Happy Caturday
Oh, Snap: Throwback Thursdays
One of the biggest fads on Instagram these days is something called a ‘Throwback Thursday’ – it’s where you get those pictures of you with that crazy hair color, weird leggings, neon spandex, awkward family, amazing friends and embarrass the hell out of them using the powers of social media. There’s a little bit of hoopla surrounding what exactly what makes a picture a throwback: some argue that #TBT pictures should have been originally taken using stock or film photography; that cute picture of you from your sister’s birthday party last year does not constitute a throwback. But old school pictures, family albums, sporting events, after school activities and the early college years – in my book – are all equally available for use; just remember, if you’re easily embarrassed you might want to lay off of your friends – you never know what ridiculous artifacts could be resurrected for the entire internet to see!
Now, for the fun stuff – these are my favorite TBT snaps from the last few months – enjoy this trip down memory lane!
Quotable: Life is Beautiful
“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret; it is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
[The Audiofiles] Art is What You Can Get Away With
“Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is nonexistent.”
—Jim Jarmusch
It’s said that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery – but when it comes to imitating art, do those imitations hold the same intrinsic value? The video series below is called ‘Everything is a Remix‘ and it’s genius comes from the brain of Kirby Firguson. I’ve restarted, deleted, rearranged and re-conceptualized this post a thousand times in search of the perfect pairing of words, but it’s hard to come to a head on what in the 21st century is truly considered art and what we should brush off as an amateurish imitation; or, conversely – is it possible to be both?
The fact of the matter is that we are not the sum of original thoughts or novel ideas; we’re the product of rearrangement – down to the genes we inherit from our parents. Originality can still be reached – but we have to realize that in order to evolve, we first have to master ourselves The problem with creativity in the 21st century is that more than ever, money becomes a factor in either gaining technology or notoriety; doubly so in the music industry
It’s not exactly news that hip-hop and pop artists have been stealing the beats from producers in the electronic community – but in today’s day and age, communities of both music camps are more connected, and vocal, than ever. Yesterday, it came to light that will.i.am has fraudulently taken the instrumentals off of several top notch EDM tracks and reused them for his own benefit – but whether it’s to accredit him as a remotely talented artist, or to bring in music sales is beyond me (though I’m sure it’s more of the later.)
The tracks in question are ‘Let’s Go‘ featuring Chris Brown, which sounds an awful lot like a drunk college DJs remix of Mat Zo and Arty’s ‘Rebound‘, and ‘Bang Bang‘ – where the drop is literally jacked from Sandro Silva & Quintino’s ‘Epic.’ The irony of which is both songs came out around the Summer of 2011 – does he just assume that our short term memories are shot to hell?
The fact of the matter is this isn’t the first time it’s happened, nor will it be the last time. Back in 2011, ironically around the time when both jams in question were released – Avicii and Leona Lewis had a similar feud concerning the track ‘Collide.’ If you want to reach back even further, Hip Hop artists and Rappers have been entertaining this methodology for years with their mixtapes – you know that you’re made it if your beat’s continually being sampled. A friend of mine put it best this morning: Did the world hate Biggie for producing Juicy?
At the end of the day, this is my main issue: that the true artistic talent in the world will never be recognized because people in better paid positions will always be there to reap the rewards. On the flip side, there’s some notoriety in getting your music jacked for Top 40 listening pleasure: any press is essentially good press, and with the monetary settlement that I’m sure will shortly follow – these artists should be getting a pretty penny for frustrations but some notoriety within the pop music community as well.
Quotable: Conquer The Day
“Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end. It’s not a day when you lounge around doing nothing; it’s a day you’ve had everything to do and you’ve done it.”
― Margaret Thatcher
Music Monday: Everything in Moderation, Including Moderation
This was the first weekend in I don’t know how long that I didn’t stomp through the streets of Los Angeles in search of a delicious beat drop or some shenanigans in the sunshine. On Friday, I enjoyed some self discovery and a few moments of clarity during my arts & crafts infused Pixar movie marathon. Finding Nemo, Monster’s Inc, Toy Story 1-3; yeah. I did it! At one point, I looked to my bookshelf and pulled out my DIY Bible – Show Me How and decided it was time to start a few projects, so I pulled one out of the woodwork that I’d been itching to get done for a while: making a disco ball!
It was harder than it looks and I burnt my fingers more times than I’d like to actually admit; but the ends definitely justify the means and I’m more than stoked about the result. Once I get some more mirrored supplies I’m going to make a mini-fleet of them for family and friends; nothing better than getting a hand crafted gift from your favorite bouncy kitten and disco bunny, right? 😉
A little gift from Thailand!
I’m sure to some this might sound silly, but finding solid ladies to become friends with in LA has become more difficult than dating in this plastic town; so when I meet a girl that I think is down, honest and fresh I try to go above and beyond to cultivate that friendship. To boot, there are a lot of fun pepole in this town…the trick is to find people that you can have a philosophical conversation with until sunset and then party with until sunrise. So, on Saturday – I got to finally got the opportunity to cultivate one of those friendships. She just returned from a whirlwind trip to Thailand for their Full Moon Party; after spending an hour sifting through pictures of gorgeous beaches, culturally indigenous ceremonies and cuddly tigers I’m beyond convinced that my next vacation will drag me here =)
The weird thing about not going out at night is my ability to wake up with the sun – I have to admit that I actually like it; sometimes when you’re the only one awake it feels like the sun is putting on a show just for you and it makes you appreciate the beauty in the world.
In the afternoon, one of my close friends and her adorable little puppy – Maya – came over to kick it with the kitties and catch up on live, the universe (and the number 42). We shared some laughs, watched Wreck It Ralph, sipped on some chardonnay and I got a mouth full of slobbery puppy kisses – trust when I say no complaints from me!
To round out the evening, we did some graffiti hunting throughout the Melrose / Fairfax district – which if you’ve seen any of my Street Art segments the possibilities are endless! I found a lot of new stuff, but this is what spoke to my heart; and after hearing the stories from my friend about elephants in Thailand and studying up on the Hindu Elephant God, Ganesh /Ganesha – I think I know what I want my next tattoo to be!
Last but not least, noms were necessary – and potstickers are the key to my heart. Just throwing it out there but I could probably eat three whole orders and still have room for more 😉
So, now here I am – wide eyed and bushy tailed on this busy Monday morning; ready to take on the day and wishing you a wonderful one. If you’re not all about the day like I am, don’t fret – here’s a little somethin’ somethin’ to get you moving and groovin’ through your day:
Happy Caturday!
Miss Daisy
My Vampire Kitteh
Teamwork.
The Bouncy Kitty 
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