Toptal Multimedia Designers

Have you ever tried going out and trying to compete on one of those conventional freelancing websites? It's a nightmare.  So many people think that art and design doesn't take any real training and that they can do our jobs without knowing the first thing about them. You end up with all these posers who have no actual experience, often with a fake portfolio, fake resume and fake references trying to underbid all the real professionals.  The everyone in the pool style freelance websites just don't work, and big name companies know that which is why they don't use them.

Enter Toptal Multimedia Designers.  They validate and rigorously screen every single applicant, and the big companies we all dream of doing work for know that.  The best part is you don't have to worry about competing with a bunch of fake posers muddying up the waters for everyone.  Check them out, I'm sure you'll be just as amazed as I am.

http://www.toptal.com/designers/multimedia

Dealing with Heart Wrenching Disappointment.

I recently applied to a masters program in Fashion Photography in NYC.  I've been trying to get into graduate school for a while but this time I actually got so far as an interview.  The Director of the department was very complimentary about my work, called me "a master of implied narrative".  I'd never really considered my photography skills lacking but my technical skills apparently are.  

It makes sense that my technical skills would be lacking.  My undergrad program was black and white film exclusive, all my color and digital skills are mainly self taught.  Still it completely knocked the wind out of my ego to hear someone in such a position of authority tell me as such.  I suppose that's what my friends meant by not commercial enough.

So I heard back officially and I definitely did not get in.  I'd really been looking forward to being able to build an extremely well paying career that challenged me creatively within my field.  

It's hard to hear but now I know what I need to do to improve my work and chances of getting into graduate school in the future.  

I'll admit I cried, I knew in my gut it was coming but I still hoped for the best.  It's okay to cry privately till you feel better when things don't go as you'd hoped, on the condition that when you're done you take what you've learned, wipe your tears and chart a new course.  You can't ever let the people you hope to work with or compete against, see you cry or get upset.  It hurts like hell but you've just got to keep marching on.

Waiting to hear back about my future...

Well, I've bit the bullet and applied to the School of Visual Art in NYC for an MPS in Fashion Photography.  I missed the initial deadline so now it's just the rolling deadline.  Now I'm essentially just waiting to hear back about something that will hopefully drastically alter my life forever for the better.  This is hopefully afford me the career opportunities to make a real living as a photographer and be able to pursue my photographer with all my time and energy! I'm a skeptical atheist but I'll accept all the good luck, well wishes, positive vibes, and prayers you want to send my way.  I really hope I get in.

Interesting article.

I found this really interesting article on boing boing.  I'm not sure whether or not I agree with it 100% but I definitely think it's got some great ideas.  Its about how to learn new things and become better at the things we love to do.  I do think it's rather difficult to become great at something if you don't love it, as I've said before, so much of what talent "IS" is the degree to which something is able to hold your attention and motivate your actions.  The rest of the idea are hit or miss depending on individual circumstance I think, but maybe you'll disagree with me.

Your health and your creative block...

I learned recently that highly creative people have a higher than average sex drive and that sex helps increase creative flow.  People often forget, that just look food water and sleep, your body needs sex.  When I mean your body needs sex I don't necessarily mean with another person, that comes with its own advantages and disadvantages.  Consider this, stress levels have been intimately linked to prostate cancer.  Men who don't masturbate only a daily basis, even those that are receiving sex daily with a partner, are at a 40% high risk for developing prostate cancer.  Having time alone privately when you can simply be with yourself, listen to your body, and meets its needs for pleasure and release, great increases your overall health and well being.  Having sex with a partner can be nice because it is a very direct physical expression of affection and closeness, and the animal part of our brain responds much more to directly observable actions than to words and implied ideas or feelings.
If you're feeling creatively blocked, go through this checklist.  When was the last time I ate? Have I had some sort of substantial protein in the last two hours? How much water have I had to drink today? Am I feeling thirsty? Am I constipated or having other issues with my digestion? How much sleep did I get last night? How well did I sleep? How many hours have I been awake? Am I nearing 16 hours since I got any sleep? Am I feeling cranky or emotional? Could I use a nap? Is there something I'm upset about, consciously or unconsciously that I'm leaving unresolved? Am I feeling lonely or needing to be touched? When was the last time someone held me or gave me a hug? When was the last time I got a chance to socialize with people that I enjoy who don't stress me out? When was the last time I got out of the house just on my own to do something that refilled my creative well with awe and wonder? When was the last time I really made love with a partner? When was the last time I had an orgasm entirely on my own when I could simply be by myself, unrushed? When was the last time I simply sat in a quiet room alone with my thoughts, possibly drinking a cup of tea? When was the last time I got some sort of aerobic exercise I enjoy that really stretched my muscles and helped me burn some stress out of my body? When was the last time I tidied my work space so that it gave me that feeling I thrive on in my personal work? When was the last time I did something altruistic that made me feel better about myself? When was the last time I was pampered to help me relax? Have I been spending too much time thinking and stressing about my work and not enough time creating?

When you complete that list, I guarantee that you'll feel much better and the gears that pump out your creative juices will be properly lubricated, ready to take on whatever project lays in front of you.

Wait... I could actually make enough money to make art?!?

So hey everyone.  I just by chance happened to stumble across this amazing website, Patreon.  Instead of being like kickstarter where its all for a single big project and its lots of money, its you contributing a couple dollars each time I produce a new work, like a tip, to support me for creating work that you like or are into.  The great thing about this is that I'd be able to move out of my parent's house and get myself a little place I can make more art and write more and, and.... DO STUFF!

I find the entire concept pretty brilliant.  What's really great is that you can tell the website to not tip me over a certain amount per month so that you never have to worry about going over budget.  Its really exciting and it allows me an opportunity to create some of the more non commercial works I've been interested in for a while.  To quote the title of one of my favorite books "Make Art, Make Money", as in make amazing art and get it to make the money for you.  Hurray for the gift economy!

So I'm going to start producing a whole heck of a lot more art and posting a lot more writing on here, and you can all benefit from the fruits of my labor.  I'm so excited and I really hope my loyal fans will support me.

https://www.patreon.com/Lumos_de_Fortuno

LifeNaut

So I found out about this really cool website called LifeNaut. Its run by the leading company in the field of AI.  The concept is that they are attempting to make a digital copy of your mind which will eventually be able to be loaded into an android and someday in the future into a clone of your own body.  Now I personally don't feel that even a clone of myself with an exact copy of my mind, is the same thing as "me", because I view myself as being the sense of awareness that looks out and views my memories and the world around me, the ghost in the machine.  I do think though that creating a digital copy of myself could be useful for completing my own goals which will take a very long time to bring to fruition, such as a Queer Home State and space exploration.  I especially like the idea because it might mean that some part of me, my son if you will, would get to experience a future period in time where we're able to custom terraform planets and engineer their ecosystems as works of art, a great dream of mine.  If I don't live long enough to see the day where we're able to use medical nanites to make ourselves immortal, hopefully someday in the future, a person much like myself though hopefully much better, will be able to continue making the world a better place as I hope and even enjoy the fruits of my labors.