Squawking Confections

Goodbye Blogger.

2010-05-26T15:52:00.002-04:00

Hello,

To the few who read this, I thank you. I'm now moving everything you see here to tumblr. I will continue to do very small dog and pony show over there, with a much nicer look and more options. Now come along children, off to a new world!

- M.

Snapping around town with an accompaniment.

2010-05-25T13:38:00.005-04:00

I've got some pretty good tunes to share as well as some new and old photos.

The first play list is essentially a little electronic music that makes me think of feeling a little provocative. Its fun mash up of some newer finds and some old favorites.

This next one, I'm particularly happy with. I've never really been that into the 80s, but I like the trend of electronic music taking on the role of reinterpreting the era's music. This collection is a gem. It'll be playing in the lesbian lunchbox for awhile.

Last week I found myself just meandering around the artist hovels in the Jersey City and finding my favorite thing to document--urban decay. Rife with it! Have a look:

These are from the print shop I work in. Its a rather dreary place to be, but the shadows make it interesting. I decided to use brown and white for these--just for a little change. Zero black can be a bore sometimes. I think I still achieved my overarching style of strained coloring.

Video Game Classics

2010-05-14T11:34:00.004-04:00

My first RPG was A Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, on the SNES. The drama seethed in the opening theme--you could practically smell the moldy old tombs, the dank caves, and the evil that had permeated the land. It was at this moment that I knew music and word could make or break a game for me. More recently a beloved franchise, the Final Fantasy series has led me to complete disappointment. With the loss of Nobuo Uematsu, the chief composer for the music, I had nothing left but some fanboy glee that the 13th installment would revitalize my interest. No such luck.

In any case, I'd like to share a trip down memory lane with some tunes from a couple games. These aren't from in game. They are the original pieces of music and played by a full orchestra, sung by a soprano, etc. For anyone who truly enjoys something, I believe knowing something about the past about whatever you enjoy will only heighten your enjoyment and understanding of the given subject. Music, for example, comes in many genres and sub-genres. But they all come from classical music and even that comes from something older.

The first track, Horragath, by Matt Ulemen, who is of Diablo notoriety. The expansion for Diablo 2, The Lord of Destruction, featured an entirely orchestrated soundtrack. Horragath is the first that the player hears. It embodies the frigid heights of Mount Arreat--ripe with struggle, pain, but the sound also has a familiar tone of happiness and the hope for survival past the coming strife. The climax at 3:40, is without a doubt my favorite, meshing all of these emotions into one. It begins with a low guttural bassoon, coupled with light winds, and eventually ending with timpani ablaze and the brass breathing a sighed crescendo. Not found in this particular piece, but Ulemen takes influence heavily from Gustav Holst, especially from Mars.

Second is the theme from Castle Hyrule, from A Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, by Koji Kondo. The sound is very eastern--Japanese to be exact and regal. I'd go as far to say with slight Argentinean influence. The backing syncopation could easily be used in any tango. Either way, the combination is foreboding and interesting. Again, the ending is my favorite. Its loud and sounds as if some emperor is about to sit and everyone is waiting.

Everyone knows Mario. My personal favorite incarnation was Super Mario World, from which the next track is from. It was also composed by Koji Kondo. The music from this 90s classic, was influenced deeply by the 1930s-1950s swing music. The piece is just fun and a little over the top. The brass and the percussion dominate this track with very little need for the strings at all.

Switching back to basics, Secret of Mana 3 was never released in America. It was one of the first games to ever allow choosing party members. In addition to this, the characters would always face different obstacles depending on who was chosen, reacted to events contradistinctly, and grew in a unique way. The track titled, Meridian Child, is characterized with strong crescendoing of the brass ala Leonard Bernstein and tinged with bits of medieval decorum throughout. The middle and ending are without a doubt the best parts of the piece.

Chrono Cross was one really screwed up sequel to the much beloved Chrono Trigger, an RPG engaging in extreme time and dimensional travels. This piece isn't really classical, but just listen to that violin solo and you'll understand why I included this. Its breathtaking, even after ten years of listening to it. The track was composed by Yoko Shimomura.

Nobuo Uematsu in my mind is a great composer and worthy of any accolades that come his way. Anyone who can give a game a distinct sound throughout and mimic a period so impressively, is amazing. Aria de Mezzo Carattere or Aria of Half Character is an homage to Italian baroque opera. This piece is sung by Svetla Krasteva, a Bulgarian mezzo soprano. The strings are practically lulling to the harpsichord to keep the them in beat as it is the only essence of percussion available. The song really doesn't need an explanation. The sound speaks for itself--something I can't say of much I've heard lately.

An opening always needs to have something to grab you. Legend of Mana, has a great title theme. Starting with a foreboding piano and opening into an inviting psalm, just before releasing a passionate exhale into chaotic banging. That oughta get your attention. This piece is a little soulless compared to the others I've talked about, but it did catch me off guard. Again by Yoko Shimomura.

Organs. I've loved the sound of organs since I heard Bach's Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor. It was a real treat for me to go to morning mass in London and hear it played at Westminster Abbey. The stone halls reverberated with the bass of an age old instrument. It was astonishing.

Kryie, in muscial terminology is a "musical setting of sets of petition and response." It is also the title of the organ and soprano based track from Parasite Eve. The organ originally begins both the call and response in the piece, but as the soprano enters about midway, she begins to call. Although she only sings along in a rather breathy vibrato, there are no words.

Finally, I end with a real personal favorite. Fighting, from Final Fantasy VII and a real piano masterpiece, by Nobuo Uematsu. This is one of the most complicated sounding pieces. Imagining the fingers moving this quickly is simply too much of a conundrum for my mind to handle. So I'll show you how someone else does it.

The energy in this song in deniable. I love the drive behind the keystrokes, powerful and unabashed at any ounce of dissonance. Its about wiping the floor with whatever is in front out and the sound is direct at allowing you understand that.

I believe that'll do for now.

Return: Fashion Friday #5

2010-05-14T07:15:00.010-04:00

At the request of this lovely young woman, I have decided to write something about the world of clothing, as I see it. Over the past year I've decided that I really have no interest in popular trends or what I see in magazines. Having not actually been able to purchase new clothing, the situation has made me have to be much more resourceful with the things that I already have and make new ideas out of the old. I find that I tire of the typical and quite overbearing nature of what it is to be a stereotypical homosexual. I don't care for the music, the shimmering softness, or whatever it is that's in. I simply like what I like.

Now before I continue on my path of hatred for everything (especially people), I give you: Evil Stick Man.

Listen to this as you read:

I love neutrals. Black, gray, beige, silver...with just a dash of red--as if you couldn't tell from my dated layout. This combination is all about dramatic straight lines. It's sharpness at its finest. Anyone who knows me knows I like tight fitting clothing. Not obscene gonna bust the seams and look similar to a can of popped biscuits before brunch on Sunday afternoon, but, tight as in, its as if my clothing has been tailored to my body.

Let's start from the bottom up. I'm vain. I love to hear myself walk and clicking is essential, if not vital to my daily routine. I got my first pair of wingtips from a Steve Madden when I was 22. Wingtips can dress up anything--even some ripped up jeans.

Slim fit dress pants are nice, when you want add a little flair or if you dislike the regular boxy shape of a basic chino. They are much more body conforming than a skinny jean, which means you can breath and still look like you have some sort of shape.

Ties are only for for work and court. When you're there and have the audacity to wear this, a tie can at least say, "I'm here to work."

The military fit of the black shirt adds to the overall straight line effect. If one has relatively good posture, this would flatter the male figure with ease. The grey cowl-neck jersey is to be work under the black military shirt, with the first few buttons undone. What's the point in having detail if it's covered up?

Accessories. The bag in the picture, is a Ben Sherman messenger. I actually got this very one for my birthday this year. Its fantastic, roomy, but overall a little heavy. It is not good to carry electronics in and is basically all for looks, unless you need to carry papers or a light change of clothing.

I like sunglasses. The bigger the better. I have never really cared much for being without them. When you can't see someone's eyes, it makes you wonder what's underneath. These particular shades really make the outfit. Being only thing to really have a slight curve, it is offset by the rest of straightened nature of the ensemble.

Now this watch I picked arbitrarily. I like large faced watches, because I have relatively small wrists. If I could, I'd make it white or black..maybe red? And go with a black wallet. I'd also not make it BVLGARI and $7500.

Hair. My hair has gone through a bit of evolution as of late. Leaving me with a bit of an apache mohawk.

Little face paint never hurt anyone as far as I'm concerned--gives you that dash of character your television father always talked about. However, after a week of sulking to my man about my woes, (Yeah, that actually happened.) I learned how to do a slicked back conservative do. Similar to this head strong Chihuahua-faced douche:

And there you have it. Straight, clean, and little frill-- and shaved to boot.

Photo Adventure

2010-03-13T16:56:00.003-05:00

Been awhile, but I've just updated my FLICKR and here are the results from a fantastic weekend. Also, enjoy this music. It will make you feel both loved and relaxed. Have a drink with it. Even better.

Enjoy.

Words of the Elderly: Ep. 1

2010-02-02T18:02:00.004-05:00

I've been lucky enough to be included in a club of sorts that makes funny shorts. These shorts are made by way of Xtranormal. Its quite simple to use. All you really need to do is put in your text, choose your characters, change some camera angles, and your setting. That simple. Anyways, here is what I am considering doing a running series of.

Words of the Elderly.

Real Mountains

2010-01-20T13:23:00.007-05:00

Living in Jersey has taught me many things: People are out for themselves, survival of the fittest, and how to have an alcohol tolerance of godly status. However, something that these people have a misconception of is what a mountain looks like. Everyone clamors on about how the mountains of Watchung are grand and such a beautiful sight to behold. They are simply some big hills in my opinion. So what if they're tree covered and have a couple rocks sticking out of their Frankenstein stitched bases made up with suburbia to cover Mother Nature's blemishes?

Take a look, these are real mountains.

Knowledge.

Wrangler Provocateur.

2010-01-19T11:17:00.004-05:00

This was more or less an attempt to show what happens when I listen to a good grouping of music. I usually play some story out in my mind and for once in my life, I actually wrote something down. Almost a month later, here it is. Each story part is punctuated with the song name in italics.

Wrangler Provocateur

Personal Jesus

Mother warned me about the snow this evening. She said it would turn into a storm—said it would cause me to catch a death of a cold.

Her voice lingered in my head as I stepped out of the shower. The street lit snow reflects through the window onto my wet skin. I pick up the orders with damp hands and let the mission sink in. Since when did the feds want to know what the fags were up to?

The black towel drops from my waist as I pull up a nicer, daintier pair of underwear. I lotion my legs, wrap them tightly in denim, and outfit my feet with motorcycle boots. I choose a t-shirt from the sea of white inside my drawer. I pick up my hooded leather jacket from my doorknob and kiss the dog goodbye.

My car is already waiting for me. It’s just snowing.

I tell the driver, “take me to 14^th, between 1^st and 2^nd”.

Want’n Her Again

The gents line dance back and forth upsetting the layer of bar smoke—a sea trying to calm amidst an ailing and thrashing floor. Laughter coupled with synchronized wooden stomps, dry claps and I’m watching and half impressed—half happy.

I’m broke and drinking the swill they call whiskey. It’s why I’m half happy.

An hour passes, three more shots drank and seven more songs play, four people leave and five people enter.

Someone touches my shoulder. I don’t turn or look surprised or excited. My eyes shift to the side and then up. He asks if I’ve been waiting long. I don’t answer and he laughs asking me if I’m a mute. He laughs again, pointing out my furrowed brow. I haven’t even said hello and I’m already being picked apart. I hate this. Why did I agree to this particular job?

He asks for a dance. I get up to leave and he grabs my arm and with a discretely forceful tug in his direction, reminds me I have an objective and I agreed to do the job.

Talk to Me

We’re waiting outside the bar for the car. It’s still snowing. The sidewalks are covered in busy footsteps and glimmer in shades of flutter brushed rusty orange and pale green. His swept back blond hair shifts in the breeze and catches snow.

He’s talking about his trip here. I’m not paying attention. He moves closer. I can smell whiskey. I wonder if he can smell me.

The car arrives. Essex and Grand he tells the driver. He continues talking. He tells me about his objective. He’s lying. I’m looking out the window, no longer interested and wishing he’d been drunk enough to spill his knowledge. Instead here I sit listening to him shoot the shit about the woes of his very matter of fact lifestyle.

He’s quiet. I welcome the silence, but it’s broken by the sound of skin meeting skin at an alarming rate. The sting sears my cheek and it’s the first thing I’ve felt since I left the house.

He comes closer, quickly, sort of like an oafish spider with an eleventh leg—demanding that I tell him about the mission and that I if I cannot give him the respect he deserves, to at least cooperate for the means of success. I tell him he talks too much and that I’m here to discuss the whereabouts of Alistair. He calls me callous and cold. I ask him when he became the caring sort and I get no reply.

The car slows and we’ve arrived.

“Nice to see you again too.”

Fresh Blood

The car drives away in a black mist and left us in front of a dilapidated cathedral.

“These your digs?” I smirked. “Just the top floor.”

The doors were recently painted, a vibrant blood, not like classic Dracula, more like the way lips used to look when your grandmother was my age—the kind that meant oblivion and sex wrapped into a secretive piece of paper left next to a half empty martini.

He unlocked the door and holds it open for me, gesturing for me to enter. He leads me up a spiral staircase into a large loft with high wooden beams and ancient unfinished floors. A clean kitchenette sat in the back left corner, an ivory tub with large feline feet in the upper right hand corner, and a faded purple fainting couch in the middle of two stained glass windows.

“Make yourself comfortable, you’ll be here for awhile.”

He’s walking to the kitchen and undressing as he goes. I watch him take out a bottle and two glasses and fill them with surprising care.

I remove my boots and jacket and take a seat on the couch, awaiting the warmth of whatever fills the glass. A naked limb weaves into my eyesight and offers me the drink. Whiskey. Real whiskey. I can be happy now.

He lies behind me on his back and lights a cigarette. He has no intentions of talking business, Alistair, or of anything. His heat already branding my back and I can feel his eyes tracing my spine. He’s moving closer now; his breath is hot and laden with alcohol. He ashes and blows the last of the cigarette’s life into our atmosphere.

He’ll have me tonight.

More Adventurous

His hair covers his eyes as he lies in a satiated slumber.

It always amazes me how you’re never the same thing in the spring or never the even the same person by summer. Last spring. I wasn’t taking these types of jobs nor would I have allowed this fool within two feet.

I brush the hair from his face and finish dressing myself. I’d stolen his mission statements in the car. It was time to go.

The red door makes a hushing noise as I shut them quietly—carefully. The car is waiting for me silently. The snow is picking up with the wind. It feels colder now, dryer, and darker. Before I get in, I take a moment to notice the vanity of this rare moment: the red doors, the white cathedral, snow, and my spot of black.

“The piers, please.” Goodbye, cowboy.

Atticus/Running Up that Hill

I can see Alistair on the edge of the boat. His back is turned, but I can feel his smile. I remember the last time I saw him and thinking his teeth looked like glass. So unnaturally white. I need to see how long I can last. I’ve got to get to back to the cathedral.

He turns before I’m close enough to say hello. The wind is too loud now and snow stings my skin and my tears are freezing. I stop for a moment and look at his figure being little more than a tracing against the snow and the speeding winds. My eyes are transfixed on watching him and I’m startled to feel a hand reach from the spectral background.

“Its really good to see you again”, he whispers into my ear.

I can barely hear him, my heart is racing, the wind is howling, and snowflakes are blades to my skin. I part my lips to respond and a gloved finger hushes them.

“I wondered how long you’d play both games, being good sometimes and reveling when you were bad”, he continued. His face never stopped smiling, but his anger was apparent.

“How long have you been sleeping with that common bounty hunter?” His comforting finger had transformed into two leather-gloved hands around my throat topped with a Cheshire cat smile. “You were my agent before you turning into his whore.” He sounds almost as if he were about to cry. His grip tightens and I can’t breathe. I’ve got to make it back to the church. He lifts me off of my feet, I can only see his teeth, glass-like shining through the weather. My vision is blurring and my eyes are darting in a slowed fashion, but to and fro nonetheless. It from this reaction that I noticed the shine of a small firearm, a Browning, I believe and newly polished. It fired a single shot, it rang through my ears, the bullet burned inside me, and I was on the ground just as suddenly as I was airborne. “Give this to him”, Alistair said as he dropped an envelope on me. My vision fades.

St. Augustine

Alistair was gone.

Blood came and stained the perfect white of my shirt. I got myself to my feet and stumbled to my car. I tell the driver to get me back to the church as fast as he can. The green streetlights are flickering with my vision. I can’t speak any more; I’ve got to make it back to the church, got to give him the orders.

“We’re here sir”, the driver announces. I wake up startled and in pain. I wipe the blood from my mouth and try to walk to the red doors again. I fall to my knees immediately and crawl to the doors. I bang three times on the bottom of the door. He’ll find me here and he will take this letter.

I need a nap.

Black and Red all over.

2009-11-29T03:01:00.002-05:00

Several weeks ago, I attended a car show and most of what I saw was pretty amazing--narrowing my shots was easy. I feel like I'm getting more and more discerning of what work I like to show and what I feel is good. I was lucky enough to have a muse of sorts nearby this weekend to give me a little shove to finally get back in the groove of doing what I do. I'm an artist, I love Brazil, men, Paris, London, and cigarettes. What else matters?

The photos below were taken with a Sony A300 DSLR with a custom lomography lens.

Music Alert #2

2009-11-29T02:55:00.003-05:00

I've been listening to some off kilter stuff as of late. Its been keeping me in some kind of weird sexual-artistic-hopeful mood. I don't know what's up, but I thank the stars for Genius, Pandora, and odd friends. Enjoy.

Change.

2009-11-16T12:25:00.007-05:00

Its interesting how quickly things can change. If you can't read between the lines of my last post, then you probably have no idea of what I'm talking about. Power to the intelligent. In the duration that has been the month since that time, I've gotten a new tattoo, taken pictures, joined the Jersey City Artist's Group, moved, and gotten a job. I'm not a teacher, but I'm a researcher for a newspaper. Its boring, but it pays.

Anyways, enough about personal scheiße. If you want a real gander, listen to this:

My newest piece is based on a wallpaper from artist, James Jean. The piece itself was commissioned by the Prada fashion house. I love his style of monochromatic schemes with feminine details splayed as focal points. The piece itself is enormous, 17x200 feet. See the image below.

This is the portion I chose for myself. I chose this part because I have a running theme of knights, birds, and overly dramatic dark imagery and wording--something I suppose I've come to be known for.

Here is the finished product.

The words that are above the design read, "Notre amour est le plus silencieux ombre du fort." Or, "Our love is made of the quietest shade of loud."

I feel a little rejuvenated now. Its good to be back.

Writing Exercise #3 and Music.

2009-10-30T01:29:00.003-04:00

Writing Exercise 3: Define danger and its possible repercussions.

Listen to this and read.

I have been a taintable light since as long as I can remember. A fawn in the guise of a leader—a follower, through and through. I was set to be the prince of a vast empire of wealth and love and yet, the desire you awoke in me caused me to single handedly destroy the kingdom for which I thought I was destined to rule along side a gracious and magnanimous lord. You have stolen what is mine and replaced it again with the uncertainty that is life.

What have I done? I was lured by your voice, your actions, the contact. You released my desire and in turn….released the undoing of everything that was my stability. You are danger epitomized without even knowing.

Unknowing destroyer, fed by lies and sustained only by the guilded tales of a silken tongue, soaked and bathed in the fruits of inaccessible embarrassment and toil. Danger. Foiled. Uncomfortabilty and unrequited—I chase, I want, I follow…into peril and self induced anguish.

Rome has fallen and burned; time and time again. You are not the sole cause, but you were, no, are, the desire that behest my death and rebirth.

Danger, you breath it. Exude it. Embody it. I bow before it and accept the bed for which I have created. I am undone, as you are danger.

Behold, for I have brought much body art.

2009-09-01T08:20:00.003-04:00

This was a terribly vain idea I had a while back. I told another fabulous artist friend of mine about it months ago. I decided to take pictures of my tattoos in sort of a grimy dark way. To achieve this, I used some petroleum jelly mixed just a tiny bit of black eye shadow. I also had help from someone near and dear, this was certainly a joint project. Here are the results:

In the meantime I'll keep on those promised storyboards.

Story Board Idea

2009-08-29T13:46:00.001-04:00

The Duke of Dual Bewilderment

The idea of this story board came to me because its hard for me to just talk about the random ideas I have—especially those regarding music. When I listen to music my imagination goes into overload and I see elaborate stories and pictures unfolding and being created. So, I decided to undertake the project of showing you what can happen when I group a decent amount of music under one semi-cohesive idea.

To preface this, as if this were to be unfolding in front of you as a movie, it would be very much like Fantasia…pictures moving with music. Although instead of each piece of music and pictures having a separate idea, this will be streamlined.

The overall plot/idea was, and I quote from an email I sent a fellow artist, “I want to do a story board for one of my playlists, the Kingdom Story playlist specifically. It'll be about the double life of some duke who is a part time bureaucratic/aristocratic foolhardy mess and a part time crazy who lives a secret life of go-go dancing and incognito excursions into interesting parts of a city I haven't chosen yet.” I obviously needed to refine this a bit.

Here goes…In the present times, a 20-something man has just found out he’s the Duke of Essex in some undisclosed city. The man is whisked from what he has known and thrown into a head of state role for which he has no training whatsoever. For the first couple weeks he finds himself walking around his new estate, finding the constraints of being a figure head terrible boring and lonely.
The Duke decides to ride his horse out of the city to the outlying fields alone. There, while frustrated and reading he hears someone laughing at him. A masked man, (think gilded mask) approached the Duke. They exchange words, even flirt, and decide that perhaps they will meet again.
After meeting someone who is fairly normal the Duke cannot begin to concentrate on the reality of being a dignitary. He tosses and turns in bed and decides to leave the his estate and go into the city as the Duke of Addison, a deceased person from hundreds of years ago, who apparently had an affinity to live on the more interesting side of things. The Duke of Essex makes this transformation by wearing common clothing paired with regalia of his state nature. The focus of transformation will be around his eyes. The usually nude eye will suddenly be glazed and golden, circa Iggy Pop but more of a Sailor Moon sort of thing, but less sugary.
While roaming the city the Duke runs into masky again. Although donning the new persona of Addison, this is a bit awkward and Addison/Essex withdraws from the conversation—at which point masky asks if they’ve met and eventually to come to a ball, Addison simply turns the corner and gets into a black cab. Inside he changes back into Essex and roams the streets looking for masky, but he is nowhere to be found.
On the way back to his estate Essex decides he needs to make Addison more of a character in the scheme of outside life. The transformation is much more elaborate this time. Addison is now found at a bar dancing caged as an armored cowboy and engaging in various debaucherous events.
After a day of crazy Essex returns to find the Lord Suffolk waiting, who then extends an invitation to a ball. Essex thinks something is familiar about the man.
The day of the ball arrives, the first half consists of Essex talking and dancing with Suffolk. As the musicians take a break and the lights return, the guests clap, Essex slips out and transforms into Addison. To his surprise masky is waiting for him. They dance and talk. The lights go out and Addison is gone, leaving masky once again.
The next day the Lord of Suffolk returns to Essex’s estate. They meet and while tea is being served he sits the a familiar mask on the table.

Fin

As contrived and weird as it is, this is what my story board will be about. Now I’m off to start drawing this out.

Welcome to my version of "Apartment Therapy".

2009-08-11T15:49:00.005-04:00

Its been a long while since I've written. A lot has been going on. I just finished student teaching and finally got my home together. There is also a new addition to my family--she's a ten week old pug named Maleficent, or Millie for short. Any way here are the results of my home:

Let me know what you think. I'll be back soon, I have some music I'm dying to talk about.

Color is all around me.

2009-07-06T11:43:00.009-04:00

Its been awhile since I had some inspiration. Sometimes it just takes taking your supplies and walking around until you find something worth working with. I'm not usually into working with color or plants, but it was such a nice day and I felt in love. I don't know why, but it was just a wonderful day.

Here's a musical reflection of my day:

I just took it upon myself to walk around the lower east side of manhattan and DUMBO. Milling around can be fun sometimes. Below you'll find some dazzling colors, much to your and my surprise. Also there are some leftover pictures from my trip to a local graveyard I never got around to posting. First I want to show you my favorites of the day:

Godbuns? This is apparently some graffiti tagger, but I think his/her name is hilarious.

Red, ruby, crimson, sanguine. This is one of my favorite colors and I'm not a fan of taking pictures of flowers because I think it's a bit cliche. The color and the sun drew me to this lily. I love its texture.

I consider this to be my first successful life in motion shot. The line of color and the separation of the lone subject pleases me.

There's just something about a 40 year old, half buried car that has flowers growing out it. I tinkered with my camera settings to achieve a bit more of a dramatic effect.

I'm not sure about whether I like this picture more in color or b&w. Go to my Flickr, to see the larger version. The texture really pops in either one. The detail of the age and chipping paint stands out fantastically.

Finally my favorite of the day, which always seems to be a fluke. The colors make this shot so cartoony. I feel like the Wal-Mart face could come flying around at any moment.

Enjoy the rest of my pictures on my slide show:

Happy Monday!

Happy Pride Week from NYC!

2009-06-24T22:43:00.003-04:00

Happy Pride Week! Enjoy some tunes to keep you cool in the 105 degree sun.

Research Proposal: Art Therapy

2009-06-24T21:30:00.001-04:00

Disclaimer

Names of people who are subjects in this study have been changed or left out all together in order to keep their identities anonymous and to protect their privacy and livelihood.

Introduction

Art therapy is a medium of therapy that is utilized by many public schools in the United States in an effort to achieve non-verbal and verbal communication between student and therapist—these interactions come in the form of expressing one’s problems through an art medium. The purpose of this study is to find out what art medium utilized by art therapy would be better suited for a public school setting—be it in a more traditional medium, such as implementing painting or drawing, or a more experimental approach using photography or another medium as an outlet for interpretive expression.

Art therapy is becoming more prevalent in public schools. Knowing which art medium yields the most pertinent information is key to gaining insight into what may be keeping a student from attaining the confidence they need to succeed or even a clue about a turbulent home life.

Statement of the Problem

The issue at hand is to find out what art medium will yield the most information. While tried and true, painting and drawing are known to address and give answers to therapists about their patients. In schools, art therapists could be working with lower functioning students, who may not be able to express themselves through a more kinesthetic art medium such as, photography. Or, they may have average students who would rather choose another more modern medium, like graphic design. Taking these thoughts into consideration, it is possible to say the art medium could vary from student to student, simply based on personal opinion or preference and by physical and/or mental limitations.

Purpose of Study

The purpose of this paper is to find what art medium used by art therapy works best in public schools settings. This could change based on the socio-economic level of the area the school is situated within—therefore determining whether a school could afford to employ such activities; and if they can, what art mediums they could afford to utilize. The focus of this study will be based on the experiences of different schools, art therapists, books and articles authored by art therapists and school art programs in North America.

The argument is whether the streamlined use of basic art materials such as: pen, paper, pencils, crayons, markers, and paint yield better information about a student—as opposed to letting a student choose their medium of choice and taking into account whether or not the student has more expressive ability in another chosen art medium. There is also the matter of dealing with students who may have physical or mental limitations, and perhaps having to determine what medium would work best for the given student’s situation.

Primary Research Question

What art medium implemented within art therapy is the most promising to gather information for public schools?

Hypothesis

If students or patients are allowed to choose their art medium of choice, then psychological findings will increase—this is based on if they have the ability to choose and the physical and mental capacity to work with their chosen medium.

Subsidiary Research Questions

Is art therapy something that public school systems view simply as an extra expenditure?

Do public school systems view art therapy as giving information, which is experimental vs. concrete?

Do students reap benefits from art therapy?

Definition of Terms

Art Therapy: a mental health profession that uses the creative process of art making to improve and enhance the physical, mental and emotional well-being of individuals of all ages. It is based on the belief that the creative process involved in artistic self-expression helps people to resolve conflicts and problems, develop interpersonal skills, manage behavior, reduce stress, increase self-esteem and self-awareness, and achieve insight. (American Art Therapy Association, 2009)

Art: the conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects; also: works so produced b (1): fine arts (2): one of the fine arts (3): a graphic art. (Merriam Webster, 2009)

Medium: material or technical means of artistic expression. (Merriam Webster, 2009)

Psychotherapy: A treatment method for mental illness in which a mental health professional (psychiatrist, psychologist, counselor) and a patient discuss problems and feelings to find solutions. Psychotherapy can help individuals change their thought or behavior patterns or understand how past experiences affect current behaviors. (Biological Sciences Curriculum Study, 2005)

Expressive therapy: known as expressive arts therapy or creative arts therapy, is the use of the creative arts as a medium of therapy. Unlike traditional art expression, the process of creation is emphasized rather than the final product. Expressive therapy is predicated on the assumption that people can heal through use of imagination and the various mediums of creative expression. (Expressive Therapy Concepts, 2008)

American Art Therapy Association: (AATA) is an organization of professionals dedicated to the belief that the creative process involved in art making is healing and life enhancing, Its mission is to serve its members and the general public by providing standards of professional competence, and developing and promoting knowledge in, and of, the field of art therapy. (American Art Therapy Association, 2009)

Significance of the Study

The study of which art medium is better suited for use in schools within the realms of art therapy will yield information that is pertinent to the therapists currently in schools—helping them to decipher what could help them to better understand when and what materials to use. The study is also an effort to bolster confidence in art therapists to be more experimental and break the mold by introducing newer art mediums and materials. This study will show the correlations of art mediums based on the level of benefits received from students and their expressive ability or inability.

Limitations of the Study

The limitations of the study include the time frame, opinions, and experiences of established art therapists. The time frame is roughly scattered from the 1940s up to the present decade. The opinions are of those who are either deeply involved in the arts or are removed all together. Statistics are from the earlier part of the decade and do not reflect the current trends in the rise and/or fall of art therapy in public schools.

Organization of the Study

The study will begin with a brief art therapy history. From there, entering into its use in school and branching into what art mediums are used most. Between points, the subsidiary questions will be addressed. The conclusion will be a concise measurement of the study’s findings.

Literature Review

The first article to be reviewed is a report about the success of a Montreal based institution at Concordia University, titled: Brief Report: Development of a Creative Arts Therapies Center for People With Developmental Disabilities. This particular piece cites the benefits of having such a program in place. According to Suzanne Lister, Denise Tanguay, Stephen Snow, and Miranda D’Amico, all founding members of Centre for the Arts in Human Development, or CAHD, state, …the community of developmentally disabled adults have all benefited from the creation of the center. Furthermore, the Montreal community at large has witnessed creative expressions through publicly promoted art shows and plays. Feedback has documented that viewers and audiences leave the center’s art shows and plays with a new, positive awareness of people who have developmental disabilities. (Lister, Tanguay, Snow, D’Amico, 2009) They go on to list their challenges-mainly focusing on funding, saying government grants and philanthropists are always the groundbreaking financiers of such a project, yet future funding is the real issue. The team at CAHD solved this problem through charging admissions to their various art galas and productions.

This article in particular relates to two of my subsidiary questions. One, is art therapy something that public school systems view simply as an extra expenditure? Two, do students reap benefits from art therapy? The article also extends to my main research question, which questions what medium of art would best be suited for public schools? Concordia University is a public school and this article suggests that they employ a wide range of art mediums to provide a therapeutic atmosphere to improve student’s “self-esteem, confidence, social skills, and general quality of life.” (Lister, Tanguay, Snow, D’Amico, 2009)

The second article, Mediumative Evaluation Research of Art-Based Supervision

in Art Therapy Training, is Barbara J, Fish’s observation of her student’s observations of art created during their clinical residencies. These observations garner pertinent information about the students’/patient’s current psychological standing. Fish is a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, another public school. In this article Fish explains that the evidence of psychological imbalances can be accurately determined through supervision of created artwork at the time of therapeutic work. Thusly, pertaining to the subsidiary question: is art therapy viewed as giving concrete or experimental information?

Methodology

Subjects

There were a total of five subjects included in this study. The age ranged from 20 to 55. Four of these subjects were students in the Fortune Society, in Long Island City, Queens, which is a social rehabilitation center for former offenders and people with developmental disabilities. The other was a therapist who focuses mainly in using creative arts for therapeutic purposes. Three of the students were African-American and one was of Hispanic decent. Two of the African-Americans were male, while one was female. The Hispanic was also female. The therapist was male and Caucasian.

Apparatus

The materials used in this study include and are limited to: Macintosh laptop, Microsoft Office, pencil, notebook, ERIC, and various sources.

The Macintosh laptop and Microsoft Office were used to type this study as well as search ERIC for more data. ERIC or Education Resources Information Center is a database of millions of research reports within the realm of education.

The pencil and notebook were used to write notes during the observation that occurred on June 2, 2009 at the Fortune Society, in Long Island City, Queens.

To support the study’s findings, sources include pieces of literature from the American Art Therapy Association, Art Therapy in Schools: Effective Integration of Art Therapists in Schools by Daphna Moriya, and documents from the Educational Arts Team of Jersey City, New Jersey.

Procedure

According to the American Art Therapy Association (2009), using art in one of it’s various forms ranging from music to painting, has been used long before the institution of art therapy, which began in the 1940s. “In the early 20th century, psychiatrists became interested in the artwork created by their patients with mental illness. At around the same time, educators were discovering that children's art expressions reflected developmental, emotional, and cognitive growth. By mid-century, hospitals, clinics, and rehabilitation centers increasingly began to include art therapy programs along with traditional "talk therapies," underscoring the recognition that the creative process of art making enhanced recovery, health, and wellness. As a result, the profession of art therapy grew into an effective and important method of communication, assessment, and treatment with children and adults in a variety of settings. Currently, the field of art therapy has gained attention in health-care facilities throughout the United States and within psychiatry, psychology, counseling, education, and the arts.” (AATA, 2009)

Starting from a significant historical base, it became of interest if one particular art medium sufficed or if a mix of varied mediums based on the subjects interest and ability came into play. From there several sources of information from various public schools in North America who published reports within the Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association. Taking bias into account, other information was gathered from art therapy programs that are not related to the ATAA.

This study is based on an observation in the field of creative arts used within the realms of clinical therapeutic nature. On June 2, 2009 at the Fortune Society, in Long Island City, Queens, which is a social rehabilitation center for former offenders and people with developmental disabilities, an observation of an art therapy procedure occurred. This psychological testing is done to evaluate the standings of long-term students who have been in the institute for six months to a year. During this observation it was noticed that each student was given color pencils, crayons, makers, and white paper. Nothing else out of the ordinary happened, except that the therapist asked the students to draw. Why had the therapist asked them to draw instead of create something that was a reflection of their inner workings? This led to the primary research question: What art medium implemented within art therapy is the most promising to gather information for public schools? This question is posed because choice is negated immediately. When the therapist says, “draw”, it is seen as a command or instruction, therefore robbing the choice of medium from the students. Dafna Moriya, a respected art therapist and educator and author of Art Therapy in Schools: Effective Integration of Art Therapists in Schools, believes “…to receive accurate quantitative data from a patient of art therapy a certain level of trust between therapist and patient must exist. This can be achieved through allowing patients the freedom they wish within self-expression or art….” (Moriya, 2000.) To further her point the Educational Arts Team of Jersey City, New Jersey, focuses on using varied art mediums based on age and educational level. For example: Grade levels three to six have the option of putting on a play they write and act out with hand puppets. While grades four to eight can choose to put on a certain hat and tell a story pertaining to the type of hat they are wearing. (Education Arts Team of Jersey City, New Jersey) These are options that are given to the students, instead of being given a tool and instruction on a one-dimensional level.

Subsidiary questions were devised through study of the topic after the initial observation. The study needed to find out if using basic art supplies such as, pen, paper, markers, crayons, and various types of pencils without encouragement to use the supplies to create anything else was a way to cut costs. Or if the public schools found using these supplies gave concrete information and did they utilize the information given from the therapy sessions. The questions that the study found most significant are:

- Is art therapy something that public school systems view simply as an extra expenditure?

- Do public school systems view art therapy as giving information, which is experimental vs. concrete?

- Do students reap benefits from art therapy?

After reading and researching through pieces of literature from the American Art Therapy Association, Art Therapy in Schools: Effective Integration of Art Therapists in Schools by Daphna Moriya, and documents from the Educational Arts Team of Jersey City, New Jersey, the study was recorded and edited using a Macintosh Laptop and Microsoft Office.

Results

This study will address each of the research questions—beginning with the primary research question followed by the subsidiary questions in the order they have been organized throughout the study. The section will be concluded by the findings of the initial hypothesis.

What art medium implemented within art therapy is the most promising to gather information for public schools?

There is no one art medium that is sufficient for gaining information on the psychological standings of students/patients. People have varied interests and talents within the creative arts, while others have none at all. According to Moriya, “...to receive the most accurate quantitative data from a patient of art therapy a certain level of trust between therapist and patient must exist. This can be achieved through allowing patients the freedom they wish within self-expression or art...” The observation conducted on June 2, 2009, at the Fortune Society made light of the fact that standardizing a way to come up with answers due to simplicity will yield standard answers, yet created the basis for this entire study. Both the Education Arts Team of Jersey City and Center of Arts for Human Development or CAHD, report giving options to their students and receiving positive responses from choice.

Is art therapy something that public school systems view simply as an extra expenditure?

The study conducted research in both an affluent area and a low-income area to determine whether public schools that have available finances would employ these funds into an art therapy program—the same applying to a lower-income area. In both instances neither the affluent or low-income area contributed funds to an art therapy program. The Center of Art for Human Development is located on the campus of Concordia University in Montreal. The CAHD cited finances coming from their own productions, philanthropists, and grants. Though not related directly to Concordia University the services they offer are primarily for the students at the university. Funding from the school stopped upon its creation in 1996. (Lister, Tanguay, Snow, D’Amico, 2009) The Educational Arts Team of Jersey City reports its funding coming entirely from grants even though the organization is heavily active within the Jersey City Public School system. (Education Arts Team, 2006)

Do public school systems view art therapy as giving information, which is experimental vs. concrete?

The results from the CAHD are accepted by Concordia University. All of the diagnoses reported to the university have been accepted and changes were made in the students’ lives and curriculum to better serve them. (Lister, Tanguay, Snow, D’Amico, 2009) In this instance, a school does accept the feedback derived from art therapy as concrete information of their students’ psychological standings. The same can be said for the University of Illinois at Chicago. Barbara J. Fish is a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, another public school. In this article Fish explains that the evidence of psychological imbalances can be accurately determined through supervision of created artwork at the time of therapeutic work. (Fish, 2008)

Do students reap benefits from art therapy?

According to CAHD the results from their practice of art therapy “…the community of developmentally disabled adults have all benefited from the creation of the center. Furthermore, the Montreal community at large has witnessed creative expressions through publicly promoted art shows and plays. Feedback has documented that viewers and audiences leave the center’s art shows and plays with a new, positive awareness of people who have developmental disabilities. (Lister, Tanguay, Snow, D’Amico, 2009)

The study has found only enough information to suggest that this would be correct. There is no direct correlation found in any of the sources only suggestions from experienced persons in the art therapy field. To gain a more in depth answer for this, more quantitative data would need to be produced over a given amount of time.

Conclusion

The point of this study was to find out if there was any in truth to there being one finite art medium that would garner the most information around a student’s psychological standpoint. It became apparent that choice is a major factor in gaining this information. Whether the hypothesis of this study is ever reached or not, it is certain that more funding for art therapy in public schools is needed, the evidence of art therapy giving the correct information is there, and there are benefits from creative arts therapy to be reaped.

References

Carmine, Tabone (2004) http://www.educationalartsteam.org/school_programs.htm. Retrieved June 13, 2009, from Educational Arts Team - School Programs

Fish, Barbara (2008). Formative Evaluation Research of Art-Based Supervision in Art Therapy Training. Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, 25 (2), 70-77.

Lister, Suzanne, Tanguay, Denise, Snow, Stephen, D’Amico, Miranda (2009) Development of a Creative Arts Therapies Center for People With Developmental Disabilities. Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, 26 (1), 34-37.

Moriya, Daphna (2000). Art Therapy in Schools: Effective Integration of Art Therapists in Schools. London: D. Moriya.

Woolfolk, Anita (2008). Educational Psychology: Active Learning Edition, 10th Edition. London: Allyn & Bacon.

Case Study: Jane Doe

2009-06-23T23:11:00.003-04:00

Abstract

This case study was conducted at the Fortune Society, in Long Island City, Queens on June 2, 2009. The Fortune Society is a social rehabilitation center for former offenders and people with developmental disabilities. Here they can obtain a General Equivalency Diploma and develop social skills. Names of the involved persons have been changed to protect their privacy and livelihood. The student observed was one Jane Doe, who was instructed by Eric Smith. It should be noted that this observation was made during Ms. Doe’s first day at the Fortune Society.

Introduction

This study gave significant insight into how older students with a developmental disabilities can handle a classroom setting after being gone for more than 20 years. To assist with this observation several chapters out of the Educational Psychology: Active Learning Edition, 10^th Edition were used in order to gain information about Ms. Doe’s situation. The observation was an effort to see how Ms. Doe responded to the teaching techniques of the teacher, her strengths and deficits, her interactions with her peers and instructor, how she performs assignments when in groups and independently, and her level of social interaction.

Methods

On June 2, 2009, Jane Doe, 37 and African-American, was accepted into the Fortune Society’s social rehabilitation program. Ms. Doe has slight autism and attention deficit disorder (ADD). Upon entering, the same test was administered in which all students in the program take. This test is an assessment, in order to see which of the six levels she will be placed—one being the lowest and six being the highest. Within the test there is a brief essay, a story with pertaining multiple choice questions, basic math, history, and science. Eric Smith administered the test.

Mr. Smith gave Ms. Doe instructions on what to do with the test and said that he could not help her on this test and it would not be graded. Ms. Doe then asked what if she came to a word that she did not understand. Mr. Smith responded by saying try to use the context clues.

Mr. Smith demonstrated putting a student at ease who is in a new environment. Ms. Doe seemed to be comforted by Mr. Smith’s words. Their interactions throughout the testing process were standard.

Ms. Doe was placed in the level five classes. This level is capable of writing well thought out essays, understanding basic math, and reading. However, their comprehension of what they read is not on par to move to level six.

On June 3, 2009 Ms. Doe entered into Mr. Smith’s level five science class. Ms. Doe is the only female in the room. The men in the room are loud and talk about what music they’ve been listening to. The men’s age range from 21 to 55. Ms. Doe quietly sits a table with two other men. She is shy and offers a piece of candy to the young man across from her and sparks conversation about her trip to the school this morning. Mr. Smith introduces Ms. Doe to the class. She tells the class that she enjoys sewing and going down south to visit her sister in the fall.

Mr. Smith begins class by handing out an explanation of evolution and Charles Darwin. Mr. Smith’s technique is to work up to the main point for each day. This is achieved by giving reading on the topic to explain what the actual topic is about. In this instance, the topic is natural selection. By explaining the basics of evolution and Charles Darwin, there is a certain level of framework, which in turn allows for an easier grasp on the topic. Mr. Smith also employs a form of the learning strategy READS. READS is an acronym for Review headings, Examine boldface words, Ask, “what do I expect to learn?”, Do it, Summarize in your own words. (Wolfolk, 2008) Before asking his students to take turns reading the passage, he asks them to look for heading and words that stand out. He ends by asking what do you think you will learn from this? There are no responses.

After reading the passage on natural selection and Charles Darwin, the class was asked to answer a few questions about what they read and to summarize what they had learned. Ms. Doe struggled with this. While she read aloud, she struggled deeply to grasp what the words meant when put together in a sentence. The first question was, “How did Charles Darwin come up with his theory of evolution?” Ms. Doe answered the question, but instead of how she answered for why Charles Darwin came up with his theory of evolution. In order to get her to understand the difference, Mr. Smith then came up with a new strategy. He asked her, “Why did you come to class today?”. She replied, “Because I wanted to.” He then asked her, “How did you come to class today?” She replied, “I took the train from Brooklyn and walked two blocks.” After seeing the difference, Ms. Doe then changed her answer. This shows that Ms. Doe’s learning style is blurred between visual and auditory. Ms. Doe heard what Mr. Smith’s instructions were and accepted his help, but she also saw his facial expressions and gestures toward how to come to the correct answer.

While Ms. Doe works, she seems to go in and out of thought about the current assignment—sometimes digging in her purse or doodling on the side, thus showing her ADD. Although she may get off task, she does finish her work in the allotted amount of time. When asked to work with the people at her table, Ms. Doe seemed to shut down. She became extremely introverted and only answered questions when she was directly asked, mostly with “I don’t know.” Seeing this Mr. Smith eased her tension by telling her there was no right or wrong answer—it’s your opinion. She understood, but continued to be withdrawn.

Conclusion

Overall, Ms. Doe seems to be an average student in the Fortune Society. While not verbally violent or outright foulmouthed like some of her classmates, it is apparent that she feels comfortable enough in this atmosphere to come adequately focused to learn. Her strengths are in her ability to read the words in a given text and being able to at least try to decipher what the words mean in context. She also takes direction very well. Her deficits come in the form of her inability to understand what she has read and being able to retain the information for the following class period.

Ms. Doe’s social skills seem to be on par when she either standing with the teacher or one-on-one with another classmate. She smiles and is audible. When put into a group, she becomes a shell of the former. She can barely look at the others in her group and becomes nervous and tension riddled.

Mr. Smith’s techniques are varied enough to keep up Ms. Doe’s lack of attention. Knowing this and seeing their interactions bodes well for Ms. Doe’s educational career path.

References

Woolfolk, Anita (2008). Educational Psychology: Active Learning Edition, 10th Edition . London: Allyn & Bacon.

Complex Cognitive Processes Speech Outline

2009-06-16T13:49:00.001-04:00

Complex Cognitive Processes Speech

(Story abbreviated: Teacher has issue with students not being selective with information they find on the Internet to use for a research paper.)

How would you help your students evaluate the information they are finding on the Internet?

Beyond this immediate issue, how will you help students think more critically about the subjects you are teaching?

How will you take into account the cultural beliefs and values of your students as you support their critical thinking?

Metacognition: Have you ever thought about why you did something? Or how you even come to that particular thought in the first place?

Metacognition is the knowledge about our own thinking processes. There are three skills involved in metacognition, they are: planning, monitoring, and evaluating.

As we are all different, so are our levels and understanding of our own metacognition. Maturation and various biological and environmental differences can either hinder or help this process.

Learning Strategy: I before E, except after C.

Learning Strategies vs. Learning Tactics: Tactics are the plans, which are put into action—such as the mnemonics above. Strategies are simply the plans to do so.

Learning Strategies can help students in various ways. In addition to bolstering self-confidence in learning, learning strategies help retain knowledge and advance pre and post knowledge processing.

Students will apply these strategies when they are brought face to face with a worthy challenge. Explaining that these can also be applied to life will raise interest and merit.

Concept Map: a drawing that charts relationships between ideas.

CAPS: Characters, Aim of the story, Problem, Solution

KWL: What do I already know? What do I want to know? After—What have I learned? What happened?

READS: Review headings, Examine boldface words, Ask, “what do I expect to learn?”, Do it, Summarize in your own words.

Problem Solving: E=mc²

Problem solving is both general and specific. I.E. a flat tire vs. the Pythagorean theorem.

IDEAL: Identify the problem and opportunity, Define goals and represent the problem, Explore strategies, Anticipate outcomes and Act, Look back and Learn.

The IDEAL problem solving system is extremely useful in determining where a student is lacking in problem solving skills. Most students have an issue with representing the problem by understanding it, in its entirety or they get lost in other aspects of the problem that are not central to the issue.

Schema-driven problem solving: Seeing that an old problem is simply being disguised and having a solution readily available.

Algorithm: Step-by-step problem solving.

Means-end analysis: Heuristic that divides goal into sub-goals.

Heuristic: General strategy for solving a problem.

Analogical thinking: Limiting the search for a solution that is relevant only to the current problem.

Functional fixedness: Inability to use tools or objects in a new way.

Response set: Responding in the most familiar way.

Representativeness heuristic: Judging the likelihood of an event based on how will the events match you prototypes—what you think is representative of the category.

Availability heuristic: Judging the likelihood of an event based on what is available in your memory, assuming those easily remembered events are common.

Belief perseverance: Holding on to beliefs even if said person is in the wrong.

Confirmation bias: The search for info to validate our opinions or beliefs.

Creativity and Creative Problem Solving:

Creativity is NOT determined at birth, does not come with negative personality traits, are not necessarily “hippies”, and working in groups does not always bolster creativity.

Creativity is a process that involves independent rethinking of problems to make a new, imaginative, and original insight to a problem or subject.

Creativity cannot be measured. However, aspects of creativity such as originality, fluency, and flexibility can. Originality is usually determined by statistics, fluency is the number of garnered responses, and flexibility is the number of categories the new solution can shift between.

As an educator it is imperative that creativity be encouraged in the classroom. Talking about unusual answers and modeling divergent thinking will help other students be more open about new ways to find answers.

Critical Thinking: Think long and hard on it.

Critical Thinking: Evaluating conclusions by logically and systematically examining the problem, the evidence, and the solution.

Enculturation: the process by which an individual adopts the behavior patterns of the culture in which he or she is immersed. I.E. just as a student/child learns from his or her home environment the basics of language and certain conduct, the student/child will learn about thinking and interaction with peers and superiors.

Fashion Friday #4

2009-06-12T10:48:00.006-04:00

Fair warning: This post should really be two separate entities; one about ads and one about airport traveling fashions.

But first, and as usual, some music to set the tone! I'm sort of feeling a bit like my old self--you know the one that would pair argyle, a stripe, scarf, blazer or a motor-cross jacket. Think prep school James Bond meets the Misfits. Since its been like Seattle in NYC for the past 800 years, I've had to resort to the tried and true bit of my old style. In any case, here is some dance madness for you. Its full of climactic orchestrations!

I came across two ads. One of Uma Thurman, who I normally think looks like an alien, but looks fantastic on the cover of this months Harper's Bazaar--but, still completely creepy. I would love to learn how the photographer gets such a bronze overlay of all the colors. Its almost as if they used a Holga for this shoot--I am more than a little intrigued here. I'm drawn to this because of her wide-set and colorful eyes, as most would be, but, I also have a strange allure to anything that is tanned/brown/golden. Stunning, all around.

Obviously, this is ridiculous and he is a paragon of the male form--at least in the fading house of Cro-Magnon. What can I say? Simple sex and good looks sell. Anyways, on to the technical aspect of this photograph. Lighting is everything in this ad. Everything else--the minimal makeup, the body gloss, even the rope, are all insignificant in comparison to the lighting. Without it, the dramatic effect would be completely lost. I'd like to know what sort of lighting source they're using here. I wonder if this could be achieved through the "gritty" effect? Anywho, nice hair.

On to airport fashion!

This concept came to me several years ago through a Vogue magazine article. It was the lament of some old money designer, who basically said, no one dressed up to go anywhere in our modern times, especially at the airport. After reading this, I thought it over, and she's right. How many times do you see ladies in track suits or men in gym wear or worse? Its as if dressing oneself has become some lost art.

As usual, Molly and I talked about this, and she agreed, even professing that that is the perfect time to strut and have the best makeup. She made the point that an airport is a people watching haven and most there look like they just rolled out of bed--so why not do the opposite and have people say,"...damn he/she looks good."

My most recent travels took me back home to North Carolina. I know flying into Charlotte, isn't flying into Milan or Paris, but looking good is a sign of sophistication wherever you are.

This was my airport outfit. Yes, I was in the men's room to be vain, next time I'll ask a passerby to photograph me. My outfit was simple with just enough chic to pass for someone with sense to say, I care. This was part of my nautical theme--the double breasted sweater, white jeans. Not pictures are an oversized brown tote and white suede wing-tips. Much better than sweats right? Took minimal effort and time. Appearance isn't everything, but it can definitely help.

Side note: What do you think of my newest addition to my bag collection? Its simple, navy, and a little doctorish, but I couldn't take my eyes off of it.

Happy Friday!

Music Alert

2009-06-11T10:28:00.004-04:00

Another artist friend of mine recently turned me on to a group called MGMT, who're hailed from Brooklyn. I mentioned these guys in my last post. They kinda remind me of the Beegees vocals combined with the melancholy lyrics of Nico and the background music from Gil Mantera's Party Dream. Its rare I can listen to something that can me happy, contemplative, and a little sad at the same time. Their album Oracular Spectacular, is a bit of an emotional adventure, but its a great listen. Good for walking around, driving around Harlem, or a good party with close friends and the booze of your choice. Enjoy one of my favorite tracks below: Electric Feel.

This leads me to my next music topic. For all you Apple users, you know iTunes is in a bid to crush all internet music sources in sales and creativity. For example, they now have this integrated program called Genius, which suggests music you may enjoy--sort of like Pandora, but, I digress. Through said program, I discovered one of New York City's premier sounds: Vampire Weekend. This is the first time I've heard an album that could be my life soundtrack since The Royal Tenenbaum soundtrack--and that was just a conglomeration of music I enjoyed, not a band or single artist.

Vampire Weekend's sound is a combination of Belle and Sebastian's light hearted music, which is sometimes reminiscent of 60s beach music. Now imagine that, with a side of gritty punk lyrics, guitar riffs, and rich, sweeping classically orchstrated derived fillers; although, the lyrics, raw as they are, are sung delicately. Interestingly enough the message translates easily. Notable tracks are: Oxford Comma, M79, and Walcott. Enjoy the music and videos below, from their self-titled EP, Vampire Weekend.

Enjoy!

Summer Tunes.

2009-05-30T17:03:00.002-04:00

As promised, here are some tunes that have inspired my summer so far. Here are the tracks:

1. MGMT - Time to Pretend

2. Dana Fuchs - Heltor Skeltor

3. Bob Marley - Rainbow Country

4. Seu Jorge - Life on Mars

5. Jay-Z featuring The Verve - Dirt off your Shoulders

6. Jason Lytle - Brand New Sun

7. Utada - Come Back to Me (Seamus Haji & Paul Emanuel Radio Edit)

8. Cuban Cigar Crisis - Love Between the Sheets

9. Billy Idol vs. Basement Jaxx - White Romeo

10. Crystal Castles - Untrust Us

11. ABBA - Dancing Queen

12. Sneaky Sound System - I love it

13. Amy Winehouse - Me and Mr. Jones

14. Scissor Sisters - Filthy Gorgeous

Enjoy!

Tattoo

2009-05-26T11:19:00.003-04:00

This past weekend, I got one of the last tattoos I plan to get. Below you'll see the images scrolling that I chose to combine to make my design. Also, it seems like summer is here on occasion, so here is a little music for the coming heat wave--I'll be honest, its just my playlist from Hawaii in an semi-abbreviated form. I'll have a new one later.

The first is of a skeleton bent down with a heavy background of peacock feathers. This reminds me of a fallen saint. The way the skeletons head is held downward suggests shame, while the background suggests a great amount of pride. Peacocks have long been symbols of pride and royalty. So perhaps this "saint" was too prideful and has been shamed. Either way, the design is spectacular.

The quote I chose came from my favorite Lord of the Rings character--Galadriel, who Cate Blanchett, my favorite actress, portrays in the films. The quote is "And I shall not be dark, but beautiful and terrible as the dawn. Treacherous as the seas! Stronger than the foundations of the Earth! All shall love me and despair." Not only is this haughty and a tad ridiculous, but it fits perfectly with the idea of the shamed saint. Also, its in elvish.

Fashion Friday #3

2009-05-08T08:40:00.005-04:00

Its Friday! Time for a healthy serving of fashion commentary, but first, I'm feeling refined this morning, with a cup of tea, laced with milk and a tiny bit of sugar. To celebrate, here is a life soundtrack for you.

Let's continue.

As you know, I thought I'd experiment with the whole nautical theme. I just found out that its extremely popular and I feel sort of like an uninformed douche, however, I cannot let this stop me--I just have to make it mine. For example yesterday, I wore some canvas pants and shoes paired with a striped navy/cream v-neck, a cerulean cotton vest, and a jean jacket. Adding something that is uniquely you will always set you outside the pack.

My girl Molly is always 12 steps ahead of me with knowing what's going on in my world--she's just good like that. Just last night she sent me an amazing set of fashion photography, which perfectly illustrates the popularity of said style. Go to men, then select Butterfly Caught.

Below is an outfit I'll use to demonstrate how to make your own.

I like the idea behind the outfit. Its thin, slimming, and neutral--very italian chic goes to the beach for a stroll sort of look. What I do not like are the shoes and hat. I find hats on men to be obtrusive and those shoes are a little biblical for me.

Now for myself, I like the length and material of the cardigan, but I'd go for a solid rather than stripes. Maybe white or beige. The pants would be a chocolate and the shoes would be a canvas faux laced slip on--in let's say...red for fun. I'd put a sheer tank underneath the cardigan, I do not care to be that revealing; I blame it on my southern upbringing. Let's trade the hat in for some serious eyewear, you know the kind that covers your whole face. The outfit also needs something to accent the whole outfit. A bag is always good to tie things together. Men who are afraid of a good bag usually have bulky pockets. That's a golden rule you should remember, nobody likes fat puffy pockets. I would wear something a little funky for a bag, just to be me. Something like what is pictured below. I actually got this free from TopMan, its simple yet loud and eco-friendly.

There you have it! A way to make something yours. Let's go over my rules in simplified form.

1. Find an outfit you like--take a picture, steal from a magazine or online etc.

2. Gather pieces you have that are similar or go buy cheap replicas.

3. Add something that is uniquely you, something people have commented on positively.

4. Add one or two accessories or subtract one or two.

5. Work it.

TGIF, people.

Ambient Gray Romance.

2009-05-05T20:57:00.003-04:00

The rain, the rain, the RAIN! I'm very tired of it, but it makes for interesting things to happen in the in-of-doors--take that for what you will. Here is a little inspiratory music, enjoy.

Photoshopping.

2009-05-04T11:51:00.006-04:00

This past weekend, I took some shots in a grave yard and I was thinking of doing some odd editing to them. Luckily, through stumble, I came across this little number. This site also has a varied list of techniques to do things. I'm going to post a couple projects I did with their help.

This is the orginal photograph. Its nothing truly amazing, but it was a good stock photo to mess around with.

Above is the infrared effect. I like this one best. I imagine this is what the world looks like to someone who is colorblind. Or maybe dogs? Its amazing how the detail is still captured in the picture, even after all the tweaking. This took me about 10 minutes to do. A very easy project.

This is my next favorite--the gritty effect. This effect is really (apparently) meant to be used on people. It worked nicely on this picture, I thought. Its very simple, but adds some need drama to an otherwise boring picture. Its sort of like the infrared picture, but the graying out of certain colors makes the texture really pop. Another easy project.

My least favorite was HDR or High Dynamic Range. It would have been better had the site with the top twenty something best photoshop tutorials not chosen one from Romania. Good lord, the English may as well had been Arabic. It took me about 30 minutes just to read and decipher what I needed to do. Anywho, the end product is something like technicolor/Wizard of Oz. Its cool to see background colors brought to the forefront.

Try some of the easy projects to make your more lackluster shots a little more dramatic. Its fun and most of the time easy.

Happy Monday.

Camera Testing.

2009-05-02T12:45:00.002-04:00

For my birthday I got a Sony A750 DSLR. I'm so excited about it! Its the best camera I've ever owned. So in celebration of crossing over into my mid-twenties, here are some new shots taken from my camera.

You'll notice more people than usual. I'm still trying to break-up my issue/shyness with taking pictures of unknowing people. Anyway, enjoy. Let me know what you think.

Fashion Friday #2

2009-05-01T09:48:00.004-04:00

I just had some superficial inspiration. I recently did a list of things I wouldn't leave the house without. Instead, I'd rather do a fashion spread of things I don't leave the house without! The fashion part is mainly the bag I use, which is pictured below. My bag isn't black it is actually this grayish-green color--use your imagination, think man colors.

Now for the cake. This is what is usually inside my bag at any given time:

1. My portfolio--I have a small one and a large one.

2. Camel Lights: My dirty habit, but a grand and deathly stress reliever.

3. Orbit Gum.

4. Domo-Kun: My tiny patron saint, he may be childish, but I love him.

5. Sony headphones...my god, the bass in these is better than at the gay clubs.

6. A notebook, the cheap kind. Never know when you're going to have some inspiration.

7. Numerous pens.

8. Sony A700 DSLR.

9. Lighter.

10. Chapstick for ashy lips.

11. Keys, the most important thing for home.

12. Giant sunglasses. Incognito is best for when taking sketchy pictures and in general.

13. Scarf, just because. I'm cold a lot, I don't have a reason.

14. Iphone! My goodness this thing is useful. A gps and email!

15. Cologne, never know who is smelling you, so its best to smell fabulous always.

16. Yes. I have a clear umbrella. So what?

17. Finally gummi anything! I need sugar or else I may be a royal super bitch.

You'd probably think this is a lot of stuff, but its not always all of it, and most of it is light. Let me know what you cart around all day!

Happy Friday.

Fashion Friday #1

2009-04-24T17:48:00.005-04:00

At the coxing of a very dear friend, I've decided to talk about what's going on in my wardrobe every Friday.

I just did a huge update on my style evolution, so I'll be brief this time.

Summer is coming here in a big way. Today was the first time I was able to sit in the sun and soak it up. I felt like Cheza, from Wolf's Rain. My problem is my looks are based on layering--with the added heat it makes it difficult to do.

Luckily for myself, "someone" pointed out this cool little diddy:

Its an overpriced thin hooded sweatshirt from Urban Outfitters. It cost me $44 dollars, but its perfect and what I needed--something what was thin enough to wear in heat and the sleeves are meant to be up. What luck! I won't even try to make any other justifications for my purchase. I'm not always a thrift monger.

Later.

Fashion Update '09

2009-04-22T19:50:00.033-04:00

This has been a long time coming. I know I've promised and promised to make the update I've been talking about. Here it is!

I've been thinking about how to update my style a lot lately. I feel I almost blend in a little too well with the NYC "counter culture" and I figured its time for a little change. Usually, you would find me in something like a plain t-shirt and some skinny jeans with an interesting shoe and jacket. Its pretty nondescript. My friend Val calls me timeless and vintage. I feel that these are sort of cliché and I want to bring me back into my wardrobe. In previous years, I knew I stood out, now I kinda feel like a carbon copy--mind you in NYC, not Jersey.

Let's talk inspiration. I've always been a huge fan of Ralph Lauren's Purple Label. Its so boojie and old money, but it just looks so well put together and clean. I love the simplicity and elegance of the collection. Yet, I also enjoy the look of the 1950's biker...think Fonzie from happy days. I had to think what elements of each of these I enjoyed most. I love nautical clothing, its preppy clean and just snooty enough. Now throwing my spin on this would involve putting a modern spin and a little dirt (ie Fonzie). V-neck tshirts, sparse jewelry, and tight jeans are all staples for me, so those had to be included. Here is a diagram of sorts. I didn't follow this completely. You know how it goes. You see things in person and try them on and you think this may not work after all.

Now you know I can't do anything without my life soundtracks. I had been in sort of a music rut lately. And I just got out of it recently and these pieces definitely helped my costume changing flow. So without further ado, I also introduce to you: Sailor Boy!

Let my ego fashion show begin!

This is what I call casual work. I suppose its a little more military than nautical. I like this because its warm enough but cool enough for spring and I love ties and wingtips that click as I walk--makes me feel like a power bitch. I love to stomp!

Military Hoodie - Brooklyn Industries - $64

Oxford Shit - Express - $39

Tie - Thift Store - $.50

Skinny Jeans - Heritage 1981 - $19.99

Wingtip Shoes - Steve Madden - $70

This is completely nautical--head to toe. Its comfy and I could easily transition this to summer. I believe the shoes and short-sleeved red cardigan are my favorite parts of this ensemble. Its light airy and snooty!

Cardigan - TopMan - $60

T-Shirt - TopMan - $ 20

Shorts - H&M - $25

Shoes - Urban Outfitters - $18

I don't usually do sheer, and I probably wouldn't have done this had I tried on the shirt before I bought it. But, I like it. This outfit makes me want to ride a boat or just layout in my backyard. The shoes are very ridiculous, I know. These shorts are way tighter than I'm used to, but I've seen them all over the place, so I figured why not?

Shirt - H&M - $25

Shorts - Express - $39

Shoes - Urban Outfitters - $40

I kinda feel like this looks like a dirty country club goer. Its all how you put something together and how you can make someone perceive you--that's style, being able to put anything on and still be yourself. I can still feel like my grungy self in this especially with my hair and the rest of my bodily accoutrements. The sweatshirt/sweater is was mine long ago and the shoes and shorts have already been listed.

V-neck T-shirt - Urban Outfitters - $14

I used to hate stripes as a kid. My mom would always dress me in them. I just thought they were ugly and made me look fat. Now I can't get enough of them. I was never really a fan of the dock shoe loafer thing either. But, things change and here I am new and refreshed, kinda.

Scoop-neck shirt - H&M - $25

Dock Shoes - American Eagle - $35

Something people just inherit and are lucky for it--genetics, money,...old clothes. The terry cloth short-sleeved sweater was my mom's from the 70s I believe. I don't really care that it was a woman's garment. I think if it fits and it looks good, work it out.

Terry cloth short-sleeved sweater - Mother's Closet - Priceless or until I'm too fat to where it then we'll talk.

I've been looking for a herringbone blazer since I was in Saks 5th Avenue last summer and saw a beautiful one--which of course cost $800. This one was much more reasonable. I love herringbone, its a very early 1900s fabric and look. I had some white jeans in college, but I lost them. The bag was an overpriced piece of crap from ebay. And for the price I'll work it till it busts at the seems.

Herringbone Blazer - Zara - $160 on sale for $60 (Bargain shopper!! sometimes..)

White jeans - American Eagle - $40

Bag - Ebay - $50

I love motorcycle jackets. The well made ones always fit a man's body like a glove--I love tight clothes and I don't care! Might as well flaunt while I have it--around 30 I may be a pumpkin. The hoodie is another piece of sheer clothing I've bought this year, its a little snug and I bought it in a large. European sizes are crazy tiny. The jeans are a simple slim bootcut but not skinny. The patriotic footwear is from Creative Soul.

White Motorcycle jacket - Daffy's - $80

Sheer Hoodie - Zara - $45

Jeans - Hollister - $28

Shoes - Creative Soul - $110 on sale for $34

Finally, let's talk about men and spring/summer makeup. Do not be too fierce. Your face will melt off and you will look like a sea hag. Be subtle. Only cover up the red and imperfections and some water-proof eyeliner--not raccoon level now, just enough to have an even flow. Little bronzer doesn't hurt either.

Special thanks to my landlord for unknowingly allowing me to use the duplex, AGAIN. And to Jon for taking the time to indulge my ego.

Till next time.

Writing Exercise #2

2009-04-13T22:17:00.004-04:00

Since I'm not putting my skills to use, I've felt like they have been wasting away. So here I will also begin posting my exercises to random prompts I find online. Without further ado:

Exercise #2

Prompt: Define the word Captor. Create an imaginative prose or short story to go along with your definition. It can be from experience or purely a created scenario.

A captor is sometimes a horror to be reckoned with and others, an intense and sweet pleasure. One that drives all the senses into an abysmal and orgasmic cacophony that gives the imagination and body such inconceivable pleasure, all else in the world seems mute.

Something in his accent I think it was—thick and husky. His lips were soft and red, like a ripened cherry, without the use of even chapstick. Dirty blonde hair tousled into something of a pompadour—masculinity in its finest form.

How many months had it been since our fleeting conversation? How many times was it we made love under the cover of Lou Reed and retreated into a dimly lit smoky haze? I can’t count anymore. I longed to see you, knowing it was against all my better judgment.

A captor is not someone you love. It is someone you desire. Someone who serves as a passionate fantasy—wrapped in the fanatical musings of delightful meaningless conversation and the occasional after dinner cigarette. You were my captor, a thief of my conscience.

Captors play the role of gentleman, grocery carrier, knowledgeable rogue, flirt, and bewitcher, among others. Where did my mind go? What liquid was my cigarette tapped in to make me lose my very wit?

This is what a captor offers you, a means to forget reality—an escape from the thorned floral boredom, which cover the white trellises of chic codependency. Was it this I was running from—from my happy home to your bittersweet grasp? Anything to hear your voice, feel your touch for a moment. The lies build, tensions rise, angels fear to tread the path I have taken—married to a saint and lying with a malefactor.

Finally, captors always turn, when you least expect it—though going into it most of us know, nothing good can come of this. Used, defeated, fallen, smitten are those who are foolish enough to be bemused by their alluring smile and addictive poisonous touch.

Foolish, was I.

So sorry!

2009-04-05T14:45:00.002-04:00

I've been sort of caught up life lately. My apologies for not writing lately. I promise by the middle of this week, I'll have something fabulous for you. In any case. Here is what I'm currently listening to--its causing major solo dance parties in my world. Enjoy!

Color!

2009-03-04T18:47:00.002-05:00

Its high time to break out of my rut of black, red, and white. Here is some color to brighten the day! Enjoy!!

Personal Soundtrack.

2009-03-01T20:32:00.003-05:00

Its been a while since I've written anything or taken any pictures I feel were of merit to post. My old english professor told me, "if it doesn't just flow when you're writing, then its not the time to let it out." And she was right. Otherwise things just come out sounding convoluted and devoid of emotion.
The winter has gotten me down. I'm usually a winter person--I L O V E coats and scarves and boots! The snow is beautiful and the air is dry and crisp. This winter just seems to have been particularly long, grey, and wet. Unfortunately, this has affected my inspiratory musical selections. I'm not a negative nancy, but I'm extremely sensitive to my surrounding environment and I end up becoming part it without even trying. I think that's why I'm looking forward to spring--its alive! I want to be too! My playlist reflects this desire. While you'll notice subdued and length quiet pieces, there are a few roars here and there.

I decided to not load a playlist because I like odd obscure music that always seems to allude this site. So instead, I will upload 3 of my favorite tracks.

Checkered Cat, which is actually titled, the Singing Sea, is a song from an anime called Cowboy Bebop. The song is performed by a group called the Seatbelts, and is sung by Tulivu-Donna Cumberbatch. This song is a complete oxymoron, from the lyrics to the sound. Cumberbatch, sounds as if she is lamenting something, but the lyrics suggest otherwise...or do they? Take a read and see what you think.

Astor Piazzolla is the only man to ever make me think the accordion could be even remotely sexy. Zum, is a song that oozes sensuality. You can imagine a dance choreographed to it--the tension, adrenaline, and precision are enough to bring on a slight heat flash. A much needed one.

Finally, Aphex Twin, brings Jynweythek Ylow, to the mix. I first heard this piece from the Marie Antoinette soundtrack. Its sort of cold and calculating sounding, but on second listen it reminds me of the quiet of winter. Maybe its the plinking cymbals, sounding like the falling ice?

Enjoy the tracks.

Tomorrow, new photos.

Abandonment.

2009-02-24T19:10:00.004-05:00

Sometimes when I'm driving into the west, it just looks so dilapidated and sad. Dried cattails cover marshes. And metal spires rise out of the mushy and sporadically frozen earth. Kind of like Mordor or Midgard. I'm growing tired of the colorless backdrops in life. I want to see greens again.

From these feelings my newest set was inspired. I suppose its what I consider to be a sense of abandonment. People come and go, just as color does in our hemisphere. I think I was spoiled when I went to Hawaii. I'm not used to having a burst of heat and such lush landscapes...it caused my seasonal clock to go into shock.

My backyard was part of this shoot. It has long been abandoned. My landlord will probably never do anything to improve it. The flower bins are empty year round and a piece of plexi-glass is part of my fence. I look forward to the warm weather. The moss and ivy are beautiful. I plan on planting something red back there this spring.

I also shot some pictures at an old train station in Liberty State Park. Its interesting to me that people enjoy visiting hollowed places. I suppose everything has its beauty in some way or another. Just sort of reminds me of visiting a tomb.

Until next time.

Ship.

2009-02-15T17:28:00.008-05:00

Happy belated Valentine's Day! Jon and I stayed in and had a lazy fun day. We cooked, played with Nubbin's, and watched movies. Couldn't ask for anything better.
I gave Jon some framed prints he said he enjoyed and I got a lot of very nice books...including a Dummies Guide to the origins of everything in Lord of the Rings, and a lot of elizabethan historical fiction--you know anything with a bodice, a crown, and repression and I love it!

I also made a V-day playlist, check it out. AND, I got one from a magazine called Complex, but it was totally sex driven. I guess I should have known with songs like Sticky Face and Bed.

My playlist:

Complex playlist:

Which do you like better? I like them both honestly, but the Complex one is just kinda hardcore.

Alright...enough cheese.

For awhile now, I've espied this giant boat on the edge of Philly. While out on errands Jon was my accomplice in getting to the ship and trespassing around it. Unfortunately, I couldn't actually get near the boat. Its gated up with a metal fence AND barbed wire. I like my skin, and I don't really think its that big of a deal. So, instead, I found myself wishing I were a giant so I could take pictures without having to look through fence holes.

Here are my shots:

While at home, I googled "old giant cruise ship philadelphia"; and I came up with the SS United States. Its pretty old, I mean, in my opinion it sort of reminds me of the Titanic. Its just so much bigger than the cruise ships I've seen in recent times.

Peace.

Fashion Show Music Obession

2009-02-13T15:28:00.002-05:00

My mom took me to my first fashion show when I was much younger. It was the Ebony Fashion Fair--the closet thing to fashion week Morganton, NC will probably ever see. I loved how the models sashayed to the music--I wasn't too keen on the clothing, it was loud and colorful, but this was also the mid 90s.

During my internship in London, I had the amazing experience of attending a Fendi fashion show. It was everything I had hoped for! The music was loud and pulsating with the models walking in near perfect syncopation. It was just too short...one show is usually one song long.

It was something like this, just not nearly as long.

And just, for fun, this is one of my favorite shows ever! Each piece is inspired by a work of art.

Since then and between each of these experiences, I have had a grand obsession with the music chosen for these events. These sounds change the course of what the show and the models will present--whether they are stomping fiercely with unwavering stares or walking calmly with a slight smile. The two examples above are exactly what I'm talking about. The only thing equally forceful for a fashion show is the makeup. It sets the tone well, and if done in harmony with the music is a powerful emotional force. Even if the two combat each other, the product can still be imaginative and interesting. What I think doesn't matter is the piece of clothing being worn. You could wear a potato sack, and if your hair, makeup, and the music is right...what else matters?

*Cue life soundtrack*

DISCLAIMER: I was unable to find all the songs via the Playlist thing, so a couple of the songs will be displayed in a raggamuffin style underneath with a description. Apologies.

The first song I'm Waiting, by Cicada, is quiet but driving. I'd a imagine a strong but, slow hippy gait. Makeup be would very bronze and simple.

Move for Me was a single that really put Kaskade on the map in the dance music realm. Suite 117, came up with their one and only song Smaller, and then disappeared. I have found no info on them at all. The walk would be the same for both songs, although a little more "wind in the hair" action would be nice. Face-paint would be considerably darker...espresso and some shimmer and pastel pink cheeks--and a sheer lip. That concludes our trip into the land of Ibiza trance.

On to electronica!

Now, unless you've been in a pit for the last 10 or so years, you've heard about Britney Spears. Now, as a gay man, you're supposed to worship pop goddesses. I don't know why. This is one I'd rather not be caught up with. However, I have to admit the lyrics to Circus, make perfect sense to the feelings I'm imaging--having all eyes on you, putting on a show, spotlights, adrenaline. Plus its a great remix by Mysto and Pizzi; they're the guys who did that song for the money with eyes commercials for Geico. (Somebody's Watching Me) Circus, is obviously based on some sort of sexual fantasy; therefore, let the super stomp and tight hair out! Deep makeup would be perfect for this song. Big lashes, raccoon eyes, red lips, and (totally unrelated) mile high pumps.

Swollen is a song that has been in my life for a very long time. The group Bent did this song..imagine Air with more of a pulse. Experimentalists M83, are very similar. (Featured above.) I chose their song Don't Save Us from the Flames. You will probably remember it from the first video. Both songs need a more airy walk and very clean make up. It would be nice to have each song paired with flowing evening gowns made of some sheer light material.

Justice is one my new obsessions of late. I can't get enough of French house/dance/electronica. DVNO is a very masculine sounding piece. I imagine men doing their odd, wide gaits in a fashion show this song. Eyeliner and foundation...tight clothes, bags, and sunglasses.

R&B/Hip-Hop are two genres of music I find that are often left out of the arena of fashion show music. I don't really understand this. Sex sells nearly everything in our society. The two musical genres exude just that! Plus the rhythms and beats are so spot on for a catwalk. Take the two pieces I've chosen for example: Kanye West's Flashing Lights. Now before you lash out and say duh to this choice, hear me out. The song is talking about being caught in a photo with another lover. After a couple listens to this song, the syncopation is made for a classic hand on the hip sashay. Now RJD2's piece Another Lover, (found above.) is a little harder to explain. Just listen to the rhythm, there are points in nearly every other measure for a stop-&-pose. The beat is slower, but this could be used to the advantage if the clothing is long or cumbersome.

Who knew the reemergence of 80s sound effect pop would be so useful and catchy a second time around? Cut Copy with, Hearts on Fire and Dangerous Muse with, The Rejection, and Dave Gahan, Depeche Mode frontman with, Kingdom all make me think of masculine images. So, its back to the weird wide gait and thick eyeliner.

Portishead's All Mine, is a song that demands gold. Gold lights, gold dresses, makeup, shoes, everything! Its such an overly dramatic song. The walk would be overtly sexual...maybe both hands on the hips? Too much? What do you think?

Not many people could imagine folk-pop being on a runway, but if it can sell an ipod, why not? Feist really out did herself by making dirty references in her song My Moon, My Man. The song's lyrics really have nothing to do with my choice on this one. I just enjoy the banging bass line and the piano. Something of a quick and fresh walk would be nice for this. It be interesting to see this done with a heavier makeup...something dark and earthy. Green!

I had to include Handsome Boy Modeling School. The groups albums are all based on a fake reform school for men that doubles as a modeling school. I chose a relatively odd song called, The Runway Song. (Featured above.) This would be really cool if you could get couples to walk to this song. Imagine lady in evening gown (one hand on hip the other arm wrapped around her escort) with gentlemen is some interesting form of tuxedo. (Certainly nothing garish...like leopard print.)

Antena, is apparently some Spanish chanteuse. She sings this song above called, Camino del Sol. This song is calm, but still commands respect with its brilliant and driving bass. I think a dark base very a very pale overlay would be nice for a makeup pallets for this song. A slow, but slightly fierce walk would be on spot for this song.

Muscle Reform Reprise is a song I played all through my senior year of college. Mylo, a dance powerhouse from the U.K. is responsible for this feel good song. Men and cars are needed for this. I mean listen to the song...its a no brainer. Eyeliner and weird walks are in order!

Hope you enjoyed your foray into my crazy. Later.

Almost Brooklyn

2009-02-12T21:27:00.012-05:00

On the way home from Philly, I decided I would like to do an experiment. I wanted to see if I could deal with taking pictures while in a high traffic area. So what better place than the Brooklyn Bridge? Its one of the the most visited places in NYC, so why not?

I left around 11:30, and rode the PATH in from Jersey City. Little did I know that Brooklyn Bridge was a straight shot from the World Trade Center. I took the low-functioning route. (See picture below.) But, as we know, everything happens for a reason. I found a lot of places I'd never been to before. I had no idea there were so many little parks and places to skate right around the area.

As I was walking, the winds were wild--they were about 45 mph. At one point I was clutching everything I had to stay grounded. People were laughing about the fact they couldn't walk forward. It was as if the whole city stopped to laugh about this silly situation.

Here are my results from the day:

On the way home, I was unfortunately the victim of sexual harassment. On the train home, I noticed a construction worker making eyes at me. As I got off the train, he approached me and asked me if I'd like to go home with him. I declined. He told me his name and I said I needed to go. So, I got on the escalator, where he proceeded to touch my backside and other unmentionables. I couldn't do anything about it, because this guy was enormous. When we got to the street, I lied and said I couldn't find my ticket, and I waited behind a column until the next train came.

Life is always interesting.

Artistic Scavengers

2009-02-08T19:14:00.001-05:00

This weekend has been more than interesting. My best friend, Molly, flew down to Philly to be with me and my boy, Jon. We had decided awhile back we would do a mystery murder scavenger hunt in the art museum in the city. The hunt was kinda bobo and so Molly and I sulked around like losers and looked at pretty things instead. Its always fantastic to be the slacker outcast bitch when you're with a good friend! Also, the hunt was pretty easy--only one clue tripped me up.

After the hunt there was a nice dinner party where all the familiar hunters gathered and went on and on about their jobs. Molly and I acted uninterested and talked amongst ourselves.

The next day we had a fantastic photo hunt in the Old City district of Philadelphia. Here are some of the results:

The pictures I chose are some of my favorites. These photographs are rich in texture and probably some of the ones I've had the most fun in creating.

Till next time.

Apparitional Trespassing

2009-01-28T13:32:00.001-05:00

Lately, I've been watching a lot of horror movies and haunting shows. After watching these things, my hearing becomes hypersensitive and every creak in my home is suddenly a demonic force. Without fail I always freak myself out and imagine my childhood monster--Shakey Horns. Shakey Horns was a centaur demon who carried a large spear and hammer. His horse body was black and similar to a Clydesdale. His human torso had greyish-green skin that was always moist. His head was, by far, the most terrifying aspect. Shakey Horns had red milky translucent eyes with no pupils, no nose, and a mouth full of jagged, nashing teeth. All these horrific features, crowned by two enormous bull horns curved into crescents that pointed at each other. He stamped his massive hooves around on the balcony of my childhood home and peered through the window--angry he couldn't do anything about his trap.

Today my photo hunt was inspired by my fear and the excitement I get from trespassing. Upstairs in the brownstone I live in is an empty duplex. It still has bits and pieces of its Victorian roots. It also has gaughty remnants of the 1970s--i.e. the light shades and certain chairs.

My musical choice for soundtrack and inspiration comes from Radiohead. Its a song from their fifth album Amnesiac, entitled Pyramid Song. Its a song that builds from a very whispy start and climaxes with a sudden hurricane of sound. The song emulates the idea of drowning, the vocals gasping for air and finally getting oxygen up on the climax with an inhalation of rich strings and percussion.

The bottom of a winding stair case. I enjoy the light-play here. Its just so creepy with the overcast light.

I'm not sure who lived here before. They left a few things, like this chair. I sit here and read sometimes in the summer.

You don't see many banisters with this kind of craftsmanship anymore. I love it. I love everything about Victorian pieces. It snakes around for 3 floors.

Victorian home dna?

The 70s arrive! Without the the TLC of someone who cares for the home, its so barren an sparse it makes me think of place that be fit to harbor some of those things from the shows I've seen.

When its not raining or cars aren't going by, its silent up here. This is on the top floor. Some of the hardwood floors have layers of dust on them.

Again the light-play pleases me--especially where the rail disappears, yet you can still see a slight glimmer from the gloss paint.

Gaughty 70s. But it serves a purpose.

My fire place is similar. Although, mine has a shell instead of a knob.

I'm attracted to curves. This is very nice. The slight dilapidation gives such texture.

The light from this window created the first shot.

Broken Walls

2009-01-27T10:13:00.000-05:00

I moved to Jersey City little more than a year ago now. When I first came here, I noticed quite a bit of graffiti, but it was different from small town North Carolina, or even Elizabeth, NJ which is mere miles away.

Just looking at this one photograph, the craftsmanship is evident. I wish I could read it. A friend of mine has told me she could read it when she was a teenager, but hasn't tried in such a long time that she has lost the gift.

This particular piece is from a wall that separates Hoboken and Jersey City. I took this just last summer. During this time I've seen a large temporary fence has erected around the area. The wall is also slowly being demolished. While I was there I took this shot through the fence, but I guess I could have stood on my truck.

While a little more on the crude side of the things in the surrounding area, I love this. This quirky man who is jutting out from "JAE" and all the interestingness going on around him is just pleasing to me.

There was a pile of bricks I could stand on this time. Both of the previous shots were taken through this fence.

I trespassed. Its fun being mischievous sometimes. A man popped up and yelled at me, telling me I couldn't take pictures. He laughed and said go ahead--but to be honest he scared the crap out of me. Like I said before I always have a soundtrack for the things I do. This time in life makes me think about a song I came across recently. Its called 7/4 Shoreline, by Broken Social Scene. From what I gather it is one of their more popular songs. Its fun sort of whispery sound, with a nice bass-line. Check out the video below.

Pineapple Memories.

2009-01-26T09:35:00.000-05:00

I was lucky enough this year to be able to go to Hawaii. It was a beautiful place. When I think about it now, it just seems sort of like a glamourous daydream. I mean, really...hiking up calderas, swimming with Neptune's babies/drowning, and raft riding are not my usual daily activities.

Before I do anything major in life--such as an impromptu trip to Hawaii, I always have to have a soundtrack. It somehow makes things seem more colorful and alive. For this trip, the playlist was titled "Into the West"--see if you can guess the reference. Its 30 tracks long and invites a chilled modern sophistication that melds perfectly with a romantic cruise/resort life or tropical getaway. Here's a screen cap to show you the full list.

I've chosen Aruarian Dance by Nujabes to share as an example. You may recognize this song from being in my car or the show Samurai Champloo.

The shots I've chosen for this post are some that happened by chance, while others just make me wonder how things can exist in such a state. For this trip I brought along my digital SLR. Its a Sony Cybershot DSC-H3.

This is the Haleakala Crater. I love the richness of the colors here. The rust runs so smoothly with the other earth tones. There is even a tiny bit of green near the black hole in the middle of the picture. The curving earth sort of writhes its way up to the zeniths of the mountains. Do you see the skull in the right hand corner on the mountain? Its a creepy little detail.

Same crater. This picture reminds me of the Neverending Story. It just seems as if you kept walking, you'd eventually find nothingness-- although, the sea is actually back there.

This was a lucky shot through a tour bus window.

Of all my photographs, I believe this is my favorite of the moment. It was such a lucky day; the sky was the perfect combination of overcast and sun. There was also plenty of "vog" around.

I'm not sure what combination of sulfur, oxygen, and other elements it took to create this small, but vibrant stone. I did a little editing on this one, but no color enhancements have been made.

I was riding a raft boat along the Na Pali Coastline and happened upon a blue whale during mating season. I only caught a tiny bit. A nose and a fleeting tail.

This image conjures thoughts of Ireland or Scotland in my mind. Sort of like the Shire...only mountainous and sea-fairing.

All of the coast line was like this--lush, green, with jagged red stone jutting out. It was all complemented nicely with by the very blue waters. I enjoy the semi-triangle of sky in the upper left corner.

On the way back, the waters and wind picked up quite a bit. At some points the boat was airborne. This is the result of one of those times. The shore's juxtaposition makes me a little dizzy.

The sun is about to set on the Na Pali Coastline. I took this from the balcony of my ship. By the time we were passing through the waters, the winds had calmed.

Probably my third favorite. This the last night on the ship. Its a great shot the sums up the the beauty of what I had seen while cruising around the islands. I was reading My Lady Elizabeth, by Alison Weir and enjoying the breeze and ocean sound.

In Ko O'lina, these tide pools were like mirrors while uninterrupted by the huge smashing waves, just feet behind them. This is my second favorite.

On just turning my head to right, there is chaos aplenty.

My boy and his trail back to the ocean.

I love how the sun accentuates the raggedness of the rocks on the shore. The severeness of the blue is something I hadn't noticed until now, however.

Why start a blog?

2009-01-25T19:37:00.000-05:00

The year has begun, and I feel its time for me to make a comeback into my passion. I went to college to become a photo-journalist. This is my first real stab into posting my work. I enjoy writing about travel, music, unique shopping finds, and my photography and other artists works.

The craptastic economy has forced me from two jobs recently, and while job hunting and substitute teaching, I'll keep my sanity by doing something I enjoy.

2000-fine is here!