This was my first bit of contribution to Pretty Magazine, an all photo, fashion and culture magazine based in Wichita. I shot some of the Lost in Base photos in the middle and the images for the Caring Hands Humane Society adoption page at the end. There are a lot of great photos by some very talented people in there. Check it out!
Back story on my shoots: Lost in Base was an electronic dance music show hosted by the Electric Collective. There were six rooms, 40 DJ's, go-go dancers, a butt ton of gyrating people and a freaking moon bounce! It was a myriad of electronica ranging anywhere from ambient to dubstep and over all a pretty awesome show. If you want to see more photos, go to electriccollective.com.
The shelter kitty shoot was fun and those cute little buggers were all over the place. Ava Woody (model), Kacy Crider (editor), Alexis Brock (videographer), and I were all stuck in the little white viewing room surrounded by about seven rambunctious kittens. You know you have an interesting photo shoot on your hands when you have a kitten climbing your leg at every turn... literally. Not that I minded though, they were so freaking adorable.
I'll be posting more images from each soon so stay tuned!
I'm driving in my truck with two girls, both in their twenties. The conversation is light and flowing. Our chatter turns towards the interesting names that some artists give their studios and what we would all name our own. I then proceed to explain why I would name mine "The Station."
ME "I'm naming mine The Station because the whole thing is completely white. As my brother and I were painting it, the song White Room by Cream popped into my head. We sang it heartily and it just fit! I'm totally going to hang black curtains up too."
GIRLS (blank stares)
ME "You know…" (I begin to sing terribly) "In the white room, with back curtains, near the station…"
GIRLS (silence)
ME You know… Eric Clapton?
GIRL IN BACK SEAT Yah, I've heard my dad play that.
ME (awkward laugh)
The awkward moment came and went and the conversation rolled on without a hitch. I just felt like sharing that little bit of sadness.
Let me explain the two basic foundations for my return to college. First, I want to learn new art techniques and grow as an artist. Yes, a degree in graphic design from a state university would be awesome, but that is not my number one priority. I have been working in the design industry for years and none of that was attributed to a piece of paper from any college. Secondly, I'm affording tuition due to my GI Bill funding that I earned through military service. It only lasts two years so I have to make the most of it and learn as much about art as I can. That being said, WSU refuses to accept my English 101 and College Algebra credits. I've gone from department to department and everyone just keeps shuffling me along and washing their hands of me. I know it's just two measly classes but they have already cast aside most of my credits from Virginia. I will not let them bend me over the barrel this time.
The English department does not believe that CLEP (College Level Examination Program) exams prepare students enough for English 102. Hence, they are not accepted. The asinine thing is, I took 102 this semester at WSU and passed with an A. Now they want me take 101 because I never should have been cleared by my student adviser to take 102 in the first place. I went to the assistant director of the English department, swallowed my pride, and tried to plead my case. I explained that I barely have enough school funding from the government to get my Bachelors and that I couldn't afford tuition otherwise. Her response was that Butler (a community college here in Wichita) has cheap classes and that I could go there to take English 101. Wow, really? She might as well have said go away poor person. The second issue is a ridiculous technicality. I took College Mathematics and not College Algebra. Come on WSU, these are basic skills general education classes. Why is this even a fight?
When I was getting my degree in photography from Tidewater Community College in Virginia, it seemed a lot less full of filler. I took relevant classes and I didn't have to jump through hoops left and right. Of course there were prerequisites, but TCC seemed to cater more towards those that wished to learn. It's like WSU is primarily worried about the formalities and bureaucracy of the degree rather then helping people better themselves.
I'm going to try to talk to the dean next and if that doesn't work, I'll just walk. If they don't care about their students enough to be understanding in extenuating circumstances, then I don't want to be under their flag anyways. I'll take my money and dedication elsewhere.
I just did something that I have never done before. It's one in the morning and I was looking for my phone charger in the dark living room. I knew where it was, under the couch. Without a second thought, I reached into the blackness and fished about until I found it.
Beneath the couch... in the pitch black living room... where the deepest shadows reside.
Maybe I'm not making this clear.
I just blindly jammed my meaty mitts under there! This is a place that horror movies use quite often for scenes of terror. Maybe a mutant freak was going to harmlessly watch us sleep but I spooked him into a murderous rage? Possibly a zombie plague infected baboon, loose from a government lab, was taking refuge? What if a flesh eating space slug was lurking below or a satanic clown?
OK, OK. There might have been a fat hairy spider or something. I watch too many movies.
Short (Semi Spoiler Free) Verdict A tire that can blow things up with psychokinesis. See where this is heading? Random. That is the point of this movie all the way through. If you enjoy insanity and odd hijinks, this is your flick. Movie Stars: ★★★★★
Full Review (SPOILER ALERT) I take such delight in random because order and the traditional is boring. The director starts by setting the mood of random by explaining that every movie has an element of it. The little speech really got me excited to see what oddities were in store. The plot winds back and forth between you watching the film and then you watching spectators watching the film. It's hard to explain but it's quite entertaining. Most of the "audience" either loses interest or gets killed fairly quickly, poking fun at the fickle nature of the regular movie goer. I love that because every time I go to the theater I am always surrounded by morons. Hell, every where I go I'm surrounded by morons… anyways. It doesn't stop there. This movie takes little clever stabs at bad directors, horror movies, actors and the police, just to name a few. Rubber ingeniously spits in the face of Hollywood at every turn all while watching the shenanigans of a naughty super powered tire.
This movie is freaking awesome. I was super entertained from beginning to end. It's well shot with great lighting, angles and scenery. It's so well done yet it retains that indie film feel. The quirky acting fits perfectly with the erratic experience that the whole story is trying to convey. The soundtrack was perfect as well seeing as it was done by Gaspard Auge of Justice and Mr. Oizo. What a combo! I haven't seen a movie this enthralling and giggle inducing in quite some time. Explosions, chaos, nudity, gore... all sewn together with random. I can die happy now.
Poster Examination The first is the more themed like your typical horror movie poster. Crisp, clean, muted colors, a little over Photoshopped, but it works. It's a freaking tire, which is way better to look at then let's say… Nicholas Cages ugly mug? The second is pretty much an ode to Boris Vallejo and the font reminds me of the Ninja Turtles. This one is also a win. The third and best of the three, is simple and classic. From a design aspect it's perfectly balanced and the use of color is phenomenal. I love it when posters are kept simple. You don't need everything to be all sparkly and full of over Photoshopped actors. High fives all around Rubber graphics team! Poster Stars: ★★★★★
Trailer Analysis The trailer is amazing. It shows focuses you on the oddness of a movie revolving around a killer tire and all the insanity that it must portray. This was more than enough to lure me in. It doesn't give away any of the more intellectual aspects as it pertains to the randomness and subtle humor. Even though you see a lot of the action in the trailer, it doesn't spoil the fun of the movie. Trailer Stars: ★★★★★
This flick and everything related to it gets buckets of thumbs way up, which is no small feat. I had to cut off a few more from the people under my stairs. I should just stop watching movies now and end on a good note.
Black Friday is a day of disgusting consumerism and the glorification of greed. The little guy wastes all of his hard earned money on crap he doesn't need. All that dough just goes right back into fat cat pockets. We are just paying back our bosses all their money. Think about it. If I go buy something I am giving money to the owner of that companies. It might not be my boss specifically but it's someones. At the same time there is someone out there paying my boss otherwise I wouldn't have my current day job. So we are all giving back our money en masse to make sure management stays richer than us. See the cycle? We are losing my friends.
It is just sickening. What is worse is that I, for the first time in my life, partook in Black Friday. I tried to go two hours before midnight on Thanksgiving but the lines were blacks long. I then heard that some people had been camping out for days. Are you serious?! Just to save a few bucks? People are just dying to waste their paychecks and feed the greed machine.
I went back Friday morning to finish up my shopping and still got decent savings. Now I might have gotten lower prices, but at what cost? I helped Best Buy's bank account grow. I bought a TV and a monitor which were both foreign made. So I just robbed America and I blew a portion of my saved greenbacks. I'm not wealthy so I have to take the good deals when I can but I still hate it. I have boycotted Wal-Mart for more than 10 years now but is Best Buy so different? After all, it's still just a greedy corporation.
I guess it's part of being born into capitalism and I should try to accept it. Every time I turn on my big shiny new flat screen I do smile because it's freaking awesome to watch movies and play games in what is almost my own personal theater. Just know that behind that glee is the stinging sensation of guilt and disgust. I realize that I am a whore and I hate it.
My love for Pink Floyd is no secret and The Wall is their crowning achievement. The movie, the album… epic is just not a grand enough word. I damn near know every lyric and scene by heart.
Last year Roger Waters came through the area with his The Wall Live tour and I missed it. Well he added a few more dates to the list and he's coming through Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Holy monkey poop on a brick, I'm so there. The only question is, how much do I want to spend on tickets because they are far from cheap.
Bored? Here's what I'm listening to right now. I adore Portishead.
As an added bonus, this is a fan video for Tetsuo: The Iron Man, which I also love. Disturbingly awesome Japanese cyber punk imagery set to industrial style downtempo... hooray!
