RIP Steve Jobs

Straight from the Apple welcome page today:

RIP, Steve Jobs. Truly a genius of our, and of any, time. Considered a modern-day Edison, Jobs saw the world in a way no one else could, put his passion into everything he did, and pushed for the things he believed in. He was one of the first people to recognize that computer technology would one day be an integral part of everyday life...and he knew this back in the seventies. Truly a man ahead of his time.

(Source)

His involvement in both Apple and Pixar have forever affected my life. The one-time owner of Pixar, Disney's largest shareholder, and creative genius behind all things "i," I will be reminded of his legacy everyday when I use my prized iMacs at home and at work, get immersed into the world of Toy Story and other Disney/Pixar movies, listen to my iPod on the treadmill, watch YouTube videos on an iPad, and finally buy my first iPhone (have you seen the videos for the new iPhone 4S?! Incredible). As a designer, illustrator, writer, music-lover, and wanna-be animator, his products have had a profound effect on me, and I have been a diehard Apple-lover since I was "forced" to purchase a MacBook Pro when I first got accepted into my art program in college. His creations and contributions epitomize our culture today.

The love of my life...

Some of my favorite Steve Jobs quotes:


"That's been one of my mantras — focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it's worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains." 
– Business Week 1998


"Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn't matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we've done something wonderful … that's what matters to me."
– Wall Street Journal 1993


"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life." 
– Stanford commencement speech 2005


"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle."
– Stanford commencement speech 2005




These are things that everyone can learn from.


As Steven Spielberg said, “Steve Jobs was the greatest inventor since Thomas Edison. He put the world at our fingertips.”


The world has just lost an incredible, innovative visionary. A vital part of our history and culture. A game-changer. An inspiration. He will be missed.