Nora’s Big Play

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cartoon, cartoons, Cri Cri, Elsaian Park, Jiminy Cricket, levinland, lon levin, Pinnochio, sketching, spanish speaking, suicide Girl, technology, Walt Disney

Last weekend I had the immense pleasure of watching Nora in her play about Mexico’s cartoon icon Cri Cri.  It was delightful as you can see in these pictures.

 

This is part of stop and smell the roses for me. Delightful time with Ahavia, Alisa, Nora and Buddy

The Illustrators Treats

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artist as brand, digital media, digital painting, granola bars, health bar, illustration, illustrators journal, sketching, technology, this week in digital media on blogtalk radio, treats

Artists have to eat so why not eat healthy while you work. I do so here’s a nice recipe to live by.

TREEHOUSER’S GRANOLA TREATS
PREP TIME: 8 MINUTES
COOK TIME: 8 MINUTES
1/4 cup (60ml) butter
4 cups (1l) miniature marshmallows
1 cup (250ml) rolled oats
1 cup (250ml) 8 crushed cinnamon graham crackers
1/2 cup (125ml) dried cranberries
1/2 cup (125ml) roasted sunflower seeds
1/2 cup (125ml) ground flax seed

Step 1 Melt butter in a large suacepan over low heat. Add marshmallows; stir continuously until melted and mixture is smooth, about 4 minutes

Step 2 Stir in oats, graham crumbs, cranberries, sunflower seeds and flax seed until thoroughly mixed.

Step 3 With greased fingers (yes, greased fingers) press mixture into greased 8×8 inch (20×20 centimeter) glass baking dish.

Step 4 Cool completely. Cut 4 rows lengthwise and 3 crosswise for 12 pieces.

Serves 12 people or one to two very hunger people with the munchies.

Per Serving 190 calories

If you want to get creative add some of your own ingredients and then kick back and enjoy.

Aspire to be Challenged

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artwork, cartoons, childrens book, digital media, digital painting, illustrators journal, innovation, levinland, lon levin, sketching, skippy john jones

The artwork above was assigned to me as a challenge. I wanted to be able to do licensed artwork and faithfully copy someone else’s artwork. I enjoyed the experience and learned a lot from the experience but I was not chosen to work on this project in the end.

I found the article below and I highly endorse it. I could not (obviously) put it better myself. But I’ll add that to be creative and venture forth you have to be bold and self-assured. Those who are can inspire the rest and lift their spirits. Challenge yourself to be more, not a lot but a little and step by step you can attain great heights!

All creativity is based on quantum leaps and uncertainty. At particular moments in time, truly novel ideas emanate from the collective bed of information. These ideas did not originate in the fortunate individual, but in the collective consciousness.This is why significant scientific discoveries are often made by two or more different people at the same time. The ideas are already circulating in the collective unconscious, and prepared minds are ready to translate that information.

This is the nature of genius, to be able to grasp the knowable even when no one else recognizes that it is present. At any given moment, the innovation or creative idea doesn’t exist, and in the next moment, it is part of our conscious world.

In between, where was it? It came from the virtual domain, at the level of the universal spirit, where everything is potential. Sometimes this potential creates something novel, but in this realm all possibilities already exist.

So, if our bodies are recycled earth, our emotions are recycled energy, and our thoughts are recycled information, what is it that makes you an individual? How about your personality?

Well, the personality doesn’t originate with us, either. Personality gets created through selective identification with situations and through relationships. What we call personality is built on a foundation of relationships and situations.

According to many of the great spiritual traditions, one of the great truths is that “I am the other.” Without the other, we would not exist. Your soul is the reflection of all souls.

Adapted from The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire, by Deepak Chopra (Three Rivers Press).

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/creating-soul.html#ixzz1O9T84Sz5

My Trip To The Zoo

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animals, apes, artist as brand, chimpanzees, digital media, gorillas, illustration, illustrator, illustrators journal, innovation, Levinland studio, photography, sketching, tigers, twitter, zebras, zoo

Yesterday I spend all day at the Los Angeles Zoo out in the Griffith Park area. I hadn’t been there in a while and I wanted to take pictures of the animals. Now I am not a big supporter of keeping animals in cages and some of the animal behavior I saw there seemed like depression or obsessive neurotic behavior but I’m no expert. I also have no idea how well the animals are treated so I am not pointing a finger at the zoo. In fact I thought it was laid out quite well. It seemed to me that the apes and chimps could get out if they wanted but they seem to lack the desire. But again I may be overestimating their abilities. Despite my upset at seeing these incredible creatures behind bars I appreciate that you could not see them any other way in Los Angeles.

Putting aside my feelings I really enjoyed seeing what the zoo had to offer and I took pictures, plenty of pictures. The animals that stuck out to me were the tiger (who was a rock star with many fans watching him) and the chimps and gorillas whose expression are so human it’s scary. I was also struck by the majesty of the giraffes who seem to glide around their enclosure and the flamingos whose beauty is stunning. The least impressive was the alligator who didn’t move a muscle for 4 hours. Here is my first gallery of photos to see from my outing.

Does The Past Equal The Future?

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artist as brand, illustration, illustrators journal, innovation, levinland, Levinland studio, Mark Susnow, self-help, sketching, technology, ted conference, this week in digital media on blogtalk radio, Tony Robbins

I’ve been a fan of Tony Robbins since 1991. In my toughest times I turned to his tapes and listen to them over and over and over until I knew them by heart. You see I was filled with negative thoughts about myself and what I had achieved or rather I should say what I had not achieved. Now this wasn’t because of my lack of work ethic or that I was a bad person, it was because I had made bad choices. I believed the messages my father gave to me which was I didn’t know anything and I’d never be a success. Mind you I had college two degrees, I had won numerous awards for my work and I had always tried to help others achieve what they wanted and I had many friends and acquaintances (most of whom liked me). But, I had bought into my father’s measure of success…money. Sound familiar? So when I started listening to Tony I started to see success was not just about money. I’d like to say then and there I turned my life around and found spirituality but it was a longer path for me because I hung onto the Money=Sucess even while trying to change my thinking. The two forces battled inside of me over the next two decades. Ups and downs, two failed marriages, health issues, loss of jobs, friends, money and my father started to shape me in the direction I wanted to go. I became more appreciative of life and what is really important and my life started to change and work better. I’m not there yet and probably will never be but I am beyond the money=success issue. And I am beyond the past equals the future. I believe now that you can change yourself and your beliefs and become something you and the rest of your community and world can be proud of. You can contribute and you can help others succeed. So I offer this tape of Tony Robbins speaking at the TED conference as a way to contribute to your success. It is worth the twenty or so minutes to watch it. I am proof that you can change and become a better you when you start to become aware of what you can do to facilitate that. It’s my hope that Tony’s talk can help inspire you as it did me and that you can achieve everything you want. Happy Holidays from Illustrators Journal.

Character Art

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artwork, cartoonist, digital media, digital painting, drawing, illustration, illustrator, illustrators journal, innovation, levinland, Levinland studio, lon levin, sketching

Combo sketching and computer rendering art. Have great fun doing art like this.

Sandy Art

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artist as brand, artwork, beach, digital media, illustration, illustrator, illustrators journal, innovation, levinland, Levinland studio, lon levin, sand. art, sketching

Creating art isn’t limited to canvas or paper. Check out this fantastic piece of art create on the northside of Huntington Pier.

Team BTS gearing up…and you can help

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artist as brand, illustration, illustrators journal, innovation, levinland, Levinland studio, lon levin, marathon, running, sketching, social media, workout

You want to do something to help others? Watch this video and be part of saving lives.

KINDRED SOULS

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art, artist as brand, design, illustration, illustrators journal, innovation, Levinland studio, lon levin, marijuana, philosopy, sketching, social media marketing, soul, soulful, technology

Photograph by Justin Rosenberg
This picture of the window I face every day gives life to the idea that your surroundings can influence your creativity. Actually six or seven of us at work look at the window and it affects each one of us differently. But it also connects us and somehow I feel it gives rise to better design and solutions than a normal wall made of cement, wood or painted drywall. What is does is make us kindred souls with the same colorful light and that is why this article from Mark Susnow resonates with me.

Hope you agree…

by Mark Susnow

Sometimes telling a story is the best way to say it. There was that moment. My heart was wide open. I felt inspired. Take a second and imagine that this story is about you.

“You’re on the way to the airport. You get on the plane with a book that you’ve been planning to read for quite some time. As you open your book, you glance at the person next to you. A few minutes later you are asked a question and you reluctantly answer. You lower your book a bit to be polite and after a few minutes you find yourself putting your book down and engaging in a conversation, although with a lack of enthusiasm. And then the person next to you, let’s call him John, makes an observation about you that’s quite perceptive and sensitive. You start to become curious about who John is and in the course of the conversation, he tells you of an experience he has only shared with a few people. You let John know that you have had a similar experience. By now you’re totally engaged and listening to every word he says. You notice every nuance in the inflection of his voice and the way he moves. Time seems to stand still and the next thing you know the plane lands. You say goodbye to the kindred soul you have just met.”

You now know what’s possible. We all would love to have these experiences more often. You feel heard and everything seems possible. It is communication at its highest level and is a lost art. When you integrate four fundamental truths of communication into your life, you can have these experiences more often.

The first truth is to know that what we all want on a deeper level is the ability to connect with another, to touch each other’s soul. Unfortunately, too many of our conversations are just an exchange of ideas and information and we very rarely penetrate the surface. Most of our focus is on how we are going to respond to what is being said instead of listening. When we know that what the other person really wants is connection, there is common ground to build upon. With this foundation, we can build relationships that deepen and empower those involved.

The second truth is to know that listening involves much more than just listening to the words. It is tuning into the energy beyond the words. It is understanding the needs and feelings of the other person. It is about being totally engaged and at the same time being in the rhythm of life. Yes, it takes a lot of energy but you will be energized by what you get back. Imagine living in a world where you are truly listening and fully engaged.

The third truth is to know that you must take responsibility for the quality of your communication. Because we all have long standing attitudes and beliefs we sometimes find ourselves trying to convince the other person of our viewpoints. Being right then becomes the goal of the interaction rather than communication and the next thing you know you are in a full-fledged argument. Just think of what happens when you discuss politics or religion. Is being right more important than experiencing one of those magical moments?

The fourth truth is that communication is a process and an art. Being a masterful communicator doesn’t happen over night but it starts with the intention to experience more connection in your busy life. Just like other art forms, i.e. dancing or music, there is a natural ebb and flow in the learning cycle. As your commitment deepens to this process you notice that you are experiencing frequent glimpses of the magic that is possible in your life. The ultimate communication occurs when you are able to touch each other’s soul and share who you are. This new found magic then becomes the gateway to a more fulfilling life.

At our core, we all have the same human needs and desires. We want to know that we matter and that our life has meaning and purpose. We have the need to love and to be loved. When we accept that we all have the same human needs and desires, we know that we are part of one human family. By working together as one, what is possible in our lives, communities, and the world expands. That’s when we know that we are all kindred souls.

Found Art

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abstract art, artist as brand, digital media, drawing, innovation, Levinland studio, sketching, technology

Remember that jacket from Japan you dad brought back and you lost or that rock collection that disappeared from your room or anything else you knew you had but couldn’t find…well then you will relate to me finding these two gems I did during a recent move. What I like about these two that represents the two sides of my sketching “nature” is that they are both surreal in their own ways but represent my thinking process regardless.