Jimiyo Art & Palaver!

MOVED TO WORDPRESS

2011-03-23T00:59:00.000-07:00

Cross Country Travelin'

2010-08-12T23:46:00.001-07:00

I've driven across the US several times. Here's a map of all the places I've been. On at least 5 occasions, I have driven for long extended periods in excess of 20 hours (3 time 25+ hours) without stopping except for a few 15 minute catnaps at various rest stops because I was near hallucinating and near falling asleep.

**** I do not recommend that anyone do drive more than 500 miles a day. Even 500 miles is pretty strenuous.

I did it solo in my little manual transmission Suzuki Aerio.

"Christopher McCandless: It should not be denied that being footloose has always exhilarated us. It is associated in our minds with escape from history and oppression and law and irksome obligations. Absolute freedom. And the road has always led west. "

For the most part, I have found that this is true yet at the same time it totally SUCKS.

Long drives can be grueling. Here's some tips to ease the pain.

1. Take alot of music. Even audio books, talks, etc. You'll get bored of music. You'll get bored of sound. You might want to just zoink out to nothingness.

2. Take a roll of paper towels and kleenex.

2a. Fill up on the window washer fluid. Check your tires. ETC ETC. Car stuff.

3. It's a pain, but clean your windows on the inside before you leave. Smudges on windows are so annoying especially at night.

4. Sunglasses. It's bright out there. Squinting will ease your eye strain.

5. I wear glasses. Take glasses cleaning clothes. Several.

6. Even if you have a navigation system, take a large map, and review it before hand. TomTom and Garmin Nuvi have both lead me astray. Make sure to have a general idea of where they are taking you. The Shortest distance, might not necessarily mean the most sensible. I've been taken through back roads, and winding stressful country roads. Sometimes its easier to input town to town directions.

7. Dont wait til you are super low to fill up. If you stop to pee at a gas station, you might as well fill up.

8. Dont wait til you are super full about to pee yourself to stop. Many times I thought I could make it to the next stop, but there have been many close calls. This is in all seriousness, but even if you dont feel like taking a leak, go for it if it's an available choice.

9. Try to time your long trek to avoid big cities during rush hour traffic. Or try to map it out to take a detour AROUND the major cities if you are just Thru Traffic. After a long trek of driving and fatigued, the last thing you want to do is to have be put in tense stress mode of city traffic drivers.

10. You can talk to yourself. Or talk about silly stuff. I made up Fing and Meow episodes during long drives.

11. Take an insulated food container. Take snacks, take drinks, ice. It's not to save money, it's just nice to have food without having to stop. ALTHOUGH, if you have food and drink, you might need to pee and poo more often. Just sayin.

12. If it is a super long drive, I found that eating a nice dinner/lunch at a restaurant will give you alot of energy, better energy than fast food/snacks.

13. If driving through the night, although unhealthy, a steady stream of caffeine administered through an IV will keep you up. OK not really, but having a constant sip of a caffeinated drink can keep you up for a while. I've tried the 5 hour energy drinks. I can guarantee they worked, but they are full of caffeine and other crap so you know it has to have SOME affect.

14. I think mentally, the brain is ok to run 20-36 hours on just a few 15 minute catnaps. I have taken a catnap when I was near collapse, only to wake up without alarm 15-30 minutes later totally refreshed to go for another 3-6 hours. It seems that the hardest part about driving long distances is the eye muscles just get too tired. Sleep isnt mandatory, but the eye muscles want to chill for a while.

15. Also, I found that driving for long distances, my hands get calloused. Maybe its because my steering wheel isnt padded and I get white knuckled when driving at night, but I think some sort of driving gloves or steering wheel cover could really help. I think some lotion or something could help in this instance.

16. Take a trash bag or a few grocery bags you can dump every time you stop at the gas station.

17. I just use debit, but a credit card for gas that has cash back, would be very useful for miles or cash back.

18. Have a camera ready. You might see some crazy stuff while on the road.

That's all for now. ;j

Got My Glasses from Zenni Optical

2010-08-05T13:09:00.000-07:00

*** I've changed my mind. I've worn one of the pairs for a day now. They are awesome. Just as awesome as my previous brand name glasses. I'd rate the experience more than decent. Prolly a B+ instead of a C+/B-.

Regarding: http://jimiyo.blogspot.com/2010/07/i-ordered-glasses-online.html

I ordered cheap glasses for $120 shipped for 4 pair. 2 prescription sunglasses, and 2 regular glasses.

Ordered July 26. Received August 5.

REVIEW SUMMARY: Get your main pair from a regular in real life supplier, but for extras and definitely for sunglasses if you dont wear them all the time Zenni is a winner.

Decent glasses for the price. They don't beat my RayBan/Hilfiger/Hummer glasses I bought for $$$$ at your regular lenscrafters/vision center, but for extra glasses laying around, I would spend the money again.

It was somewhat daunting to order glasses online because obviously you don't see the product in real life so you never know EXACTLY what you will get.

I'm satisfied with the size and fit of all of them. One is slightly smaller than I would like, but I knew that it might be slightly small as I studied the sizing codes available on the net. None of the glasses were bigger than I thought they would be.

The frames themselves are acceptable. They are not Grade A quality. The metal ones would be difficult to pass as a high end brand because the craftsmanship is obviously low to mid quality. The hinge mechanisms are much bulkier and low quality compared to a snazzy name brand.

The plastic frames however, I could see how they would be slapped with a Ralph Lauren and be sold for 30 times the cost.

The lenses are fine. I can't tell the difference from any other lenses I have.

Overall, for the price you can't beat it. If I was in college and broke, I would definitely go this route. Since Im not a broke college student, I would not make my main glasses from them, just because being able to physically see and feel the glasses from a store in real life will most likely fit better and be better quality.

For the sunglasses, since I rarely wear them, I would definitely buy from them.

I Ordered Glasses Online

2010-07-26T14:46:00.001-07:00

I broke my glasses the other day.

Instead of going to Lenscrafters or a similar company to order glasses, I decided to dig up my prescription, and order online.

I had read about ordering prescription glasses online a few years ago with mixed reviews, and I checked the thread over at Fatwallet, and today the support seems to be generally positive. Thank you child labor in China! :D

Thorough thread about ordering online at Fatwallet: http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/hot-deals/231255/

Also searching online, I even found several YouTube videos of people who ordered online with positive reviews.

I decided to try out Zenni Optical - http://www.zennioptical.com/home.php since it seems pretty legit.

The only thing that gave me concern was not knowing my pupillary distance. It is required along with the basic prescription information.

I didn't feel comfortable holding a ruler to my face and eyeballing the millimeters.

SO I just took a photo of myself, and used some photoshopping to measure the distance between my pupils. I know, I'm a smart one! :D

The many uses of Photoshop!

I also read that, before PD was required, averages were used. 63 is the average so I felt comfortable with my 61-62 measurement.

I ended up ordering four glasses for around $120. Considering I've paid $150-$300 for just one pair before, I feel like even if half the frames don't fit, not such a big loss relative to routine costs.

I'm excited to get my frames. I'll post a review once I get them.

Cheers
;j

Updated, Updated Custom Homepage

2010-06-16T13:50:00.000-07:00

So a few weeks back I posted a blog (which is now very rare) about my custom homepage I created to help me become more efficient with my daily work tasks.

For more information read here:
http://jimiyo.blogspot.com/2010/04/my-homepage.html
http://jimiyo.blogspot.com/2010/04/addition-to-my-homepage-experiment-in.html
http://jimiyo.blogspot.com/2010/04/updated-hompage-revision-three.html

I have a new revision!

I am eliminating the check boxes altogether, and then changing the code to change the followed links to the background color, which in effect makes them invisible.

I've been using my homepage since I created it, and I seem to be going to the same links regardless of if I've completed the tasks.

I am hoping that with them being invisible, I will be less likely to click since subconsciously it gives the visual links more priority.

Also in the past few weeks, I've tested and eliminated various websites I no longer feel are worthwhile visiting/investing time in. I used to post on various art sites to try to promote my work but after seeing the lack of traffic and low response rate, I'm dedicating my time in different sites that produce more results in traffic and exposure.

BTW, checking a sites traffic by using compete.com or alexa.com is a worthwhile 1 minute of your time to see if entering/participating in a community will be worth your time. Why promote your art to 5 people, when you can go elsewhere and promote it to 1000? With Facebook/Twitter/Etc it's almost to a point where an artist themselves can become a bigger traffic generator than some fly by night blog/community/etc.

There are a couple news ones that seem promising. RedBubble, Society6, BlueCanvas, and tried and true DeviantArt. Twitter in general seems to be waning in effectiveness so I've jumped on the Facebook wagon... Obviously on the back end since... literally everyone, and THEIR MOTHERS, UNCLES, GRANDMOTHERS, ETC are on Facebook.

Aspiration List

2010-04-26T03:15:00.001-07:00

1. Build a vector/vexel business.
2. Legitimate gallery shows.
3. Build online community.
4. Mentor young artists.
5. Teach artists. Maybe teach classes, or tutor.
6. Get teeth whitened.
6a. Lasik surgery.
7. Write an educational book or ebook.
8. Paint 5-10 acrylic/oil paintings.
9. Build business that provides for family.
10. Write articles for major publications.
11. Get printed in major publications.
12. Visit Europe or where ever all the Master art is.

...

13. Eat good. Sleep. Work. Hike.

Updated! Hompage Revision Three!

2010-04-25T17:17:00.001-07:00

I added the

1. eggtimer links to my homepage
2. a text field for notes

*** The javascript that asks if I really want to close the window is really helping my break my OCD of opening and closing windows.

I might keep tweaking my homepage, but it seems to be on track to the best Nerd Geek solution.

Addition to My Homepage - Experiments in Efficiency

2010-04-25T11:20:00.000-07:00

So previously, I updated my homepage with an eggtimer. I've gone a step further. Since I have several tasks and websites to interact on daily, without a to do list to check off, sometimes I repeatedly check one site or ten over and over throughout the day.

I created a simple secondary homepage to maybe reduce the inefficiency.

The page is a list of the sites (with links to new windows) I have to visit, a check box for each, and that's pretty much it.

I have a tendency to close windows alot, so I added a script that asks me if I finished all my tasks before I close the tab.

I think it will at least stream line the workflow into a specific order.

My Homepage - Experiments in Efficiency

2010-04-22T10:52:00.000-07:00

This is my homepage. It's a simple custom homepage that resides on my computer with outgoing links to my most frequented sites.

I've become ADHD over the years.

Since I work primarily through the internet and on my computer, I have found with Twitter, email, another email, website, etc, I cannot maintain focus on one task longer than a few minutes.

Although it seems I still get work done, it just seems as if I am a Chinese Juggler, and I can only accomplish things while multitasking.

So enter, the EGG TIMER! They are the first new links I have inserted in several months.

The 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 are links to a simple online egg timer. They open in a new window, and I place them in my secondary monitor. You can easily set the timer to any amount of time and its FREE.

It's still in experimental phase, but once I start the timer, I try to focus on work for that amount of time.

Along with the timer, I have created a set of ONE A DAY links. Often times, building a network online is just about communicating, posting your work, interacting, noticing others.

So ONE A DAY are links to different communities in which I interact, but for the purposes of ensuring that I maintain some presence in those communities, I set the egg timer off and go communicate and interact.

Imagine, if EVERYDAY, you called a friend or family member, and communicated with them for 15 minutes... That would most likely build a great relationship.

They say quality, not quantity, but my theory is, doing something in quantity will result in quality. Nothing becomes quality without the repetitive instances that allow things to improve. One caveat of this theory is that you have to work smart, and always strive to improve.

Impact Threads

2010-04-08T12:44:00.000-07:00

Designers,

New t-shirt design contest coming up.

They need medium res jpegs to build mock ups for teasers. Introduce yourself and send jpegs to braden@impactthreads.com. Get in early!

640 X 800 pixels wide would be decent enough. Make sure the images are able to be used, ie) not owned by another company.

http://impactthreads.com/

"Impact Threads will be an ongoing t-shirt design contest website that will launch on May 15th. We pay our winning artists $2,000 per design plus $500 is donated in their name to our charity of the month."

Make Money with Art (aka Create Multiple Income Streams as an Artist)

2010-04-06T15:32:00.000-07:00

I work full time with Teefury.com as an art director and curator, but an appreciable portion of my income comes from my own art.

You've most likely heard of the "starving artist" persona. This myth, at least in my experience, is incorrect. Unless it was based on wannabe artists who have no passion and lack work ethic, there is not one hard working, productive, passionate artist I know that cannot make good money creating artwork.

If you read any book on building financial wealth, much of the information will dictate that you leverage your time by creating instances in which no work except the initial effort is required to continue to make money. This means that you need to make money while you sleep.

People betting in the stock market, let their money make money while they sleep. A designer needs to set up situations where their designs will make them money while they sleep.

In the past 3 months, excluding my full time gig income, I have made approximately $7500. Much of this is generated by passive income streams from artwork that has been created and gets sold over and over as long as the product exists.

The art that netted $7500 in income can be separated into 4 categories.

1. Art Sold Outright
2. Physical products
3. Residuals
4. Digital products

1. Art Sold Outright.

The easiest, quickest money is Art Sold Outright. This is not a passive stream of income.

This income stream is a one time payment with no royalties. You make design. You get paid X for design. The end.

If this is your longterm method of creating income, you will not be leveraging your time. It's like working on a hourly basis. You only get paid when you work.
This is not the path to work independence or a balanced life. Unless you are able to continously ask for larger amounts after each design, it will be hard to overcome the hours that is required to make money.

However there are opportunities that are good trade offs for straight payment design gigs. Provided your clients are enjoyable to work with, working for larger entities will help spur your name and build clout, so do not hesitate to work with qualified businesses.

I will not go into how to get clients, because I don't know. They usually just end up approaching me, or I am referred to them by an artist friend. One needs only to create good art and promote themselves on the internet, and put the word out that they are available for work to get work. Search the net for places like Behance.net or Society6 to pimp your work.

2. Physical products.

This category requires some work so it is not necessarily ideal if you have to take care of the shipping and fulfillment yourself. If you can find a third party to do it for you the better.

Specifically, I have stickers for sale through bigcartel. I house the product at my residence, and ship it myself.

Previously, I sold a variety of shirts online as well as through several different boutiques.

At the peak of my shirt sales, distribution of my shirts though various boutiques used to generate $150-$400 on a monthly basis. For the minimal effort and up front investment, it was a decent experiment. It was only a few hundred shirts. You can imagine if you can make $150 a month, you can eventually make $1500, $15000, etc a month with growth into different distribution outlets.

Eventually I quit selling shirts because I got a wild hair up my ass and went on a 30 day road trip around the U.S. with the shirts, mostly giving them away to foreigners I met at hostels.

I preferred making art instead of managing product inventory and sales.

This category is important. By having a product, it builds your artist persona, and promotes branding you as a product. If someone buys a product from you, they will be reminded of you every time they wear your shirt, or see your sticker, thus opening the door for future products.

Even on a small level, create a product, and make it available to the public.

You need to build your fanbase. Start with 1, and then move to 1000.

3. Residuals

Royalities and residuals are a rare for a designer. Having participated and won at online contests like Designbyhumans and Threadless, I occasionally receive a check for residual sales.

If at all possible, if your legal use and copyright is going to be sold outright, try to sell to companies that can pay out residuals or release copyrights after use.

One of my biggest regrets is selling all inclusive copyrights of designs to companies for a bigger check. In the long run, although the money served well, I should have taken contracts that allow more flexibility in usage than a one time sell. It's a great shame when a solid illustration does not get distributed well, and you only get a piddlely little check for all your hard work.

In my current situation, since I have a steady stream from my full time gig, I no longer sell any design outright unless it's with a worthy notable client. Doing so allows me to sell the art product over and over, which is the most ideal situation.

Since I work at Teefury.com, I am able to get my work printed if it suits our market. Teefury does not retain copyrights to an artwork so often I transition many of the products to the 4th category.

(If you wish to submit to Teefury.com, learn more here.)

4. Digital products

This has been a great boon to leveraging my time in my artist career.

I currently sell products through RedBubble, TheGoldenBlack, and Bigcartel (vectors).

The products require nothing of me after it's initial creation. The products sell while I sleep, and no shipping and fulfillment work is required of me as it is done by the supplier or digitally.

Although very small in income at first, over time, with greater product range, the trickle grows into appreciable streams of income.

The ideal longterm goal is to create so many small streams of passive income that it pays for your rent, mortgage, etc. Until it pays for everything.

Essentially, this is like starting a business. You start a business, with sweat equity get it up and running, and then as you increase your cash flow, you hire employees to do the work for you while you reap a bigger income with less work.

Instead of workers, your artwork are your workers.

I highly recommend any designer to get into stock art, as well as using sites like Redbubble and other third party art distributors to start building a income stream.

There are many avenues available on the web. Start today. You have nothing to lose, except from not following through and losing all the cash that could be made.

jimiyo.com [at] gmail.com
http://jimiyo.com
http://twitter.com/jimiyo

Newsletter from February 8, 2010 & The Future Mindset

2010-03-21T00:29:00.001-07:00

The newsletter posted below the foreword was sent in early February. If you would like to sign up for future newsletters, there is a sign up on the bottom of http://www.jimiyo.com/

FOREWORD

I will be on the road soon. After a year, my time in California has come to an end.

I hope to find some time to reflect on the past year during the 1000+ mile drive north to Washington state.

As I think of the past year, of all the negative experiences (Because there were definitely several of them!) and of all the positive experiences, I can't help but to think about how I've changed over the past few years.

One caveat of being an artist is that your imagination not only touches your work but can enable you to live your life deeply in your mind, which is what I did, mostly in the pain of the past, in the fear of the future, wallowing in the misery of being a victim. (or rather wallowing in the fact that I was allowing myself to be the victim, or wait, maybe I was allowing myself to THINK that I was a victim!)

(That was one long run on sententce.)

Only a few years ago, if given the chance to have ever been born, given the lackluster view of life I seemed to relish in, I would have wished that I had never existed.

But a few years ago, I left that version of Jimmy behind. I suppose having spent a considerable amount of time musing about myself, wallowing in self pity, living in the fantasy world of my mind, I decided those methods were highly inefficient in obtaining a full life experience. It's amazing where you can go when you finally take responsibility of the helm.

Recently, I theorized that it might have been the alcohol and the chemicals in the cigarettes that helped to keep my mental state in such a slump. In the past year, I have had very little alcohol (and no smokes) and my emotional and mental state have been fairly positive, and not prone to sweeping erratically as I was typically accustomed.

Who knows. Maybe I just finished puberty. I still get zits though.

Regardless of the reason, I don't spend much time mulling over bitterness (at least too much, there is some value in evaluating situations for their utility or lack of) instead I look to the future with great anticipation and optimism. And sometimes, I wish I could live ten lifetimes, so I could experience all the wonderful things life can offer.

My Grandmaw told me a great way to be happy was to be thankful, and look at all the blessings you have in your life. It seems I might be using that bit of wisdom a little more these days.

I don't mull over the bad stuff much nowadays, since it just seems silly since there's so much goodness to be had when you just turn off your angry face, make time for the... happy place? What would be a better rhyme?

Even now, I don't think I will really think about all the pros and cons of the past year on my drive, (although I would like to firm the good ones into my memory for future nostalgia) I will probably think about the near future and all the great things that might occur.

I'm actually moving up there for a girl. We've been talking since August, and for the majority of the time since, we've usually talked for an hour or two daily. I feel like I'm moving up to be with my best friend... a best friend who I can make out with and think is hot.

Relationships are a weakness of mine. I love my freedom and individuality, and in the past, relationships have had the ability to wrought me to my knees as nothing can lift the gloom of a broken heart. So just like moving cross country, or taking a chance going freelance, the girl represents a challenge and an opportunity for growth.

Might as well...

I feel silly quoting a movie, but here's a great one: "Get busy living, or get busy dying."

____________________

Dear Diary... and Newsletter Readers

Personal

Late 2009 was a difficult time. I had to make some pretty difficult decisions. Two months later, the outcome of my decisions have become apparent. The choices that were made were good.

The last few years of my life have been difficult to explain.

I lived on a ranch.
I was a professional contest winner.
I moved cross country.

Even now, it's somewhat hard to explain the details of my latest decision that will affect my daily life and future.

Though the net result is that

I now work exclusively from home, and am now free to move anywhere I wish.

I still work with Matt and Jason of Design by Humans, but the focus of my work is now concentrated on working with Teefury, their spin off company.

There were significant sacrifices, but they were in exchange for major advantages perfect for my tendencies and overall life goals.

I've long believed that working at a 9-5 desk job was a scam, especially for me. Unless you work a commission based job, regardless of how hard you work, the income is the same. (BTW they paid me awesome, I have no gripe with DBH) For some, a 9-5 is great, but I have a tendency to overwork. I've even had coworkers at different jobs tell me to work less and not so hard.

So when the opportunity to transition to a contract position as a.d. of Teefury arose, with income partially based on productivity and success of the company, and ability to work remotely, I took the leap of faith.

I wish I could find the email I wrote to Layne Hunter of Teefury long before Teefury ever sold it's first shirt. When I saw that there was a new shirt site based on a shirt-a-day like shirt.woot.com, I was eager to get my foot in the door because I believed in the potential of the business model. I remember I wrote to her/him that I would be willing to provide designs every month to have my foot in the door, and that I wanted to be "the front man." That was prior to November 2008. And today, I am an integral piece of what I call Team Awesome. Despite what snarky online commentary may seem to suggest, Teefury is thriving. It is by the team efforts of many of the same players of Design by Humans: Matt, Jason, Tom, Andrew, MJ, and the awesome production and fulfillment team at our printers.

So, although I've had to sacrifice a significant portion of my income and health insurance by relinquishing the majority of my DBH duties, I've recouped a significant amount of my time back which I have been able to efficiently spread back out towards earning an income by creating art.

It's worked out perfectly. It was sad to watch all my artists friends excelling and growing artistically while my artistic endeavors were at a stand still. Now, I can join back in the journey, while still helping other artists get exposure on Teefury.com.

I'm not sure what the next couple years will bring, but I'm certain it will be difficult to explain as ever.

"I resigned from my desk job to work from home... so I can art... and so I can move to Seattle for a girl."

What!?!

Maybe. Maybe.

My insight on the decisions I have made in the past few years, that make my life a little difficult to explain, mimics the advice of the Robert Frost poem, The Road Not Taken.

Truly, when you break free from conventional thinking, walk the path of the unknown and take risks, it takes you on fantastic adventures that regardless of the hardships, is well worth the leap. It will make "all the difference."

Business

In regards to having more time to create art. I've recently created a few works for Sullen that will be available for print soon. Logo work by Hydro74

I am also working with the famous apparel industry artist Joshua Smith aka Hydro74 with his new apparel line, The Brass Tack.

Arbor Collective will be releasing a couple skateboards and a shirt in the near future that I designed for them recently.

I've also recently worked with Art Directors Mike Morton of O'Quinn Apparel, and Aaron Hennings of Billabong, but currently do not have permission to post images of the work.

I still design shirts for Teefury, (of course! I approve them!) and I have Rock N Roll Lincoln coming up. I am currently getting permission to include free stickers with every shirt purchase. I am uncertain if Teefury would be open to cross promotional branding, but I think the consumers would enjoy my stickers especially if they are already buying my shirt. Tentatively sometime in March.

Thanks for reading! I hope the world is bending to your efforts and will.
;jimiyo

Endorsement: Exodus Three Twelve Apparel

2010-03-16T18:53:00.000-07:00

I recently got a copy of Our Lady of Hollywood from Exodus Three Twelve.

I think it will be my new favorite shirt! In the last year, the art came through Designbyhumans.com and Teefury.com, and although we all loved the art, we decided not to print as the art was not condusive to our demographic. I am glad to see it get printed. The art is by Ellsswhere, super talented artist.

The product is printed on 70% bamboo. If you have not felt a bamboo shirt, it's amazing. It's softer than American Apparel, ringspun, or most any tshirt fabric you have ever touched. It typically pretty expensive too, but well worth it. Bamboo has a very heavy yet soft feel to it. Even if you don't get one from Exodus Three Twelve I recommend a bamboo shirt for lounging just to try them out. It'll be worth your dollars.

The print color is subdued, and not a heavy hand. I don't like bold print so this is just perfect for me.

I typically wear a XL in American Apparel so when it shrinks it will fit just right. I haven't washed this shirt, which is a Large, but the sizing is similar to AA. Im hoping it wont shrink. I doubt it will though. The other blank bamboo I have never has. Bamboo is usually pretty stretchy as so no problem.

The shirt came with a large sticker of the design.

I recommend it!

Exodus Three Twelve:Use code "FAVOR" for free DOMESTIC SHIPPING through Sunday, March 21, 2010.

Brainfart

2010-03-15T02:02:00.001-07:00

Albert Einstein worked tirelessly on scientific discoveries that changed the path of human history.

Through great efforts and devotion to one's craft, one can attain a level of immortality by becoming scribed into the history of mankind, although

What value is there, when even in a few centuries, the history of the now will be irrelevant in the history of the future?

Neither does this seeming immortality keep one from sickness and physical death.

Even the most sharp witted mind falls victim to the same inevitable end that the dullard faces.

....

Also, Albert Einstein had several children that were abandoned, failed marriages, and incestuous relations with his cousin.

....

If there was no man, there would be no sin, or "evil?"

What if there was only one man?

Leaving California: T Minus 16 Days

2010-03-14T20:47:00.000-07:00

"I got half a mind to die, so I won't ever have to say Goodbye."

I hadn't looked at the calendar til yesterday. Actually, I saw it on Philip's iPhone as he asked me when I was leaving. I was hanging out with the few good friends I've made in the short time I have been in California. Philip, Alvin, Annie, Priscilla. I suppose at that precise moment I saw the blue highlighted date on the calendar is the when the fact that Im moving was made much more apparent mentally.

T minus 16 days.

It seems I've gone thru life leaving alot of things after I got to appreciatin them. But really, I don't think you fully appreciate things until you look back after a while, and can look at it fondly in memory. Shinin there like a big ole light or lighthouse leadin your way to bigger and better things knowing that great things do exist.

The sacrifice of leaving California are the friends I have made. Thankfully, they are computer savvy, and a plane ticket to CA isn't that much. I will see all of you soon! AZN-Con FTW.

Although it hurts sometimes to leave things, I feel like I take the best parts away with me when I go about life that way.

Always moving forward even if it hurts.

This. Is. Indiaaaaaa!

2010-03-12T20:05:00.000-08:00

I love the guy who's yelling... Ohhhhh... Ohhhhhhhhh!

Interesting

2010-03-06T13:43:00.000-08:00

MOAR LOL Pictures

2010-03-03T21:34:00.001-08:00

http://jimiyo.com/2010/junk

LOL Pictures

2010-03-03T03:58:00.000-08:00

Smart Pigeon LOL

2010-02-27T17:47:00.001-08:00

Pug LOL

2010-02-26T18:54:00.000-08:00

3 Kitchen Appliances I Love

2010-02-06T11:41:00.000-08:00

Blendtec HP3A

Nothing makes sucking down copious amounts vegetables and fruits in mere seconds better than a Blendtec.

I'm not a health nut, but I recently developed irritable bowel syndrome. It makes me have the craps, and stomach cramps depending on what I eat. So there was a need to change my diet.

Blendtec HP3A is an commercial strength blender for the home. Its like a lawnmower blender. You can chuck ice in it, and it will destroy it in seconds.

It has a 3 horse power motor in it. That 1/9th of what my first car, a Ford Fiesta, had in it.

Seriously, I took

half a large cucumber
half a banana
half a large carrot
half a celery stick
a whole large leaf of kale
5 strawberries
a handful of grapes
and a large handful of ice

and it annihilated it into a tasty smoothie in less than 25 seconds.

The smoothie looks like a pea colored doodoo, but srsly, it's delicious!

I've only had it a week, but I look forward to smoothies for meals. It's fast and clean up is easy, and although Im not sure how healthy the smoothies are (because of high natural fruit sugar), Im guessing they are better than a trip to McDonalds.

It's a little pricey at around $350, but what it saves in cooking time (and chewing! HA) I find it a worthy purchase.

* I purchased my Blendtec from http://usablender.com/store/ using coupon code HOLIDAY for $75 off, which after taxes, made it about $350 delivered.

BTW, it blends iPhones. PC FTW

National Hot Water Pot

Hot water pots seem like typical appliances in asian homes. When I tell Americans about it, they aren't aware of the product.

It's a container, that has boiling water in it at all times, and you can keep it on 24-7. I think it's more popular in Japan because they drink alot of green tea and don't want to have to boil water every time.

I've had mine for years, previously for instant coffee (I used to drink mad quantities of instant coffee), but now I use it for herbal teas.

Since the onset of IBS, I've gotten into different teas which seem to soothe my mind and gut.

Ginger Tea - It's-a-spicy, but it is recommended to help digestion. I like the taste, and although Im not 100% certain as to if it helps digestion, it seems to soothe my stomach.

Peppermint Tea - This also apparently helps to aid digestion. I don't drink it much, because the taste is a little strong but, I still keep it around.

Kava and Chamomile Tea - Back when I was first diagnosed with IBS, the doctor gave me some awesome panic anxiety drugs because he suspected that my gut problems were connected with stress and anxiety. Although I wish I could get my hands on some more of that Lorazepam, I drink Kava and Chamomile tea as they are supposedly natural anxiety relief.

BTW, I also dump a ton of honey in my tea. I buy my honey in 5lb jugs!

* I bought mine at an asian market, but you can view reviews at Amazon.

ZojiRushi Fish Broiler

I eat a decent amount of fish, mostly salmon and saba. Mmmmm Saba. Guess Ill have some for dinner tonight.

There's not much to say about this product except that it's pretty awesome. I tried cooking my fish in the oven, but it takes longer. This broiler is fast to preheat, and fast to cook. It also is very close to the fish while cooking so you get tasty crispy fish skin, which seems to be harder to do in a large oven. This thing probably takes much less energy too.

Fish stinks up the house when you cook it. This has a catalytic? filter to reduce smoke and smells. Although, my house still stinks when I cook fish.

* I bought mine at an asian market, but you can view reviews at Amazon.

Cute

2010-02-04T20:14:00.001-08:00

Shibu Ini Smiling :D

2010-01-30T23:23:00.001-08:00

Michael Emerson, Part 2 (4/16/09)

2010-01-30T23:18:00.001-08:00

Video Recaps | Full Episodes | Webisodes

Animted Cat Gifs - Give it a few moments to load.

2010-01-26T15:07:00.000-08:00

Please Vote! & Personal Statement/Observation

2010-01-21T21:39:00.000-08:00

I've only been back srsly arting again for about a month. Weird how I thought I would get more respect by being an art director, but instead... all I got was hate & criticism by people I didnt even know. Now that Im arting. I can feel alot more respect. No ones calling me names.

Click on image to go vote!

Threadless

DBH

Free Stuff Round Up

2010-01-16T22:50:00.000-08:00

Decided to troll back and find all the stuff I've given out for free.

Drippy Font

Vectors - Click images to download.

Wallpapers

T-shirt layered templates - Free to use for non-profit

:D

2010-01-07T20:04:00.001-08:00

Original Pencil Sketches for Sale *Added Fing Rad Painting

2010-01-06T11:40:00.000-08:00

These are hand drawn on regular 11 x 14 sketch paper in a spiral notebook. Notes are scribbled on some. They are in a spiral notebook will have to be removed. I could probably disassemble the wires so I would not have to rip them out.

Click to view larger. Email offer to jimiyo.com@gmail.com.

$100

$100

$100

$30

$20

$300

I Googled "Twitpic Crashed My Firefox" and Got Porn

2010-01-05T16:50:00.000-08:00

This blog may not be suitable for some ultra-sensitive readers as it acknowledges the existence of pornography.

______________________

The other day I googled "Twitpic crashes firefox," because well, to tell the truth, Twitpic was crashing my Firefox

And I followed a google link with the exact same verbiage to a twitter profile of @NikkiSims.

It seems Twitpic is crashing her Firefox as well.

Apparently @NikkiSims is a online nude model. The dirty kind. It was odd though, because instead of a spam twitter profile, browsing some of the twitters, it actually read like a regular twitter profile, with the all too typical trite twitters about what she is eating, mood, etc.

It confused me, as it doesn't take the typical marketing stance that one would think condusive to Social Media Marketing. So it seems this profile is legit. It's a profile of a girl who gets nude, and makes money doing so.

Interesting.

So I've been dropping by on occasion, and I update my peer MJ, who maintains Teefury's social media outlets, as it's interesting to us as a case study in marketing, or the lack thereof.

Anyways, we chatted about it.

________________________

dbh-jimiyo: just an update on porn star twitter

dbh-jimiyo: "still sick as hell but have to get my nails done and go tanning so I can try to shoot on Thursday. Not happy :("

dbh-jimiyo: "@JessieLynne mine know, my mom doesnt really like it, my dad is actually cool with it cuz "im using what I was given to my advantage"
dbh-jimiyo: about posing nude
dbh-jimiyo: dad is ok with it
dbh-jimiyo: LOL

Michelle: oh man lol

dbh-jimiyo: theres the problem
Michelle: i bet he is lol
dbh-jimiyo: dad was probably ok with other things

***** EDIT: Cheap Shot Joke. Very judgemental.

dbh-jimiyo: apparently she is sick too
dbh-jimiyo: "still feeling like death, ughhhhhhh icky."
Michelle: that's so awkward lol
dbh-jimiyo: HIV and all
dbh-jimiyo: jokes jokes
dbh-jimiyo: i shouldnt say that, just because someone poses nude does not make them promiscuous and diseased

***** EDIT: Cheap Shot Joke #2. Very judgemental.

Michelle: i can't imagine that's information any viewer would want lol
dbh-jimiyo: ha
dbh-jimiyo: HA

Michelle: you should DM her marketing tips
dbh-jimiyo: HA
dbh-jimiyo: I DO have more followers
dbh-jimiyo: lol
Michelle: lololol

Michelle: that should be your new motto
Michelle: jimiyo's twitter: people like it better than porn!

dbh-jimiyo: DM You should change your twitter background daily to twitter exclusive images so you get more followers
dbh-jimiyo: DM: you should offer downloads of twitter only followers of sneak peaks
dbh-jimiyo: etc

Michelle: lol
Michelle: yes

dbh-jimiyo: DM Also, can you pose like -insert dirty pose--
Michelle: hahahahaha

dbh-jimiyo: sorry, i was surfing and studying
dbh-jimiyo: you wouldnt like her
dbh-jimiyo: she has tattoos
Michelle: lol

dbh-jimiyo: it seems she is a Classy nude model
dbh-jimiyo: classy as being, she only shows her boobies, but not the pachingo
Michelle: yeah, that'll last
dbh-jimiyo: HA
dbh-jimiyo: HAAAAAAA
Michelle: hehehe

dbh-jimiyo: this find is blog worthy, but its risque topic
dbh-jimiyo: but i bet it would get traffic on accident
dbh-jimiyo: cause all the doods who surf for her pictures
Michelle: hahahaha

_________________________

I'm going to label tag this post: Nikki Sims, porno, nude, sex

Maybe I'll see a increase in traffic. :D

Three Outstanding Artists of 2009

2010-01-04T14:08:00.000-08:00

There are thousands of great artists out there. This is a list compiled from the artists I've had the pleasure to work with during 2009. It is based on artistic ability, communication styles, marketing prowess, and demeanor.
___________________

I worked with a ton artists over 2009 in conjunction with Design by Humans and Teefury. The personalities ranged from high maintenance, self-entitled whanks to humble, helpful artists that not only made my job easier, but frankly their products sold better.

They might not be the highest seller (sometimes they are), but the three I will list are consistent good performers as far as sales, and with great business acumen and professionalism, it's a no brainer to want to work with these guys and gal.

I noticed a odd correlation. Although it may be biased, it seems that if an artist has a friendly persona online, their products sell better in comparison the other extreme. This may be because one gathers more flies with honey, and the nice ones might pick up more fans that will support their work by purchasing.

In no particular order, these are the most memorable artists to work with in 2009:

missmonster

We printed missmonster at both DBH and Teefury. She has a strong fan base and they support her with every shirt (and other products!) she creates. In communications, she is friendly, supplying entertaining and informative interviews. The art she creates is of a specific genre, but it is well done so it appeals to art fans who may not be familiar with missmonster.

Missmonster's strongest suit is her ability to crank out new work and promote it like a mad woman. I have not seen many t-shirt designers in my circle of knowledge persistently self promote. It's not arrogant self promotion either, it seems to come from the love of creating. It's easy to be enthusiastic and sincere when you love what you do, and you want to share it.

thestray aka kissmyaesthetic

thestray is also one of the more positive and friendly personas I've met online. Although relatively new on the scene, he's gotten several prints at both DBH and Teefury. The most notable being Umibozu, which reached the final 5 of DBH's $10,000 annual contest, and My Lyrics are Bottomless which has ranked in the top ten of Teefury's top ten selling shirts.

thestray has a unique style of art which has a tendency to be more illustrative than most. He's a younger fellow out of Southern California so he does seem to have a fresher style than the veteran designers online. It will be interesting to see how his career develops. He has a passion for art, so no doubt we should see more of him in the art industry.

zerobriant

Zerobriant. I ain't met a nicer fellow... on the internet. He's halfway across the world, but he communicates often and well, so it feels like he's next door. He even called the DBH office once to chat on his dime!

Very eager to do his best, his work ethic is admirable. I would hire this guy to do any job cause whatever task you would give him, he would do it to the best of his ability.

Being an artist isn't his full time job, but it seems he never sleeps. His promotion abilities are supreme. He's consistently created great products that sell, and there's two reasons.

1. Great design
2. He promotes like a madman. I think he might even go and pitch boutiques the shirts as if he was a salesmen for our company. I am not sure of this, but I think it's true.

His art style is very painterly, but fresh. He also has a knack for creating images that you know will appeal to a large crowd.

I am happy to have become aware of him through my art director position.

___________________________________

There are many artists with whom I've worked that have stood out, and I plan to write more recommendations as I have time.

We actually have a Missmonster and Zerobriant print coming up at Teefury.com, and hope to see more of thestray. I hear he's busy with a design for a band, so maybe he can get us some more work when he's free. ;)

Anyways, these artists are on twitter and have web presence, so if you want to glean some wisdom by observation

Missmonster - http://twitter.com/missmonstermel

Zerobriant - http://twitter.com/zerobriant

thestray - http://twitter.com/kissmyaesthetic

LOLZ & Thank you

2010-01-04T11:48:00.001-08:00

Thanks for all the comments on my previous post: Share Your Wisdom. I'm going to try to respond sometime this week!
_____________

Nicholas Cage as Everyone - It's good and funny.

http://niccageaseveryone.blogspot.com/
_____________

You can play the impossible game here. Once you do, watch the video.

I can't put my finger on it, but it makes me LOL.

______________

Share your Wisdom

2010-01-01T15:59:00.000-08:00

Happy New Years!

In looking to the future, I suppose many people wonder what will happen and wish for insight on how to properly go about making the new year a success.

I am looking for insights, advice, etc, on how to live a fulfilled life. I found myself asking "What will I do for the next 30 years," as I approach my 33rd year.

If you have any wisdom to impart to me and the reading audience, please comment. You can do so anonymously.

I am somewhat looking for advice from those older than I, who by years have had more experience.

What has given you fulfillment in your life?

Any advice or comment is appreciated, even if it's just a silly one like,

To clean microwaves, take a wet rag, microwave for 1 minute. The steam loosens the sticky, and the hot rag will clean up the rest.

Thanks!
;j

LOL

2009-12-31T14:44:00.000-08:00

How to Design for the Apparel Market

2009-12-28T10:39:00.000-08:00

Art Doesn't Sell

In my experience as a designer and curator, there is a truth about the apparel world that has become apparent. If my hunch is correct, this probably spans the whole world of art:

Artsy fartsy doesn't sell in a mass consumer market.

I don't wish to discourage any artist from designing in their own voice, but typically, people enjoy simplicity; generic ideas, easily understood and recognizable.

By artsy farty, I am referring to esoteric ideas, themes, and execution.

For example, my best selling shirt at shirt.woot.com was Death on a Pale White Unicorn.

Whereas Death took only 1.5 hours, the piece over which I labored most, Plunder All, was received with only mild enthusiasm by the shirt.woot market.

Whereas Death on a Unicorn is easily understood, "haha, I get it, its... Death on a Unicorn, plain and simple, but whats this pirate about? He has brass knuckles but he has Love tattooed on his fist? And whats with the octopus with the keyhole in the head?"

Plunderall is not.

One may argue that shirt.woot is a vacuum in which the preferences of the consumers are very specific, but this is not the case.

In most avenues I've observed, there is rarely an exception.

Teefury.com started out attempting to be like their sister company Designbyhumans by starting out selling very artistic designs, then over time, the market tended to gravitate towards a Threadless-y Woot-y genre but uniquely Teefury-y.

It seems every business tries to dictate it's theorectical market, but eventually the consumers from the web will eventually put them into a niche.

At Teefury, since we sell a different shirt every 24 hours, we still have a wide selection of genres we offer, but the obvious winners are pop culture related.

I've sold over a dozen shirts through Teefury. In the beginning, I started with artistic designs which took hours to create, and years of refining my skillset.

But to date, wonder what's been my best seller? Ceiling Cat and Darth Tut. Both pop culture references.

What made my artsty fartsy designs fail? Frankly, unless you are in a niche market like Design By Humans, the majority of the population does not have the palette or affinity for esoteric expressions. They simply don't have the ability or desire to understand a different language.

We are still very much like animals. We still exhibit the fight or flight tendencies in our decision making. We desire social validation and acceptance as community beings so if you apply this theory to products, we want a product that communicates a positive and acceptable message to the rest of the world. We don't want to scare anyone into thinking we are different.

To wear something that is difficult or even unable to be understood, you might as well be wearing something with a foreign alien language.

We live in a world of symbols. Male/Female bathroom signs are universally understood. The color red, a sign of urgency, skulls typically represent death, etc.

As artists, we can help to create new symbols, but we must teach the world first before they understand it and are at ease with it. So there are two paths.

1. Design using symbols that already exist.

2. Be the forerunner in defining a new set of symbols, or way of expression, until it becomes accepted, if ever.

The latter is the true artist's journey, so it is most difficult.

But it seems, that once you define a way of expression, you will have defined your niche, so you can rarely deviate from it once settled into popularity.

BTW, did you know that even with gallery art, the top selling designs are typically generic? Landscapes, abstracts, dogs, and portraits.

So what should you design to be successful?

It depends on your market, but typically

1. Look at trends. If you observe enough of the market, you will see consistency, an affinity for certain topics, or specific design aesthetics.

2. Include pop culture references. It's a no brainer for Marc Ecko and Adidas to be partnering with Lucas Films to create products that are Star Wars related. Star Wars is widely understood and enjoyed.

Immediately, when people see the symbols or imagery related to Star Wars, cha-ching. You know it's $$$$ MONEY $$$$.

If you look at Threadless, you will see alot of other topics that are pop culture/cult following related products.

Video games, zombies, tv/movies, etc.

Piggy-backing on something that's already popular is the easiest route to getting sales, and attention.

There is a legal issue here. You must parody, or coyly design in a manner in which will allow you to skirt copyright infringement issues. Thankfully, parody is a route.

3. Keep it simple stupid. Don't deviate too far from the normal way of expressing ideas, and don't be complicated in artistic expression. Solid low color designs are king. You want to create a design in which, someone walking by in a second understands what they are looking at. This is related to symbols. Symbols are simple images. Just as we recognize a smiley face with a cirle, two dots and a semi circular line, you want your image to be almost just as simple.

*** Addendum by @Hydro74 Twitter
4. Emulate popular styles/trends. "uniqueness is rare and not demanded by consumers or companies thus emulate what sells with a splash of creative twist."

.....

Recently, these are a few submissions I've seen at different sites which are obvious winners if they are printed. These are full of win. Obviously, it doesn't take a expert to recognize them as good sellers.

Although, the skills exemplified by these pieces are professional, I would chance to say that, concepts sell most shirts, so these could have been done by a crappy artist, and they would still sell.

.....

This is the way of the world peeps.

One of the only places I've been successful with my own brand of art has been Designbyhumans.com, as it's market gravitates to being somewhat esoteric and artsy fartsy. It's built its consumer base as such, but if you notice the shirt of the weeks/months, you will also notice that it's not necessarily the most artistic designs that win. It's mostly allovers, abstract designs, and designs that have a wide appeal by being mildly trendy, but not overly similar to trends already existent in the apparel market.

It doesn't necessarily take extraordinary artistic ability to win.

.....

If you are interested in submitting for a print at Teefury, email us with jpeg submissions. We like pop culture.

If you are interested in submitting for a print at Designbyhumans.com, submit here.

How to Win Online Design Contests

2009-12-19T12:52:00.000-08:00

Ready for the answer?

Participate.

The End.

In all seriousness, in almost all things, the first step to winning or achieving is participation. You can't expect to shoot a ball in a basket unless you first attempt to make a throw.

The idea is simple, but the motivation behind emphasizing this fact, is for one main reason:

Online design contests need good designs.

Need.

NEED.

Having worked as an art director at Design By Humans and Teefury, one fact behind the scenes that is not apparent to the public, is that it's a stressful job to oversee the scheduling of designs, especially since there is a monetary risk value attached to it.

Every shirt need not be a success, but in the long run, businesses have to thrive by creating products that sell to help it's customers get a great product and B2B partners thrive, in this specific case, artists.

Online design contest businesses like DBH and Teefury have a quota of shirts to schedule and print, so the appetites of the businesses for art are quite voracious. Voracious like a fat man at a buffet. Are you a fat man? I didn't mean anything by it. Supposedly using analogies is a very simple way of getting the message to the reader.

This situation is not specific to online designs contest, but in other business that create products in general. Art directors working for other companies that may not have such a diverse product line still have to create new designs to satisfy the needs of their consumers. And consumers... people... need variety especially in a consumerist economy.

I worked as an artist for a small NASCAR product development company for a couple years. Even at such a small company that only did a few shirts a week, the need for new art was enough to expand our art department from 1 artist up to 5 with occasional pro freelancers.

The truth of the art business is that, companies dealing in art need a pool of art that can be easily accessible at any time to fulfill the potential sales needs that arise. Sometimes in the art world, it's a shotgun approach, especially if the company is working in the mass retail market. Mass retail seems to be such a lucrative market, that they have the pick of the litter, so art businesses need to pitch multiple products sometimes over and over until the time is right to the mass retailers.

So submitting and getting printed isn't all that difficult if you follow some basic rules.

It's like a lottery, but a lottery in which you can manipulate the variables in your favor to almost guarantee a win.

How Do You Guarantee a Win?

1. Participate

2. Participate/submit often.

Not only do you fill your portfolio with designs, and learn/improve with each piece, participating and submitting helps to your name float up to the top when directors may be considering designs to print provided you have the right kind of art.

Human nature has a tendency to reciprocate friendly gestures, and when you begin to participate in an online community it will build a foundation of trust. People do business with people they trust and know.

3. Cater your product to the market. This is a major key. Businesses that sell art have their specific genre into which they are pigeon-holed. If you think of any of the major sites online, what kind of art do you think of when you hear the brands:

DBH

Teefury

Threadless

Shirt.woot

Emptees

The chances are you can easily identity the product as the brand even if it does not have a logo on it just by the type of art.

Sometimes you do have to study the company's products and design accordingly. It's not a hard written rule, but behind the scenes, the comment...

"Um... that looks too Shirt.woot,"

or similar will arise.

At both DBH and TF, we have passed on designs that are great because unfortunately they were not within the genre in which we know is successful with our consumers.

Even in my own artist experience, I tried pitching very high quality artsy designs to Shirt.woot, and at first they we impressed and printed me, but they are much more reluctant now a days to do anything outside of their genre. It's proven in my sales numbers. At shirt.woot cute sells, arty farty sinks.

4. Be nice, or really, don't be a pain in the ass.

When you are a pain in the ass, by being high maintenance, asking too many questions, etc etc, frankly, you make the job of the AD much more difficult. The likelihood they will want to work with you again is not great unless you have great artwork and you are worth it.

Being nice also helps. Or just being business like and straightforward helps. Here is my art. Want or no want? Thank you. Neeeext.

The easier it is to work with you, the better.

5. Be your own marketeer.

In the online world, every artist can create an appreciable effect on sales by marketing to their fan base.

You don't have to have a fan base, but if you are going to be a full time artist, you better get one, or you wont be an artist for long.

Even if you can't make a dent in the sales volume by your promotions because it doesn't reach anyone, at least it will make you seem like you have your shtuff together, and provided you continue to promote, stick and move, you will most likely learn how to best market your art.

Behind the scenes we occasionally see the effects of this. Our perception is molded by your actions and efforts.

During the DBH 10K contest, we noticed the artists that were the best at promoting themselves were the ones who were able to generate traffic and votes, and concurrently, typically this correlates somewhat to sales. Only somewhat because if you build a product that is generally widely appreciated, it will sell on its own.

But seeing the numbers, we do get impressed with the ability of the artist to market.

The foundation of growth for online contests like DBH, Threadless, and Shirt.woot is that it requires that the artists all promote their works for the sites to get more fans and consumers. It's almost like a MLM. They thrive on concurrent marketing by the artists.

Help us, help you, help us, help you.

...

In the online design contest realm, the easier you set yourself up as a supplier the more likely you will get picked up, and have subsequent designs be printed.

It's not that difficult and only takes persistence, so take a stab!

Check the sidebar for a list of the most prominent contest sites and the main blog for reviews of the types of shirts being printed.

Submit to DBH

Submit to Teefury

Comments are appreciated!

Short Story 12.09.09

2009-12-09T11:33:00.000-08:00

Staples: "Would you like to sign up for our Rewards Card, it will save you 10%"

Jimi: "No thank you."

Staples: "All we need is your name and phone number."

Jimi: "I'm moving."

Staples: "Staples is located all over the United States."

Jimi: "The world's going to end in 2012, I don't care to save money."

Staples: "I don't know where they get those theories."

Jimi: "I'm just kidding, it was a movie, I'm just seeing about your objection resolution."

Staples: "Even if the world does end in 2012, it will be OK, we will all go to Heaven."

Jimi: (Chuckling, thinking, hrm, is this guy Mormon, Baptist, or Crazy?) "Oh yeah?"

Staples: "Well, if you accept Jesus as your personal Christ and Savior. Although it is also a journey..."

(It's tending towards the Baptist phrasing with "as your personal Christ and Savior," and the caveat of believing in Jesus as a prerequisite for entry to heaven. )

Jimi: "Well thanks."

____________________________

Can you imagine the two stories?

Jimi: "Yup, that fateful day, I went to get a CAT6 cable I was saved from damnation!"

Staples: "Yup, that fateful day, instead of selling Staples Rewards card, I saved a soul from damnation! Praise Lord!"

____________________________

Critique:

As a sales technique, using the phrase, "as your personal Christ and Savior" is very confusing and off putting to someone who is not familiar with Christianity. The phrasing needs to be reworked to be more palatable. Just a FYI for those of you considering witnessing to people, read a sales book, and think about marketing. Even if its salvation, you have to be very human in pitching someone a product per say, especially if it's more than just a CAT cable. Winning someone to your side is a very delicate process.

Good Finds Week of 23rd

2009-11-23T11:54:00.001-08:00

1. New Moon Summary in Doodle Form

From iQuitt on DBH

2. Mildly NSFW (Not Safe for Work)

3. Homebrew Pikachu Ski Mask

4. Dog in Leather Jacket

5. Aaron Horkey - One of my favorite artists EVER! Found some super hi res images of his work.

Top Five John Lock Images Found on the Internet

2009-11-20T08:50:00.000-08:00

1. SOURCE: Chris Oatley - Nifty little progress blog along with it.

2. SOURCE: http://www.flickr.com/photos/freeekdue/2112409035/

3. SOURCE: http://artsammich.deviantart.com/art/LOST-Animated-John-Locke-134578179

4. SOURCE: http://images.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/iLost-Locke-Wallpaper-john-locke-589608_1920_1200.jpg

5. SOURCE: http://linkognito.com/images/05-14-08/locke.gif

Someone Else's Dream

2009-11-18T08:09:00.000-08:00

I'm a curator (actually the Art Director since everything that prints is approved by moi) at Teefury. (BTW, I'm also AD at Designbyhumans.com)

I recently found Tom Ledin's work while trolling the internet and I picked up his design.

It became one of the top selling designs ever at Teefury.

We interview our artists, and one of his answers is something that sparked my interest.

The dream is simple: Art, Food, Fun, and Sleep.

If you had a million dollars, what would you do with it?
Tom Ledin, "I would become a full-time artist, and rent a really big studio, that I could fit a nice big halfpipe in. Then I would make art, art, and more art with a skateboarding break every hour or so. I would also probably put a futon in there, because skateboarding makes me sleepy. In reality, I'd probably make a little art in the morning, then skate, then get a burrito, and then sleep the rest of the day. God that sounds so good."

Reading Tom's dream, I thought to myself:

Nice dream.
I want a similar reality.
It would be possible to attain that reality... maybe.

Then I thought:

I have not had a dream for myself for a long time.

It's easy to lose touch with our dreams especially with work and the typical drudgery of life. I think that's why we love movies, art, music, etc. They all represent the dreams of others, another life, much more exciting than ours. It is simpler to adopt someone else's dream when we do not have a clear vision of our own. Throw in busy work provided by a job (which is essentially helping to achieve someone else's dream), we start to falsely believe that our busyness correlates to us striving to achieve our own dreams, but rarely does earning money for the exchange of time show up on the list of anyone's life aspirations.

Introspection has reminded me of my goals. I haven't necessarily been derailed from my dreams of being an independent artist as taking the job at Teefury and Designbyhumans was part of the plan of getting a boost in savings for future cash flow, as well as earning more internet respect and clout.

I still create art although not as prolific, and I've been able to do some small works for major companies that should continue to build on the perception of the "jimiyo" name.

Still, there's something awry.... or not. I'm not sure.

Maybe it's that I hold having a dream and trying to attain it in such high regard, that I have to feel that something is wrong if I'm not always struggling to achieve something grandiose and extraordinary...

Certainly, there is always better, but when is enough. Is complacency such a deplorable frame of mind?

If everything was perfect, I'd own a business that would require ONLY art from me, maybe a little marketing because its fun to figure out what makes people react, beyond that, in a fun studio, where I could take a break to jam on the guitar or play a quick round of Call of Duty without fear of being judged as a lazy worker, nice lunch meetings to shoot the shit about business and ideas, Starbucks coffee, Sushi/Thai/Mexican for lunch, and after the day's work is done, total disconnect from work to be with loved ones.

"...God that sounds so good..."

Anyways. I need to brainfart some more so I can plan out some paths for myself in the next upcoming years.

Have you been derailed or preoccupied with busyness that you haven't taken the time to visualize your dreams? GET SOME!

Make Your Own Kind of Music

2009-11-15T14:50:00.001-08:00

I've become a Lost fan. Used to think this song was creepy, but now... not so much.

LOL 4

2009-11-13T07:13:00.001-08:00

LOL 3

2009-10-30T23:19:00.001-07:00

LOL II

2009-10-20T20:52:00.001-07:00

LOL

2009-09-21T09:43:00.001-07:00

Interview

2009-08-28T07:29:00.000-07:00

> Would you share with me what were some of your initial
> experiences with art?

I've been drawing since kindergarten. My teacher that I totally loved used to reward me with a happy face. A little positive reinforcement goes a long way. I doodled through highschool, and it wasn't until the last two years of my college education that I started to get serious. I sometimes wonder if what could have been if I would have just concentrated just a little harder when I was younger. I would be like... totally crazy awesome word is born destroy everyone, but maybe it is good that I am not, keeps me humble.

> When did you decide to be an artist, and how did you know?

I've always had an affinity for art. It has just always been my identity.

As far as career, working sales for two years after graduating college made me hate life. I had saved enough money to just drop out the rat race, and attempt to get an art job. I quit, and I got an art job two months there after. Boom Shaka Laka!

> Where did you grow up?

I done grew up in Murfreesboro, Tennnnnneeesseee! It's 30 minutes from Nashville. So it's probably easier if I say, I done grew up in Naaahshvillllle, Tennnnnneeesseee!

> What was your family unit? Did you have brothers or
> sisters?

Like 50 Cent and his crew, we just have a small unit. Two brothers, one older at 34, one younger at 22. I am the middle child. My parents are still married. I feel blessed about that.

> Did you have artistic peers growing up? In high school? In
> college?

Not much. My family, nor friends did art. Even in college, there wasn't really anyone who really stood out as an artist. (I went to a regular school)

Then ENTER. THE. INTERNET.

BLAM!

gfxartist.com
conceptarts.org
cgtalk.com
the now dead eatpoo.com
polycount.com

If it had not been the artist communities online, I would be suxorz today.

Get online. There are hundreds of readily accessible artists everywhere. You can make friends.

And unlike burn out, dope smoking art students in college throwing their parents money away, the level of skill, quality, and professionalism of those artists you can find and interact with online is unbelievable.

> Were there teachers that influenced you? How so?

Hrm... not really. Most of them were there to get a paycheck.

Although one time... Guanping Zheng aka Mr Ping of my digital animation class said,

"You will be good one day, if you continue to practice."

How lamely awesome is that? He was pretty much saying... yeah kid, you got raw talent, but dont get cocky, you aint in the big leagues yet, and hopefully you don't become a drunk or go knock up some girl and have to get some crappy 9-5 that sucks your life force and determination.

> What was the most important thing you learned in school?

That it takes more than just the classes in school to get you out there in the art world. You have to bust your hump after school, out of school, and forever and forever.

Being an artist is a journey. You cant ever stop.

Nor should you want to.

> Do you have mentors or other working artists who influence
> you today?

Well, not directly. I have the internet to critique me. They are more than willing to bash you.

I'd recommend it. People on the internet don't care to be gentle. Learn how to eat critiques.

> Would you say your occupation is the same as your career?

hrm...? no.

My ultimate goal is to be a famous artist so I can sustain totally on the income I can produce from my art.

Right now I am an Art Director for a couple websites. It helps me gain alot of noteriety which helps build my artist persona. Eventually, once I accomplish my goals with being an AD, I will transition or concurrently focus on building my personal brand.

> Did you have any benchmarks in your career? By the time
> I’m X, I’ll have done Y?

Not really. Just keep banging out art. Although having things to strive for like... winning contests, getting published, etc do help.

> Were there any gatekeepers in the art world for you, people
> who either let you in or barred the way as you were coming
> through?

Chinese voice. There is only one gatekeeper grasshopper. It is you.

This is how it goes.

I tried getting an art job. I wasnt good enough.

I got better and better. I got so good at marketing myself and my type of art, that the offers now come to me.

Chinese voice. When you cannot obtain the object of desire, make it come to you.

The philosophy has worked. The last two art jobs, pretty much landed in my lap. I didnt even need to interview. And even the other day, Billabong contacted me through email to see I would be interested in freelancing with them.

WAT!? MADNESS!

> Is there any professional organization that you joined that
> you found particularly helpful to your career?

Scoff. Professional organization is for the Union workers.

Naw. Just kidding. I've never joined an organization before. I bet it helps though with networking... although... why would someone give you a lead when they might find the lead useful themselves?

Really... I hate organizations. "Whosoever be a man, must be a nonconformist."

They just help to create groupthink.

Groupthink is for those who cant lead themselves.

> What do you think are the major turning points in your
> career?

I won a contest at designbyhumans.com. That yanked me out of obscurity into design contest famedom.

> What’s been your interaction with or relation to the
> public over the years?

Man. These are alot of questions man....

I am somewhat the persona associated with teefury.com and designbyhumans.com as "jimiyo"

It's interesting how being semi public figure will affect how people view you. Some people criticize me, some people lurve me. I've lost somewhat of my own personal voice, cause I have to keep a professional, entertaining, positive, upbeat persona online. I think it's actually caused me to become much better in human relations. Because I know how to handle possible landmines, and I also try to be intentional in my interactions to make it a win win.

> What kind of control do you think you exert over your own
> destiny as an artist?

Chinese voice. The movie Matrix is... a true story. You. Control. Everything.

> What are you own criteria for success as an artist?

I continue to create the art that I want to create.

Getting an art job is nice, but its still a job. Theres still gonna be THE MAN, who tells you how and what to draw. That suxorz.

> Has money or critical success influenced your artistic
> decision making?

No. I took my first art job at $10/hour yo. If I would have been like... oh, my sales job got me 55K+, and you want me to do art for $10 and hour?

I wouldnt be where I am today.

> Are you satisfied with your career as an artist?

Chinese Voice: Never be satisfied. Always strive to become better.

> What do you think is your greatest disappointment in your
> professional career? What has been you greatest success?

Chinese voice: There is no disappointment if you learn from every stumble.
Chinese voice: The greatest success is moving forward.

> What advice would you give someone who wanted to be an
> artist today, as opposed to when you started?

It doesnt take long to get good. Just like anything, it takes practice. Start today, tomorrow you will be better.

Srsly though... you know when its in you. You wont even have to ask yourself, do I want to be an artist, cause you wont have time to question if you want to be or not.

All the Jokes from the Last Few Weeks

2009-08-26T09:54:00.000-07:00

Whilte trying to figure out who the celebrities were on Wotto's design

[2:45:52 PM] jimiyo: man. kurt was an attractive young man for being so emo and crap

[2:46:02 PM] Michelle: yup lol

[2:46:04 PM] jimiyo: so broody

[2:46:13 PM] jimiyo: its like

[2:46:17 PM] jimiyo: you WANT to cheer him up

[2:47:14 PM] jimiyo: this becoming successful in my career is really dampening my ability to be a tormented artist.

[2:47:24 PM] jimiyo: its probably hurting my chances with women too.

___________

"The person is angry they are unable to read arent they? Although they
may be satiated by the pretty pictures, they hate themselves for not being able to read the phrase "Safe Unsubscribe" at the bottom of every email. I clicked it for them."

________

Photo Shoot at the office the other day. Im lonely... not really.

________

Approved a Zombie Salvador Dali design at the printer's the other day. I like to think that the Hispanic workers adore me.

_______

_______

_________

[4:31:00 PM] jimiyo: hey michelle
[4:31:02 PM] jimiyo: tell me to stay strong and that
[4:31:07 PM] jimiyo: all of it is only in the mind
[4:31:17 PM] jimiyo: and i also
[4:31:26 PM] jimiyo: need some sort of patience

[4:31:35 PM] Michelle: hey jimi

[4:31:37 PM] jimiyo: and then give me a valium

[4:31:40 PM] Michelle: stay strong

[4:31:44 PM] jimiyo: yes

[4:31:47 PM] Michelle: it's all in your head bro

[4:31:47 PM] jimiyo: i will try michelle
[4:31:49 PM] jimiyo: yeah?
[4:31:56 PM] jimiyo: youre prolly right

[4:31:57 PM] Michelle: hell yeah man

[4:32:00 PM] jimiyo: huh
[4:32:05 PM] jimiyo: you are so wise

[4:32:06 PM] Michelle: relax, and you'll be fine

[4:32:12 PM] jimiyo: cool
[4:32:15 PM] jimiyo: i feel better
[4:32:17 PM] jimiyo: LAOLOLOLOL
[4:32:19 PM] jimiyo: srsly
[4:32:21 PM] jimiyo: that was good

[4:32:23 PM] Michelle: excellent :)

[4:32:26 PM] jimiyo: now
[4:32:30 PM] jimiyo: to BELIEVE it
[4:32:35 PM] jimiyo: wheres my valium!?!??

Jimiyo Vectors moved to The Golden Black

2009-08-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

http://thegoldenblack.com/products/artists/jimiyo/

I've moved all my vectors from YWFT to The Golden Black for a few reasons. YWFT raised their percentage of the profits due to the "economy" and to "use the money to advertise." To cut profits to artists where it costs them barely anything to maintain the servers and delivery service, I thought was a little greedy. Also, their usage agreements specifically called against using the vectors for apparel, which is ridiculous since I am known as an apparel designer. Why guide my market to a product they arent going to be able to use as they wish?

Anyways... Happy to be working with Chris Parks and all the other hot artists that are offering their vectors through thegoldenblack!

brainfart august 2009

2009-08-14T20:56:00.000-07:00

I slipped, cracked my head, and my dreams escaped into reality.

The spector of fear and insecurity vaporized like mist in the sun.

I stumbled weak and weary like a feeble old man up the mountain, only to find when I reached the summit that my shadow stood 50 feet tall, cast on the mountain behind me as I basked in the setting orange sun.

Reborn again like a child with renewed confidence, with vigor I aspired to reach the next summit.

Nothing is impossible.

..........

disclaimer: The following is very emo. It only comes out on occasion. It was a real feeling so, I suppose there might be some validity in it, or at least there are some issues I need to work out and perceptions I need to dispel...

If I ever come back to religion, get married, and have kids, it means I finally forgave myself and stopped thinking I (and everyone else in a way) was a burden to my parents and others, and that I was worth having existed.

I was somewhat tipsy when I had this revelation so it must be true.

I hope I believe this one day, cause it's tough believing nothing matters, especially myself.

But that lacking makes me put forth extraordindary efforts, so... as a source of utility, if my inseurity causes efforts that actuate some seemingly real meaning or worth, at least I found a way to circumvent, at least good enough to fool myself, my core issues, the burdens I carry.

...........

Haven't thought through it, so this is a unsubstantiated theory but

Often times when you raise someone up, give them power, teach them, they will turn on you. Not all, but over half will become proud as they learned from your mistakes, having taken a shortcut through your wisdom, and will mistakenly predict their ability to abscond beyond your level.

Easy for grasshopper to become an equal master, but to go beyond, not so much.

But Master having learned through mistakes has a deeper knowledge of how to learn, how to stick and move, grasshopper, not so much.

Good Luck grasshopper.

............

That flamboyant seemingly gay Target clerk, the one with the Gidget hair, thats like a helmet from all the hairspray, and brittle from the burgundy hair dye, might be a little offputting, but I have to say, he's the most fun and interesting clerk in comparison to the dull blank faces that could care less.

..........

Sourkrawt, milk, beer, coffee: All things I really used to enjoy, but as I have gotten older, make me poop not nice.

.............

She said, "Still hangin on to that huh?"

I spent 7 months out there, those are the only words that I remember of all the words that she spoke to me, that and her quirky smile. The words were probably the best words uttered in passing that seemed to say alot about my loser tendencies. I've since reformed. I don't hang on to much anymore, unless it serves to entertain me.

..............

The Japanese have a saying, "Gambate," which essentially means, try your hardest, do your best.

Although I've been far removed from my Japanese heritage since the age of 5 when my family moved to America, I think it's safe to say that the phrase is as ubiquitously used as something like "drive safe" or some other form as salutations provided it's used in the right context, whether it be going to school, going to work, etc.

People who are satisfied with the status quo baffle me.

It is through selfishness and fear that most people disenfranchise themselves out of an opportunity.

In most all things if you give it your all, you will get back more than if you just putz along and do Just what's necessary.

...........

Once past the tipping point, nothing exists to dispel regret if the tipping is the wrong way. Typically there is ample evidence along the way that one is about to reach the pinnacle of a decided fate. If only they had stopped before the summit. If only they had listened to the obvious warnings.

It is by mere seconds, the details, in which fate is sealed. A minute early, a minute late, could mean a minute saved from a car accident. Some things cannot be controlled as things occur as they will, but other fates are wholly controllable.

What small thing are you doing or not doing today, that will eventually cause the levee to break bringing forth a destiny to which you quietly submitted and contributed everyday for the longest time?

...........

Although difficult, in the end, it will all seem worth it. Whether it was or not, after the investment, you won't allow yourself to think otherwise.

What difficulty or challenge are you not accepting today, that might all seem worth it tomorrow?

...........

If the end of the world was immeninet, I suppose that I'd like to spend it with you, provided we exclude family from our list of obligatory people to hang out with before the world blows up. We wouldn't even have to make out.

............

Truth is, I relish my small successes, partially as I feel a sense of accomplishment, but a small part of me, maybe a large part of me, really enjoys the revenge of living well and quietly proving myself to all those persons who doubted me, slighted me, or even in their own quiet manner seem to say that their way was better, that they had made better life choices.

In the late 90's, I failed out of engineering school. I hated it from the beginning. Soon thereafter, I transferred and I was set free. I studied art and mass communications and I excelled.

After I transferred, I was a food server at a quaint little Japanese restaurant. It was year 5 or 6 after highschool graduation, and I was still going to college, working and paying for college as I went.

I remember a most humbling experience. A couple of recently graduated and employed acquaintences from the engineering school showed up. I served them, they asked me what I was up to, with a that's nice kind of sentiment and tried to quiet their thoughts that seemed to scream, "awkward, we went into college at the same time, you are a failure!"

As I walked away, they talked excitedly about their 401Ks and other work related topics typically indicative of the new blood, the naively excited noobie to the realm of the white collar worker.

I suppose I look back on that experience now and think... IN YOUR FACE!

Some other people who are on the list on IN YOUR FACE:

jokes
jokes

Take the path less traveled by...

............

Everyone has a filter for the information they let fly out their gates. Given enough trust and proding, most persons will let you know exactly how they feel. I hypothesize that everyone has a ton of stuff they wish they could unload. A significant other is nice for most things, but then significant others can be a source of angst... or I wonder, if a relationship was based on absolute truth, even the ugly stuff, if it would serve better for each party than to keep all of it unexpressed?

(I doubt it though, people usually don't like the Truth. They liked being lied to...)

(I even like lying to myself)

..........

Most relationships typically seek a symbiotic repriocity. If there isn't equality, it is certain that it will fail...

Unless one of them has a severe lack of self esteem... Are you that douchebag with no self eseteem or self respect?

Dump the Leech.

.............

I wake to a morning sun illuminating the blinded windows in a pale beige glow.

A cup of sweet milky coffee, a ceiling fan moving a nice breeze with its soft lulling song.

I turn on a pleasant, larthargic song by Elliot Smith, No Name #3.

Somewhat apropro that it has no name, just as I feel. I am alone, and it is quiet, no bodies are stirring outside, it is if I awoke in the wilderness in a light mist waiting for the burgeoning sun to wake all the creatures for another day.

.............

Given enough time, most people annoy me to the point of wanting not to know them, but when it comes to myself, I have to deal with it.

........

Breaking free from the world of the mind is actually quite hard even though we live in the physical world all day long. Most of the life we live might just be the arbitrary world we just painted for ourselves, when in reality, it could have been a vast and wonderful expanse if only we would have just let ourselves open our eyes.

..........

Im going to live tomorrow. Maybe... Chuckle.

Hummingbirds

2009-08-11T11:17:00.000-07:00

Set up my camcorder the other day on my porch. These guys are feisty.

....BTW I bought myself a voice recorder a while back. I've been recording my thoughts for a few weeks. If I ever get over my fear of sharing my thoughts, I'll post them.

I'd like to get back to writing a little more, but there's only so many hours in the day.

New Design WIP & Other stuff

2009-07-27T11:55:00.000-07:00

Lots of stuff has been happening. Maybe if I ever get the time to write, I'll update the blog with words. Went to Disneyland. For those of you that know about Threadless, and Designbyhumans, this is an entertaining photo.

Got my TomTom stolen. A few weeks ago I had stopped locking my car door as an experiment. Took about three weeks for the incident to occur.

Still living without internet at home. It's much more productive it seems.

It's good to let go of work almost totally when I leave work. Without the internet, there are some difficulties, but nothing that makes not having it not worth it.

New design! Im excited about this one. It's really flowin more than my usual stuff, and it's alot more free.

Finished: Revelation 2009

2009-07-23T07:03:00.000-07:00

Sullen feat Jimiyo on Redondo Beach OTM

2009-07-22T08:31:00.000-07:00

OH SNAP! Did some work for Sullen Clothing recently. They've recently sent me this picture.

Feels like there's so many awesome things happening in freelance, as well as some possibly huge stuff with DBH/TF... Exciting times. All that hard work, making art for years without payoff seems to be paying off quite a bit, Time for some Reapin! :D

Design Update

2009-07-14T08:12:00.000-07:00

Recently saw some of Aaron Horkey's work and I really want to escalate this piece towards that level of detail, although I'll probably fall greatly short from it, buts it's always good to strive for 11. We'll see. Too much detail, and it get's lost especially on a shirt, but as a poster, maybe not.

New Design

2009-07-13T07:19:00.000-07:00

New Style!

2009-07-10T07:45:00.001-07:00

Newsom Portrait Update

2009-07-09T06:46:00.000-07:00

I updated it. The last 10% seems to be the most difficult, cause I can adjust it easily, and the changes are all subtle, but noticeable to me. It's also annoying how it looks different on every monitor.

Joanna Newsom Portrait

2009-07-06T10:32:00.001-07:00

Oh snap!

(Actually not finalized. After seeing it on other monitors, I noticed a weirdness with the black.)

Process images: http://jimiyo.com/2009/Joanna/

Kabuto Design Update

2009-07-02T08:01:00.000-07:00

New Design: Kabuto Mask 09

2009-06-30T06:33:00.000-07:00

New Design: Ed Hardly

2009-06-29T14:49:00.000-07:00

http://www.jimiyo.com/2009/EdHardly500.jpg

No Internet #8 - Brain Vomit

2009-06-22T14:40:00.000-07:00

Speaking with Matt the other day, we were talking about how people can take a small obstacle, and make it a reason, rather an Excuse, to not accomplishing their goals.

Jimi: "I mean, that aint right, I've seen one dem Olympic athletes that ain't got no legs who have dem bendy.... Spatulas running like dis,"

I started pretend running, throwing out my gate in the awkward bounciness characteristic of those persons with special spring like prosthetic legs that look like minotaurs or upright goat legs.

"Hey, here's you some flapjacks and some eggs fool!" I said kicking out my legs as if to flip imaginary hotcakes and sunny sides up as if I were the fast order cook at Waffle House.

They ain't makin no excuses... they flip burgers while running a marathon!

Ah, slapstick. Good times, good times. It was the best laugh I've had in a few weeks.
___________________

Often times, people tell me to stop working so hard.

Maybe I should start going around telling people to work harder.
_______________

I've been trying to find ways to find more time.

I've decided to leave my car doors unlocked. I live in Orange County. Everyone drives a BMW or Mercedes. Who's going to steal from my dirty tin can?
______________

Wise words from Method Man on how to obtain true allegiance of a man:

"Back when I was nuttin', you made a brotha feel like he was somethin'. That's why I'm wit' you to this day, Boo, no frontin'."

Although motivational books will tell you to treat and believe in someone as what they could become, and they will escalate to your expectiations, I think this is just a general rule because there are some people out there who are total douchebags and will not escalate to anything but to fulfill their own selfish needs.

Just sayin...
______________

I spent $27 on a feeder and some red Kool Aid for some neighborhood hummingbird, and I said to the clerk,

"Instead of giving money to the homeless or needy, Im going to feed some birds, because birds are much cooler."

The feeder worked. The hummingbirds come withint 5 feet of my head while I'm reading my books on the patio.

Their wing flapping sounds and feels like when you get a rush in your heart.

The hummingbird drank a few sips, and zipped away. He said, "Thanks Mang!"
_____________

Obvious facts need to be reiterated regardless of how simple and visible people might think it is.

Our perception of truth is highly dependent upon the truth being set as an agenda in our minds.

Silly examples that can be applied to more worthy examples.

...

A regular soda has approximately 120-180 calories.
120-180 calories a day a year over the standard intake, will make you fat.

...

A soda costs 75 cents from the machine. A soda a day for a week is $3.75, the price of a 12 pack, which includes 7 more than purchased. We buy the soda for 75 cents though, although we might discriminate between a a quarter or two when making buying decisions at the grocery.
_______________

Regardless of value systems, it really comes down to money, power, status, and beauty doesn't it? (Maybe intelligence, but rarely.) It seems the traits that seem to be indicative of 'success' by societal norms are what's truly valued contradictory to truisms or religious doctrines may proliferate.
_______________

REINVENTED

The other day, someone wrote me an email, and it addressed me as "Jimmy," and I felt rush of pleasant nostalgia.

I started signing my name "jimi" in 2004, and from it, arose an artist persona. Though both "jimi" and "Jimmy" are the same person, it seems "Jimmy" represents a more simpler time, a more true persona of whoever this Jimmy Benedict was or used to be. Although my legal name is James, Jimmy is the name my parents gave me, and I grew up with as my identity.

I am not famous, but I am on the internet, which allows for more than the normal amount of people to surmise as they wish what may be my personality.

Nowadays, jimi, or jimiyo, is an identity that I promote as my persona, but in truth, it is only the streamlined artist persona I proliferate as my persona.

It is interesting that the more people know me, the more less people really know Jimmy, and just more of this jimiyo personality.

______________

I furrowed my brow and raised my voice in frustration the other day at work.

I hate getting angry because once I reach the boiling point, it's with great intensity that it's unleashed. It's typically not directed towards a specific person, and even during an intense, near bipolar expression of disappointment, I will revert back to normality and apologize DURING THE VENT to the person who might be in line of the destructive cycloptic, super efficient, focused laser beam of anger.

I am uncertain why anger causes me great distress. It causes an equivalent degree of sadness so overwhelmingly intense it requires a great degree of control not to break down and cry at the same time, as what is anger but a small degree of a primal feeling of wanting to destroy without regard?

_______________

When in the public eye, it is important not to be reactive, or sometimes even pay ANY attention to the jeers of the public.

If the jeers of the public were truly valid, they themselves would be the proliferaters of a product, service, or message.

They would actually be in a position of power where their opinion really matters. Most likely their lives don't allow that sense of control, and to compensate they have to vomit it all over the internet where ever it might be seen.
________________

My parents are really nice, down to earth people. I feel really fortunate cause I'm moderately nice, and down to earth because of them.

I'm starting to think that most people had crappy parents, and that's why most people are dicks.

People need to stop reproducing and stop the endless cycle of making dickheads.

And I need to start reproducing. jk.

________________

I miss you...

Sarah
Christian
Jeff
Jason
David
Kat
Sarah
Carrie
Chris
Chris
Eric
Erica
Kathy
Cathy
Easton
Judy
Joey
Sue
Paul
Daniel
Scott
Rick
Ali
Kate
James
Michelle
Elizabeth
Michelle
Josh
Randy
James
Shane
Brett
CJ
Mark
Shana
Josh
Tiffany
Shane
Greenhaven
Ash
Elizabeth
James
Barbara
Jemma
Blue
Marley
Kari
Lindsey
Chad
Chad
Maya
Nelly
Jon
Scott

____________

Never trust an ass kisser, a Southern female leasing office personnel, or a salesperson.
____________________

Found an eyebrow hair about an inch long pointing outwards from the hedgerow at
a 45 degree/10 o'clock angle. Also found a white nose hair. All points to me
getting old and cranky.
____________________

Downstairs neighbor. Newborn baby cries. Curry cooking stinks. TV too loud. Phone converstaions too loud. Please close your windows.
____________________

None of this matters.

Nerds

2009-06-18T15:05:00.001-07:00

Felt so gay my coworker and I wore the same shirt today...

No Internet Day #2

2009-06-17T11:03:00.000-07:00

On my second day of being without internet, I finished reading http://bit.ly/wxQzg, doodled a bit http://twitpic.com/7me0e, and I wrote what's below.

And did laundry.

______

Suppositional Truth: Of any close relationship, unless you are sexing them up and letting happy oxitocins and other chemicals bind you to the person, everyone is truly unbearable in full proximity after a certain amount of time. (for a hater like me... :D)
______

There were a group of kids on the playground. All of a sudden they bolted like a school of fish averting danger, leaving a younger little girl, who remained behind though she had could have followed with her scooter.

She sat wailing, muttering to herself something like, "Why they always leave me alone?"

Mumblings and sulking were interrupted by intermitten silence as her brain wafted from investigating the surrounding playground, her toes or whatnot. After a few moments, Oh yeah, she remembered, I'm bummed about being abandoned, and she started to cry again.

I was putting clothes in the washer, and she was unaware of my prescence. As I watched through the window, it somewhat reminded me of myself, having had experienced abandonment, or at least I seem to recall a few instances of the feeling, imagined or real who knows, from my childhood.

The funny, audacious response to her question would be, "It's probably because you are a needy attention whore, and your little friends don't like you. If you weren't so helpless, they might actually like you. I mean, look, there's the scooter, get off your whiny little ass and go find them."

But maybe her friends were a little insensitive. What can you expect from children, especially boys who are looking to go do something physical like ride their scooters or throw the ball.

I said "Hi," and smiled. I waved as I drove away as my laundry had been started. She smiled a cute, big smile, but I didn't look back because it was all that I had offer.

Sometimes people just want to know they exist, that they matter enough that someone notices. This isn't just a rule for children. It's probably even more important for adults. Adults have a higher awareness of worthlessness.
______

Truly, there is great power in an artist who has a great command in his skillset. People envy and admire the ability to create something from nothing, a fantastic reality in an otherwise dull and relentlessly tiring world.
______

EDITED
______

A job is an opportunity, not a paycheck. Treat it like a paycheck, it will no longer be a opportunity. It will become a fat nagging girlfriend that requires quantity time when you could be banging some other hottie because you are too lazy and complacent to move on or work to better the relationship. She got fat in direct causal effect to your lack of attention.
______

EDITED
______

Sometimes I go through my old website journal entries, and I think to myself, "God, what a overly dramatic douchebag with a self indulgent masturbatory way of extreme introspection.

All that douchebaggery though, has made me the best douchebag I can be today!
______

Please indulge me with unfulfillment, an everlasting denouement of unexpressed notions foolish or otherwise, sincere or imagined, exaggerated or true.
______

I used to hate the gatekeepers.

ie) hiring managers, receptionist, art directors, girl who didn't really like me...

Now I AM a gatekeeper.

Can't beat 'em or suck up to one, become one.

BTW, I didn't become a girl, though some may say otherwise because of my love for cats.
______

When people see that you have a great idea, and you are already busting your hump to actualize it, other people will excitedly want to participate by inputting their ideas into it when they have no intention of helping you beyond just the suggestion. If your efforts succeed, it is certain they will be there to stake a partial claim on your victory.
______

When a person speaks with authority, typically a large percentage of listeners/readers will believe what they are fed without thinking twice about it. That's why advertising, news, and marketing works.
______

I still look you up on the internet 5 years later.

No Internet Day #1

2009-06-16T11:22:00.000-07:00

I quit the internet at my home. Maybe I'll write about it in the near future.

I slept alot the first day, but then I sketched some.

I find that when you quit one thing, it's quickly replaced by something else rather quickly. Hopefully it will be a more productive time waster than surfing deal sites.

With my new employment and disposable income, I had been finding myself surfing sites like fatwallet, passwird, slickdeals, deals2buy, techbargains, xpbargains, LOLOLOLOL looking for stuff to NOT spend my money on.

CHANGE TIME!

LOL Dogs Suck

2009-06-14T11:50:00.001-07:00

Newly Baked Designs

2009-06-08T00:08:00.001-07:00

A weird weekend. My brain was scratching for some clarity and direction. I think I found some, although clarity sometimes isn't always a cause of relief. At least, I know the general direction in which the map is leading, and although it will be a while I am on this leg of the journey, after many miles have been tread, I will reach a new plateau, where I feel confident exists even more fulfillment and wonder if I dare to reach it.

I also finished a third design, which I am keeping secret until it's on sale.

Mo Cat Videos

2009-06-03T00:22:00.000-07:00

$10 Jimiyo Shirt on American Apparel YUM!

2009-06-01T22:18:00.001-07:00

Buy it before it's gone, which will be about... 3-4 weeks.

http://shirt.woot.com/friends.aspx?k=8955

Design Work in Progress: Mother III

2009-05-31T21:55:00.000-07:00

No social life, but man, I'm really happy how this piece is turning out. Might be my best work. It infuses alot of new experimental shapes, and motifs. It would look beautiful printed on paper... Now that I have a job, I have some extra disposable income to spend. I might...

Kitties!

2009-05-29T16:51:00.001-07:00

Awesome Music Video & Too Cute

2009-05-17T11:36:00.000-07:00

Backyard Paloma

2009-05-16T14:06:00.000-07:00

Life is like Road Rage Kinda: Be the Unaffected Victim

2009-05-16T06:19:00.000-07:00

An irreverent and ornery driver cuts you off endangering your life, and to put a cherry on top, flips you the middle finger.

Your choice:

Road Rage and go all vigilante on their ass and lay on your horn and tail gate them! You obviously were following the law, going the speed limit, maybe even going faster to allow for more space between the cars so the upcoming a-hole driver in the rear view could pass more easily.

If only you were Warthog, and Life was like Twisted Metal II...

Or the prudent choice,

You just let them zoom by, and daydream that a few miles down the road, that their self destructive nature ends up causing them to wrap themselves around a tree. Poor tree...

I'm sure all of you have experienced this if you drive.

Most of the time, the person who wronged you is miles down the road, but you let it ruin your whole day, you simmer about it, you think about it, HOW AUDACIOUS THAT M-----RRRR!!!! (That's a censored expletive, not a pirate sound.)

In the meanwhile, that person who cut you off and flipped you a bird is living life, unaffected, leaving you to wallow in your anger, unless you just let it go.

Take all that anger and spit it out, and forget that it ever happened...

After such a transgression, you can either be the accomplice, or be the Unaffected victim.

There will be nothing solved by Reacting only harm done when you let those things that do not matter control you indirectly by consuming your productive time and mental well being.

That is how Life is like Road Rage, at least to me.

....

Many things have occurred since I moved to California to work for DBH and TF.

It's actually been quite overwhelming at times, but I suppose it is exactly what I've always wanted. I am not speaking about a job, a title, or the salary. I am speaking more a situation in which I can become a better man, a better person.

The position has become more than just choosing good art. It has quickly surpassed such clearly defined tasks to encompass more ambiguous roles that require me to make decisions or have opinions that affect the direction of the companies as well as affect individuals in direct connection to our business dealings.

It seems that my judgments are not confined to just art. And... in analysis, it somewhat suits me personality type. (INTJ: Test, Definition, Career)

It is a somewhat daunting place to be, to be given authority even if it's just to have your opinion valued...

Not only are your decisions or opinions going to directly affect situations, if they do not fair well, you will be held accountable to a higher degree.

Wait, I've been noodling on this blog too long, I need to move on to laundry and painting... Let me cut to the chase...

I Dont Mind Having My Ass on the Line.

I make decisions, I have opinions, I work my ass off to be accountable and do what is beyond necessary to help others as it is my nature to strive for the longer term result than immediate gratifacation. I try to give more than what I take, and there's a hella people out there that aren't on the level.

AND I am willing to be put under the same scrutiny and observation, as I strive to be a better man than yesterday, and if I be incorrect, I look forward to correction.

I am now done being affected, and am returning to my normal state. Laundry and Painting here I come.

;j

New Design: 1977

2009-05-13T23:13:00.000-07:00

Inspired by Commodore 64 nostalgia, Amiga Video Toaster image, & Indian Test Pattern.

LOLDog

2009-05-13T10:01:00.001-07:00

Internet is Interesting

2009-05-11T22:29:00.001-07:00

I assume this person is from Japan.

Check the food.

http://twitpic.com/photos/1mag3

Silly Video from Office

2009-05-09T18:22:00.000-07:00

also short sentences.
I recently turned 32. Happy Birthday old fart, here's some Eczema!
Overheard at IKEA from little girl, Mommy can we get All pink carpet?

Bake Parkway 5am Short Video

2009-05-08T20:37:00.000-07:00

I went to work at 5 am the other day. I am typically there by 6:30 am and even at 6 am, its incredibly bright and a handful of people are out walking or running. The first few days I went to work, I felt like I was in a dream. Twilight-ish, as if I had woken up at dusk, or some odd time when it is neither light nor dark when the ones that are awake are all solitary and live in another world...

The move to CA has been quite surreal; overall, it has been a perfect match.

I find solace in working. I work when I come home from work. It is in work that I find some sort of self worth and peace so it is no loss that I work maybe too much and do not live the normal life...

I seem to have been put in a position where I can help others, wherein my opinion matters, where I may affect even if slightly the lives of others... although....

REALLY...

Everyone... You...

have the power to affect the lives of others...

whether it be by a few words of praise,
a kind smile to a stranger,
by working hard ensuring that the burden is less by your presence,
so many things, small things, can be done, to greatly affect the lives of others.

It's amazing how little we may view our actions or even how a few words may affect overall but the result can be tenfold.

How bout an axiom or decree?

Take the least, give the most.

Cheers! ;j

Next Painting Maybe

2009-05-05T21:34:00.000-07:00

Once Im done with Fing Rad, I want to paint this. Makes me LOL.

5 Ways to Make Your Mac Awesome!

2009-05-05T18:14:00.001-07:00

5 Ways to Make Your Sucky Mac User Experience Awesome by Making it Work More Like a PC!

1. Why can't I Cut/Paste Files? Yeah, I said CUT, not copy, move, or make alias.

It should just work, but it doesn't. Here's a third party shareware update to add that functionality. Maybe they will have it when they make Scottish Fold Kitten OSX.

http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/21769

2. Why can't I rename multiple files in a folder all at once like Explorer does on a PC?! You shut up non conformist! Buy our expensive machines, they're pretty. You shouldn't be working with files anyways!

http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/16436

3. I sure do miss the simplicity of notepad.exe or wordpad.exe from the PC. (What? PCs come with two basic txt editors?) Textedit is major time teh suck. I guess I'll have to upgrade the most simple of utilities. At least the free upgrade is incredibly awesome! Thanks 3rd party developers!

http://www.barebones.com/products/textwrangler/download.html

4. iTunes such a memory hog. I sure do long for winAmp, the no frills, just start and it goes without trying to sell you crap mp3/sound/video player.

Cog is buggy, but it sure sticks it to the man who makes iTunes.

http://cogx.org/download.php

5. You would think that when I hit maximize, the window would maximize to the size of the monitor? WTF?!

http://www.usingmac.com/2009/3/23/full-maximize-on-mac

....

I use both systems. Although I can't speak for Vista, a customized XP Professional is my preferred OS.

Here's something I think is incredibly awesome.

From most any browse command on a PC, say for example I am opening a file to send as an attachment, it automatically calls the regular PC explorers user interface...

I browse to the desktop and voila! The file I want to send is named oddly.

I can rename that file right then and there, while the program or browser is waiting for me to choose what file I want to send.

Small stuff like that that the OSX environment/finder does not have irritates the crap out of me. It's inefficient.

......

Also Closing a Window, does not mean, Closing a Window

Application window managment is ridiculously inefficient on the MAC.

If I minimize to the dock, but then I Alt Tab to the program, it doesn't recognize it. I have to specifically call it from the Dock. Frickin Idioctic!

If I have two windows of the same app open, ALT TAB... not your friend.

Also see #5 above.

It seems to me, that when simple issues like this or other issues arise, and I look for an answer, typically yes, there is an answer, but it's a complicated one.

Window management? Use Spaces or Expose.
File management? Get this plugin/tweak or just deal with it.

Fact is the Windows platform is still over 80% of the market share and has been largely been the platform of choice for many years.

That alone should tell you, more time to make the operating system more efficient and user friendly.

MACs are coming into their own, but I am not sold yet.

_____________

I complain with solutions Baby!

Fing Rad Painting Update

2009-05-03T22:39:00.000-07:00

Diary May 03, 2009

2009-05-03T11:25:00.000-07:00

ENVIRONMENT

California is almost paradise.
The weather is wonderful.
Almost every day, I come home and open the windows, and leave the door open.

I don't even mind at night when the air chills, that leaving my windows open means that I can hear the neighbor's TV. They seem to be deaf. It's alright, I don't have a TV so it provides me a quiet break of the silence as I work or zone out on the internet.

Although I do not exercise, I like that everywhere I go, young people, middle aged people, old people are out exercising, whether it be pushing their babies in those wheeled things you push babies in, or running, or riding their bicycles with spandex on, even the chubby ones.

Maybe they will rub off on my and I too will start some sort of exercise regimen.

WORK

It takes me 8 minutes to get to work, maybe 12 minutes from work.

My coworkers are young, all hard working, positive individuals. We have a good team, and we seem to communicate openly now that the environment has changed. There is an air of excitement as we all work together as a machine, it feels as if we are on a winning team. I am glad to be part of the team. I've long been a loner, but I can see the value in a collective when the work required cannot be done by one. We all have our specialties.

I feel valuable there, which in anything seems to be the most important thing for anyone, to know that they are valued and worthy of attention. Over the past few years, reading John Maxwell/Zig Ziglar/Dale Carnegie etc, I've noticed that if sincerely done, being lavish in praise and hearty in approbation, not only helps to smooth and improve relations, but in doing so helps you realize the positives of those persons you look to praise.

This has to be done with thought, and not just empty selfishly motivated heart.

ART WORK/LIFE BALANCE

Currently, I'm still too heavily vested in my work to not take it home, but I figure that it will take a few months before I finally just work at work. Currently as I accomplish a decent level of efficiency with one task, another new task is absorbed, which is all fine as I would get bored if I was not challenged in such a way.

They also give me a tremendous amount of freedom. It's similar to my freelancing. If I conjure some new marketing tactic or an idea that might help our company, they don't mind if I run with it.

As far as my own artwork, I suppose it has suffered. It's to be expected as going from unemployed making art almost all the time, to working 50+ hours a week leaves very little time at night to create art. And on the weekends, at least for Friday and Saturday, I seem to crash and need to sleep more. LOL.

Either way, it's all good. I am exploring other artistic endeavors, and working for Teefury and DBH is necessary to build up my credibility and artist persona.

Besides especially for Teefury, like when I completed a good piece of art and I felt awesome for the accomplishment, when I consistently curate the best selling designs, I feel good that I TOTALLY KICK ASS. I suppose the self worth has now been transferred to my ability to curate and art direct, so the lack of being able to create art, hasnt really negatively affected me.

LOVE AND FRIENDS

I haven't really made the time to socialize in real life. I am not lonely.

I watched a film in which the couple on screen were in the older age, divorced, long after their children had grown up. I would be fine with that kind of life, waiting til I am older to get married.

I am not religious, (claim agnosticism, but influenced by Christian upbringing) but there is scripture that states that being married, being coupled, is almost more trouble than worth, that being single can be a great blessing. It's odd that Christian folk don't really stress that section of the Bible, cause Paul is stating the Ideal.

Although in my case, it's probably flawed to even mention it because I'm not using my singleness to devote my greater time share to worshiping God. Although I could probably spin it to say that I am investing my time in what I am most naturally talented to do, which is art, and work, which if God made me, is what he meant for me to do. Lawd knows I ain't no good with dealin with dem relationships! ;P

I am making alot of internet friends/connections as I have to speak with a ton of designers, and t-shirt fans, and related circles.

Although one may think internet friends are not real as in real like friends, with the level of interactivity and consistent time spent in awareness of each other, sometimes, maybe even more than sometimes, Internet friends are more real than real life friends. Internet friends, if you spend alot of time on the internet with social media, etc know you better than your real friends.

I don't mean to devalue my in real life friends, but if you allow it, the internet allows for a more truthful and intimate mental relationship than what you can create in real life. With the perceived protection of internet, that illusion of safety you feel not being face to face, I am more willing to express with internet people a larger degree of truth and my true identity.

Conversely, if any of my internet friends needs encouragement, all they need to do is express an inkling of want for approbation/reaction/praise/support, whether it be a twitter that seems to convey boredom/loneliness/anger/etc/need votes for a design/wants a reaction to a comment, people are more willing to back you up on the internet. (Although, if you run in polluted communities, there are those that will be more than willing to tear you down as well...)

Anyways, Im rambling. I should art, or do nothing.

Do nothing. I think I am going to meditate... Just sit still for 20 minutes.

Cheers

Ripped All the Good Youtube Vids Off My Past Blog Posts

2009-05-02T19:16:00.000-07:00

Slow Motion Punches to The Face from Eduardo Wydler on Vimeo.

See more funny videos and TBT Videos at Today's Big Thing.

Truths from Tim

2009-04-28T22:18:00.000-07:00

Tim is a coworker. He is a very straightforward, analytical, computer programmer/coder. We are similar... maybe not, nevermind. Possibly close Meyers Briggs temperament.

Here are some Tim observations I have found to be very entertaining.

1. "You like to complain."
2. "I'm surprised at how quickly you've become so venomous towards..."
3. "You joke so much I couldn't tell if you were serious or not."

Left out of context and without defense it easy to get the wrong idea about my personality...

I'll leave it out of context and without defense cause it's more awesome that way.

I agree with all of it. Number 3, I've heard from almost every girlfriend I have ever had.

I am interested in hearing future critiques or evaluations.

Maybe it's like hearing your name... Observations, especially keen/accurate ones from someone else, are somewhat endearing even if superficially they might seem offensive, as it means they actually noticed you.

Also, it might have to do with appreciating the ability of discernment of character as well the frankness of delivery. I appreciate that.

Anyways, I rarely ever update. Does anyone ever even read this blog anymore?

Cheers!

Painting Again!

2009-04-26T23:51:00.000-07:00

I did not work whatsoever this weekend.

Actually that's a lie, but at least I didn't obsess about DBH/TF work. It was only 3-5 hours worth.

I started painting again. It's very cathartic and challenging.

Loving cats started out as a joke, but really, I do love cats.

I made a joke, "Jimiyo, apparel designer, turned painter of cats."
I think it could work. I love cats, they make alot of people happy. There's probably a few bucks in it.

Here's a wip, and here's a finished.

(I think I might adopt two kitties. Some of the most happiest times were on the ranch with the kitties... Although, I fear the bully in me, also my tendency to need to be independent and free from responsibilities...)

LOL

1:17 The Most Awesome Thing to Have Occured in the Whole Universe.. EVAR

2009-04-25T14:18:00.000-07:00

New Art: Horsemen of the Nightmare Apocalypse

2009-04-16T23:46:00.001-07:00

Wow, Art. It's been several weeks, unless you count Fing and Meow Episodes.

This is for the Back in Black II Art Show being curated and run by Pale Horse Design and Hydro74. It seems to be getting some really good press, so I am glad to be part of it. Those two guys are some hustling artists. They are the Future of the Underground Movement of Apparel Arts. I got my foot in on the ground level.

http://backinblackapparel.com/

http://palehorsedesign.com/blog/2009/04/pale-horse-hydro74-back-in-black-2-t-shirt-exhibit/

Things I have learned in California

2009-04-11T18:39:00.000-07:00

1. Californians drive like bats out of Hell. Theory: It's easy to go fast when you own a BMW, Quattro Audi, Mercedes, and the like.

2. Californian motorbikers have a death wish. If there is at least an inch between two cars, they will pass you by zooming through it.

3. Los Angeles, in comparison to Irvine, is a big dirty looking shit hole with tons of graffiti and trash everywhere. I am glad to be in Orange County. Although, there are nice little areas here and there near the beaches. Still kinda run down and old.

4. When I was in Nashville, there weren't too many half asian kids around. Now I feel lost in the sea of spikey black haired, big brown eyed dudes that look almost like me. Now I know how ya'll white people feel... boring and ubiquitous. Chuckle at my own joke.

5. Teeth whitening and hair removal is aggressively advertised out there. I am going to get my teeth whitened, and that meadow of hair right above my ass crack BEGONE soon! I think I also want to get Lasik.

6. There's a lot of pretty girls out here, and because of it, the standard o' good looking has been raised. Nashville girls that would have been a strong 8 are now reduced to like 6.5 or 7. I'm just kidding?

7. People are much more concerned about health here than in Nashville. Lots more gyms, bike lanes are EVERYWHERE.

8. There are HUNDREDS of awesome places to eat. Peruvian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Greek, etc. Even the cheap fast food places have better, delicious food than places like O'Charleys, Chili's, etc from the South. You would think there would be alot more fat people out here, but apparently everyone works out.

9. Everyone seems to be much more genuinely NICER (except on the road) in public.

10. The gas here isn't that expensive. $2.30.

Overall, when I was in Tennessee and anyone would mention California, the first thing they would say was "It's so expensive to live out there."

It seems people get paid accordingly. I live the same lifestyle I did in Nashville, actually better, but in a nicer climate, better food, and more seemingly happy and progressive atmosphere.

11. Toni, Toni, Toni said, "It never rains in Southern California..." It's not necessarily true. In actuality, it sometimes does. Here's a story about rain.

I threw out my coffee onto the parking lot pavement in front of Matt.

Jimi, "Was that wrong, the rain will wash it away..."

Matt, "Well..."

Jimi, "It doesn't rain much here..."

Matt, Chuckle

Toni, Toni, Toni should have said, "It rarely rains in Southern California..."

I guess that didn't have the same vibe and ring to it, but yeah, it rains, but very little.

12. Californians, at least in OC, throw away alot of good stuff. I'm somewhat ashamed, but I got some perfectly good furniture from beside the trash. I saw the exact same thing today at IKEA on sale for $129.

The people whose apartment Im renting/housesitting, found a perfectly good, working 600m Dell laptop beside the trash. WTF!

The Most Awesome Video on the Internet Ever

2009-04-09T20:52:00.000-07:00

LOL @ Japanese TV Show

2009-04-09T19:13:00.000-07:00

Hello Lunch!

2009-04-05T11:21:00.000-07:00

Video Montage & Joshua Tree

2009-04-04T22:53:00.000-07:00

5 weeks have already passed since I moved to California. It's amazing how time flies.

I went hiking at the Joshua Tree National Park this weekend. The photos don't do any justice. I purchased an inter-agency annual pass so I hope to do more hiking in the nearby National Parks. I dislike the crowded city. It's nice to disappear into the wilderness at times.

It made me nostalgic for Utah and the road trip I took a year and a half ago, so I made a video montage of some of the places I've visited in the last two years.

Cheers ;j

Where the Hell is Matt?

2009-03-29T21:49:00.001-07:00

I posted this when I first started blogging, and before I left for my 30 day road trip in 2007. It's still good stuff.

You've got chubby fingers Jimiyo

2009-03-29T01:35:00.001-07:00

End of Week 4 in California - Be Vulnerable to Become Stronger

2009-03-28T00:03:00.001-07:00

Magic Unicorn Show with Marc and Jimiyo

2009-03-27T13:01:00.001-07:00

The unintentional last minute is just flawless. :D

Streaming .TV shows by Ustream

Photos

2009-03-26T18:07:00.001-07:00

Just a couple photos from work as an inside joke...

New Designs: Cowgirl Doodlefart & Bruce: Whale Viking

2009-03-22T19:53:00.001-07:00

Oh snap, I am still an artist despite my fulltime jobby!