after thinking about my last post, i’ve decided that it’s inevitable. if i am to continue to publicly display my work, then biting is bound to happen and i have to accept it. it’s wasted energy to be angry about it but there are times when you gotta put it out there. i know i’m not original either, but still – the things that come out of one’s mind and how it’s translated/interpreted into something visual, is pretty unique; even if the concept or theme is derived from somewhere it’s infused with personal taste & experience. for instance, if you click on the blogs of my artistic friends, you will see how amazing & talented each artist is; you recognize their style and know that it’s completely theirs. it’s backed by years of experience. the person who simply takes another person’s style is only fooling themselves.

so i’ve come to the conclusion that even though biters/copycats suck, i guess having them around is a good thing; competition forces us to change and evolve our art to a higher level.

bring it.

if someone you know is copying you? maybe the person is not fully aware that they are, but you can definitely see it in their work. do you:

a) confront the person & tell them to stop copying most EVERYTHING that you do

b) ignore it and step it up. take your art, your style to another level where it will take some time before they start copying you again

c) be flattered / quit tripping / get over yourself / you are overthinking, over-analyzing this too much again / move on / nothing is original / we are all copies of those who came before us

i just want to say that i really hate having an ego; it rears its ugly head from time to time and turns me into a hateful, resentful human being. but hey at least i admit it. i also believe i have valid reasons; i resent that i worked hard and put in years to develop my style only for this person to take it and receive instant glory, because they are more popular than i am and have more friends than i do. i wish i didn’t think about this stuff but unfortunately i do. the graffiti subculture raised me to have an ego and i’m trying to undo it but it’s proving to be difficult. the creator made us this way; he/she/it made us to be walking contradictions – to be full of peace, love, happiness but to also have chaos, hate, destruction and a free will.

i am going to start drawing not-so-pretty things, like penises and satanic faces. i wonder if this person will copy me then. there, i finally said it.

Man must protect himself. He cannot depend upon the supernatural — upon an imaginary father in the skies. He must protect himself by finding the facts in Nature, by developing his brain, to the end that he may overcome the obstructions and take advantage of the forces of Nature.

Is there a God? I do not know.

Is man immortal? I do not know.

When I became convinced that the Universe is natural — that all the ghosts and gods are myths, there entered into my brain, into my soul, into every drop of my blood, the sense, the feeling, the joy of freedom. The walls of my prison crumbled and fell, the dungeon was flooded with light and all the bolts, and bars, and manacles became dust. I was no longer a servant, a serf or a slave. There was for me no master in all the wide world — not even in infinite space. I was free — free to think, to express my thoughts — free to live to my own ideal — free to live for myself and those I loved — free to use all my faculties, all my senses — free to spread imagination’s wings — free to investigate, to guess and dream and hope — free to judge and determine for myself — free to reject all ignorant and cruel creeds, all the “inspired” books that savages have produced, and all the barbarous legends of the past — free from popes and priests — free from all the “called” and “set apart” — free from sanctified mistakes and holy lies — free from the fear of eternal pain — free from the winged monsters of the night — free from devils, ghosts and gods. For the first time I was free. There were no prohibited places in all the realms of thought — no air, no space, where fancy could not spread her painted wings — no chains for my limbs — no lashes for my back — no fires for my flesh — no master’s frown or threat — no following another’s steps — no need to bow, or cringe, or crawl, or utter lying words. I was free. I stood erect and fearlessly, joyously, faced all worlds.

…Let us be true to ourselves — true to the facts we know, and let us, above all things, preserve the veracity of our souls.

Source: Why I Am Agnostic

^ not a fan of tribal, but something about this photo really makes me want to get something similiar…

There are some fundamental Universal Laws & Truths when it comes to practicing magick.

Key Elements of Successful Spell Casting:

• 1. Like attracts Like – what you are focusing on is what you wil attract. If you focus on the problem or what you don’t want. Even though you say you don’t want it, because you’re energy is caught up in that negative emotion you will attract more of the same.
• 2. Faith & Certainty. In order to successfully cast a spell you must have absolute certainty that what you want to have happen will. There is no doubt, hope or longing. You know and so it becomes!
• 3. YOU are the key ingredient to a spells success. As it is your energy and focus that will determine the outcome of the spell.
• 4. It is strongly recommended that you cast your own spells. As often people will position themselves as witches and offer to cast a spell for you – and they are not aligned to what it is you want, as they are not true magickal practitioners. As any true white witch would tell you that YOU are the best person to cast your own spell, for the reason your energy is closer to the outcome than anyone elses.
• 5. And harm ye none. You Never Ever Ever look to go against another’s free will. Meaning you do not try to make them love you, or do anything you desire. We each have the right to choose for ourselves. We also are to never wish revenge or pain or suffering onto another.
• 6. The Rule of Three is that if you go against the right of another to free will and spell cast to make them do something. Feel something or have something happen to them – you will invoke the wrath of the Rule of Three and encounter something back tha tis three times in magnitude of your wrong doing.

The STATE of CREATIVE (Where it stands)

Another fellow Creative emailed me a short while ago asking me my opinion on where and how a Graphic Designer should look for work. Since Creative temp agencies are clearly well-known to be a complete waste of our time, and the ads on CL aren’t any better, then what to do in this horrible job climate?

I have concluded that our industry (Creative) is flat-lined…..DEAD! Unfortunately, it’s been that way for a long time and I don’t see it getting better anytime soon. Not only are reputable businesses not hiring, the ones (not so reputable) that are hiring are offering ridiculously below market insulting wages, asking the world of skill and experience and willing to pay next to nothing in an effort to devalue our industry…..BIG TIME! This is completely unacceptable and why I as a professional Graphic Designer/Art Director (over 20 years experience) and professional photographer am seeking to change careers entirely.

I lost my full time gig 3-years ago (spent 10 years at my last full time gig) and have had only a handful of small projects since. I have worked steadily through recessions before as a freelancer and have even obtained full time positions, but not this time. Our industry is DEAD, plain and simple.

Now having said all this, I am still marketing myself, answering ads and cold-calling, cold emailing prospective employers. I send out thank you letters for the very few interviews I may get and I make follow up phone calls and, most importantly, I refuse to give into discouragement. Also, just as important, although I am willing to negotiate my fee and salary requirements WITHIN REASON, I refuse to allow myself to be taken advantage of and be low-balled by these sleaze-ball, sinking ship scumbag “businesses”.

What’s the answer for Creatives?? You can either retrain for another career, or continue to weather the storm and fight the battle to get that job and salary that you deserve for your hard-earned skills. If you choose to hang in there and fight, then don’t settle for less. Don’t work for free with the hope of false promises of “exposure”, “credit” “future pay” and other bullshit as such. Don’t allow yourself to be used as slave labor for $12 an hour (which isn’t even an entry-level wage for a student in this industry). Flag ads from this forum (which is just about all of them) from businesses that seek to exploit this recession and teach these scumbag “business” owners that they WILL get what they pay for, which is junk-looking amateur work for low pay.

Hang in there, stand your ground and don’t give up or settle for less. Keep trying.

i do love these illustrations though.