First post of the New Year or Exactly one week before my birthday...

You ever have one of those moments when your entire week as an artist is noncreative? Where it seemed like you wasn't doing anything worthwhile but just trying to make the week go by faster... That was the gist of my week this past week. I didn't really feel creative, I just felt like blah! Everything just seems to be coming at once. It gets to be overwhelming sometimes when you are going through this juggling act with life. At times I feel as though I am in a great place artistically and then other times I feel like I'm in some weird holding pattern.
My problem is getting the thought out of my head and on to the drawing board. I have so many things going on concurrently and none of them are coming to full fruition. I think my brain needs a rest. I mean I've had a vacation and I'm about to go away next week on a little mini vacation for my birthday (Oh yeah! I am about to get a little bit older...) but I think lately or I should say for awhile I have asked a lot of my brain. I need to be in a place where I can just let my brain spend time with itself collecting and releasing its inner thoughts.
I mean every week I am here taking with you guys, my faith few and I let the thoughts flow from my mind but during the week save from tweeting now and then (shameless plug inserted here... Find me @artstarv9), I don't spend a lot of time de-junkifying and purging my think parts of information and ideas. So what happens sometimes is I'll get this great idea one moment and the next moment it becomes the fleeting idea that I wasn't as excited about as I thought.
I need to find the middle ground, that sweet spot, where I am able to have my thoughts and then put them to good use creatively. I know what your thinking, that's what sketchbooks are for (Man, I've used a lot of commas and parentheses in this post) It seems like an simple easy fix but in someways its not. You have to have your mind free and focused on using your sketchbook as a means of release and not just sketches. Your sketchbook then not only becomes an extension of your work but also a sort of idea book. A book where you can not down your craziest thoughts or your darkest thoughts. Which in retrospect make that sketchbook quite personal and I someways not fit for public consumption. There are people who teach and people who believe in keeping sketchbooks like that. Books where you don't share with anyone. I personally find it hard to keep sketchbooks like that because I'd get to a place where is just have to show somebody what I sketched out or have to show my close personal friends or loved ones what I just did. Who knows though, I might give it a go just to see if I can do it.
Well, I feel like I am about to start rambling so I'm going to end this post here. Next week, I'll either blog earlier in the week or come to you guys while I am a way. Until then...



-Namaste

Final Saturday of the year or 2 days before the New Year...

So it's that time of year again. My how the time DOST fly! This is that post of the year where I either promise to or promise not to come up with some New Years' Resolutions. And then the further I get into the year I begin to realize that I did or did not succeed with the resolutions that I did or did not make. (Insert smile, wink or some other random emoji here...)

This time around I think it will be different. I have set goals for myself that I have based around definitive dates. I know your going "...anyone can set a date but that doesn't mean that you'll still follow through with it..." I have always been pretty good when I give myself or I'm faced with a deadline. I might not hit my goal date but it will give me a "horizon" line to stay close to or reach.

I'm not getting any younger. (Birthday in 2 weeks exactly!) So there is the self-imposed sense of urgency when I do things now. I heard someone the other day talk about sacrifices and whether or not you have done everything you can possibly do to achieve what you want. Have you sacrificed certain things to make sure everything your trying to do become a reality? A lot of the choices I have made so far in my life have not come from sacrificing or taking chances. For the most part it has been about "doing" because it seemed like that was the way to go or because it seemed right. Last year this time I had a set plan but I was not willing to "sacrifice" my comfort zone or take chances for fear of failure. I have told plenty of people how I get so content with situations and things that I become entrenched in whatever I have going on in my life at that moment. It's something I've struggled with for the better part of my life. I've always said contentment is only good for a couple of things; friendships and relationships. I just need to break it in other areas of my life. Maybe that's a good New Years' Resolution for myself this coming year.

Well folks that's it for me this weekend. I'll see you guys next year. Until then...




-Namaste

Happy Born-Day, Jean-Michel Basquiat...

On this day in Brooklyn, NY 52 years ago, one of the greatest artist whoever lived was born.  Jean-Michel Basquiat in the 80s was one of the most iconic artists of his time.  He tackled issues of race, power struggle and self-identity and created works; which inspired many of artists in his time and in the present.

I, myself become aware of his work while studying in art school.  I had one of my classmates mention to me how my work seemed to be heavily influenced by Basquiat.  I am not ashamed to say that I knew nothing of this artist growing up as a kid in the 80s.  After doing a little interwebs and library research, I found that I was one, familiar with some of his work already and two, I could see where some of the similarities were in our styles.  From that moment, I resolved to become familiar with this great artist.  Just reading quotes by him and also finding archived footage of his interviews (which were really powerful) were very informative.  This great artist was taken from the world all too soon.  It was and is great to see that in his brief time on this planet, he influenced so much of our culture.  He is still influencing us.  I know he has influenced me and I consider him to be one of the artist that I do idolize. Untitled(Skull) is one of my favorite pieces of his.  Maybe one day I will own a print of it.  Just thought I'd share a little of my feelings/insights on this great artist on his birthday.  Just a little...

Congrats on surviving the apocalypse!!  Until next week...



-Namaste

The week before...or will it end...

This is a drawing that I started last week that I have been working on for a bit. I have been taking my time building up contrast and shadows. Been giving it my attention but also trying not to dwell on it too much. I'm treating it like an exercise in value. I am having a lot of fun drawing it. I can't wait until its finished so I can show you guys the finished product.

Other than that I don't have too much to talk about this weekend. Nothing blew me away. After I survive the apocalypse next week, I'll come back to you guys about future prospects and what I'd like to tackle next. Until then...


-Namaste

Time...Time keeps on passing me by...

You ever wonder where all the time goes...?  I mean seriously...Every week it seems that Sunday hits and before I know it, I am sharing with you guys.  Which means Saturday is upon us...I then start to wonder where all the time in the week has gone.  Not too mention where the year has gone to.

Time management then becomes something of the essence.  For me that has always been a struggle.  There have been a plenty of times that I have let time slip away because of poor time management.  The  past few years I have gotten better, definitely this year.  I have found that by setting reminders and goals for myself have really helped me to keep on track...usually.  Its not a perfect system but its been working out for me.  Especially being tethered to technology:)

Last couple of years I have been trying to steer clear of setting New Years' Resolutions but this year if I have to have one; I would say it would be "To wisely take advantage of improving my time management" skills.  I have too many mechanisms at my disposal not to be more cognizant of time.  I believe that its just one of my holdover traits of being a procrastinator.  Gotta work on shaking it.

Well, faithful few, that's all I have for you guy this week.  Until the next time...


-Namaste

The Mac Attack or Take a bite out of the APPLE...

Hey faithful few!  I am typing this weeks post, my first of the last month of the year, on my brand new MacBook Pro.  I have been using it for almost a week now and I gotta say playing around in this OSX ecosystem has been fun.  I'm not saying that its better than Windows but for the devices that I currently own (iPad and iPhone) it handles them quite well.  One of the main reasons is iCloud.  It really works in unison with all the devices.  One thing that APPLE still sucks at is iMessages but that not what this blog is about today.

One day I might feel differently but I gotta say right now I am loving being an Apple Fanboy.  I am still getting used to the different nuisances of the OS but I have to say its a really fluid experience.  I believe that is do to the IOS feel of OS X Mountain Lion.  The swiping, the gestures, the setup of OS...everything about this this system under the hood of a baseline system is great.  When it comes to power in cased in simplicity, Apple really shines.  As windows begins to really push high-end systems, that in some way mimic the simplicity of Apple, I am curious to see how they do.  I have had some experience with Windows 8 and right now in my opinion, it is really geared to the touchscreen  experience.  I just wonder if the influx of Windows Ultrabooks will catch up to what Windows 8 is.  In the mean time if you are in the market for a new computer and have never had a Mac, I would suggest you give it a try.  You'll be glad you did.  I know I am.  Until next time...



-Namaste

Death of a Computer...Or Equivalent Exchange

So for sometime now I figured my computer was going to go kaputsky. 2 of my 4 USB ports have been non-functional for over a year...the display used to fizzle out on me a lot and sometimes the computer would cut off or go to sleep while I was in the middle of doing something. Then a few months ago, my DVD burner ceased to function anymore. So I figured I had a couple of months to go as I'd plan on getting something new for my birthday. But this past week my computer had plans of its on. It felt it after 3 long years of being a workhorse that it wanted to be retired. So it as a whole ceased to function. So I had to move on early then I wanted/had planned on.

In the early hours of the morning on Black Friday, I became an "unofficial" Apple fanboy. I say unofficial because I am still apart of the android ecosystem due to my Nexus 7 so I don't quite bleed Apple through and through...Even though I used Macs some in college, I credit the missus with getting me into the modern iteration of Apple (she had an iPhone and I almost fell in love with it instantaneously). After that I always had an iPhone handy with what ever phone I actually had when I was with T-Mobile that way I could switch out the sim card and still enjoy carrying an iPhone from time to time. I also got the 1st gen iPad and then I upgraded to the 2nd gen iPad. But through all of that, I've had a PC. That all changed at 3:47AM on the morning of November 23rd. I purchased a MacBook Pro. I am pretty excited about getting to know this ecosystem as an everyday user. Having an iPhone and an iPad is in away being apart of it but actually using the ecosystem as a whole is something entirely different. Right off the bat I had to make a decision on whether or not I was going to get a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro. From the reviews and countless videos I watched on YouTube, it was clear the obvious choice was the MacBook Pro seeing as though I plan on using a lot of The Adobe Suite and there were reports of the MacBook Air overheating pretty quick...not too mention that I would have to buy the upgrades to it right away as upgrading it afterwards meant having to take it to an apple store or buying the next model up. So I settled on getting the Pro. I should have it in my possession on Monday and I will share my initial experience with you guys at some point I'm the near future. Until then...







-Namaste