If you have an iPhone you’ve at least heard of Instagram. It’s an iPhone app that allows you to take photos, apply filters and share with your friends. That simple.

While there are countless other photo apps available, Instagram has stuck with me because of its simplicity and fun process. Sure the vintage filters can be overused and a bit cliche at times, but there’s something nice about its constraints and how easy it is to enhance and share photos.

When I have a camera in my hand I tend to looks at the world differently. I’m more aware of lighting, unique angles, and little details that would otherwise go unnoticed. Having an iPhone in my pocket at all times has caused me to constantly be in this same mindset and always on the lookout. Rather than just store the photos on my phone, Instagram acts as my visual journal. Scanning through my feed of photos is a neat way to look back at past events and moments that would have otherwise been forgotten.

It’s easy to say “I don’t live anywhere cool, so there’s not much to take photos of” but that just means you have to look a little harder. There’s so much beauty in ordinary things and places to be found. Here are a few of my favorite shots from my Instagram feed.

This past week I traveled out to Aspen with my family for a week of riding. Thankfully this year I didn’t lose my iPhone on the slopes and we lucked out with amazing weather. The temperatures were warmer than normal but we still got a bunch of fresh snow which made for great conditions. I’ve been to quite a few mountains in Colorado but Aspen Snowmass is probably my all-time favorite. If you ever have the chance, I highly recommend it.

If you’ve been following me on Instagram you’ve seen some of the spectacular views of the Rocky Mountains that I got to take in last week. The photos will give you a small glimpse into what it’s like but there are some things that you just have to experience in person to fully appreciate. More about why I like Instagram so much coming soon.

All photos taken with my iPhone 4.

My wife and I spent the day in NYC yesterday seeing some sites and getting in the Christmas spirit. It was a little chilly, but we lucked out with some sunny weather and had blast as always. We took the East River Ferry from Brooklyn to Manhattan which gave us some great views the the city and Brooklyn Bridge. If you haven’t tried it, I’d recommend taking it at least once. Can’t beat it for only $4/person. Here are a few of my favorite photos from the day.

After several months in the works, we’re excited to finally announce the new Ugmonk Lookbook. We teamed up with our friend and talented photographer Collin Hughes to capture the Ugmonk lifestyle and show our products in action. Also, big thanks to stylist Loren Maring for working with the models and making this all happen!

Go check it out the full lookbook here.

I spent the past few days up in Brooklyn hanging out with friends old and new, enjoying conversation about design, business, and life. While I didn’t get to attend the actual conference portion of Brooklyn Beta, it was great to connect with so many other talented designers, creators, and entrepreneurs that I respect. The sheer amount of talent that was in Brooklyn at one time was incredible.

Last time I was in there I was busy from sunup to sundown. This trip I got to spend some time exploring all different parts of the city and walking until my legs couldn’t take it anymore. The Brooklyn vibe is so different than the typical NYC stereotype, and I really fell in love with it. It’s exciting to see a growing and thriving design community especially in the DUMBO area.

If you follow me on Instagram (@jsheldon) you saw some of these photos, but here are a few more shots from my travels.

I got to spend this past week on Long Beach Island relaxing with my wife and puppy. The weather was perfect, the beaches were beautiful, and the ocean was refreshing. It’s pretty much the exact opposite of what most people think of when they hear Jersey Shore.

Since I love what I do, I don’t think of vacation as an escape from work, but rather a time to step back, relax and disconnect from everything for a while. It was nice to spend some time brainstorming offline and planning out new ideas for the coming months. The internet can be a never-ending source of inspiration, but it can also be a major distraction from being able to focus and get anything done. I definitely need to spend less time in front of my computer and more time with just my pen and sketchbook.

Though I brought my main camera with me, I ended up taking most of my photos with my iPhone and uploading them on Instagram. I thought it would be a neat way to visually sum up the trip. I’m going to share more of my thoughts about Instagram and how it’s affected me in a future post, but feel free to follow me for more random photos of puppies, sunsets and ampersands. (username: jsheldon)

Out of all of the cities I’ve been to, San Francisco is probably top on my list. There’s so much about this city that I enjoy. It seems like on every corner there is an awesome restaurant, cafe, shop, or park. I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad meal out there. A few of my favorites from this past trip were: Tartine Bakery (which I wrote about here), the Grove, Greenburger’s, and Taqueria Can Cun.

I love passionate people, and SF is filled with them. Almost everyone you bump into in SF is either starting a company or working on a side project. It’s fun to be around so many other entrepreneurs, startups, and people who just love what they do. While I was out there, I was lucky enough to get a tour of both the Square and Twitter offices. I’m a big fan of both companies and what they’re doing with their products/services.

Square

We’ve been using Square at our recent events in Philly and Brooklyn and love it. Square is the easiest way to accept credit cards using a mobile device. Simply setup an account, download the app, and plug the card reader into the headphone jack of your smartphone and you’re ready to go.

Not only is the whole experience well-designed and thought out, but the technology just works. I really appreciate the vision of Jack Dorsey and the Square team and their attention to detail on every aspect of the product. More companies and apps need to take some pointers from Square.

Twitter

Twitter has also been huge in the growth of Ugmonk. Not only has it been a great way of keeping people updated with the latest releases and what I’m working on, but it’s also been an amazing networking tool. I’ve connected with so many awesome people through Twitter, many of which I’ve been able to meet in person in the various places I’ve traveled to.

While most of the general public still doesn’t quite understand the point of Twitter and why anyone would use it, it’s played a big part in building the Ugmonk community and where I am today. I love being able to instantly connect with customers, fans, or anyone that’s discovered the brand.

Here are some other random photos from my trip:

Thanks to all who came out to support Ugmonk and see the show. I had a blast meeting everyone, some who have been fans of Ugmonk since its inception and others who just discovered the brand. It’s cool to see how far the word has spread in only three short years.

Big shoutout to Devon, Rosie, Jeremy, Ryan and crew for all of their help setting up and making the show a success. The show will be up for the rest of August, so if you’re in the SF area, stop by D-Structure on Haight St. and check it out in person.

A few weeks ago we finally finished up the buildout of the new Ugmonk warehouse. Our previous setup was quickly taking over my parents house and the added space was much needed. The new space allows us to store everything all in the same room in a more organized manner, making it much easier for fulfillment and shipping. We now have some room to expand, though it’s already filling up quickly as Ugmonk continues to grow. Huge thanks to my awesome parents, brothers, and wife for the many hours of hard work to make this all possible!

Check out Phase 1 and Phase 2 to see the project from start to finish.

I just got back from an amazing week at SXSW Interactive in Austin. It was five days full of brisket, burritos, meetups, and not much sleep. The sessions at the conference itself were a bit hit or miss, but the good ones like Gary Vaynerchuk’s Thank You Economy and Matthew Inman of The Oatmeal and several others made it all worth it.

Even better than the conference itself was the time I got to spend hanging out with so many of you guys and connecting with fellow designers, entrepreneurs and all around genuine people. Though I’ve been talking to many of you online or on Twitter for quite a while, nothing compare’s to actually meeting in-person and sharing ideas. There’s nothing quite like being around so many passionate people  who I respect and admire and learning what I can.

It was also crazy to spot so many people wearing Ugmonk shirts around town and talking to people who were familiar with Ugmonk. I can’t thank you guys enough for supporting what I do and spreading the word about my brand. I’m already looking forward to doing it again next year! Maybe I’ll do an Ugmonk pop-up shop there next time, what do you guys think?