Baby News(letter)

We're pregnant!

I had to just blurt it out. Couldn't think of anything else to say! Woohoo!

We went to California this past weekend to get some stuff my parents had been keeping for me in storage and the timing was perfect to tell them we're expecting. We'd just had the 1st ultrasound last Thursday:
Heehee! So cool. We got to see the heart beat for a couple seconds. It's amazing on SO many levels. Wow, I'm telling you.

So, I'll tell you a little more about it and about the deal with Rob Dyrdek in my newsletter this week. Again, if you want to get my newletter in which I'll ramble in more detail about stuff going on, send me an email. I won't use the list to sell you my art, it's just for the newsletter. I do enough selling here.

I will say, though, that because my wife's an amazing planner, we're already registered at Babies''R''Us and I'm open to barter, ;)

Peace.

John Lennon 05/26/09

Can You Dig It?

What do you hear in your head when you see an image of Isaac Hayes?

That's why I paint these.

Peace.

Isaac Hayes 05/22/09

Excitement Delivered

Ok, ok, ok. So how do I put this? HOLY CRAP! Yeah, that'll work.

I LOVE how the Universe works. Last night went really well, very cool. Here's the story.

My wife and I get a kick out of watching Rob Dyrdek on MTV, both his old show with Big Black and now in his Fantasy Factory. The face Rob makes when that mini horse whinnies in the back of his SUV is hilarious.

Anyway, we noticed that Rob had quite a bit of art hanging in his apartment and his office. Luke Chueh pieces and lots of painted skate decks. I thought it'd be really cool to be able to give one of my pieces to him someday. Someday.

Skip ahead to a coupla months ago when I randomly left a comment on a local guy's blog about a new restaurant around the corner. That guy is making a name for himself as a connector. He loves the Kings Of Leon, whom I had just painted, and he wanted to see my studio and my work. He did.

Somehow we ended up talking about Dyrdek. It turns out Jarod knew Rob from back when he was in SoCal working on cars. They had stayed friends. Jarod had a whole bunch of ideas and people he'd thought to connect me with, but Rob was the one I got a real kick out of the possibility of a connection.

Both Jarod and Rob are on Twitter. Jarod at one point talked with Rob about me and asked him who he'd want a piece of for the Fantasy Factory. "Shootout at the Fantasy Factory" by Traffic.

At the time, I already had "Mr. Fantasy" and so I painted it. Awhile later I found both a better picture of Winwood online, and the album Rob wanted at Hoodlums. Last week, for reasons I now know, I had the urge to paint the piece even though I hadn't heard from Jarod for awhile about Rob. So I painted it.

Yesterday morning I saw a tweet from Jarod to Rob about meeting up in Tempe. Rob was in the valley! So I sent a message to Jarod to see if he could hook us up. All I needed to do was frame the piece. And early that evening:

So cool. Rob was totally chill, but excited and interested in taking a few moments to have a conversation with my wife and I. He had done 2 signing events and was walking in to this place to introduce the movie he executive produced before getting on a plane for Atlanta. Apparently a normal day for him! But he was totally present in that moment with us. He made it feel like we could've spent as long as we wanted taking with him.

What's he going to do with my painting? It'll be awhile before I can show you, but I'll tell you in my newsletter next week. If you didn't get my 1st one and want in, email me and I'll add you to my list.

So exciting. What's going to happen today? I'm not sure what I'm expecting.

Peace.

GIFTED - Steve Winwood 05/18/09

Expecting Excitement

Hoo, I've got some exciting event news coming up! I'll definitely be talking about it in my next newsletter. For now, I'll say it involves this and these and some other stuff.

Last night we saw the Kings Of Leon at the Mesa Amphitheatre. Here's a video a guy uploaded of the opening song. He's got a few more too, good quality. It was a perfect night and a great show. Caleb was amazed at how many people showed up, and he had a good time despite some apparent issues with how it sounded to them onstage.

It's really exciting to see the band get so popular. We became fans after the release of their previous album, "Because Of The Times". Their new one is awesome, and their show has just gotten better.

Tonight might be another exciting night, but you'll have to wait to find out. Me too!

Peace.

Attribution & Creativity

My brain and the Universe apparently think it's funny to mess with me this week. What one thinks, lessons one needs, are presented all the time by both. For me, it's my gut check that sees me through, guides me on my path. I don't need a written constitution or mission statement to refer back to and I don't need my internal storyteller fucking with me.

But, Life has its plan. So I'm having to do a tough gut check again about what I do. After all, I do create for sale works based upon works created and copyrights owned by others.

Mick Rock responded through his assistant to my contact form submission on his site that he thought my painting of David Bowie is pretty cool. Awesome! But he definitely takes the tough stance regarding the copyright issue. They wanted to make sure I wasn't planning a mass reproduction run for sale, infringing on his work, his art, his ego, him.

I have NO problem with that stance. I totally understand where he's coming from, as I feel the same way about Fairey's use of Garcia's photo. Fortunately, I have an internal "don't fuck with people" rule. It's golden. It's why I don't sell out my purpose, my art, my self.

I do what I do for the right reason and can communicate that externally. I can say that my art is meant to pay tribute to musician and photographer, music and photograph, not simply to use them for personal gain. I wouldn't be unhappy if people were simply printing off my blog images and pinning them up in their rooms or cubicles. I want my art to spread, to connect, to reach humanity.

But I want people to know I did it.

So I sign my pieces and I put my website in the corner of each image, assuming I remember. Hugh of gapingvoid.com does the same. He's now welcoming connection with his fans by posting photos of his own cartoons they have printed and posted in cubicles. No gain to him before, but now he gains by showing how people use his work, his art, him.

He gets to say, hey maybe someday you'll buy an official signed print, but no worries. It's good enough, even possibly better, for me that you pay me with your attention, your connection, your sharing, your spreading of my message, you.

Life for Life. Is that attribution enough? But Hugh's looking, as I am, for that provenance, that thread of humanity he started, or he continued. I want people to send me pictures of how my pieces hang, how my stickers are stuck. I want that ego boost. Mick Rock wants that ego boost to be in control of all his connections.

Again, I don't fault him one bit.

As long as humanity can still create. And that's where I side with Fairey in the sense that I think human creativity feeds itself. It's how we sustain our culture. Remixing, sampling, quoting must be allowed, and I think encouraged in order to encourage us as people. Shut it down and we wither.

But that creativity indeed BENEFITS from attribution. When you gratefully share those on whose shoulders you've stood, you encourage camaraderie and ease egos, you show your character, your essential truth, and build trust.

My gut says I'm good.

Peace.