I can’t recall when I first heard the saying, “keep it simple silly” but I have a feeling it was sometime in my formative years before “silly” used to be “stupid” and long before the teachers had to teach us derivatives in calculus and molecular equations in chemistry. In the fast paced and quick changing world around us (often faster than lightning strikes) we are constantly searching for the simple or clearly defined. The other weekend my dad and I were running a few errands and he grabbed a Patagonia t-shirt. What was so special about it? The graphic. “Live Simply.”

This message of simple resonates with all of us. It’s a longing really. Like the movie The Gladiator with Russel Crowe where he is walking through the golden fields running his hands over the grains and Ridley Scott frames the perfect shot from Russel’s fingertips dancing on the wheat to panning upward revealing the ultimate ‘la dolce vida’ view while Hans Zimmer’s score echos in the background. Simple, right?! But what if we were made for more than just simple?

In my own life as hard as I try to “keep it simple,” sometimes I’m just not satisfied. Now of course there are times where simple is a daily part of life and easier. I’m not talking about these times. I’m talking about the complex algorithms around us that appear effortless and almost accidental like, those that we know are not mere coincidence but derive from something much bigger. Perhaps that’s why I love that we get to create “something from nothing” for our clients. Their dreams are simple, “we’d like to have our wedding at home in our backyard on the water.” But the logistics and steps to obtaining this dream are far from. The end result? Simple. A beautiful backyard wedding at home for the happy couple. Getting there? See this post! And it’s the ‘Getting There,” the complex, the unknown, the crazed and often other-worldly that I love.

I recently watched the movie Burnt with Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller. Sure, it may not be winning any Oscars or SAG awards, but it was entertaining. At the beginning of the movie Bradley’s character speaks to the search and constant struggle to achieve perfection, even if perfection isn’t possible, and he utters these words… “it was God who created oysters and apples. You can’t improve on a recipe like that. But it’s our job to try.”

Apples and oysters. Simple? Complex? Needs improvement? Perfection? To those dreamers and doers, it’s all-of-the-above but we can appreciate them for what they are, but see the potential they have for something more.