Fly

Link of the Day

Erykah Badu Artwork

Emek could be seen as the resident artist for Erykah Badu's brand since his style dominates her album cover art, concert posters, and other paraphernalia she graces (see the label for her Kiehl's lotion bottle). His signature illustration/design aesthetic is reminiscent of the 60's psychedelic era with gradations, popping colors and curvilinear type.

Typically I'm not a fan of anything psychedelic but I think Emek has added his own twist that makes it unique and beautiful. Besides, I love Erykah Badu and this style is so appropriate for her brand. See more here and here.

Love this line from his bio page, "Emek graduated with a Major in Art, and a Minor in Unemployment." The perpetual story of an artist.

Jeune Arabe

I saw this beautiful Kees van Dogen painting in an old Sotheby's auction catalog and was intrigued. I'm not too familiar with this artist but quickly became a fan when I saw more of his paintings clearly indicative of the Fauvism period. This painting went for nearly $14 million. 

Juanjo Oliva

Fantabulous looks from Juanjo Oliva. Thanks, Elena, for the great link!

Link of the Day

Amanda Diva's new show on AOl Black Voices.

Structurally Fabulous

Would you wear any of these beautiful pieces from Tina Kalivas? I would, especially dress number 2.

The Kouklitas

Amazing fashion rag dolls dolls designed by artist/illustrator Andrew Yang. Love those little Converse chucks on the middle doll. Super fab!

Link of the Day

The Best Cities for Young Adults, link via GOOD Magazine.

FGOTW

Who? Lichiban

Where? Descended from the cosmic womb in a border town in Hungary; been living the life of the spiritual nomad crossing borders-real and imaginary-ever since. For now, I live and work in Brooklyn, NY the home of the brave!

What do you do? I am a visionary, urban nomad, flow expert, universal citizen-artist, and lover. I envision, create visual realities and manifest the invisible for a living—my life is truly magical, despite the financial inconsistencies that come with being a freelance artist in this depressed economy. I am first and foremost a painter, but I do illustration, graphic design, art direction (videos and photo shoots) and produce art related events for a living. 

What inspires you? Anything and everything: The Sun, the cosmos, children, gods &goddesses, mythological characters and superheroes, survivor stories, comic books, erotica, fresh typography & design, tribal art, traditional architecture, the urban jungle, my power animals, beauty that reflects the heart, mystical poetry, music, the search for enlightenment, my artist friends and the bounty of Mother Nature!

Why are you fly? I am who I am — I have embraced my flaws and love myself enough to know that the true diamond is within-but you have to work on perfecting it. I love to live and I am living my dream following my true passion. I am a lover and a seeker, and I won’t give up until I reach my destination. To be fly is to elevate yourself from the plainness of not doing YOU!

Advice: I believe that the key to a happy life is finding a way to express your flow and feeling the satisfaction from doing what you love on a daily basis. In my experience and those of my other friends who have advanced their carrier as artists, there are always going to be challenges and disappointments but it is ultimately 99% about the journey and how you grow and handle yourself and only 1% about the goal. Don’t be afraid to say yes to what you really want to do with your life and be willing to take risks and make sacrifices to achieve your dream (though I’d say don’t make sacrifices that will make you feel later in life that you sold yourself out or were untrue to yourself). And if you find out that what you wanted is not making you happy anymore, just pull back, do your soul-searching, and try yourself in something else that is drawing you. Give up the self-doubt and just do it! And do it with love.

Building Characters

From mixed media artists Pirates. See a video of their work here and images of their work here.

Paper Jungle

Beyond beautiful set design by Studio Toogood. Love the two-dimensional flowers, zebra, and tiger. There are more pics to see, check them out here.

Link of the Day

I'm a sucker for stop-motion! These new videos featuring the wonderful wares and fashions from Philly's own Topstitch Boutique definitely fit the bill for my stop-motion fix. There are three so be sure to check out all of them.

Creative Tip of the Week

Get off the computer and get out.
Easier said than done, right? We have so many sites to visit, emails to answer, tweets to tweet who has time to step away? And that's only on the social end. What about getting your work done. If your job requires you to be on the computer 40 hours a week then it's super hard to get away. Well I'm here to say it's important to take a break from surfing, blogging, designing, writing — whatever it is you do on the computer. Why? Well, we really need human interaction, fresh air, and fun moments to keep us from going digitally insane. [[read on]]

Striking Ladies

More gorgeous photos from Ghubar Magazine.

Janelle Monáe in Philly

Cute poster for Janelle Monáe's show here in Philly at Johnny and Brenda's.