Thursday, August 2, 2012

I'M GONE FROM HERE, BUT NOT GONE -

It's been a while since I shared with you. Stop.
After several years of running this blog and having a lot of fun with it, I'm moving things around a bit. Stop.
You've been great viewers and you still can be. Stop.
I am gone from here, but not gone. Stop. 
You can now find me over at www.matthewjasperson.com/cognitions. Stop.
That's where I'll be blogging and sharing and what not. Stop.
I do hope that you'll come on over for a visit; I'll cook for you (see: share ideas & photographs). Stop.


Thursday, April 5, 2012

Missing Posts Are Like Vanashing Muffins (right?) -

W H E R E I S A L L M Y C O N T E N T , Y O ?

Hey All You Kid Capri's - I've got busy on my hands and in my eyes and ears. I've got busy all over me and to be honest, it itches a bit. So my hands are itching, not posting. The itch is over at WWW.ROAD-TO-WORK.COM and most of my time will be devoted to that project for the immediate time & future. Posts may happen here when the mood and opportunity strikes, like when the ointment kicks in. That said, there's going to be a lot of photos and fun stuff up on the road-to-work site. Here's a brief synopses of what it is...

the idea: Matthew + Kristina + Dog. The ideal work life is out there. We've given ourselves two months and an open road to find it.
the trip: Portland, Oregon, down through San Francisco and then across the nation, we're stopping in cities and highlighting our most desirable places to work.

Oh, and as for those vanishing muffins, you won't find them here, here all you'll see is an empty plate. As for actual vanishing muffins, you can see those over HERE.

MissingMuffin

Thursday, March 22, 2012

HARPER | BIRCH -

N e c k i n g

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Some product from Harper | Birch neckties. Classy.

Saturday, March 17, 2012

From the Kitchen -

H A P P Y S T . P A T R I C K S D A Y

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A day like today deserves some special bread. Irish Soda on the table.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Panem et Circenses -

B R E A D A N D C I R C U S E S

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A self portrait as a sad clown after pondering our current acceptance of panem et circenses.

It's Just Dinner -

E A T W E L L

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Just Dinner #1

Bacon wrapped pork chop, grilled leeks with rub, cornbread; that was dinner.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Reaching Past Limitiations -

R E A C H & I N S P I R E


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Lately I've been thinking a lot about the boiled down process of creativity, creative niches, and the ideological enclaves that these niches develop. Someone recently asked me what I wanted out of life, what I felt I needed in order to be happy and successful on my own terms. My response was simply this; I want to live a creative existence. It seems that this answer can be confusing. Does it mean that I want to be a poet, a photographer, a painter? Does it mean that I must focus on only one particular medium? No. What I mean by a creative existence is that my life is filled with varied creative enterprises and an innovative reach. Why would I want to limit myself only to photography, which I dearly love (Valentines day shout out!), when there are so many outlets waiting to be used, manipulated, and taken advantage of?

I've also been reading opinion pieces which suggest that within a certain medium a particular niche must be executed in order to find success. If you use a camera, you must only use a camera on food, or on weddings, because it's about focusing in on one thing that you do well and that's how you will find success. That train of thought, like the decision to be a poet or a painter only, is so limiting and it necessitates devolution of the creative process! Thinking about painting will influence how you think about taking a picture. Actually painting will inevitably alter your process as the two modes of execution are linked by a creative commonality. The same can and should be said for playing music, designing furniture, writing creatively, etc.

We're in a constantly developing world where fusion is a natural happenstance. With the development of new technologies and web based sharing come new avenues of artistic medium. From internet based artists to digitally crafted brands, there's a cohesion of mediums one must identify with in order to be viable and innovative, even if it's only to share your work with a broad audience. Along with the ease of shared information, inspiration also plays a large part in how we develop ourselves creatively. It's imperative that an individual is able to search out, identify and categorize, and think critically about what they're interested in. Ask the question - a personal example - is it important that the picture was shot on film? What gives that fact importance and is film better than digital? Should I only shoot on film and identify myself with its ideological enclave? Is doing so limiting?

If you're looking, inspiration is everywhere. In fact, often it can be too much. That's why it's important to be able to categorize and sort, but at the same time, at least for me, not to limit. If you didn't know, I produce and project manage for advertising and creative agencies. I chose this career path for the very specific ideas discussed in the paragraphs above. Production allows me to touch on a wide variety of projects, everything from video production to outsourcing illustrators, from the scoring of music, to acting, to graphic design and photography. Producing puts me in a position that is not limiting. Rather, I find inspiration in everything that I do and it helps me to live the creative existence I strive for.

To end, two examples citing aspects of film vs. digital photography to help you get inspired. Both have a place, strengths, and uses within the creative realm. One does not need limit the other.

Link 1: An interview with film photographer Brian Ferry. Film has a visceral emotion to it, a depth that is difficult to surpass or even match when shooting digital. Brian talks eloquently about this particular aspect of analog photography and his images, seen on his site, showcase it.

Link 2: On the other end of the spectrum, here is a "making of" video from a high budget shoot for Toyota Prius. Heavy concepting, studio propping, and post production work, set the stage for a really unique visual execution that strategically details the limitless boundaries of exactly what you can fit into a Prius.

Friday, February 10, 2012

Portland Creative Mornings + JD Hooge from Instrument -

P I O N E E R : A D A P T

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This morning I attended Portland Creative Mornings, a monthly presentation and discussion about creativity, where guest speaker JD Hooge from local digital craft studio Instrument talked some basic and simple truths about making good work. It was a really great short presentation filled with concise simple ideas and cleanly designed supporting visuals. Above are a quick couple shots from the morning, the last of which boils down JD's talk into 12 bullet points, each of which strikes a cord with me. If you haven't heard about or attended a creative mornings event yet, click through and see what's happening in your area. They're doing their part to inspire and build design-centric communities around the globe through inspiring creative talks.

Also, just in case you were wondering, because I always keep an eye out, the best shirt at the presentation is below. Enjoy.

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Thursday, January 26, 2012

NEWS -

N E W S P R I N T

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There's something about grainy black and white that says there's news to be reported. Well, this is my blog and I'll be self serving if I wanna be, right Lesley Gore? This week has been a pretty good one for me. Here's what's up, newsboy.

1. I was asked some months ago to to work with Feast Portland, the newest, biggest, and baddest food festival around. The request was to help them fulfill their photography needs while they got their advertising under way. Taking place the 20th - 23rd of September, Feast is a top of the line food festival that connects the dots between Portland and the international food scene, showcasing just why Portland, Oregon, has the renowned buzz that it does. It's been an exciting ride to be on the rails for as they've been pulling in some really great sponsors such as Whole Foods and the newly added Bon Appétit magazine. I mean, really, you couldn't ask for better people and companies to stand next to! However, the most humbling aspect of this situation is the great local & top of the line photographers who I've been able to contribute alongside of. Image makers like Lincoln Barbour and John Valls, that's some good company to keep. We even got our own little call out on the Feast website.

2. Next up and also something I'm very excited about is that I've been asked to contribute two of my photographs to Wieden Kennedy's Portland 100 show. Showcasing 100 pieces on the white wall by local illustrations and photographers, the opening will debut on the 2nd of February, First Thursday, at the Portland Wieden Kennedy gallery, and all the pieces will be priced at $100 with half of that going to a very worthy cost. While it's totally feel good to even be invited it's also very rewarding to be able to help out with a good cause. Bonus points for having something up in the same gallery that Daniel Johnston recently filled. If you're in the neighborhood and are into free drinks and art/ad stuff then you should head over to the NW side of town and join up with us as we gaze upon what's been tacked up!

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And so, that's what's happening.

The Junk Spot -

B D A Y P A R T Y @ T H E J U N K S P O T

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I've been slowly working on a collaborative project revolving around homeless camping in the urban environment. In search for homeless camps, here are a couple of shots from a junk spot we came across several weeks ago. The juxtaposition between family photos of youthful moments found inches away from syringes suggests that there's a story ready to be told. And the way we're going to tell it is a good one. However, the project has been put on hold recently and will resume in the spring when the shelters clear and tents begin to appear again under the trees. Keep an eye out.

Monday, January 9, 2012

Fashion Editorial Tests -

I K N O W T H A T G I R L

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I've got a friend who just picked up her degree in apparel design here in Portland. Part of her final was to make these tops which she then needed to shoot for a presentation. She asked me to show her some interesting locations around my neighborhood in North Portland that might allow for unique backdrops. While showing her around I stood to the side and popped off a couple of shots just for practice. If you're not shooting your not practicing and you know what high school athletic coaches have to say about that. Also, it helps that I'm tight with the model she used...