Blue Ridge Parkway is Amazing

I know I am breaking away from the usual topics of this blog, but I've been on the road alot of late and I wanted to touch base on some of it.

My wife and I drove up to Brevard,NC yesterday. Brevard is a hip little mountain town in the middle of some of the most spectacularly beautiful country in the world. We wound up driving the Blue Ridge Parkway, which is about 100 miles of driving up, down, around and through the Smoky Mountains. Completely amazing, but I became very altitude sick at about 6000 feet. I have been developing a sinus infection, and once we hit the high altitude, it was like getting hit in the sinuses with a brick. I just wanted to go to sleep so badly. It was the oddest feeling I have ever had.

The point of all this is that the drive is breathtaking, and a must do if you are in this part of the country. I took this picture at about 5000 feet. Unbelievable.

CAA 2009: A Report From The Front Lines

Recently I attended the College Art Association Conference in Los Angeles, and I have been meaning to report on it here, but haven't had the chance. So here is just a couple short notes about the conference.

First off, L.A. is a city I've only been too twice, and both times were for short periods. I went out to California when I was 17 and only went to L.A. for a night, trekked the Walk of Fame, went to Groman's Chinese Theatre, etc. This time I really wanted to spend some time there, go to the Viper Room, etc. - especially after my Uncle Jim told me a bunch of stories about being out on Sunset Strip in the early 80's with Nikki Sixx and Arnold Schwartzenegger. No, really.

Anyway, it seemed that all we did was go back and forth from the conference to the hotel, the hotel to the conference, ad nauseum. Really didn't have time for much else. Drove up to Charlotte, NC, flew to Memphis, TN, then on to L.A. which really whiped me out - even a few hours of jetlag really knock you out. I really am interested in L.A. - it's a city that I haven't really explored, and really would like to get to the heart of. The return trip was just as chaotic; we were picked up at the hotel at 3:30 in the morning, then a flight to Minneapolis, then to Charlotte, then drive back down to Greenville where I had to be at a design awards ceremony. Crazy…OK, back to the conference.

Upon entering the large interview hall, I was shocked to find that there were perhaps 1/3 of the typical tables present. There are just so few jobs out there right now in academia, that I feel bad for people who are working hard to get a position. However, there were significantly less job seekers too. Maybe ½ of what is normal. Perhaps it was because it was on the West Coast, as the trip West would be prohibitively high in cost for most artists. Any way you look at it, it seems that the economy is now hitting the arts community really hard. This is such a disheartening trend, as I think now more than ever we need the beauty and resilience that having an artistic voice gives us as a culture.

This is just a plea to all readers: support the arts, buy local art from local artists!

BTW - the image above was shot out my hotel window at 5 am.

New Black Friday Poster

This is a poster for the band Black Friday. I just knocked it out, and I'm fairly pleased with it. Here it is. Enjoy.

Speak Takes America

Writing about my recent trip to L.A. got me thinking about the American cities that I love, and the one's I could do without. I want to ask my reader's not to be offended by these lists, as they are based solely on my personal experiences, many of which were absolutely brief.

9 Favorite American Cities (Not Including South Bend,IN):
1. New York City, NY - It can take you years, as it is like a big 5 headed monster with all of the Burroughs, with so many new and exciting avenues to explore every time I am there, but I feel like I "get" it - I think I understand NYC's heart. I've got a handle on the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan, but there is so much more to explore. Always been #1, always will be.
2. Milwaukee, WI - It is very, very underrated - I thought Milwaukee would be like Detroit because I knew Miller and Harley were there, but it's clean and beautiful, like a mini-Chicago but without all the hipsters.
3. La Jolla, CA - Great Californian city between San Diego (which is cool too) and Tijuana (which I wanted to move to permanently when I was 18). Laid back surfer culture with some of the most spectacular beaches in the US.
4. Madison, WI - I lived there for nearly 5 years, and they were the best years of my life. Great combination of things; culture, nightlife, safety, geographic beauty, and cool people. Tough to beat in a city that size.
5. Omaha, NE - Totally awesome, big city literally in the middle of nowhere. Great downtown art scene with funky little side districts full of great bars and restaurants. So cool I can't even tell you.
6. Detroit, MI - America's only inhabited ruin. An entire supercity crumbling, rusting, and decaying - to these eyes it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. God I love it. Didn't know where to place it on this list because I love it so much deep in my soul.
7. Baltimore, MD - As ancient as America gets. I love American Gothic cities, and this is the one. The waterfront area has been revitalised and is packed with great restaurants and shops.
8. Kalamazoo, MI - Never a bad time there, been there hundreds of times and still batting a thousand. Rocketstar Cafe, Fourth Coast, Water St. - home of great coffeehouses.
9. Provincetown, RI - One of the original artist colonies. Tons of great artwork, food, etc. Not for the faint of heart.

5 Cities I've Been To But Want To Get To Know Better:
1. Los Angeles, CA - see above.
2. Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN - Everybody, and I mean everybody it seems, loves The Cities. Never heard anything bad about them. Simple as that.
3. Atlanta, GA - Been a few times, but haven't gotten to the Belly of the Beast.
4. Boston, MA - Been through a few times, but never for long. Going to Fenway is on my life's goals list.
5. Savannah, GA - One of the most beautiful cities I've ever seen. Reminded me a lot of Europe.




9 Cities I'm Kinda Done With:
1. Miami, FL - I really, really hate Miami. It's extremely humid, every person you see appears to be actually (as well as metaphorically I suppose) made from plastic, and people get angry at you if you don't speak Spanish (I was actually yelled at for this in a store). No desire to ever return.
2. Dallas, TX - Actually I'm pretty much done with Texas.
3. Providence, RI - After I had been there, I really couldn't tell you why anyone would want to go there. Snobby people, bad weather, enough said.
4. Cleveland, OH - The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is kinda cool, as are the Flats, but really that's it.
5. Chicago, IL - I used to love to go to Chicago, but now it just kinda feels like a big hassle - but I get it, I totally get Chicago. It sounds harsh because I still really like Chicago, I just feel like I've seen what I want to see of it for awhile.
6. Norman, OK - It is so desolate it literally scared me half to death.
7. Kansas City, MS - Ugh. Horrifyingly ugly. I expect murders are happening there in the most gruesome of ways.
8. Cincinnati, OH - Actually, Ohio, like Texas, is dead to me.
9. Philadelphia, PA - People always tell me it's awesome, so I'm willing to give it another chance. When I was there (in the mid-nineties) it was filthy, cops chased us, etc. Based on the words of people I respect, I am totally willing to give it another shot though.

7 Cities I've Never Been To But Want To Go:
1. New Orleans, LA - I'm already in love with it and haven't been there. 2. Seattle, WA - Always wanted to, but haven't been yet.
3. San Francisco, CA - I'm very interested in Northern California. I haven't really been much north of Hollywood.
4. Asheville, NC - It seems like everyone is in love with it. Thought I was going there a couple of weeks ago, but didn't make it.
5. Austin, TX - I would like to go to Austin though (I thought I was going there this spring for a conference, but it didn't work out). Dying to go to SXSW, so maybe I can test Texas out one last time.
6. Pittsburgh, PA - As a confirmed Warhol nut, I'm dying to go to the Warhol museum.
7. Portland, OR - Another city I've hears so much about I feel sheepish for never having been to.

On a side note: The entire state of Wyoming is totally underrated, the Dakotas are too. I'm not a fan of Kentucky, but only because I've almost died there a couple of times. Driving through Memphis and Knoxville are not cool either.

50 Designers' Current Favourite Typefaces

The awesome Create/Reject has put together a great book of the current favorite typefaces by 50 of the greatest designers in the world. Too cool. Check out the whole site here, it's totally worth it.