Joe Mills

Lunch Breath

Image courtesy of lunch breath

I am still enamored with how people create quick bits of art that are, well, inspired. As I get into my own art, I realize that I am the kind of person who really likes to work on artwork that takes an extended amount of time. While I have done some quicker work, I am always more satisfied with my longer pieces. At the same time, though, I’d like to work smaller. Sometimes you have an idea that just does not fit a longer piece, and you just want to put something that looks good together and move on. I think it requires a certain demeanor to do things like that. Or maybe, a style of working. Or maybe, just time. Since I am not a full-time artist, I think I want my artwork to really “mean” something to me instead of just being these quick drawings I do.

With the said, I love the work by lunch breath. To be honest, I’m not sure if these are quick, but they feel quick. They are witty and well-done. In my mind, that’s all you need…

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The Political Brain

I am almost done with a fantastic book called “The Political Brain” by Drew Westen. The book examines the role of emotion in deciding elections. It is fascinating because Westen does a tremendous job of chronicling why things went wrong and right for many candidates over the past 50 years. I know hindsight is 20/20 but it really makes sense. I know I’ve always wondered why George W Bush was so successful when it was obvious, in the end, he was not a great leader. The book has a definitive left slant, but he does give the Republican Party credit for building a story about theirparty. While Democrats pounded on the details and avoided certain issues, they never created a powerful message for their party. All the while, the Republicans made it clear what they stood for and stayed 3 steps ahead. THAT is all emotion. And, it is amazing how the issues of an election really have minimal value in the actual results. People need to feel something about their candidate and the story the Republicans have pitched has been a very real story for many Americans while many people on the left chose to ignore it. The author goes on to say that he believes many people in America have more Democratic values, but the absence of a story people can relate to makes it hard for people to say they are Democrat. Since they have been portrayed as elitist, book worms from the East, they just do not fit with the ideals of many Americans…mine included. The author contends that if they had a story that clearly explained their values as a party, more people would be on board.

While it is not the point of the book, I’ve found that a lot of what Westen talks about could be attributed to many of the interactions people have every day. As a teacher, my words have a lot of power. And, if I want my students to buy in to what I’m saying, I need to say things in the right way.  If I just expect them to listen to me because I’m the one talking and I am the expert, then I am going to come off as elitist myself instead of someone they can relate to. I might not be running an election, but I want my students to trust what I am saying…

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Starbucks “App”

As a G1 owner, it is hard not to have app envy. Since the iPhone is the most popular phone on the planet, companies are making applications for the iPhone first. Maybe the G1 next? Maybe the Pre? Who knows? I like this new Starbucks ad a lot. Basically, you can order and purchase your coffee through the application. I don’t really care that it is Starbucks, but I do like this idea of paying without a credit card or cash. This obviously makes your phone more valuable, and I think it is a step in the right direction. Why shouldn’t we be able to make payments like this? It seems easier than carrying around a bunch of cards…now, will it be on the G1?

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Scribblenauts

I’m not much of a gamer, but after reading about this game in Wired, I want to go out and buy a Nintendo DS. Scribblenauts is based on something called emergent game play. Basically, you can help the hero, Maxwell, solve any problem any way you choose just by writing it in. For example, one of the earlier stages is getting a star out of tree. You could write “ladder” in order to get the star out. Or, you could type in “axe” to chop the tree down and get the star. Or, you can write “football” and knock the star out of the tree. From what I understand, the possibilities are endless. It seems like half the fun of playing the game is figuring out what is available and how you can use it. Most heroes have a select number of tools at their disposal to pass from stage to stage. Here…you don’t have that problem…

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I’mma Let You Finish

Sometimes I get ideas for artwork that, after I think about it for awhile, isn’t worth my time to start and complete. It’s usually because the idea or “joke” so to speak is too simplistic. And, I’ve realized, creating an entire artwork would be overkill. Enter the meme. Yes, these types of Internet images are essentially throwaways, but it is an interesting to get an idea out quick. The Kanye thing has obvioulsy being beaten to death recently, but they can be pretty funny. I guess my “artisitc integrity” prevents me from getting involved with too many of them, but it makes me wish I could find a way to work on an artwork a day or something to that effect. So, I can get those simple ideas out and done. Oh well, just some of my thoughts…

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Sketchpad

I do not know the name of this artist, but I think his sketchpad drawings are really nice. When I sketch, I usually try to get the basic idea down first and then refine it through some other method. Recently, that method has been Illustrator. These are sketches that could really become complete drawings. At one point in my art lifetime, I had taken classes where I sat in front of models and drew for 45 minutes or an hour. It’s not an exercise that I’m crazy about, but it was therapeutic to an extent because you were focused on the act of drawing for a sustained perdiod of time. So, I guess you could say that I have some admiration for those folks who can just sit, draw, and create something amazing.

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Negative Space by Noma Bar

Image courtesy of Noma Bar

I am a big fan of using negative space properly in artwork, and these illustrations by Noma Bar definitely use it properly. Over the years, I have taught negative sapce to my students in a number of ways. It is a difficult concept to teach since it is often referred to as “white space” even though it is not always white. These illustrations do an excellent job of demonstrating how negative space can be used effectively in a simple way. I guess I should be looking to pick this book up…

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True Blood

I have been on a “good” television kick lately. If you believe, like I do, that music and movies and television and other forms of entertainment can and should be viewed as fine art, I believe that television is a great vehicle for telling a complete story. This belief, I am sure, has grown from my obsession with The Wire and the work of David Simon. Now, I realize that much of the entertainment we consume is pure drivel, but that does not stop me from finding television programming that does the format justice.

With that said, I have become a big fan of True Blood. On the surface, this would not be a television show that I would even bother checking out. It’s main story point revolves around vampires. Yawn. The only reason I began watching it was because my wife was a big Six Feet Under fan and the two shows have the same creator. It took a few episodes for me to get into it, but I just think it works. I guess it is cliche to say a show is character-driven, but this is the selling point of the show. Yes, it keeps you interested with the vampires and supernatural powers and strange occurrences, but that would all be worthless if the characters were two-dimensional. Second, it makes great use of the one hour television format. Instead of each show having a beginning and ending, the entire season has a beginning and end. So yes, you can not just watch any episdoe and be entertained like you would be able to do with a show like CSI. It requires you to be vested in the entire season. I realize that it will not capture the casual viewer, but I feel like that does a disservice to what really becomes a 12-hour mini-series.

I hope shows like True Blood become the rule instead of the exception, but I’ll take it while I can get it…

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