Exercises in Writing

I've been dabbling in the idea of dedicating time to running Quiet Tiger. I think of this as a creative outlet for my writing. As a counter-balance to design. But like all things, it takes a lot of time, patience, and hard work. I have every intention of branding Quiet Tiger. And this week, I came closer to narrowing down what exactly it will be and what it will do. I felt like what happened over summer when I started Quiet Tiger was that I was taking a shot in the dark. I didn't know what I was doing or what I wanted. And unfortunately, that resulted in the failure that is The Fabrication Dept. But now I feel like I'm finally on track. I need Quiet Tiger as much as I need becausemaybe. And with that, I'm going to commit a portion of my time to making this work out.

It's a Small World!

Back in late July/early August, I was invited by Joey Chou to contribute to the It's a Small World show.  I met Joey one night when I was stopping by Flock Shop to drop off some new items on consignment. It just so happened that it was the same night as the opening of his solo show.  We struck up a conversation about Comic Con and cats, and how much we love Mary Blair...and the next thing I knew, I was invited to take part in this show.

Well, that show is finally here! I stopped by Gallery Nucleus yesterday, and all the pieces look amazing. You'll just have to see for yourself in person.

The Opening Reception is tonight from 7PM–10PM

Timed with the release of illustrator Joey Chou's latest children's book from Disney Press, a select group of talent will contribute work paying homage to this beloved and enduring theme of global peace. The book features Chou's illustrations interpreting the Sherman Brothers classic song written for the popular Disney park attraction.

This is an all-ages event. Meet some of the artists including Joey Chou who will be on hand signing copies of the new release.

Here's the schedule for the night so you'll know what to expect:

7pm-8:30pm: Joey Chou Book Signing

8pm: First Raffle Drawing - Signed copy of Joey's book and a new print from Seb Mesnard!

8:30pm: Patrick Awa, Israel Sanchez and Joey Chou start live painting demos.

9pm: Second Raffle Drawing - Signed copy of Joey's book and 2 signed Joey Chou prints!

10pm: Final Raffle Drawing - Finished live demo artwork by Joey Chou, Patrick Awa and Israel Sanchez!


Exhibiting Artists Include:

Joey Chou
Lorelay Bové
Patrick Awa
Brittney Lee
Becky Dreistadt
Patrick Hruby
Michelle Romo
Eric Diaz
Michael Fleming
Grace Lee
Brendan Wenzel
Justin Parpan
Israel Sanchez
Seb Mesnard
Griselda Sastrawinata
Rad Sechrist
Nellie Le
Pete Oswald
Mark Sperber
Winnie Ho
Olga Stern
Christian Robinson
Victoria Ying
Ryan Kramer
Alex Chechik
Kevin Chan
Sean Sullivan
Ryuku Uratsuji
Chris Turnham
Josh Parpan
Jesse Tise
Elizabeth Ito
Jing Wei
Ben Butcher
Brigette Barrager
Chris Sasaki
Claire Keane
Uwe Heidschoetter
Oliver Akuin
Edward Juan
Linda Kim
Jackie Huang
Patrick Raines
Eren Blanquet
Drake Brodahl

Rethinking Relocation

I've been considering for some time now, the possibility of moving to Minneapolis after graduation. I've grown tired of making dream job lists that just scream "Get the hell out of LA!" The fact of the matter is, most of the firms out here just aren't doing the kind of work I want to be doing. And the people who are doing that kind of work...they're kinda like a rare breed of individuals, who run their own studios and run in the same circle of friends as the other individuals who run their own studio. It sometimes feels like it's an exclusive club that everyone wants to be a part of but no new kid knows how to get into. The only logical explanation I can come up with is to move to Minneapolis, work at some of the places (or similar places) I want to work at, then come back and start my own gig. I'll always have a place in my heart for LA (or more accurately, LA county). Sure the cost of living is high, and there have been many things said about it being fake, lacking culture & a sense of history. But that's what I love about it. It doesn't care. It's as individual as the people who occupy it.

Madewell was Made for Me.

Last week I received a catalog in the mail from Madewell. I almost entirely forgot that I had requested one in the first place. But upon first sight, I was instantly in love. From the typeface choices to the styling, I knew that this was a brand I can stand behind. And then, I found out that they were part of J. Crew. I don't necessarily hate J. Crew. I just remember some of the animal rights controversy they were involved with in the past. But Madewell is a very different brand and demographic than J. Crew. It has a very uniform and utilitarian feel to it. And I'd like to give them the benefit of the doubt since it was just PETA that gave them hell in the past for where they got their fur and wool. (Sure as a cat owner and animal lover, I'm not cool with animal cruelty. But PETA hasn't exactly exercised favorable behavior either.)

Over the weekend, I met up with my bff Nisa who currently works at American Apparel at the corporate level. Nisa and I have been wearing American Apparel since our high school years and we remember when they used to only have 5 products. And whether or not a shirt was printed on American Apparel used to be the deciding factor in which online stores we would support. Well fast forward about a decade, and American Apparel is now this huge ever-expanding thing that just doesn't know when to stop (even when they're in financial trouble). Vintage watches & eyewear? Beauty products? WHAT?! We went from owning just a few American Apparel tees to wearing American Apparel every day. I wear at least 1 article of clothing from them every day. Nisa, for obvious reasons, wears American Apparel head-to-toe every day, but she was wearing them long before she got the job.

But what we laughed about over lunch was how we're still stuck on uniforms. We both attended Catholic school for 12 years of our lives where we had to wear uniforms every day. And every since we graduated from high school, we've managed to create our own uniform from pieces of different brands. Nisa has a rule about wearing mostly oxford shirts and cardigans. I have a specific color rule: I own mostly white, greys, black. With the exception of darks. So I can have color, but they have to be the dark shades of colors. So colors like navy, forest green, deep purple, burgundy, etc. Sure, some people think our wardrobe is boring, but it suits us just fine. The case we make for it is that everything in our closets will always match. We never have to worry about getting dressed and having our clothes not match. We can seriously be blindfolded and pick stuff from our closet and everything will match.

So what does Madewell have anything to do with this? Well Madewell looks like the next logical wardrobe upgrade. This year I'll be turning 25. I'm starting to hit that late 20s/early 30s age where I'm starting to transition out of young adulthood. And as comfy as an American Apparel V-neck is, it's not always going to be the appropriate choice. I've been looking to upgrade my everyday uniform from V-necks and jeans to casual button-ups with jeans. It's only been a matter of finding something I really like.

Here are some of my favorite looks:

And last but not least,

 this is my absolute favorite outfit!

I Finally Want to Use You

I'm so happy that Google finally changed the Blogger Interface. It just looks so clean and current. The old interface just felt very outdated...like the early 2000s. The new interface makes me really want to use Blogger. But I really just wish Blogger had better templates. Or at least be easier to edit the html so I can make my blog look the way I want it to.