Word of the day: etoecology

(to find out the meaning, watch the film)

Unfortunately, I didn't get the answers right when asked in Biology, thus I couldn't do what this guy did. It's a super way to recycle old notes from class and a lot more creative that just burning them in celebration when exams are over.

(Produced by by Ornana films)

(notes on) biology from ornana films on Vimeo.

The Art Spirit

I am currently reading The Art Spirit by Robert Henri, which is a guide of technical practices in painting along with wisdom and philosophy of art-making. It is filled with rich advice and great quotes. I highly recommend it to my peers.

I was reading a bit of it yesterday and found this passage to be relevant to my life currently:

"The wise draftsman brings forward what he can use most effectively to present his case. His case is his special interest- his special vision. He does not repeat nature... When a fine dancer appears before you in a very significant gesture, you are caught only by the folds of her drapery which respond to the great will in her movement. She has established in you a trend of interest. What enters your vision is only the sequences of this established interest. When gamblers play in luck, when they continue to win, seem to have a knowledge of how the card will turn, they may be said to have fallen in with one of the courses nature takes. They do not know it, but there are sequences and sequences, untold numbers of them overlaying, intermingling. Every movement in nature is orderly, one thing the outcome of another, a matter of constructive, growing force. We live our lives in tune with nature when we are happy, and all our misery is the result of our effort to dictate against nature. In moments of great happiness we seem to be with the universe; when all is wrong we seem to be alone, disjointed. Things are going on without us..." (Robert Henri, The Art Spirit)

I have always been interested in seeing patterns that occur through nature. There are curious turn of events that prompt success and failure despite what we can control. I am finding it important to learn to adjust to challenging circumstances, but most of all, to keep a good attitude whether it seems you are aligned with nature or not. Sometimes if everything seems to be against you, having a bad attitude and dwelling on these things only brings more misery and chances missed. But if you hold your head up and keep looking for opportunity, persistence will get you through these times, and you'll be better for it. Look for the good things and you will find them, maybe minor things at first, but it will progress. (Same with negative things- look for the bad and you will find an abundance that drags you down further).

Can I be honest here? I don't usually write about my personal life on this blog, but I'm struggling right now. In the context of Henri's passage, I've been dictating against nature for too many months. I made a commitment at the beginning of this year to start improving my attitude and doing the best I could to take care of my health, spiritually, mentally and physically. I have improved, and am excited about the vast possibility of growth (as always). I have been very financially challenged and although my lifestyle does not require much, it is debilitating in other ways. I tried to move to a larger city late last year, but this failed when I could not find a job fast enough. I was running out of money, so much to the point of planning my last trip to the city to accomplish everything in those few days from looking at the cheapest living space I could find to an interview that I had been granted at a wonderful firm in the city. This was planned all in the same 2 days to save on gas so I could deposit the rest on the shared room I found. The only problem was that it took substantially more to move in than 2 months rent. The interview was for a paid internship, and although it was a great opportunity and the firm liked my work, I couldn't start out with less than $2,000.

Furthermore, I damaged a friendship by taking advantage of someone when trying to find a job and get a start there. It was not my intention at all, but my lack of communication was a main factor here. I left the city discouraged and frustrated with myself, in desperate need of healing and a reevaluation of my so called dreams. I've used the time since then to change and improve. I felt that I had failed miserably by the whole experience, but at the same time, I learned things that could not have been taught to me any other way. I had two offers for internships and I know with everything in me that I could have made it if I had the money to start out, and that is encouraging.

I know who I am. Among many things, I am a dreamer, and this can be a blessing and a curse. There is so much I want out of life and I can feel the push of reality urging me to let go of the things it deems impossible or unfit for me. I am developing a judgement of knowing what to give up and what to keep, from personal qualities to ambitions. I won't grow to be satisfied and complacent if I do not achieve that which I have set out to do, yet I will learn to forfeit the extraneous for that which is more important overall. There are things which aren't worth sacrificing your values for, and there are other things that you must adjust to meet if you really want them. I am learning to enjoy the small things and looking for the good in these trying circumstances while keeping hope and a determination and not settling. As a dreamer, I will always push myself to be and accomplish more.

I know I need to be better, but furthermore, I know I can and I will, because I won't stop.

Painter: Ian Francis

Ian Francis is a painter based in Bristol, England. He attended the University of the West of England for his BA degree, and frequently shows at Lazarides Gallery in London, among a couple places in the U.S. His latest show, Fireland, can be found at the Joshua Liner Gallery in NYC until April 2.

I am in love with Ian Francis' work. His style combines a spontaneous application of paint freely with areas that get tighter in form to create a juxtaposition of the intricate and the direct. Layers of washes create a rich surface in which the forms find definition, then digress. It gives the appearance of half-recalled dreams or incomplete memories.

He's done some great pieces in 2011 already, which you can check out on his site. Also, see his blog to discover more about his process. He posts bits and pieces of what he's working on, his inspiration, photos, and sketches. Fecal Face did a great interview with Ian awhile back, which reveals a bit more about his process:

"I normally describe what I do as mixed media painting... the idea is to get different kinds of marks to work off of each other - so sometimes I'll paint/draw fairly accurately, then work quite loosely on a section, then break up elements of print on another section. At the moment I think a lot of the painting I do is too tight, it should really be looser and more expressive." (John Trippe, Fecal Face)

Happy 5 years, Twitter!

Twitter made a video in honor of its 5 year birthday (yesterday), showcasing its use by celebrities and workers in different industries:

Irish coffee cupcakes

I made these really good Irish coffee cupcakes for St. Patrick's Day to share with a friend. Yes, I know they're Martha Stewart's, and I'm disinclined to like her for various reasons, one of which includes that we share the same birthday, but these cupcakes were delicious! They weren't over-the-top too sweet, and the icing really brought it together. You should try it if you have a bit of Jameson on hand.

I also found a bunch of traditional Irish recipes on chow.com, including boxty and Guinness chocolate ice cream (if you have an ice cream maker). It makes me really miss Ireland.

Reebok gets its Zig on

March Madness has progressed to the bracket stage, and while watching ESPN for stats, I happened to see this new spot for Reebok's ZigTech shoes ("the energy drink for your feet"). I like the fun mix of animation becoming the real athlete in the end. I saw the one featuring John Wall, but I love the music for the one with Peyton Manning (both shown below). There's also spots with Iker Casillas, Alexander Ovechkin, and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (he jumps over a cow!).

The ads were created by DDB (Berlin), who have worked with Reebok for the past two years. According to Ad Age, "In 2010, the athletic brand nearly tripled its measured media spending in the U.S. to $75.7 million, with $38 million devoted to ZigTech and $31 million to EasyTone."

And it's been paying off. Sales grew about 12% in 2010, and with the ongoing momentum of advertising, Reebok anticipates more in 2011.

Richard Prenderville, VP-global brand marketing at Reebok comments on the attitude of the brand:

"We walked into the relationship with DDB saying we've always had a different take on the world. All the other brands take more of a blood, sweat and tears approach. We think fun is more of a sustaining motivational factor. Having fun staying in shape is our strategic territory." (Advertising Age)

Fellow young designers- did you catch this in HOW?

January's issue of HOW Magazine published an article by Doug Bartow (29 Things that All Young Designers Need to Know), which I found very useful. I was reading the magazine in B&N and had to copy down a few notes in my sketchbook. I've thought of it several times over the past couple months since reading it.

Here's a few great suggestions for example, but there are so many others (I also like 9, 12, and 23).

3. Don't fear type; become its master.

Often, being a good typographer means not making the simple mistakes. To accomplish this, you’ll need a working knowledge of classical typography. Go get one. “The Elements of Typographic Style” by Robert Bringhurst, “Thinking With Type” by Ellen Lupton and “Grid Systems in Graphic Design” by Josef Müller-Brockmann are cover-to-cover must-reads. Repeat after me: “Free fonts from the internet are crap, I will not use them.” Keep saying that.

4. Define your audience.

Who are you speaking to and what is the objective? If you can’t definitively answer both of these questions about a project you’re about to start working on, go back to the drawing board. Graphic design is simply a plan that visually articulates a message. Make sure you have the message and its intended viewer sorted out before you start making. Communicate with purpose—don’t just make eye candy.

15. Content is still king.

Technically, Elvis is still the king, but for the sake of this argument, let’s put an emphasis on the message, and consider design as a plan for delivering it. The most effective and memorable visual communication almost always has the right mix of form and content, regardless of medium. Good design can engage a viewer, but interesting content will keep them reading, and thinking, past the headline.

27. Remember that your Mac is a tool.

Twenty years ago, many people in our industry were sure that desktop publishing would mark the end of professional graphic design as we knew it. They confused the convenience of new technology with the skill and passion required to design with it. Take a good look at your design methodology and the role technology plays in your work. Can you select “Shut Down” and still be an effective visual communicator? Practice that.

Really though, it's a great article that will remind you of a few things and teach you a few more, so go read it!