:: a r t o f c r a i g h a m i l t o n ::

Book Two - Identity: Zero

2009-10-12T12:34:00.014-04:00

Pardon Our Dust as I expand the universe...

2009-10-05T10:34:00.003-04:00

Hey bloggers,

It took me some time to sort through my blogging priorities and found out a lot of great things along the way of my realization. For one, if you are hanging onto my posts in suspense, don't. Ironically, I don't really like to post here, on the contrary, I post on my tumbleblog alot more frequent, almost constant. With that, if you want a more comprehensive view of me, feel free to follow or RSS that. Otherwise, this blog will be only feed artwork, no critque or insight. I appreciate you all following and your support.

I've been currently involved in digitally cataloging my work, particularly, my slew of sketchbooks that range in mediums from ballpoint, pencil, and paint...

Anyway, i digress, expect that every Friday, beginning Oct. 9th, a series of consecutive posts and excerpts from each sketchbook, in page succession.

Feel free to lend your insight and commentary either by email, or by DISCUS comments (coding that into the posts...)

Peace and love.

Hip Hop <-> Rap

2009-02-22T20:06:00.000-05:00

There's been a question that I've been thinking about for some time now. The question is, what makes something Hip Hop? Or rather, what makes someone a Hip Hopper? I guess what I mean is what characterizes Hip Hop (What are the guidelines for accurately labeling someone a Hip Hopper)? When I asked this question before to others, they just told me that one just has to be a practitioner of one the 4 main elements (breaking, graffiti, rap, dj) to be a Hip Hopper. But when I thought about it, to claim that would make all the mainstream rappers [who a lot of hip-hoppers say aren't hip hop] actually hip hoppers as well. And that would make every and any DJ or graffiti artist a hip hopper. So then the question arises (just like the other question), what makes someone a member of the Hip Hop culture? Is someone a Hip hopper just by being a dancer of the bboy style, a rapper, graffiti artist, or DJ?

My response:

Correction:

Hip Hop is just that: a culture, however in the realm of music, the similarities blur. The standing is that rap, the music form, is a superimposed, glorified image over the facade of the hip hop lyricist. On one hand, the hip hop lyricist aims to become more than his words thought means of almost masturbatory fixation on experimenting with words and word interaction, the rap artist forgoes that for formulaic, almost predictable diction aimed solely on the scene of a party atmosphere. The hip hop lyricist sets apart from the rapper primarily on the observance and integration of the other elements of music generally. This sole act of artistic inclusion produces a work that aspires for something outside of music and leads to more of artistic interpretation.

Simply put, hip hop derives its influences from other genres, styles, even motifs from other forms of music, performance art (i.e turntablism), and cultural parallels (language barriers are transcended in the form of graffiti. Graffiti in its artistic core, is solely the flamboyant display of someone's persona or moniker in the form of color and form.)

Rap is the PERSONIFICATION of what a lyricist seems to be, however doesn't aspire for intellectual analysis. In its place, a glorified persona is born, a mask or a costume, a grand superimposed image of the lyricist; the ego of a wordsmith. Generally the sentiment goes to hip hop being "true", for its intangibility and visceral attempt (or more or less, goal as it seems) to be untreated artistic expression and doesn't respond well to varying palettes. Rap is what hip hop isn't (music speaking) and vice versa. Not to single anyone out however, Rap, in its own respects, carries the culture as the bearer of hip hop cultural impact and solutes them down into what the mainstream CAN accept. Rap can be granted this importance to hip hop, culturally speaking, that hip hop just isn't designed to travel in the mainstream, with its very nature based on introversion and particularity.

Rap, as it must, survives solely in the mainstream, alongside in recent times with pop sensations and it's ties to R&B in recent years (a personification of Soul music, specifically Motown), as the "spokesman" to hip hop. Personally, I may not agree with it, however, i can attribute Rap to many hip hop participants' introduction to hip hop music from the consequent distaste of rap music in recent years into an increasing number of individuals aligning themselves to the idealist culture of unapologetic self expression. Following rap, however, isn't this. Rap can be declared to exactly what you see in the mainstream media and upon further analysis, can be concluded as structured lyricism, mainstream cultural trends and the metamorphosis therein, and, in all respects, promoted imagery. Hip hop transcends all of that, and displaces itself from Mainstream by obscure gestures in conglomerating styles (surviving within other forms of music such jazz, funk, soul, etc., all as its components, hip hop music is a mash up combination of these music genres, if a sound had to distinguish Hip hop), cultural jargon (words, phrases that appeal to some, not all listeners. Think inside joke, some get it, others don't.), and the individual's identity as a ARTIST, not a musician.

I think that sums it up...(whew*)

2009-02-19T05:28:00.001-05:00

I had a dream this morning…

I was upon a mechanical cloud, riding over watercolor skies of blue washes and khaki kodiak plains below. It was truly beautiful. The air was pure. The breeze was strong. The sun was warm. It was a marvelous dream, filled with ice cream horizons and beautiful surmounts. Adventure plummelled into my lungs and haste gripped my veins. The most inspiring thing though, is that it was a sense of whimsy, childlike carelessness that I believed that I had long lost…Maybe my imagination is STILL there…Is yours?

Steam Demons, Pt.0

2009-02-17T21:57:00.003-05:00

Another long day, but damn, getting further in things. Presented a mini project that i worked on for automotive design studio today.

Ready? Its a movie concept, pretty dope. The instructor, Kyle, he told us for over the weekend to put together vehicle (cars, meaning that we are in Automotive design, duh…) concepts for today on exisiting movies (the main charcters or what have you or make up your own concept film…

I made “Steam Demons”, a film concept about, actually, a love triangle formed from the aspirations of two nerds and a female. The story takes place in the 1820s-30s, just before the rise of mass locomotive transportation, which would place this firmly in the Late Victorian era. Thus, i took a look at the art genre, steampunk, for themes for inspiration. Pretty dope, huh?

So the two guys, one a eccentric billionaire looking to expand his family legacy (or linage, whatever) and the other an already established modern “wizard” inventor/ tinkerer, compete in a race over a female they both fall in love with. (figures that women make you do the darnest things. LOL).

I’ll post the sketches for the vehicles in time, as soon as i photo document them…you will know..

-peace and love…

The "Steam Demons" Video Pitch

The Arrogance Complex: Embrace it or Escape it?

2009-02-16T13:46:00.000-05:00

Today so far has been trying me...A argument, or a conflict rather, between myself and an instructor of mine made apparent to me my lifelong struggle with being humble to my ideas or embrace m personal enthusiasm with my thoughts. Now i have no problem with taking a step down from being the center of attention. To be honest, i personally try to avoid it at all costs. I dont like to be singled out for my thoughts, whether its praise or pride, i rather share than to personally benefit from things in life.

This morning, I went to my Design Theory II class, in which we develop methods on how to explain design in terms of thought and abstract, things that explain the "feeling" behind why products are made in the first place. We were all assigned to brainstorm about various points or concepts of interest for a project to develop. Seperated into groups, each collective was to generate as many ideas as possible, ranging from new product ideas to larger, more abstract new systems of how a user involves themselves with something. Fine. Seems good. Each group then presents the brainstorm session in a presentation, explaining how the process went about and the results of that process. Now for this week, each individual was to develop one idea or concept developed from the group that they were involved in, particularly an individual pulls from the pool of concepts that their group came up with.

So, the group i was in, developed a large stroyline, featuring products and systems of living according to living Environmentally friendly, you know, living "green". Anyways, for my individual project (which was actually a collaboration of ideas with an individual in my group) was to create a modular home for the masses or an individual citizen. Simple to understand. Now, to support this claim of a 'green' home, i took the time to research on the aspects of being Environmentally friendly, particularly sustainability. Sustainability, briefly, is basically how one person or thing can contribute to its own preservation in an effort to perserve the environment it resides in, thus 'sustaining' its individual existance in that environment. So, my modular home concept was to provide housing as a product. Think Green House of the Future, however more like the house itself as a product. Like a mobile home, except in a urban surrounding. The goal of this sustainable house was directly correlated to the conservation of nature and the environment, yet still allow human development and interaction within nature.

Okay. Seems simple enough. A "green" home. Got it. Well, my instructor sure didnt...I presented my research, to at least show that i was THINKING about the project at hand. I brought my findings of what is sustainability and conservation as means to support WHY im designing a 'green' home and HOW this effects the people who would use it. Before i could even FINISH my first sentence on the subject matter, my instructor interrupts me...now, i know it seems really complicated, but i didnt even explain the finer points on anything yet. The instructor begins to criticize that my findings are "too complex" and "irrelevant" to the design task of coming up with an idea, branding it to a company that may product this hypothetically, and then developing the idea as a product concept. Now i can accept criticism. I embrace the opportunity, but if someone who is critiquing me refuses to see, in this case listen, to the entire thought, then the judgment can only be premature and seemingly rude. The instructor goes on to criticize my way of attempting to explain the concept, about the subject of sustainability and environmentalist views to be all "too expertise" for me...:O Are you serious? Really? basically saying that I think that im "too smart" to just do the normal and that i personally feel that i should do something extremely complex to make everyone feel dumb. Now, if that may the case, i never even stated it, because i was never able to FINISH a sentence...-_-.

At no point did i even hint at the sentiment of singling out anyone for their ideas, the other people in my class, such as a city car concept with some sort of environmental friendly aspect (expected of MOST of the students in my realm, since most are product and automotive design majors. Of course the students who design cars are going to do a car!) or a heart-monitoring device that promotes health awareness and allow for players' health to be analyzed. But to shoot me down before i even finish my statement is just plain rude, and in turn, condescending on the INSTRUCTOR's part, not mine. I even made a Keynote presentation, using visuals and factual data to accompany my concept, to illustrate why i was designing a house as a product. Not cool. Seriously.

The Instructor went on to single myself and another individual (who was in my group and helped the development of the idea) and discussed that i was wrong and shouldn't have thought such of a broad scope and pick something particular (basically telling me to dumb it down. -_-). Again, this isn't cool. I am deeply upset about the whole situation, even after she somewhat accepted the whole argument of WHY im doing such a project, because it was all out of disrespect and really her being very strong-willed and ignorant to our individual strengths, the instructor stating that im far too arrogant to be presenting the material the way i did; also to state that my vocabulary was far too large for the aim of this project.

If thats arrogance, please rethink education in your life...

End Quotes...

2009-02-15T12:33:00.000-05:00

“Today i looked forward, the past seems to be as a shadow”

Well, today’s Sunday, in the wake of Valentine’s Day, I’d thought I’d take the opportunity to begin this blog right…I havent really ever found affinity to write anything avidly except for poetry once a time long ago, but eh, im becoming dispirited in my routines that I think taking this moment to exercise this unseen, unrealized aspect of myself, that i should take it to heart and just note my thoughts. I just bookmarked this site, so i can use it as an excuse to vent, think in words, and blah blah to myself. In this post, I official declare my devotion to writing often. In that, I’d also like to state that this post will be echoed on all my social networks and personal blogs, hopefully that to accompany new friends, family, and admirers to enjoy what i think of at all times…

So there it is: my official declaration to apply myself to this site and my endeavors fully. Hope you enjoy the ride. It’s a new day…

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