I didn't come to class today because I couldn't shake my overwhelming sense of doom. Here's a picture to make things all better.

Mark Powell is an English illustrator whose preferred media are vintage envelopes and a Biro pen. He usually does black and white portraits of elderly men and women, but his illustrations featuring small animals are also extremely impressive. I love how the use of the Biro pen makes the portraits feel so rightly engraved into the envelopes, almost as if they were already designed that way.

Marcin Karolewski is an illustrator from Wrocrlaw, Poland. He labels his work as mostly "comic book concept art". He does not have a full biography, but the majority of his illustrations depict a penchant for adventure and a strong interest in fantasy. His use of color is very subtle, yet effective. He pays very close attention to detail, which gives the viewer an endless supply of things to discover and analyze.

Jin Joson is a photographer/illustrator based in the Philippines. He does a lot of client work, but I find his personal work (as is usually the case) to be the most intriguing. He uses a lot of oil and acrylics, and the majority of his work is conceptual. His portraits are usually very aesthetically appealing, and he uses a mix of shading and light colors to create very light, almost fairy-like subjects.

I think Jocelyn and I are going to start shooting every Friday. What better way to kick off the weekend?

This picture represents my psychological denouement upon facing the gravity of the proverbial "adult world" and how the metaphorical "party" has ended...

Kidding. It's me in a party hat, guys. Let's be real.

I am starting to experiment with Photoshop a bit, and wanted to create a sort of "wet plate" look. A lot of what I see on Flickr is starting to bore me -- I can only take so much heroin chic and overlayed film textures. 

Thus, I'm going to sit in my room at 4 AM, read about the stupid election, and do dumb things on an expensive computer program to show to kiddies on the Internet.

Lately, I've wanted to take a lot of pictures of my stupid face. However, being in a dorm definitely inhibits my creative flexibility. I don't like doing self-portraits anywhere but where I live just because it's a very personal thing for me and I only do it in a personal space. But people are gonna start getting reeeeal sick of seeing that stupid window.

Welp, I just sold my 30mm. Now to sell my 24-70mm (which no one will want to buy because it's the outdated version and apparently the new version is so much better) to be able to afford LA in December.

I also figure that I'd start uploading pictures that I liked from shoots that I've already posted from. If that makes sense. I have a huge Temp folder and don't want to let them just sit there.

IT'S MY BLOG I'LL POST WHAT I PLEASE

I think this is the last picture taken with my 30 f/1.4. I'm still debating on whether or not to sell it. It's just so disheartening when you waste time styling and arranging a shot and you realize while you're editing that it's not exactly in focus. I don't know, I might be the only one who's neurotic about it.

I've been shooting with a digital camera for about 2 years now. I began shooting darkroom 4 years ago, but it became much too difficult to process film and create prints. So, I figured (although I wasn't exactly thrilled to be working with computers) I might as well start shooting digital. I usually shoot and then post-process in Photoshop. My work is a lot more accessible now, so I suppose that's the biggest plus.

A lot of photographers I know call themselves "conceptual photographers". I've never really understood the label. I do know that the majority of my photos come from random, spontaneous inspirations. I like pushing boundaries of beauty. I like shooting things that aren't exactly "pretty" or "normal". Most of my photos are a bit unflattering. But I like when things look a bit off or uncomfortable or strange -- that's what keeps them interesting. 

The Internet is one of the most powerful methods of communication. Through it, we've learned to actually convey emotions and feelings through a medium once viewed as cold and mechanical. I believe that it will soon be the most commonly utilized way to advertise and promote oneself. I hope that with this blog (along with several other websites), I'll be able to say and do something noticeable, meaningful, or powerful. I also hope that I can create something we'll both like.

We're all cognizant of the flurry of musicians, actors, and artists that have suddenly risen from sites like Tumblr, Flickr, and YouTube. We all recognize that there is ubiquitous talent around the world that, without the aid of the World Wide Web, would not have been given a second glance. Pretentious or ambitious as it may sound, I want to be one of those people. Not exactly for the fame and fortune (although we'd all be liars if we said we didn't care about those things), but for the ability to produce something frivolous that people can appreciate. Art makes you feel. Or think. Or understand. Art becomes a therapy -- for both the artist and the viewer. And I rely much more on the visceral reaction of the public than their money or praise.

In short, this is my therapy. Enjoy.