PSFK Conference: 2 pics

I had planned on taking some pictures of the Pacific Design Center (location of conference) but as I discovered during the first coffee break, I had stupidly forgotten my camera's battery in MN.

However, when I got back from L.A. I snapped these:
The first is obviously my name tag. Shout out for MAS. The second...(planned by PSFK?) was the fortune in my fortune cookie that was included in our bagged lunches. I didn't open the cookie until today, back home in Minneapolis. Interesting. If you can't read it, it says: Advertising is landfill, we need to create ways to plant seeds & grow life instead" by Byrne.

PSFK Conference: Art & Beautiful Mistakes

I attended PSFK's Conference last Tues. 9/18 (my first) and enjoyed soaking up all of the new (and not so new) ideas, thoughts, and questions that came up in the discussion.

Artist Shepard Fairey spoke about his journey from t-shirt and sticker-making to creating art for consumers/clients. This was one of my top favorite speakers by far. Here're my notes and thoughts, along with a picture. (We were prohibited from taking our own, so I'm borrowing from PSFK.)

I'd never heard of Shepard before, so I was really jazzed to hear him speak about his cool art and his thoughts on 'selling out' (my words, not his) as he began producing art for brands and the consumerist world. Some background on Shepard: Rhode Island School of Design grad, inspired by propaganda, born to parents who were the high school footballer and cheerleader.

He started off by showing us slides of his work, I noticed hints of Barbara Kruger (whom I admire), and lo behold, he included an image of one of her pieces. Shepard started making t-shirts for friends and one day saw an ad with Andre the Giant (wrestler and actor in "The Princess Bride" no less). He made this into a sticker, which he then began slapping around town (I believe he's from North Carolina). This got Shepard thinking about "the power of communication through art and in the public space."

He believes in "awakening wonderment" (in reference to the philosopher Heidegger). This resonated with me. Awakening wonderment should be something all artists and creative people strive to do. Or, maybe it's something everyone should be thinking about. If thought is dull and immobile, the potential for growth and discovery is low.

On his art:
Eventually, it started to attract teens and the skateboard crowd, but then also companies began calling. They wanted to connect with the followers/fans of Fairey's work, and believed he could help them achieve this. His artistic journey and way of thinking came across as very authentic and grassroots. He was very honest about his upbringing, inspirations, and motivations. He said art + commerce need eachother (despite what naysayers may say), and also believes in entertainment mixing with the two. For instance, he enjoys music, so he djs. He likes to go out and be politically critical. (He's been arrested 13 times.) He also believes in empowerment, something that has been a strong base for his messages (see bold propaganda influenced work). His take is that art can be and is everywhere.

On making art for commerce:
His motivation to try commercial was because he wanted to resonate with his audience. Art needs to to "accrue cultural currency" in order to gain commercial success. Someone in the audience asked if he's felt a backlash after he went commercial, and Fairey said despite this, he's still driven to do what he does. It's not as if he doesn't make art for his own 'selfish' reasons (the root of all art?), he just does what drives him.

On living the 'artist' life:
I found it amusing that he used to scam Kinkos when he made art in the beginning. He had figured out a way to rig the machines so he wouldn't get charged (artists need to be strategic thinkers) and would restrict his color printing to red and black.

So art needn't be draining on your budget. I also like the fact that his work is accessible. I looked at his site Obey Giant, and was pleased to find posters that don't set you back $1,000. In fact, he encourages people to download his designs for free stuff like stickers, posters, stencils and desktop wallpaper. Art for all.

I didn't know this...:
Hawaii has no outdoor advertising. Fairey mentioned that you'll see no big logo on the pop machines, or ads on telephone boxes. Instead you'll see flowers (promote tourism through beauty and images of Hawaii).

PSFK Conference: Point A To B

I attended PSFK's Conference last Tues. 9/18 (my first) and enjoyed soaking up all of the new (and not so new) ideas, thoughts, and questions that came up in the discussion.

This panel talked about the issue of transportation in L.A. I'd heard that driving in L.A. is horrible, so this was interesting to hear about people who've given up their cars and how they navigate around town. Here're my notes and thoughts.

Panelists:
Roberto Espinosa & Michael Powers of Refreshment, led the discussion. Siel of the blog greenLAgirl. Frederick Dennstedt, designer and creator of blog MetroRider LA. Kymberleigh Richards of the San Fernando Valley Transit Insider.

This was a fairly energetic discussion, which almost got a bit heated at times (much like I'm sure those cars on the PCH get sitting in traffic). Car-lessness is doable. Siel has been without for the last 6 months, Fred 3 yrs, and Kymberleigh for 15 yrs. Impressive.

On being car-less and the "car culture" of L.A.:
Siel: lives in Santa Monica where the bus system is great. Navigates using this, in addition to biking it, walking, and using Flexcar. Her choice (like everyone else) to go car-less, requires adjustments, such as planning ahead and making sure you have enough time to get to Point B from Point A.
Kymberleigh: Notes that the Metro ridership increases when its service is extended. (I saw an article on L.A. public transportation in the airplane magazine and saw it only goes so far. Not sure of their future plans, but hopefully in 10 yrs, this will be greatly extended to all areas of L.A.) Sees the main challenge (with Fred agreeing) is to change people's mindset - getting them to take the Metro is difficult.
Fred: His blog aims to promote what he calls "The Los Angeles Public Transit Lifestyle". Strongly believes you can survive without a car and was pushed to go car-less after becoming fed up with the hassles of car ownership, sitting in traffic, gas trips, etc. He and Kymberleigh talked about the "car culture" madness. Kymberleigh says that people (drivers) are adamant in their demands for being able to drive, and they don't want to give up 'their' lanes (for buses), and their right to be there. (I sometimes get annoyed with the buses in downtown Minneapolis, but as it's a much smaller place, I rarely notice the space the buses take up. How haughty some of these "car culture" people sound...)
Fred: Believes society prejudices are a huge barrier in getting people to use public transportation more often. He stressed the many upsides of going car-less: the gain in freedom, save $, a renewed sense of freedom to explore your city, and last but certainly not least, learning to relax.

Having lived in the suburbs for the past 26 yrs, and having used public transportation for various Minneapolis jobs, I've learned to really appreciate the bus (and lightrail). Coming from the suburbs (going directly downtown), you don't ride with 'city' people. It's mostly white, middle-class professionals. People who come in from the suburbs are probably very appreciative that they can take the bus, read, relax, and save gas money. Minneapolis isn't as large as L.A., Chicago, or NY, but if it were, I doubt there would be this "car culture" that permeates L.A. I understand how some people may snub their noses at the bus/train rider. They may wonder why they can't afford to drive, or if they're coming in from poorer areas.

Which gets me thinking about mass public transportation and how it brings people together and mashes them up. Apparently, 'the more the merrier' isn't a good thing for the Car Culture of L.A. Public transportation could bring in 'undesirables' I suppose, but would these people really want to shop Rodeo Drive? Would they be eating at Mr.Chow? Doubt it. It's not fair to exclude people from access. Everyone should have a right to explore and utilize resources. NYC, though not as spread out and possibly better suited for the subway, sees a plethora of the masses come in and out every day. The mashing of diversity, lifestyles, flavors, and culture is what makes this city buzz and grow. Cutting people off from these possibilities is stupid for any city that wants to stand out as a great place to live, think, and play.

On the future of transportation:
Kymberleigh: Part of the reason why the Metro doesn't go further is due to the discovery of a methane pocket underground. There is a possibility that expansion will happen, but this depends on a certain bill (if I remember correctly) passing.
Margaret Kemp: Representing Flexcar. Car-sharing service. Last yr they had 40 cars, this year 160ish. Says it's interesting that people are opening up to the idea of car-sharing. This month they've seen 350 new members join. How it works in a nutshell: you rent at any time increment, you do no maintenance on the car, pick it up at location nearest you, return it to where you got it. Fee covers gas, insurance, and 150 free miles. 1/3 of their cars are hybrids. (A great way to use alternative transportation, promotes using local grocers/stores, etc.)

PSFK Conference: What Goes On In L.A., Stays in L.A.?

I attended PSFK's Conference last Tues. 9/18 (my first) and enjoyed soaking up all of the new (and not so new) ideas, thoughts, and questions that came up in the discussion.

I particularly enjoyed the panel on L.A. culture. Some topics included the general 'scene', transportation issues, and the idea of center of L.A. Here're my notes and thoughts, along with a picture. (We were prohibited from taking our own, so I'm borrowing from PSFK.)Panelists:
Adriana Parcero of Nokia, designer, led discussion. Tony Pierce of LAist, the largest city-based blog (does Minneapolis have one similar?). Emmanuelle Richard of the French daily Liberation (and Vogue Paris - tres chic, n'est pas). Jeff Miller of the Thrillist. Shana Nys Dambrot of Flavorpill LA.

On the L.A. draw:
Shana: Attracted to L.A. partly because of the rawness, wild West-ishness, the laid-back and 'good times' feelings

On the L.A. space/center:
1st time visitors face this huge vastness, so as a consequence, there's the emerging mini-cultural centers developing.
Tony: Feels the center of L.A. is really where you protest and write. L.A. is diverse and independent.
Shana: Feels people rally around their particular area, like how she loves Venice. (I loved her enthusiasm for the city. It made me believe I could love it if I lived there, too.) Thinks the web makes L.A. truly navigable. L.A. + web are the same thing. (So this says a lot about how important the web and blogs are for this city, if you're going to become a part of the culture. It sounds like you couldn't survive without the web. But who could these days?)
Jeff: Skeptical of downtown, but now that a Ralph's is opening, feels less so. If people can go there late at night, maybe people do live there.

The most thought-provoking part of the discussion for me was the idea that the web is so important to getting to know L.A. True, isn't the web handy for exploring any new thing, but everyone seemed to agree that the web is vital to feel connected to the culture in L.A. As I've heard before (and now seen), L.A. is really big, spread out, with no real 'center'. This is kinda cool, but at the same time could make a person feel lost and uncertain, especially newcomers to the city. Because there is such a vibrant L.A. web culture, experiencing L.A. and diving in becomes really appetizing and not as intimidating.

One last thing I jotted down in the handy panel book they gave us:
Everyone was truly enthusiastic about living in L.A. They came across as devoted and die-hard fans of their 'center', their L.A. culture. Even if they weren't natives.