Granted there are a ton of websites out there giving creatives the opportunity to share their inspiration with many, I stumbled over these guys on the weekend and quite enjoyed the random beauty submitted by it’s members.

The site is very easy and simple to use – and they have this neat ability to capture any image you decide to “Love”. All you have to do is add their handy dandy widget to your browser (I use Firefox 3 so I’m not sure if it’s compatible with other browsers). I’m going to try and dig deeper into what they’re using to do this because honestly I think it’s so intuitive that everybody should share in it’s brilliance.

However aside from their cool technology for such a simple site – it’s still fun!

Website: weheartit.com

Okay, so granted I have been on a photography kick lately – but you can hardly blame me when all these beautiful photographers are surfacing with some amazing, not to mention, unique portfolios. Isreali born Guy Aroch has an incredible eye, and he has the credentials to back it up. With an impressive resume, he now teaches at the US School of Visual Arts.

Simply natural, originally uploaded by gabor.szantai.

I like beauty. It might seem a simple noun to describe that which evokes a sense of pleasure and delight – but the seeming quality can go deeper. Farther. It can reach into the recess of the most evil and pull from it a sense of empathy, compassion and vulnerability that – even though might last mere seconds – will still prove that beauty is power.

From April 20-30, 2009, the graduates of Langara’s arts programs are displaying their final projects to the public.  This includes students of Display+Design, Film, Photo-Imaging, Fine Arts, Theatre, Art History, Publishing and Journalism 

The events are all free of charge and are located in various venues around Vancouver.

For more information check out the website: artsfest.ca

This year has been a year of great challenges and great obstacles – all of which have instilled a great sense of purpose, ambition and direction for me. Technology has been cited as the single fastest growing phenomenon in the shortest time span this century (want more incite check out “The Next 5000 days of the WEB“), however even with all these technological advancements the world still managed to fall into another economic dark age.

I could go into a 2008 retrospective but I think there have been more dark moments that shining moments – so all I have to say is this:

WE all have the power and ability to steer our own course in this life. It might be small compared to schematics of the universe. But the beauty of this world is not what we accomplish as individuals but what we’re able to change together. Sounds pretty tacky I know – but take a step back for once and see the world for what it is – just one big bubble. A bubble we’re all inside of, a bubble that is fragile, but also a bubble that is majestic and everlasting, giving us life. A bubble that surely can live without us if it were sentient enough to just wipe us all out tomorrow, but a bubble WE can’t live without.

May 2009 bring you all joy, peace and power. Power to live life. Power to live it well!

I was going through my Google Analytics report to notice that a good portion of my traffic was coming from The Best of 604 – so I decided to investigate. Aparantly Mediakik was submitted in the category of Best Personal Site/Blog – whether or not I had won is an entirely different story, one of which I don’t know. So – thankyou to whom ever submitted Mediakik.

I have been a little slow on the post lately – but for good reason. New direction! 2009 will see some changes, some major some minor, but all we be in the good interest of sharing, collaborating and showcasing art and design globally.

With the holiday season in full swing I do wish everyone a safe holiday where ever you may be!

Not much is known about these guys or girls at Oprisco, but it’s fairly evident that their work is top notch. But with most – the tragedy here is a poorly built site.

It’s sad when you have great work and a bad site to view it – aside from just viewing the photography, there isn’t much information on the photographers, and the navigation is non existent.

Oh well, check em out anyway.

On Thursday I came across a piece created by Andrew Zuckerman. It wasn’t about him or about a product he wanted to promote or sell. To me – it personified the idea that the greatest gift one generation can pass onto another is wisdom, pure and simple.

Visit wisdombook.org and watch the video, watch the Making of interviews and just listen. Aside from the simple approach to shooting an interview and photography – Andrew goes into detail of why he used the mediums he used, and the method behind the scenes.

Enjoy.

With a regular appearance in the “How To Spend It” , The Observer Magazine, Tatler, 125 and Dazed & Confused – Zena Holloway has created some of the most stunning imagery I’ve seen thus far. Drawing on her own scuba diving experience, coupled with an sharp technical know-how and “…superb creative direction”, this relatively new medium is gaining some widespread recognition.

Zena has worked with clients such as: Nike, Umbro, Epson, Sony, Herbal Essences and National Geographic.

I’ve been so busy lately I haven’t had the chance to upload any new works – notably my photography walks of late. Enjoy.

weblink: Mediakik Flickr

weblink: Mediakik Works

An interesting technique that takes wide angle and high angle shots from a high plane – and adds a depth of field to it – giving a very cool illusion that you’re focusing on the subject matter. It’s almost surreal because everything looks miniature in a way. (more…)

There was a strange story this weekend about a couple of NDP supporters who were inadvertantly included in a Liberal ad.  The advertising/design agency, The Element Agency, created an advertisement for the Liberal Party of Canada featuring (among other things) a clip of an elderly couple kissing.

The couple turned out to be two NDP volunteers from North Vancouver.  Their image was supplied to The Element Agency by Getty Images, one of the largest suppliers of stock images.   The ad agency was forced to remove the clip when Jean and John Macintyre recognized themselves in the ad, but say they never agreed to have their image used.

Although it’s embarassing for the Liberal party, they are correct in saying, “When you deal with a company such as Getty Images, you are assured that all the appropriate rights were acquired.”   We’ll have to see what becomes of this story.

You can read more from the reporter who broke the story here.

As Mediakik begins to slowly grow I’m hoping to “recruit” some publishers. The purpose of Mediakik is to share inspiration, for and from artists and designers in pretty much any community. So if you think you have some great pieces on a designer, a photographer, a motion graphics designer, or if you have some nail-biting, holy-cow news on technology then feel free to let me know if you’re interested in contributing.

Just as a caveat to all this – you should also have some presence by way of a portfolio online, demonstrating your “want” to contribute and also have some good writing chops.

That’s all folks.

If you haven’t heard of Sean Kennedy Santos, and you’re a photographer then you either live under a rock – or you’re an amateur and you’re just waiting for someone like me to open your eyes up to him. (more…)

It’s amazing when you get someone to put, astrological numbers into a perspective we can understand. Chris Jordon has created a American Self Portrait in such astonishing visuals that – they’re almost unbelievable!

To give you an example – the image posted depicts 32,000 Barbies, equal to the number of elective breast augmentation surgeries performed monthly in the US in 2006. If that doesn’t open your eyes, then I suggest you visit his site!

Dustin Humphrey has some incredible talent. The work that’s been floating around has gotten
some attention with a few blog, however they don’t stack up to him getting signed
on the Surfer magazine
as a photographer – prestigious affair I’m sure!
(more…)

Okay, so it’s finally up! Almost a year of research, learning, indecision, countless design iterations and the minor crash course in jQuery – talk about anal-retentive-perfectionism! However, I have triumphed! (more…)