I'm thinking . CHILL. I can work to this.
BAKER'S SON
We've been working with Keith Magruder on all kinds of projects since CCA days and have been following "Baker's Son" and his success. Keith has been travelling nonstop between LA and the Bay Area as of late for his shows and now working for Tom's (shoe) as a private artist. Between our busy schedules, we both made time to catch up last weekend and knocked out a process video of him painting. He's currently working on a collection called "Sweet Memories" using mainly watercolor as a medium.
Here is the video:
Keith also produces music. This track used in this video was an original by him. Check out his Baker's Son Soundcloud.
In his own words:
"Growing up, I remember helping my mom and grandmother in the kitchen as they baked cakes and pies. No matter what the occasion, even if it were a funeral, their work brought joy to people. I wanted to bring that experience into this setting. Our world is filled with so much destruction and chaos that sometimes we forget the simple sweet memories from our everyday lives."
And sneak peeks of the other paintings in the collection.
SOME MORE VOODOO BLACK MAGIC
Here is a snippet of a project we've got going on. This project should be ready for show & tell in about a week n' half. All shot on the Blackmagic Pocket in Raw with a 20mm 1.7 -- Color corrected in Davinci Resolve and edited with A.Premiere
LET'S DO MAGIC
For a while now we've been shooting all our videos with the Canon 5d Mark II. Unfortunately our equipment was stolen about two weeks ago setting us back a bit with our projects. We can't really do anything about it now so let bygones be bygones. Moving forward we're excited about this Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera (What a long name.) Because we mainly shoot videos anyway, replacing the 5D would be quite spendy and unnecessary for features we will be using very little of. If you're wondering "What about photos?" We still love our Lumix GF1 and it performs stupendously well. The BMPCC will suits our needs for video and we can share lenses between the GF1 and the Blackmagic. The best part is it is half the price and a third of the size of a 5d. Win. Win.
Although the packaging & design isn't anything to call home about I really like the build of the camera. The body is solid and constructed of an aluminum frame, black anodized display plate and a silky soft touch front. The camera is heavy but the type of prestigious & quality feeling heavy. The Grip is really comfortable to hold and you can imagine the dynamic shots allowed with such a small camera.
Here is our first test shot in RAW. I think I'm addicted to color correcting its such an art form but I've got a lot to learn. (excuse the short/quick goofy edit.)
TALKING ABOUT OUR PROCESS
Anh and I haven't been able to update our project section for awhile now because we've been so swamped with our day gigs at Astro and Lab126. But I promise you guys we've got some solid projects that are nearly complete in the pipeline. Stay tuned and thanks for following us. Here's a collage of some behind the scene from last weekend.
HAVE YOU?
Daniel Simon
If you do not know Daniel Simon you need to. Just do a simple google search. Heres a talk he did in Pasadena at Art Center
JUST DO IT
I stumbled upon this image while browsing a week or so ago and have found myself coming back to it habitually, so here I am posting it on our blog.
At the beginning of the year I made a promise to myself that 2013 will be different, it'll be a year of risk taking and pure execution. I was content about staring into the face of fear, doing whatever scared me, and ignoring things that serve little to no purpose to the growth of CreativeSession and myself.
This image is powerful because it questions my state of satisfaction. It serves as a reality check for the crew and myself. It forces me to try things I normally wouldn't, and exposes me to a reality I would not have experienced if I were to play it safe. What was there to lose? So far, I have met some of the greatest people and picked up some of the most exciting projects!
Life is a gamble. The more times you apply yourself, the more chances of winning! So quit losing!!!!
2013 DESIGN DODGEBALL TOURNAMENT
What happens when you herd a bunch of designers into a playground in the Potrero Hill neighborhood of San Francisco, provide them with a bunch of kegs/ paint a few makeshift chalk outlines in the field/ throw in some dodgeballs, and let them have at it? For as long as I can remember the design firms of the Bay Area have gathered for some lighthearted fun every Fall in the annual Design Dodgeball Tournament at Jackson Playground. This year’s tourney, hosted by FuseProject, took place a few weeks back, and we headed out to document some of the fun, as our senior member Anh represented for his day job Astro.
Here’s a quick recap of the day, for your enjoyment, along with some footage of the after-party held at Huge Design.
Congrats to Fuse Project for winning three years straight. We’re looking forward to next year’s battle, and maybe we’ll even see some of you out on the fields.
SLEEP ON IT
Studies show that our brains are like hard drives, VERY limited in terms of speed and capacity. We spend the conscious hours of our day soaking in a constant stream of data, whatever we do, thoughts, food, sports, interactions, design, etc. All of this requires space. It's not until our eyes shut do our brains begin to properly store and make sense of the things we experience during the day. Again, like a hard drive, when your brain is crammed with data it begins to fault and operate at sluggish rates. As weird as it sounds "sleep helps you remember by forgetting." It's your filing system, and the cleaning agent that wipes your slate clean, making room for a brand new start! So please! Study the chart, and don't hold back from taking a short nap... it might just help you finish stronger, faster and smarter! :)
SNEAKY PEEKY
A fresh start - you'll see the rest soon enough. :)
2013 DESIGN DODGEBALL SHIRTS - ASTRO - BAM!
There's only one day out of the year when ball handling and boozing the heck out at @9AM is HIGHLY encouraged! Yes, it's that time of the year again for the Annual Bay Area Design Dodge-ball Battle! This time around the good homie David Whetstone and I decided to take matters into our own hands and knock out some #trillass street wear jerseys for the crew! A few iPhone snaps for your viewing pleasure! ASTRO represent!
HED LYTE PRESS
thanks Furnivo
GOOD LISTENING: SAILOR & I "TOUGH LOVE"
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CS MOB
The quote above reminded me of a JayZ response from A Charlie Rose interview that has stuck with me through the years. "If my artist succeeds it's because of them, if they fail, it's because of me."
As an OG CS gang member I've always took it upon myself to help pave the path and do whatever's within my power to keep the crew alive and well. Most of the time it includes grunt work, but never will I have anyone perform a task I would NOT do myself. Lead by example, own up to our mistakes, and remember not to be the team member you wouldn't want to deal with. There's no I in team! Enjoy :)
HALLOWEEN BUILDUP
Its nearly the end of September and October is around the corner. This means we need to prepare for our "Pumpkin Carving Party" last year turned out dope. For our second annaul PCP I'm hoping to have even more pumpkins to shoot for our video. This was from last year:
Is it me or does it seem like all stores stock up with holiday shenanigans way too soon now days. For about a year now I've been entertaining the idea of buying or making my dog Bentley' a lion's mane for our annual Halloween party. While shopping at target this past weekend I found a lions outfit for him. Tossed the body portion but kept the mane. Here are some photos of Bentley:
PS: This video had to be done. 15 Seconds of FUN!
WOOF
Woof is an up and coming pet company out of San Francisco that is focusing on sustainable dog products. I think they'll be the Proctor & Gamble in the dog market. WATCH OUT WORLD. Here is a small collection of identity work we've done for Woof. These logos are the results from our investigation of Woofs initial "W" check out the quick process video below.
SHARPEN YOUR BLADE
Your design process should show the world that you've thought of every option possible even the stupid ones.
On the topic of design thinking: I had a conversation with a friend last week that is attending California College of Arts this Fall for industrial design.
Lets name this friend Bob.
Bob mentioned to me he's struggling with the balance of design thinking and design execution in his work. Bob's dilemma is that his professor thinks he doesn't have much to show come time to hand in assignments. All you newbie students out there this is normal and should happen to you so consider it initiation.
We identify that he's spending more time thinking about his projects without putting them on paper. This is normal behavior because naturally we prefer quality work over the quantity of work. Our design egos expect us to produce the best so we're insecure about mediocre ideas. Why put useless ideas into this world right? Wrong, useless & mediocre ideas may be weak but are still ideas. Your design process should show the world that you've thought of every option possible even the stupid ones.
My best advice for someone like Bob at this stage is to let go of the ego, be very selfless, just pump everything your mind can think of. Drop the whole quality shenanigan and allow your brain to just dump smart, dumb, stupid, clever, innovative ideas. You may not know it but eventually you'll realized this is good practice in speeding up your design process. Think of this as a way to train your brain to commit to an idea quickly whether if the idea is good or bad. Soon you'll be so comfortable that all your commitments are only good ones.
Lens Whacking
I stumbled upon lens whacking while spying the inter-web for the new Black Magic camera. Lens whacking is such an awesome technique to add flares and light leak to your videos. What is lens whacking? Lens whacking is filming with a 50mm lens or lower not attached to the camera body. As you're filming you shift your lens in various angles allowing light to hit the sensor. This is a great way to add flares manually without doing it in post. I prefer this technique because the video feels very dreamy and the light leaks are consistent with the light source on location.
GEM OF A MIND
I took the above photo walking down the Mission as it reminded me of a conversation I had with a friend about the meaning of sneakers hanging on phone lines. Yes, there are plenty of explanations for this phenomenon, but what I took from this was the sheer resourcefulness of the man/woman behind the shoe to their environment. I appreciate this mystery person for creating opportunity in anyway possible. You have no excuse because we all have a GEM of a mind. Use it.
There are a ton of things in our lives that are totally out of our control: weather conditions, lost time, and lucky lottery winnings. Yet, it’s funny that we’re hopeful for good weather, more time, and free money - considering the likeliness of it all really happening. What's the issue here? Are we spending too much time wishfully thinking? Is it hard to exert energy for the things you want? Nothing should be a crutch to how much we are able to achieve. I mean, why wish for good weather, more time, and a whole bunch of money. Why not move to have good weather, make good use of time, and generate self-made income? In the end, isn’t it much more amazing knowing you put in the effort?
The key element is “WISHING.” The combination of too much WISH and AMBITION may be poisonous. I’ll have to admit, I’ve been a victim to this habit resulting in low productivity. Learn to pump your brakes when too much 'wish powder' has been applied to keep it at a manageable level.