The Next Phaze.

Hello everyone. If you follow me on other social networks, then you may already know where this is leading to. If not, I will get right to it as this may be a lengthy post as it is. I am taking a break from photography this month to focus on a long-awaited project. This project is known as Delayed. Sleep. Phaze., Number 3 to be exact. I have been putting this book aside as I get my life in order and then photography hit me with a HUGE surge of inspiration. One like I have never experienced before. I have always had an affinity for shooting photos and last Spring I finally got my first DSLR. From that moment, things shot off into the stratosphere. I began shooting street photography nearly every week, shooting skateboarding with new talents, shooting my travels on a much more evocative level, and I began truly enjoiing the glories of shooting night photography, taking myself to new [literal] heights.

I had never really given myself the opportunity to explore photography like this, so it expanded quickly much like the Big Bang (and not the show, but S/O to Leonard and Penny!). My living situation, as it were, also provided me with not as many comforts of creation as I feel I need when it came to drawing and painting. I've spoken to other artists about this and they know exactly what I mean (S/O to Jiminai). I could view it as I hit a slump of some sort, but I know that isn't the case. If I had the same space to create as I am used to, I may not have ventured as deep into photography as I have been. And to be honest, it is something I have been wanting to do for many years. So I ran with it.

All the while this was happening, DSP3 was steady brewing in my hed and my heart. Along with the series of themed illustrations I want to do. Along with Awake and Moving's proper restructuring. Along with all the other projects I have bubbling in my hed every single day. When it comes to my creations, especially the bigger, longer ones, I play things pretty close to the chest. I used to find myself expressing all the things I was going to [eventually] do and when they wouldn't see fruition as soon as I wanted to (if at all), I became very discouraged. I decided that didn't work for me. What did work was just working diligently in my space and when I had the final product in my hands, physically, that's when I took it out of my bubble to share with all of you. And my projects are usually met with much better acclaim that way.

So, having said that, here comes what some may feel is the downside. I will not be sharing much progress of this next book. I always keep DSP3 under wraps until it is finished. And then, it is up to you to take that chance, to roll the dice, on a sealed package, a contained idea as I share nothing from inside the pages, only the cover. I have gotten great feedback and repeat buyers with these books so I know I must be on to something in my methods. Did I mention they are always limited and never reprinted as well?

You're probably wondering without sharing WIPs from the new book or shooting as often, what will become of my feeds? Well, all in all, I cannot just take a hiatus and disappear from all of you while I create this next book. For this next month, aside from Street Keepers of course (date coming soooon), I will not be shooting as much. BUT--I will still share with you guys. I have a few sets of stuff I had been sitting on. One set I thought I shared but didn't, and the other is something I worked on last week in preparation for this month. The first is my visit to Enchanted Rock last fall. I took my mom out there for her birthday and brought my pup along as well. The views at the top are mesmerizing. The latter set is a very special set. Some of you know I basically cut my teeth in photography through shooting concerts. It was easily my favorite thing to shoot in my college years. Every show I went to I made sure I had a camera with me. And it was always shot from the pits. (The ACTUAL pits, not the photographers' comfy, plenty of elbow room, no shoe kicks to the hed open area between the stage and the crowd pits). A couple years ago I managed to take my tiny point-and-shoot into one of my favorite band's show. Deftones. This is not an easy band to shoot from the front of the crowd, wedged between five people, one hand holding yourself up, the other firing off. These photos are dope to me in that it's a bitch to catch good shots from those spaces with that kind of gear but I still managed to pull off some great stuff.

So for February I will be sharing those with you throughout my days as well as a few random phone shots whenever the opportunity strikes me. I still ride the bus a lot so I get to see the streets quite often still. In hindsight, I guess, I'm not sure how much of a break this really is lol. I just know I will not be able to share at the level I am used to and I hope you all can understand and still enjoi what I do by my showcasing some previous memories from some special times in my life.

Thanks for listening to these ramblings from an artist who just explores every avenue of inspiration he receives--be it through illustration, design, walls, skateboarding, canvases, notebooks, music, photography, meditation, travelling, or everyday exploration of my surroundings and myself. It's an awesome ride and I am happy for all of you who are still with me and for all the new friends who have come along for this ride as well. I promise you this book is gonna be an incredible leap from my last two.


Stay Creative,
BLUE731.