A Visionary Speaks his Mind

We enjoyed another excellent speaker Wednesday afternoon. International illustrator Christoph Niemann had us drop by his studio and he talked about his latest book, Abstract City, published largely from blogs he's written for the New York Times Sunday magazine. Christoph was a hit with the students, combining a sense of humility with his impressive accomplishments. One point he drove home was about how you are responsible for what you achieve, despite the ease of blaming others or conditions around you for excuses. He compared Berlin to NYC, acknowledging the creative forces alive in Berlin. Christoph had the group in stiches as he explained the difficutlities of Tweeting his progress during the 2011 New York marathon. Luckily he had a spare box of Abstract City books in the office, and signed copies for 6 to 7 of us. My inscription read:"To my Best Friend and fellow Berlin Enthousiast, John Freeman." Hah! --  I'm cool with that!