Monday, April 26, 2010

When I Cross That Bridge...

"I'll go back to Manhattan,
as if nothing ever happened.

When I cross that bridge,

It'll be as if this don't exist."





"I should go back to Manhattan,
It's just a train ride away.
I know nothing 'bout leaving,
But I know I should do it today."
- Norah Jones



(All pictures on this blog are candid shots taken as life unfolds in front of me. No pictures on this blog are staged or altered in any way.)

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Flight Photog!!!!!

Pilot: "Our flight time will be approximately 2 hours, 49 minutes."

What to do? iPod....on. Brick Breaker, lets do this! 7 haunting levels and 6 minutes later - "game over". Hmmm... Keeping myself occupied on a 3 hour flight is not going to be easy, especially when I am leaving a paradise of crystal blue colored oceans, and back home to my Styrofoam infested green ocean waters that won't even be available for my visiting until late May, early June due to northeast weather conditions (to paint a mental experience for those not from my "island", would you be enticed to swim in pickle water? :-/).

Mental images aside, I picked up some reading material from the backseat pocket ahead of me. To my avail - a drink menu (8am Mike...really?), and a vacation guide by "sponsors of Southwest Airlines". Endless vacations in the most exotic locations, of course only available through Southwest Airline flights, and recommended by, well this shouldn't be a shock, the CEO of Southwest Airlines.....Fedora off - advertising hat on.

Good advertising, mentioning your company name every other word....and thanks to Southwest Airlines, I am brainwashed into thinking it is the only carrier that flies daily to big cities like Boston, Chicago, and Dallas. Something was clearly missing, cause I was still bored.

Mike: "You had me at "take a vacation", but the thought of me sitting on this plane makes me think twice....maybe spruce up you advertising to make people's 'on-board' experience seem a little nicer.

Glancing to my right - there they were. Inspiration for a new way to advertise Southwest Airlines on-board experience!!

I propose that they throw some shots of beautiful cloud photography (from passengers or professionals) into their advertising pamphlets.....because sometimes it's not only about the destination, but the journey as well...(tagline?)


CAUTION: Below are pictures that Southwest Airlines did NOT want us to see!!!






...breathtaking ain't it? No photography credits go to Mike Manusama. I'd like to thank Mother Nature for the view.


Maybe they don't enjoy the fruits that mother nature has to offer, but the following pictures sure as hell blow away a city shot of Dallas....I mean really, we look at the bottom of clouds every day. It's about time we see them from a new angle.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Latte Art

If you've had to design something on a deadline like me, you've probably put some extra gas in that tank and spent the night designing on a little fuel called "Espresso". We see the stereotypes all the time, and we all know its true....If you drink Starbucks Caramel Macchiato's while doing work, it MUST be more productive than a Dunkachino at your home office computer, right?

Either way, what happens when a creative hits a block in design inspiration? ADD can be a bit of a hassle, but a real designer knows art comes in many forms, and inspiration for creativity can be drawn from anywhere. Just ask these people that looked at the top of their steamed milk and espresso and said, "looks like a blank canvas...lets create." I found this article and thought it puts a lot of Designer ADD's in perspective:

http://designbeep.com/2010/04/07/40-mindblowing-latte-art-designs/

Monday, April 12, 2010

Ain't No Sunshine When I'm Gone

"Flight 983 to Islip has been delayed due to excessive lightning bolts being thrown as us by mother nature near Palm Beach International Airport"

Why wouldn't a weekend spent in Southern Florida be culminated with a delayed flight to my beloved New York? A tropical location that is more than abundant in clear skies, beautiful weather, crystal blue water beaches....and a delayed flight for the exact same reasons that people get away from and travel down here to avoid. Sound like irony. Sounds like a story line for a movie. Maybe the story line will allow for an opportunity, like the movies usually do! Maybe ill meet an employer who wants to hire me, (....eh, I don't have my degree yet) maybe ill make a new friend (...I have my eyes and fingers glued to my phone too much to seem "approachable" to anyone here), or better yet, maybe ill meet the love of my life (...sorry, I've already met her. Hence my eagerness to make it home).

For now, it is a typical story line. Wet clothes from a torrential Floridian down pour, exhausted from running on less than 3 hours of sleep, the crying baby, the person speaking entirely too loud in my ear on their phone.

My remedy is to play the part of the man with the delayed flight. Buy the snacks (the ones that promise to contain 60% less fat than competitors), and Vitamin Water (that promises to have more vitamins than their competitors). Now that I have the best of both worlds in the snack world, ill throw on a blues set and wait for my flight to be called....

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Who Needs Shelter?

Good-day sunlight,
I'd like to say how truly bright you are.
You don't know me but I know you,
See, you're my favorite star. - Jason Mraz

Life is a Beach Chair

I visited a friend in West Palm Beach. Arriving yesterday, I decided to spend my free time soaking in the hot Florida sun. These people get to live this every day of their lives. As I basque in the presence of a tropical atmosphere, I want to take the time out to say, take nothing for granted and God bless everyone! I'm outta here! iPod...TAKE ME AWAYYY!!!

Friday, April 2, 2010

Quick Spec. Book Cover Design

As I look for freelance positions online, I see a lot of Publication company's looking for Freelance Graphic Designers with **book design** experience. While not everyone has experience in the exact fields that some employers are looking for, designers make Spec Designs which are Designs made by the designer, but on their own creativity and terms, and not a clients. So, take this Publishers, and allow me to show you my Book Cover Design Experience!!!!


Book cover for "Friends, Lovers, or Nothing"


It's obvious to see that I was listening to John Mayer's "Battle Studies" while working on this, but that's the beauty of Spec work! When the design is speaking, the inspiration for content can come from anywhere!

Artful Meaning

In the journey down the long road that is my fascination for art, one of my stops was an infatuation with traditional Japanese Art. From old canvases scribbled with beautiful depictions of ancient Japanese mythology, to the sushi we get at lunch, its clear that the Japanese have a strong tradition in art (I mean, sometimes a Japanese meal is presented so beautifully, sometimes I feel bad eating it).

Around the same time, I was weighing the option of getting a second tattoo on my arm and the two ideas interchanged in my mind beautifully. I began researching traditional Japanese art that I really enjoyed looking at (after all Mike, this is going to be on you, forever). Koi fishes stood out most to me, mainly because of how they are drawn, and they symbolism behind them.

According to Eastern Asian traditions, a Koi fish swims upstream, against the tides of the Yellow River, onto Dragon Gate. If it succeeds in doing so, it becomes a Dragon. I thought of getting a Koi fish swimming upstream, symbolizing the determination to reach great achievements in my life.Looking at a fish by itself swimming upstream as a symbolic meaning to my life is beautiful to me, but as an artist, I knew I could maybe add either more elements of eye popping traditional art, or some more symbolic elements. Why not have my cake and eat it to and do both?

Cherry Blossoms and lotus flowers are also elements of Japanese art and happen to be a favorite of mine. Cherry blossom flowers tend to be a little smaller, so the idea was to symbolize my family by getting 5 Cherry Blossom flowers (3 children, 2 parents) surrounding the Koi fish's journey to success....we could all use support from loved ones to help get anywhere in life. Lastly was a Lotus flower that I dedicated to my Opa, that I shared a strong relationship with before he passed away.

So, idea in my mind, I took it to an amazing artist named Jimbo at Lark Tattoo to put my ideas into a beautiful piece of artwork that would last forever. In the end, I could not have asked for anything more. The result was dead on to what I imagined, and I am happy to own this piece of art and wear it every day:



Outer arm.

Inner arm. Tattoo done by Jimbo, Lark Tattoo.