photo tuesday

in addition to my performing arts pursuits, I am a photographer as well. so every tuesday I will be uploading a picture from my portfolio.

this photo called 'pacific' was taken on pacific coast highway, I think just north of malibu but I dont know the exact location.

Tampa Remodeling P. 1

so as alluded to in an earlier post, I am very into the aesthetics of sports jerseys. growing up in the city of Tampa I was exposed to various tragedies in jersey design. each team in Tampa though has had its dark days of design, from the Tampa Bay Terror and their awkward shark, to the Rays faux-back powder blue alternates on display vs. boston last night. so I am going to address what each Tampa sports team could use to improve their overall design. starting with the team with the best logo in the city, but still susceptible to some silly mistakes, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

So the bucs have a really cool look to them, the red and pewter is very unique and distinct. when you see them on tv, they are hard to mistake with any other team, especially when they are playing in raymond james with a cool pirate ship. the biggest aesthetic offense the bucs are guilty of are these white pants they wear with white tops at least once a year, take a look. this all white look can be pulled off. however tampa is not penn state, the penn state helmets are predominantly white, thus the 'weight' of the helmet is not out of balance. on the tampa jerseys, particularly because the grey color is metallic pewter it appears as though the bucs players are top heavy and prone to fall over if they were to run at too much of an angle.

but what they should really do is wear the jerseys that got them their first win last year.

the youtube mashup

For four years I was in a bfa acting program. I can only really explain the program as equivalent to locking 20 massively insecure, self loathing narcissists, megalomaniacs (myself included) in a room together, making them work on projects, and generally encourage them to go even more insane. It was during this time I would sit in my dorm room, turn my iTunes on shuffle, and watch the tv on mute and cackle to myself. Then I started to surf youtube and make these mashups intentionally, so without further ado I encourage you to watch the visual on this video the best cat video you'll ever see and the audio from Prince's "Pussy Control."

Track of the day: G.R.I.N.D. (Get Ready Its a New Day) by Asher Roth

gary hustwit

it wasnt until six months ago when I got netflix instant that I really got a taste for documentaries. I have always had a minor obsession with typography and fonts stemming from the days when me and my father would attend tampa bay lightning games, at a time when tampa was really bad. so, with the hockey not worth watching I began to take an interest in the array of logos and typefaces around the ice palace, in particular the old numerical font for the lightning (the new one is so boring). The documentary Helvetica by gary hustwit really delves into the emotional connection which people instantaneously form with fonts and typography. Hustwit interviews designers of fonts who originally designed helvetica and the circumstances around the creation of it. Helvetica seems to articulate ideas that everyone has about the signage and design that surrounds us everyday. there are people in the documentary who have an entire artistic vocabulary which many of us have never even fathomed, but when spoken it makes perfect sense. For anyone else who is frustrated and stimulated by design in the world, particularly if you live in a hyper designed city like los angeles, Helvetica is an engrossing film that I have watched repeatedly to satisfy certain visual cravings.

last night I watched another of hustwit's documentaries, objectified. again I was totally blown away watching this movie. at one point the film delved into the design of the handle on a pair of hedge clippers which was absolutely amazing. understanding the thought and intention of every object we touch is amazing. as an artist who stands in front of people in a 'look at me' sort of way, seeing these other artists intentionally mining away in total anonymity but having a much more profound effect on people's lives it was pretty humbling. I go back and forth on how I felt watching this movie, from being completely absorbed by it, to feeling a slight depression at how fundamentally silly it is to worry about the handles on a pair of clippers.

I routinely feel overwhelmed by the world, and how vast it is. I have trouble going on vacation because actually putting a face to all these other people that exist is really troubling to me, and the fact that I will never get to know them, and that they have whole background stories, and commutes, and toasters and favorite t shirts is totally inconceivably huge. Objectified touches on that same idea, only considering objects instead of people. The amount of backstory which goes into something as simple as a toothpick which can be a deeper reflection of cultures is really inspiring. The documentary essentially views everyday items from an anthropologist's perspective, except, where as anthropological studies usually focus on historic or antique objects, this is about the present.

I highly recommend setting aside an evening to watch one of these movies then to sit and soak in the amount of design all around you.

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hello and welcome to andy wright's blog where you can keep up to date on the latest with andy wright.

I have just moved into a new apartment in los feliz. The whole experience makes me feel like more like an adult than I ever really planned on being. I have a job teaching kids how to play chess in the afternoons, which is a pretty sweet way to pay the rent if you ask me.

andy and his alter ego, randy warhol, whom you can friend on facebook, will be hitting the spotlight comedy club this friday night at 6pm for five minute set at 12215 ventura blvd.

today's track of the day, jack kerouac + chet baker "the unpublished book of blues/get lost"

Testing

Okay. So this isnt wordpress but it is eons simpler.