My Pink Dendrites

PINA

2012-01-29T17:09:00.000-08:00

So excited to finally see this movie on Tuesday!

Movie date with my brother who I haven't seen in a long while!

Sheetal Nareen Gandhi

2012-01-25T20:09:00.000-08:00

Just discovered the work of this amazing Indian American dancer and choreographer who has an Eastern Western fusion style similar to what I do, hers being West African and Kathak Indian, hip hop fusion mixed with theatricals as well. Sometimes I really feel the magical part of the interweb when I get the certain urge and peaks of interest to click around certain websites and emails that I normally would have deleted.

Just the other day I was so excited to come across a Cirque du Soleil show called 'Dralion' which features a water goddess main character that looked very Indian Kathak inspired. A few days later I'm browsing through sites and come across Sheetal's work, finding out it was her.

Big fan of her performance art pieces and choreography on being Indian in America. I keep talking about it, but I need to start working on my Muslim American pieces!

Marina Abramović - An Artist's Life Manifesto

2012-01-24T00:33:00.001-08:00

1. An artist’s conduct in his life:

– An artist should not lie to himself or others
– An artist should not steal ideas from other artists
– An artist should not compromise for themselves or in regards to the art market
– An artist should not kill other human beings
– An artist should not make themselves into an idol
– An artist should not make themselves into an idol
– An artist should not make themselves into an idol

2. An artist’s relation to his love life:

– An artist should avoid falling in love with another artist
– An artist should avoid falling in love with another artist
– An artist should avoid falling in love with another artist

3. An artist’s relation to the erotic:
– An artist should develop an erotic point of view on the world
– An artist should be erotic
– An artist should be erotic
– An artist should be erotic

4. An artist’s relation to suffering:

– An artist should suffer
– From the suffering comes the best work
– Suffering brings transformation
– Through the suffering an artist transcends their spirit
– Through the suffering an artist transcends their spirit
– Through the suffering an artist transcends their spirit

5. An artist’s relation to depression:

– An artist should not be depressed
– Depression is a disease and should be cured
– Depression is not productive for an artist
– Depression is not productive for an artist
– Depression is not productive for an artist

6. An artist’s relation to suicide:
– Suicide is a crime against life
– An artist should not commit suicide
– An artist should not commit suicide
– An artist should not commit suicide

7. An artist’s relation to inspiration:
– An artist should look deep inside themselves for inspiration
– The deeper they look inside themselves, the more universal they become
– The artist is universe
– The artist is universe
– The artist is universe

8. An artist’s relation to self-control:
– The artist should not have self-c ontrol about his life
– The artist should have total self-control about his work
– The artist should not have self-control about his life
– The artist should have total self-control about his work

9. An artist’s relation with transparency:
– The artist should give and receive at the same time
– Transparency means receptive
– Transparency means to give
– Transparency means to receive
– Transparency means receptive
– Transparency means to give
– Transparency means to receive
– Transparency means receptive
– Transparency means to give
– Transparency means to receive

10. An artist’s relation to symbols:
– An artist creates his own symbols
– Symbols are an artist’s language
– The language must then be translated
– Sometimes it is difficult to find the key
– Sometimes it is difficult to find the key
– Sometimes it is difficult to find the key

11. An artist’s relation to silence:
– An artist has to understand silence
– An artist has to create a space for silence to enter his work
– Silence is like an island in the middle of a turbulent ocean
– Silence is like an island in the middle of a turbulent ocean
– Silence is like an island in the middle of a turbulent ocean

12. An artist’s relation to solitude:
– An artist must make time for the long periods of solitude
– Solitude is extremely important
– Away from home
– Away from the studio
– Away from family
– Away from friends
– An artist should stay for long periods of time at waterfalls
– An artist should stay for long periods of time at exploding volcanoes
– An artist should stay for long periods of time looking at the fast running rivers
– An artist should stay for long periods of time looking at the horizon where the ocean and sky meet
– An artist should stay for long periods of time looking at the stars in the night sky

13. An artist’s conduct in relation to work:

– An artist should avoid going to the studio every day
– An artist should not treat his work schedule as a bank employee does
– An artist should explore life and work only when an idea comes to him in a dream or during the day as a vision that arises as a surprise
– An artist should not repeat himself
– An artist should not overproduce
– An artist should avoid his own art pollution
– An artist should avoid his own art pollution
– An artist should avoid his own art pollution

14. An artist’s possessions:
– Buddhist monks advise that it is best to have nine possessions in their life:
1 robe for the summer
1 robe for the winter
1 pair of shoes
1 begging bowl for food
1 mosquito net
1 prayer book
1 umbrella
1 mat to sleep on
1 pair of glasses if needed
– An artist should decide for himself the minimum personal possessions they should have
– An artist should have more and more of less and less
– An artist should have more and more of less and less
– An artist should have more and more of less and less

15. A list of an artist’s friends:
– An artist should have friends that lift their spirits
– An artist should have friends that lift their spirits
– An artist should have friends that lift their spirits

16. A list of an artist’s enemies:
– Enemies are very important
– The Dalai Lama has said that it is easy to have compassion with friends but much more difficult to have compassion with enemies
– An artist has to learn to forgive
– An artist has to learn to forgive
– An artist has to learn to forgive

17. Different death scenarios:
– An artist has to be aware of his own mortality
– For an artist, it is not only important how he lives his life but also how he dies
– An artist should look at the symbols of his work for the signs of different death scenarios
– An artist should die consciously without fear
– An artist should die consciously without fear
– An artist should die consciously without fear

18. Different funeral scenarios:
– An artist should give instructions before the funeral so that everything is done the way he wants it
– The funeral is the artist’s last art piece before leaving
– The funeral is the artist’s last art piece before leaving
– The funeral is the artist’s last art piece before leaving

Welcome MONIQUE!

2012-01-23T19:54:00.000-08:00

Welcoming my new & improved mannequin head to the GARB family.

She's SO a Monique.

She's snazzy, a tad bold, has a reptilian/technological sheen, and loves shopping for shoes to match her blacklight UV reactive lips and eyelashes.

CARMEN AMAYA tribute

2012-01-17T12:19:00.000-08:00

Tribute to one of my favorite and most inspirational dancers and passionate women in history, Carmen Amaya.

"The Dancer believes that his art has something to say which cannot be expressed in words or in any other way than by dancing... there are times when the simple dignity of movement can fulfill the function of a volume of words. There are movements which impinge upon the nerves with a strength that is incomparable, for movement has power to stir the senses and emotions, unique in itself. This is the dancer's justification for being, and his reason for searching further for deeper aspects of his art."

~Doris Humphrey, 1937

New GARB logo

2012-01-16T21:30:00.000-08:00

In the process of revamping, rebranding, and expanding GARB for the new year!

That being said, I finally finished my long-awaited new logo fit for stickers, pictures, and other merchandise goodies soon to come!

The new logo features a scarab beetle, sacred amongst the ancient Egyptians for its embodiment of the god Khepri known for birthing himself out of nothing. The image of the scarab traditionally conveys images of transformation, rebirth, and renewal; which to me relates to the upcycling of vintage items so essential to the making of all GARB items. Other notable parts of the logo include the crescent and star symbol of the Luminari, an eye, a bindu at the top, as well as the occult monad (Philosopher's Stone).

Hieroglyphic Monad (Monas Hieroglyphica)

2012-01-13T21:43:00.000-08:00

from Symbol Dictionary

The Monas Hieroglphica (Latin, ‘one glyph’) aka the hieroglyphic monad, is an emblem proposed originally by Athanasius Kircher and expanded on by Dr. John Dee for his sixteenth century treatise on the creation of a mystical symbolic language of the same name.It is an emblem of the Azoth, or Philosopher’s stone, the aim of alchemy.

The figure is based on the Egyptian Ankh and contains symbols of the seven planets/alchemical metals:

The sign of Aries, signifying fire:

A cross representing the four primal elements of earth, air, water, and fire:

The sign of Sol, the sun:

A lunar crescent:

The symbol appears in other places, notably, the “Speculum Veritatis,” orMirror of truth, and Opus Medico Chymicum, alchemical texts.

7StarSun- EARTH promo shoot

2012-01-11T22:30:00.000-08:00

Our first shoot as part of our EARTH video reel, to be released mid-February for the project SevenStarSun. I took part as a performer and costume designer in the piece 'Spun' choreographed by Russia Hardy (the beautiful red headed goddess in the pictures). Just got pictures back!

New Project 2012!

2012-01-08T19:55:00.000-08:00

Had my first meeting last night with an amazing team of dancers, performers, visual and technology artists. Excited to be on team as costume designer and performer! This is looking to be the main project of this year so far.

From the makers of Archedream for Humankind.

Stay tuned for more word on the project Star 7 Sun!

Dancing Fabric Installation

2012-01-07T12:48:00.000-08:00

Gorgeous art installation by Daniel Wurtzel. Something about the graceful organic forms of the two beings like the souls of two in love. Wurtzel does some amazing art installations experimenting with the elements.

Short Film- voodoo animation

2012-01-06T23:28:00.000-08:00

'Tree of Life' mixed media

2012-01-06T12:26:00.000-08:00

My first work to be finished in 2012...

On New Years to be exact..

starting the year off with a great surge of productivity!

Tree of Life
8 x 10"
mixed media and acrylic on canvas

Used real kyanite crystal shards, copper, quartz crystal, hand twisted hemp rope, pine cone bits, dried, pressed and painted Japanese maple leaves, bamboo, and palm roots.

Featuring the ancient metaphysical symbol of the 'Flower of Life'. It is considered by some to be a symbol of sacred geometry, said to contain ancient, religious value depicting the fundamental forms of space and time.

Inspired by a passage in a book I am reading called 'Lord of the Dawn' in which I was completely captivated by the author's concept of the 'Tree of Life', which after some research I was interested to find out is a very common motif prevalent in modern and ancient cultures in multiple disciplines ranging from philosophy to theology to ancient mysticism.

From 'Lord of the Dawn' by Tony Shearer, page 120

The whole Creation

The city

Will be like a Tree,

Half above the Earth,

Half below the Earth,

The trunk

And

The roots.

The roots will be the

Tombs of our dead.

The artist,

Poet,

Writers of books,

The Librarians

Who

Will be the

Great Seers

Readers of all the books,

They too shall be

Tombed

In the roots.

All the roots of a tree reaches

Down into the past,

The roots of this Library,

Will Reach

Into its own past.

Mitla

Will be like

Stone Tree.

Above the surface

Will stand the temples,

The Library itself.

And it,

Like a tree,

Will reflect

What it

Has been subjected to

By the

Natural forces.

Wind rising, rain falling,

Sun rising, sun falling,

Clouds rising, lightning falling,

Life rising, daeth falling,

Tide rising, tide falling,

Man rising, man falling,

Tree of Life rising, rising, rising.

On 'Otherness'

2011-12-25T15:43:00.000-08:00

Excerpt that really struck me from the keynote speech of performance artist Ping Chong at the NPN in Tampa.

"Looking back on my own work I see that the themes and motifs have been
remarkably consistent. My earliest work dealt with issues arising from the fact that I am an immigrant. It reflects the sense of alienation I felt toward the dominant culture and at the same time the estrangement I felt from my own culture as I acculturated. What it is to be Other, to be the perceived outsider has been my dominant theme. It is no surprise that my first work was about Lazarus, a man whose experience of returning from the dead would forever separate him from the living. But the theme of Otherness which began as a personal expression of anguish and alienation, that sense of belonging and not belonging, limited in its scope and reach, over time expanded into something bigger and more universal. Because if we were to elaborate on this theme we would come to realize that we are talking about something that has plagued humankind down the centuries which is exclusion vs. inclusion, empowerment vs. disempowerment, justice vs. injustice, equality vs. inequality. The macrocosm became the microcosm in my work. I am grateful for this elaboration because it connected me to the world when I was disconnected and took me out of myself and into the world. It made me realize that I had a duty and a responsibility toward others in the world. It made me hate exclusion. It made me an empathetic human being. I have been Other in different ways all my life, as an artist in American society, as a person of color, as an artist of color, as an immigrant: in all kinds of ways. It’s the position that fate has allotted me, the fate of the outsider, but it’s a valuable position to be in, because I think every society should have a mirror held to it by the artist/outsider. And curiously being Other has brought me closer to my humanity. "

SUN WARRIOIR- New Mixed Media

2011-12-24T19:22:00.000-08:00

Every day
The sun
Must fight
The stars
From the sky.

Every night
He must die.

The sun
Was a warrior.

-Lord of the Dawn, by Tony Shearer.

Kalypso dancing for Govinda

2011-12-23T21:15:00.000-08:00

Video of me wing dancing a few months ago, for Shane Govinda at an event called 'Return to Atlantis' at the now closed Temple of Visions in downtown LA.

Princess HIJAB

2011-12-21T22:18:00.000-08:00

Discovered this amazing French street artist the other night.

Article by Angelique Chrisafis, UK Guardian

Princess Hijab is Paris's most elusive street artist. Striking at night with dripping black paint she slaps black Muslim veils on the half-naked airbrushed women – and men – of the metro's fashion adverts. She calls it "hijabisation". Her guerrilla niqab art has been exhibited from New York to Vienna, sparking debates about feminism and fundamentalism – yet her identity remains a mystery.

In secular republican France, there can hardly be a more potent visual gag than scrawling graffitied veils on fashion ads. Six years after a law banned headscarves and all conspicuous religious symbols from state schools, Nicolas Sarkozy's government has banned the niqab from public spaces amid a fierce row over women's rights, islamophobia and civil liberties. The "burqa ban", approved last month, means that from next year it will be illegal for a woman to wear full-face Muslim veils in public, not just in government offices or on public transport, but in the streets, supermarkets and private businesses. The government says it is a way of protecting women's rights and stopping them being forced by men to cover their faces.

Already this has prompted extreme reactions. One female teacher in favour of the ban was last week given a month's suspended jail sentence for trying to rip a veil from the face of a 26-year-old Emirati tourist in a shop, then slapping, scratching and biting her. On the other side of the argument, two French women calling themselves "niqabitch" reproduced the classic visual mixed metaphor of walking around central Paris in niqabs, black hotpants, bare legs and high heels, posting a film of it online in order to highlight the "absurdity" of the ban.

But Princess Hijab got there first, and her simple, almost childlike acts of sabotage with a black marker pen still manage to be the most unsettling, with the widest audience abroad. Yet who is she? A French Muslim woman in hijab raging at the system? That would be a rare thing on Paris's male-dominated graffiti scene. Is she a religious fundamentalist making a point about female flesh? But she likes to leaves a witty smattering of buttock cheeks and midriff on display. If she's a leftwing feminist making a point about the exploitation of women, it's odd that she always flees the scene of her crimes. Is she even Muslim? Her fans like to imagine a young rebel outsider from Paris's suburban ghettos travelling to the capital to make her mark. But like Paris's greatest street artist, Blek le Rat — who inspired Britain's Bansky — she could turn out to be a fiftysomething white man who voted for Sarkozy.

The Princess winds through the corridors of Havre-Caumartin sizing up the advertising posters lining the walls. She has agreed to meet as she scours stations for targets for her next "niqab intervention". In Spandex tights, shorts and a hoodie, with a long black wig totally obscuring her face, one thing is clear; the twentysomething doesn't wear the niqab that has become her own signature. She won't say if she's a Muslim. In fact, it's more than likely that Princess Hijab isn't even a woman. There's a low note in her laughter, a slight broadness to her shoulders. But the androgynous figure in black won't confirm a gender. "The real identity behind Princess Hijab is of no importance," says the husky voice behind the wig. "The imagined self has taken the foreground, and anyway it's an artistic choice."

"I started doing this when I was 17," she says (I'll stick to "she" as the character is female, even if the person behind it is perhaps not).

"I'd been working on veils, making Spandex outfits that enveloped bodies, more classic art than fashion. And I'd been drawing veiled women on skate-boards and other graphic pieces, when I felt I wanted to confront the outside world. I'd read Naomi Klein's No Logo and it inspired me to risk intervening in public places, targeting advertising."

The Princess's first graffiti veil was in 2006, the "niqabisation" of the album poster of France's most famous female rapper, Diam's, who by strange coincidence has now converted to Islam herself. "It's intriguing because she's now wearing the veil," the Princess muses. Intially she graffitied men, women and children and then would stand around to gauge the public's response; now she does hit-and-runs. "I don't care about people's reactions. I can see this makes people feel awkward and ill at ease, I can understand that, you're on your way home after a tough day and suddenly you're confronted with this."

With the Paris metro protective of its advertising spaces, her work now usually stays up for only 45 minutes to an hour before being ripped down by officials. She has become highly selective, doing only four or five graffiti "interventions" in Paris a year. But each is carefully photographed and has its own afterlife circulating online. The "niqabised" range from Dolce & Gabbana men's underwear to risque adverts for Virgin bookshops.

Why does she do it? "I use veiled women as a challenge," she says, quick to add that she believes no one way of dressing is either good or bad. She's not defending the rights of any group and no one needs her as a spokesperson. "That's paternalistic. If veiled women want to make a point, they'd do it themselves. If feminists want to do something they're capable of doing it on their own." She later explains by email: "The veil has many hidden meanings, it can be as profane as it is sacred, consumerist and sanctimonious. From Arabic Gothicism to the condition of man. The interpretations are numerous and of course it carries great symbolism on race, sexuality and real and imagined geography."

L brain / R brain. Not so simple.

2011-12-12T13:55:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine just shared this with me on fb. AMAZING

Alex Lightman

My brain transcends this pretty but century old Mercedes-Benz brain.
My brain isn't just 1500 cubic centimeters of buzzy electric fat.
My brain is television with a virtual Jimminy Cricket, intelligent search and retrieval agent. It receives input from a billion channel, finds the most interesting digestible fruits of the orchards of extelligence, and picks, plates and presents the knowledge for my consumption.

Left and right just moves you on a line. One dimension.
I move in eleven dimensions.
Cho0se the increased dimension perception option.
And leave mere left and right for cars and tricycles.

New business launch of EVIL PLAYGROUND!

2011-12-11T14:05:00.000-08:00

Some of you may have seen me and Sunevil around town doing henna a lot lately at many of the different "Burning Man" and "conscious" events around town.

Well we've officially launched new body art business with my close friend, roomie, and business partner Sunevil Lovechild. Offering henna tattoos, glitter tattoos and gilding, face and body painting, as well as airbrushing. Going really well but now I'm waist deep in the PR and publicity phase of it all. YELP, google, SEO, craigslist.. yadda yadda yadda...

Website is up and looking fabulous.. created from scratch by me. Check it out!

New video stills from 'We Came to Rock'

2011-12-10T22:32:00.000-08:00

Music video just went live to. Amazing job by director Jon Chetrit and team. Here are a couple pictures from the first look I styled that didn't make it to the online video. Featuring one of the MAXIM masks in that bottom picture.

Official video up- 'We Came to Rock'

2011-12-10T20:19:00.000-08:00

Nenna Yvonne's. Original styling and costume by GARB

1700%

2011-12-08T14:09:00.000-08:00

1700% Project: Mistaken for Muslim from Anida Yoeu Ali on Vimeo.

So inspiring to see other Muslims taking part in art and performance to SPEAK and have a voice!

GARB goggles on album cover

2011-12-07T17:06:00.000-08:00

The shiny chrome mirror-lens goggles sold earlier this year were featured on the album cover of The Architech's new album 'Last Night a DJ Shaved my Wife'

Check out the mix for free stream and download on soundcloud!

Muslim Transformer

2011-12-07T14:18:00.000-08:00

Brilliant piece of artwork I snagged from my friend who lives in NY, where I'm guessing its on display. Need to find more info but wanted to share.

On set with NENNA YVONNE

2011-12-04T17:15:00.000-08:00

Spent the day on set styling 2 looks for Nenna Yvonne's new music video, 'We Came to Rock'. Waiting on pictures from the first look but here are some sneak peeks of a few new accessories made for the video. New 'Commander Zenobia' epilletes and eye patch can be seen below.

Worked with a great team. Can't wait to see the final video to be sent abroad within the next two weeks. More to come as I get updates!

Check out her music and facebook fan page!

MUMTAZ the headless princess

2011-12-04T12:12:00.000-08:00

Welcoming Mumtaz, the latest addition to the GARB family! Not only did she get brought out of storage, but she also got a MAJOR do-over... darkened from a stark dirty white to a deep brown with a luxurious bronze glow, grew a fancy hair do and reflective eyes and got to model my latest head dresses! Got her for quite a bargain.. and she's already quickly becoming one of my faves.

THRIVE- documentary to end all documentaries

2011-11-28T23:48:00.000-08:00

Been seeing this documentary posted all over facebook and finally sat down to watch it. Really interesting information, especially about the monetary and sociopolitical current state of our country. Finally got me understanding the issues spawning the current national "OCCUPY" movements, that until now seemed pretty scattered and unrelated to me. Check it out!

Sing SONG Necklace

2011-11-26T23:58:00.000-08:00

Been having my bouts with phonophobia (fear of singing).
Crafted this one yesterday to help unblock and activate my throat chakra.
Now on sale on etsy.

Check out these amazing guys I found the other day..
UNBELIEVABLE that its all human voices!

"Houngan" Precious Crystal & Ivory Necklace

2011-11-20T23:39:00.000-08:00

New work I just finished using a friend's small pouch-full of old polished stones and parts of old jewelry from years of travel.

The end result is this amazing, very heavy, and very powerful necklace features 2 small ivory tusks, polished garnets, snowflake obsidian, and a snake skin covered quartz in the center. The piece is insanely energetically heavy. Quite a treat working with such amazing stones.

VOODOO photoshoot!

2011-11-14T01:03:00.000-08:00

Earlier today me and Sunev had an amazing photoshoot with Jamais Vu today in our voodoo lwa outfits from the last event. Hours later we had the new and edited pictures in our mailboxes.. so amazing! Can't wait for the duo picture.

'Dark Side of the Moon' mixed media

2011-11-13T22:13:00.001-08:00

9 x 12

mixed media items and acrylic painting on wood
Arabic calligraphy reading "Dark Side of the Moon"

(Al Janab madhlam min al Qamr)

This piece is dedicated to the misrepresented sacred divine feminine energy commonly overlooked through Middle Eastern history.

Women of the Middle East, particularly of the Muslim faith, have often been considered to be a repressed feminine culture. Growing up of that culture I didn't agreed with many of those accusatory attitudes towards the faith, as there always seemed to be an unspoken old-world understanding to both sides. The female without a doubt, held an unspoken power. Feminine energy was such a mystery, so foreign, so powerful, which all in turn proved to be quite a threat. A slight wink of a woman's eye, scent of perfume, sway of the hips could disarm a whole room of "powerful" men, reducing them to their most unintentional (forbidden) thought patterns.

These women were the bearers, caretakers, and carriers of their beloved offspring, the rulers of the household kingdom. The menstrual cycles flowed in tune with the holy cycles of the moon, all having their own ceremonies and rituals associated with them. These women of the community were well respected, but not fit to interfere with the ongoings of the outside daytime world run by the patriarchy. The women ruled life at home. The home was her kingdom, ruled in the man's daytime absence and the hours of the night. And when the women came together, it was nothing but magic. In celebration of age-old cycles of existence that united ancestries of women regardless of culture, era, and wealth. Childbirth, marriage, raising families, menstruation, etc.

Experiences forever a mystery to a man.

The celebration
of the Dark Side of the Moon.
Deep respected
Power.
Yet,
Fear of the unknown.

Full personal article and thoughts on the subject here.

Tim Miller

2011-11-09T00:34:00.000-08:00

Love this guy! Amazing Queer Performance Artist, can't believe I missed his performances last week at CSUN, my old university.

VOODOO LOUNGE performance

2011-11-03T00:32:00.000-07:00

Performed last night as part of an amazing collaborative event in honor of the 'Day of the Dead' at King King in Hollywood.

I did a stage performance debuting my latest elaborate costume creation as a Voodoo Priestess during a full band cover of "I Put a Spell on You" by Sunevil Lovechild. The band included members of a musical project We are Watching (cello and electric guitar), Tommy Tejada on drums, and saxophone by Sergio Flores the Sexy Sax Man.

MAXIM Masquerade Halloween Party

2011-10-31T02:21:00.000-07:00

Last night I got to style the dancers at Suppeclub's MAXIM Masquerade Halloween party.

All the masks and accessories were custom-made for the event.

Completely one of a kind custom masks for the event.

VIBIANA FANTASY SHOOT

2011-10-10T01:51:00.000-07:00

I was contacted months ago through model mayhem to be part of a collaborative fantasy shoot for a top-secret project. Given more information on the amazing team involved and links to the actual location I agreed without question. Weeks later I'm loading my crates of jewelry and a mermaid tail into my car.

I didn't get to model in the shoot like I wanted to but I ended up styling two incredible models: Anya Krivenko and Azmyth Kaminski.

Nuclear Fallout Toxic Mermaid

Nuclear Fallout Mermaid Respirator worn by Anya Krivenko

Photography by Craig Barnes
Concept and full costume by GARB (garb-wear.com)
Body art by: Evil Playground (sunevil.com)

Myth Masque Fantasy Project- VIBIANA LA

Skull Mask

Completely hand crafted mask modeled by Azmyth Kaminski

Photography by Benji Lanpher

Styling/costume by: GARB (garb-wear.com)
Airbrush by Evil Playground (sunevil.com

Cirque De Rawk--- all this month

2011-08-11T02:49:00.000-07:00

This is the second week running of a show I'll be performing this whole month at the El Cid in Silverlake as part of the dinner theatre show Cirque de Rawk. Cirque de Rawk is a one-hour rock opera tragedy to the live music of the band Wahnderlust, featuring Kim Manning and Lantz Lazwell. Pretty excited for this month-long gig every Thursday with members of Lucent Dossier and a few other theatre groups. I play a light creature during the opening song and one of the haunted demented children for the rest of the acts.

TICKETS AVAILABLE on goldstar

GARB on facebook!

2011-08-01T00:16:00.000-07:00

I've been putting it off until all the pics and info were together but now its all up on its own FACEBOOK fan page!

Now its promo time.. "like" it if you haven't already!

Custom Burning Man order finished!

2011-07-26T18:00:00.000-07:00

Just finished a big order for a custom set of goggles and respirator for my friend Durian, owner and creator of Songbird Ocarinas and Dancing Wings.

When I do custom artwork (especially for friends), I take the time to meditate and really visualize and process that person as they pertain to me, the images, feelings, elements and emotions that get conjured when they come to mind. It really gets me into the groove of things and becomes really personal.

In this case, especially with the respirator, right after meditating when I got back to my work studio the parts and pieces all began fitting together. Pieces that I forgot I had and just the last inches of a specific material would appear in my tool kit. Kind of magical... and I love the process...

Happy to have it done!

Solo realities, Solo experiences

2011-07-24T21:19:00.000-07:00

We live together, we act on, and react to, one another; but always and in all circumstances we are by ourselves. The martyrs go hand in hand into the arena; they are crucified alone. Embraced, the lovers desperately try to fuse their insulated ecstasies into a single self-transcendence; in vain. By its very nature every body's spirit is doomed to suffer and enjoy in solitude. Sensations, feelings, insights, fancies- all these are private and, except through symbols and at second hand, incommunicable. We can pool information about experiences, but never the experiences themselves. From family to nation, every human group is a society of island universes.

-Aldous Huxley (The Doors of Perception and Heaven & Hell)

Another EPIC photoshoot featuring GARB

2011-07-23T21:25:00.000-07:00

Had an awesome shoot today featuring model Stasia and DW Kim doing photography as well as some amazing retouching work.

Here's a sneak peak with some retouching in progress...
Pics to be up soon and time to revamp the website!
GARB-WEAR.com

Model: Ecstasia
Photographer: DW Kim

First official GARB photoshoot

2011-07-17T23:22:00.000-07:00

Spent most of the day on set in downtown for GARB's first official photoshoot!

So amazing to see all my pieces come to life.

Can't wait for the pictures... check out below for a sneak peek!

Such an amazing team of collaboration. Thanks to:

Amanda Pearl- model
Naoimie- model
Kevin- Chiaroscuro Fotografia
Christy Maurer- MUA/hair
Grace MUA/hair

Guess its still pirate season...

2011-07-14T23:16:00.000-07:00

Another custom tribal eye patch for DJ Sunevil Lovechild

Tinariwen show @ the Troubadour

2011-07-14T21:56:00.000-07:00

Was such a treat to watch Tinariwen from Mali play up close and personal at a sold out show at the Troubadour. Seen them play at Coachella as well as the Hollywood Bowl, but this was way different. Being in their presence was a real trip for me on so many levels... cultural/religious as well a deep nostalgic longing I felt for my unfinished trip last time I was in Morocco.

How amazing it must be to tour the world and represent your country, heritage, religion, people through music that comes as natural to you as the blood running through your veins. Mali is home to some of the world's greatest and most talented musicians and the origin and influence of modern day jazz and blues. Can't wait to go to Mali one day for one of their many festivals.

On Toning it Down

2011-07-10T00:52:00.000-07:00

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

-Marianne Williamson, A Return To Love

twenty-four.

2011-07-04T00:38:00.000-07:00

Feels so weird to say I'm 24... but Happy Birthday to me!

My friends have been so amazing that I haven't had much time to be in my annual birthday rut.

Sparkle Sequin pool and dance party yesterday followed by a surprise Bundt cake, ice cream, and nachos at midnight with some of my fave buddies.

Spent the day zipping around LA with Sunev on the motorcycle, free All-American breakfast, replying to some of the most loving voicemails and texts I've ever gotten in my life, hanging with chickens, iguanas and some of my fave people at a poolside BBQ, fireworks from a quiet hilltop in malibu, more party hopping, and reminiscing how crazy that its been only a year since I've had the blessing to meet such an amazing community and family!

And on facebook... 191 birthday wall postings & counting!!! what???

.

New birthday ink! Four Agreements tattoo

2011-07-03T23:59:00.000-07:00

My Becky gal pal, amazing aerialist, performer, and bad-ass tattoo artist Samantha Ceora gave me my best birthday present ever! She gifted me a new tattoo for my birthday this year at the grand opening of Em's Artist Cafe in Culver City. It was quite an experience for both of us doing the tattoo live at a really busy event, with tons of people watching, taking pictures, energy bouncing off the walls from all the other things happening such as live bands and artists, vendingetc... what an experience.

I got the numbers 1,2,3,4 going down my forearm in Arabic as a reminder to myself of the 4 agreements. The Four Agreements was a life-changing book by Don Miguel Ruiz which I've been trying to instill into my daily life and decision making. I was writing it on my arm in henna and faux tattoo ink for a while since LIB and decided to take the plunge and get my first visible tattoo. Already planning the continuation of the design taking up the rest of my arm... sooo addicting!

Thanks Sam! Check out Ceora Tattoo on facebook... she's amazing!

Yarrr

2011-07-03T00:06:00.000-07:00

The fabulous Megalo Jackson rocking one of my eye patches.

XOX

Dancer Diet begins today!

2011-06-30T22:54:00.000-07:00

How much a spirit needs for its nourishment, for this there is no formula; but if its taste is for independence, for quick coming and going, for roaming, perhaps for adventures for which only the swiftest are a match, it is better for such a spirit to live in freedom with little to eat than unfree and stuffed. It is not fat but the greatest possible suppleness and strength that a good dancer desires from his nourishment - and I would not know what the spirit of a philosopher might wish more to be than a good dancer. For the dance is his ideal, also his art, and finally also his only piety, his "service of God." (-Nietzsche "The Gay Science")

Not until my first group dance rehearsal today did I realize how badly I've been treating my body over the past few months.

I look healthy, fit, in shape, can dance for a pretty good sets of time... but why do I feel like crap?

Came across this really awesome list of Top 5 Brain Foods. Great research as well

My Happy, Healthy, Fun-in-the-Sun Regimen

More regular sleep patterns, waking up early
WATER, water, water, and electrolytes
Cutting down on simple sugars and carbs, especially for breakfast!
No more random heavy meals throughout the day (bye bye burritos)
Spaced out snack-y meals instead of a few heavy ones
Major morning STRETCHING sessions
Reducing my coffee intake. Switching to matcha and yerba mate
RAW SMOOTHIES! yay!
More fish and non-meat alternatives

Electric Daisy Carnival VEGAS

2011-06-30T00:08:00.000-07:00

This year I got to perform with the Pirate Clowns again on the "Space Wench" pirate ship which was set up primarily next to the dubstep and drum n bass stage. We got to dance on some of the stages as well as ride the mobile pirate ship through the festival posing, dancing, and jeering at the crowdgoers. Tons of fun throughout the weekend with the Beckys and other 350+ performers hanging out backstage and on the strip, most of them buddies from back home in LA.

The first night I actually had a freak accident mishap falling off the deck of the ship onto my lower back... as shown below. What a scary slip up, as I could have been paralyzed, broken, or even fallen on my head. Thanks to some loving bodywork, massages, ice packs, and lots of pain killers I pulled through the rest of the weekend. Still trying to therapy my lower left back to normal but might need to get it checked by the end of the week.

The Burning Opera comes to Town!

2011-06-20T23:53:00.000-07:00

A bunch of my goggles and other accessories are being featured in the Burning Man Opera showing until mid August at the Syrup Lofts in downtown LA. Check out this awesome picture of my goggles by Curious Josh.

It's all about the mermaids...

2011-06-20T22:52:00.000-07:00

Down with procrastination!!

Especially if its a good idea... ugh...

Once upon a time I had an awesome idea for a grungy shoot to go with the set of mermaid respirators I've been inspired to work on..

Months later they're only halfway done, not shot in, and the latest Pirates of the Caribbean came out.

Now there are mermaids every which where I look.
Every performance is including a mermaid costume.
Mermaids mentioned on every single one of the 12 pirate party themed flyers I've been invited to this month.

Okay, enough with the rants..
I'm still going to shoot the damn thing... and its going to be awesome... and the respirators have already been asked to go on display when they are finished.

& & &

Just went in and finished bedazzling, repairing, and glitzing up a mermaid costume for the amazing Lucent Dossier Experience, for a show they will be doing in the Bahamas and Venice Italy next week. More pics from the show when its over! But how exciting is that?

Ding, dong the witch is dead

2011-05-01T20:51:00.000-07:00

Obama to Announce Bin Laden is Dead, U.S. Official Says

This headline being circulated and announced over the air waves and online oddly reminded me of the scene in the Wizard of Oz. Everyone is happy and and excited but not fully festive until the minister and Good Witch OFFICIALLY proclaim her dead.

Obama, the Good Witch of the North.

Haha. Kind of has a ring to it.

Really people, it can't be all that simple.

At my mom's house right now where the TV is always tuned to Arabic satellite television. Kind of funny how the particular channel its on didn't even consider this to be breaking news or worth announcing.

Crunch Time

2011-05-01T20:16:00.000-07:00

Start a huge, foolish project,
like Noah.

It makes absolutely no difference
what people think of you.

Rumi, 'We Are Three', Mathnawi VI, 831-845

Burning Man 2011- Camp Golden Cafe

2011-04-28T03:56:00.000-07:00

EEK! The countdown is on! Got approved for my scholarship Burning Man ticket and I'm officially going again this year! I knew I was going someway, somehow but now the worry of how is gone.. YAY!

Looks like I'll be camping with Golden Cafe down on the esplanade, a relief compared to the far and distant J 10 where I was last year. The Golden Cafe is going to be built like the French Quarter of New Orleans, with a gumbo shop, live jazz, live brass bands, burlesque, bakery, Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras, Funeral march, Bathhouses, and a Voodoo Botanica shop. I'm going to be one of the head organizers for the BOTANICA camp within the French Quarter. Look at the awesome description! So excited!

Join this group if you are interested in magic, astrology,
mysticism, herbs, elixirs, masks, voodoo, or the occult. Hidden in an
alley in the French Quarter, a dark room packed with jars, vials, and
curiosities, offering Tarot and palm readings, candle magic, healing,
mask painting, the ability to create and customize a vooodoo doll, and
other wonders. This is a camp with tons of creative thinking and crafts
happening off playa, working with a team to infuse oils, make voodoo
dolls and masks, collect strange books and posters, etc. On playa
there's no fixed schedule - each member makes themselves available to
offer their skills to the citizens of BRC whenever they have time.

LIFE.

2011-04-26T22:43:00.001-07:00

'Maghfira'- Arabic calligraphy piece and letter

2011-04-24T18:04:00.000-07:00

Magfhira (Forgiveness)
9 x 16"
Acrylic, india ink, sand
on vellum, canvas, paper

Arabic calligraphy for 'Forgiveness'.

My father passed away in Pakistan last week which left me feeling extremely regretful for not having said a lot of what I wanted to say while he was alive. To make things even harder, I was told that the last things he had asked before going into a coma was for the forgiveness of myself, my brother, and mother so that his passing may be easy. Let me just say I was beating myself up about it pretty bad after learning that.

It was honestly by divine universal inspiration (too complicated to go into) that I sat down and this piece materialized in front of me as well as the letter. Not only that, but it will be on display at Pitzer Art Galleries as part of an exhibit of unsent letters showing April 28th-May 14th.

I must say that how everything fell into place and a good amount of alone thinking time... that I feel a lot more at peace and ready to move on with my life, holding nothing but love, fondness, and good memories of my late father.

Pictures from the exhibit coming soon at the end of the week!

Tribal Runway Modeling @ RAW Artists Show

2011-04-23T23:51:00.000-07:00

Got to be a part of the RAW Artists LA show for April, held at the Elevate Lounge in Downtown LA. I was modeling for the extremely talented and amazing accessory and jewelry designer Marilyn Hammer for her line, Adorned Immortal. Her adornments are all handmade items fashioned from bones and vintage antique tribal jewelry and crystals.

I was also modeling for hair designers Jonathan Mason and Meghan and for the lovely makeup designer Brandie Carlos. Such an awesome crew!

The designer Marilyn featured 2nd from left. <3

SECOND AGREEMENT

2011-04-23T22:42:00.000-07:00

Don't take things personally.

Quoted from the Four Agreements.

This one's a really hard one. Do not take anything personally! Nothing other people do is because of you. Everyone lives in their own dream and own mind. They are in a completely different world entirely. Even when a situation seems so personal, it really has nothing to do with you. No matter what insults, opinions, etc they say.. it is all their projections of their world and reality on you. Their point of view is a product of their domestication and reality that they had growing up.

This is such a powerful but difficult agreement to incorporate into your life. Not taking it personally lets it roll right over you without any effect. The whole world could be gossiping about you and you can be completely immune. When you take the words of a black magician personally (one who implants lies and negativity like a virus), you are ingesting the negativity and making it a part of your reality.

Taking things personally (aka Personal Importance) is the ultimate act of selfishness because we make the assumption that everything is about us.

When you take things personally you become offended which in turn forces you to find the need to defend yourself, which means you have to prove others wrong and yourself right, which then causes conflict.

Even if what someone directly says something to hurt you, it isn't really their words that are hurting you but rather their words that are touching wounds that you already have. Again, nothing to do with you!

When you do take things others say or do personally you get mad. You get mad because you are afraid and you are dealing with fear. If you are not afraid there is no way you will be jealous, sad, or with hate. All emotions stem from either fear or love. If you are not acting or feeling out of fear then you are left with only feelings of love to be experienced.

This works both ways. Even if people tell you how wonderful you are... do not take it personally. They are speaking and acting out of their own realities. You should already know that you are wonderful within your own reality.

R.I.P. father

2011-04-20T00:08:00.000-07:00

April 17, 2011
Mohammad Jamil Choudhery

Inna lilahi wa inna illahi rajiun... May he rest and pass in peace and loving space.

My father passed away in Pakistan a couple hours after I spoke to him in comatose state through 3 phoneline connections across the world... and I didn't really say what I felt.

I've learned how it feels to deeply regret something.

I've always had an issue with my 5th chakra, anahata, the voice. It has always been a real challenge to honestly and fully express my thoughts and feelings. I usually double, triple, then quad think it and still end up somewhat holding back... and now I've learned my lesson, at least for now. This has been such a reminder to not hold back when you are sharing your thoughts of love and gratitude. You never know when it will be the last.

Might sound weird but I got my nose pierced in commemoration of my father. Its a long story but for many years of my life I was ashamed of my Pakistani heritage and having anything to do with my father. When I was with my Arab friends I would deny that I was part Pakistani, that I lived there, or that my father was from there. I had never wanted to get my nose pierced because I thought it brought out my Indo-Pak features in my face. As I got older, I fell in love with the culture again, got a little closer to him and that side of the family, and that whole self denial bit kind of dissapeared. Lately I had been wearing fake piercings off and on, but the day after my father's death I decided I would get it done for real. Slightly sadistic, the lingering pain from the larger gauge piercing was also a personal punishment and reminder for the regret that I was still mentally beating myself up about.

Happy first Birthday Kalypso!

2011-04-19T01:12:00.000-07:00

Its been one whole year since Kalypso was born at Coachella. The name was mentioned and given to me by a friend right before Coachella. I tested the name out all weekend on the Empire Polo Fields and it stuck. By the end of the 3 day weekend people would come by and remember me as Kalypso!! the gypsy girl!! I had totally adapted to the name running around barefoot with my LED tamborine, followed by a band of equally intoxicated friends and adopted festival-goers.

Fast forward a whole year, a real urban gypsy, learning the tricks of the trade as a freelance entrepreneur. Performing and dancing with fire, learning aerial, learning flow toys, and so much more... All things I remember being dazzled by in the audience of the Do Lab every year.

I missed Coachella this year. The year that I didn't have a job to pay for my three day ticket and camping pass. The year that if I had gone I would have missed speaking to my father for the last time and the call about his death in Pakistan.

Everything happens for a reason.

All in good time.

Here's to being one year of fab.

Happy birthday Kalypso!

Current home: 90026

2011-04-15T10:28:00.000-07:00

New chapter in the gypsy chronicles. Uprooted and moved out of my friends' place in Atwater Village for now. While everyone is off to Coachella I'm house and dog sitting at Studio 122 in Echo Park for Hans and Roxy. Atilla is definitely my favorite dog ever and the only one I got along with from the get-go. He has such a personality, super well behaved and is a TOTAL rock star. VIP seating on airplanes, taxi cab rides home alone, gets to hang out on movie sets because he's so good type of rock star of a dog... Dead serious.

With the studio to meself I'm about to crank out a bunch of work... non-stop, total hermit status. Can't wait!

Take one down pass it around...

2011-04-12T23:14:00.000-07:00

I got commissioned to be part of an ongoing project at my friend's new bar in North Hollywood. Going along with the theme of the quirky, fantasy, otherworldly bar called The Other Door, the owner had the idea of mixing in antiqued fantasy bottles amongst the liquor on the bar. These are the 3 bottles I chose to start working with.

Gotta get to antiquing and researching materials and archaic lettering!

FIRST AGREEMENT

2011-04-12T22:10:00.000-07:00

Quoted from the book Four Agreements.

FIRST AGREEMENT- Be impeccable with your word.

Your word is the power that you have to create. It is a gift that comes directly from the universe.

The word is the most powerful tool you have as a human. It is the tool of magic.

Depending upon how it is used, the word can set you free or it can enslave you even more than you know. All the magic you possess is based on your word. Your word is pure magic. and misuse of the word is black magic. The word is so powerful it can destroy the lives of millions of people (ex. Hitler persuading the Germans).

Impeccable comes from the word: picatos which means sin. The im- in impeccable means without sin. Religion and moral talk aside, a sin is anything you do that goes against yourself and what you feel. Being impeccable is not going against yourself and therefore taking full responsibility for your actions instead of blaming or judging yourself. This point of view removes any moral or religious hang ups and turns it into a matter of common sense. Does this go against me as a person and what I think is right or feels good?

How can words be like black magic? One word is like a spell and humans use the word like black magicians. We are always thoughtlessly putting spells on each other. Every human is a magician and we cast spells on each other sometimes with or without knowing. Shapes opinions and mental capacities with words from one another.

Gossip is black magic at its very worst and most harmful because it is pure poison. It has become the way we as humans feel close to one another. It makes people feel better to know others are feeling as unhappy as they are. Misery loves company. Gossip can be compared to a computer virus... a code with a harmful intent strategically put into a computer system to take it down from the inside.

Lets say somebody gives you an opinion of what you are wearing. If you accept that opinion you are making an agreement which puts all of your power into that agreement. If that opinion is negative, you have now made a negative agreement to add to your mental collection; hence the term black magic. If this opinion was a positive one that you now agree with it can be considered the exact opposite.

Being impeccable with your word is the correct use of your energy. If you make an agreement to be impeccable with your word, just the intention is enough to manifest through you and clean all the emotional poison that exists within you. Making this agreement is difficult because we have learned the opposite. We have all been trained and used to lying and looking to prove something

Impeccability of the word will also give you immunity from anyone sending a spell your way. You will only receive negative thoughts and opinions if your mind is fertile ground for black magic. Think of trying to plant seeds in infertile ground, it just doesn't take root and eventually disintegrates. The same can be with negative ideas that don't belong in your mind. Instead it will be fertile for words of love.

You can measure your level of impeccability of word by your level of self love. How much and the amount you love yourself are directly proportionate to the integrity and quality of your word and what is being bestowed on others.

Current home: 90039

2011-04-05T18:08:00.000-07:00

This week's home has been the lovely homey town of Atwater Village, snuggled just between the little artsy communities of Silverlake, Echo Park, and Los Feliz and on the border of Glendale. I've been house and dog sitting for a good buddy of mine and its kinda scaring me how comfy I've gotten. I've spent days here before and grew up close by near Silverlake but I've already began keyholing big time! Learning the short cuts, been to the Sunday Farmer's Markets a couple times, already a regular volunteer and student at the Heartbeat House dance studio down the street. I even found my local coffee spot with my fave cold press coffee. I have my dog walking routes :) and know when the trash gets picked up and streets get cleaned. Its a great combination of normal workers, families, and creative freelancers. There are people walking their dogs at all hours of the day and night, the cafes always have a good amount of people working on stuff during the day, dance and yoga studios galore (and they're all always busy), lots of film talk at the cafes, decent thrift store, and LOTS of smiles. New house mates (and good friends) just moved in this month, so I've been helping out with all of that settling as well...

No, this unacceptable! I'm heading elsewhere when my friend gets back from SF. Give him his space and pooch back. I think its too early in the gypsy game to root myself already... eek!

Stay Tuned!

2011-04-02T23:39:00.001-07:00

Sneakpeek: Tribal snowboard goggles

This gypsy has been super blessed to be house and dog sitting this past week. Having my own space has been SO nice and I've been getting lots of stuff done. Tons of planning and amazing yummy awesomeness coming up within the next few months. My line and ongoing project called 'Garb' is well underway as I've been sewing and creating up a storm, working on prototypes, business plans and all that good stuff.

Los Angeles Edwardian Ball 2011

2011-03-15T17:24:00.000-07:00

A picture of some of The Beckys were featured in LA Weekly this week. It was a great night of fun, festivities, and full out costumes of everyone in their finest. The performances by Vau De Vire were incredible and the Beckys were all over the place, blowing bubbles, directing and ushering crowds, coat checking, filling goblets, spinning antique picture frames, and most importantly modeling for the incredibly talented QueenKing Designs in fabulous feathered head dresses.

RECYCLE event interview

2011-03-10T09:36:00.000-08:00

Just did an interview for welovevenice.com for Saturday's event that I'll be participating as one of the live artists. I'm going to be doing a live art installation using plastic bag donations that I've been collecting for the past few weeks. Its going to be great!

21+ event
9 pam-2am

Lot 613
613 Imperial St
Los Angeles, CA

1. What can you tell me about recycled art? how did you get started?
I can't imagine doing any of my art without recycled materials and junk! Boredom was actually what got me started doing recycled mixed media. I had a bunch of paintings and drawings I had worked on over the years that were never finished. Others would tell me how great they looked but to me they were always a bit boring and not fit for display. One day I realized that I was just bored with the canvas and how 2-dimensional things were! So I walked over to my junk drawer and started gluing things to the canvas. Before I knew it, I had emptied out the wastebasket onto the table and was sorting through all kinds of amusing shapes and textures I could never think of recreating with a paintbrush. Now my junk drawer has turned into 1.5 junk dressers, and my room's recycle bin is sacred and only occasionally gets taken out.

2. What are your top 5 best recycled materials to work with?
- newspaper
- vinyl records
- broken glass
- fabric
- cardboard

3. Where do you get your inspiration?
I get a lot of my inspiration from music lyrics and quotes. Every now and then I'll hear something that makes me stop in my tracks and conjures all types of imagery that I have to get out of my system, usually through creating. I definitely get inspired by my junk drawer as well, never know when, where, and how something will end up.

4. Do your art pieces convey a message?
Always! Whether its an accompanying quote, word, or the title, there's always some kind of message behind my work. What I like about mixed media is I get to hide a soul in every piece that only I usually know about. It may be a letter that I hand write and then gets decoupaged into the background, it may be an eventful fortune from a cookie that I hide in a seas shell, or even a key to an old apartment hidden amongst other odds and ends. I've used all kinds of items that I feel adds another dimension from my point of view and gives it life.

5. What will you be working on for saturday?
I'll be working on a live art installation combining my background in costume and styling with recycled mixed media. I've been collecting plastic bag donations from around the city for almost 3 weeks now and I will be using them to build a wearable high couture dress and other creations onto a live model.

6. Anything else you want to tell people that don't know about recycled art.
Items for recycled art is FREE! Driving along the street (especially in LA) you could find tons of free pieces of wood for canvases, newspaper/magazines for texture and sculpting, bottlecaps and metal odds and ends for jewelry, copper wiring in old wires, you name it and you don't have to pay a cent! And don't get me started on plastic bags and styrofoam! Get reusable bags and cut your plastic bag usage! You can also look for plastic bag drop off bins at your local stores where they can actually get recycled into other bags instead of floating around the city or constipating a landfill.

No Intiendo!

2011-03-10T09:21:00.000-08:00

No Intiendo
8.5 x 11
ink, chalk, charcoal, and newsprint on paper

How I felt the second day in Granada, Spain where nobody speaks English. Having just gotten my phrasebook stolen, I was sooo frustrated!!!

If you look closely its really a silhouette of a person curled up in fetal position closing their ears, with their head full of Español. At a quick glance it is the shape of an ear canal...my ear to be exact (as I was sitting in front of a mirror at a cafe) :)

Four Agreements

2011-03-07T19:27:00.000-08:00

From the best selling book by Miguel Angel Ruiz.

1. Be Impeccable with your Word: Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the Word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your Word in the direction of truth and love.

2. Don’t Take Anything Personally
Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.

3. Don’t Make Assumptions
Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

4. Always Do Your Best
Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret.

Runway Modeling @ Red Zebra

2011-03-05T00:03:00.000-08:00

Got to try my skills at runway modeling for a couple designers at the always fun Red Zebra Night at the Crocker Club for their 1 year anniversary party.

Design by Shelly Erion

Design by Vanessa Salazar

It was pretty fun with all the strut, strut, posing and already have a couple other shows lined up (even though I'm a shorty 5'4) hehe. Apparently the look could surpass the height deficiency, especially when I can run, jump, and dance in my 7 inch platform boots.

New addiction- thanks to Fire Groove!!

2011-03-02T12:28:00.000-08:00

Every 6 weeks Fire Groove has these free fire flow toy intro classes in Hollywood. I always happen to miss them but managed to make it out this time around. We got an intro to what they're about and then got an intro session with hoop, poi, and staff. I've played around with hoop and poi before, got a bit bored with hooping a few months ago (thinking of picking it up again). I picked up a friend's staff at burning man and fell in love with it. So my main reason for going was to learn basic moves and play with an actual staff and not just two pieces of sticks that I've been using at home.

Let's just say I'm addicted! Went to the store and bought a few materials to make my own staff and I've been practicing every chance I get. A good flow toy is just what I need these days to divert any negative energy and emotions Yay for flow toy time!

Here's some of the Fire Groove folk (3 awesome siblings who founded and run the program) performing a few years ago

Fire Groove:BLOOD Cirque Du Noir from Fire Groove on Vimeo.

'Sacred Prostitution' mixed media

2011-03-01T17:51:00.000-08:00

Sacred Prostitution
acrylic & mixed media on wood
12"x 12"

So this time 2 weeks ago I agreed to move to Phoenix, AZ for 4 months. It sounded like an opportunity too good to pass up plus while I was out there my room mate contacted me saying that she found a replacement for me starting March 1st. Myself and 2 other goddess sistars <3 href="http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2011-02-17/news/feature/">did an 8 page story exposing their temple as practicing New Age Prostitution, instead of sensual massage and spirituality. The article and how some of them go about their practice is utterly disturbing. The full article helped us all make a quick decision never to return.

So about the painting... it actually came to me in a nightmarish dream 2 weeks before I even knew anything about Phoenix. The elephant, cherry blossom tree, peacock feather and even the yellow rays from behind the ear all came to me out of nowhere. Get this... so along the main corridor in the temple when we entered was a statue of an elephant holding two peacock feathers in its trunk. There's more to all of it but it gets a little complicated. I didn't realize until I got home that when we needed alone time, our getaway was the local Chinese gardens. And even weirder was that the main theme discussion on the last day of our stay was the solar plexus chakra.. connecting and projecting ourselves to the yellow rays of the sun. I don't always believe in random occurrences like these but this was über weird.

As soon as I got home I had to finish the painting and I finished the detailing. Added the 3 nails for the of us draining us of our energy (hence violet drips. The broken links of their practice of (not-so-sacred) union. The super ornate yoni in red for the root chakra. And the broken melting time piece because time was non existent in that place. I hate explaining the meaning behind symbols but this was a very specific case, in which I did not want to get lost in translation.

Quoted

2011-02-28T11:07:00.000-08:00

Anonymous quote I had to repost

Self-induced INSANITY! in the name of art

2011-02-27T20:10:00.000-08:00

This never-ending chain of unfortunate events are driving me insane! Like up the walls insane. I've been having stuff of mine literally disappear off the face of reality into thin air and having no recollection where, how, and when it happened. Multiple things. Multiple, very important, valuable things...

Well now that I'm confined to sitting for long periods of time, I've been getting a lot more laptop and artwork done. Its interesting how I've been able to get into my "flow" state a lot easier since all these hardships have arisen in the past few weeks. Almost as if my brain jumps at any chance to escape and do something fun and soothing.

Its comforting to know that if I end up insane down the line my work just might end up brilliant like some of my most insane artistic idols. Speaking of which...

Took a trip down memory lane from when I was back in Barcelona, the day after I got back from Figueres (Dali's hometown and museum). At the museum I read about his method of self-induced psychosis that he was known for in his paintings and illustrations. He would stare at ordinary objects until they were distorted and form visions and stories right there in front of him. Alright, we all know Dali already had paranoid and psychosis issues throughout his life but this sounded like fun! (Dali would stand on his head to induce hallucinations for inspiration).

So I sat there on a stone pathway in Montjuic, not looking over the hill at the amazing view of all of Barcelona, but staring intently at a crack in a stone in the ground. It took me a while to get into it and fully let go, but once I started seeing things they wouldn't stop. Before I knew it, my page was full of ink drawings and a whole scenario of an oyster right before my eyes. Fun stuff! Try it out!

Reflections of a Depressed Oyster
Self-induced psychosis #3
Ink and pencil on paper

What's with all the gypsy talk?

2011-02-25T11:30:00.000-08:00

Well its how I'm coping with my situation and trying to stay positive about no longer having a physical home in 3 days. I'm telling myself that I'm going to be a real-life gypsy living out of my car, where I'll have everything I will need to survive and be happy. That being said, I'll bring the happiness and creativity wherever my gypsy-mobile takes me. I've always been a fan of gypsy lore growing up. The dangerous street people and underhanded market thieves. I remember being thrilled when gypsies along the road (in Spain and Portugal) would mistake me for one of them and made friends with many throughout my trip. My great grandfather on my mother's side was an adopted Spaniard of Roma descent. And I'm positive that I was a gypsy street performer in a past life. So now is my chance to live it out urban LA style and have fun with it.

As soon as the rain passes I'm pimping out my car in paisley fabric and coin danglies, and adding extra storage space and mega-organization for my supplies and easel. I'm planning to do a lot more live art and vending my wares and creations guerilla style right out of my car at events and parties, artwalk, boardwalk, all of that... So if you see me around town randomly set up with my easel and busting out my paints and hot glue gun, you'll know why. Not sure how long this will last, but until I get back on my feet with regular work, tax returns, etc. this is how it is.

P.S. Thought to add that I am thankful for my friends all over town who have been super kind and supportive giving me plenty of places to crash and sleep and call temp homes... so thankfully I'm not totally homeless <3

'Things That Get Buffed' @ The Crewest Gallery

2011-02-15T20:49:00.000-08:00

My work was seen at the Downtown Art Walk this month as well as for the opening reception on February 4th. I did the Hermes costume working with Joey Krebbs, also known as the Phantom Street Artist, on a project as a part of 'Art Saves Lives' in protest against a MOCA censorship.

So the live art installation was a midget named Big Monday dressed as a suspended sculpture of Hermes hanging on a podium presenting a framed portrait of Van Gogh with Joey Krebbs' live face inside of it.

The next panel was a live naked woman named Tara peeking through a lit bird house behind a wall, with a birthday candle lit flower frame around her breast and a bird cage with a live bird over her exposed vagina.

It was definitely an intersting type of installation which had a lot of people buzzing and got good media and press coverage (including channel 4!). It was great to be on-board for this one!

For more information and for the press release go here!

New Eyes

2011-02-09T19:24:00.000-08:00

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, 
but in having new eyes."
-Proust

the BECKYS

2011-02-08T14:10:00.000-08:00

Its been in talks for a while and it finally happened! A bunch of LA performer gals joined forces and started calling themselves "Becky". (An inside joke that got carried away and taken seriously :) "The Beckys" are now made up of over 60+ performer gals throughout the LA area who do everything from aerial, fire, and gogo to live painting, body art, and event management. We've been getting booked for events all over with some really big things on the horizon within the next few months.

So if you find yourself at a party one of these days and come across a bunch of gallavanting gals serving goblets of crazy concoctions, brandishing trash collecting devices, frames, mirrors, and feathers and all call themselves Becky, BEWARE... you're in for one hell of an evening, DAAHLING :)

contact: becky@thebeckys.com for booking or more info!

Working with 'Art Saves Lives'

2011-02-01T20:08:00.000-08:00

Got signed on to do the costume for Hermes on a contemporary live art installation working with Joey Krebbs, also known as the Phantom Street Artist (did the cover art for Rage Against the Machine's, Battle for Los Angeles, on a project as a part of 'Art Saves Lives'. It was in protest of MOCA's censorship of a piece they deemed as too controversial and white washed it

Check out the press release below!
------

"Always remember never to forget It’s not so much what happens to us in our lives, but it is how we see our experiences which becomes a part of our life's healing."

Greetings Bill Shippey,

Life's greatest Director Is Fate guided by the hands of Chance, It was a pleasure to meet you through this metaphysical value as I would like to personally invite you to be assist and help Produce the next production with Gallery Crewest with our collective Art Saves Lives!

The treatment and storyboard for this performance piece has been cast as a Dwarf has been selected as our principle talent who will serve as our Messenger Hermes. It Is Hermes who brings only good thoughts, good messages and good tidings.. Untill Good as we know it is revealed when those seated in power see our good as a great threat.

The great Greek myth carrys a Sign a Van Gogh painting with a special voyeur box of truly revealed desire! The performance is followed by the great visionary apprope track song to our Guerilla Theater Performance which will be Fallen Light by Phaeleh...

Joey Krebs The Phantom Street Artist is inviting select Industry members with experience in production to join our production collective Art Saves Lives as Artists and activists, who along with supporters of free speech and free expression, to protest the rise of art censorship in our time. We are mobilizing a talented crew and talent for the Phantom's next production of our Guerilla Theater Act "PYR8FREETV" as protest commentary! We have commitment from diverse major entertainment media outlet and radio journalist to provide media coverage for our next Guerilla Street Perfomance and commentary!

Over-reacting to complaints by Republican congressional leaders, Wayne Clough, Secretary of the Smithsonian Museum, recently removed David Wojnarowicz's 1987 video, "A Fire in My Belly," from a critically acclaimed exhibition about gay-themed portraiture. Jeffrey Deitch, Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA) in Los Angeles. Deitch recently whitewashed a mural he commissioned by Blu, an internationally renowned Italian street artist. The mural was to be an important part of MoCA's upcoming street art exhibition, "Art in the Street." Blu's powerful anti-war mural featured coffins draped in dollar bills.

We as a collective along with The Phantom Street Artist have been asked to participate by renowned Gallery Director Man One to voice our opposition to Censors for a select exhibition titled "Things That Get Buffed" at Crewest Gallery taking place on Feb 5th 2011.

It is through such faithful activist in our community who have remained steadfast and are committed to sharing the true signs of Dissent of the times, The Phantom Street Artist
and his collective of Street Graffiti Artists digitally tagged the walls of the MOCA in solidarity and in opposition to the Censorship of Blu's Mural by the Museum Director Jeffrey Deitch..

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2011/01/street-artists-protest-moca-geffen-contemporary-blu.html

Our collective of Graffiti Street Artist and Activist have generated great Media commentary for our recent protest intervention at MOCA.. We as the silent majority are one of the few graffiti artists who adamantly defended the
expression of the Italian Street Artist BLU who was by Director Jeffrey Deitch.

The Phantoms collective protest was covered in diverse media publications first featured by Debra Vankin the reporter of the LA Times and many online blogs!

http://theartmuse.net/

The Phantom Street Artist was just critically reviewed in Sunday's LA Times for TASCHEN's latest international book release..Trespasses!!

http://mobile.latimes.com/wap/news/text.jsp?sid=294&nid=34418848&cid=16698&scid=1492&ith=2&title=Culture+Monster

Most recently the Phantom Street Artist remains outspoken via his self published critical essay and thoughts on his Facebook page titled the" The ABC Abuse of Power comes as No $urprise"

http://touch.facebook.com/#http://touch.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=174334022588373&id=581501531

"It comes as no surprise when explicit censorship can be carried out and named by Politicians in the interest of defending National Security all the while denying our inherent rights to the freedom of information act. Earlier this week it is the Smithsonian Secretary G. Wayne Clough who ordered the removal of a short video-excerpt from a critically acclaimed exhibition in Washington DC by the deceased Artist David Wojnarowicz. Today it is the local Los Angeles Museum Director Jeffrey Deitch who objects by nonchalantly choosing to whitewash BLU’s walls in fear of embarrassing the public policy of MOCA for its next Graffiti Exhibit in 2011. These factions and their cohorts present the age old argument that any release of information and or expression will lead to threats of national security or cultural, economical and political loss in place of discursive knowledge and expression.

MOCA prides itself as an
international progressive institution
which allows for freedom of expression and thought. Before we understood How to Say and Mean Deitch’s censorship has chosen to exclude certain topics and language from the value of our community expression.

In finality these acts of censorship by those who rule and are seated in cultural and political power are only defending themselves and their gratuitous hegemonic groups, by not allowing such a harmless discourse to be engaged in our culture they have ignorantly undermined themselves and their institution. Such actions by a provincial Director tells us through his actions that the Museums next premiere Street Artist Graffiti exhibit will have to be safe as its criteria in its applied decor.

So let’s remember never to forget that in the future we will all need to meet the complacent and censored criteria of its
Museum Director in masquerading as Street Artists
for the Next MOCA sponsored Graffiti Exhibit.

Where’s my Shoe and my Can of Spray Paint?"

Unconditional Love

2011-01-20T18:01:00.000-08:00

Even after all this time the sun never says to the earth, “you owe me.” Look what happens with a love like that. It lights the whole sky. ~Hafiz of Shiraz

Decided to take a local vacation today and spent the last hours of the day on an empty stretch of Santa Monica beach. Marinating in the creative juices that had started swirling in my head yesternight. Basking in the sun under a cloudless sky. Toes buried in the sand. Phone on airplane mode, no clock. Just me, the ocean, my sketchbook, and pens. I decided to practice some meditating and played with my presence and closed my eyes.

Who knows how much time went by but when I opened my eyes the sun had begun to set. People were seriously appearing out of nowhere. Couples, singles, the old and young, bikers, recycle pickers, the lifeguard, bums, beach joggers, children-- all could be seen along the beach frozen in awe under the painted sky that was deepening by the minute. It was also interesting to see that every single person had a camera of some kind out. They had all come out to the beachfront to pay homage to this beautiful daily miracle.

Then I thought to myself, why are we all so obsessed and awestruck every time we see a sunset or sunrise? Aside from the obvious beauty and magical presence, there must be a reason we are so drawn to it. Then the thought came. To me it is a reminder of the only true unconditional love we will ever experience as humans. The unconditional love of the sun and the earth, joined in perfect loving harmony to provide us with the day and night no matter what we do. At the beginning of every sunrise and sunset we witness the sun saying farewell, knowing that she will bless us with her presence again tomorrow. No matter what, she will be there to bless us with her rays of light, vitamin D, and all the other warm yummy goodness she provides to make our worlds go round. Our parents tried their best at showing us unconditional love, but their being human got the best of them. At least we have the sun. I smiled to myself at the thought.

Just then a mother and daughter walked into the waves hand in hand, right under the last fading rays of twilight. My hand instinctively reached for my camera phone as I rose to stand with the rest if my fellow humans, and snapped my receipt of such a perfect moment.

'All Along...' mixed media

2011-01-19T17:20:00.000-08:00

'All Along...'
25 x 16", Super mixed media and acrylic
on canvas board and vinyl record
Inspired by quote by friend of Fernando Bright Feathers

"All along hearts had been holding the keys to needed solutions. Along with their solutions came dreamed and dressed in fabulous garments of flesh, blood, and breath;
myth, soul, spirit."

This is the final product of the heart I started working on months ago. Its made of old newspaper and plastic grocery bags glossed and painted to bloody perfection. You could even still kind of see the "Stone Temple Pilot" album art blended in :)

We allow society and culture to tether our minds to technology and institutions. If we only looked hard enough inside of us, we had the key all along. Kind of like Dorothy of Oz who had the ruby slippers all along, but it took the whole process of the journey for her to realize when she was ready to go home.

The Orwellian "big brother" eye always makes its way into my work. Made out of vinyl records and plastic disc separator painted on both sides.

'See' watercolor

2011-01-18T12:44:00.000-08:00

'See'
watercolor, ink, and mixed media on paper
8.5 x 11

Watercolor, ink, and old decoupaged paper. Silver holograph detailing added throughout the picture only to be seen when viewer moves around. Hidden insects and (pretty obvious) eyes throughout the background.

'Electric Lotus' blacklight doodle

2011-01-18T12:36:00.000-08:00

Electric Lotus
ink, acrylic, blacklight paint on paper
8.5 x 11

Started this one a while ago at local cafe 'Bourgeois Pig'. I couldn't see what I was drawing since it was so dark and only blacklit so I busted out the highlighters and white pens.

I built on it over the past few months every now and then as a practice of Dali's technique of self induced psychosis. There's something super zen about doodling for a few minutes every now and then.

"A kiss is a prayer between two lovers."

2011-01-06T20:49:00.000-08:00

Incredible image and quote I saw on a friend's facebook page. Ooh! I'm such a sucker for anatomical artwork.

Henna Elephant Lineart

2011-01-04T23:46:00.000-08:00

Henna elephant lineart I drew out today for a faux tattoo side piece for my friend Nicol Passion to be done next week. Real size is about 8" x 10".

Prana

2011-01-04T21:14:00.000-08:00

'Prana'
8.5 x 11
acrylic, india ink, gold gilding on canvas paper

Still on my yoga and sanskrit creative binge. I've been obsessing with kundalini since last week and made it one of my new year goals to become more internally aware using more meditation, visualization, and yoga techniques, particularly kundalini.

Prana is the sanskrit word for 'vital life', one of the driving forces of vitality and sensation in the human body. Its most subtle material form is the breath, but it is also to be found in the blood, and its most concentrated form is semen in men and vaginal fluid in women.

Happy New Years 2011!

2011-01-02T18:53:00.001-08:00

SO THANKFUL for this past year of 2010 and all the transformational experiences and beautiful people it brought into my life. Can't believe I've kept up with the blog this whole year!! Thanks to this outlet I've been able to vent and begin sharing bits and pieces of my creativity with the whole wide world. This year I've decided to go public and on a much grander scale. No longer will I be shy about my blog. Its meant to share! More the merrier, I always say!

I started a new personal tradition on the morning of new years eve sending out personal messages to everyone who specifically made a great difference in that year of my life. My night of thanksgiving and gratitude for their presence in that year. This was the intro that everyone got with their message :

Due to the number of amazing encounters and experiences in 2010 (and a severe case of insomnia) I decided to start a new personal tradition on this last day of the year. I decided to take the time out and personally thank each person who played an instrumental part of this amazing transformational year in my life and you happen to be one of them :)

For New Years I ended up doing just Nexus then a private party with a few intimate and awesome friends. Decided to celebrate last night in costume as the New Years Genie, blessing people with a wish for 2011 with burning fresh sage in my magic lamp :)

May this year's intentions, new transformations and open doors manifest in all of our lives this year.
It's gonna be a great year which is already off to a great start of planning and productivity on everyone's minds.

PADME- Lotus Jewel

2010-12-30T22:00:00.000-08:00

PADME- Lotus Jewel
8 x 10" mixed media on canvas

'Om Mani Padme Hum'- Hail the jewel in the lotus.

What began as a totally different idea, eventually became this very mixed media piece featuring a 3 dimensional lotus flower built onto the canvas, copper wiring, and hand beaded and leather hair detailing. Other materials include artificial flowers, beads, cardboard, paper, acrylic, india ink.

The name came to me just as I was taking pictures of the finished piece. This is one of the most common mantras recited in Tibetan buddhism. The 6 syllables are very powerful and jam-packed with embodiment and meaning. PADME means lotus and symbolizes wisdom. The beautiful lotus flower grows in the dirtiest of waters but manages to flourish and grow without even a stain. The lotus indicates the quality of wisdom, which keeps you out of contradiction.

"The mantra Om Mani Pädme Hum is easy to say yet quite powerful, because it contains the essence of the entire teaching. When you say the first syllable Om it is blessed to help you achieve perfection in the practice of generosity, Ma helps perfect the practice of pure ethics, and Ni helps achieve perfection in the practice of tolerance and patience. Pä, the fourth syllable, helps to achieve perfection of perseverance, Me helps achieve perfection in the practice of concentration, and the final sixth syllable Hum helps achieve perfection in the practice of wisdom.

"So in this way recitation of the mantra helps achieve perfection in the six practices from generosity to wisdom. The path of these six perfections is the path walked by all the Buddhas of the three times. What could then be more meaningful than to say the mantra and accomplish the six perfections?"

— Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Heart Treasure of the Enlightened Ones^[8]

'Joie de Vivre' for a christmas angel

2010-12-30T16:37:00.000-08:00

'Joie de Vivre'
Acrylic on decoupaged vintage sheet music on canvas
Sheet music- Marian Anderson, 'I'm Goin' to Tell God All my Troubles'

Just as I was about to doubt the universe (AGAIN!) things magically worked out. My room mate and I were discussing how I had one week, holiday week, to come up with my rent money. Who would be hiring for this last week of the year? Last week which also happens to be vacation week out of town for most...

I go back to my room and had 2 missed calls and a voicemail. An ad that I had replied to weeks ago needed an emergency fill-in just over the Christmas weekend.

Perfect! I ended up assisting and helping out a remarkable singer/songwriter/poet named Patrice Mason for 4 days, making some money towards rent. I learned a few things about myself, wheelchairs, music, and Europe, and just life in general. Even got to have an amazing home-cooked Christmas hen while listening to Willie Nelson with a friend of hers.

She gifted me a book of sheet music so in return I am gifting her the first product of that as well as a token of my gratitude for being the one to help make it possible for me to keep my place.

Note from the Universe

2010-12-27T22:05:00.000-08:00

[via friend's facebook note]

In preparation for 2011...

If it's not yet obvious to you, the real reason for this, and all seasons, is you. A more perfect child of the Universe has never lived. Until now, only celebrations cloaked in myth and mystery could hint at your divine heritage and sacred destiny. You are life's prayer of becoming and its answer. The first light at the dawn of eternity, drawn from the ether, so that I might know my own depth, discover new heights, and revel in seas of blessed emotion.

A pioneer into illusion, an adventurer into the unknown, and a lifter of veils. Courageous, heroic, and exalted by legions in the unseen.

To give beyond reason, to care beyond hope, to love without limit; to reach, stretch, and dream, in spite of your fears. These are the hallmarks of divinity - traits of the immortal - your badges of honor. May you wear them with a pride as great as the immeasurable pride we feel for you.

Your light has illuminated darkened paths, your gaze has lifted broken spirits, and already your life has changed the course of history.

This is the time of year we celebrate YOU.

Bowing before Greatness,

The Universe

Work in progression...

2010-12-27T20:00:00.000-08:00

Creative Realities

2010-12-24T01:53:00.000-08:00

"For your thought about something is creative, and your word is productive, and your thought and your word together are magnificently effective in giving birth to your reality."

From 'Conversations with God' by Neale Donald Walsch

Worried Shoes

2010-12-23T19:30:00.000-08:00

Less than a week until the end of the month and year...

Memories of Granada

2010-12-22T15:10:00.000-08:00

All of this rain and Christmas spirit mixed with loneliness and money problems bring back vivid memories and painfully intense nostalgia for Granada today. Thought to post some study sketches from this time last year in one of my favorite cities to make me feel better.

Did this sketch at the banks of Rio Darro hiding from the rain in the shade of a doorway to a closed monastery and store. Hiding from a downpour and thunder storm very similar to right now actually. I just had to pull out my sketchbook and remember that moment of my favorite most peaceful place in the city.

Went back to the banks of the River Darro the night before I left, a bit tipsy from a tapas run just to remember the magical banks that were calling to me by the clear moonlight with the majestic Alhambra towering above us in the distance.

Sketching of the cave wall shelves in the Sacromonte, where gypsies, buskers, and squatters live in caves. I spent a few days with a few of them and if I had stayed longer probably would have crashed up there.

Common recurring motif all over the Alhambra. Oh the Alhambra, gorgeous, majestic, and in my opinion a little bit over rated. Beautiful all the same.

Conversations with God

2010-12-21T10:48:00.000-08:00

I was recommended a good book read yesterday. Started reading it last night before going to bed and had myself jotting down notes every few minutes. Conversations with God is made up of 3 books by Neale Donald Walsch in which he is channelling conversations between himself and god through letters. It doesn't matter whether they are his words, his editor or publisher's words, or even god, a spirit, or the universe- the information and words in these books are absolutely remarkable and are definitely words of wisdom. I'll be posting awesome interesting tidbits over the next few weeks as I continue reading and expanding my mind and reality.

Psalm Isadora

2010-12-20T00:07:00.000-08:00

Came across the beautiful and very knowledgeable Psalm Isadora through the interweb today. She offers some beautiful workshops and intensives between Santa Monica and Hawaii (out of the question in being able to afford it these days). In one of her free videos a portion struck me that made a lot of sense. It explains why tattoos put me into almost immediate trancelike states as do other forms of intense movement such as yoga, spinning, and dance. Maybe I'll start all of my meditation and dance movements with a heavy sweating or uncomfortable body positioning..

"The sufis would wear these heavy coats and they would sweat and there's a tapas happening in that sweating and when the physical body becomes uncomfortable it sometimes allows the opening into trance-like states which is something you see in many many cultures. Did some sweat lodges in the Lokova tradition last year and you go in and you sweat and you say your prayers and something happens. There isn't a really logical way to explain it because its happening in the non logical brain."

Conversations with Neva Murtha on visible and non-visible art materials

2010-12-19T21:05:00.000-08:00

Neva from charisse baker on Vimeo.

Working with different mediums and knowing that each one has a different level of resonance.

You can't solve a problem at the same levels of consciousness of which it was created. -Albert Einstein. Which means for me I have to do my internal work to get to the highest place of resonance and consciousness that i could get to and change my reality... then i could invite other people to do that with me or in their lives just because of the truth I am living.

'Simple' music video- by Love in the Circus

2010-12-19T19:38:00.000-08:00

Was in the video shoot for the fabulous band 'Love in the Circus' for their debut song "Simple". Everyone was a creative character of love, I was a vaudeville bellydancer with my gold isis wings, umbrella, and red china fans. I've worked on a lot of shoots but being a part of this amazing crew and circus of love was out of this world amazing. The video turned out freaking insanely awesome and I got a featured part as well :)! The band goes on tour this week all over Australia. Check out some set pictures!

Nice Reminders

2010-12-19T19:31:00.000-08:00

Off the Gaia Sangha website. Amazing sustainable community house on the Westside I just found out about!

R.I.P. brother Joe Hill

2010-12-17T00:09:00.000-08:00

Just an hour ago I learned that our community friend and brother Joseph Chad Hill passed away from complications with malaria. He was in the ICU for weeks now and only a few months ago got back from a trip to Ghana with a friend. Last time I saw him was actually right when he got back from his trip and he briefly told me about how incredible it was. I told him about a future trip my brother and a couple friends wanted to make to Morocco and Mali for a festival and he said to count him on board. :)

I got to know him a little in the short amount of time that I've been part of the LA burner community and only have good and positive things to say. He was always so gentle and kind and full of smiles, good energy, and big hugs whenever we saw each other. He took pictures for 'Life After Dusk' and he would humor my constant posing for pictures at every event :) I also had the privilege to spend adventure time with him on the playa this year with Perish, Ben, Randy and a few others at Playasurfers. Those were a couple of long nights of ridiculous expeditions, lots of laughs, and a good ol' memorable time all around... best ways to remember such a good and happy person.

My heart goes out to your family and all those who knew you my dear fellow African and mixed brother. Your memory will remain with us in our hearts and minds and of course at Area 33 as you continue to shine on for us. Lots of loving thoughts as you serve as a reminder for all of us left behind to appreciate the short lives and interactions we are blessed with, rest in peace.

Latcho Drom!

2010-12-15T01:14:00.000-08:00

Latcho Drom...from Bman to Boom 2010 by evilplayground@gmail.com

Love this mix.. always has me dancing!

Even at 2 am on a Tuesday night....