nike+=increasingly awesome

Image copyright YesYesNo Interactive Projects 2011.
This awesomeness was brought to my attention by
the Swiss Miss blog.

I was a huge Nike+ fan until my sensor died and I have yet to get a new one. But this just about sends me out to the store. Nike tracks your movement GPS style and creates graphics with the data. It's art and fitness together. That's motivation. Nike+ Paint With Your Feet.

notable and quotable

"To take a photograph is to align the head, the eye and the heart. It's a way of life."
-Henri Cartier-Bresson

happy earth day

illustration copyright megan crist 2011

the doors

photographs copyright megan crist 2011

A new project that I have been working on recently is based on entirely on curiosity. I always wonder what goes on behind doors that strike my attention, for whatever reason. Maybe they are visually loud and exuberant or maybe they are slightly beat up with a few dents and dings. Perhaps they are absolutely pristine and sparkle like a star. I know more than a million things could be the answer to my musings; it is a mystery.

film: my love affair with the anticontemporary medium

I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but the program Exposure 3 ("taking the digital out of digital photography") was brought to my attention last night. Awesome as it may be -at a price that is completely unbelievable- it made me slightly irritated with the industry.

This program essentially converts your digital image files to look as though they were shot with virtually any film; push and cross processing options are available.

Why, I have to ask, is it that we so covet the look and feel of film and the traditional arts of the photographic darkroom, but so few people shoot film anymore? Apparently the concensus is that it is less expensive but I don't see photography services or talent becoming less expensive, so I'm not sure how that makes sense. Does this whole situation not seem hypocritical and flat out fake? Have we so really gotten so far ahead of ourselves that authenticity means nothing? I know people (gasp) buy fake designer bags, and I feel as though digital photography, in some aspects, is doing the same thing. Digital can be its own art form on so many levels but who's to say where to draw the line?

Just shoot film for heaven's sake.

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toning down the tech level

 

illustration copyright @megan crist 2011






You would think a rainy Saturday without a computer would be absolutely miserable. But, I'm taking this golden opportunity to get back to the basics.

I'm a bit of an art supply nut, I just also happen to be deathly addicted to Creative Suite. All of which are boxed up in storage approaching 10 hours away. Completely frustrating, I know. And so materialized my trip to DaVinci Artist Supply. This venture was carefully planned to include a few choice items to keep me entertained for the afternoon -to create a sort of makeshift pop up studio. As expected the excitement of all the artsy goodies overwhelmed me as I walked in the door. It took quite a bit of self control not to buy everything in sight -or duplicates of things I have already.

Walking back out in the rain after my purchase (which included a complementary reusable tote bag just for checking in on Yelp!) wasn't even that depressing because I was so excited to get home to play with my newest acquisitions.

I miss my lovely iMac that routinely and cheerfully greets me in the morning and obeys my every command without fail, but I'm realizing that sometimes -although it may feel like the death of you- it may be a good thing to tone down the tech level.

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chance encounters

My first encounter with a real-life Banksy (in Harlem). Some people argue that this is not, in fact, created by the famed street artist, but I nearly lost my breath when I came across it a couple weeks ago. LOVE.

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so many books so little time (and money)...

I'm not quite sure what it is about bookstores that make me feel like I'm in Disneyland, but it usually takes every smidgen of self control that I have not to walk out with two overflowing armloads of books and a few magazines. And I could probably stay in a bookstore all day admiring books.
I love examining the design of books. I love the variety of formats and different textures and weights of the pages. Certainly the books that I buy intrigue me also in the area of content, whether it is fashion or art history or photography or illustration or interior design... perhaps it's an appealing compilation of architecture or a musician's memoir? Maybe a new author's first published novel-I love the Discover New Writers section of Barnes and Noble, probably because I'm huge into supporting emerging artists of all genres. Sometimes I might be in the mood for a political or social commentary or an economic theory?

I think it might be the euphoric feeling of absorbing knowledge and insights from people you probably don't know. You can always learn something just from flipping through a few books -not even reading them cover to cover if you don't feel like a chronological progression of pages. You may not realize you are learning, either. A fiction book may not necessarily aim to inform, but it may expand horizons or share perspectives for you to evaluate with your own understanding and background that you come from.

I'm not sure what the difference is between owning the book and borrowing the book, but I love to collect books. Checking out books from the library is surely the most economical way to go about buffing up on ideas and smarts, but it is somehow less satisfying?

In any case, sometimes even just pictures of libraries are inspiring. Happy reading. : )

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priority penmanship

I immediately fell in love with this handlettering talent, Love, Jenna.

tick tock

Walked by this antique shop in the village that had a window display full of old clocks. They were pretty but somehow the sight was somewhat eerie. Maybe it was the frightening Captain Hook association that I have with clocks. Or maybe the fact that I sometimes wish we could neglect the idea of time itself. A subconscious fear of time passing too fast -I sure don't want to end up like an old dusty broken down clock, no matter how pretty.

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on the differences between people who are actually photographers and people who think they are photographers because they own a fancy digital camera -and how to explain the difference

I was having a discussion with a very talented photographer friend of mine last night about the differences between photographers and "photographers." We were trying to pinpoint the differentiation verbally, no matter how visually obvious it may be.

Today, I happened to have plans to see the "Stieglitz, Steichen, Strand" show at the Met and the copy on the wall handled the issue perfectly: "Since handheld cameras became available in the late 1880s, anyone could be a photographer; similarly, photography snaked its way into every corner of the culture. Elevated perception would distinguish the artists from the amateur and the tradesman."

We are not snobs. We are actually very nice people who appreciate an amazing photograph and understand where it comes from.

fit

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subway shots

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sew some fresh seeds at west elm

photographs copyright megan crist 2011

I have been gawking at the website and catalog for West Elm for a few years now and today was my first in-store experience. I must say it's ten times better than anything online or in print. What fabulous merchandise that I never would have come across just by flipping pages or clicking links. I know a lot of people only shop online now (I admit I do a lot of internet ordering myself) or find what they want and go online to find it at a more affordable price.

In any case, the reality is, nothing is quite like walking through well done shops. No, I don't want to rummage through a sloppy rack of clothes or messy shelving of picture frames or dishes spewed haphazardly about only hoping not to be broken by the end of the day. Should this be so, I'd rather go online. However, an immaculate shop is comfortable and convenient; a shop done right is a welcoming mecca of beautiful things that you can take home with you right now. It is clean. It is fresh. It is well-lit.

West Elm is one such shop.

daily dose of graffiti

 

photographs copyright megan crist 2011

reflections

These are a few images from today's work on my reflections series focusing on the relationships between the (manufactured) subjects and their (urban) environments.

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emergency!

Colorful, type-focused, and cheerful emergency cards from Bob's Your Uncle. LOVE!

express content

I really appreciate the PhotoShop Express app that let's me make at least some minor post processing adjustments to images on my phone, since I'm mid transplant. I never thought a day would come that I would rely so much on this smartphone. (Originally it was more of a toy.) I suppose I also never thought the day would come when I didn't have my computer at my residence. In any case, I will continue to get backed up on raw files and shoot mini jpegs to satisfy my demand for immediate gratification.

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graffiti goodness






















photographs copyright megan crist 2011

























I have always loved the artistic effect of graffiti and recently started a collection as an offshoot  of my urban decay project. Here are some of today's additions.