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Next month will be the five year mark for my existence on DeviantArt, and about seven years that I've been making art. I suppose in the last few years I've more or less lost the right to call myself an artist. I've submitted nigh onto nothing. I've started a few pieces but they never developed in to anything worth submitting. I used to identify myself as an abstract artist but that genre itself seems dead--at least, the form it took on at its inception roughly nine years ago is dead. It has now evolved into something I find hard to relate to, and the fire inside that drove me to produce what now lies nearly forgotten in my gallery from 2004, 2005, and to a lesser extent, 2006 has burnt out.

This post has turned more cliche than I intended it to be, alas this is the point where normally I would announce some sort of official retirement from art, never to be heard from again until I show up in a year, announcing some new-found reawakening of talent and creativity. So for brevity I will skip that since ultimately I will end up back here anyway. Next, I am supposed to blame changes in my life for my lack of productivity. While it is true that Electrical and Computer Engineering is a demanding major to say the least, if I so found myself inspired I'm sure I could find plenty of time to produce art. Perhaps then I should announce some shift in genre. In that respect, I do intend--intend being the key word here--to jump focus to photography having recently acquired a Nikon D90 to replace my tired old Canon Powershot S50. But it is winter here, and severe cold is not something I'm comfortable exposing such an expensive camera to, even with zip-lock bags and silica gel to keep condensation at bay. So if you're feeling optimistic, look for photography submissions coming this summer. As for abstract, I have no idea if or when I will ever finish another piece.

With that, I think I've covered all of the requisite topics to include in the first new journal in many years. Good luck with your own pursuits, art and otherwise.

Recently (like 24 hours ago) I was an idiot and changed my Yahoo! account password, forgetting to keep track of what I had changed it to (or more specifically, the program I use to store them didn't). Obviously I don't remember the d.o.b. and zip code and whatnot that I entered, so the forgot password form is pretty much useless. I tried contacting Yahoo! tech support, which was equally useless. So now I'm left with a 6 or 7 year old account that I'm locked out of. If anyone knows someone, or knows a someone who knows a someone on the inside at Yahoo! who could possibly reset it for me, I'd be quite thankful for it.

I was wondering if anyone actually reads these posts. Due to a decline in views of my artwork/user-page it has caused me to question several things.

1) Is abstract art largely dead?
2) Is my art any good compared to all of dA, and all of abstract art in general?
3) Why do I make abstract art?

I suppose question 3 is something only I can answer (although feel free to provide theories or your own anecdotes). But yes, if you, whoever you may be, read this and have a spare moment, it'd be nice to hear a reply.

I'm not dead...Just haven't had any inspiration for a long long time. Probably won't be making anything new for awhile but if I get an idea or something happens, I'll post it.

I call it arbitrary because it serves no real purpose other than to keep my fingers moving. So...if you don't feel like reading a long useless rant (or maybe you'll find it funny/useful?) then I'd suggest doing whatever else you might like to do. Next:

I've discovered the ultimate recipe for temporal happiness!

Yes indeed...though a tad extreme, when you have half a gram of caffeine in your nervous system, half a kilo of sugar in your bloodstream, and 900 calories steaming their way through your intenstinal passages, with dopamine flooding into your brain and adeonsine receptors blocked while contemplating about a billion design ideas per heartbeat (which increases proportionally to an increase in the aforementioned), you get a state of mind in which you are care-free and nothing matters! As such...I'd suggest if you induce yourself into a similar state to not leave your homes or operate any sort of machinery...you have been warned.

Translation: I stayed up all night drinking a 2L of coke (now empty) and reading New Masters of Photoshop Volume 2 (now done).

Now for something a tad more serious...how about a book review! It's a good book, not for novices obviously but it does contain tutorials on every chapter. Useful tips on cloud brushing, grunge effects, vector usage and digital painting (off the top of my head, loads more). Weighing in at roughly 450 pages, I somehow managed to pour through all the text and pretty pictures in a night (I recieved the book less than 12 hours ago, started reading heavily around 1 or 2 am, it's now 7:20 am). Helped to lift me from a design slump I've been in...pretty much all year as you can tell looking through my gallery (2/3 of a page of 2005 submissions, 2 1/3 pages of 2004 submissions...and I joined in March I think) but thats due in part to dedicating alot of time to my girlfriend as well. I digress... book is largely based on theory and where the designers find inspiration and motivation, something I found quite useful. It was worth my money (or my grandma's, as it was a chirstmas gift that arrived late (damn shipping)) but I'd certaintly recommend it if you fit the pre-req for the book.

New rant:

School sucks. Seriously. Whenever I go into school I learn things that I remember until I pass the tests/exams with 90%'s and whatnot. As soon as I get out of school, I try and fill my mind with everything and anything useful. This christmas it was this book, and I'm also planning on designing my own computer chassis (of which I may end up putting a 3d model on dA whenever I finish it if I finish it...if not a photo of it whenever if ever its done). I was planning on going somewhere with this but I've forgotten now.... so yeah

New rant:

I forget

New rant:

I forget again...

Ok, I'm done.. so Merry Christmas and Happy NewYear.. or to be politically correct.. (coppied from someplace else online.. as they coppied it to.. and so on.. no idea as to the origins of it):

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, this wish for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral, celebration of the coming holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all; and a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2006, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures, and without regard to the race, creed, colour, age, physical ability, religious faith, choice of computer platform, political inclinations, favourite sports team or sexual preference of the wishees.

Now I'm really done