I've been watching Johnny Cupcakes videos on YouTube lately and I wanted to illustrate a fun and gimmicky portrait of the man himself. Johnny Cupcakes was created by an innovative and business driven individual, Johnny Earle, whose main motto is "Do More Of What Makes You Happy". He believes that anyone and everything can succeed in doing what they love if they put 110% into it and never take no for an answer. So I did what I love which is Graphic Design and came up with this. I wanted to bring out the personality and identity of Johnny by turning him into a baker. He's the "head baker" of his clothing brand and although, many people may not know his store sells clothes instead of cupcakes, the story that comes with the experience of the store/brand is always a treat. Slut. Whore. Little Bitch --These are a few of the names people know her by. But after finishing this book within 1 day, I would call Asa Akira a beautiful and very talented writer. From the moment I purchased this book, I didn't know what to expect. Could this be just a book about being in love with porn? Are we going to get to know her outside of her adult film lifestyle? Obviously, I've known Asa for her work as a pornstar and podcast DVDASA with artist David Choe, but I clearly wasn't aware of her being such a fascinating writer. As the first couple of words from Chapter 1 rolled of my tongue, I knew that this was going to be an interesting and one-of-a-kind read.
The book shows the evolution of an individual who knew that one day she wanted to do something related to sex in the future to being crowned The Anal Queen and winning multiple awards, including Performer of the Year by one of the top Adult Conventions worldwide. Each chapter goes in to depth with some of the most provocative, heartfelt and enticing scenarios I've ever imagined can happen to anyone. As I read page after page, I would find myself stopping at certain parts of the Chapters where she would mention names, songs and videos she was filming. I would listen to those songs, watch the videos she was shooting for and Google people that she was involved with. By doing this, it made me connect with her. It made me feel like I was right there with her listening, watching and interacting with these things too. Overall, I definitely would put this book at the top of one of my favorite books read--not because of the endless sex stories that are filled in this book--for the connection and the no bullshit/no sugar coating/no fucks are given/real-life experiences she spreads throughout each page. Asa seriously tells it how it is, how it should be and how anyone/everyone shouldn't be ashamed of what they believe in and what they love. I'm very thankful I had the opportunity of meeting Asa at her booking signing at The Hundreds store. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone and if you are interested in grabbing a copy, check out Amazon for deals on this book. After being almost a year since I graduated from San Francisco State University, I find myself walking on the old stomping grounds of where I used to study, stress and basically everything you can imagine a college student goes through. I felt nostalgic roaming the halls of where I spent most of my time at SFSU and seeing new design work up on the walls made the place even more anew to me. As I was heading to Jack Adams Hall for the Design Exhibit, I ran into one of my professors Heidi Dunkelgod. It was nice catching up with her and seeing the old classroom I used to hang out with my friends and had most of my classes in.
Heading up the staircase to the exhibit, I then ran into another professor of mine, Joshua Singer. He was my Graphic Design 1 professor where I learned that the fundamentals of C.R.A.P. is very important in the Design World. Right as I walk into the Exhibit, I see a bunch of lit-up boards and design projects everywhere. The overall vibe of the exhibit felt like a modern Science Fair with the way the booths were built and the layout was organized. I actually enjoyed this year's exhibit theme because it was more spacious and executed well compared to last year's exhibit. It was a pleasure to get a sense of how the new Design Students viewed the world and what methods they used to bring their ideas/concepts to life. I felt like the exhibit showcased more of the Product Design side of DAI which I was very impressed by (considering I was a Graphic Design student). After a couple of glimpses at all the designs, I made my way to catch up with old classmates and professors I haven't seen in the longest time. Hearing all their stories and what they have been up to made me feel like I was growing up and the reality of me being an SFSU alumni finally hit me. 3 hours later, it was time to call it a day and me, Paul and Sho took one stroll down memory lane in the Design Halls. I am proud of all the new students who are holding it down for the DAI program at SFSU and one day, you'll look at your work and feel just as grown up as I did today. If you are in the area, I suggest checking out this exhibit. It is located at San Francisco State University inside Jack Adams Hall. Today I went to visit Fifty24SF Gallery to check out Nychos' stuff again, but this time with Camille and with less people. I was glad I was able to get some decent shots without having to maneuver around people. After seeing it the 2nd time around, the art still gave me the same type of feelings I had the first time I saw it. If you are in SF or around the area, seriously ... check out this Art Show. You won't be disappointed!
NOTE: Photos were taken with my DSLR and camera phone. I had the pleasure to attend one of my favorite artist's art show grand opening in San Francisco at Fifty24SF Gallery. Nychos is heavily known for his unique and mortifying art style of splitting up people, animals and just about anything you can imagine. His ability to illustrate the anatomy of various things is so fascinating and gruesome at the same time. Here are a few shots I was able to take in a small room filled with people in it. Bare with me as I plan to take another visit to the gallery for a better opportunity to take shots when there aren't so many people around. Until then, enjoy these.
Today, Make-A-Wish Foundation has turned one young boy's dream of fighting crime and saving helpless civilians into reality. Miles Scott, a 5-year old boy diagnosed with leukemia, wished to become his favorite superhero for the day, Batman. Therefore, San Francisco took its time to transform itself to Batman's well-known city, Gotham City. Here is a piece I've created to honor Miles and his amazing story which helped me understand that anything is possible if you believe in yourself and never give up. Thanks Miles! For more information about Miles' story, click here.
Just got my Mike Mitchell Breaking Bad portrait prints in the mail today! I am very satisfied and happy I made these purchases because I always wanted to own a piece by Mike Mitchell. He is truly an inspiration to me and his artwork is among the most unique styles I've ever seen. If you want to see more of Mike Mitchell, check out his website here.
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Aug 4 - LOONA @ The Midway
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