The result of a real-world environment with light painted through it in 3D forms creates a beautiful otherworldly effect, like happening upon fairies in their night-time revelry.

Kurt Vonnegut and the shapes of stories

Now if only a computer could plot it for you!

npr:

newsweek:

In this week’s issue, Cult of Mac’s Leander Kahney collects “The 10 Commandments of Steve.”

More than anything else, Jobs’s genius is in managing the creative process. Here’s his playbook.

 [See it full size]

Great chart! Also worth a look is former NPR designer Callie Neylan’s appreciation of Jobs and Apple: “Apple’s Secret Is In Our DNA” —Wright

I can see how every one of these philosophies could be adapted to the world of animation and creative filmmaking.

Here’s “Vincent”.  Have a gander.  Btw, we went to the Tim Burton exhibit at the LACMA in LA recently.  If you’re a fan and in the area, you can’t miss it!  There is a ton of art on display as well as artifacts from his movies.  It’s going to be up until Halloween.  http://www.lacma.org/art/exhibition/tim-burton

So classic and awesome. What great storytelling.

Hmmmmmmm.

waveybrain:

In the 80’s my best friend’s dad worked for Apple.  We learned to surf together. Actually, his dad was so cool that he’d drive inland a couple miles to pick me up so I could surf with them.  One day he brought home an Apple IIe.  That was the first computer I had ever seen.  There was something intriguing about it, but being only 11, I had no idea what it was for.  I do remember a primitive drawing or painting app. When other kids were putting O’neill stickers on their surfboards, my friend proudly had a big rainbow Apple sticker on his.  It looked kind of gay:)  Later, when my engineer uncles both proudly displayed their Commodore 64s, I was wise enough to know that there was something better out there.  Cut to last year when I gave my dad an iPad; he looked at the apple logo and recalled that he was going to work for them in the 80’s were it not for his undermining supervisor at the airline who gave him a bad recommendation, despite  earlier pleading with him not to switch departments because, ‘he was his best worker’-DOE!  How life changing would that have been had he worked for Apple??

I don’t know who I admire more:  Wozniak or Jobs?  One seems kind of oblivious and modest, the other focused and driven.  Both are geniuses, and they seemed to have needed each other equally to give birth to Apple.  I think Job’s genius has been the ability to connect dots and act as the catalyst in forming something substantial of those dots.  That takes vision and charisma.  

I know he made Pixar what it is, but I really think when he made the purchase he acquired two passionate animation junkies:  Ed Catmul and John Lasseter.  From there they brought in more passionate and talented people and created an amazing animation studio.  I wonder how much influence the culture of Pixar has had on Apple’s great resurgence.  They were (presumably) using Apple machines and software and pushing them to the max, which must have driven and informed progress.  Plus, the creatives of Pixar brought new visual and intellectual story-driven inspirations with them…I have a feeling that Pixar had much to do with Apple’s incredible success in the last two plus decades.  I’d love to hear what Job’s thinks about that.  Sadly, Pixar got sucked up by Disney.  I guess it was a shrewd move at the time, but I was very sad that he did that.  Disney had lost it’s way, and Pixar was a great beacon, making it apparent where and why they had lost their way.  Since then, Jobs became an influential Disney board member, which was another shrewd move-given that Apple was becoming more and more a content distributer.  Forming an alliance with Disney was a powerful move for Jobs and Apple.  It gave them tremendous leverage to influence and distribute content.  But, now that whole structure is being shaken. I can only assume that him stepping down is an indication of his health.  Why else would he surrender his position?  I’ve been trying to learn more about Tim Cook, and the only thing I’ve gleaned is that he’s not charismatic like Jobs.  He seems guarded, and calculating-but not spontaneous or exciting.  I think that’s a problem.  The only thing that gives me hope is that the culture of Apple is stronger than ever.  But, on the surface, Cook isn’t the best representation of that.  When I look at what Lasseter and Catmul are doing for Disney/Pixar some flags are also raised.  While they seem to have good instincts, they also seem to have succumbed to the cancerous corporate mantra of “stronger, faster, cheaper”.  I think they’ve lost sight of the core of what made Pixar, Apple and Walt Disney Studios great…vision.  So, now we’re at a deficit of charisma and vision in my opinion.  I think that needs to be restored, or else, here comes Google around the outside.

Whatever happens, I’m sad to see Jobs go.  He’s a great inspiration.

-Waveybrain

dragoni:

Essay: Jobs’s Departure as CEO of Apple Is the End of an Extraordinary Era by Walt Mossberg

In both areas, people are constantly looking for easy answers, formulas and short cuts.

And in both areas there are none to be had. And trying to find them will lead to cliched and unsatisfying drawings and stories.

The only way I know for sure to make good drawings or good stories is to constantly work at them and rework them and rework them and rework them and rework them until they are as good as you can make them. That’s why good stories and good drawings are rare and both are things of great value. Because very few people have the patience, discipline and humility to create great ones.

drawnblog:

(via How Hard Is It To Get a Cartoon Into The New Yorker? - By James Sturm - Slate Magazine)

James Sturm writes about his experiences drawing and submitting cartoons to the New Yorker.

Interesting read.

I think Girl Walk // All Day might be the quintessential representation of modern independent artistry. Yeah, that sounds like a string of BS buzzwords, but I mean every one of them. Think about it – a musician takes hits from across a plethora of genres and mashes them together into a fantastic and fun musical album, which he then releases online for free. A filmmaker hears that album and decides he wants to use it as the sountrack and basis for a short film/music video filmed geurilla-style in Manhattan, all shot, edited, produced, and released online for free. It stars a dancer who mashes together dance styles from every conceivable genre. A musician who cares more about making entertaining music than adhering to the archaic conventions of the pop music industry; a filmmaker who cares more about making an amazing viewing experience than adhering to the archaic conventions of the blockbuster film industry; and a dancer who cares more about expressing herself through motion and using her body to its limits than adhering to the conventions of any one style of dance.

There is something beautiful about all of those layers mashing together…and something magical in the realization that ten years ago the whole thing would sound insane, but in our modern age when we are starting to perceive of art and its distribution so differently, it is practically unsurprising.

Here is the Kickstarter video for Girl Walk // All Day:

A website built in DotNetNuke for use as an internal company portal. The challenge was to build a resource for colleagues to find information, share expertise, and update personal contact details. Achievements included integration of the company’s Active Directory with DNN profiles, a wiki that encouraged employees to share casual learning experiences, a media gallery that showcased streaming video available for use in client programs, and a fully customized visual design.

A photogram created in the dark room using crystals and a flashlight on high-contrast photo paper.

A long exposure captured at the performance of a fire dancer troupe.

A long exposure captured at the performance of a fire dancer troupe.

A photogram created in the darkroom using paper cutouts, sand, plastic wrap, crystals, and other elements.