Face Reality

This is such a cool concept. Type written on a wall that only looks correct when viewing it from a specific angle straight on. The designer executed this project by projecting the type from a standard light projector then carefully painting on the letters. Pretty sweet!

It kind of makes me think about our perspective on things. From one angle, everything can look ugly and skewed, but maybe all we need is just need to do is have a shift of perspective... stand and look at things from the right angle, then everything will fall into place...

Just some thoughts on a Tuesday morning :)

Source.

Be an Artist.

I remember back in school as a graphic design major, one of my awesomely talented professors Trever Hoehne would always tell us to "be artists." Be an artist. I am an artist... but it's so easy to forget, isn't it?

I really loved when he would tell us that. It would remind me who I am, why I do what I do and why I love it. AND it helped me create better work.

So, why am I going back to good 'ol college this morning? Because it's something that I've been thinking about lately... How easy it is to forget to be an artist at times. Let's be honest, when you're in the business of doing graphic design, not all your projects feel like "art" (to say the least). But some have the potential to - and I'd really love to get back to the core of why I got into design in the first place and be an artist again. Or at least be aware of it.

When thinking about great art I can't help but think of one of my all time favorite artists, Andy Goldsworthy. You guys - he is SO inspiring. If you haven't seen this documentary - WATCH IT. I mean, seriously. You can get it here and watch the full documentary online here. Andy Goldsworthy uses only nature to create. Leaves, sticks, even ice are just a few of his chosen mediums. Watching the documentary I'm amazed by his patience, his attention to detail, his connection with nature - and of course, the final piece. Once finished, the pieces are photographed, and then left to erode away with nature. He strives to connect, to be in the present, to be aware of all of his surroundings, and with this connection he creates.

"For me looking, touching, material, place and form are all inseparable from the resulting work. It is difficult to say where one stops and another begins. Place is found by walking, direction determined by weather and season. I take the opportunity each day offers: if it is snowing, I work in snow, at leaf-fall it will be leaves; a blown over tree becomes a source of twigs and branches." -Andy Goldsworthy

Be an artist today. Be creative. Think for yourself. Be different.
My words of inspiration today for myself and you :)

Happy Thursday!

Photo source 1 // 2

Inspired.

I recently found this short film on the wonderful blog The Selby.
It documents an artist who creates her work using sound. She is also deaf.
Her words are inspiring and lovely.
I had to share it with you guys.



Christine Sun Kim, A Selby Film from the selby on Vimeo.

Crazy Hair and Teal

I'm loving these beautiful illustrations by Alexandra Levasseur.
I feel like they explain how I can feel on crazy days- hair everywhere, color, patterns, everything swirling around my brain with no particular order, but somehow, it always seems to come together.



Find more of her illustrations here. Hope everyone is having a great Monday so far!

I love how photography can capture so much, and tell such a story.
Just the glance of a woman, or the turning of the head is a mystery we can relate to.
Not sure if that makes sense completely, but it's late, and my brain is foggy.
I just know these photos are beautiful.

The Good Stuff

Ok- totally just found one of my new favorite artists- Jennifer Sanchez! Isn't her use of mix medias, colors and patterns brilliant?? I know I say this all the time, but I seriously have got to do some art outside the computer... the creative juices are flowin and I'm feeling inspired once again. Let's see if I actually do anything with it... or find time to!

Make Something Cool Everyday.

That's what this guy did. That's right. Every single day of the year, this guy made something cool.
You can look at every single one right here. It's fun to see what someone will come up with when they are forced to come up with something new day after day. That is some goood discipline.

So Dreamy

The colors, shapes, and cleanliness of theses photos put me in a dream state.

Giveaway Day!

Hey friends, are you guys ready?


Its a Giveaway! Be excited- cause we're giving away the "California Dreamin" calendar from Deborah Yun of Young Swan Designs. This calendar is created from photos that she has taken all over beautiful California. I think it would be pretty neat to have this thing above my desk, to remind me of the beautiful place I live, and bring a bit of peace during a stressful day.


I love to meet women who run after their dream, and persue it with full force. That is exactly what Deborah has done with her photography.


Deborah answered a few questions below, so we can all see the artist behind the piece. (Makes it more personal and meaningful I think!)

How did Young Swan Designs begin? 

Young Swan Designs began many years ago, although I didn't know it at the time. Like many artists’ journeys, it gradually grew with every act of creative risk, wanderlust and genuine fulfillment. One day I stumbled upon a French term, "atelier," meaning an artist's studio, and it became a new dream to create such a space for myself—a space absolutely dedicated to making something with my hands and then sending it off into the world. The rest unfolded over time, following whispers from my heart... like seeing the magic of black and white film in the dark room, capturing the romantic nostalgia of Paris, or chasing puffy clouds until they have made it through my lens.

In 2010, I started to practice meditation and really began to look inward and focus on figuring out who I am, my ‘true self.’ I decided to quit my job, bought a new lap top and finally built a website to showcase my photos. Since then, I got engaged, moved out of Santa Monica to Fresno, CA, and decided to open an Etsy store. I needed a name for the shop, so my fiancé and I brainstormed for a while. We came up with the name, Young Swan Designs, because we both believe in the potential of each individual, and the idea that we can all turn into a beautiful swan like in the fable of "The Ugly Duckling.” The shop has been open since October 2011, and the process has been a lot of fun!

What causes you to gravitate towards photographing nature?

Patterns! Nature is always changing, revealing an infinite array of patterns, making it a constant source of inspiration. Being from Guam, where it is summer all year round, I grew up without ever experiencing the changing of seasons. This year I enjoyed the beauty of Fall for the first time in Fresno which inspired my Autumn collection on Etsy. I'm currently in Michigan visiting my fiancé's family, and am working on my first Winter series!


What drives your passion for photography? 

As a photographer, I am passionate about being as authentic and prolific as possible. Having a background in Product Design, I have been greatly influenced by Karim Rashid. He has designed over 3,000 products and continues to inspire the next generation of designers. I saw the medium of photography to be best suited to express my personal vision and create as many bodies of work as I can. For a deeper poetic statement I wrote on "Why I Photograph...” read here.

How do you stay inspired?

I see my camera as a treasure box where I get to be an adventurer collecting precious gems. The camera seems to make life more magical. My true inspiration comes from my passion for travel. I want to see the world. And I see the camera as the way to venture around the globe. My Etsy shop is where I get to share my goodies with others, to then ship them back out into the world again! I also love walking through stores with elements of things I love, such as paper goods, cookbooks, gifts, photography and design. My mind brims with ideas and I’m left wondering how these products made it here. It inspires me to make new products and get them on the shelves.


Sometimes when I get into a lull, I watch the commencement speech that Steve Jobs gave to our graduating class at Stanford in '05. It's impossible to not feel inspired after listening to his profound nuggets of wisdom. His speech helped me realize that whenever you feel lost, you aren't really lost; you just forgot what you already knew because things oftentimes get in the way of carving your unique path as an artist. His insights also helped me make some major decisions in my life, such as packing up all of my things in a U-Haul and driving from Palo Alto to Santa Monica, CA to start my life as an independent artist. Here is Steve Jobs’ Commencement Speech in ‘05.

Thanks so much Deborah! Keep pursuing that dream and doing what you love. You can also check out Deborah's portfolio and blog.

To win the calendar, all you have to do is visit Deborah's Etsy shop, and comment below telling us about your favorite piece :) We will announce the winner next week. Good luck and Happy Weekend!!

I am in love with these bear prints. How adorable is EACH one? Its like that little panda with
the bow tie is looking at me and telling me something- not sure what but it's super cute.

If you're like me and looking for some last minute Christmas presents, check out Society6.
It's full of awesome, affordable art prints- I think you could find something for anyone here.
I mean, it's where I fell in love with these bears, so it's gotta be good.
And art always makes for a good gift in my opinion.

Hope you guys are having a good week before Christmas!
This month has FLOWN by. I can't believe Christmas is THIS WEEKEND!!
I'm trying to finish work up today and tomorrow so I can be relaxing Christmas style
the rest of the week with my fam.

Happy Tuesday everyone!

goood mornin!

a little bit of colorful contemporary art to wake you up on this lovely monday morn.

check out more on this exhibit here!

happy monday folks!

Being out in nature this weekend was soo nice and needed! Got to hang out with awesome people and refresh my mind.

Being in nature this weekend made me inspired artistically by nature and these amazing leaf cut outs! How amazing are these...

More here.

Breathin

Just tryin to breathe and relax, while getting inspired of course.

Wonderful photography here, raw art with splatters and color here.

I hope everyone had a great Fourth of July weekend and enjoyed the fireworks last night!

Here are some last Fourth of July-ish color patterns and celebrations for ya.

You can learn how to frost this brilliantly colored cake here, and you can check out more fun
paintings by Martin Creed here.

Enjoy Friends!

How great would it be to have a mural of an animal parade painted on your
childhood bedroom wall? What if it was painted by your friend Maurice Sendak- who would
eventually publish the award winning book, "Where the Wild Things Are"?

Thats exactly what happened to the Chertoffs Family. Before the book came out, he was asked as a friend to paint a mural for their children's bedroom wall. He came up with and painted this little masterpiece! The Chertoff's are now donating the mural to the Rosenbach Museum and Library. I have to admit, if that was on my wall, I would probably keep it for myself...

I absolutely love Sendak's illustrations, his use of color and character really makes his work one of a
kind. Good stuff.

You can read the full article here.

What do you do when your getting ready to move? Page through old sketchbooks of course!

I found some of these guys as I was looking at my old sketchbooks and thought I would share them
with you. I think I like them because each of these inspired me to expand on the sketch and make a bigger piece.
Its always fun to go back and be inspired by where you've been and what you've done in your past.

Hey guys! I'm super excited to share with you my feature in Proxart.org this morning! Proxart is an awesome online magazine dedicated to "art, culture and community in the suburbs".

Its hard for us creative types who live far from the inspirational city, and thats exactly what Proxart is getting at. This is for us. The ones living in the suburbs, but still are super creative and making great work.

So if you've never heard of them, check them out! And maybe if you want you can read my interview today on the front page of their site! Go! Right now! yeeeah!



PS- sorry for the lack of blogging yesterday! I was out of town with no internet! Ah!

Messy, yet Put-Together Art

Super fun pastel colored art! I am a huge fan of the messy, yet put together look. Probably because thats me in a nutshell. This is an installation piece by Karla Black up at the Palazzo Pisani now until November.  Anyone wanna take a little trip to Italy??

You can see more photos from this installation here.

Fortune Cookie Art

A sweet art project using fortune cookies as design inspiration. Artists were given
a random fortune cookie, asked to interpret the fortune as they wish and design a
typographical poster to go with it. Its called Posters of Fortune.

Check out more here!

Once again, awesome inspiration = awesome results.