World Garbage Dump Tour - Joy Revolution

I love what Benjamin and Stephanie Dunn of Joy Revolution are doing! Keep rockin' it with all your funky, free, spontaneous LOVE! Great music, great video and great JOY you're igniting! :)

Food Court Musical

Here's a funny improv event by Improv Everywhere. It brought me a smile. :)

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

I've been reading "The Chronicles of Narnia" by C.S. Lewis for the first time, and I'm really enjoying them. I haven't enjoyed reading that much since jr. high - when we had to stop at every chapter and evaluate every little detail. It's been a long time since I've read for pleasure ... and now I've been getting back into it with "The Monument" by Gary Paulsen and "The Chronicles of Narnia" by C.S. Lewis. I love how imaginative the Chronicles of Narnia are. They're richly creative and I can sit reading for hours without noticing the time fly by.

I look forward to seeing Prince Caspian as a movie too. I think they did a great job with "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." I do enjoy the books - since I have to use my imagination to see the fantastic worlds - but the movies are awesome too!

harry ransom center - photo booth

I'm really enjoying the playful photos of people who have visited the Harry Ransom Center Photo Booth. It accompanies an exhibit and involves a Victorian backdrop setup with a foot pedal switch in a semi-private room. All you have to do is go in the room and stand in front of the camera. There's a live video feed of what the camera sees so you can see how the photo might come out. There's a few instructions on the wall - asking folks to please limit themselves to 5 photos (although some people were having a lot of fun & took a few more), that by taking the photos they're releasing the HRC to publish their photos, and that the HRC has the final say on what's put online/published. The switch is a foot pedal–similar to a sewing machine pedal-that is hooked up to the camera. Usually people play a little bit–seeing that they're on camera–and then they press the pedal to take a photo. It takes a few seconds to focus & take the picture. So you have to hold a pose for a few seconds to get a clear picture.

I think it's a brilliant idea! I love the way you get to see ordinary people playing - jumping, hugging, kissing, hiding, acting, smiling, laughing, moving, with loved ones, by themself, elderly, little children, college students, adults, etc. It's so fun to see other people in play - being themselves or just having fun. Even shy people who normally wouldn't do something like this have a chance to be expressive because there's no one else in the room (it is open on one corner to the gallery but it's hidden). I like the diverse cultures represented and the range of emotions shown in the photos. It seems that a lot of people have had fun with the installation.

Wonderful art! Great idea David Coleman. :)

a heavenly trip

wild flowers over the alps
Originally uploaded by raondo

Last month I went on a trip to Europe – the south of France and Switzerland. It was amazing! I spent hours of quality time with friends – playing, relaxing, meeting, planning, thinking, swimming, biking, hiking, and enjoying life. It was wonderful to meet friends over there that could show me the ropes of getting around in Europe (without knowing much French). I enjoyed it so much! I took this photo on a hiking/camping trip to the top of some of the Swiss Alps. What a fantastic view!

Now I'm back in Texas so refreshed and rejuvenated. I'm ready for new things and looking forward to new adventures this fall.

Mangola taking shape

I would like to share with you some news about an art event/production I am helping to put together – here in Austin, Texas – called "Mangola." Our objective is to create an event that mainly reflects the identity of Austin – through film, fashion, music and visual art. It will encompass several venues and be open to the public.

I am hoping to join others in a chance to explore some topics close to my heart and express it creatively. I know it will take quite a bit of time (outside of my full-time job), but I would like to invest some of my time and energies into this. I think it will be a worth-while production because we have a high-caliber team of creative people –15 artists and creative leaders from America and Europe – with diverse perspectives and experiences in art/event productions.

I'll be working on this for quite a while in my off-time, and I'm taking a trip in a few weeks to Europe for a Mangola planning/production meeting. I'm really looking forward to what transpires at the meeting and the shape of things to come. I'll probably post some photos of the trip within the next month.

{If you enjoy some of the artwork I do and would like to help support us in getting this going, you can visit our fund-raising site: https://www.fundable.org/groupactions/mangola}

Creative Summit & BBQ

Next weekend (March 30/31) is the 22nd annual Creative Summit in San Marcos, Texas. It's a great conference and student show about graphic design, illustration, photography and creative professionals. I'd like to make the whole show, but I might make only make it for a little bit (silent auction, design show) ... and I plan on making the alumni BBQ shin-dig down in Riley, TX. It should be a good time. Hopefully I can catch up with some alumni design friends and maybe play some horseshoes.

sxsw brain-spinning

I'm back from SXSW ... wow! what an experience - great people, ideas, discussions, etc. It was over-whelming at times - too much information & people, but really good. I got to see a few friends/alumni who had moved away, hang out with my co-workers and listen to some of the most forward-thinking people in creative technology. I took notes on the panels & will try to share them soon ... there was lots of information. I'm trying to bring as much inspiration & ideas back into my workplace, and hopefully make things even more productive & enjoyable. My brain is kinda fried right now. I'll come back later with more. (I think I have enough ideas to keep me busy for the next year at least.)

One thing, yesterday I saw the world premiere of the movie Helvetica ... which was a great documentary film about how helvetica came to be out of the swiss design school and how it has (positively & negatively) shaped our society from different people's perspectives. There was a Q&A at the end with the director Gary Hustwit & designer David Carson. Whether or not you're a designer, I think you'll like it a lot.

2007 SXSW Interactive!

After 3 years of living in the beautiful city of Austin, I'm finally able to attend SXSW Interactive! I'm excited ... it's always been too expensive for a post-college student freelance designer/coffee shop barista to attend ... It's always all the hyped-up out-of-town people flying in from all over the world to "be cool in Austin." In many ways, SXSW has gotten bigger than the city of Austin (maybe not the name of Austin, but the majority of folks who live here). It does bring a lot of business in ... and more people come in to appreciate all that Austin has to offer - creativity, independence, youth, big horizons/opportunity, down-to-earthness of Texas ... a convergence of smart technology and personal uniqueness/creativity ... which is what is pushing a lot of society right now. It's cool to be in the middle of that, and I'm looking forward to seeing what the creative revolutionaries are doing & saying ... to be able to actually take part in this larger-than-Austin-but-herald-of-all-things-Austin event ... to let that new invigorating enthusiasm spur on new ideas for creativity, new projects, new inventions, new ways of solving old problems, and languages to communicate & solve what these common problems are in our society & communities. ... Now I finally have my feet on the ground (since someone finally decided to hire me & train me in business matters & the pratical creative process of a team/business - which differs tremendously from a college individual's creative process). Now I can finally partake of this excitement & party of the present & future of creativity & technology. (Maybe some year I can jump into all the arenas - interactive, film & music.) It's a great place to be ... and it's in my backyard. Pretty cool. ... So that's where I'll be for the next 4 days ... might post a few things that I find interesting.
Peace out, for now.