Currently.

It's been a little while since my last post so I'm gonna fill some gaps here.

The first being the easiest way to keep up with my current workings and adventures--SnapChat. I love SnapChat, as do many of you, and I will often fill my 24 hours with art tips, exploring adventures, random antics, good food, my current projects, Street Keepers meetups, and much more. It is a lot quicker to update there rather than here when I am on the go as nothing really needs to be edited or explained on SC. So if you're on SnapChat, find me at BLUE731. And Tweet me or something so that I know it's you. Bang.

DSP3.
Ok, so I am currently a month late on where I wanted to be as far as scheduling. I got some major pieces in late and I am currently re-working the cover. I had a great idea before (late last year) but I have since changed my mind; it wasn't gonna work the same, I feel. I finally have a great idea and I am working on the cover while I work on smaller projects and plannings and other photos.

Like SXSW.

I got invited to shoot a few acts for a new company and app, City HotSpot, for this years musical events. They [City HotSpot] are on the brink of their app launch and are currently waiting the go from Apple, apparently. A few of us from Street Keepers got sent out to shoot a variety of events and we also covered our own. I cannot share the photos I submitted to them until next month, but I do have a few I saved for me that I can share here and elsewhere. So keep an eye on my Tumblr and my 500px.

Street Keepers.
We took to Austin for our latest meet and had a blast through the muggy weather. We linked up with some awesome new cats like Mitch here who showed us some great spots for the short time we had. A lot of street shooting went down in and outside of SK that I am currently overloaded lol. I'm working on getting them up for you all to see so just hang tight--you know I always come through. I got some gems while out there.

The new studio.
Is still under construction. It's been tough, but I have been working from the floor mostly on a makeshift desk since I moved last month and drawing has been bit tougher than I am used to. Painting hasn't happened yet and that bums me out, so I am looking to get some new walls soon until I can paint indoors again. I will get photos and info up whenever that goes down.

My online portfolio.
I spent some time this week preparing work for and updating my Behance to showcase some album art I did last year. I try to update my page as soon as the project is done and should be much easier now that I am in this new space. So keep an eye out for more updates as the new stuff comes in this year.

Awake & Moving.
I am still restructuring A&M but rest assured, I will be ready for a summer release. It's a lot of logistics at this point and as you can see from all I've written so far, I have a ton to juggle. After DSP3 hits the printer and is released, Awake & Moving will be my primary creative focus along with Street Keepers. I have some big goals I want to hit with this and plan to do all that I can to make it happen.

Thank you for sticking by me all these years and if you're new, I hope you have enjoyed what you've witness. Trust me when I say we are barely scratching the surface here. Stick around! I guarantee you'll love it. That's all I have for now, I will see you all soon somewhere in this world as 2015 continues to push forward at too fast a speed--SLOW DOWN 2015!


Stay Creative,
BLUE731.

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.

Delayed. Sleep. Phaze. Number 2 Recap

Well, it's been sold out for a good minute and #DSP3 is loooong overdue by my own standards. A LOT has happened over the passed many months and with a lot of changes have come a lot of great things. Delayed. Sleep. Phaze. Number 3 is currently in it's design and selection phase--I have some new and older works that haven't been shown and the overall look of this one will be much different and much BETTER.

Having said all that though, here are the images from DSP2 to hold you over until the next release in March! Thank you to all who purchased or won a copy because remember, ONLY 50 were made! I hope you got yours!!!

Kara.

From Russia.

Coach.

Dysfunction Parallels.

Crown.
(© 2011 Rabbit Rye)

Sol Down.

Cali Bound.

I Got Just What You Need.

Rumble With Myself.

Break Free.

Fuck Off.

Early Bird.

Hell's Cobras.

Find My Balance.

Skull Humans.

Cunning Cuttlefish 01.

Cunning Cuttlefish 02.

Finger Scars.

Jeezus.

That's all for now folks! Stay tuned for Delayed. Sleep. Phaze. Number 3 currently in progress!


Stay Creative,
BLUE731.