THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS

Shame my personal trainer doesnt like them as much as I do!

ALWAYS WHERE I NEED TO BE

SUMMER IS GONE - BUT I STILL HAVE YOU

A FEW WORDS FROM THE WISE

a very wise man indeed

Think big, brave and new

Be firm with what you believe in, but be flexible enough to recognise you may be wrong

Listen to the person next to you, you may learn something new

Play to your strengths, and allow others to support the few weaknesses

Most of all, just enjoy.

TALK IS CHEAP LATELY

I've been thinking lately about the high costs of communication in the emerging digital era. With the prevalence of text messaging, blogging, myspace, facebook, myface and spacebook (check - they're there) I'm left wondering whether this primarily Gen Y driven digital world we are living in is infact enriching the experience of communication or impoverishing it.

It seems that we have more access to information (and personal information at that) than ever before. We can make contact and be "friends" with almost anyone our hearts desire. But to what degree does this actually facillitate a meaningful and lasting connection? And to what extent can we trust the information we are supplied with when it is user-driven (and thus filtered).

I'm almost certain that a good majority of 'profiles' out there are edited to within an inch of reality. Created to protect individual weaknesses and ugliness from public scrutiny - conversely so to propagate fame, popularity and even profit.

But then, I'm also not a complete pessimist. I actually have faith that, like myself, there are others out there that value reaching out in the prospect of making a meaningful and enduring connection without compromising on the value of the communication, the integrity of the information and maintaining a sense of dignity, self-respect and moderation.

This said, there really is nothing in this world that can facillitate communication better than a person-to-person interaction. A letter written on paper beats a text message or email anyday. Talking rather than IM'ing is just easier to do and doesnt allow for loopholes in understanding, intent, thought and feeling. And looking at a friends holiday photos over a nice dinner and glass of wine far exceeds the experience of clicking through an online album.

OH TOM - STOP BEING SO "VULGAR"

Poor old Tom Ford, he just cant catch a break it seems!

Italy has deemed his latest advertising campaign for his ridiculously hot sunglasses as being "vulgar" and consequently has had all ads pulled from print and labelled "sexually explicit" on Fords website

Personally I think they are fabulous!

TIMBALAND

Contributing to a generation of poor usage of the English Language

Sorry dude. You may very well be an incredibly well-recieved pop singer and producer extraordinaire... but do you have to encourage the youth of today - the leaders of tomorrow, to use the english language so improperly?

While it may be hip and cool to say things like "wit 'chu" and "floss" I really hold some serious concerns for statements such as "can you handle me the way I are"

Enough of my rant for this morning. Turn up the volume and "get jiggy wit it" if you must.

WHERE FOR ART THOU?

Nylon, I have waited very patiently by my mailbox for your imminent arrival this month, but to no avail. Why do you tease me with your pretty cover and stories of my current favorites Clemence Poesy, Anja Rubik and Chloe Sevigny? I know you have already released your May issue and yet I still wait for April with such patience. Where in the world are you?

PS: I still want my T-Shirt and I haven't forgotten about that!

THIS GUY'S GOT TALENT

Tom Cooney Myspace

Tom Cooney Website

AS ONE LOVE AFFAIR COMES TO AN END

so too a new one begins...

IF YOU CAN BELIEVE IT – YOU CAN ACHIEVE IT and associated limitations Now I am all for “The Secret”. In fact, in many more ways than I care to describe, I have personally seen positive proof and support for the theory based on the laws of attraction. But there has to be said, that to some degree, there has to be an absolute limitation threshold at some point. Not speaking to anyone specific here, but sometimes believing is just not enough. We all spend time daydreaming and investing energy into things that we want to achieve in our lives. Heck, I have put into action, plans that were inevitably doomed to fail – however, in doing so, I have been open to all the possible consequences of asking the universe for what it is I desire. This doesn’t mean that there have to be a positive or negative consequence, it simply means that the positive outcome may not be as we imagined it. Take for example, my recent case of mistaken identity. Sorry to harp on about it again folks, but to preserve the sanity and respect the thoughts and feelings of the person that made this mistake, I have chosen to NOT post the 85 remaining comments waiting to be moderated in my inbox for public scrutiny. However, in my recent communication to said person to explain aforementioned circumstances, my point has clearly been missed. Or rather, they choose to overlook the realities of the situation. The simple fact remains – I will never be the outcome she was after. BUT I can say that I hope, as I do for all mankind, that the outcome bought a learning experience and by that, a positive change. What I am trying to get at here is – by all means, I think that we should all dream, and motivate ourselves to a point of actualizing these dreams. But something has to be said for positively pursuing the wrong things in life. Priorities should be abundance – in life, happiness, health, relationships and so forth. But positive pursuit of unhealthy obsessions could potentially lead to heartbreak and disillusion. At what point does one know that they are positively heading down a negative path? I don’t know that I can tell you the answer to that. What I do know is that its all about the ebb and flow, the give and take, the push and pull. To receive is to give and vice versa. Things materialize in ones life when they truly believe with heart and soul that they have given to the world and thus a mutual understanding between world and person combines to achieve. Think about what it is you are asking for. So, use that secret people – but don’t “expect” the results to materialize in the exact manner that you personally prefer. Expect that the results will have a positive consequence regardless of success or failure. To try is to learn.

MARTIN SMITH

In response to conversations with a therapist as a narrative device

Smith’s mechanism for production is quite methodical – even ritualistic. Carefully layering printed text over the chosen image and meticulously cutting into the surface of both layers facilitates the amazingly professional quality of each finished work. As Smith cuts into the photograph he is exercising a societal taboo; destroying printed images that, for some, can be the only visual by-product of life lived, whose value is all more tangible when that life has expired.

When exhibited, these works have a certain fragile aesthetic.

This combined with intimate and sensitive narratives implore the viewer’s full and careful attention, mirroring the value of a photograph as an honoured social artefact more so than a direct account of history. A precious facsimile of the mind’s eye.

Smith’s works on paper meld the visual and narrative, instantly provoking the viewer to find a link between remembering an image and its associations within their own written or spoken experience.

In a move toward three-dimensionality, Smith has swept up the fallen letters from his wall works and given them new birth as a generally familiar artefact of youth. ‘In response to conversations with a therapist as a narrative device’ is covered fully in the discarded letters of the wall works, and portrays the same tattered surface quality of that of a well-loved toy, conjuring up childhood narratives from the familiar confidant to the discarded and redundant.

‘Are you waiting for the darkness daddy’ highlights the same threads of significance of material possessions, which are all inevitably imprinted with memory and lived experience; recording on its surface ideas of worth and use within the owner’s life. The title however could be conveyed in either ominous or naïve ways, leaving the viewer the ability to formulate diverse meaning from the work.

April 23 – May 10, 2008

ryan renshaw gallery

I WANT TO MARRY A PRODUCER

A forwarded email excerpt that I just HAD to post!

By Ted Royer, Executive Creative Director of Droga5 New York

Producers are great. They are my favorite people in advertising. And I want to marry one. Since every single person I've met over the last 15 years works in advertising or some related industry, I've realized that I'm destined to marry an ad person. After a brief panic attack, I thought about producers and felt much better. I want to marry a producer.

I don't want to marry an account services person. Sure, they can take lots of pressure and abuse from the world, and they're organized (a definite prerequisite for my future spouse), but we'd quickly realize that while we share many goals, ultimately, she may not care enough about my goals. And caring about my goals, or at least seeming to, is very important.

I'm not going to marry a traffic person. They propel jobs through the agency and thus are obviously good at getting stuff done. But they cry too much. Or they yell too much. Or they cry while yelling. There is crying and yelling at some point in every marriage. I wish to keep it to the bare minimum in mine.

Marrying another creative seems like a great idea. We would laugh together. We would dream together. We would make amazing plans together. But we wouldn't know how to get any of those plans done or how to actually make anything happen. And then we would blame each other.

I could marry one of my clients. We would have a great initial relationship. She would find me really funny and inventive, but over time, she might begin to doubt my motives and commitment. And she'd be right. Am I bored? Am I ultimately looking to trade up? Am I looking for a newer, fresher challenge? I'd be coy and say no. But the real answer would be... maybe.

No, I want to marry a producer. A producer listens to the most batshit crazy idea and doesn't say yes or no or ask why, but instantly asks "How?" She could talk me out of dumb things with grace and logic, or conversely show me what it's possible to do with virtually nothing. A producer realizes that just as business and creativity need each other, responsibility (her) and irresponsibility (me) do too. A producer wouldn't be afraid of different challenges, no matter what form they took. A producer would be tough, fighting battles I'd neither see nor even know about. A producer would plan for a rainy day and not even tell me she was doing it and then, when it started to rain, she'd say, "It's covered, go over to the food table." A producer would stay up all night partying with me, then make sure what needs to get done gets done, while I sleep. Marrying a producer would allow me to be as self-absorbed, self-indulgent, self-congratulatory, naval-gazing and "creative" as I want to be.

Of course, I could always date someone outside of the industry and see what the rest of the world is like. But that would be weird.

80 FACES IN A 20 MINUTE LUNCH BREAK

Simon Obarzanek at IMA's satellite gallery

Melbourne photographer Simon Obarzanek’s 80 Faces plays into our fascination with faces. For years he made frontal mugshot portraits of young people, male and female, posed against a grey background. Bare-shouldered or in black T-shirts, there was nothing to distinguish them sociologically, except their hairstyles.

The sitters were not a dispassionate scientific sample – Obarzanek photographed faces he found interesting. Black and white, his prints suppress some aspects of difference (colouration: skin, eyes, hair) to emphasise others (proportions of their features).

Always presented in groups, Obarzanek engages us in comparing-and-contrasting his faces. One face is Aryan, another alien. One refined, another vulgar. One man's lips look rudely pasted on. As we discriminate the classic from the quirky, those we like from the crowd, 80 Faces tells us as much about ourselves, about what resonates with us.

http://www.ima.org.au/

PRETTY AS A PICTURE

ADDED BY GOOGLE

Oh yes - the highlight of my day is in fact that scissorspaperrockblog.blogspot.com has been added to Google!

I feel very special.

SAME SAME BUT DIFFERENT

"Will the real John Mayer please stand up" Part II

To loyal readers, friends and fans alike… I have recently blogged about my trip into Celebs-ville – also known as “Will the real John Mayer please stand up”. Herein I give you part two of this story… with the hope that following this post, there will be no further future reference to this hilarious case of mistaken identity!

I am now left with absolutely no choice but to reveal my identity as “editor” of this blog. I am conflicted by this admission – as I would have preferred to maintain a sense of anonymity a little longer, but am left with no alternative that I can see fit at this point.

Sure, my initials are JM (with an F on the end for those that know me well), yes I like Art, Culture, New York City and witty blog banter. I also dig on writing music, listening to John Coltrane, and drinking red wine. Whilst I appreciate the undivided attention that has been shown to my blog every single second of every single day, I cannot make it any clearer than this.

But for once and for bleeping all – I AM NOT JOHN MAYER!!!!!!!

I do NOT want to be your wife, I do NOT look sad in my photos, I DO NOT want to kiss you under an umbrella, I DO NOT want to watch your cherry blossom bloom. I AM NOT waiting for the day we “reunite” I AM MOST DEFINITELY NOT your sexy lover man!!!! What more proof do you need from me????

If there is ANYONE out there that can get me in touch with the “fan email” address for John Mayer, or preferably - the man himself, would they please fill me in on this so that I can kindly pass the unwanted attention onto the correct recipient. He may need a potential pre-read disclaimer so that he might understand the history of this unusual case, and understand that by no means whatsoever – have I been intentionally moonlighting as his alter-ego!

85 unmoderated comments and climbing.

Regards,

Your no longer anonymous “editor”

EVERYONE'S GOT A STORY TO TELL

Yesterday I was in a less than plesant mood. I sat around revieiwng the millions of why's in life, feeling disgruntled at most of the answers. I have always suffered from a bit of self-imposed over-achiever syndrome. Not that I was an over achiever, I just always expected the very best for myself and thus set the bar at a level so high, I would never allow myself the actual joy in jumping over it metaphorically speaking.

There are millions of people in this world that consider themselves a byproduct of their circumstances each and every day, but I challenge you this... How about flipping it all on its head and thus your circumstances being a byproduct of your thoughts and actions. Try it.

One thing in this world is certain - life is finite.

IRONY

Richard Prince you make me font

CURRENTLY GATHERING INSPIRATION FROM...

The incredible works of Helmut Newton.

THE DEFAMER BECOMES THE DEFAMED

The Double Standards of an internet blogging queen

How much of an idiot is Perez Hilton? Honestly. The guy makes a living out of tearing other people down and destroying peoples reputations - his slanderous gossip blog (to which I will not post a link to to avoid yet another means of publicity for the site)is nothing but a waste of www space.

Now, I never intended for this (my) blog to have anything whatsoever to do with celebrity, but I recently came across a link to this document - which I found an interesting and at the same time, pathetic read.

Jason Jaxon is eaually as bad. Between the two of them, they could feed an entire third world countries population based on the advertising profits made from thier respective sites hit rates alone, but yet they choose to engage in petty arguments over who has the bigger *ahem*

The fact that Perez has taken the matter to legal heights is just a sad and sorry way for him to (once again) draw more attention to his lonely and pathetic life, publicise his revolting blog, and further live out a life of complete and utter double standards.

To the pair of you - Hilton and Jaxon - go bitch fight it out somewhere else other than in the public forum. The whole thing makes you BOTH look stupid and hypocritical. And if you MUST insist on using your notoriety to communicate with the world - perhaps think about doing it in a more thoughtful, generous and altruistic fashion.

PS: I can use paint too!

EASY AS 1-2-3-4

The Ultimate Love Triangle

Man loves woman loves computer loves woman. Makes me want to travel back to 1984.

INSIDE THE PUZZLING MIND OF HEO WOOK

Colour, in all its vivid, effervescent, stimulating glory, is at the centre of the work by gifted artist Heo Wook. Bold and inspirational, Heo Wook's striking pieces are a distillation of his unique vision of the splendid beauty of daily life, where experience and emotion are fractured kaleidoscopically into vibrant, abstract tableaux. His work moves beyond the inspiration of his native Korea to present his viewer with a universal concept of the beauty of the world in the form of paintings and installations.

Heo Wook has been deaf for all his life. Not being able to hear, however, is just a mere discomfort and nothing more. Heo Wook has chosen to face the outer world, the loud, the noisy, and the lively space where he can interact with others. Heo Wook's sense of the visual beauty of the world is heightened by his deficiency, and his work offers an energy that engages each of the other senses.

http://www.heo-heo.com/

Thanks to blank_space gallery for the invite.