#there's just 'graphic design is my passion' energy everywhere

[thesweetestsupervillains]

// I stg some of you are allergic to clearly presented info

I promise you that you do not need to have a list of muses that is 90% giant images that takes up a thousand scrolls

if you must have images, 100x100 is perfectly acceptable size! Maybe, idk, organize them by fandom using basic formatting? Use bold and italics as needed on easily readable white background with easily readable colored text?

Example!

Fandom Muse Name | Canon/OC | FC

See how readable that is? How it would be organized and easy for someone to find what they need???

[stars-tonight]

HEYYYY!! was wondering who you might match me with 🫢 no rush to get it back to me, i just hope you have fun with it :))

sooo i’ll be a lil selfish n ask for a long matchup bc i’m curious on ur thought process abt it! (i don’t understand how ppl do matchups my brain can’t make connections like that!! i’m usually just like “oh u like this character ok so ur perfect for them obvi” LOL)

i’d want to see who you think i’d be in a romance sitch with 🤭

i go by she/they (on spectrum kind of around demigirl but honestly i don’t even really pay mind to my gender anymore, i just like to think i’m me and that’s good enough for me!) and i’m fine with being paired up with whoever

i think my ideal partner is someone open minded, with a sense of humor (brainrot lowk), and with at least some sort of passion in their life. i also loveee music so i’d hope they’ve got some sort of developed music taste

i’m optimistic and altruistic, a little (a lot) unserious, creative, nerdy (i pull out that “did you know 🤓☝️” trivia abt the randomest things a lot), and pretty talkative!

i kind of dabble in everything but i especially like baking, watching movies, playing piano, graphic design, and scrapbooking. i’m like an old lady, i know.

i am pretty sure my love languages are quality time and physical touch for receiving but for giving it’s words of affirmation and probably still quality time

hmm my ideal date would probably be exploring a city or a festival or a main street of some kind. like checking out every stall or small shop (supporting small businesses and trying out foods? yes pls)

and some other tidbits about me are that i love nature (especially aquatic things), i sleep a lot so i’m usually up real late at night, and i love public transportation bc i hate driving!!

that’s it! have funnn and have a nice day lovely! <3

headcanons

🥛 when i saw you wrote "brainrot" i immediately thought of bokuto

🥛 he's definitely chronically online and knows all the memes and tiktok trends

🥛 bokuto is so passionate about volleyball, he absolutely adores the sport

🥛 i'm sure he'd adore his partner just as much! he goes all in with everything he does and would put 100% into a relationship

🥛 he probably listens to kpop lol

🥛 definitely blasts hype music on bus rides to games, much to the annoyance of his coaches and teammates

🥛 he always complains about akaashi's music taste because akaashi is 100% a classical guy

🥛 but he'd love to listen to music with you, especially if it's upbeat

🥛 if you share with him a sad song he'd probably cry at the lyrics (and he's definitely an ugly crier)

🥛 personality-wise, you and bokuto are pretty similar (except he's not that creative and probably the least nerdy person out there)

🥛 but every time you blurt out a random fact he just gapes like :0

🥛 and then yells "that's so cool!" or something like that

🥛 you two would be such a fun, chaotic couple

🥛 it's like akaashi now has a second kid to take care of

🥛 bokuto definitely aspires to bake with you but would end up spilling the flour everywhere and turning your whole kitchen white

🥛 and he'd be absolutely fascinated when you play piano cause he doesn't have a musical bone in his body

🥛 bokuto's giving love language is totally physical touch

🥛 man is unashamed of pda and will give you bear hugs any chance he gets

🥛 if you ever deny him of a hug he'll pout and go into emo mode until you come around

🥛 and his receiving love language is 100% words of affirmation

🥛 one word of praise from you and he's jumping up and down in excitement

🥛 bokuto's like a puppy in the fact that he always wants to be around you, even if he's not interested in what you're doing

🥛 you could go to a museum (you can't tell me bokuto won't be bored af in there) and he'd follow you around just because he likes seeing you happy and he wants to spend time with you

🥛 bokuto is high energy all the time and would totally fit a festival date

🥛 would drag you around to all the food stalls and insist on feeding you bites of everything

🥛 bokuto doesn't seem like a morning person but he's also not a late nights person (he needs his eight hours what can i say)

🥛 but he'll be unable to sleep if you're not in bed with him

🥛 will sit on the bed, wrapped in blankets, and just stare and pout at you until you go join him

🥛 i doubt bokuto can drive (safely) so you'd definitely take the train or a bus to get everywhere

runner up for you was kuroo tetsurō!

A/N: hey ro! so nice to see you in my inbox :) i hope you liked your matchup! i genuinely really think you'd match well with kuroo too 🤭 feel free to come back and request anything else 🫶

[callumhumphreys]

INTERVIEW: BRYAN SHUTMAAT FOR TRESPASSER

Callum Humphreys: Hi Bryan, firstly, thanks for taking the time to speak with me. Can you start by giving anyone who’s reading an overview of Trespasser?

Bryan Schutmaat: Trespasser is a small, independent art book publisher based in Austin, Texas that was founded in 2017 by Matthew Genitempo, Cody Haltom, and me, Bryan Schutmaat.

CH: What inspired you to start Trespasser?

BS: Before launching Trespasser, Matthew and I had talked for a couple years about starting an imprint together. He and I have really similar taste and passions, and we wanted to see books made that might have less of a chance to be made with established art book publishers. When the opportunity arose to publish my short book, Good Goddamn, we decided to make the imprint a reality, and we recruited Cody Haltom, a brilliant designer, to join us on the endeavour.

CH: I come from a graphic design background and one thing that instantly jumps out to me is the construction of your books. They mix DIY / zine elements like staple binding, with high-end offset printing and foil stamping. Do you think these design decisions enrich the experience or enhance the books narrative?

BS: Yes, that’s our hope. The design, materials, and all further considerations put into our books are meant to reflect the narrative, meaning, and emotional atmospheres within. As objects, we think photobooks need to honor the images and the stories we’re telling as best as possible. Regarding some of the stylistic choices you mention, Matthew and I grew up skating and listening to punk, which might account for the DIY/zine elements - maybe an outlook and aesthetic that stayed with us after youth Cody compliments that with what he brings forth in terms of layout, typography, an acute attention to detail, and so on. I think it amounts to books that feel somewhat against the grain yet don’t sacrifice great printing and overall quality.

CH: Congratulations on your newest publication ‘Polar Night’ (Mark Mahaney 2019) it seems to have been met with universal praise. Polar night, similar to many books in your back catalogue seems to touch upon themes of isolation, anxiety and the interaction we have within our landscape. This type of ‘documentary’ photography has almost become a genre in itself. Is this the kind of work you are actively seeking to publish through Trespasser?

BS: I don’t think we’re trying to push that kind of work necessarily. We’ve only collaborated with close friends on our projects so far, and perhaps the themes you notice might just be shared interests among a small friend/artist group. I like that all of our publications up to now have a sense of cohesion, but we’re also eager to branch out and tell different stories.

CH: In an age where sharing work, ideas and opinion is instantaneous, what role do you think the photobook plays in modern photography?

BS: I have a bit of spiel about this. I think photobooks are the saviours of photographic meaning in an era when we are constantly bombarded by the ubiquity of images and digital media. There’s a torrent of content everywhere we look, and most of it adds no significance or benefit to our lives, aside from being momentarily stimulating. They quickly disintegrate into the abyss. But a good photobook can transcend this meaninglessness and function like work of literature. A book is physical and lasting. It slows you down. It can convey profound concepts, engaging narratives, and unique points of view.

CH: Can narratives or ideas be shared in the same way on social media as they can in photobooks?

BS: No, I don’t think so. On this topic, I often reference a great video of David Lynch, which can be found on Youtube, talking about how sad it is that people think they’ve seen a film when they’ve watched it on an iPhone. “You'll think you have experienced it, but you'll be cheated,” he says, “It's such a sadness that you think you've seen a film on your fucking telephone. Get real.” I think it’s the same with photobooks. There’s no way the attributes of photobooks - their tactile characteristics, mechanics, poetic nature, etc - can be equalled on a computer screen, especially a tiny mobile device with a three-inch screen. There are some interesting ways media is evolving on bigger screens - desk/lap tops and iPads, etc - but I still think books win out every time.

CH: Do you think the resurgence in the popularity of film, and its tactile nature, has played a role in keeping physical prints and books alive?

BS: I think it goes hand in hand to some degree. These days, people spend so much of their lives in a digital world -- working, communicating, shopping, banking, etc -- that I think a part of us yearns for something tangible. To me, this explains why photographic film is resurging, as well as music on vinyl, photobooks, and other things analog. Digital tech has conquered a lot of our lives, but for some people, maintaining a relationship with physical objects has value.

CH: Is there any advice you can give to someone who is interested in publishing a long-term body of work in book form - For example, knowing when to draw a line in the sand and consider it ‘finished’ (if there is such a thing)?

BS: It’s important to keep in mind that great photos are what make great photobooks, so it’s crucial for photographers to put their energy into their body of work foremost. The photobook is the reward for the work after completion.

The question about when to consider a project finished was recently asked of me in the recent released Aperture book, Photo Work, edited by Sasha Wolf. I hope you won’t mind if I recycle that answer: “What’s the cliché? A work of art is never finished, only abandoned. With the kind of work I do, I could shoot forever, trying to improve the photos or tweak the edit or just fuck with things endlessly. But life is short, and at some point you have to say, ‘Ok, this is enough.’ If you feel the subject matter isn’t thoroughly explored after the completion of a project, then you can always go shoot the same kind of stuff in the future.”

CH: Do you have 3 book recommendations that helped shape you as a photographer, whether classics or more recent works.

BS: It’s so obvious, but The Americans by Robert Frank is the godfather of photobooks and sort of touches everything that comes after it, so it has shaped me without question. Truck Stop by Marc F Wise is a much lesser known book, but I came across early on and it helped to ignited my interest in everyday America and the subject matter I came to shoot. Laura McPhee’s River of No Return is a book I fell in love with early on as well, and it probably shaped my vision in untold ways in terms of its content and the sensitive, poetic way she conveys her subjects.

That said, I like these books because of the astonishing photos inside, not necessarily because of what the books are themselves as aesthetic objects. I think a new standard has been set in recent years in regard to design and physical characteristics of photobooks, so if I were to choose books that have shaped me as a publisher, it would be a different selection.

CH: Thanks for taking the time to speak with me, is there anything else you would like the readers to know about Trespasser?

BS: We don’t do a newsletter at this time or have much of an online presence outside Instagram, so that’s the best way to keep up with us, @trespasserbooks. 

See more of trespassers work here:https://www.instagram.com/trespasserbooks/

Bryan Shutmaat here: https://www.instagram.com/bryanschutmaat/?hl=en

[stormdive]

HEY these are from last month before my sudden disappearance ( i’ve been moving to a new apartment and haven’t had internet half the time, and haven’t had energy the other half , so there’s the reason for that ) but I didn’t feel right cleaning up my ooc and deleting the post they were commented on without acknowledging all the kind words even if it’s super late to do so. SO      

dromii replied to your post “i’ve been feeling pretty insecure about my portrayal here lately so...”

Okay but, listen friend, I only just followed you, but your blog captivated me because of how freaking unique it is in the roleplaying community????? Like, for example, I love the shattering effect you've got, the aesthetic is top notch??? And your writing, from what I've seen, looks beautiful too????? I'm cry?????? Seriously, I could gush about your blog and I literally only just followed you okay.

okay but u listen friend , part of that aforementioned insecurity made me pretty hesitant in following new people , and so ngl i saw your blog a few days before i’d made this post and chickened tf out . which is ridiculous because you have lovely writing and you’re clearly sweet as heck and i’ve followed plenty of people just for the pleasure of following along their roleplay experiences without any expectations of them wanting to interact with me , so the moral of this story is that anxiety turns me into A Fool™ . anyways i’m glad you like the aesthetic of this blog because Graphic Design is My Passion and all I can do is try my best . i don’t know where to start with how A+ your choice to take from norse mythology within the context of Cloud’s narrative , but being captivated by the uniqueness of it all is a mutual feeling . ( p.s. i hope your internet stuff gets sorted out soon ! )

maenadian replied to your post “i’ve been feeling pretty insecure about my portrayal here lately so...”

i lov u mem ur so good at any character u pick up GOSH

your just saying this b/c i basically only play strong pretty girls or doormat men and those are larx’s favorite people

jk thank you mars ilu and thank you for following me around everywhere even though tooth kicks every muse out of the house eventually anyways

erromes replied to your post “i’ve been feeling pretty insecure about my portrayal here lately so...”

smothers u with hugs i love u so much and i love the depth and love that you put into all of ur characters ;___;/ also ur a big nerd

you come into MY house

call ME a nerd ??

bless you for always listening to my ramble about all these characters you have no reason to care about and engaging with me in those conversations anyways samcat you are truly a better friend than i deserve just for that i swear 98% of people wouldn’t even bother pretending to care at this point let alone get all excited like you do ! ilu and also i can’t wait for aqua to adopt nahia bye .

[houghtonfagan40-blog]

This Is Just what Occurs When You Order Ridiculously Affordable Clothing Coming from Singapore.

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At that point incorporate ~ 2 mL from starch sign and titrate until heaven colour vanishes.

[inktrinsic]

‘ART IS EVERYTHING’

- interview with a tattooist

Baldwin Ang is a man on a constant quest, seeking to fill his life with experiences that enrich him, all of which he ultimately expresses in works of ink. Working with artists from all over the planet, Baldwin feels that his nomadic lifestyle is paramount to growth as a tattoo artist. The world his oyster, Baldwin's love for the craft brings him anywhere art exists - "everywhere, basically!", he laughingly says.

He believes every piece of inked skin tells a story, and listens intently to every customer who goes to him. Observing him at work tattooing fills one with a sense of wonder; such is the tangible passion he exudes when executing his craft.

With travel restrictions still in place, i manage to catch up with Baldwin here in Singapore, to talk about his passion for ink, and how he got into the craft.

Tell me about your first tattoo experience.

I grew up an only child in an average, middle-class home, typically Singaporean. My dad ran a small business,.and Mum helped out. Left on my own mostly, I pretty much entertained myself, with toys and later, other kids my age hanging around the neighbourhood. I started getting tattoos at a very young age - the first was a dare actually! Gradually I became intrigued by the art form, and this spark fueled my resolve to start doing research on tattoo as an art form and the history behind it.

I started tattooing at 16 (below legal age) without any proper apprenticeship, in a friend’s studio in Singapore. Initially, it was difficult to be taken seriously by people within the industry, they dismissed me as some "young punk" hence there wasn't much hope of me getting a decent appprenticeship anywhere. I stuck with it though, I guess I kind of knew this was what I really wanted to do.

I worked pretty hard, starting from bottom up, and about a year into it, my tattoo artist opened a door for me into the world of professional tattooing. I started understudying with Nicckuhori of Horikawa Tattoos, Singapore, (god-son of Sensei Horiyoshi III) whom i thank for showing me the proper methods pertaining to traditional Japanese tattooing. After that i worked alongside Augustine Nezumi for almost 2 years before embarking on my life as a nomad.

Do you think an apprenticeship is the best way to learn the business?

Without a doubt! Starting out without a proper apprenticeship, thats just a bad idea - like walking blindfolded- because you need to learn the basic techniques and stuff like that from the start correctly. Good foundation and whatnot. I took twice as long to get my basics right, and probably took alot of unnecessary detours, all for the lack of guidance. Although I think it worked well for me because all that hard work being self taught gives me a sort of perspective many younger tattooist seem to lack (no offense to anyone).

What is it about tattoos that compel you ?

That art can exist on a living human canvas.

What’s it like in your studio?

I work with my closest friends in the world, they are family. Nicckuhori, Sam, Colin, Wuzai - in Meteorite Tattoo in Singapore. There is so much creative energy andwe constantly bounce ideas off one another. There's alot of laughter, and camaraderie here - put 5 boys in a room, imagine the kind of mischief we get into! More importantly, there is a certain "sync" we share, artistically, aesthetically, and in even our beliefs so it works out well. Nicckuhori’s work is one of my greatest influences and a great source of inspiration; i respect and love him like a brother. Yet at the same time I hate him the way you hate your siblings because he fools around, laughs too much and always when I’m trying to focus.

Have you worked at many conventions?

I’ve attended many conventions but I’ve only worked at the conventions in Rome, St Gallen (Switzerland), Wurzberg (Germany) and Singapore.

How do people at conventions perceive your work?

(Laughs) I have no idea though I definitely hope it was positive.

Do you find working alongside other talented artists helps you to improve your own techniques?

It is really important for me to understand and learn from other artists. Observing other artists at work, discussing various pieces and techniques  with someone who is kind enough to share with me their ideas and techniques, that knowlegde is invaluable.

During your trips abroad, have you noticed any particular areas that are more welcoming to tattoos and tattooists than others?

Not really. I am lucky i guess, I have mostly only met really nice people who have welcomed me very graciously, and I’m very grateful for that.

Do you think that a formal art training is needed to becoming a tattooist?

I think it helps but formal art training in a traditional college is not totally essential as most aspects of tattooing are picked up on the job. While I have a diploma in graphic design from LASALLE, I don't attribute my artwork to the education i received in school.

Most of the best tattooists I know have no formal art training.

Who are your main influences, including both tattooists and the more traditional artists?

Sensei Horiyoshi III, Nicckuhori, Susan, Roland, Filip Leu, Mick, Aarron Cain, Carlston, Kuniyoshi, Hokusai, the list goes on!

Do you have a favourite style of tattooing? Can you describe your own style?

My genre choice would have to be Japanese style. I try to mix the traditional Japanese tattooing style with the neo-Japanese style. I am currently trying to explore a wider variety of subjects, colours and compositions.

What is it about your chosen area of expertise that you enjoy so much? Why were you drawn to it?

I revere the mystical history of Japanese and oriental tattooing rich in culture and tradition. Singapore is incredibly modern, there isn’t much preservation  of Asian culture, or any traditions since we’re a young nation. I have always been drawn to culture, and I was exposed to oriental art  at a really young age. Focusing on traditional tattooing was really just a natural progression.

What would be the ultimate tattoo for you to create? What subject matter/placement/techniques would you use?

I would love to do just a full body suit of Japanese background, water, earth, sky, fire, experimenting with shading the contours of the body. Maybe with a lot of positive and negative to create strong contrasts and boldness to last a lifetime.

How do you relax and spend time away from tattooing?

I am starting to try some abstract painting with oil, watercolour, Sumi etc. Nothing related to tattoos. And I watch too much Netflix. And I try to go to the mountains in Switzerland. I love nature. It’s good for the heart and soul.

What’s your favourite part of being an artist?

I get to be creative and the creation of good art. Art is everything, really, and it makes me very satisfied.

Lastly, what changes have you observed in the tattoo industry?

Not much, except for how society on a whole has evolved into one more accepting of tattoos as a form of art. There seems to be less stigma and bias when it comes to people sporting tattoos. This is definitely a sign of the times, and I hope that it will continue growing in that vein. That being said, I think there are also some who get into this trade with the wrong motivation, maybe it’s because of the hype sparked off by the media. Reality shows glamorise tattooing, making it seem really cool and easy, and with the Internet and websites that sells starter kits at super cheap prices and way too many books on how to tattoo, it’s becoming really easy to start tattooing, which somehow diminishes the richness of this art form.

[gaybooks]

Artist Interview -- Woodlands Comic

Sam Bowen and Ari Pluchinsky are artists based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Read their comic HERE or HERE and support them on PATREON. Keep up with comic updates on the official WOODLANDS TUMBLR.

Introduce yourself and the type of work you do.

Sam: Hello! I’m Sam; an illustrator and recent graduate of Pennsylvania College of Art & Design. The type of work I create spans across a variety of content and interest, ranging from character designs, keyframes, book covers, self portraits, sticker designs, and more. I live with my girlfriend, Ari, and we discovered that we work really well as a team and do well to motivate each other through this extremely difficult, but rewarding, career path.

Ari: Yo! I’m Ari! I’m a comic artist and writer. I graduated in the same class as Sam from PCAD with a BFA in Illustration. I put out my first comic called “Pyrrhic” for my senior thesis and am currently working on my first graphic novel. I am also the illustrator for the soon to be Paranormal Punchers comic book (based off of the very good podcast of the same name). I enjoy cooking, coffee, making comics with my lovely girlfriend and being a shitty DM.

How much does your own identity (as someone in the LGBT community) come through in your work?

Sam: I identify as female, though I welcome and explore feelings of gender fluidity. I’ve been told most of my characters (male, female, or in between) just look like versions of me, which I actually find quite interesting. Being lesbian myself, I am naturally drawn to LGBT characters and do my best to subtly incorporate them into my own storytelling, particularly in Ari’s and my webcomic, Woodlands. I make an effort to include multiple body types and races, and I wish to have gay characters but in a way where it is far from the focus of the plotline and in turn is not what defines their character at all. I would rather focus on a person’s relationship with another person instead of “that man/woman is in love with that other man/woman.”

Ari: Ay’ mo gay mo’ better. Really though, I think my own shitty brand of comedy is what comes through most in my storytelling. I do the layouts for the pages and put a lot of effort into making sure the story flows and the jokes land like we want them too. I’m also a hopeless romantic which will make itself known in Woodlands once we get further into the story.

When you create your work, do you have a specific goal in mind, such as a social commentary, or are you just trying to tell a story?

Sam: I want to quote one of my favorite artists here, Winona Nelson, whom I had the opportunity to see an artist talk of in person: “I want women to know that they’re strong, and I want men to know that they are beautiful.” In addition, I always wish to explore emotions that we have all felt, but can’t quite explain with words. I use my connection with nature as an allegory for my life experiences that will hopefully speak to others and help them come to understand themselves better as well.

Ari: No matter the story or the medium, representation is extremely important to me. Growing up as a lesbian I hardly had any characters that I could relate to or identify with. Visual culture plays a huge part in helping us distinguish our own identities especially when we are young. I hope to be able to bridge the gap in someway by writing realistic characters even in a fantastical world.

Has the way you understand your role as an artist changed considering the current political climate?

Sam: I think it’s important that we use our talents to speak out against what has wronged us or what we’re against discriminated for. My emphasis lies on normalizing those who are part of the LGBT community, and depicting both men, women, and other as human beings. And I wish to celebrate what makes us all different and unique. All bodies are so beautiful.

Ari: Sam summed it up really well.  I’ll add this too, works of fiction and fantasy can be the most powerful tools of commentary on the modern world when told in the right way. I’m not saying that's really what we are trying to convey with Woodlands, but there are definitely some elements that will come in later on that act as metaphors for aspects of modern life.

How much do other mediums of art (literature, music) influence or inspire the work you do?

Sam: Inspiration is everywhere! I’m drawn to doing a lot of fanart for this reason. Once I have some time to process what it is about those characters and experiences that inspires me so much, I apply those themes to my own work. Music is also a big component. I’m always daydreaming when I listen to music, and some of my most powerful ideas come from sound. Those illustrations speak. Ari also started DMing a DnD campaign for our friends, and that has provided a flood of new ideas and creativity, and just good FUN! Sometimes with our field of work, it’s easy to lose motivation and creative energy and interest, and it has the dangerous possibility of becoming a chore instead of what you love to do 24/7. But when you have something that you’re actively and personally connected to and have fun with (playing a character you made up experiencing life in a world far from your own), there is an endless supply of creative flow because it’s something that you can get immediately passionate about. Passion is a huge driving force in successful art.

Ari: I could probably tell you each and every song I listened to while working on a panel of Woodlands. I have a habit of making playlists for characters also. It's fun but It also helps me get into the head space of that character and understand them more. Sometimes character creation for me is just folding laundry while listening to music and suddenly I have a whole new insight into a character. I got a pair of very nice bluetooth headphones from Sam’s parents as a gift, they were my precious children and I used them so often I burned them out in under a year. So yeah music and podcasts are p much my life.

What would you say to someone trying to break into your field of work?

Sam: Make connections. Talk to other artists of all skill levels. Show your work to people. Consider going to school for art or taking online courses taught by professionals in the field. You will always be learning, so embrace where you are now and think about how incredible you’ll be 5 years from now, 10 years, and so on. And most importantly, never forget why you’re doing this in the first place. If you lose sight of that, it won’t be fulfilling to you and you could easily fall out of it. I’ve witnessed too many artists who had a true talent for what they did, but because they didn’t keep up with it or keep pushing themselves, they’ve vanished from the field. One of my professors from school said that it’s okay to take a break, but always set a date for when you’re going to pick up that paintbrush again.

Ari: You have to have the dedication of a shonen jump protagonist or you’ll never make it. Work hard, keep to a schedule. Work on the projects you love but incorporate self discipline because no matter what project you take on there will always be a point when you have to hunker down and power through to finish it. In the industry, finished projects are worth a lot more than having plans to finish a project. If you are interested in the technical side of making comics we offer tutorials and lessons on how we make comics as one of our backer rewards on Patreon.

Tell us about your current projects and what we can look forward to in the future.

Sam: Our webcomic Woodlands has been a major priority for us. We have a decent chunk of the story written out, it’s just a matter of drawing it and uploading it each week to share it with the world! We will also have a Patreon available for our followers to donate to us so we can keep up with the project and eventually quit our part time jobs and do what we love for a living. My personal illustrations at the moment include concept paintings based on our DnD campaign of the experiences of our characters, as well as self portraits and other scenes in nature that depict a deeper anecdote. The latter is plotted out to be a series of illustrations based on words (typically in other languages) that describe very specific emotions that we don’t have words for in english. They may or may not have my face shown in them, but they will always be representing the emotion through an event in nature, and animal behaviors that I feel best suit the emotion. The sculpture work of Beth Cavener is a major inspiration for this series.

Ari: We are working currently on gaining traction on our Patreon for Woodlands and just generally expanding our outreach for the Woodlands fandom. I am also working on my first graphic novel, you can follow along with that on instagram and the Paranormal Punchers comic which will be coming out later this year.

FOLLOW THE ARTISTS:

Sam: insta @the_bowen_arrow              Ari: insta @punch-chinsky

WOODLANDS COMIC

PATREON

[pluienoir]

Pluie/Noir Interscapes 02 “Interior Design”

Sound Mixed and Compiled by Rubi Visual Interpretation by David Surman

Soundcloud Link: https://soundcloud.com/pluie-noir/pluienoirinterscapes02

Welcome to the new Pluie/Noir podcast series, Interscapes. 8 years after our debut we decided to press the reboot button and return to our roots. With a new format and back to a regular monthly schedule, Pluie/Noir Interscapes will feature audio collages, mixes, live interviews and live recordings from P/N artists, friends, and other collectives we admire.

Because less is more, instead of the usual triptych format, this series will feature one single visual interpretation of the music by a graphic artist. The artwork will be available to purchase in poster format on our rebooted Bandcamp page very soon, with cassettes or CD-r of the mixes as a bonus.

World events have taken the series out of its planned monthly schedule, but priority was on the safety and functional structure of the private lives of everyone involved in the project during these unprecedented times. 

For Interscapes 02 we welcome Rubi, a versatile german artist based in Myanmar, with a visual interpretation by english painter David Surman,

— Interview: Rubi

Hi Christina, welcome to the P/N Interscapes series. How have you been?

Hi there, and thank you so much for having me on your wonderful series! <3 I’m good, I’m enjoying what I can from the comfort of my own home together with my little kitty, currently working online and otherwise painting and reading a lot or watching movies!

Why did you move to Southeast Asia? Was it mere chance or a long-term goal?

A little bit of both, but I’d say it was intentional :) I moved here initially only for a short-term gig of three months early 2017 which I found really quite randomly but was very intrigued by. And honestly, I just liked it so much that I felt like I needed to come back and spend more time! I moved back to Yangon, Myanmar in August 2018 and have been here since, and I deeply love it – there’s a different energy in the air in Southeast Asia, people are kind and positive everywhere around you and there is still so much space on an economic and artistic level that it’s a very fulfilling place to be!

Your endeavours seem pretty vast. What did you study, what do you do for a living, and how do you entangle it with music?

Ha, I’m an economist and data scientist during the day. I’ve always been listening to and surrounding myself with music, but actually got deeper into DJing when I started my PhD in Barcelona in 2013 – I just felt like at the end of a long, mentally draining day I needed to use a very different part of my brain to really relax and let go, and getting creative with the music perfectly hit the spot. I’m currently teaching at a Liberal Arts and Sciences Institute here in Myanmar, which has the goal of bringing quality education to students from different walks of life, particularly those from ethnic minorities and less privileged backgrounds. 

I finally got to combine my two worlds by teaching a class in music psychology this term, where we are exploring the role of music in everyone’s life from early childhood, how it is used as a social identifier and its connection to politics and conflict. My students are in their early 20s, and I’ve put them on the guestlist for several of the club nights I’ve organized here and they think it’s the coolest thing ever to see their professor behind the decks haha!

How is the audio-visual arts scene in Myanmar and the surrounding Nations? Are you helping activate it somehow and what are you working on nowadays?

I’d say the scene particularly in this part of Asia is at an early stage compared to Europe, but driven by a lot of passion and daring, forward-thinking people. In most of the major cities, you’ll find a beautiful venue and a small dedicated crew of people behind it - some of my favourite places I’ve played at in the area are Savage and Observatory in Vietnam, the Resonant crew at B1 in Taipei and Club Kowloon in Hong Kong. Also, the early-stage vibe brings the liberating attitude that as a DJ it’s really just about making people dance, and there’s no ego yet about the tracks you play or how you achieve this – if you can manage a dance floor, you get a stamp of approval. 

Myanmar I’d say is the youngest scene by yet another margin, particularly because of its very recent coming-out of a military dictatorship. There’s a small number of local DJs and very few venues that dare to program (non-EDM) electronic music, and I was lucky to get a residency in my favourite club in town within the first month of arriving! I started my Out Of Sight events here, a monthly series which gained a very regular following and is the only one with international bookings in the whole country. Upon coming here, I didn’t really think I’d get to start another series of my own, especially inviting over so many DJ friends to come to visit and also contribute and explore the country while they’re here. Honestly, part of my joy in doing this has purely been getting inspired myself by seeing people play, bringing together a community of friends to dance through the night and just have a really great time. 

It’s been a very gratifying journey, not least because it received appreciation from people in town – many of the local DJs became loyal followers and very excited to see artists from different countries play here in Yangon. Over the past couple of months, I’ve had Adam Collins here, Exos (twice!), TC80, Avos & Moses Mawila, Max Davis and many more. So yes, I feel like I’ve made a small contribution to the scene in one particular place – and honestly, there is still so much space here for people doing things that it’s very fun and easy to create something impactful!

Tell us more about "Interior Design": How, why, when?

I’ve recorded this podcast at home in Yangon, on a chill midweek evening when I felt a little spark of inspiration. I honestly take forever to record podcasts, as you already know from me submitting this so late :) I get deeply into overthinking mode and since I don’t publish many mixes I want them to have a specific theme and vision behind instead of just putting tracks together – which usually ends up with me procrastinating for months until it finally clicks and I know exactly what I want to do. There are quite a few tempo changes inside as I tried to create an arch from very slow ambient tracks to something I’d play in the middle of a night and then back down again. But somehow all of the tracks I put feel deeply me and representative of the style I like, so I identify with it. 

The name was a last-minute hunch, but seemed fitting with the current phase of everyone spending time inside their homes and through this discovering maybe not just their furniture but also the building blocks of their inside world :)

And music-making? Is it something you want to explore?

I’ve actually gotten into playing acoustic music here with friends in recent months, and that’s been a really fun journey! I have a bunch of instruments at my home, and hosting small jam sessions has been one of my favourite pastimes. All of them are much more talented and experienced than me but have graciously taken me in so I’m constantly learning a lot. 

On the electronic music side, I feel most compelled by making more experimental and ambient things as it feels like there is a larger range of freedom for exploration. I’ve been sampling some of the sounds in my surroundings for a while as the hustle and bustle here sounds so different from what I’m used to in Europe, so we’ll see what comes out of it!

Short, medium and long term goals?

Honestly, I’m a pretty chill person, so my overall goal in life is just to spend my time in an interesting and creative way, surround myself with people I love and somehow leave a positive trace with what I do. If I manage to keep combining all of these things I’ll consider myself a lucky and successful human!

— Interview: David Surman

Hi David, such a pleasure to have you at P/N. How are you, all things considered?

Thank you for asking, I’m very good right now. The pandemic has shifted my reality in all sorts of unexpected ways. I had coronavirus after taking a trip to Madrid, then New York. I came back to London and got sick immediately. I’m so glad to have fully recovered. I’m enjoying the empty London.

Have you lived abroad and explored different artistic fields apart from painting, or has it always been about England and canvases?

I was introduced to painting when I was a teenager by an artist Rob Fairley who my dad knew. I had always drawn a lot, but I didn’t consider being a painter until much later. I actually trained to be an animation film director, which seems so ridiculous to me now. I thought of it as a pragmatic choice -- the kind of profession which is somewhere between a reliable job and artistic freedom. Little did I know that hand-drawn animation would all but disappear. 

I absolutely loved good quality animation, films like Akira and Ghost in the Shell, and the Studio Ghibli films. I wanted to make them, and I also wanted to disappear into them. I started seriously painting again in my early 30s after a decade of working in animation and videogames in the UK and Australia. The timing has been perfect for me, as I started to paint really when I was ready. Australia changed my work, it made me think about colour and light and scale. I made films and animations and games there with my partner Ian Gouldstone before we came back to the UK and I started to paint full time around 2013.

I'd discovered your work through Sound Of Vast's "5th Anniversary Series". It featured a series of paintings from your "Paintings for the Cat Dimension" exhibition/installation. What was it about?

That was such a wonderful collaboration, and the team at Sound of Vast are brilliant. My exhibition was a series of 12 paintings of the same cat motif, a mother with two kittens, interpreted in 12 different ways. I wanted to make a statement on what it means to paint in the post-internet era, without giving in to the impulse to simply paint or reproduce imagery directly from online culture. So I created a cat motif in response to the prevalence of cats online from the beginning. The real statement though was the stylistic shifting around. I wanted to say “we are playing with identity all the time, why should an artist be an authentic singular identity?” I wanted to show that an artist can wear many masks, and they’re all authentic in representing artistic action.  

Do you consider the internet, social media and contemporary sub-cultures the biggest influences of your work?

I don’t believe you get to choose your influences so much in art. By the time you’re 8 years old or so, your plastic little brain has been shaped by certain formative things. For me, there are two fascinations, first the natural world, which nourishes the animal side of me. The second is the artificial human world of images, electronic media, videogames, movies, art. 

As much as I would like to be integrated into nature like a romantic dreamer I firmly believe humans are stuck outside of nature, so we have to make a new nature for ourselves to comfort and distract ourselves. This is art, and it takes many shapes, from youtube to painting to music. I see all these things as fundamentally the same, art is doing something with love. I see a lot of love in internet cultural activity and so it influences me. Though I have no idea how visible all this is in the work.

Your work isn't shy of colour or texture. Is this rooted in your fascination for animation?

When you learn to animate you become totally dedicated to line. It’s through moving lines that things come to life. Drawing is emphasised more than painting, and so colour and surface are less emphasised. When I came back to painting I really savoured the ability to subtly control the colour of the image and also the final quality of the paint. I go for strong colour because of various factors. You’re certainly right about animation being an influence, I think the colours of well-made cel painted animations are astounding. Particularly in good quality anime feature films of the 80s and 90s. 

My approach is also calculated, I am interested in having an impact followed by a slowly shifting understanding, and you need to push colour to achieve that. Also as I have gotten older and become more and more conscious of art history I feel a sort of obligation to have courage with colour and put out my ideas in a clear way.

Do you listen to music while painting? Does music have an impact on you while you paint?

I absolutely listen to music when I paint, and I am totally repetitive in my choices. I listen to David Bowie’s discography on repeat, and Kate Bush too. If I need to go to a particular mindset I will listen to Bach, Tchaikovsky, Wagner, Glass. Bowie and Bush are just always there, timeless, every aspect of it is totally known and listening to them while painting just greases everything along nicely. I would like to be a curious listener and search for different music, but I think I’ve become extremely focused on the experiences of the eye, and perhaps not so much the other senses.  

"Raucous Bird" is your visual interpretation of Rubi's podcast. Why did you choose this particular work?

Listening to Rubi’s work I was thinking a lot about the space of music, and the way we lose a sense of direction. It becomes spatial, but there isn’t necessarily a top or bottom. This is very different from visual art, which relies a lot on a structure of top, bottom, and so on. It made me think of the paintings of cockatoos I’ve made, who I saw often in Australia, playing fun games in the trees. They appear weightless and live to enjoy the space and their own free bodily movement. For me, the music creates a wonderful association with this memory.

Short, medium and long term goals?

To make exciting paintings that have an impact, and to bring the work to new places. That’s the priority for me at any given time. Thanks so much for asking such great questions. 

— Links:

https://soundcloud.com/itsmerubi https://www.davidsurman.com

W: https://pluienoir.tumblr.com M: info (at) pluienoir.com

[thelocalshooter]

The Local Shooter Vs. B-LIFE

(LS) Hello thank you being apart of a great come up and welcome, may we get a small introduction for the people reading who don’t know who you are, where are you from? Who are you? And what do you do?

(B) I'm B-L1FE or B to most. I am an Indiana native but for the last 4 years I've been in the Houston, TX area. I do everything except make beats. I'm a recording artist myself, I engineer, DJ, design, visuals, animations, curate. To add to all that I'm also the CEO of my own record label, FAITH×VICTORY Records. I also am the CEO of three other companies: SupportArt which is a promotion company that also houses a collective, and MeditatedMerch which is my clothing line. There is stuff I'm missing I'm sure but I'm basically the one stop shop for good underground business.

(LS) Being a Texas native how do you feel that the music scene has impacted you and your creativeness?

(B) The scene in the H has never really impacted me much but surround regions have amazingly unique sounds that are almost nice accents to a style like mine that blends hip hop with metal and alt rock. The Dallas FT. Worth area is full of this new wave sound that people like Jah or $not really helped catapult. Then south Florida is known for the wild hype sounds they give us like Pouya. I think these regions influenced me by just kind of telling me hey its ight to let go and just be me. I used to be signed under a different stage name and to be honest it was all bullshit. All the rules and what they wanted me to be. This area in general just let the monster loose I guess you could say.

(LS) You also run a blog on your own called supportart where its a platform for many creative artist in the underground, how did that come about and how long have you been running it?

(B) We are gonna be two years old in June which is unreal. We house 20 artists at the moment including myself. It honestly all started as a group chat of artists trying to put together a collective mixtape. Most people didnt come through but it actually opened a networking portal that led us to our first client who was King Kap who at the time was signed to Quality Control. We continue to work with him to this day and alongside the leaders I make the calls with (Yung N ICy, Fat Daddy J, Psych Ward, Penny the Shabba, Waveon, wa55up, & Kaster) we just had the flood gates opened on us. Alot of trial and error but never once have we been exposed or finessed. We work hard for the underground and have new ways coming soon to showcase hidden talent.

(LS) you seem to be a jack of all trades with graphics, producing, and much more! What do you feel is your strongest creative outlet for you and why?

(B) All the other crafts came from being a recording artist. I think I truly shine there. Away from the art and visuals, I've had some pretty big accomplishments as the rapper B-L1FE. Sometimes I forget to push my own stuff when I'm so busy pushing the underground or my artists. In 2019 I dropped my first and sophomore album which did well. Underviews did an article naming me a young mogul. I made the underground freshman list which was amazing to be with the likes of GNAR, Lord Xan, 916frosty, and more. But if anything compares it's my graphic design. I've been doing design since I was 14 and I'm almost 28 now. I still have every graphic I've done and my portfolio now have close to 6000 pieces. It's the main reason I could leave the day job life behind.

(LS) You also happen to be on all major platforms with a couple single releases, where did you first find your passion for music? Also how did you know that it was going to be a career for you?

(B) My parents didnt really do much parenting but they did raise me around terrific music. I have right now I believe 83 songs on all major platforms which is quite a bit since my contract from the previous record label didnt expire until April of 2018. My parents raised me around Dr. Dre, Bone Thugs, Snoop, Nas, Destinys Child, Master P, and all the greats. So I had this around me so much at 12 I started writing structured songs and didnt even realize it. Football was passion #1 but when I decided to rescend my commitment to Eastern Michigan University, I started toying around with being in a band. After awhile my vocal cords suffered from pure metal music. So I turned to rap which was also like a hobby. Then once I began to network in around 2012 I noticed I had something alot of others didnt. So it was then I knew. The rest was waiting for the contract I signed stupidly to expire. My biggest influences would be Chronic 2001 by Dr. Dre and Hybrid Theory by Linkin Park.

(LS) Your most recent single regurgitate and there’s a single called “Welcome To Hell” which did amazing numbers on Twitter! What was the whole process behind those songs and why did you pick that specific song to shows case the project?

(B) The process behind these two singles were both random to be honest. I put out my second EP back in December and wanted to take my time on my third album so I do what I call SINGLE SZN. I drop a new song on major platforms every week. It started with my first single of 2020 which was 'Never' and 'Welcome to Hell' was the second. With that one it was Angry Orphan's concept (featured artist) and he sent me his parts and a rough idea and I thought since we both are lyrical artists let's do what Em and Royce do when they collab and take these same schemes but change our words and small parts of our flows. It made a very cohesive song. The marketing is always the same for me. I let people know way before something drops that it's coming. The main key is promoting stuff more than once. So many people drop a track, run it through some group chats for that day, and then leave it to die. You gotta keep pushing content towards people. With 'Regurgitate' I hadn't even planned a part of it. I woke up to an email from SupportArt's head engineer, Penny the Shabba, that two beats. One was the beat for that song. Wrote it in 15 mins recorded it mixed it, he mastered it while I did the cover, and within 4 or so hours a full song was ready and off to distrubution.

(LS) What’s a regular day in the life of B-LIFE? Do you wake up in the morning go to the studio? Do you wake up in the morning and start interviewing people and check on your blog? What is the first thing you do when you wake up?

(B) The minute I wake up I need a shower. Cant start the day right without it. My studio and everything is at home so I just go off my daily planner. I keep everything written down including my own personal stuff and I usually pick whatever project I really dont wanna do to start. That way I'm getting through the 'blah' jobs with full energy and the shit I'll enjoy doing I save for later when I'm drained. Usually first thing I do business wise is touch base with my team. We use telegram so we can avoid social media. We a family so they come first. Next is clients. Always touch base with any clients waiting still or people I may have had halfway to the payment phase.

(LS) juggling music, blogs, graphics, and also a clothing brand how do you know when to find time for each creative outlet? Do you set a certain schedule for certain things? Do you have a certain day for certain things how does that work for you?

(B) I wish I knew. Everyday is dedicated to everything. I didnt want to say okay Tuesday we design only covers and logos but sell 5 videos the night before that Tuesday. I ask my clients for deadlines and bundle clients I tell them the timeframes. To be honest my turnaround is so quick and I've done this for so long I do it super fast. Some AMV clients get their video back in an hour with their mind blown. I try not to look at it as such a big work load. Whenever I do feel overwhelmed then its time for like 30 mins on the xbox or a jog. Somehow I never run out of creativity which certainly helps.

(LS) What’s your main goal as far as music? Do you plan on getting signed, are you looking to stay independent? Is music even your full on passion or are you looking to stay more on the blog and manager/artist development side or what is your main goal?

(B) Main goal is to get my label signed how Travis Scott did with Cactus Jack. It keeps the artist safe and in it's own way allows you to stay independent but with proper funding. Music is the main passion. I never say I manage my artists. We push them to build their own brands and we help them with that. I'm simply just keeping a platform all about love. The rest does it's own thing all by itself. Truly amazing.

(LS) Thank you again for being a part of this great come up, is there anything else you would like for the readers to know about you? Or should we keep our eyes peeled for anything to come in 2020? What are some links that you can share were new readers can go ahead and find your work?

(B) You can find everything related to be via my linktree which is linktr.ee/lifewitha1

Album 3's first single drops May 1st and you can already pre order it on Apple Music. Its titled 'Bob Ross' and ensomber produced it. Tune in. Tap in. We out here not just for us but for everybody with the it's always love approach. Just dont get shit twisted haha. You can find me everywhere but soundcloud. Bless up everybody and much love to The Local Shooter. Houston we strong!!

The Local Shooter Vs. B-L1FE

[blog-mcc]

RURAL AMERICA – WE ARE HERE!

Our Big Sky Watershed Corps members live and work all across Montana. Here is a passionate description of the culture and lifestyle of rural America - Petroleum County in Central Montana written by Laura Nowlin, the coordinator for the Musselshell Watershed Coalition, which hosted its first Big Sky Watershed Corps member in 2013.  Our BSWC members provide critical capacity to rural areas.  Now hosting its ninth and tenth members, the MWC has come to rely on the fresh perspectives and energy that BSWC members bring to their projects.  These members live in Winnett, where local residents now know about the BSWC program and members are a regular part of the community.

Photo Credit: Levi Nowlin

Reprinted from www.PrairiePopulist.org, by Laura Nowlin, January 23, 2019

I have read several stories recently that make life in rural America seem pretty dismal – the population is aging and decreasing, everyone is poorly educated and addicted to drugs, and the land is either not accessible to the public, or it is being destroyed by crops and cows. I wonder how much time those journalists spent in rural America before they wrote those stories? Any places that matter take a time investment to understand. Well, I haven’t just visited the “flyover” states, I live here – five generations of my family have lived in the same central Montana county. I can’t speak for all of rural America, but I can speak about this place and I would like to challenge the stereotype.

My husband and I have two children and we chose to raise them in rural America. We left good paying “regular” jobs to live and work in the country. We read a lot of children’s books and one of our favorites is Horton Hears a Who. I think often of those Whos and how they united to yell as loud as they could, “We are here! We are here! We are here!” for someone to hear them.

There aren’t many of us out here – 500 people in all of Petroleum County. We are spread out, and we work full-time jobs, sometimes several jobs. We are mostly farmers and ranchers, teachers, and local government staff. We are not journalists, marketing directors, or graphic designers – it is hard to gather together to be loud enough to tell our own story. But, we have a story to tell. It’s not perfect and there are improvements to be made, for sure, but it is not so dismal as you might read in the New York Times. We love where we live, we work with our neighbors to keep our communities going, and we care about the land and our livestock.

Photo Credit: Reba Ahlgren

WE ARE HERE: WE ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT THE LAND

We are here, we have been here, and we would like to stay here. The Northern Great Plains – the grasslands and the breaks – are our home. We live on the prairie – an unforgiving, wonderful, crazy place. My great-great aunt used to say, “This country takes and it takes, and then, in one year, it gives it all back.” Mother Nature offers up the most inspiring moments, and the most devastating, and when you live with the land, you experience it all. You develop an appreciation for the land that comes from shared experiences.

And those experiences are shared with your neighbors as well. You develop a bond with those people stronger than can be described. It’s a bond that when there is a death in the community, 300 people attend the funeral – the only space large enough is the school gymnasium.

Most of us in rural central Montana are lucky enough to live, work, and play where our homes are. We think we are the luckiest people on earth and we would like to share it with anyone who wants to come visit. But, we want you to understand it when you come. In our little slice of paradise, we get 13 inches of precipitation per year. Santa Fe gets 14. The average for the United States is 39 inches per year. So, unless you are from the desert southwest, we are going to look a little bit like a desert. We all know that the majority of this precious precipitation needs to come from April to June to get everything growing. So, when you come to visit, ask how much rain and snow we’ve had and when it came so you can understand if we are having a wet or dry year – which makes all the difference.

We are passionate about our land. This includes the public land where we graze our cattle and the private land that has sometimes been in families for over 100 years. Most of Petroleum County is grassland or the Missouri River Breaks – land that is not suitable for growing crops, so instead, most of us raise cattle.

Photo Credit: Laura Nowlin

The grasslands evolved with grazers. The two are codependent on each other and the grasslands need a large herbivore grazing it just as much as the cattle need the grasslands. When a cow grazes, she chomps off part of the plant, which allows it to regrow. When a plant does not have the opportunity to regrow, it becomes decadent – old growth dies and clogs out any chance for new growth to happen. The wildlife, such as deer and antelope, don’t graze this old, dead grass. Cattle hooves break up plants and create litter that covers the ground – this catches water and also helps plants to regrow. And, finally, cows poop and pee – the best form of natural (and free!) fertilization out there. Grazing is part of the whole system that enhances both the soils and everything that is below ground, as well as the grasses and other plants above ground.

Ranchers provide, “ecosystem services.” This means that when we use good land management practices, we provide benefits to the land from which all of society benefits. Healthy grasslands, which can be achieved through cattle grazing, provide ecosystem services like carbon sequestration, water filtration and water storage, open spaces, and wildlife habitat. The beauty of using cattle to graze the grasslands is that they can be managed to address the needs of the land. For example, a noxious weed infestation can be grazed at a certain time of year to get it under control. Where build-up of plant material has happened, grazing that build-up can keep fire danger managed to a more natural level. Studies of grassland songbirds have shown that some of these birds need short grasses, and even prefer bare ground, at certain times of the year. Ranchers can graze their cattle through pastures on a rotation that benefits these declining bird populations.

Ranching on public lands saves money for the government. The Bureau of Land Management spends $2 per acre for the lands that ranchers use, but it spends $5 per acre to maintain ungrazed land.

But, don’t take my word for it – come to see these things for yourself. We welcome you to our private lands. Just because they are private, does not mean that they are inaccessible. A neighbor once told me, “I consider myself fortunate to have private land and consider it my responsibility to offer access to it to those who are not able to have their own.”

Photo Credit: Reba Ahlgren

WE ARE HERE: WE ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT OUR COMMUNITIES.

“I don’t think that people understand how passionate we are about our communities,” one of my neighbors recently told me. Our tiny community of 500 (ages 4 months to 102) volunteered 8,736 hours in 2018.[1] These hours were spent on county commissions, town councils, school boards, conservation district boards, ambulance, fire, search and rescues, sheriff’s reserve, and on and on.  Imagine serving on an ambulance crew when you know that most of the calls will be for someone that you know.

We are part of the two percent of the population producing food for the other 98 percent. Tax dollars support farmers and ranchers through cost share programs that help provide range improvements for both livestock and wildlife. These best management practices not only help ranchers with risk management, but also contribute to making food everywhere more affordable. These tax dollars amount to less than ½ of 1 percent of the total US budget.[2] In Petroleum County alone, our 105 agricultural operations produce enough beef to feed 127,745 people for one year.[3]

We are passionate about our children. The Winnett School is a Blue Ribbon award-winning school. The school’s food program has also won awards, and, most recently, local ranchers have begun donating beef to the school so that we know where our children’s beef comes from. The high school graduation rate is 98%.

Photo Credit: Laura Nowlin

There is also plenty to do. My children take guitar and piano lessons in Winnett on Mondays, they play basketball on Tuesdays, they go to “Kids’ Club” at the church on Thursdays, and they are 4-H members – and they are only six and eight years old. When they aren’t busy with social and school activities, they help us on the ranch. They have put out and picked up miles and miles of electric fence. They are learning about hard work, caring for animals, and nurturing the land by getting outside and doing it.  Come visit and you too can do some fencing.

When you do, we’ll take you to the school. Grades kindergarten through 12 are all under the same roof.  The Technology Education teacher will show you his 3D printer, plasma cutter, welders, and wood shop. You’ll see the school-community library with computer and internet access for patrons. Come on a Friday or Saturday night and you’ll see the gymnasium packed for basketball games.

Since 2010, our community has grown by 5.9 percent, which is more than Park and Ravalli Counties in trendy western Montana. There are young people returning home, and new people coming to the area, at a high rate. This is something that I hear about in our neighboring communities as well. Winnett and the northern part of the county have fiber optics. We have access to the highest speed internet of anyone in the entire United States. When you visit, you won’t have cell service, but you can stream any YouTube video that you want (well, not any, but we can talk about that when you get here).

Photo Credit: Brenda Brady

WE ARE HERE: WE ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT OUR FUTURE

We are a tight-knit community that cares about the land and each other. We are busy with our businesses, volunteering in the community, and raising the next generation of people who will steward the land, provide food, work hard, and contribute to something larger than themselves. Come visit.  Don’t just drive through or stop for lunch, really visit. We are happy to show you our land, our ranches, and our communities. Then, maybe you will call with us, “We are here!”

If you would like to visit a ranch in central Montana, contact the Fergus /Petroleum County Extension Office at 406-535-3919 or fergus@montana.edu.

Laura Nowlin is a wife and mother of two, working, living, and playing on a little piece of paradise in central Montana, north of the town of Winnett. She and her husband ranch. She is also a part-time coordinator for the Musselshell Watershed Coalition. Between the two of them, they serve in seven community groups. Laura is a board member of the Winnett ACES (Agricultural Community Enhancement and Sustainability).

http://prairiepopulist.org/rural-america-laura-nowlin/

[oatmilkismylife]

Hi, may I please request a matchup?

I’m gay, polygamous and trans, Aries INFJ

I‘m 5’1 I am sensitive, caring, kind and sweet I am not a big fan of drama I like to go on bike rides, camping, listening to music and boba tea, I am an digital artist and I hope to learn graphic design in high school next year, I’m 15 years old I have short brown hair, freckles and a baby face.

I am empathetic and supportive I love helping my friends or family when they feel stressed, mad, sad or just unhappy. I consider myself emo though I’m not always depressed, or just the monster energy drinking stereotype I just like the style and music, I’m creative, smart, selfless but sometimes I can take things too personally even though I try not to. I can be more masculine and sometimes more feminine I like to talk about my views on certain topics such as conspiracy theories and thoughts on cryptids such as aliens, ghosts etc.

I try to practice self love and care even though it’s one of the most hardest things to do, I try to improve myself as a person and learn how I can become who I really want to be, I’m on this self discovering journey and I’m learning more and I about myself. I try to forget my past but it’s still really hard, I‘m doing my best to heal form those past experiences but I someday I think I’ll truly find myself and be proud of who I am and love myself like how I love those around me.

My name is Taylor.

Reading this made me so emotional, I just want to say you are so sweet and nice and I’m already proud of who you are! Please keep going with your self love and self care, I KNOW you will find who you want to be and be proud of yourself!! <33 If you ever want advice or someone to talk to, I’m here!!

I did a BNHA and AoT matchup so I hope you like them!

I match you with ...

BNHA Matchup

Izuku Midoriya

Izuku was the first person who came to mind for your matchup! You both are super caring, creative, supportive, and overall really great people.

I feel like you guys met at a cute cafe or something when Izuku turned around way too fast and bumped into you, spilling his bubble tea everywhere. He was SO embarrassed and naturally started rambling like OMG i’m SO sorry … and then he looked up and he started rambling even more because he thought you were so cute with your freckles and beautiful brown hair.

So you offered to buy him a new drink and he was SHOOK but then you guys sat down together and started talking. Izuku couldn’t take his eyes off of you the whole time :)

Izuku really admires your selfless nature and he totally understands being sensitive- any time he can see that you’re upset by something he’ll grab your hand or try to make you smile by doing something cute.

Another reason you guys make such a good match is you both have certain topics that you can talk for HOURS about (one of Izuku’s being All Might lol) and yours being conspiracy theories, aliens, and more. And the thing is Izuku LOVES hearing you talk because not only does he think it’s adorable how passionate you are, but he’s genuinely interested in these topics as well. Like he will actively ask you questions and be so captivated by what you have to say.

Izuku is such a shy guy so he’s always nervous to initiate affection and physical contact but he secretly loves it whenever you hug him and sit close to him.

He is all for your self discovery journey! He calls himself your number one supporter because he is hyping you up all the time, making sure you’re practicing self care, and generally always there for you. If anyone says anything mean to you he literally has to hold himself back from one-for-all smashing them in the face and he reassures you that you are perfect just how you are.

AoT matchup

Armin Arlert

I had to give you an AoT match because I feel like you and Armin would be perfect.

You both strike me as kind, caring, sensitive, but also intellectual. Like I can totally see you guys talking for hours about all those fun topics like cryptids and aliens, and Armin wants to know everything there is to know.

Armin has such a deep fascination of the world so whenever you guys go camping or biking he’s always exploring and picking up little leaves and rocks just to inspect them.

When you show him your digital art he thinks it's literally the coolest thing since sliced bread- like he wants you to show him how you did it and is just so impressed!

He’s just such a sweet boy like he would care for you SO much.

Armin is also really empathetic and cares about helping his friends. He is super loyal and always an emotional (and physical) shoulder to lean on.

Speaking of that, I feel like Armin would love cuddling. Before he met you, he had his friends but he was still kinda lonely- so now that he has you he just hugs you and randomly kisses you all the time.

He thinks your emo style is so unique because he’s never seen anything like it, he’s always down to listen to new music that you recommend for him.

Armin’s eyes light up whenever you walk into the room and he just feels blessed that he has you. You never make fun of him or tease him like other people used to and he feels like he can truly be himself.

That’s why he feels like he will do anything to help you on your self discovery journey. He’s always telling you how proud he is of you and reassuring you how much he loves you. He won’t stop saying you’re perfect until you believe it too.

[connorrenwick]

Friday Five with Victoriya Yakusha

Architect, interior designer, and product designer Victoriya Yakusha is the founder of Yakusha Design studio among several other creative ventures. The Ukrainian talent is also behind the furniture and decor design at FAINA Design and owner of the design lecture hall Ya Vsesvit. Victoriya created all of this in an attempt to put Ukraine’s design industry on the map.

“I believe that inspiration is everywhere, you just have to look with your eyes wide open. With the feelings of sincere love for my national roots, I dedicate my works to my homeland. Through my product design at FAINA and interior projects, I want to reflect the whole life force of energy that has been encapsulated over the Ukrainian land for centuries – as I feel it, in a modern interpretation,” she said.

Today Victoriya is joining us to share five of her favorite things in Friday Five!

ONUKA

1. Ukrainian Modern Music I admire contemporary Ukrainian musicians who find inspiration in our traditional folklore songs or use traditional musical instruments, like buhay, trembita, and tsymbaly, in a contemporary way. It sounds really fresh and interesting. My favorite musicians today are Onuka, DakhaBrakha, Jamala, Alina Pash, Marina Krut, and many others.

Maria Primachenko

2. Ukrainian Decorative Art I have been passionate about decorative art for many years. It has become my source of inspiration for design – from the ancient painted vases and embroideries in our traditional cloth to hand-woven woolen carpets called “hutsul lizhnyk”. I love their rich patterns and wild textures, and they tell us so much about the rituals, traditions, and beliefs of our ancestors.

I especially love the work of Ukrainian self-taught painter Maria Primachenko, naïve and fabulous mythological beasts which take root іn folk legends and fairy-tales. Picasso once said after visiting a Primachenko exhibition in Paris: “I bow down before the artistic miracle of this brilliant Ukrainian.”

Photo courtesy of OWENSCORP

3. Rick Owens and Michele Lamy Such a talented tandem of designers in many ways, they create a strong signature which cannot be confused with others. I love the interiors of their fashion showrooms, furniture collection, their style, and graphic design – everything is so powerful. I always visit their showrooms whenever I travel in Europe or the USA.

Dima Sergeev

4. Handicraft I love crafts from all over the world, things that have been made by hand with non-mechanized tools, knowledge of previous generations, and with respect to nature. Five years ago I discovered traditional Ukrainian crafts, many of which are endangered due of lack of interest in them and very low profitability. So I asked myself, what can we as designers do to preserve local crafts? Our solution was a design expedition, involving famous foreign artists and press, that helped us bring attention to this issue on a national and global level. On our first trip we highlighted Roberto Bachiocchi, architect of Prada, La Perla, Miu Miu boutiques, Annaleena Leno, talented interior designer and stylist from Sweden, editor of ICON magazine and many others. This year we took the project to a national level with the support of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation and received over 14 international design experts from all over the world – USA, UK, Germany, Belgium, Finland, and more. Sharing my passion of Ukrainian crafts with others inspires me.

5. My Family My biggest support and inspiration in life is my husband and 4 kids. I love to spend holidays together in our forest house, preparing barbecue, and playing with our dog. These moments are precious and I value all of them as the biggest treasure in my life.

via http://design-milk.com/

from WordPress https://connorrenwickblog.wordpress.com/2020/04/10/friday-five-with-victoriya-yakusha/

[operationrainfall]

Ever since I got hands on time with Cat Lady, I’ve been a fan. It was immediately apparent this was a game with a lot of style and substance, as well as a passionate team developing it. As a fan of twin-stick shooters and the rogue genre, it instantly struck a chord with me. But it’s easy to impress a gamer at first blush, the real challenge is maintaining that sense of wonder and joy as the game grows and evolves. So I finally set aside some time to play the Cat Lady early access, and here’s what I’ve found.

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First off, the early access build of Cat Lady is immediately more of a challenge than earlier builds, especially the bosses, which hit faster and much harder, and aren’t afraid to swarm the field with minions. I remember easily putting down the giant teddy bear boss in both of the demos I played, and this time around, he had me fighting for my life. Though I can’t confirm it, I suspect the bosses in Cat Lady have more health now, as well as putting up a much fiercer fight. Their windup to initiate attacks seems sped up as well, meaning you need faster reflexes.

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Besides that challenge, there’s other new elements in the early access. You can still find Kibble, which is used to purchase upgrades from Dum-Dum’s shop for your current run, but there’s also something called Spirits. These lovely specters stay in your inventory even after you die, and you spend them at the HUB shop to unlock items for future runs, as well as permanent boosts to your stats such as overall health. Once I figured them out, I really loved the inclusion of Spirits, and found they did a good job of drawing me in for just one more game whenever I lost. And I did lose a handful of times here, unlike in the demos. While the starting point of the Basement isn’t too rough, the second and third areas get much harder much faster, with enemies spewing so much firepower the game can briefly become a bullet hell. This took me by surprise, but in a good way. My biggest worry was that Cat Lady couldn’t keep up the momentum, and might get too samey after playing for a while. I can say that after playing the early access for an hour and a half, I suspect the final build will be bursting at the seams with replay value.

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I liked the amount of variety of the many adorable kitties that serve as your weapons in the game. Each one has different capabilities, though I tended to prefer the ones that enhanced my firing speed or gave me homing capabilities. You start with your primary Mildred, and your secondary Marshmallow, and both are pretty basic. Milred is a rapid fire kitty, Marshmallow is a AOE bomb. As for other secondary weapon cats, there’s a large variety there as well, and not all of them seem to be exclusively feline. One is a robot that fires lasers at foes, another is clearly a poofy dog that runs up to enemies and licks them to death. But each one, whether primary or secondary, offers new ways to play the game.

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Another nice feature is that every couple floors you’ll come across a wandering cat who will offer you one of two upgrades for absolutely free. Usually they’re both upgrades, but sometimes one will be a bag of Kibble you can use to buy things from the shop. This really reminded me of The Binding of Isaac in the best way. These upgrades become vital in the Boiler Room and the Courtyard areas, both which have many unique foes and a totally different visual aesthetic.

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One thing that drew me to Cat Lady initially was the vibrant and cartoony art style, which is strongly reminiscent of the Game Boy Color era. The color palette isn’t very complex, but they accomplish a lot with it. There’s typically one color for the backgrounds and black with white shading for everything else. For example, the Basement is dominated by light blue, while the Boiler is bright yellow, and the Courtyard is a mellow green. What I didn’t realize was that the artist behind Cat Lady also worked on Plunge, which also drew me to it at PAX with its style. Suffice to say, this is a very pretty game, and even if you inexplicably don’t like retro, I still think you’ll find it appealing.

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Musically Cat Lady is equally fantastic. The amount of buoyant chiptunes in this game already is impressive, as each dungeon seems to have multiple tracks it will alternate between as you change floors. I never got bored with the music here, and found it expressive of many different styles. For example, the Boiler music is generally more high energy, whereas the Courtyard is more classical and even reminded me of some of the music from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Honestly, so long as you don’t hate chiptunes for whatever reason, you should enjoy the music here.

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I admit I haven’t focused previously on the humor in Cat Lady, but it’s prevalent pretty much everywhere you look. From the silly plot to the goofy characters, there’s a lot of fun being had. There’s even a shit ton of puns, because of course cats can’t avoid saying things like “purrfect” and the like. I also appreciated how silly the grandmother in the game is, who at one point wants to invite a defeated boss to dinner. It’s all good natured, and does a lot to contribute to the fabric of the game world.

Bet you can’t tell which objects here you can pass through and which you can’t.

Now, while I did have a wonderful time playing Cat Lady’s early access, there were a few rough spots I encountered. I fully acknowledge these probably will get fixed before the final build, but I still feel I should mention them in case the team missed anything. A small issue, and one that might not be a glitch, is the aiming in the game. I found turning around to be a bit slow and sticky, though it’s possible that was an intentional design choice by Rose City Games. A more serious problem was when, only a half hour into the early access, an enemy spawned outside the room I was in. Considering you need to beat all foes in a room to unlock the doors, this was a problem, though I lucked into killing the foe with Marshmallow, since his explosion isn’t limited to the geometry of the room. Another time, I suddenly stopped firing bullets even though I was still holding the trigger. Much more pervasive was a glitch at Dum-Dum’s shop. More than once, I would enter and be unable to move the cursor left or right, meaning I had to leave and return to the shop to check out all of Dum-Dum’s wares. And while this last one isn’t a glitch, it’s important. Simply put, it’s not always clear what parts of the stages are permeable and which aren’t. Sometimes you’ll see pipes you can just walk through or bushes that somehow block your path. I do think these could be fixed with some minor graphical tweaks. Hopefully the fine folks at Rose City are able to fix all of these before the final game launches, but even with them there, I still had a great time.

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All in all, I’d say my opinion on Cat Lady is pretty unchanged. It’s still a promising indie game that looks and plays great. Sure there’s some glitches, but that’s what early access is for. I know there’s more updates planned soon, and I’m sure that will make the game even more entertaining. I give lots of kudos to Rose City Games and VIZ Media for putting this game together, and can’t wait to see where it goes!

IMPRESSIONS: Cat Lady Early Access Ever since I got hands on time with Cat Lady, I've been a fan. It was immediately apparent this was a game with a lot of style and substance, as well as a passionate team developing it.

[anniversary-magazine]

In Conversation with Belgian Architect Nicolas Schuybroek

Nicolas Schuybroek started his own practice in 2011 in Brussels, Belgium, with a well-defined purpose: to create and to produce architecture, interiors, and objects characterized by an acute sense of detail, craftsmanship and intuition, while retaining a feeling of warmth. The search for timeless minimalism and apparent simplicity are central in his work, such as the love of unassuming, tactile, and raw materials. No straining for effect — only a muted elegance.

LV: Laurent Veilleux NS: Nicolas Schuybroek

LV: I'd like to start with something that's been told many times throughout your interviews, where minimalism seems to greatly influence your practice. Could you trace back when you started getting inspired by that?

NS: First of all, I have to be honest with you. I do have an issue with the word “minimalism” as such, has it's been used over the past 20 or 30 years as a kind of melting pot word that used by so many different people to characterize projects and designs that do not really resonate with each other. And minimalism, for the second part, has also been linked to very cold, sterile interiors for so many times, and that's something that really bothers me, because we're trying to do quite the opposite. In that sense, I would instead say that our practice tends towards some kind of “warm minimalism”. The true essence and meaning of the word minimalism for me is to avoid, to get rid of all the clutter, of all that is unnecessary, or that doesn’t add functional or aesthetic value to a project. And if that's the definition of minimalism, then yes, I am. Although I think we have to be very careful with that word.

“The true essence and meaning of the word minimalism for me is to avoid, to get rid of all the clutter, of all that is unnecessary, or that doesn’t add functional or aesthetic value to a project. And if that's the definition of minimalism, then yes, I am.”

LV: Given that we agree on that definition of minimalism, when did your interest in that concept come around?

NS: It's been part of me for a very long time. I think it mainly comes from my education. I've always lived in highly, and probably over-decorated houses, and by that I mean more like the kind of British style decorated houses. I also spent most of my childhood in a boarding school and I was deeply influenced by the bare structure of the place, a very simple way of organizing life. From then on, I have always thought that what really mattered was to enter a space that brings you peace. I've also always been deeply impressed by the impact that architecture or interiors can have on someone, either positive or negative. By bringing one to the essence of things, to something quiet, serene, the architect truly succeeds at his or her job. So I think that this interest as always been there, and it became bigger and bigger over time, and obviously after I started my internship at Vincent Van Duysen’s office in Antwerp.

LV: Have you thought about working at Vincent Van Duysen's office for a long time before moving back to Belgium?

NS: Absolutely. When I made that decision to go back, there was only one office where I wanted to work, and it was his, because it represented the vision I had about architecture. And not only architecture, but also the link with interiors, furniture and object design. And that's something you wouldn't see everywhere even than 10 years ago. Only a few international architects would work that way, and I thought, "This is really what I want to do. Creating connections between different disciplines is so interesting to me, so where else could I go if I'm so interested, so drawn to that?" And I was very lucky, actually, because I got the job and spent five extremely important years there, from 25 to 30 years old.

LV: I can imagine... I'm not an architect myself, but if I were, Vincent's office is definitely one I'd love to go work at, based on the values and aesthetic vision of the firm.

NS: There is Vincent, and also Axel Vervoordt in Belgium, and it's really interesting for us because they've been practicing architecture for so long. Of course, they have much more experience than I do, but they have been such great ambassadors for Belgian design and architecture abroad. We have to be very thankful for that because they opened up the pathway to so many other architects and designers abroad.

“There should not be any boundaries between design, graphic design, visual arts, and architecture. It should all blend together.”

LV: Absolutely, they do, and they also influenced us in our own practice. Working with clients on visual communications, photography, and art direction, their work has inspired us in many ways.

NS: That's good to hear because that's what actually should happen. It's this kind of symbiosis and porosity between all these different disciplines that's interesting. There should not be any boundaries between design, graphic design, visual arts, and architecture. It should all blend together.

LV: Absolutely. I'd like to know, what elements do you believe make a successful architecture practice?

NS: That's a complicated question. There are many answers I could give you, things that most people do not think of. First of all, I think it takes a lot of time, energy, optimism, and passion to get there. If you don't have that, don't even start. And there are many, many hidden subjects, I think, behind a successful practice, apart from design aesthetics and the creativity and the talent you might have. It's a question of discipline, of organization, of surrounding yourself with a really good team and people you like working with. It's also being good with numbers and making sure that your office remains financially viable. You might be the best architect in the world, but if your office is badly managed or not financially viable, it's going to end really quickly. I call those “behind the scenes subjects” because most of the architects usually do not speak up about them, although they are extremely important and, I think, key to a successful practice.

LV: If I put myself in the shoes of a new architect, there is a lot that has to be tackled. Perhaps you could tell us a bit more about it?

NS: When you open architecture books and you see architecture presentations. It's always about presenting projects in a very literary way. But the story you don't hear is, how did they get there? What's their story? What's the history of the office? What were the complexities or the difficulties they had to go through? How did they shape up their office? I always thought that there was some kind of hidden secrets behind so many offices where you actually don't know how everything started and how everything works. And it's weird because you have so many creative jobs, like writers for instance, where you have an interview, but then you would very quickly go towards a much more personal path and interview, hear about their stories, who they are, where they come from, what are the challenges they had to go through. That’s something you never hear from architects. I think it would be quite refreshing to start opening up about that because it also says a lot about the creative process.

LV: What would you say has been one of your greatest challenges so far?

NS: There is so much work to do, commitments and sacrifices to maket to grow your business. I would say, making sure you turn down the projects you shouldn't do or the ones that are not good for you, and only try to find the ones that you should actually do, and trying to put the money subject aside from that. Those aspects make it kind of a roller coaster when you start your own office.

LV: What steps do you take when approaching a new project, if any?

NS: The are of course a few steps that are fixed, that you have to go through, be it a small or a large project, an interior design project, or purely an architectural project. There are a few steps that you have to go through, and the essential steps are just the study of the context. It might seem really evident to say that, but it's the study of the context that makes sense of everything that will happen afterwards, the context, the geography, the light, the volumes. And that is something that you have to go through for every single project, small or large, interiors or architecture. But once you've been through these steps, so many other little things become important in your relationship with a client, and all those other steps are generally very different from one project to another. The study of the context is something that I find extremely important because we've seen architects over the past decades who would actually build the same type of architectures wherever they would build it, whether in Asia, in Europe, in the US, whether a private house or a public building. It would have the same type of design, the same type of aesthetics, the same type of materials. And I think that's probably, from a personal standpoint, but also from an architectural standpoint, the most insane thing that you can do. It's reducing architecture to something so boring, so repetitive, that it just doesn't make sense anymore.

LV: Do you use any principles or rules when dealing with the client's needs or expectations?

NS: I like the word rules because it makes it feel quite disciplined or organized. I think that the first rule is to make sure that the client has the time to deal with the project. A client who does not have time or who will not be present during the process is completely uninteresting for us. Some architects might like it, but for us it's a disaster because we need this connection with a client. The second part is that we need to have a very good understanding of a client’s wishes. And that really goes into the slightest possible details. That's also one of the main differences between private and public projects. The fact that, for most of the private projects that we do, there is an end client in front of you, so you perfectly know who is going to use your building and how he's going to use it. That makes it really interesting for us. And that might sound weird for you, but when we work with couples, we try to establish a basic rule or ground rules that communication with the client only goes through one individual, so the phone or the mail exchanges always go through one single voice. It's something that we established a few years ago, and it's a tremendous help in establishing a good design.

LV: Do you sometimes feel like you are acting as a psychologist with your clients?

NS: Definitely, and a diplomat as well. I think it's a mix of many, many different jobs. First of all, you have to be a good architect creative-wise. You have to develop something that others don't do. You have to be a good diplomat. You have to be respectful. Sometimes you have to be a financial wizard. Technically, you need to have a pretty good understanding of how to deal with things onsite. And of course you have to be a pretty good psychologist as well. But you normally get help from all the people around you, your team, and the contractors on site. It's about finding a way to put all the right people together in the same room and make sure they will work together in a nice and fluid way for the next two or three years, because that's usually the timeframes we have to deal with.

LV: You do work with clients internationally, and other architecture firms all over the world are trying to reach out and expand their practice to work on projects in other countries and then their home country. What kind of advice would you give to an architecture firm trying to work with foreign clients? Or what kind of traps would to tell them to avoid in any way?

NS: Well, let me first say that it's not something that I really have mastered myself. Even if I'm not obsessively looking for projects abroad, it brings me great joy to deal with these kinds of projects because first of all, Belgium is a tiny country, and everyone knows everyone, so it's extremely refreshing to be able to work with different cultures. It forces you to adapt to different contexts, to a different way of working, and it's just extremely refreshing. Of course, the biggest trap or the biggest issue that you have with foreign projects, especially if they're far away, is the difficulty of controlling the architecture details, the construction sites, and generally speaking, your design aesthetics. And that might result from time to time in really frustrating situations. On the other hand, it has a positive impact on the way that you have to deal with the project itself because it forces you to draw and to go into the slightest possible details. You have to consider everything, every single thing that could go wrong, because you are not on site. That's an interesting impact.

LV: What value are you trying to bring the most to your clients? Or what kind of end result brings you the most satisfaction?

NS: I would have to say... After one or two years that a client has moved into one of our projects, I love to see how the architecture impacts someone in a positive way. If it can bring a certain level of joy, quietness and serenity to a client and see that someone changes through the architecture, that's the most gratifying thing that I can actually expect from a project. It’s definitely what we're looking for.

LV: What kind of achievement are you the most proud of so far?

NS: Well, we didn't know at the time how much impact it would have on us, but the biggest challenge for us so far has been to work on The Robey Hotel in Chicago. We knew it would be stressful and that there would be difficult things to overcome, but that was definitely one of the biggest challenges I've ever been through so far. And it's rewarding afterwards because not only it's an incredible learning school, but also you get to work with other fantastic teams and it allows you to tackle other foreign projects in a much easier way later on. But that has definitely been one of the biggest challenges of the past years.

LV: Got it. I have two last questions. Is there any artist, architect or designer who has influenced you in the past or who you would like to mention in this interview?

NS: There are way too many for this conversation. I'm also deeply influenced by many, many subjects that have nothing to do with architecture. It can be an art installation or visual arts installations. Artists like Dan Flavin and James Turrell have always played a big role for me in the sense of experience of space. Most American minimalist artists from the '70s have also played a role in that. But it can also be music. I've always nourished a certain obsession for the work of Steve Reich. All those exterior influences somehow have an impact on what I do. One of the architects that I greatly admire is Luis Barragan, a modernist Mexican architect who designed absolutely fantastic contextual buildings in Mexico. On the contemporary architecture side, the work of Studio Mumbai, for instance, is for me amongst the most interesting firms in architecture at the moment. But I'm also drawn to more ancient installations, and then I would not really talk about architecture, but rather about the sense of light, symmetry, proportion of volumes that you can find in ancient Roman, Egyptian, or even Greek architecture. Even if it has absolutely nothing to do with my day-to-day work, the way all these subjects are treated in buildings and architectures from centuries ago are still very actual, and I think that more architects should re-visit that.

LV: If you were to give an advice to your early 20’s self, what would it be?

NS: That's a tough one. I would say don't be too impatient. It's been one of my biggest struggles since day one, because projects in architecture take so much time to complete. Between the design process and the actual moment when you a project is completed, it takes at least three to three and a half years. It's something I'm having a hard time to live with. I think that would be my most important advice.

LV: Perfect. Thank you so much for all this valuable information, hoping that others will get inspired by your answers, and hoping we could do a part two in a not too distant future!

NS: Of course, it would be a pleasure!

[hsu21clemmensen-blog]

30 Finest Ray Lewis Quotes To Inspire You To The Max.

In this particular blog post I wish to look at a really intriguing area and also a barrier that frequently carries us back from ending up being and also receiving exactly what our team truly wish. Positive quotes and thought and feelings from inspiration are one of the best common as well as absolute best resources from motivation. The motivation wasn't money, it seems, but the fellow feelings that arised from within for doing one thing nice. Just like if you possess no motivation to contact your clients, try to start little as well as phone a few. Receive my response of inspiration by picturing the beneficial outcome once a task is completed! I challenge you to monitor the variables that add to your personal motivation levels and experiment with various factors. I believe our team misguidedly value energy due to the fact that our company connect possessing power with possessing protection and also command over our lifestyles, however when we do this that comes with the cost of removing security out of our neighbors. Pep yourself up through achieving some smaller sized targets in a comparable area, therefore you can easily boost your all-natural inspirational response. I am actually 3 years to using MS PowerPoint. PowerPoint best method to create blogging graphics. In the following you can discover our handpicked variety of a few of the best uplifting and encouraging success quotes from wonderful forerunners, well-known authors and absolutely wise men as well as females. If you start flat out, lost in future problems in your thoughts after that the stress and anxiety, seen reduction from electrical power from over your life and also damaging thought and feelings will ramp up rapidly. In an organisation style from inspiration frequently referred to as the, carrot and also stick," reward is actually the carrot and anxiety is actually the stick. Without a little motivation everywhere to definitely magnify your idea in on your own, your inspiration will inevitably blow over. Bringing up bad things and also indulging it will reduce your mood, incentive and overall levels from wellness. However, in all honesty, listed here is actually the many things that nobody truly refers to when it comes to results and motivation as well as willpower and also goals as well as productivity and all those little fuzzwords that have actually entered into recognition: you are actually as you are up until you're not. I had merely completed reading Presence, a publication through social psychologist Amy Cuddy who renowned TED talk on the scientific research responsible for power positions" and also the general electrical power from body language forever transformed our perspective of exactly how our bodily state affects our psychological one. Tesla wanted to transmit power without cables and believed that was actually feasible only at a much higher elevation. Many of the premade design templates are extremely specialist appearing, as well as the transitions are a lot more interest grabbing than conventional PowerPoint discussions. Passion and also curiosity are going to instantly improve your incentive as you associate positive emotions towards the intriguing targets as well as jobs. http://aszemelyzetkepzese.info Wrestling Champion and effective business person, Leo came to the United States 10 years ago along with $10 on his pocket and 4 terms of English. Nonetheless, there is merely thus far inspirational terms which come from other people could preserve you when acting. That is actually appealing to zone out while hearing a favored tune or enjoying an excellent motion picture. Nope-- perseverance is that mysterious, unclear variable that consistently seems to be missing whenever our team require this very most: I just don't seem to have any type of will power whatsoever when it concerns ______" (you fill out the blank). Actually, he has actually explained over and over again that lots of business people fall short because of lost motivation. I hope you appreciated reading this article regarding incentive strategies, yet feel free to consider that this short article can simply develop its own entire efficiency for you when you begin executing these reliable motivation techniques in to your day-to-day live. Make use of these inspirational quotes for exercising to aid you remain focused on keeping your wellness, fantastic energy and a healthy glow! I believed Mimadamos coming from Chadi B. Ghaith was actually hugely inspirational and a fantastic resource from inspiration. I shut down automated email download on my phone, to make sure that I do not receive a notification when e-mails are coming in. As well as I shut down all alert coming from social networks, besides the few in the symbols revealing the messages/ blog post updates/ etc Popular mentoring institutes possess a custom from gifting trainees, some offer publications to the achievers, some give andriod tablets as well as others provide bags, markers and loads of various other motivational none have delivered a stylish car worth 18Lakhs to a pupil. Revealing devotion to others suggests that you gain motivation through managing to help others as well as creating a contribution. However if you are actually ever stuck to some duty you hate and also there seems to be no motivation to finish that whatsoever, right here's just what you need to carry out: find your excellent reasons. The principal message I obtained from guide for me was, that I had the electrical power immediately to regulate how I think, exactly how I experience, and also just what I do. Just about anything I yearn for or desire in my life I have the electrical power to achieve this. After getting out of bed in the morning, I directly open a self-help manual and read through a couple of pages, or I open my mobile phone as well as review motivational tales. The following motivation strategy that permits you to stimulate your own self properly is through compensating on your own for reached targets! The Equitorial Guinea indigenous obtained entrance right into the Olympics through a wildcard for professional athletes off establishing countries that may not possess elaborate instruction facilities. I likewise possess a technique for sustaining my inspiration when I start to experience this wander (I read more broadly on success accounts in online business). I have created a few motivational tips, which I hope would certainly aid you via your adventure to success. These emotional states can reduce your motivation considerably, which implies you will begin to do not have drive along with adverse outcomes for your research studies. Tesla is getting in a market that is actually anticipated to increase, yet competition will definitely be ferocious Tech giant Samsung presently sells a solar energy storing device got in touch with the ESS that can energy homes or even commercial spaces, and a Swiss battery startup contacted Alevo elevated $1 billion secretive financing in 2013. The electrical power of flow is actually that compare to the strenuous, willpower-sapping results of compeling on your own to chase after an incentive, flow is awarding by itself.

[dippedanddripped]

It’s anything but low-key at the night show. Travis Scott is playing at New York’s Terminal 5, and Virgil Abloh—under his Flat White moniker—is opening with a DJ set. The sprawling dance floor of the venue is divided between the kids ready for the rodeo—closest to the stage, ready to mosh at moment’s notice—and a smattering of casual fans and certified washed-olds towards the back, away from the guaranteed pandemonium that will ensue as soon as Scott takes the stage.

Tonight also happens to be Travis Scott’s birthday. But at this moment, the place that’s popping the most is the merch stand.

A gaggle of concertgoers is huddled in front of a long table covered in black cloth, various “Birds Eye View” tour tees, hoodies, and hats hang behind it, from cobalt blue tees with a holographic print to purple tour hoodies that would soon end up on the body of Kylie Jenner—who happens to be here tonight, along with Jaden Smith, Sasha Lane, and other attendees of note.

Despite the fact that Virgil Abloh is spinning a mere few feet away from them, the kids seem decidedly more excited to get their hands on the exclusive merch he designed for tonight, having debuted a limited-edition hoodie on his Instagram just hours before.

The collaborative merch is a full sweatsuit, consisting of a hoodie and sweatpants featuring Scott’s signature Bird’s Eye View tour graphics spliced with Abloh’s penchant for sans serif typefaces and ironic usage of quotation marks. There’s also a coordinating T-shirt for completists. Nerds will fawn over the fact that the blanks used are Champion Reverse Weave, the sportswear manufacturer’s line of high-end knits that hits all the right notes that get vintage heads to salivate.

How did we get to this point—when merch wasn’t a way to commemorate the show, but a main event unto itself? While there has always been a certain affinity for music merchandise and band T-shirts, vintage Metallica and Slayer tees have since been reproduced for modern consumers, causing some to declare the fad officially dead. But as far as a rap music is concerned, only recently have tees become a mass-market trend. Vintage versions are highly sought-after, and can demand a hefty price. According to DJ Ross One, who quite literally wrote the definitive book on rap tees, that rarity comes from the fact that for the most part, hip-hop culture didn’t really understand how to successfully market itself through merchandise.

“Hip-hop in general through the ’90s was really bad at doing merch, especially for concerts,” he remembers. But he does admit certain artists foresaw the value of merch early on, citing Chuck D of Public Enemy, the Beastie Boys, and Naughty By Nature as early pioneers. In many cases, merch wasn’t picked up as a memento at a concert, but ordered through catalogs and CD liner notes, as was the case with Naughty By Nature’s Naughty Wear line.

But now, the physical interactions between listeners and artists are diminishing in favor of virtual ones. You can’t really brag about your record collection when it exists in the cloud instead of on a shelf. And for artists, the digitalization of their careers means it’s even more important to tell a consistent story through multiple platforms, not just through an album, but also through Instagram, concerts, and yes, merchandise.

That’s where Bravado comes in. Founded in 1997 by Keith and Barry Drinkwater, the music merchandise company was acquired by Universal Music Group in 2007. Their artist roster includes classic bands like The Rolling Stones and The Beatles, and modern heavyweights like Travis Scott, Justin Bieber, The Weeknd, and Kanye West. Mat Vlasic, who has served as the CEO since March 2016, understands the importance of leveraging an artist’s platform as an omni-channel brand.

He points out that in the past, artists could express themselves in other ways, like CD packaging, but as the industry has evolved, so have their creative responsibilities.

“More than ever, an artist has to focus 100% on every single aspect of their business,” says Vlasic. “10 or 15 years ago, you could focus on the music. If you didn’t want to think about how your brand was portrayed in apparel, or other consumer products, you didn’t have to.”

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For Bravado, business is booming—to the tune of reported revenues of 313 million euros in 2016, up 13.4% from the previous year. Events and concerts are currently where Bravado converts the most sales by person.

“You got 70,000 people in a stadium that are super excited coming into the show, and even more excited coming out of the show, and you’re exiting through the gift shop,” explains Vlasic.

But where Bravado is changing the game is by taking merch beyond the stadium setting, orchestrating 21 global pop-up shops for Kanye West’s The Life of Pablo project, bringing Justin Bieber’s Purpose tour merch (designed by Jerry Lorenzo) into fashion boutiques like Barneys and VFILES, and partnering with VLONE to create a Tupac Shakur-inspired cafe in New York’s Lower East Side, replete with exclusive collabs. Most recently, Bravado ventured out of music to create merch for Dave Chappelle’s Radio City Music Hall residency, designed by Heron Preston.

“The Virgil/Travis thing was super-organic. because they’re both natural collaborators, and obviously friends too,” says Charlie Mangan, a Senior Product Manager at Bravado. “Virgil is opening for Travis. Virgil hits him with the three limited pieces. It causes hysteria, but it also supports Travis and Virgil’s brands. The merchandise is an extension of OFF-WHITE, and the bird stuff is an extension of Bird’s Eye View. So those things add clout to the other products. If I can’t get the Virgil hoodie, I still want the Bird’s Eye View hoodie, because I want to show my affinity for Travis Scott.”

These types of creative partnerships make sense to Vlasic, because he reasons that if artists are going to spend countless hours and creative energy forging their sound and the visuals of their live show, it’s only natural that they would have an equally discerning lens to their merchandise. In working with cultural heavy-hitters like Virgil Abloh, Jerry Lorenzo, and Heron Preston, Bravado taps into the hype cycle of limited-edition collaborations and the ephemeral nature of a concert or pop-up shop to create demand for their product.

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“The origin point is always the artist,” asserts Mangan. “There’s no merch business if you don’t have the music to lead it, but the artist is driving the creative more and more.”

That’s definitely the case with artists like Travis Scott, Kanye West, and The Weeknd, for whom Mangan recently oversaw a collaboration with Futura. Now Bravado is branching out even further, not just with pop-up shops and comedians like Dave Chappelle, but high-end installations with some of their more tenured artists. Last weekend, Bravado launched a new shop-in-shop at Los Angeles boutique Maxfield to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Guns N’ Roses’ debut album, Appetite for Destruction. To mark the occasion, Bravado tapped a roster of designers for their own interpretations of the band’s style. The brands include MadeWorn, AMIRI, Kelly Cole, Palm Angels, Enfant Riches Déprimés, and OFF-WHITE.

Virgil Abloh’s contributions include an homage to Axel Rose’s signature red bandana, done up in the brand’s recognizable iconography and a screenprinted “BANDANA” in quotes. Abloh even goes deep, making a shirt emblazoned with the slogan “NOBODY KNOWS I’M A LESBIAN,” reproducing a tee Rose wore in the ’90s, but now with the added text “OFF-WHITE c/o VIRGIL ABLOH,” of course.

“I like to look at it as more of a collaborative partnership than a license,” says Vlasic. “To me a license is just kind of like: give me a check, you can take this, go slap it on whatever you can find, and send me a royalty statement. Whereas in the partnerships, we’ve gone in representing the artist’s brand, sat down and figured out how we’d work together. What makes sense? Where are the creative synergies? How do we talk to your fan base? How do you talk to our fan base?”

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Vlasic sees this space as a place where Bravado can really grow. It’s where they’re able to leverage the brand an artist has, and explore how they can expand it from a retail standpoint. Mangan says they already tier the product to different retailers, which is why you can find Bravado artist merch everywhere from Forever 21 to Urban Outfitters, but the high-end collaborations speak to an entirely different, more discerning audience. It’s their version of a prestigious Nike collab that boosts awareness and demand for the general release model. And while Bravado’s current partnerships have been focused on apparel, Vlasic sees a future where artists’ brands extend beyond what fans put on their body, but also in their body.

“Why can’t we do more things in food and beverage? Why can’t we do more things in travel and leisure?,” he asks. “That’s a definite focus for us right now because it’s a lifestyle at the end of the day. The Rolling Stones is a lifestyle. The Beatles is a lifestyle. The Doors are a lifestyle. Travis Scott is a lifestyle. There are lifestyles in all of those things, and we want to be able to have an infrastructure that can help build those.”

While Justin Bieber or Travis Scott restaurants may be in the pipeline, Vlasic doesn’t see the merch wave cresting anytime soon. He points out how much more dedicated fans have become—not just in music, but other entertainment properties like Star Wars, Marvel, and Disney (all of which happen to be owned by the same company). We live in a saturated paradigm where fans of a brand are just waiting for the next thing to consume, whether it’s a film, television series, or album. Hype has evolved beyond apparel and into pretty much anything people are passionate about.

According to Vlasic, the common thread tying all these disparate things together is great storytelling. That’s what keeps people hooked, and it’s why they can get as excited over a trailer as they would a photo of an upcoming product. Bravado is helping its artists build a universe that fans can buy into, but as a result, Ross One isn’t quite sure of how long the products can stay relevant.

“These guys are experts at creating hype,” he says. “It’s a little bit more of a frenzy, and so I don’t know what it will be in 20 years if you look back.”

But perhaps sentimental value still outweighs aftermarket value. At the end of the day, these products are reminders of specific moments that have left an impact on the wearer—regardless of whether or not you were actually able to attend the concert or pop-up. For plenty of fans, having a physical way to interact with an artist, even if it’s as simple as putting a T-shirt on, is enough.

“What it comes down to is if you’re a fan and you love the music, you should go out and buy a shirt and rep it,” says Ross One. “Because there’s a good likelihood it will mean something to you down the road.”