I had a dream last night that I was sitting by the window of my apartment, clutching a giant sea-fishing rod. I was trying to reel in a monster fish from the sea, which was located just outside the opposite window of my apartment (which doesn’t exist). It was quite a battle. After struggling I finally muscled this giant catch into the window. It flew across the room. I grabbed the fishing line and held up the fish; Grabbed a knife and stabbed into it. I thought this giant fish was a monster. I leaned out the window I was sitting by, holding the fish far away from my face. From inside the fish dropped the skeleton of a lobster (keep in mind lobsters don’t really have skeletons but rather exoskeletons). Still thinking this fish was a monster, I asked Justin (who was standing by my side) what to do with the fish! He said calmly, “Just leave it outside the window on the ledge, we’ll cook it tomorrow. And don’t knock off the lobster skeleton!”. Just then realized I was just holding a giant fish. It posed no threat to my being. Immediately after I heard machine gun noises from the alley just below the window. I was startled and yelled! I leaned out the window and looked down. There sat a picnic table, not a soul in sight. Atop the table, a bunch of fireworks sat, triggering themselves. It was quite the show!

And all of a sudden it was 12:15pm. I was seconds from crawling out of bed at 10:00am. I’m kind of glad I went for the ride this time!

My first attempt at a Lobster Skeleton and some other doodles from today!

Today I was inspired by a neon sign that read ’sushi’. This may turn into something bigger…

SiteLA is a beautiful communal work and exhibition space in Los Angeles. Six independent and creative women, who have been dubbed “Visionaries in Residence” have been living and working at the space since February and will continue to do so throughout the year. The project is a way of promoting and celebrating the launch of Quiksilver’s latest womens line.

Quiksilver will be supporting the six women for the next year as they pursue their individual goals as artists, activists, entrepreneurs and designers. At the same time they will be hosting positive community events which are free for everyone! Brands today seem to be trying harder and harder to get their lines worn by their ideal target customer. Quiksilver is taking a ‘Give before You Receive’ approach, which I think you will see more and more often as brands realize that they need to reach out further to their customers before they receive anything in return. It’s a ‘You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours’ with the customer coming first! Not only is this a very cool project but the bi-product of the entire year will be some fantastic work, and plenty of photographs and video, which will serve to promote the line of clothing and most likely will pop up in Quiksilver’s advertising and collateral. Just a VERY Smart Idea. When your ideal target customers (The Visionaries in Residence) unintentionally are creating your campaigns and living their lives in your clothes chances are the end result is big exposure and very natural and genuine marketing. Visit SiteLA.org for more and check out these six beautiful and empowered women!

Another conceptual piece I’m working on for a big SOLO show in 2009! This is a vending machine, which you will be able to insert any random object, a thought scribbled on paper, or anything else that fits in the slot…Then you’ll get it back! Remember! You GET OUT OF LIFE, WHAT YOU PUT IN! Details will be available in a few months but I can promise you this…Its going to be soo FUN! Looking forward to great things as always. Won’t you join me?

Portrait photography has been around since the invention and popularization of the camera. It is a cheaper and often more accessible method than portrait painting, which had been used by distinguished figures before the popularity of the camera. - Wikipedia

Over time and after the invention of the polaroid (RIP…for the time being) portraits became more and more informal and much more common. Today they are one in a bajillion! However, due to some technological developments thanks to Motion Portrait I foresee a very big BANG for portrait “photography”. As soon as this technology is released to the public (My understanding is that right now it is available just for game developers) everyone is going to want their MOTION PORTRAIT! Motion Portrait automatically creates a 3D model instantly from one single picture. It enables Real-time rendering, and allows users to interact/animate characters with the movement of a mouse or touch of a button! Most impressive of all is Motion Portraits various natural facial expressions via their Expression Engine. MotionPortrait creates surprisingly natural facial expressions! Kind of creepy / Kind of cool - Check out the interactive example of this asian girl or watch this demo!

Familjen a.k.a. Johan T Karlsson, a Swedish techno/electropop artist, has blown my mind with the video for the song ‘Det Snurrar I Min Skalle’. That is Swedish for ‘It’s Spinning Inside My Head’. Directed by Johan Söderberg, the video is a mash-up remix of footage from a tent revival. I am hesitant to even use the term mash-up because this is so far beyond what your typical media mash-up has become. Open your eyes and ears and enjoy!

**Where do you start to look for archived footage like this? There are probably so many gems out there waiting to be reborn into modern magic!

via Ryan Firth

My friend Ty Williams just introduced me to a side project from one of the preppy kids in Vampire Weekend. Ty says, “Dude go on my myspace, I have a song by Discovery on my page, it’s up your ally.” So I dialed my internet browser to http://www.myspace.com/discoverdiscovery. Discover Discovery was exactly what I was about to do. And thennn, SMACK! I’m hit upside the head by their album artwork. I think it may be the first animated album artwork I’ve seen! I’ve been reading articles about the future of album art, where its going, whats going to happen with it. I actually had a conversation about how albums may end up just being skinned mp3 players. Carry around your ear buds, stop in the record shop, and buy a mp3 player which is customized by the band, with their songs on it. Pay $6.99 at the register and walk out listening.

Well thats one idea…this is another. How this is translated into the tangible world will be interesting. An LCD screen as your album cover? Seems wasteful in this time of being GREEN! I guess we will have to wait and see but eat this!
Discovery - Orange ShirtDiscovery - Orange Shirt

Oh yeah…check out their music too! I like it! DISCOVERY

An idea for a sculpture!

Jon and I planted Wildflower Seeds yesterday…We will be waiting for the KaBLOOM so that we may Party!

***Look closely!

To laugh often and love much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and
the affection of children;
To earn the approbation of honest critics and
to endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty;
To find the best in others; To give one’s self;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child,
a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition;
To have played and laughed with enthusiasm
and sung with exultation;
To know that even one life has
breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.

My high school art teacher introduced me to this quote and I have kept it with me ever since. However, I have just recently discovered that there is a debate whether this quote was written by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Turns out the quote may be traceable to a 1905 publication. Apparently, in a collection of quotations on “success,” a poem by Bessie Stanley appeared facing a page with a quotation from Emerson. Perhaps the mistaken attribution began when someone copied the source inaccurately from that collection. Here’s a 1905 article from the Lincoln Sentinel about Bessie Stanley’s Famous Poem. (via transcendentalists.com)

This got me thinking about the ‘mind-link function’, as I like to call it. The idea that people across the world can tap into ideas and energy floating around and come up with the same or similar ideas once a particular idea is conceived by someone, somewhere! Sure you can’t find this quote in Emerson’s writings, and he damn well could have gotten credit for something he didn’t write, but who is to say the dude never said this, or something similar. And Miss Bessie, well I’m sure she wrote it too! The important thing is that we have the quote, and lots of other things that people have created, credited or not, and all these things make the world a bit better. It’s a little bit mind-link function and a lot bit of thinking! Throw in computers and things are just going to get straight up weiiiird.

I’ve been a fan of a lot of things recently, but Barack Obama has really impressed me! I’m very happy with my decision to support him over the past months during his campaign for president. I feel like he could be a friend of mine…Maybe not the, lets go to a show, have some beers, or skate the mini-ramp type of friend, but someone I could honestly connect with and have a solid conversation about whatever either of us finds interesting. Pay close attention to things happening right now, educate yourself, keep an open mind, and make your important decision. Then back up your decision with just a little bit of work or a donation so that WE can turn things around! Join the party and let us make politics positive and progressive! Arcade Fire is a fan. Will.i.am is a fan. Shepard Fairey is a fan…Are you?