Today is my first day with my new Buddha Machine. It’s basically a loop station that has 18 different kinda ambient loops that drone endlessly through either the single speaker or headphones. Incredibly awesome to have if you want to relax at work. It has this very precious distortion and static that really gets to me. There is an iphone app version for those that can’t commit to the little plastic box.
Finished my shirt work for The Mountain Goats with this final design. This will be the US tour shirt. Additionally the viking image from before has been remixed into a track coat that will be available in the US as well. Very excited to see these done and to get a reaction from both fans of The Mountain Goats and people that know my work from before. These were deliberately comic book like and sketchy as this style really appealed to The Mountain Goats team. It has grown on me too. Hopefully I get some more time in this style soon. Gotta think of things to draw!
Just submitted new shirt for The Mountain Goats. This will be the European tour shirt. One color on black. I hope I get a few for my collection.
While working on this I also did a pinebox derby car for the Pink Hobo derby car show. More info on that here: Pink Hobo Show
Thanks for looking!
New drawing! Based on a real brush pen drawing I did a week ago. Plenty of more work to do but hey, I still make stuff!
http://vimeo.com/5595869
I wish buildings did this all over. We could just walk around at night and freak out constantly.
Final image for the Aidan Hawken poster. 11×17. Considering doing a couple prints of these and making them available. Is anyone interested?
I realized recently how big a factor birds have been in my recent work. Something about finding good bird images and referencing them. This is for an Aidan Hawken poster in progress. More soon.
Not the biggest fan of vinyl as a material, but I do love vinyl toys. Now as much as I don’t want this to degrade into a blog about toys but ugh. Jumango keeps stepping up their game with these amazing short run figures.
It’s not like I play with the toys. I just like knowing they are mine!
EDIT: I got this toy today at noon. It was limited to 100 pieces and sold out in about 5 minutes.
Also, for anyone keeping notes. Listening to the new St. Vincent and old Daniel Johnston
So, cutting to the chase if I may, I did get a new job. I am very excited for it of course. Kinda nervous to be back in a workforce after being idle for so many months. Oddly this is the same job I was trying to get in September of last year and didn’t get then. I wasn’t local to the Twin Cities so that may have been a factor for them in the hiring at the time. I am coming in as a contractor but in the recent interview they did mention that they would want to convert me to a full time employee as soon as they could. So hopefully things work out fine here. I start on the 30th.
While we are still adjusting being up in Minnesota it has been pretty fun for the most part. I loving having so many things nearby. It’s nice having family around too. I grew up 2000 miles away from all but my immediate family and have always envied people that have really tight connections with cousins and aunts and uncles. I have a ton of family here so hopefully I can reconnect with them all in a positive way.
Going back to Ames on Monday so we can keep working on the house. Not really looking forward to the work we still have to do but it’s all a part of the process I suppose.
Mercury Rev, a longtime favorite band of mine has a free album for download. All you have to do is sign up for their email list and they will send you a link: www.mercuryrev.com of course.
Been into old Star Trek episodes lately. Kinda love how formatted they are. So rigidly paced and self contained. May the sun shine on Netflix streaming thru my Xbox forever.
Also really been into trying to figure out my creative passions. My love of Alan Moore and how in reading him you discover how focused and disciplined he is in his process. How it makes me feel lazy and amature but also inspired. Still a riddle I guess.
Moore, err, more soon!
P.S. Find Might Boosh episodes on the internet. Very funny show on BBC that a good friend introduced me too.
Danelle is playing Guitar Hero and it is Willie Nelson’s “On The Road Again” which is kinda awesome. Makes me wish the turntable was set up so I could listen to “Redheaded Stranger”.
Been taking a lot of phone calls about jobs but it’s all been out of town contracting work. Nothing I am prepared to do at this point at least. We have to many logistical problems to worry about with getting the old house empty and on the market soon.
Killing time between job searches with a lot of video games and a touch of freelance poster work for the always enjoyable Aidan Hawken. This concept came to me late in the process after inadvertently deleting the start of another idea. Still waiting for approval but I consider it final so here we go!
That is all for now. Back in Ames on Thursday for cleaning and chillin’!
Have been in the process of moving to Minnesota over the last few weeks. Internet has been sparse but right now I am back in Ames Iowa at a local coffee shop (Cafe Diem for those in the know). I gotta say so far being in the Twin Cities has been pretty good. Lots of things to see and do. Commerce is everywhere there, found a sweet new toystore too.
Still rocking mad insecurity/frustration about not having a job but the change of pace and newness of it helps a lot. I still have a lot of hustle when it comes to applying to stuff so I don’t get to down about not having anything. Severance checks are still coming in from Uncle Wells so it’s not all bad. We have so much more to do on our old house before it is empty and ready to sell. But thankfully we have been pretty merciless when it comes to what we are getting rid of. Thanks to Goodwill Industries receipts we will have a very healthy write-off next year and Ames hipsters will have a ton of awesome thrift store scores to feel good about.
Got 12mb cable internet waiting for us once we get back up to St Paul. So I promise photos and more updates in the near future.
PEACE!