Jesse Carmody :: Photographer

Operation: Move to Nakameguro... Is a go!

2010-09-03T14:37:00.000-07:00

I'm moving to Japan...

It's happening!

shifting priorities

2010-08-07T21:00:00.000-07:00

I've been vaguely blogging here and there over the last year. I'm pretty uncommitted and instead of trying to stir up the fire of this blog I've simply gone in a new direction altogether.

That being said, I present you No Fixed-Address; It might be different, it might be the same. It might go much further than this ever did or it might go nowhere. In any case, I'm into it right now!

see you there!

Spun Out On Editing

2010-08-01T13:22:00.000-07:00

First Show Of The Summer

2010-08-01T13:06:00.000-07:00

I've been back in the states from europe for about two weeks now and would say I'm just about fully acclimated again. I've been shooting a wide range of subjects, all for other people, so I went to a show to shoot for myself.

Speaking of shooting for myself, I've got a solo-motorcycle trip planned, over the span of two weeks, from Los Angeles to Seattle and back; Images will ensue.

ATL- Hold It Down

2010-05-12T09:50:00.000-07:00

Another one of life's mini-adventures took me to Atlanta. And it was rad!

It Truly Is Better In The Wind....

2010-05-04T10:53:00.000-07:00

Although there hasn't been many words on the blog, as of late, I've still been trying to convey a newfound passion for motorcycles and motorcycle riding... I've been riding for right around a couple of months now and can honestly say that it's been one of the best additions to my adult life. The physical and emotional feelings associated with being out on my motorcycle have been incredible and I'm so thankful to be able to experience these. That being said, the alignment of separate areas of passion has always been a winning combination in my mind and after scouring the internet's various motorcycle blogs I came across one incredibly inspiring passion-project, simply titled It's Better In The Wind. The sole purpose of this project, which is headed up and beautifully documented by Los Angeles-based photographer Scott G Toepfer, is to reconnect with the outdoors and our seemingly forgot sense of adventure. As it's put on the project site, this is a group of riders who set out across the west, on vehicles without scenery-restricting windows, fueled by sincerity and bound by solidarity.

As soon as I read the mission statement and took in the inspiringly beautiful imagery created by Scott I immediately felt a sense of longing; I needed to experience it!... And sure enough, just as fate would have it, one of the riders, Samson, was a former classmate from Brooks and old bicycle-riding pal of mine, from when I lived in Thousand Oaks. I hit Samson up and before I knew it I was making plans with Scott to join them on the next ride to Slab City near Southern California's Salton Sea! And again, "before I knew it" we were out there on the open road, killing bugs with our foreheads and glimmering teeth. This was my first time spending more than an hour on my motorcycle; there were so many firsts... We covered around 650 miles in 36 hours, making stops for photo-ops, getting lost, fueling, refueling, and re-refueling! We crammed so much into our short time together and I can honestly say that it was an incredible growing experience for me, as a person. I'll say it again, I am truly so thankful to be able to have these experiences; they've been nothing short of amazing and I cannot wait to make more!

brain bucket

2010-04-29T23:43:00.001-07:00

Chasing The Moon

2010-04-29T01:34:00.000-07:00

So, how about this weather....

2010-04-28T00:24:00.000-07:00

Newfound Passion

2010-04-26T19:36:00.000-07:00

Double Down

2010-04-26T00:55:00.000-07:00

Shooting From The Hip

2010-04-22T16:32:00.000-07:00

I love sloppy abstractions and I really miss Coachella already!!!

Quick!

2010-04-20T16:44:00.000-07:00

I just had one of the most eventful weekends of 2010 and I can safely say that I love the Coachella Music Festival!

I have SO MUCH to edit but here's a sneak peak....

more to come.....

Le Tour De Skid Row

2010-04-05T20:44:00.000-07:00

My very good friend Matt, who now lives in San Diego, insists on touring Skid Row every time he visits me in Downtown Los Angeles. We've traveled by car and by bicycle and still, I haven't quite wrapped my head around his infatuation with it, but any time with Matt is usually good time so I always agree to accompany him on his tours...

I get by with a little help from my friends

2009-12-09T19:12:00.000-08:00

To put things simply, I have truly fantastic friends! I really feel like I cannot say enough about how important friendship is to me and, as of late, I've been blown away by the love and tremendous level of support I find in my friends.

Just a few days ago, two of my good friends Mike and Luke, with whom I stayed while traveling abroad, returned home after a lengthy expedition throughout Australia, Japan, and much of Southeast Asia. It has really been a pleasure to have them back!

In The Studio With Blueskyreality

2009-12-04T14:29:00.001-08:00

I spent a day in a recording studio with Blueskyreality, this past Wednesday. Though I've been witness to a handful of recording sessions, it is always amazing to see how dedicated people are when they're working so intimately on their passion-projects, and the limits which they push themselves to.

Traveling

2009-11-24T15:12:00.000-08:00

As of late, I have been lucky enough to travel for work. I have noticed how at home I feel in an airport and how well I sleep while at cruising altitude. This blog has mostly revolved around traveling because, to me, it seems to be the one thing that is totally worth writing about. I lament the fact that this blog has sat stagnant for so long, but still it's nice to come back to. Hopefully I'll be returning before too long.

Changes

2009-09-09T09:36:00.001-07:00

Though not much has been going on here, on my blog, lots has been going on in my life. I've experienced some pretty significant changes in the past couple of weeks and I'm in a completely different place in my life.

I graduated college about ten days ago which was a huge accomplishment for me; looking back at my choices at various forks in the road makes me glad that I stuck it out and finished right on schedule! It was great to complete my goals and I know that it meant a lot to my family; which is one of the most important points for me.

I live in Downtown Los Angeles now! I moved into a loft with a couple of friends, on the first of this month, and here I am a week later; still trying to adjust and get settled in. Yesterday was my first day feeling like a local; my roommate Chris and I rode our bikes down to skid row to visit my grandmother (Gwams) who works at the Catholic Worker soup-kitchen; it was cool to see her in her element in the hectic grind that drives that area.

From there Chris and I rode up to the LA county library, signed up as members, and gave ourselves a self-guided tour of the place. It was HUGE! They had several floors, fantastic architecture, tons of historic documents displayed as art and they even had a Yousuf Karsh exhibit! We came back home after that, so that I could get ready for a shoot and when that was through a few of us went kite-flying on our roof; it was awesome!

Later on in the day my good friend Adam and I walked through the fashion district, the garment district, on down to Santee Alley; it was hectic and fascinating and it was cool to see where all the materials, bits and pieces come from that drive such a huge industry.

The night ended by signing up at our local video store, Old Bank DVD, which had a great selection, good prices and a rad vibe! From there we headed back home to watch a movie and unwind.

All in all, it was a fantastic day, it's been a fantastic couple weeks of transition and I have so much more to look forward to!

Factual Facts

2009-08-24T01:59:00.000-07:00

FACT:

The bicycle film festival will be in town this weekend and I'm super pumped about it. This will be my second year going so I've only had one year of experiencing it, but I can wholeheartedly say that I really enjoyed the experience. I like bicycles (a lot) and I like artistic imagery (a lot) so it's only natural that the merging of the two would be an awesomely amazing experience for me. You should go! check out this site and make some time to experience this event.

...FACT!

In other news (and this pertains to the tittle of the posting a lot more)...

On a whim last night, a few friends and I agreed it would be clever and silly to start a fact-posting blog and so we did!

Check it out at http://www.factualfacts.tumblr.com/

Really quick....

2009-08-20T01:19:00.001-07:00

I haven't blogged in a while so I thought I'd try to quickly blast out an update.

I'm about to graduate college in TEN days! I'm super excited that I stuck it out and finished school; I'm really happy about completing one of my biggest goals to date.

I'm moving to Downtown Los Angeles in TWELVE days! I found a loft in the exact building that I have been wanting to live in and I'm going to be sharing it with two really rad dudes. Also I will be living directly above my good friend Adam!

I've recently gained some much needed clarity on my life! I was fortunate enough to get to spend some quality time mapping out some scenarios of what moves I could make, just after graduation, and how they might play out; I did some serious thinking and wrote out a short (yet effective) list of goals and I really gained some momentum in a definitive direction.

I am really looking forward to the future; the immediate weeks that follow, as well as the years to come.

I'm really stoked on life right now!

Figuring Life Out

2009-08-09T01:28:00.000-07:00

I'm officially twenty-one days away from being a college graduate and I'm finding my mind wandering all over the place. Doubts, hopes, insecurities, dreams, wants, and desires all make up the whirlwind of emotion that I'm feeling. There's no set course of action, which is both liberating and disorienting. I'm maintaining the belief that I'm going to land on my feet and that I'll be fine, I just really have no idea what I'm going to be doing three weeks from today.

These images have little to do with the major context of this post, except for they were shot while hanging out with some people who I love and in a building which I'm considering moving into, in Downtown Los Angeles.

Fantastic Weekend

2009-08-03T23:05:00.000-07:00

This past week and weekend flew by in a big hurry but, nonetheless, it was quite memorable! I spent a couple of days up in Santa Barbara, as usual, riding bikes, going to classes, hanging out with good people, and I even managed to win (by default) the wednesday day night SB Fixed race; this week was cyclocross style, except we all ran our track bikes and road bikes!

I ended my week with an amazing super-secret group portrait session that I can't talk about or show until the beginning of September. Friday night I was in the company of good people, both at a family birthday party and at the movies; I went and saw Funny People which I thought was really good. Saturday hate late beginnings but was pretty cool overall; I was hired to shoot a private party by the boss of a couple friends of mine.

The house where the party took place was honestly the most beautiful homes I've ever been in or have even seen, for that matter; it was assembled from used materials from old barns and the home sits on a 300-acre avocado ranch in North Goleta. Beyond the home, itself, were the people and the event; everyone was awesome to be around and work with and I walked away from the day feeling really good about the job.

Sunday was the Main Event for me though. As I wrote about before, Kinfolk Bicycles and Smoke & Mirrors teamed up to organize an amazing ride and after-party, whose proceeds go directly to the Pavlove Foundation, an organization that contributes to the Los Angeles Childrens Hospital; specificaly to fund relief and research to pediatric cancer.

I arranged to pick my good friend Adam up before the ride and head out to the Orange 20, the bike shop where the ride was set to begin, early to replace some parts on his bike and get it up to speed. We got all of the work done in good time and when the riders all started showing up we picked out a few familiar faces before setting out for the ride. The ride was RAD! We made planned stops all over LA, where this rap crew The Headhunters performed live on the back of a flatbed truck.

The ride ended at the location of the after party and party we did. Unfortunately I wound up in a bummer of a bike crash, but I was fortunate enough to walk away from it with no broken bones and the ability to fix what was damaged on the bike I was riding; it didn't stop me or anybody else from having an amazing night!

More images from the Catch Me If You Can ride can be viewed here on Flickr

Hanging with the FAM

2009-07-27T21:27:00.000-07:00

I just threw together a tile of some photos which I snapped at a family outing, this past sunday. We visited the Gardens of the World park, in Thousand Oaks, for the occasion of my grandma (gwams) visiting us. I haven't seen her nearly enough, since I've been back home and it was great to get to spend a little bit of time with her; it always is!

Bicycles: The Best Invention Ever!

2009-07-23T21:22:00.000-07:00

I am falling in love with bicycles all over again!I have been riding my bike 1000% more since I kicked my cold and I'm loving every second of it. I've been feeling like I can't quite get enough and the more I ride the better I feel. I wish I always felt like this about cycling; I'm never not into it but sometimes I weight the cons to certain rides and right now I'm all about it, no matter what. I think it's the production of dopamine and endorphins that's doing it to me, or maybe it's the social aspect of it all. I've been participating in group rides and races with the likes of SBFixed and the Thousand Oaks Chain Gang and it's been a blast; mashing around on bikes, hanging out with rad people, and just getting out there.

So........... Would you like to get together and ride bicycles?

The "Catch Me If You Can" Ride

2009-07-21T19:10:00.000-07:00

Kinfolk Bicycles and Smoke and Mirrors are teaming up to sponsor a mystery bicycle ride, in Los Angeles, that directly benefits the Pablove Foundation. The Pablove Foundation is a organization which works to support the pediatric cancer community; Specifically, the Pablove Foundation makes an annual contribution to cancer research and treatment at the Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles's Saban Research Institute, one of the top cancer research facilities in the United States.

The ride starts Sunday August 2nd at Orange 20 bicycles, which is located at 4351 Melrose Avenue, LA, CA, 90029, it starts around 4pm and is set to go until 8pm. The ride will be including games, prizes, raffle tickets, lots of fun, and clues to the location of the SECRET AFTER PARTY!! The secret after party is set to go from right after the ride up until midnight; there will be an OPEN BAR and live music from NO MSG, The Mae Shi, The Intricate Machines, Kissing Tigers, and Daedelus. It's shaping up to be an awesome ride and and awesome after party; the entrance fee to the after party is $5 if you RSVP and $10 if you don't. Additional sponsors include The Archrival, Origami Records, Blends LA, Orange 20 Bicycles, Trackosaurusrex, Enjoy Human, The Disco Vietnam, FMLY, LBC Sprints, Dangerbird Records, Filter Magazine, Honest Tea, Monster, and Asahi. You're definitely going to want to RSVP for the after party, you'll get directions to the secret party as well as a discount to your entrance, and you can do it right now, RIGHT HERE!!

All in all, it's going to be a fun ride, a fun after party, and it's going to support a really noble cause. I'd strongly recommend making the time and commitment and making it out to this event!

For more information visit Kinfolk's blog at www.wegotways.com or Smoke and Mirrors at www.smokeandmirrorslife.com

Epic is Epic

2009-07-21T10:40:00.000-07:00

I wanted to write about my first week being back in school and back in Santa Barbara. I had fairly long break from school and the fact that this session is my last before graduation makes it kind of a big deal to me. The day I woke up, on the first day back of class, I felt a little nervous. It had nothing to do with the rigor or pace of the class, but more to do with the fact that it will be the last class I ever take at the Brooks Institute of Photography, or the last college class which I EVER TAKE, for that matter! I had set myself up to have a nice and mellow schedule and so I made my way up 101 north, in the early afternoon, both stoked to be starting my final session, and a little unsettled with the fact that I was on the cusp of one of the biggest changes in my adult life.

When I got to Santa Barbara, I parked my car, got on my bike, and made my way out to lunch. My apprehensions about why I was in Santa Barbara immediately disappeared as soon as I started pedaling; the combination of the moderate air temperature, the smell of the ocean, and the undeniable joy of riding a bicycle just left my feeling like I was living in the perfect moment. From there on out, everything kept getting better and better; my lunch was delicious and awesome, class was a breeze and I had great plans for right after class. After class, I met up with my friend James and we rode out to where a big group of friend and fellow cyclists were hosting another stage of a series of sprint races. It's semi-competitive but mostly a great event that gets a bunch of people together who love riding their bikes and having a good time. The event lasted a few hours and from there we rode up to a park, which we knew would have night-lights, to play basketball; it was one of the most intense basketball games that I've ever got to take part in. We played five on five, as sloppy as could be, with no real set positions; just running fast-break after fast-break, driving hard, with lots of contact and a complete disregard for what was and was not a foul. IT WAS AMAZING! We all worked up a ridiculous sweat so then next logical step was to jump into a pool! We all rode out to a location, whose name I'll withhold, and jumped off of a four-story roof into a pool. From there my friend Matt and I rode out to his house, where I was staying while in SB, and settled in for the night. I had this overwhelming feeling that I had just had just lived through one of the best days in quite a while. Maybe I had an overstock of endorphins and dopamine from laying around for weeks being sick, but I felt better than ever!

The next day, shortly after waking up, I met my friend Garrett for breakfast at Backyard Bowls; one of the best spots in SB to grab an Acai bowl. From there we spent the rest of the morning and afternoon riding bikes and eventually meeting up with a couple other dudes, James and Hobie, to play baseball. It was a ton of fun and I was a sweaty mess by the end of it all; it's safe to say I was probably the smelly kid in class, but I don't think it was as bad as I imagined it to be! That day ended with more bike riding and the same baseball foursome seeing the movie MOON, downtown in SB.

I could go on and on with detailed specifics about my first few days back in SB, but all-in-all I'd sum it up by saying it was great to be back, it was liking ; lot's of bike riding, basketball, baseball, swimming, danger, excitement, and above all else, hanging out with GOOD FRIENDS!

Macaframa: The Film

2009-07-13T23:08:00.000-07:00

When something is created by blending multiple facets of ones passions the potential to create something remarkable becomes a tangible possibility. Being passionately involved in image-making and cycling are, in my opinion, two of the best things in the world and tonight I've been inspired by two guys from San Francisco who've blended their love of cycling and image making together to create something truly amazing.

Colin Arlen and Colby Elrick, of Macaframa Films, have spent the last three years putting together an awesome film that's become a household name in the cycling world; Macaframa. The story of their journey to completing the production of this piece is inspiring; the passion that drove all of these people to come together and join in the birth of this film rings clear from the moment you lay eyes on the DVD's packaging and presentation. The film features beautifully composed and captured footage of an extremely talented and dedicated crew of cyclists tearing through the streets of San Francisco's cityscape. From the beginning of the film, right up until the end, there is so much that excited me; the aesthetic of the film, the skill of the riders, the angles of capture, the flawless editing, the hectic nature of the riding, and the triumph of each rider, as an individual, all combine seamlessly and beautifully.

I can't say enough about my range of emotions during my first time watching the film; there's so many aspects of the experience of watching this film and so many stimulating elements to take in. I remember just being blown away by the cleanness and simplicity of the opening scene and then BOOM, the pace just picks up and I'm immediately thinking "These dudes are killing it! They make me feel like I suck at riding bikes!" The transitions, from rider to rider, are unique every time and really visually interesting. All-in-all, I'd really recommend creating the opportunity to watch this film ASAP; I'm really stoked that I did and I can't wait to crack into Disc 2 to check out all the extra goodies!

Keeping it up

2009-07-12T02:29:00.000-07:00

In my last post, just last night, I discussed loosing touch with blogging and I figured there's no better way to get back into the habit than to continually post; maybe everyday, at least at first. I'll make no promises, to myself, though; I would hate to set myself up for disappointment! I spent the better part of today in the studio with the band The Harm, during the recording process of their upcoming project. It was a blast; the guys were fun the whole time and being that close to the production of that caliber of music was an awesome experience. I am really looking forward to editing the video that was shot during the day.

Prior to heading to the studio, I stopped by my favorite not-so-local bike shop, Orange 20, to pick up a copy of the late and great Macaframa DVD. While there I, by chance, had a close and direct encounter with the elusive Trackosaurus Brow; he is a marvelous specimen and the whole ordeal was truly a privilege!

Now getting back to the PG, that's program and it's easy...

Bellow are some more photographs from a larger collection from The Harm's studio session at Steakhouse Studios.

Jumping Back In

2009-07-11T02:46:00.000-07:00

I have regrettably lost touch with blogging; it's completely been lacking in my life and I've missed it. I think I became slightly disenfranchised with computers over summer-break, which hasn't been too long. I've also been battling a serious cold for the past few weeks and I quite honestly, haven't been getting into too many exciting activities. I had a great Fourth of July, however; I went to an awesome gathering which required the sporting of faux facial hair. Beyond that, I have been getting plenty of bed-rest and trying to nurse myself back to health. I really miss being able to be active; I miss riding bicycles like crazy!! I really feel like I'm turning a corner though; I can slowly feel symptoms dissipate and there's only minor congestion coupled with low energy and strength.

Tonight was spent in a recording studio with the band The Harm, who are great friends of mine; They'll be spending all of tomorrow recording eight tracks for part of a series where they will be releasing four mini-EP's with four tracks each. I'm really excited that they're getting back in the studio and I'm super pumped to be able to witness and document the process. I'll be shooting still photographs as well as filming video; I'm even going to shoot some 35mm film and maybe some polaroids! Like I said, I just got back from the studio, where they spent a little over 5 hours setting up with the producer, working on yielding the ideal tones and getting everything laid out... I primarily focused on getting video footage but managed to squeez a couple of stills out of the deal. Here are a few images....

Taking a Break

2009-06-16T01:16:00.000-07:00

I had an amazing weekend but I've been sitting at my desk for too long now, editing photos, emailing clients, completing clerical tasks etc. I decided to take some time out and review some of the photos I've made over this past BUSY week.

Right now, I'm loving these images!

An intimate gathering

2009-06-14T12:03:00.000-07:00

My good friend Matt had a few people over to his house last night. We were celebrating two of my really good friends' birthdays; Jake whose birthday was on the 13th and Devin whose birthday is today the 14th. It was a small group of people but we had a great time, I met some really cool new people and got to shoot over half of the people there in the hallway, with one of the most goofy setups I've ever shoot! Making these photos was insanely fun!

Weekend Getaway

2009-06-09T12:55:00.000-07:00

I spent this past weekend in Portland, Oregon with my family; for my cousin's wedding. I left home around 6am Thursday morning, flew to Phoenix to meet my brother and from there we flew to Portland. We got in in the early evening, took a local commuter train to Union station and caught the Amtrak down to Albany, where we were staying that evening. I think we put our bags down somewhere near ten, so it was a 16-hour travel day for me, which honestly didn't stand out as being so; I think my recent travels has shifted my perception of how long is too long when traveling. I still get twitchy when sitting still on LA's freeways, but as long as I'm moving I'm all good.

With the wedding being on Saturday evening I had the opportunity to day-trip Portland on both Friday and Saturday. The distance between Albany and Portland is just over 80 miles, so it was trains and busses that got me there. My brother Sean came along, which was cool. He and I don't get to see all that much of each other and now that he's into his teenage years we have a bit more common ground which makes for more conversation and dirty jokes! Both days we Sean and I checked out the Pearl district; there were tons of second-hand clothing stores, music stores, parks, restaurants, and cool people too see. Saturday we just so happened to walk along some of the route of the Portland Rose Festival Parade. It was sheer coincidence that we were there that day, we had no idea that there would be so much to see; there were A TON of people lining the streets, it was really something!

The wedding was awesome; really low-key, family-oriented gathering. It was held in my Aunt and Uncle's back yard (the crammed over eighty people back there!). I had the opportunity of seeing so many people in my family who I hardly see, it was fantastic catching up and seeing change and growth in our lives. Though I left for home on Sunday (which was earlier than most everyone else who made it out there), and my time there was short-lived, I walked away from this weekend with a new found love for Portland and strengthened appreciation of family.

The Trescott Gang

2009-06-04T01:10:00.000-07:00

A couple who I'm friends with, from Santa Barbara, are currently en route to Seattle; they decided to pick up and move to the Pacific Northwest to pursue bigger and better things! It's been a pleasure knowing them, they're an honest and good-hearted couple of people and I hope to see them soon in the near-future. A couple weeks ago Mickey asked me to do a photoshoot with them and I was lucky enough to pull it off, just a few hours before their departure.

Little-Big-Dog Syndrome

2009-06-03T23:43:00.000-07:00

I had a couple of compositing assignments from a class and I was able to use my dog as a model. This was the first assignment ever where it felt legitimate to use her, and I'm one more class away from graduation so it's good that I was able to sneak her in!

Getting Away

2009-05-31T16:01:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my previous blog, I had weekend plans for a camping trip with my buddy Corey. It was a awesome change of pace; we headed out to the Salton Sea on friday evening, after I got back from Grad-Review (I'm all cleared for graduation!!). We stopped, on the way out of town, to grab some film, food, and the bare essentials. The drive down went well, considering how much traffic you encounter on a friday evening in LA. We listened to the Lakers destroy the Denver Nuggets, talked about and listened to good music, and caught up on each other's life and photography. When we got into the region in which we were going to camp we stocked up on firewood and plenty of lighter fluid and headed for camp. The tent went up without a hitch and the fire was blazing and roaring in no time. The high 70-degree weather made for an absolutely solid sleep, all the way through the night and I woke up shortly after sun-rise feeling rested and ready to take on the day. We spent the day exploring deserted buildings, decaying trailer parks and we even made it out to Slab-City! All-in-all, the get away was much needed and it was a fantastic way to spend my weekend!

Corey and I made the commitment to exclusively shoot film so, unlike prevoius posts, I wont have to many images to share with you at this point; the rolls of film haven't gone out for processing yet but I did shoot couple of polaroids of corey and one of a line-up of outdated photo booths.

Business Busyness

2009-05-28T23:24:00.000-07:00

I have totally been neglecting my blog, among many other things. School and work has set me off in a whirlwind and I've kind of been loosing touch with the little extras in life that really matter; take this blog for instance, I take great pleasure in sharing through this blog and I have been longing to make an entry. HERE GOES!

Adjusting to school has been going over pretty good. I'm loving my classes and loving being back in the arena with peers and friends. I get to see amazing work like this:

by my friend James

and this:

by my friend Garrett.

I've been working with a very talented and inspiring photographer, LeAnn Mueller, which has been fantastic; it's nice to still be a student yet find a place learning in the commercial "real world" after being gone and coming back home.

I spent some time with friends, this last weekend, at Noah and Mickey Trescott's farewell Barebeque.

I worked on a couple of composites, for homework, with some friends, which was nice because it gave me a chance to catch up with some friends and get my work done at the same time.

I've been working really hard on getting myself prepared for graduation review, which is set for tomorrow afternoon; this is my final checkpoint before moving on to graduation (besides passing my core classes, which hasn't been a problem over the past three years so I'm not anticipating any more obstacles once I make it out of grad-review). I started putting together a portfolio that was fairly commercial, which mostly came from class assignments; after discussing the direction of my portfolio with a couple of friends I came to the realization that I needed to take it into a new direction to achieve continuity and flow; I came up with something that I am really stoked about!

Beyond all this madness, I've been feeling the need to get out, take a break, and switch things up a bit. As fate would have it, my friend Corey called me today and shared a similar sentiment which pushed us toward making plans to go on a little camping journey. The destination is an obvious change of scenery and the fact that we have committed to leaving our digital cameras behind and shooting film has us pretty amped! I'll leave you with that; a story to look forward to!

Rideable Art

2009-05-21T01:04:00.000-07:00

Better Late than never!

Kinfolk Bicycle Project from Jesse Carmody on Vimeo.

STOKED!

2009-05-12T23:02:00.000-07:00

In the post "Cloud No. 9" I shared one of my most memorable and outstanding experiences, from my trip to Japan; a trip to Kusaka San's bicycle factory in Kobe. The following photographs are of the bicycle that he built for me. I am so happy to own a bicycle forged from the collaboration of such a great company and such an amazing frame builder; I truly feel lucky and I'm so excited to get it rolling!

I'll be posting a time-lapse video of my building it in the near future, so be on the lookout!

The Haps

2009-05-05T11:31:00.000-07:00

I feel like I've been neglecting my blog; it's been a while since my latest post, and I suppose it might be because I've been relatively busy. Since my last post I've spent a week readjusting to LA life; driving a car, using a cell phone all of the time, getting used to the time zone difference, and preparing to be in a full-time school schedule again. I've been hiking in the hills, which I missed so much. I've been cycling with my friends and family, which is another things I missed a lot as well. Watching Lakers games has been a consistent plan for me, since being back; nothing makes you appreciate your local home-team like being away for a couple of months, while things are really heating up for the team!

Yesterday was my first day of class and my first full day back in Santa Barbara; I think I really missed the atmosphere in Santa Barbara and definitely at school. It blows my mind that I have less than four months until I graduate. I've been running, strong, year-round for the last couple of years and they seem to have flown by so quickly. I'll be a college graduate before I know it. I have been having reoccurring and simultaneous feelings of joy, appreciation, craving and hunger; I'm so happy to be doing what I'm doing, I really appreciate and feel lucky for the eye-opening experiences which I was just able to experience, I'm craving new adventure, and I'm hungry for the bright future which lies ahead of me. Though, these feelings are both reflecting back on the past and projecting ahead to the future I am still quite awake and alive in the present moment. These reflections and projections are part of my present when retelling stories about my past couple of months or discussing my next moves; they add to my present. They insert positivity and happiness into each waking moment.

Yesterday was my first day back at school and I love my classes already. I'm being instructed by one of the most positive and inspiring instructors, I've ever had the pleasure of being taught by. I'm taking a business launch class which prepares students to graduate and transition into the professional market; it doesn't seem to hold much value among other students, but I really feel like its a valuable class and there is really a lot of good information to pull out of it, assuming one is open and receptive. Just yesterday we participated in some really powerful reflective writing exercises which really got me in touch with a couple of really strong parallels to what it is I most enjoy about life and what I most long to achieve within my photography. I walked away from that class with some clarity and a new perspective; it was truly a liberating experience.

The more I discuss business, the current state of the US economy, post-graduation plans, and human potential I keep alluding to the universality of my chosen profession and the possibility of nurturing what I want to do in far and foreign places. I keep saying and thinking how I could live somewhere else and begin my career in a foreign market; what's to stop me except my own fears or apprehension? I keep saying "I could" and it feels so real, almost right; I really can pick up and leave for a while, anyone could. So now here I am, less than four months away from graduation, with plans which are constantly loosening, changing, and morphing. I'm not exactly sure where it is that I'm going, but I have an overwhelming feeling that there is light on the horizon, that the future is bright, and that I can achieve anything that I truly want to!

First Weekend Back

2009-04-27T05:20:00.001-07:00

Being back home has been absolutely phenomenal, thus far. I've been spending day and night catching up with friends, going to music-shows, attending art-gallery events, and I even squeezed a BBQ into the weekend. I've been telling the same stories, about my great adventure, over and over; it never gets old, I love telling them. I reflect when I tell these stories and I find myself feeling overwhelmingly lucky. I am truly looking forward to each and every day of the coming summer; it's not just a season it's this special time of year where everything is different. People are more social, you find any excuse to stay outside all day, and the warmth of night inspires epically long nights. I feel like I have so much to experience, I feel like there's so much ahead of me, and I can't wait!

I'm definitely missing Japan already, but the joy I take from the things I've been doing as of late have helped to subside the longing for distant places.

Back On The Home-Turf

2009-04-24T10:41:00.000-07:00

So I've been back in the US for less than 24 hours and it feels vastly different from the past two months. It's been fantastic seeing my family and friends; catching up on what I've been doing and hearing what they've been into. It's been difficult sleeping; my sleep-cycles are all whacked out so I haven't been able to sleep, uninterrupted for very long. I went for a walk this morning and noticed how big and expansive everything felt. There are so many stretches of pavement with nothing on it. There are cars everywhere and I can read every sign! It's been funny striking up conversations with strangers or making quick remarks or comments; sometimes it starts off with a Japanese greeting and then I soon realize that it doesn't work like that anymore! I think having the luxury of being able to clearly communicate with most everyone I've seen this morning has led me to strike up a conversation with anyone who will make eye-contact with me.
I gather that, through my travels, I really found a higher value on human interaction and communication, as a whole. I look forward to each time I will meet with a friend, I look forward to each phone call, and I treasure each unexpected conversation. It's unarguable that communication and interaction, at this point, is what I missed most and what I now hold in a higher regard.

All-in-all, I can safely say that I miss being abroad but that I'm happy to be home and I'm looking forward to settling back in, for now. I don't have a strong itch to leave yet, but I truly am looking forward to the next adventure.

The Final Countdown

2009-04-22T18:09:00.000-07:00

Today is my final day in Japan; I'm leaving for the airport in about four hours which just blows my mind. The past two months have really flown by quite quickly and I feel fortunate to be able to look back at everything with nothing but good feelings and good memories. I've had some amazing opportunities and I am truly looking forward to getting out on my next adventure and seeing more of the world. This will be my final installation, to this blog, from overseas for the time being. As my father put it best... My adventure is coming to a temporary halt! Also that the adventure always continues, no matter where you are, it just depends on how you interpret it all. That last bit really resonates with where I'm at in my life right now; I will return home, enjoy a California summer and graduate college before the summer's end. There's so much potential for what I can and will do and through seeing the things I've seen and meeting the people I've met, I've come to the realization that I can do anything or go anywhere that I want; anything is possible.

Though I have no idea exactly how many people read this and who they are I want to extend a sincere thank-you to any and everybody who had a hand in the past two months; be it family who helped make this possible, friends who helped put me up, friends who maintained contact, people who extended well-wishes, or anyone really. I feel lucky to have the caliber of people in my life, which I do, and I want you and them to know this.

Matta Ne!

Cloud No. 9

2009-04-21T03:19:00.000-07:00

I had quite the memorable experience, this past Sunday. Through my newly formed relation ship with the Kinfolk Bicycle Company, and through one of its co-owner's Akira in particular, I was able to visit the workshop of the famous NJS Keirin bicycle builder, Kusaka-San. He is the founder and builder of Vivalo bikes and he also, through a new partnership, builds the track frames for the Kinfolk Bicycle Company. Even before coming to Japan I wanted dearly to get close to the birthplace of Keirin Bicycles. It's no secret, to those who know me, that bicycles are a pretty big passion of mine; they're probably the coolest things to hit the street since snow. Anyway, luke and I took a train out to Kobe to meet with Akira, on sunday afternoon. From there we took a local-train into a suburb and we walked into an incredible workspace where Kusaka-San builds beautiful track bikes with his bare hands. He's a master of his craft and I was honored to meet him! I'm incredibly honored to be a soon-to-be owner of something that he built with his hands and the knowledge gained from a lifetime of devotion to what he does. I'm starting to realize how incredibly fortunate I've been to have been able to spend the last two months as I did. I'm not even sure if I've fully realized how monumental this entire experience has been, in my life, and I'm not even sure if I will until I'm sitting back and reflecting, once I've returned home.

Looking Forward

2009-04-19T10:19:00.000-07:00

Everyday keeps getting better and yet four days from now and I'll be in the sky, flying back home to Los Angeles. I've had such an amazing time over the past two months. I've got to see so many new things, meet so many amazing people, and do a great deal of things which I'd never done before. This experience has been nothing but good. My struggles with homesickness were short, few and far between. I felt well acclimated to everywhere I was; this whole experience just "felt right." I have been looking forward, with excitement, to coming back home which has been a bit conflicting at first. I struggled with justifying why I was happy to leave this all and return home; how could this be so if I were truly enjoying myself? Well I've come to the conclusion that I'm nowhere near being over this experience or wanting to end it, I'm just looking forward to what awaits me. California summers, college graduations, the beginning of my adult life. All of these things are wildly monumental and just within reach. In no time flat, I'll be beyond those milestones and on to something else. Perhaps I'll be back in Australia or Japan or somewhere entirely different. It's fully possible to do whatever one wants, wherever one wants; One just needs the will and desire. Hard work, determination and openness just might take care of the rest.

It's all happening!

Friends In Far Places

2009-04-16T18:41:00.000-07:00

The last couple of days were spent in Tokyo. I made the trip to go meet friends of friends, who run a track bike company/lounge, as well as catch up with another Luke that I met out here (who, after several years, is moving back to Australia tomorrow). I started off jumping on the Shinkansen and meeting luke out in Yokohama, we had plans to visit a tattoo museum, at the suggestion of my good friend Julian Zeff. The museum ended up being more like a basement with a good personal collection which was quite good. The owner of the museum is Horiyoshi III, who happens to be one of Japans most widely known tattoo artists; in fact, the museum is right bellow his studio. Luke and I spent some time searching through all the different sections before leaving, we cruised through the local neighborhood for bit, before parting ways. My next move was getting out to the area where I was to meet my recommended friend of friends. They run a lounge which is the public front of their bicycle company; and interesting business front that is really unique and quite impressive. The name of their company is Kinfolk bicycles, so naturally my destination was the Kinfolk Lounge! I got into the area where it was early, before dark, so that I could get they lay of the land before I had to be there. I spent some time riding my bike around the surrounding areas and I really enjoyed the neighborhood; it had some beautiful walkways that ran along a really pretty waterway and there was this amazing park at the top of the hill, where I watched the sunset.

After fetching some dinner I rode back out to the lounge, where I had an arranged meeting with John, one of the Kinfolk owners. I didn't have any expectations about how long I was going to be there, so it was a pleasant surprise to hang out there all night. John and the other guys I met there, later in the evening, were really hospitable and all-around good people. I got the full insight on their business model and the story behind it and I ended up riding bikes with all of them later in the evening. The next day was spent riding around from local bike shop to local bike shop, with Rael who I met at Kinfolk, looking at amazing bikes and meeting the locals; it was perfect and I only wish I had more days like that while in Japan.

My JR Rail Pass is now expired, so I'm pretty much permanently back in the Kansai region throughout the remainder of my stay here, which is one more week. It's really an interesting feeling knowing that I'll be back home, this time next week. This whole adventure was my first real jump into traveling and I've really had an amazing time. I have no gripes with having to go home, however, there's a lot about LA that I miss. I have no doubt in my mind that I'll get the wander-lust's itch shortly after returning home though; this lifestyle is good and I know the times would only get better!

Photos From the Most Recent Leg

2009-04-13T10:56:00.000-07:00

Since I last wrote, I spent a day in one of the most southern cities in the Kyushu Region, Kagoshima; I visted an Aquarium and bombed on hill (via skateboard) on a volcanic island! I spent the later part of that day traveling back up to Takatski, which ended up being 5 hours by Shinkansen; I was oh so relieved to put down my bags, shower, and crawl into bed. Today was spent, day-tripping to Nara, with Luke. We went and visited a few shrines and temples and finished our day watching an American film at the local cinema. Today was pretty solid, Luke and I shared tons of laughs, we took photos, and ended the night with a photo-editing powwow! This blog will be short, as I have to go to sleep and wake up in less than 5 hours to travel to Tokyo. Bellow are photos from the past week (give or take a couple of days).

In My Element

2009-04-11T06:55:00.000-07:00

Today was pretty rad. I was planning on checking out Fukuoka a little bit, missioning down to Kagoshima and then returning to Fukuoka for the evening. I ended up staying in the city the whole time. Luke let me borrow his Sector 9 Short-Long board; I felt right at home smashing around through pedestrians, in congested areas, on a skateboard. I've never gotten so many of the (what the hell?) looks as I did today. Now that I think about it, I've yet to see anybody riding a skateboard, on the street, since I've been in Japan. It was hilarious, it was freeing, and it felt so intuitive. I felt kind of reconnected with a piece of home and, at this point in my journey, that's a beautiful thing!
I opted to stay off of trains and buses today, and utilize the opportunity of having a skateboard. I cruised all over the city, looking for a pair of shoes. Sounds strange, I'm sure, but I have good reason. It seems my foot has grown or my shoes have shrunk. In any case, I was pretty uncomfortable in the kicks that I had been wearing so I thought it would be pretty liberating to wear a pair of shoes that didn't cramp my toes; especially considering the amount of walking (and skating, in this case) that I have been doing. I found the raddest pair of Vans, of all shoes, while cruising through a tiny street tucked away in the center of town. It felt so funny to be half-way around the world, from home, and buy a pair of shoes that I could get at any mall. Maybe I gravitated toward them because they were familiar; that is, as experience has shown, a pretty standard human trait. OR maybe it was because they had this kick-ass American Flag vibe and I thought it would just be ridiculous to be the gaijin (outsider) sporting shoes reminiscent of his home countries flag!! In any case, they're rad and I'll be sure to get a photo in one of my upcoming blogs.
After I succeeded with my shoe-buying mission, I was rolling much more comfortably; it was time to move on. I made a few stops in parks, and shops; the temples and shrines are a bit harder to come by in big cities, and to be completely honest I'm a tad burnt out on them anyway. I did a lot of skating, with no real destination in mind. I got lost a bunch too. I've gotten pretty good at gathering directions from Japanese people, although once they start flying off on a tangent with a REAL conversation, I loose it. I made a stop into the Kyushu Prefecture Modern Museum of Art and saw some amazing artwork. I got to see an original piece by both Salvidor Dali and Andy Warhol, as well as many amazing pieces by Japanese artists. The one thing that will always be memorable, for me, was the universality of spectating and appreciating; for the first time since I've been here, I felt like I was on the same page as everyone around me. Everyone one was just quietly appreciating and interpreting modern and abstract art; there was no language barriers, no difficulty understanding, we were all pretty damn harmonious.

My one big plan for the evening, however, was to go see a Japanese baseball game. I went, and it was great! I lit up with joy when I walked into the stadium. The same feeling I get when I walk into the Dodger Stadium; this again was a throw back to feeling connected to a familiar piece of me. Skating, appreciating art, walking into a ball park, it all just felt so familiar; I really just felt like I was in my element. The ball game was pretty amusing, I couldn't understand any of the cheers but the fans that were in my section (the cheap-seats) were die-hards! They never sat down, when they're team was up to bat. No one seemed to care that their team was down 7-0 in the eight inning. It was fantastic! It seems, itemized and on screen, that I didn't do that much today, but I really had a full day. I guess that it goes to show that it's not about what you do but it's about how you do it Thus the old adage: It's not about quantity, it's about quality....

Yu-su ho-su-te-ru (Youth Hostel)

2009-04-10T08:28:00.000-07:00

I'm currently sitting in the downstairs computer-station at the Fukuoka Youth Hostel. One of the first places I stayed in Japan was the Yoyogi Youth Hostel, near Tokyo. Both the hostels that I mention are part of the Japan Youth Hostel chain, so now that I'm solo and on missions that are keeping my away from my usual quarters, with Luke in Taktuski, I've decided to track down another Japan Youth hostel; here I am! They have clean and affordable rooms, they have hot showers, and best of all they're all over Japan! I ended up here, by no certain plan, this evening. I left Takatsuki early this morning with a loose plan, a guide-to-Japan type of book, a camera, and a change of clothes.
I started off by jumping on the Shinkansen and taking it to Hiroshima. In hiroshima I visited the Peace Park, which is dedicated to the strong stance against nuclear weapons, and their use. I also visited the Atomic Bomb Museum, which is centered around the Bombing of Hiroshima by the United States. I saw some truly awful, sobering and though-provoking images and testimonies. Of course I've heard stories and seen images, but this museum is full-0n. There were some really raw facts to take in! Enough of the downer bit though, Im' not writing, tonight, to bum anyone out!
After Hiroshima, I jumped on a train, bound for Miyajimaguchi, to ferry out to Miyajima. Miyajima is an island, not far from Miyajima, which boasts several famous sights, not least of which is the infamous torie (Water gate/shrine). The two sights I came to wee weren't in their normal state, because the sea level was extremely low; it was no bummer though, I wasn't really going into it with strong expectaions, one way or the other. After I saw my two sights, I walked around the island. There were wild deer running around, there were cherry blossoms that were constantly raining petals, and the golden light shone beautifily on everything, as it was nearing dusk. It was a truly beatilful time and place to be, and the experience was magnified by the fact that I was experiencing all of this in complete solitude.
After ferrying back into Miyajimaguchi and catching the train back into Miyajima, I jumped back onto the Shinkansen and headed for Shin-Yamaguchi, which would take my just south of my intended destination; Yamaguchi. Upon arival, in the late evening, I noticed that the next train to Yamaguchi wasn't supposed to leave for another 45 minutes, which struck me as super-odd. I got pretty curious and came up on some doubts, which led me to inquire at the information center. The woman who helped me did her best to get out some english and I did my best to get out some Japanese. I gathered that the one site which I had intended to go see, was a temple, which would certainly be closed by the time I got there; also, there wouldn't be very good odds of me finding accomodation! My next move was to get back onto a Shinkansen train and continue my journey south.
I had been planning on traveling around Kyushu, which is the second largest of the four island that make up Japan as we know it. I got into some brainstorming, while on the Shinkansen, and decided that Fukuyama,would be a super ideal place to stop for the night. So here I am, I'm in Fukuyama, I'm at a hostel, I've had a gloriously hot and envigorating shower and I'm ready to get some sleep. I'm looking forward to continuing my journey and the realization that I only have another 6 days on my JR Rail pass (which is my golden ticket around Japan) and that I have less than two weeks left in this country is really putting the fire underneath my butt; I've got to make the most out of everything I experience and I really have to make it all count!

Untill the next time...

Sakura-Sakura

2009-04-07T22:50:00.000-07:00

This time of year, here in Japan, is popularized by the short-lived Sakura. Sakura is the Japanese name for cherry trees and there blossoms, the latter of which is the centerpiece of this celebration. Every year, the status and progress of the cherry blossoms is tracked and monitored closely, as to stay in the know about when and where the best cherry blossom's can be viewed. People come out from all over the world to partake in the viewing festivities; which last from sunrise well into the night.

This weekend I had the pleasure of going to a few Sakura events, with Luke. On Saturday we met up with many of Luke's co-workers, at Osaka-Jo, where we spent the day. The vibe at these Sakura parties ranged drastically, there were some older couples who spent the day in a peaceful manner, taking photos, and taking in the beauty. On the other hand, there were also tons of young people in their teens and twenties throwing raging parties with booze and loud music. Although these two extremes were happening within close range it all seemed to work out quite harmoniously; no one seemed to mind what anyone else was doing. It was about being out there and digging the day.

Saturdays Sakura party rolled into the night; when the evening rolled into full-darkness a group of about a dozen of us walked down to the JR station and took a subway into Shinsaibashi for dinner and drinks at an Izakaya, which is a traditional type of Japanese bar that also serves food. This Izakaya, just like most others, is set up in private rooms; you take your shoes off as you enter a sunken-floored room, with sliding doors, and rectangular bench seats that surround a large table.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I'm thrilled to be doing what I'm doing. I'm luck to be able to enjoy the experiences and adventures that I do and I'm glad to be meeting so many great people. I'm digging it!

Koyasan

2009-04-07T21:42:00.000-07:00

I have been a little removed from blogging, as of late, because I've been on the move; I've been getting into some pretty fantastic adventures and although things are by no means winding down, I've felt the need to write an entry or two. My adventure started last friday for me. My friend C-Monkey, from Australia, was preparing for a journey around the surrounding region, for his last few days in Japan. He suggested I join him for part of it and I did. We got up early, friday morning, and started traveling toward Koyasan on Mount Koya, where we planned to spend a few days. Visiting Mount Koya was already on my list of to-do's and I hadn't even realized that Koyasan was on mount Koya until we had arrived; it was quite the pleasant surprise!
Koyasan is the birthplace of Shingon Buddhism, which is a sect of Esoteric Buddhism. There are tons of temples and shrines to visit and there's even a university of Koyasan, where Buddhism is taught as a major. Cmonkey and I stayed with monks in a temple-lodging location, which was amazing. The rooms were modeled after the Edo-period; They had sliding doors, there were tatami-matted rooms, with communal baths and bathrooms. You would walk into the rooms, at the center of which was a low table with a heated blanked to put your legs under, you sit atop pillows and there's pretty much always tea going around. Meals were served in the room, near the doorway atop trays where, again, you sat atop pillows. Bedding was set up ,typically while we were gone, by the monks; the beds were super-comfortable futon pads set up further into the room.
Part of the deal, when staying at a temple lodging, is getting up for the morning prayer ritual. The service, where we stayed, started at 6am and lasted a little over an hour. There were over a dozen monks and a dozen guests in this dark, candle-lit room, the monks were chanting sutras and mantras, all in sync and the sound set off a powerful vibration throughout the room. Toward the end of the ceremony guest are asked to participate by going through a few steps of offerings. After the service a few of us were invited, by one of the monks, into separate quarters for tea. We all talked with the monks, and amongst ourselves, for the first time; it was really cool to talk with everyone and the general vibe of the room was super upbeat and mellow. We were served breakfast, in our rooms, and then we left for the day.
Cmonkey and I started with a hike over to the huge cemetery, We spent a few hours walking around this amazing place and then by mid-day we were rained-out!
Timing wasn't all that bad though, because I had to catch a bus out to the cable-car line so that I could get back to Osaka by rail; I had plans for that evening in Osaka and there were a few Sakura-Viewing (Cherry Blossom-Viewing) parties that I had intended to go to over the weekend.

A Small Slice of America

2009-04-01T06:42:00.000-07:00

Today I had a Japanese lesson, which ended in the early afternoon. I was left with nothing to really do so I decided to conduct some internet research on the Costco locations, here in Japan. I didn't know why, at the time, but I was super-keen on making a mission out to one. I got all my moves itemized and made the moves necessary to get out there. It took me a little over an hour to get close, by train, and then I spent another hour or less walking to the location. I didn't know what to expect, I mean we're talking about a huge American business chain, smack-dab in the middle of Japan! I was curiously giddy as I crossed through the doors; they scanned my card and I was in. I started laughing out loud as I made my way throughout the warehouse. It was exactly like being back home; it was a trip! I didn't really grab too much. Partly because I had to take all of my purchases home, by hand, but mostly because there's not much I really ever get from Costco these days. It was more about the experience for me and that's exactly what it was; an experience...

Another Fantastic Night To Remember

2009-03-31T18:47:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned yesterday, in my previous blog entry, I was feeling a bit under the weather. I spent the majority of the day inside, studying a bit of Japanese and really just relaxing. By nightfall, I got cleaned up, went out for some dinner, and by the time I got home I was feeling pretty charged up; it was fantastic to feel alive and able to function again! Ray, who is a close friend of Luke (and who I am now rather fond of), has been living here for the past two years teaching english. Unfortunately, Ray will moving back home to Australia in two days, so we had a going away bash which started at JK's Bird (the local watering hole for the big group of Australian and American english teachers). The notion of going out for another night on the town didn't sit quite well with me, in theory, but once I got out there I was having a killer time. on the top level of the bar, in the lounge, there was an amazing jazz jam-session going on. There were three guitar amps, a bass amp, two drum kits, a couple key boards, plenty of microphones set up for both vocalists and brass/wind. Basically the entire floor was filled with musicians and each group would trade off, on the stage, after each song. These musicians were amazingly talented and it was probably one of my luckiest happy-accidents to stumble across, throughout my entire holiday!
After the performance was over, we moved back downstairs to the main floor and mingled with the rest of the new-class of Australian english teachers. Within an hour of being back downstairs, Ray put out the objective of moving on to a local Karaoke bar; no one objected, and within minutes we were on our way. About 10 of us, in total, made the move to karaoke and we had a blast! I'm normally not too keen on singing in front of other people but the vibe was super mellow and I ended up having an absolutely amazing time. I've only just met Ray, but it truly is a bummer to see him go; I've had nothing but classic times spent on the town with him, thus far, and I can only imagine what else we would've gotten into if he had more time here!

When all was said and done, we got out around 5:30am and made it back home just before the sun-rise. Sometimes the best times in life are the complete opposite of what you plan for!

A little under the weather.

2009-03-30T23:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was pretty mellow. Cmonkey, Luke and I woke up pretty late, ate lunch and then went for a pretty strenuous hike up Ponpon Yama (thump-thump mountain) in northern Takatsuki; it's the highest place in Takatsuki. We charged it pretty hard, only taking short breaks to take photos, and got up there in only a few hours. It felt good to get out and breath some fresh air. Today has been fairly unproductive, but I felt that it was necessary, as my two-day bender from a few days back has left me feeling a little off of my game. It's not all bad though, sometimes it's good to kick back and recharge the batteries!

EPIC ACTIVITIES!

2009-03-28T21:24:00.000-07:00

So, I'm getting ready to jump in bed and it's 1:30 in the afternoon. Two days back, I made a solo-mission to Osaka, which went quite well. I jumped on the JR line, here in Takatski, where I met an American who teaches Wing Chun Kung Fu, in Osaka. Steve and I chatted, quite extensively on the train and I ended up cruising to lunch with him. He was a super cool dude, who was raised in the Philippines, up to the age of 8, moved to New York and then spent his teen years in North Carolina. He's been in Japan for over 15 years, so he is a valuable contact to have, without question.
I cruised to his Dojo afterward and hung out for a while, before I stepped back out, on my own, and went to one of the largest camera stores in Osaka, Yodobashi Camera. It was like disneyland for photographers; they had any and any piece of equipment or camera accessory that one would ever want! I caught the express train back to Takatsuki, fairly early, because a group of Luke's Australian mates (who are days away from moving home) had a music gig at a local bar that I had planned to go to. The scene was rad, there were heaps of Japanese students, of Luke's, as well as a whole lot of Australians. It made me realize how much I dug on Australia and Australians. Great people, and a great atmosphere. We charged it, all night, until around 5:30 am and then we decided to jump on a train to Osaka-Jo (Osaka Castle), which is one of the most large and pristine castles in the Kansai region. We went with the expectation of viewing cherry-blossoms, in bloom, which we did see; but not on the scale that we would've hoped for. The good news is I have over three more weeks to cruise back and work out better timing; I am really looking forward to it!
I've really been getting stoked on the Japanese language, and as much as I lament not studying more intensively, before I came, I'm very inspired to figure out a way to get jozu (good) with my Nihongo (Japanese)!

Again, I'm going to cut this blog a little short, because It's now 1:40 pm and it's about high time that I get some sleep. The fact that I cant elaborate, at this time, is rather unfortunate because I have been hanging out with some of the coolest people; I will definitely be posting another blog, after my slumber, accompanied with photographs from our outing to Osaka-Jo.

Until the next time...

Takatsuki/Osaka

2009-03-27T19:33:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I took the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto and connected on a local train to Takatsuki, where I'll be staying with Luke. I got in sometime in the early afternoon and met up with Luke. We walked around and headed toward Lukes work, where he and I parted ways. Takatsuki is pretty small, but it's cool so far, but it has been super cold here, yesterday I got lost on the walk to Luke's house and walked around for over an hour trying to find my way. I finally made it back here around 8pm and when I got in I couldn't feel my hands or my feet. It felt so good to get indoors; It makes me jealous of everyone back home in Southern California, who've been enjoying the high-seventy/low-eighty glory!! This will be a short post for me, as I am getting ready to leave to hop on a train to Osaka and check it out for the day.

Tokyo: Day Two

2009-03-26T17:38:00.000-07:00

I started my day a little late; being sleep-deprived and having not been in a real bed for over a month caused me to sleep in a little later than I normally would have. I started my day at the dining hall, here at the Olympic Youth Training Center (where the hostel I'm staying at is located), next I went to look at the shrine in Yoyogi park; it was really calm and peaceful there, but still there was no escaping the tourist-goods. There were souvenir shops with all sorts of stuff to buy. After visiting the Yoyogi Shrines I walked into the main metropolitan area of Yoyogi and found a market to grab some lunch; I found a friend, Devon, who is from Encinitas and went to USC. He's been out here for about three years. It was nice to have a solid english conversation with somebody; they have become quite a commodity for me as of late.
After parting ways I hoped on an above-ground train to Shibuya and walked around for hours. It was insanely busy and there were a million shops that spanned as far as the eye could see; it bordered on overwhelming, but I think that had a lot to do with the winding alleys and my unfamiliarity with the lay of the land.
After I had my fill of Shibuya I took the train, at the suggestion of Devon, to Harajuku. Harajuku is, by far, the most Americanized part of Tokyo that I have seen. Most of the shops there were imported franchises from The States and the shop names were all displayed in English. The layout of the streets were a lot more familiar and had a flair of NY to it. I stayed in Harajuku for a few hours and then took the train back to Yoyogi, to get back to my hostel.
Two nights, back-to-back, in a bed has been amazing! Although my quarters are small, they're private and quiet and it's been extremely nice and relaxing to have.
The hostel I have been staying at doesn't have any any vacancies for tonight, so I'll either find somewhere else to stay tonight or I might take the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) to Osaka to meet up with Luke. Although two days is, by no means, a proper visit to Tokyo I have a full month here in Japan, I have a JR pass that will give me unlimited access to the Shinkansen, and a visit with a solid-plan and most importantly without all of my luggage would make navigation a lot easier.

Konichiwa!

2009-03-25T03:11:00.000-07:00

I made it into Tokyo just after 6am this morning. I was super sleep-deprived and I spend the better part of the day aimlessly walking around Tokyo, trying to find an internet cafe. After I found one and made contact with the person I had intended to, I got back on my feet, took to the street and tried to find an english-speaking information center where I could find some information on accommodations. After a drawn out success I walked back to the Shinjuku station and headed to Yoyogi where I'm staying in a hostel. It's small, it's simple, and best of all it has a real bed; it's practically perfect! Tonight marks the first night that I'm sleeping in a real bed in over a month! Although I just got to Tokyo and I haven't even took a night-stroll I'm going to have to pass; tonight is all about getting rest. I arrived at melbourne, for my departure, 28 hours ago and it's about time I laid down and had some proper rest!

Melbourne Zoo

2009-03-23T18:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday our friend Bethany, who works at the melbourne zoo, took us for a visit on her day off. Although it was a short two-hour lap around the zoo it was amazing. Her commentary was top-notch and we got so much insight, right down to each animals name, that one wouldn't normally get. Although I'm really not the biggest fan of animals being kept in captivity, it was really rad.

Leaving Australia

2009-03-23T17:58:00.000-07:00

In just a few hours I'll be packing my stuff into my friend Lex's car and heading for Melbourne Airport, to fly to Tokyo Japan.

Things I loved about Australia:

1. Good People: I've been touched by tremendous generosity and goodwill; I really feel fortunate to have spent a month among great people that were both positive and uplifting.

2. Public Transport: I love public transportation! Having a general metro-link pass, where you can hop from train, to bus, to fairy, to tram, etc. is just downright amazing. I will truly miss this luxury when I return to the states.

3. Great Produce: There was some really good food out here; it was not that different from being home which made the transition pretty easy.

I'M GOING TO JAPAN!!

Still going... Still maintaining...

2009-03-21T19:38:00.001-07:00

It's been a bit too long since my last post. I've been moving around quite a bit and haven't really found the time to sit down and write a proper blog.

I'm currently in Melbourne Australia. I've been here since Tuesday and it's been awesome. I've been going to tons of art galleries and museums; I've been loving it! There's tons of rad cafe's, restaurants, and produce stands all over the place. I went out for a little photo walk-about last night which was pretty cool. I don't think I gave myself enough time to get what I really wanted, but I still enjoyed the time that I did have.

My second day out, I went to an exhibit on the behind-the-scenes production processes in film and I've had movie-watching fever ever since. I'm going to watch a film at an IMAX theater today; I'm stoked on it, I haven't been to an IMAX screen since I was at a field trip to Griffith Park in Kindergarten.

I leave for Tokyo in two days and I'm so stoked! My bicycle will be shipped to me, and I can't wait to ride it, I've really missed it. I am so pumped on going to Japan!!

Loving it!

2009-03-15T02:32:00.000-07:00

So I got into Sydney yesterday and took public transport out to where I'm staying while here in Bondi Beach. When I arrived my new-friend Corey had to go to work, so I walked with her down to the main area here where all the shops, cafes and restaurants are. This place is unbelievably beautiful; it's got so much going for it. I walked around for hours and got caught in a gnarly thunder/rain-storm. By the time I got home I was soaking wet; it was as if I jumped into a pool with all of my clothes on!! Later in the night, after all three girls got home, we went out with a tone of people that live in their same building. There's a couple of New Zealanders, and tons of kids from Europe; we had a killer night. So far, it's been amazing being here; everyone has been so hospitable and welcoming. I leave on Tuesday, and I can already tell that I'm going to miss it!

Goodbye Queensland

2009-03-13T16:40:00.000-07:00

So I'm about three hours away from boarding a plane, headed for Sydney. I spent last night in Brisbane with Mike, Seton, our friend Skippy, and Nikki; it was a blast! I'll admit that the last week has been painfully slow and I've been fairly anxious to leave, but last night really made me realize how much I've missed my friends and how quickly our time together flew by. I had an amazing time and I'm super grateful to have been able to have had the time with them that I did.

I got to go to my first Rugby League game yesterday, which was super exciting. The atmosphere was unreal; 55 thousand (plus) people in attendance. We spent the remainder of the night making our way around the city of Brisbane and didn't end up getting back to where we were staying until after four AM.

I'm really looking forward to spending the next few days in Sydney. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I'm really happy that I was able to squeeze that stop into my holiday.

Wrapping it up...

2009-03-10T18:14:00.000-07:00

So I've officially been in Noosa For two full weeks now and it's coming to an end in the next few days. There's been a pretty gnarly tropical cyclone that's disrupted the flow of things here; we have been watching way to much television!!! I've decided to pull stakes and head to a new destination. I'll be traveling to Sydney this coming Saturday to hang out in the city for a few days. I'll be staying with some friends from Seton, who actually grew up where I did; they all went to the local all-girls high school less than five miles from my house. I'm stoked how the traveling network works; I know someone who knows someone so now I've got a place to stay and people to hang out with; it's great! After spending a few days in Sydney I'll be flying to Melbourne to hang out with my friend Lex and tour the city. I'm really excited about adding these extra stops on my trip; Noosa has been great, but I'm naturally drawn to Urban cities and I can't wait to experience these new places.

My flight leaves from Brisbane on Saturday afternoon, so the three of us boys are going to head down to the city on Friday and have a little rager in the Brissy on friday night, to send me off properly. I've missed these guys and it's been incredible spending the last couple of weeks with them but the parting of ways was inevitable.

I'm looking forward to it all!

A Day In The Big City

2009-03-07T04:26:00.000-08:00

I've been away from the computer for a few days running now, with the exception of checking facebook. I shot the shoot, that I mentioned in my last blog, on Wednesday night; it went really well and the team that I worked with on the shoot were amazing. I spend the next couple days editing, going to the beach, and cutting loose with the boys and a couple of Swedish backpacker girls that have been staying with us. Today I took advantage of an opportunity to catch a ride down into Brisbane and cruised the city by myself. It was quite a day; I walked all over the place, non-stop, for 6 hours straight. I almost got arrested for trespassing onto police property, which was a little unsettling; I was trying to throw some trash away into a rubish bin that caught my eye and I tripped a motion detecter that tripped an alarm; before I knew it, three cops rush out of the back door of the station and I'm being questioned. It all went over okay but it left me feeling kinda crummy. Within an hour I came up on a free hug in South Bank and I was good.

Being in a remote village has been making me feel like I'm in a distant exotic place and being in a big city, today, made me feel like I was in familiar territory again; it felt a little like being home...

Working on Vacation

2009-03-02T04:57:00.000-08:00

So a family friend of Mike, whom I've mentioned previously, is managing a local talent here in Australia and I have just been commissioned to shoot some promotional images for her. I am stoked on getting the job in the first place, I'm stoked that I'm drumming up work on the side during my travels, and I'm stoked to be working with such a good guy. Denis, is the man I speak of and he's an all-around good dude; he's a regular legend! We went out to scout out some locations today and we came up pretty good. Besides that, not too much is new; I'm still trying to get on local time, here in Noosa, and I'm enjoying the weather and scenery!

Another Day In Paradise

2009-02-28T14:11:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was quite rad! I started the day with another drive, with Skippy, to the store; I'm starting to get the hang of right-hand-drive and driving on the opposite side of the road. After the boys and I had breakfast we threw on some sun-block, strapped a few surfboards on to the car (affectionately known as Carlos) and headed toward the beach. The waves weren't very good but the scene was beautiful. The day was full of jokes and laughter and it really was a fantastic time. After a few hours at the beach, we went out for a bite to eat and cruised through another part of town called Noosa-Junction. We split from there toward another family's house, out in the bush a little ways, to check out a car that Mike and Seton Might be buying. They were super-gracious hosts; just really great people. We stayed well into the early evening chatting, looking at surfboards, talking of great adventures and cane-frog clubbing; I guess it's a means of pest control but I took no part because the guilt would've killed me! The night ended early, in a quite mellow way, which was great.

As Fate Would Have It....

2009-02-27T17:31:00.000-08:00

So what do you know? The very day after I eat kangaroo, I am hanging at the condo, after a day at the beach, and the landlord comes and asks us if we want to see a couple of Kangaroos; we were all way into it and so we ran outside and his mother-in-law was holding two joeys. She asked us if we wanted to hold them and we all took turns passing them around. When it was my turn to hold one my heart melted, it was so soft and docile and it kept kissing me; I felt so guilty about the previous nights meat-sampling.

Later in the evening Seton, Mike and I went to barbeque on the river, hosted by a close family friend of Mike. it was fantastic; they were an awesome family and the occasion was full of laughter. During the barbeque a friend of Mike and Seton, Skippy, showed up; he had just gotten in from Brisbane and is staying with the guys for the weekend. We all hung out for a bit and then all four of us spilt to go to another barbeque, hosted by a friend Nick. That was a lot of fun and ended with us all splitting off to go to a couple of bars in town. I was the designated driver and had my first experience driving a right-hand-drive car, on the left side of the rode. It was really counter-intuative but I managed just fine; I'm glad to have done it because it's another cool story to tell.

All-in-all, I'm having a great time. I'm meeting great people and having fun adventures.

P.S. I'm probably never going to eat Kangaroo again!

Kangaroo?

2009-02-26T15:34:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was rad. The day was somewhat uneventful, or at least that's how it felt; I'm still struggling with jet-lag. I ran some errands during the day today, I rode one of the guys bikes to a few shops and stores to get myself set up with a cooling system for the loft; it's awfully hot and I'm not the biggest fan of waking up in a sweat. In the early evening Mike, Seton and I went out to a new friends going away barbeque. Her name was Nikki and she was a most gracious host. All-in-all there were about 8 of us at the barbeque. Although I'm pretty serious about being on a wheat-free/gluten-free raw pescatarian diet, I went out on a limb and tried a few bites of Kangaroo tonight. I scoffed at the idea when the boys and I went out to purchase the food for the barbeque, earlier in the day, but when it was on the barbeque I decided I should try it; I think it had the appeal of making for an interesting and shocking story. Toward the end of the evening I went out a bar with a few friends and caught a cab home in the pouring rain. I love that it'll be a glorious sunny beautiful day and then, out of nowhere, crazy storms will roll in; the contrast is awesome.

Down Under

2009-02-24T18:41:00.000-08:00

I just made it to my final destination (for now) in Noosaville, QLD. I got in to Brisbane airport around 8:15 (Aussie time), caught the 9am shuttle to Noosaville, and got in to Noosa around 11ish. I'm extremely stoked but the jet-lag is holding me back a little. I am happy to be with good friends and happy to have finally arrived.

Life is good!!

And now we wait...

2009-02-23T19:16:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting a plane, on the Tarmac at LAX. This is reality, I'm leaving the country for two months...

I struck up a conversation in the terminal, with a young man by the name of Jay, and came to the realization that I don't really have any plans; I love it! There's no guarantees about anything that will happen excpet the guarantee of change; no matter what happens I will change and I will grow. I am so happy and hopeful!

The Countdown Begins!

2009-02-22T19:51:00.000-08:00

This time tomorrow I will be on a plane heading toward Australia. I cannot express what a whirlwind the past week has been, in terms of tying up loose ends and nailing down the logistics of my departure; the busyness has kept me a little out of touch with the reality that I was really leaving my current situation, in a huge way. I am so happy that I am going to be able to spend an extra 12 days in Australia, I know that it is going to be an amazing experience and I cannot wait to step off of my plane and jump on the bus for Noosa. I am so grateful to be going to a place where it is summer; I cannot wait to swim in the ocean!!!

Change of Plans!!

2009-02-18T20:22:00.000-08:00

STOKED ON LIFE!!!!

So I have been going through a bit of a rough spot recently and, in reality, have just been sitting around waiting for my trip to start. A couple of hours ago I came to this realization and decided to look into changing my dates; it worked out in my favor! I was able to secure the last seat in a flight that is leaving on the 23rd of February. The big changes to my trip are, first I'm obviously leaving earlier (9 days earlier, to be exact), second I'm not cruising through Auckland, New Zealand anymore (I'm just stopping there for an hour instead of for 3 days) this is kind of a bummer but I'm anticipating being in a considerably better mood once I set out on my adventure and it's a tradeoff that is totally worth it to me.

I am ecstatic!!!

And Another...

2009-02-17T21:07:00.000-08:00

I'm pleased to announce my latest video production. This piece was produced, filmed, and edited by me, for my final personal project in my video production class. The footage was all shot at the Santa Fe lofts, in Downtown Los Angeles.

Music: "ALWAYS WAS A WORD YOU USED IN PROMISES. IT IS VALUELESS" by I GOT SHOT IN THE FACE

Shot on a Canon 5D Mark II

TILT from Jesse Carmody on Vimeo.

I'm leaving on a jet plane....

2009-02-11T14:34:00.000-08:00

So it is official, I am embarking on an epic adventure to the other side of the world!!!

It has been a distant dream of mine, since this time last year, to go to Japan in April to see the cherry blossoms in bloom and to experience the culture and beauty that Japan has to offer. The dream's tangibility has risen and fallen as time has passed and I became somewhat disenfranchised with it, to the point of excepting that it might not happen at all. During the later part of 2008 a friend of mine proposed a short trip to Cabo San Lucas, that never panned out, but still I got the travel bug. That very same friend just recently made the decision to move to Noosa, Australia for an indefinite time and after hearing this I created the plan of visiting him and also realizing my dream of visiting Japan. I figured that because I am still a student am in school, and I have a lack of certain obligations that will soon follow graduation, now would be the best time to take this journey; the ease of picking up and leaving might become a little more difficult the further into a career I get.

The next step was figuring how to take this trip and fit it in with my year-round school schedule. I made the decision to present a request for an independent study, at school, that would allow me to travel for the entirety of the session (7 weeks) and receive credit for a class. I submitted a proposal that loosely estimated by departure and arrival dates with a rough outline of what each week might entail. The first submission was a little rough, but after a meeting with faculty and a thought out revision I submitted a proposal that had a little more clarity and as a result I received approval, from school, to receive class-credit for this independent study.

So I decided to split my seven weeks between Australia and Japan and book the trip. It's done. it's happening!!

I am going to be leaving Los Angeles on March 3rd and flying to Auckland, New Zealand, where I'll be staying, at the Base Central Hostel, from Friday through Monday morning. Next, I fly to Brisbane, Australia, on March 9th and from there I will take the train to Noosa, where I'll be staying with my long time friends Mike and Seton. My flight to Tokyo, Japan leaves from Melbourne on March 24th so I will be making my way down there to visit my friend Lex for a few days before I go. I arive in Tokyo on March 25th and I will most likely stay there for a day or two, before making my way to Osaka. I will be staying there with my good friend Luke. I am really looking forward to my stay in Japan, and this whole adventure in general. I fly from Osaka back home to Los Angeles on April 23rd.

So there you have it.... Those are my plans and I am truly thrilled to have them. I am STOKED ON LIFE!

Hooray!

2009-02-11T00:37:00.000-08:00

So I have made mention of my recent involvement in video-production; I'm currently enrolled in a video-production class at school and I recently purchased a new DSLR that shoots HD video. Needless to say, this is the beginning of something new... I am super excited about this new path and am eager to see where it takes me! I just finished creating a Vimeo account and uploaded my first video ever; it is an interview with my long time friend, Julian Zeff, filmed on-location at his tattoo shop.

Enjoy!

PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST: JULIAN ZEFF from Jesse Carmody on Vimeo.

Life is Good!

2009-02-05T20:08:00.001-08:00

Stoked on my new camera. Stoked on Tilt-Shift lenses. Stoked on my upcoming trip to Australia and Japan (more to come....) Stoked on life!!!

Play on...

2009-02-04T10:39:00.000-08:00

Change is on the horizon; I'm getting into film-making and I'm stoked on it! I went out and played with my camera for the first time this year. These photos were made in downtown LA last night.

Videos coming soon....

Solitude

2009-01-24T09:48:00.000-08:00

It's disorienting...

Blessed

2009-01-21T18:44:00.001-08:00

Ok, seriously, I have fully been loving the recent warm weather. It's been incredible! I went to the beach twice this past weekend and on the drive back home, each day, I just kept thinking how blessed I am; to be able to go to the beach and bodysurf in January (the middle of winter)!!

UNREAL!!

23!

2009-01-09T13:41:00.000-08:00

Here I am, two days after my 23rd birthday: laying, sick, in bed!! It's interesting how sometimes a mild illness or sickness forces you to take the proper care of yourself; as of late, I've been sleeping less, drinking more, and basically burning the candle at both ends, so this is a nice change of pace. I spent last night and most of today watching movies, reading, looking at inspiring photography on-line; all things I love to do but have not been doing. I look at it kind of like a birthday gift to myself, which I'm aware sounds weird, I'm giving myself permission to take some time alone to reflect and relax.

It's a new year, I just turned 23, and change is on the horizon; I feel great!

Mammoth Vacation

2008-12-31T11:12:00.001-08:00

I spent this last weekend in Mammoth Lakes, California, with my Dad, Little Brother, and our family friend Mike. My Dad, Brother, and I are attempting to start an annual ski/snowboarding trip. This year was our second consecutive year, and the trend has been that we go up around christmas time. It was great to get up to the snow, have a change of scenery, and spend some quality time with my dad and brother. The long and fun-filled days were nothing short of a workout, we charged all over the mountain from open to close.

It's amazing how getting away for a couple of days can change your perspective on home; I had a ton of fun snowboarding and spending time with my family, but it's great to be home!

Photos:

LACMA :: An Outing With Family

2008-12-31T10:40:00.000-08:00

Just like most other people I've been caught up in a whirl-wind of family and holiday gatherings and obligations, so I've been very detached from my computer and as a result have not been able to blog for a couple weeks.

On the 23rd of December I took a trip to the LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) with my grandmother and little brother. My grandma (commonly referred to as "Gwams ") is a member and had originally proposed the idea of visiting the museum months earlier, and seeing as how my little brother (who lives in Colorado, with his mother) was in town for the holidays I figured that we should make a day out of it and go visit this museum. I checked the LACMA website and was ecstatic to find out that I'd have the opportunity to view the Vanity Fair Portraits: Photographs 1913-2008 exhibit!

It was an extremely inspiring exhibit, with photographs from the likes of Helmut Newton, Maria Testino, Edward Steichen, Jonas, Karlsson, Chuck Close, Man Ray, Herb Ritts, Jonathan Blecker, Michael O'Neill, and of course Annie Leibovitz. There was quite a broad range of photographic styles, spanning many decades during the 20th and 21st century.

The exhibit is running until March 1st, 2009, and I would strongly encourage you to take some time to go visit the LACMA and see this exhibit; being there really made me realize how important it is to go and see artwork in museums. It was a really uplifting day!

Here are a few photos from our lunch-break:

Announcing JesseCarmody.com!

2008-12-18T01:49:00.000-08:00

Today marks the launch of my new website! I'm super pumped on having built it myself and I'm rather pleased with the results. Check it out: www.jessecarmody.com

enjoy!

New Website- coming soon!

2008-12-14T19:01:00.000-08:00

I've been working with the fantastically talented Jonathan Haggard, a graphic designer from Northern-California, getting some layout work done for my upcoming web site. I'm super pleased with the outcome; it was my first time ever working with a graphic designer and it was an enriching experience. Anyway, I thought I'd write a short post and put up a preview.

Trouble Writing

2008-12-12T11:10:00.001-08:00

I'm currently in the process of developing a new portfolio website and I'm stuck on the bio/about section. It's weird to write about yourself, especially in the third person!! I think I'll peruse through sites of my contemporaries to get the gist of what's generally being said; I want to maintain a short, sweet, and concise description, but I don't want it to seem like I'm unable to talk about myself or my work, at length.

It'll work out!!!

I guess I have a blog now...

2008-12-11T18:38:00.000-08:00

Yeah.... So I guess I just decided to create an account; I've been curious about blogging for quite some time now and I have several friends and contacts who have blogs, so why not...

I'm curious to see how this will all unfold.

Here we go!!!