Monthly Archives: May 2011

What’s in a Face?

Posted by Carolyn on May 31, 2011 None comments

The perfect specimen just doesn’t exist! The quest to create the perfect anything has driven industries to the edge of destruction as well as the edge of creativity. You’ve passed those brainstorming meetings…the ones where insults are flying as fast as the ideas. But the one-fit solution just doesn’t work. It probably never did because none of us are alike. And because nothing stays the same forever.

With a society that’s looking and acting quite different from a few decades ago, it’s now time for everyone to finally just admit that there’s going to be multiple good fits into divergent processes, both new and old. We’re now made up of so many disciplines that there really is enough to go around. If we take the best from each demographic and generate new processes, who knows what might develop? Isn’t the sky supposed to be the limit? Read more »

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Staring Into the Abyss

Posted by Carolyn on May 29, 2011 4 comments

Peter Thiel is once again challenging societal norms. But this time, he’s questioning the integrity of an educational system that has not paid back on its investments. We have always been told that if we seek to better ourselves with education, then it would pay back a thousandfold in upward mobility. Yet these modern times are choosing to tear out the bottoms from our beliefs so that we fall into the abyss of obscurity. There are so many distraught voices screaming to be heard over the shriek of winds that blast from the compressing forces of this abyss. And as we teeter at its edges, we’re looking for a lifeline that will pull us to safety. For some, this could be their lifeline. It could also become a catalyst for change, if we see the possibilities. This is his platform of action, instead of just a dialogue of words. He’s not the first, and hopefully won’t be the last.

Technology is leading the way into the 21st century. And it’s been doing it through visions of grandeur that surpass the norms ingrained into mankind. It’s a comforting thought that some of our youth are thinking outside of the box. But what could be accomplished if this evolution were to spread throughout all levels of society? If we would all rise above the mundane to the extraordinary?

There will be those who fight for the establishment. But are they really helping us to evolve?

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Digital Seedlings Make Forests Into Trees

Posted by Carolyn on May 29, 2011 1 comments

As far as the eye could see, all I saw were mighty trees. They’d overgrown my initial plan, probably because I’d lost my sight because of all the beauty.

It’d started simply enough. In my innocence, I planted that seedling and nurtured it with everything inside of me. That first moment, the vision clung to me and pushed me past my endurance. The pain was only momentary, but the reward was to be eternal. Because my tree was like no other, and therefore precious. Its uniqueness drew those near and far to marvel at its splendor. Until that fateful moment when the serpent entered my abode… Read more »

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Perception

Posted by Carolyn on May 27, 2011 None comments

“Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.” We hear these words often, but do we really pay attention to the incorporated warning? Every product that is created will have fans and haters. Some people think that Scions are ugly, while others value their uniqueness. I’ve always been drawn to them because of how they communicate. The company has a way of drawing in the customer because of the perceived fun that can be had. They plug into our culture’s natural conversation, and use it to create the brand. In essence, they build the perception of coolness by being different. In my book, that makes them artists. Now, if you look around, every car maker has designed this type of car to ride the popularity wagon. And some didn’t understand the conversation at all!

As I listen to the discussions out there on the Net regarding the troubles that face creatives, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s because we are not speaking the same language nor do we perceive things in the same ways as others who work with tangible products. If you look at a logo, a designer will see all of the visual and non-vocal segments that add up to the desired spoken message. A consumer will just see a shape, and usually make a comment on how they like or don’t like it. But when the designer takes the time to describe the development process and the nature of the logo, then a whole new perception is created for the consumer. They begin to understand the language of creatives. Read more »

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Insomnia Leads to Melody

Posted by Carolyn on May 27, 2011 None comments

I am a night owl! When people are fast asleep, I am just getting started. My neighbors call me a bat. I guess it fits since I love to wear black and always look shell shocked when I see the sun. Well, the insomnia paid off today as I surfed the TV for some company on the music channels. I don’t follow a lot of popular music because my taste is different from what’s popular today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But I stumbled onto a singer who literally kicked me in the guts with her talent: Lissie. How do I keep missing this kind of talent until way after their debut? Ah well, at least I found her now! Listening to “When I’m Alone” and “In Sleep” while I write. I’m glad that I departed from my usual type of music (Dommin, HIM, Nirvana, Puddle of Mudd, and many others), because she’s well worth it!

p.s. oh noooo…another good song playing: Rope By Foo Fighters. The video is gorgeous!

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Vikings Brought to Life

Posted by Carolyn on May 26, 2011 None comments

I have been fascinated by Vikings since I was a kid. It’s more than their image, it’s their strength, courage, and thirst for life. Sure they were marauders, but their mythologies were alive inside my head like no other stories. (Besides, most everyone seemed to be doing the same things back in those times.) As a matter of fact, if it hadn’t been for them, I would never have survived a semester of classic opera appreciation. To this day, Wagner’s Rings of Nibelung is the only opera that I can listen to without wanting to scream…thanks to those Viking myths.

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“Power Geeks”

Posted by Carolyn on May 26, 2011 None comments

Just stumbled on another article that had me laughing while it hit home. Judith Newman, a New York Times contributor, was discussing the latest book of Alexendra Robbins, “The Geeks Shall Inherit The Earth: Popularity, Quirk Theory and Why Outsiders Thrive After High School”. The book is another way that the author is helping teenagers get through their formative years in an environment that I liken to a Roman gladiator ring. I haven’t read it yet, but I just might because I remember living through many of those same experiences. Read more »

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Dreaming… (Another New Creation)

Posted by Carolyn on May 25, 2011 None comments

I’ve dreamed a particularly vivid dream for much of my life. It comes at moments of strong emotion, and feels almost like a memory. I normally don’t dream in color or sounds, but this dream has them all. I can’t help but wonder why it follows me throughout my life. But it’s like a blanket that wraps around me, and I don’t want the memory to fade.

Here’s another short story based on that fragment that follows me: Feudal Familial

Do you have dreams like this?

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Ouch, My Brain…

Posted by Carolyn on May 22, 2011 None comments

Ok, so I am a major comic fan. Being raised by the military machine in Japan during my youth, I’d spent my life surrounded by them. They made my life more colorful because they let my brain go into that gorgeous world of art and imagination. Even though I’ve matured, my taste really hasn’t. I still collect comics and manga, and have now even straggled into manhwa – I seriously can’t wait to get my hands on Ghostface by Hyung Min Woo!!!

I know that there are millions like me, because I see them frequent comic shops and even conventions like Comic-Con (though I’m now turned off by the HUGE Hollywood crowd). But the one thing that I can say is that I’m a snob when it comes to comics. No matter how great the plot, if the graphics aren’t good then I can’t read the book. One image will start to bug me, and then I’ll spend my time picking apart the book. So, I don’t get the ones which have unappealing art because I’ll do the creator an injustice. I’ve heard that some readers are the exact opposite. But the one thing that’s constant is that all comic fans are fanatic about them. Read more »

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More Artistic Inspiration…

Posted by Carolyn on May 22, 2011 None comments

And now that we can go back to our daily lives after avoiding the apocalypse, I figured that I’d put up the links to some new artists that I and others are fascinated with:

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