nugget of pessimistic optimism

Kurt Vonnegut's MO, somehow he manages to be simultaneously jaded and giddy at the same time. He's just light-heartedly chuckling about the hopelessness of the human race. You know, that's all..

I read Cat's Cradle recently in which he makes up a whole religion that doubles back on itself. The first tenant being: “All of the true things I am about to tell you are shameless lies." I walked away with his point being that the lies of religion make people happier than the truth derived from science. 

I wouldn't say I agree, but I still think it is a sound argument. I see it like trying a case without a weapon, DNA, or witnesses. You put together the pieces as best you can, and it seems to make sense with what you have in front of you. But you are working with a short deck. There's this great book with thought-provoking ideas and reasonable assumptions based on a narrow scope of humanity, its actions and effects. Given what society works with, these ideas about religion and science sadly seem to make sense and I can appreciate the casework. But I do think the real picture is a much bigger mystery, outside of the scope of the duality of these two constantly warring sides - religion and science. The unseen knots that bind us, quantum physics, galaxies beyond ours, wave particle paradox and observer effect, the brain, memory, love. None of it can be explained away in terms of science or conventional religion for that matter. Though there may be answers in both, and answers enough for the individual, which is all that matters sometimes, especially if you think that we are only working with one lifetime. Those answers might be enough. For me though, there is comfort in all the questions. 

words from the past live on

He wrote this poem back in the seventies, when gang life was prevalent, drugs abundant and communities falling apart. I always thought that the most valuable thing Victor ever taught me was related to acupuncture and energetics. But there are stories he'd tell sitting around dinner or in his living room about the Civil Rights Movement that were so captivating and inspiring, I feel as if I was there.
Really miss those times.

And I miss these ideals.

As life moves on, the battle to live freely becomes increasingly more difficult. Responsibility, expectation and ambition wear away that lightness of being. You need people around you who see the world this way, who push you on when everything around you is defying your convictions...and that's yet another reason why Victor being gone is a huge terrible hole.

Gonna go eat some sushi tonight with his old buddies to soften the edges.2 years.

Climbing lately

Realized I haven't written about rock climbing lately, you must be biting your nails!  Let me regale you with some shots of our ventures around Southern California where the granite and sandstone run deep.

James and his lady friends at Echo. Learned to multi-pitch on this day! We got up around 150 feet over the beautiful Echo Valley.

Trad master T doing some uncharacteristic sport climbing

Done a couple days of bouldering at the legendary Stoney Point* just north of Los Angeles city. I'm still not very good at bouldering (Bouldering: climbing without a rope "short" routes, usually below 15 feet, usually big round rocks). I'm not muscular enough and falling is not an option once you get halfway through your route, ie when it gets hard. It is, however, exceptional for your balance and technique. I've free climbed things and then gone back to the high walls and been shocked at how much better my form was.

Hiking to Echo is a slug with the ropes and gear. Mostly we all complain the whole way and then eat everything we have the minute we get to the base of the cliff.

Are we there yet?

Made it. Oh, NOW we climb? pshhhh

Ash trying to retrieve gear on a tough route. 

We got the place locked down like a compound

Taking a break in a tree!

And Leang always looking like an REI ad. They should sponsor her.

Dylan and Nak hooking up some anchors at Stoney. He saw a huge tarantula, but I was too slow to get a shot.

I got a good perch to take some action shots.

Some not-to-be missed climbing links:

*Classic piece of climbing footage! 

A nice little doc about Stoney

Climbing without a rope, in that dept. no one can touch Honnold

Maybe the person that comes closest.

Newspaper poetry

// Speaking of choices // Likely to become a long scrimmage of Will / They barely know // The efforts needed to top that big rock // 

A while back I started making these collages in the morning after "reading" the newspaper. Sometimes there's not much reading involved, I just channel aggression at the sports page and tear it up.

Found word poetry is however, really kind of nice and zen. And if/when the poetry sucks you can always hide behind the fact that, well you were just working with what you had. How can you make poetry out of the sports headlines anyway.

But what I've found amazing is that, even though the words aren't mine, they have a way of expressing what's on my mind often far better than if had my choice. Some people pluck their ideas out of the ether, I guess I might be more of an assembler. Either way I highly recommend this experiment.

// As generations of man return to God // The foreign limits of a world // bound by the memory of all that is lost // charges on waiting for happiness //

This one (I guess obvious by the first sentence) is about the older generations departing this world and the lessons that they are taking with them; lessons about being happy and how those of us left behind are wounded by that loss and simultaneously complacent about our own journey; "waiting" for happiness because we dont really have the secrets that our forefathers have taken to the grave.

// Goodbyes are nice // To finish off a rainy day and march ahead // Away from the fire of blame // And an overblown showdown // Making off with nothing but // Lessons from the devil //

This one is melodramatic. About relationships that are so trying, and how it's pleasant when they just fade away rather than end in a gigantic unnecessary scene.

// Money for power // Still the fleeing spoils of a solitary life // See you quietly losing yourself // to earth's unseen spell //

Idealism coming face to face with the realities of participating in the rat race. It's the resistance to the idea that money does equal power, even power over your own destiny. While the answer could be to step away from it all and live like an ascetic in the spiritual world unphased by the theater of power and money, even for an idealist the temptations of the material world are too much to withstand. To enjoy what the earth has to offer you have to pay.

Friday - War On Drug

A little something from my brother for this Friday as he embarks on a journey to attend a beard festival in Nashville

I was there to catch a man
I thought I had him by the hand
I only had him by the glove

Photo by Dusdin Condren / Pitch Perfect PR

wrap it up.. past month (or so)

This is a music video that just recently wrapped. You are looking at a one woman art department. Although the aesthetic is pretty clearly the directors, I didn't sleep for a week working on it. Clothes, props, eh.. hair. The two dancers got their break on So You Think You Can Dance and were definitely very sweet and talented.

People coming together to make art.

More film! Wrapping on Love Arcadia the feature film (photo by Anna Wu, lots more awesome shots here)

Some friends approached me about building a life-sized boba tea cup with mobile tapioca balls, personality, googley eyes, a back and bottom entrance, and arm holes. I drank my weight in boba tea trying to figure that one out with no budget for a prototype. I'm excited and a little apprehensive to see it on film. Anyone need a plastic worker? For real I'm an expert at vinyl and corrugated plastics now. Sort of.

The story follows three teens graduating high school and navigating that difficult period of decision-making and change. It's a light-hearted and fun movie, but with some pretty thought-provoking undercurrents.

From sketch to set. (That's catchy) It will be out some time next year.

Old fashioned graphic design work. Real old fashioned ie 17th century style. Rachmaninov and Chopin style. These programs were for the annual epic Sannikova recital, pianist and instructor to the star's offspring. 

James Bond party with some crazy people : )

TEDtv, headdresses and prints and such

We had an earthquake the other morning at around 6am. I was outside before the shaking even stopped. I've always wondered about the advice to get under a door frame. Wouldn't you just want to get outside where nothing is above you? School me if my logic serves me wrong.

These large format illustrations give the ideas and inspirations behind real wearable art piece, which were all on display at Bergamot in December. Some of them are based on characters from books, some are created based on a specific plant or location. 

See it in the real! Particularly excited to see my work on stage at TED Global in Edinburgh. The video of Elizaveta performing in my head piece and a dress I designed was released this week on their website. Go check it out! Or just click on the video below.

Elizaveta Performs Meant at TED Global in Edinburgh 

one of the best characters in fiction

Living and breathing because of Harold Ramis. His creative and comic genius will be terribly missed now that he is gone. At least in part it lives on forever in Ghostbusters. I love everything about this character: his name, his hair, his lack of humor, his brains and then lack of common sense.

maps and more maps

Map factory: I've been working on this series on the Arctic for a few weeks.Yesterday I met a girl from Siberia and then two seconds later, totally unrelated a guy from Alaska walked up. How often do you meet people from the Arctic Circle? The odds are like one in a trillion that we'd be on the same latitude, much less talking to each other.
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Friday and Valentine's Day

Robert Smith and the Cure. I worked at a photoshoot a year ago where the art director looked exactly like young Robert Smith, hair demeanor, everything. It was uncanny. And enjoyable, because I felt like was meeting the Cure, and he was really really cool.