ding!!

Finally got some decent work~

Soon I will start doing music album reviews for Reviewyou.com!

I'm very psyched and spent all week making a new (music specific) blog  at 1337 Bards and website.  I can't wait to start listening and critiquing new music.  It's difficult to have an opinion this day & age, especially a critical one.  It feels ironic to get this job, as my personal opinion has caused me so much trouble throughout my life.  Now, I feel somewhat vidicated, yet hesitant not to let my hubris take the wheel and crash into something.  I must admit my favorite critic, especially of music, is Simon Cowell.  I don't always agree with his opinion, but I appreciate his fierce honesty.  I'd like to try and personally land somewhere between him & Paula Abdul, firm & honest, yet nice and complimentary.  

This is an odd turn considering I was trying to become an artist.  But, considering this economy, I'll take what I can get.  Need me to get back into music?  I'm there.  Hopefully I'll still have time to maintain my art.  Soon I plan to release an electronica EP of sorts, so I'll be venturing down yet another online creative avenue.  Its hard not to spread oneself thin with all this mediocre talent.  WAhahah!  

I'd rather go slow and be well-rounded then go fast and ruin my end-game.  \( ^_~)/

I want to be help in all artistic medium possible.  I want to create art, music, writing ...  trying to make a game for 8 years has really changed my perspective & forced me to broaden my horizons.  At this point, perhaps I am becoming more of a creative consultant of assistant director.  The work load is heavy, but if I keep at it, I still dream one day of producing a game I helped write, draw & compose for.

In the mean time, watch out amateur bands!  My pen could hold the fate of your future fame!!

(scary thought, huh?) ^^;

Hollywood: FFXI fanfest '08

So LA was pwn.  One of the best vacations of my life if not the best.  However, hollywood is a great place to visit, I would never want to live near there.  The claustrophobia of looking in every direction and seeing city, even from the plane the sea of lights is only quelled by the ocean's darkness.  Every night I could feel the building sway (19th floor) to the rhythm of the minor earthquakes, even so much as insomniac flash episodes, waking up swearing we were about to tip over.  But after I got over that, I really started to enjoy it.  Its amazing how so many millions live with the movement and think very little of it.  How many breath the smog, live the dream in a pool of danger and poison -truly angelic- blissfully (greedily) ignorant of the environment.

My picture made the wall!!  Close, so close.  I achieved my goal, so next year the goal is the top 3.  I already have a secret plan for my picture riddled with inside jokes and rmt pwnage.

Lerra got 2nd place in the cosplay contest!!!  So glad she entered even after not making finals last year.  Was great fun, aside from the surround system otw as prize, the best reward was getting to tag along with her and take pictures, and get autographs.  Meeting Kumi and Sage is a very high point for me;  I have so much respect for what they do (composer and GM).  We've listened to Tanioka's music since FFXI and crystal chronicles, so it was awesome to get to thank her for all the amazing music that helps to inspire my daily life.  Sundi is just an RMT killing machine & a online sociological genius who has helped make FFXI the game I love today.  It is difficult to say what a privilage it was to be there with her snapping photos.

I love all my FFXI friends!  We had a ton of fun.  The Hilton bathroom will now forever reak of medicinal buds because of the part of the shell that's so damn hip.  Rice krispies and a some of the phattest Kb i've ever tasted.  Great times were had by all, whahahaha!  Now if only colorado could catch up to that sort of understanding, my artistic ability would flow more freely.  We also had good talks about the game, social interaction, and made plans for the future of America's oldest and greatest FFXI Linkshell:  Blackrose.

Thanks to all my friends for making it amazing.

It will never be forgotten...  a new high (turning) point in my life, I am ready to kick some ass irl!

With the absense of new jobs, I will now start the Samurai, Monk, or Ranger path.

Bard is a burdon, Blue mage is mediocrity (though I really enjoy it still, I will never be a heavy hitter, and that reality takes a toll) but I will keep persuing blu merits until i romp.  But the next lesson for me is how to handle damage dealing.  Buffer, Hybrid, DD - WOOT!

FFXI > all 4evers

^^y

Bo0k of t3h FACE

I didn't expect it really... 

but joining this community of old friends is really inspiring.  They're all doing so well that its pushing my creativity into overdrive for some reason.  Memories of doing well, working hard, and actually being proud of it... I had that in highschool somehow and lost it in the fake world.  There are so many parts of my personality from then I have duely vivasected, I had forgotten how much fun we had as well!  The memory can truly play horrible tricks, but now I feel comforted.  I expected to maybe know a small handful of people, but here it is the first night and I have a list of friends.  It means more then anything to me when peeps can just pick-up the conversation where it left off, ya' know?  So its been 5-9 years?  So WHAT?  I'm even more interested to here from them.  I have no guilt for them.  I only have love & a foundness for the memories of my friends & hope to build on those.  I don't think I realized how much I missed everyone.  All the same, there are parts of myself I will never miss that had to be worked on.  I hope any friends who actually read this accept my apology for needing time to grow, lose & find myself again.  Things really are looking up.  I owe all of this courage, love, healing & help to Lauren for showing me how to love, to love her, to love myself, to love everything.  I am no longer the constant sinic, however still critical as ever (balance is true love) just now more focused.

My greatest Music teacher, Mr. Dickson, once pulled me aside and looked me in the eyes once to engrain an old saying in my brain:  "Julian, learn to pick your battles... so you can win the war."  

Now that the battles in my brain are not as serious, I can begin to help others.  

This new begining is very difficult...  but for the first time in a very long time I am working and having fun again.

I missed my friends so much.  /cheers to determination, confidence & seeking happiness ^^

Final Fantasy XI Art Contest

To FFXI Fanfest!! 

I can't wait to go to Hollywood.  really in big hopes that my moogle makes the top cut so that i at least know i have what it takes to put some work into a piece and maybe win one.  If not, oh well, we'll be at one of my favorite places in the world (fanfest, not really hollywood, i've never been there b4).  I hope this is a big step to becoming a professional freelancer, despite it just being a competition.  Some of my favorite artists *might* be there, so i'm already a little nearvous.  Can't wait for the new expansion, really hope we get a new job.  =)

Going pro

Well, it took a few months, but I am about to make my first real business transaction for art.  

Here is a blue light render of the piece;  Azure Harp

It still sorta amazes me that this is possible, that people actually want to pay good money for my work.  It means a lot to me because I am technically an artistic inspired amateur, and not really school trained.  With the exception of elementary art and an intro to art class in college, I am self taught.  Most of which comes from being incredibly bored in school and drawing on my papers.  I even had a few regular teachers in high school who would give me extra credits for doodles on math and english homework, though most teachers hated it and wouldn't allow me to draw saying it detracted from my studies.  Too bad art is my meditation and I can't really remember without it.  So many pontificators are full of themselves, too egotistical to understand that most of us ADD & ADHD types require other methods of study and note taking.  I guess that's why it feels so good to be getting noticed for something I was usually punished for.

To all the teachers who let me draw in non-art classes, I owe a debt of gratitude for trusting that my style was different, and I was still paying attention even if I was multitasking.  Funny how what is punished in school is often "what it takes" to make it;  in a world with so much competition, it is a rough time for the specialists.  

I am hoping to take the first profits I make to fund some supplies & xmas presents.  This is so fantastic because I was sure I'd be broke around the holidays, yet again.  Hopefully this year is a turning point in my life;  most of my personal healing is working & now I feel at least more capable of succeeding in anything.  Eventually I hope to add music production and rendered animation to my resumè.  

Thank you Will for being my first customer.^^

I hope the Harp brings you as much happiness in World of Dungeons as it brought me drawing it.

Deviations

Researching other independent artists and amazed at the communities.
Deviant art links otw^^

Deviant Tarutau

Innovation

Learning how to weave in some videos & now Lively.
This stuff is quite amazing. The potential is really great once they make it so we can program in variables, if/then statements, etc., if ever. But for now I made a small gallery (the resolutions are awful and not professional at all) and put up some R.E.M. videos just to get the hang of things.

... Coming soon... games will conquer all media by forming the perfect interactive progression.