th is called Star wars day? I will give you a clue "May the 4th be with you" lol





Hire me for Freelance work</u>

I am available for freelance design or art work.
I specialize in logo design and acrylic paintings. But I also have experience in web design, children story book illustrations, t-shirt graphics, pencil illustrations, ink paintings and making toy plusies.

If you contact me now I can turn your child’s drawings into a one of a kind toy plusies for a discounted price – examples at this [link].

All the links to my specialized galleries are to the right or you can find my commission information at this [link]

If interested please email me at J_F_Mckenzie@hotmail.com

Clubs</u>

I have been going to a few weddings lately and I have to say I have been really surprised about some of the song choices my friends and family have made. They have made some truly inappropriate song choices to play for the first dance and at the reception I wonder if things got a little...lost in translation? Here is a list of just some of the inappropriate songs I have heard at weddings:

'Every Breath You Take' by Sting and the Police – This one will never fail to shock me when people play it as a love song, have you not listened to the lyrics? It's about stalker…."I'll be watching you…."
'One' by U2 – to quote the man himself: "It amazes me when people tell me they played it at their wedding or for comfort at a funeral. I go to myself, 'Are you crazy? It's about breaking up.'" (Los Angeles Times, 8th August 2004.)
'My Heart Will Go On' by Celine Dion – She's singing about her lover who died.
'Billie Jean' by Michael Jackson – I really don't understand why this was played. Maybe they were focusing on the lyrics about 'a girl who thinks I am the one' and ignoring the rest about the begetting of a love child.
'One of Us' by Joan Osbourne – Yes, yes, it's a wonderfully deep and meaningful song. About God's isolation from humanity.
'Don't Speak' by No Doubt – a classic break-up song of the best kind.
'When a Man Loves a Woman' by Percy Sledge – Sledge made this song up on the spot after he got dumped by his girlfriend seconds before having to go on stage to perform at a club. This is a song for all those men who've been too blinded by love to notice their woman treating them like dirt…actually come to think of it, I know the perfect couple for this song, but I'm not going to name names…
' Perfect Day' by Lou Reed – A beautiful, touching song about one man and his heroin habit. Can you believe that Children in Need were going to rerecord it and use it as a fundraiser!
'Here with Me' by Dido – Written about the morning after the night before if you know what I mean *wink wink* *nudge nudge*
'November Rain' by Guns N' Roses – This is a sad song about a couple on the verge of breaking up.
'White Wedding' by Billy Idol – This is a classic anti wedding song. It is about an angry man whose true love is married to someone else.
'If Loving You Is Wrong, I Don't Want to be Right' by Luther Ingram – This one would leave me asking questions. It's about two married people having an affair. "I don't wanna be right if it means coming home at night." … yeah maybe your significant other has something to tell you…


But I'm not a complete kill joy – here are a couple of songs that will go down a treat at a wedding:

'All I Want is You' by Barry Louis Polisar – This is a very happy go lucky song with such lyrics as "All I want is you, will you be my bride. Take me by the hand and stand by my side. All I want is you, will you stay with me? Hold me in your arms and sway me like the sea. " honestly what a cute song!
'Don't Falter' by Mint Royales –  this is another sweet song about a bride singing about her love for her groom.
'Anyone Else but You' by The Moldy Peaches –here's a love song for the passionate, strong minded geeks. Which relates to me perfectly *giggle*




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Clubs</u>

As the lights brightened on the stage, they revealed a typical garden with a big pile of leaves, shrubs and a compost heap. Here we entered the world of a young boy who was playing in his backyard. He fort an imaginary enemy with a wooden sword which took him behind the sheets on the washing line revelling the shadow of the young boy and a pirate that he was fighting. This was the opening of the children's 'Blow the garden' Section in the World of Wearablearts. From the sheets came all the wonderful creators from a Childs imagination. These include fairies, goblins and the beautiful wining costume of a dandelion (The Dandelion Clock, Tracey Koole, Auckland.) which consist of three models that could brake apart to look like a dandelion blowing in the wind.  As the children left the stage the shrubs started to bounce up and down, the compost heap turned around to revel a man with a very large hump, the leaves broke apart to about 5 or 6 different people. The shrubs then climbed out of the ground as people in suits with shrubs for hair. The entire show was full of the little twist and turns like these as it pulled you deeper into the imagination of the designers and their 165 creations through the various categories which include graffiti art, magic gardens, super heroes, dancing cowboys, charming creatures from the dark and a parallel universe.
All of the costumes in the show were amazing, but the effort that must have been put into them made them even more breathe taking. Like that of David Walker's Lady Of The Wood (which won the Supreme award and the avant garde section).Lady Of The Wood is an Alaskan carpenter's 17th Century ball gown made entirely of  mahogany wood and lacewood with 52 strips of maple and cedar veneer for the hooped skirt and a wig made from wood shavings.
The show was hosted by the Top Twins…and I must say I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. I especially loved it when a disco ball Minnie was on stage with body builders standing around it in glittery short shorts posing, while the Top Twins yodelled with topless Cowboys dancing in the crowd in glittery (revelling) costumes. My mums comment was "oh it wasn't as gay as last year…" I can only imagine what last years show must have been like!
The World of Wearablearts is an amazing show that has to be seen to be believed! It really has a fitting name…it was simply WOW.




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Clubs</u>

Usually if I hear a story like this I would have said to myself that is was over exaggerated, or there’s no way that could be true…but it is!
While at work a workmate of mine got a call from her boyfriend. He boyfriend was spending the day at home because he was hit in the face with a cricket ball and felt a little funny. That “funny” feeling would have been a concussion. My workmate picked up the phone and I saw her face turn white and she got all frantic. She kept yelling “go to the dentist” and “ put salt water on it!”
When she hung we were looking at her confused. When she explained we were more then confused we were shocked! Her boyfriend had a tooth ache (what more can you expect after being hit in the face with a cricket ball) so to solve the problem he got a pair of pliers and pulled the tooth out! Yes I am not making this up! There was blood all over the house and he was more worried that he couldn’t find his tooth after he dropped it!
Hes doing fine now, but he still hasn’t gone to see the dentist, or doctor, Silly boy.



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Clubs</u>

Woohoo I got a DD!

It was a bit of a shock to wake up and find 600+ messages waiting for me, and they just keep on coming! I tried to write back to everyone as much as I could for all your lovely comments and favs. If I left you out I am send out my thanks to you now
I’m so glad people like my idea and my toys! This is one step closer to marketing these little sparks of children’s joy. I’m hoping that by the end of this year I  will have a website up so you can send in your children drawings, buy the toys and books all from Alternative Imagination. Once its made I will be sure to post a link here.



Yay! my first Daily Deviation


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Clubs</u>

When I applied to work at click clack it was for a fixed term contract for 4 months…but after seeing my work they really liked my designs and decided that maybe they should higher a full time graphic designer.
Today I got the call that I got the job!
Yip I got the first graphic design job I ever applied for, for an international company, only two months after I finished studying!
Whoo!
I have to say it’s a huge load off my shoulders.

But I’m not going to let this full time job get to my head. I am still going to do freelance work in my spear time. Details below or click ‘Commission information’ to the right for contact information.

Hire me for Freelance work</u>



Clubs</u>

Things at work are going well. The new packaging design is done and everyone loves it. It should be on the shelves (all over the world) in the next few months. Click Clack is so confident in my design skills they have asked me to design a new product line for them. Can you believe it? With in the first 4 months of my first full time job I have moved from designing adverts to designing the actual products! It still seams unreal.

Happy Birthday to Me! Yes that’s right today is my birthday  I’m so thrilled; my big present this year was a sewing machine. I’ve never owned one before. This is going to make all my toy making so much easier! I also got a lovely Pandora bead from chris and hes also printing a t-shirt with my design on it for me
With this new sewing machine I hope to get some new toys up on here real soon. One is a byproduct from the Alternative imagination line so keep your eye out for that one
All in all I couldn’t ask for much more

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Clubs</u>

Commission information</u>

Art</u>



Design</u>


Note:</b>



  Payment details </u>
Depending on what you are after, I will draw up a free pencil sketch proof. Once the desired proof is drawn up 50% of the fee is required to start the final product. The addition 50% will be required at the completion of the final product.
  I will accept payment by:
Direct credit
check
PayPal


Contact info</u>

Email - J_F_Mckenzie@hotmail.com
Web - [link]

Guess who's the new graphic designer for Click Clack...
MMMMMEEEE!!!
Yip I have finally got a graphic design job, and to make things better its for a product that is sold all over the world!
Although a job in my chosen carrier, more pay, and the experience is all great, what im really looking forward to most is quitting my part time job and getting my weekends back!





"Whenever a child is lonely and bored,
It is because the friends that swim their mind are being ignored.
So get out a pen and paper,
Or a crayon if you choose,
To find the new friends that are waiting to be rescued.

When a new friend is drawn to perfection,
The Alternative Imagination fairy will add your friend to the collection.
She will wave her wand with a swish and a flick,
And here you can agree,
That your friend will come to life as quick as can be."

Alternative Imagination
Bringing children's imaginary friends to life.


Alternative Imagination has a range of toys that can help children communicate their feelings, look deeper at nature, discover the alphabet, or simply learn about family values. The core value of Alternative Imagination is to let children be children. With Alternative Imagination children are encouraged to use their imagination to find the new and exciting friends that surround them, while they discover and meet other children's friends adopted by the Alternative imagination brand.
Alternative Imagination embraces children’s drawings and imagination. This is echoed throughout the brand.  



CLUBS~



Thanks to for the journal code

“Whenever a child is lonely and bored,
It is because the friends that swim their mind are being ignored.
So get out a pen and paper,
Or a crayon if you choose,
To find the new friends that are waiting to be rescued.

When a new friend is drawn to perfection,
The Alternative Imagination fairy will add your friend to the collection.
She will wave her wand with a swish and a flick,
And here you can agree,
That your friend will come to life as quick as can be.

Alternative Imagination
Bringing children’s imaginary friends to life.”

Alternative Imagination has a range of toys that can help children communicate their feelings, look deeper at nature, discover the alphabet and arrange sentences, or simply learn about family values. The core value of Alternative Imagination is to let children be children. With Alternative Imagination children are encouraged to use their imagination to find the new and exciting friends that surround them, while they discover and meet other children’s friends adopted by the Alternative imagination brand.
Alternative Imagination embraces children’s drawings and imagination. This is echoed throughout the brand. A new friend is formed when the Alternative imagination fairy discovers a child’s drawing of their imaginary friend. The Alternative imagination fairy then asks the child about the friends’ personality and how they were first discovered. With that she waves her magic sewing needle and a new Alternative imagination toy is created. Although the toy is created in a three dimensional form, the Alternative imagination fairy makes sure it adopts traits found with in the child’s drawing



Alternative Imagination is the project I did for UCOL, Palmerston North. We had a whole year to complete a project of our choice. I chose to create my own brand. I love working with kids so it seamed obvious to create a child’s brand.
Alternative Imagination is a combination of 5 toys:
- Mark Paraka
- Rufus
- And the Phants (Al, Ally and Ali)
For the brand I also created 3 posters and a children’s storybook.

Although this project was a lot of work, I had so much fun doing it!

Alternative Imagination will be on display at Te Manawa Gallery, Palmerston North, New Zealand, from the 22nd of Nov to the 14 on Jan.
If you can make it I will love to see you there!





CLUBS~



Thanks to for the journal code

Would you love to see their drawings come to life?


I am a third year design student embarking on a major project involving children drawings. I aim to gather children drawings on their imaginary friends (or the ultimate friend they can think of). From these drawings I interpret into my own style to create a new and exciting toy or book. Each child’s name, age and country will be featured on they toys, and the children can even name the toys themselves!

And this is were you come in. Do you (or any one you know) have a child that loves to draw and will love to see their drawing come to life? If their drawings are picked, I may make a product (Toy/book), which I will send to you to give to the child! What a cool present will that be?



-Drawing of an imaginary friend or the ultimate friend they can think of.
- Childs information, (name, age, hobbies, country,)
- friends information, (name, age, likes, dislikes)
- photo of the child with the drawing
- contact information

As this is just a project no profit what so ever will be made by my course provider or me.

If this sounds like something you will be interested in please contact me by note or email (J_F_Mckenzie@hotmail.com).

Thanks!



CLUBS~



Thanks to for the journal code