Jamie Berry

Today’s guest is artist Jamie Berry from New Mexico, The United States. Jamie works with natural media and experiments with photography. Jamie is a digital pioneer with a sense of wonder that comes from being present and viewing life through the lens of creativity.

Name: Jamie Berry
Location: New Mexico, The United States
Web Site: Jamie Berry

Hello Jamie, please tell us a little about yourself, your background and your passion for art and photography?

Hello, Kate, and thank you so much for having me! I was born into a family filled with creatives of every type – performers, musicians, painters, photographers, and writers going back for many generations, so you could say in some ways it that it was just hard-coded into my DNA. I grew up surrounded by art and creativity and the implements with which to give it life. The funny thing is that in spite of all of this, quite simply art is something that just what drew me in, no pun intended. I grew up fairly poor, in a city that was rapidly becoming a gentrified and wealthy cultural center that had formerly been one of the poorest parts of the United States. As I matured and emerged into my own life it became a powerful tool for communicating and relating myself to the world – it was something that came from inside me, a way of seeing that was independent from material resources or the lack thereof, a way to express things with an eloquence that being very young in age was otherwise elusive to me.

Still later I discovered many additional benefits to viewing life through the lens of creativity, likely too numerous to go into in great detail, this is certainly not restricted to the arts, but nevertheless art can be the most immediate way of communicating anything that’s difficult to articulate with words. My passion for the visual arts is derived from this. The connection with what we can see in color or texture is much more immediate and visceral than what we might, for example, read and then process intellectually to extrapolate its meaning for us personally. The visual arts have a way of sneaking around the intellect and showing us a truth that is unhindered by our preconceived notions about things. While both are certainly powerful means of communication, and as I’m sure you well know, they can pack quite a punch in combination with each other, I would liken the visual arts to being more akin to a lightning strike whereas the written word is a bit more like an ember, which burns more slowly before there is the all-out inferno of having been catalyzed. So, for me, the visual arts and music in particular have more power to shake us immediately from our torpor and engender excitement, inspiration, wonderment, and even hope, and of course nature itself does this best of all.

Photography by Jamie Berry

Could you tell us some more about your work?

Kaitlin. Art work by Jamie Berry.

Of course. Because art, for me, is primarily about communication, whatever the message may be, a sense of story is very important to me. I like things that have a visual impact but contain more for us to chew on the more time we choose to spend with them. I am also a big believer in form following function, so the medium is usually determined by the message, I actually stop and ask myself what is the best vehicle for a particular thing and take it from there, I think it’s good to have the versatility of being able to work with whatever best suits our purposes, or even with what we happen to have on hand.

Harriet. Art work by Jamie Berry.

We learn of course that color, design, light and shadow, these are a language we can use to convey what we can’t quite say with words. But taken further, when we integrate this language it becomes a working vehicle for our inspiration. I think this is the point when, though the challenge always remains, and what good is life without challenge, really, It’s how we grow, but at this point things cease to be a struggle in our works. And for me, whatever a viewer may take away from anything I’ve done, this is what I put into everything I do, to create that harmony, even if it is a harmony of dissonance, to meet that challenge, not just artistically, but in presenting the story of a particular experience or, time, or bundle of sensations, thoughts, and feelings, that heat of being there. In the end that’s what determines a success to me, these are the things I am proud of in my own work, and it spills over into the rest of life. It can’t help but do so. And yes, sometimes I do see something and just go, ‘Wow. That is SO cool!’, and that’s good enough for me.

What keeps you motivated and inspired?

For me, it really is as simple as living, continuing to meet and encounter my life directly. A healthy curiosity here coupled with a willingness to embrace whatever it is that’s actually right in front of me and use it as my raw material, a place to begin, is all the inspiration and motivation myself or anyone will ever need as far as I’m concerned. Also loving the things that I really love and am interested in, not being coy with myself about it. You gotta own it. It is from this space that our voices emanate – life is something that is continually evolving for each of us together and separately, macrocosm to microcosm, and you know, openness and trepidation cannot occupy the same space simultaneously. All we need to do is astonish ourselves with our own boldness, our own daring, and life will present the opportunities over and over again, and it’s up to us to accept them. There is always something new for us to encounter. What we make of it is art, and this is what sustains me – as life goes ever on, so does the necessity to share it if we are not shut down to the new facets of it, the possibilities that are around every corner.

Art work by Jamie Berry

As an artist, what has been your greatest resource?

Definitely my family. They have always believed in me and have supported my efforts, even the stranger ones. I think things like that are what inform the other stuff – a sense of well-being makes everything else easier, we all need people that love our weirdness.

Which is your favourite creative project so far?

Photography by Jamie Berry

I’m always sure my favorite will be the next one! But honestly, my own life is my most important creative project, and again, that comes back and inspires everything else, without life, there is no art. The most fun project I have had thus far working on though, was an independent Japanese action/horror film I worked on a number of years ago. The creative camaraderie of something like that when everyone is on the same page is pretty breathtaking. I have enjoyed being independent in my own creative interests on the web these past couple of years as well, the spirit of exploration is terrific fun. Extending this back out into the ‘real’ world is also quite an adventure.

Could you tell us more about your creative process?

I don’t have a rote process, really. An idea will get catalyzed for me and then it just sort of comes about of its own accord. I see images that are born of experiences and I develop them by following them where they want to go. Let me tell you, this made me a terrible commercial artist! They used to tell me to stop feeling and just spit it out (which is actually good advice at times)! Just generally speaking though, regardless of how I actually end up making something, I usually begin with either written notes or drawings. This relates to the next question though, so more on this in a moment.

Jamie Berry's Journal

Do you keep a journal or sketchbook, and would you mind if we had a sneak peek?

Yes, I keep both. I’d be happy to share them with you. For myself, these are my sketchbooks, not my ‘finished art books’, they are a safe space to just play around and explore, to work out the kinks and keep things strong and aligned, sort of like artistic yoga! And using them is really the closest I have to an actual process – what happens here is what lies behind everything else, virtually all of my ideas for visual art emerge from the depths of these books, they are in effect visual journals. I keep written journals as well, my latest is one that a friend made and gave to me as a gift, a lovely handmade book. I write all of my insights down in it as they occur to me. Together, they leave a trail that’s a little more tactile, a little easier to navigate than a trail of just bits and bytes. Though in the execution of our art things may be very spontaneous, those spontaneous actions usually consist of a multitude of impressions coalescing in the moment. One brush stroke can contain a thousand days in the mark that it leaves when we’ve lifted our hand, you know?

Jamie Berry's sketchbooks

Would you like to share a photo of your studio space as well?

My work space is a little bit fragmented at present, I am in the middle of a transitional move! But I’ve sent you some pictures. Another yawn-inducing dictum from me: it’s important to be able to work in the space we find ourselves in. Not all of the things I do are portable, but making the most of the space we have is a handy skill to possess. Art can happen anywhere.

Jamie Berry's studio

What is a typical day like for you?

I actually wrote a small essay about this on my website entitled, ‘A Formerly Typical Day’, it was meant to imply that my days were rapidly becoming anything but typical, and this remains the case today. I do however hold the same basic ideas in mind: each day there must be work, there must be play, and there must be rest. That’s it in a nutshell.

How has the Internet, self publishing and social media influenced your work as an independent creative entrepreneur?

Jamie Berry's workspace

Oh, my, where to start with that one? I’ve been with the web since the very early days, initially doing digital imaging and making websites (I began with Photoshop in 1994 when a power Mac could still set you back $10,000 and a 1 megapixel digital camera was in the same ballpark). I have always loved the idea of democratization, but it’s worth noting that this is something that within the milieu I cut my teeth in as a very young man. The attitude was that if there was no alternative we would damn well create one, and this was before there was a world wide web. So my thinking had always been traveling along those lines anyway, I wouldn’t say that for me personally it is an influence per se, and we were doing our own publishing and so forth then.

That said, the great thing about the web to me is its reach, and the opportunities for connection can be fantastic, people are using it all in a lot of cool, creative ways. I am of the first generation that grew up with a very visible and ubiquitous technological presence, and to me social media is really just a bundled amalgamation of pre-existing services and tools, some that have been around for a long time. I see it more as an evolution of things like BBS to chat rooms, to posting in forums, to blogging and so on – it isn’t really anything new! But it is more convenient today, and that’s a good thing. I know people have virtual Tupper Ware parties for crying out loud, so I suppose the opportunities can be as expansive as we’d like!

Drawing by Jamie Berry

The trends I’ve seen in social media over the past number of years as they pertain to our conversation, though, at times it seems more akin to a recreation of the very systems we’ve been purporting to escape or outmaneuver rather than being an alternative to more mainstream channels! I personally think it’s foolish to tie our work or our identity to a handful of services that we have no direct control over. Using the tools, but allowing them to be a supplement to our real world activities is important, I think. In spite of all that, things are always cyclical and always evolving, I still believe that the potential for impact is better today than it ever was in the past if we are mindful about what we are doing, and cool new ideas are proliferous. At present I’m on a bit of a social media fast, I closed my Twitter account, for example. To me it is showing up for our real world activities that ultimately determines our effectiveness anyway, however information pertaining to them may be relayed or disseminated. For me it’s important to remember that tools are tools.

Drawing by Jamie Berry

What do you find to be the greatest challenges and rewards of being an artist?

For me, the greatest challenge is the temptation to self-censor in an effort to speak very consciously about things, visually or otherwise. The funny thing is, once we’ve begun speaking our particular truth it is nigh impossible to backtrack anyway, but now and again I still have funny doubts about what I’m saying, or how best to say it. So far as the rewards go, I do know very well that our creative endeavors do make people’s lives better, even if we can’t explain exactly why. They do wonders for our own as well.

Where do you see yourself within the next few years?

I see myself doing my best work yet! And that, to me, is very exciting, and I think I am likely finally leaving the desert, though I suppose I’ll take a little piece of it with me.

What is your advice for someone who would like to turn his or her creative dreams into reality?

My advice would be to always listen to that inner voice, that inner prompting, that spark inside you that just knows. Listen to those that are further along the path than you may be, but always trust your own wanting as well. Make friends that do ‘get it’, friends are priceless during creative slumps, and they will happen. Master your craft. Dream big and be bold, never dismiss anything as being too impossible to try, and above all live your life, for there is no art without life. And for Pete’s sake, remember to have fun!

What do you do for fun (besides making art)?

I love to read. When I was a kid I read classical literature, things like Nabakov and Dumas, so I’m just over the past few years discovering things my friends were reading, like Stephen King! I love music, love to play it, and I still go to see the groups I like. I saw The Joy Formidable from Wales this year, and had a great time, they are fantastic. I am hugely into physical fitness and I love yoga. I love to cook, I am very proud of my swelling collection of recipes. I read comic books and I’m quite fond of astronomy and by extension, mythology. I am still a big Mac dork, I love my Mac. I love learning new things. And I love that you have shared your space with me, thank you, Kate.

Check out Jamie’s web site Jamie Berry. 

Björn Wessman: Chateau Noiret le pourriture Noble. 2011, oil on canvas.

Earlier on this summer I wrote about creative summer space. Enjoying the present, finding creative time and space in unexpected places. Beautiful, creative space that sometimes doesn’t cost anything. Here are some of the highlights from my summer.

This summer I’ve been inspired by:

• An exhibition of Björn Wessmans colourist landscape challenges on canvases on a monumental scale. At Millesgården which is an experience in itself!
• Balcony gardening.
• Connecting with new and old friends.
• Making homemade pesto and baking grape and rosemary Focaccia.
• A retrospective exhibition of  Slas, Stig Claesson (1928–2008), one of Sweden’s most loved authors and artists. At Kulturhuset.
• Taking time offline and quitting Facebook.
• Reading: The Tiny Wife by Andrew Kaufman, Juliet Naked by Nick Hornby, Medicinen by Hans Koppel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Macbeth by William Shakespeare.
• Swimming in lake Mälaren. Going for picnics and walks.
• The outdoor film festival at Rålis.
• A boat trip to Drottningholm Palace and the Chinese Pavilion.
• Taking a painting course at Gerlesborgsskolan in Bohuslän.

iPhone photography: Black Swan

Perfectionism and passion in Black Swan, a film about ballet, competition and nervous breakdown, now playing at the Grand in Stockholm. Here’s a quote about creativity from the movie that I find inspiring:

iPhone photography: Cinema Grand

Speaking of passion, I love old movie theatres! The atmosphere, the details and the anticipation that the cinema environment builds for the film. Grand opened in in 1933 and was the creation of architect Björn Hedvall and artist Gunnar Torhamn. The Grand has become known for being the cinema that prime minister Olof Palme visited with his wife just before he was assassinated in 1986.

iPhone photography: Film stars. Baker, Crawford, Garbo and Wong

The doors to the auditorium are adorned with film stars in intarsia. Symbolising four continents; Josephine Baker represents Africa, Joan Crawford America, Greta Garbo Europe and Anna May Wong symbolises Asia.

iPhone photography: Statue. The Grand. Stockholm.

This statue in the auditorium comes to life as the lights get dim, and casts dramatic shadows on the piece.

iPhone photography: Curtain at cinema Grand

The globe on these cinema curtains continues the theme of international film that runs throughout the design of the movie theatre. Who is the figure holding the spotlight? Could it be Theia, the Titan goddess of sight (thea) and shining light of the clear blue sky (aithre)? The mother of Eos (Dawn), Helius (the Sun), and Selene (the Moon). The goddess of light?

Creating a desktop work flow process will help you be more efficient so you can focus on your projects rather than feel overwhelmed by desktop clutter.

Customize your folders and desktop icons helps you to quickly and easily locate your favorite applications, the projects you are working on, and your most important files and folders.

Rapidly finding and identifying the files you are looking for speeds up your work and reduces stress.

Customizing your desktop with my Workflow Collection icons can show a night and day difference

Workflow Desktop Icons

• It contains the Inbox icon (shown above) for your “collection buckets” such as your folder for downloads, your folder for brainstorming, URLs you’re saving, images and loose ideas that need to be processed.
• The TO-DO icon (a clipboard) can be used for “next actions.
• The Doing icon (a gear) for “active projects”
• The pending icon (an hourglass) for “waiting for” and
• The archive icon for “completed projects”.

This method works excellently for David Allen’s Getting Things Done (or GTD) action management method but also for personal methods of staying productive and organized in a simple way.

Not sure how to customize your icons?  Click here for a great tutorial!

More Suggestions for a Productive Desktop:

Zen .. Zen .. Where’d I put my Zen? The Beauty of an Organized Desktop
Color Code your Folders and Improve Productivity
How to Organize Your Desktop by Naturally Following Your Workflow
How to Change Your Icons

Dry pastel crayons

When your art is your work or when you’re blogging about what you create, the spontaneity is easily lost. You want your clients and buyers to be happy and you want to give your blog visitors a valuable experience. Your art becomes an achievement.

Part of you goes about your day thinking “this would make a good blog post” or “now I know how to solve that detail in the commission I’m working on“. Sometimes you feel you’re producing art and regardless of what mood you’re in, the job is due tomorrow. Even though you love your job, it’s partly become an obligation.

When you put your creative life on display or make a living as an artist, it’s easy to loose sight of creating without intention, just for the sheer joy of it.

A blog or an online portfolio can be a creative outlet in itself and a great way to stay motivated and hold yourself accountable for your creative projects. A way to document your creative journey and to connect with others.

On the other hand, blogging takes a lot of time and puts you on a schedule. You can begin blogging for the comments on your blog, and maybe you start looking for validation from your readers, rather than from within yourself. In a time when we seem more busy documenting our lives than living our lives, it takes deliberation to find a peaceful space that hasn’t got anything to do with other people or how they perceive us. To create a space that has nothing to do even with our own expectations.

A creativity lab. So can you plan to be spontaneous? Write your own permission slip? Can you make room for experiments, happy accidents and non-judgemental creativity? Find time and space to change your mindset?

This autumn I’ve reserved Friday afternoons for spontaneous explorations and I promised myself that I wouldn’t display any of the art from these sessions here on my blog. It’s been a process that’s about loosening up, improvising, letting go of expectations, being associative, having fun and allowing art to unfold intuitively. I’ve been working quickly with natural media. Each Friday a new theme and different mediums. The emphasis is on getting into flow rather than stepping back and judging.

I’ve spent time getting messy with acrylics, oils, dry pastels, clay, oil pastels, watercolours, textiles, charcoal and gouache. Working on different types of canvases such as cardboard, different kinds of paper, wood panel and canvas. I’ll admit that after the first two sessions I felt disappointed with the “result”, even though the whole point was to let go of expectations, but after that it’s been much easier to let go, have fun and step into the freedom of playful creating.

Paintbrushes

Palette with acrylics: earth tones

It was a real treat to find that a selection of my art work has been published in an iPhone app that presents Swedish illustrators and designers!

I’m represented by Illustratörcentrum (The Illustrators’ Centre), Sweden’s largest agency for illustrators and graphic designers. They’ve just released a free iPhone app Illustratörcentrum that presents Swedish art and design. The idea is to help clients find the perfect fit for their projects. There’s lots of inspiring art in this app and it’s fun to browse and see the wealth of different styles, ideas and techniques out there!

iPhone photography: My desk in the studio. August 2010

Welcome to another day in the studio! Today I’m so excited and relieved to finally have got the printer to work!!!! I daren’t think how much time and money I’ve spent trying to get it to work ever since April! It’s been such a drain. Most of the time I love the independence of running my own creative business, but sometimes doing everything yourself can feel pretty heavy going and especially when you run into a silly technical problem like this one with the printer. Phew… I’m sooooo happy it’s been resolved!!!

Breaking Ice. Detail of art print

Breaking Ice, a painting I made at the end of March, came out beautifully on the heavyweight, matt paper with ultra sharpness that I purchased early on this summer! This paper really brings out the colours and gives the print a gorgeous, sumptuous feel and appearance. Oh, joy! I’m thrilled and nervous to finally be able to put Breaking Ice up for sale in the shop!

iPhone photography: Lunch. Sandwich and orange juice

It can only be downhill from here! At least today. We went for a swim in the lake after lunch. Dinner out tonight to celebrate that the printer finally works!

Leaves and acorns. Sketch and inspiration

Here’s a sketch and some inspiration for a new project I’m working on right now. (See the reflection of my iPhone that I used to snap the photo with, at the bottom of this picture?) Leaves, acorns, greens and simple organic shapes… I’m still playing around, following my intuition, seeing what happens and enjoying trusting the creative process. I’m not sure what I’ll make of it yet, or what it wants to become… Maybe it’ll turn into desktop art because soon it’s time for the Summer Edition of Club Marmalade Moon and something green and organic would be perfect for a summer desktop, wouldn’t it?

1. MindNode ($5.99) Beautiful and minimalist mind mapping app. A simple and effective way to brainstorm and easily map out and organize your ideas. Also available for the Mac.

[App store link: MindNode for iPad and iPhone].

2. Evernote (free) Remember everything. Build and organize your own digital scrapbook with notes, photos, links, web clips, audio and auto-synchronize to your Mac, PC, iPhone, iPad and Web. Magically makes text within snapshots searchable and includes geo-location information in notes. For research, to capture design, art, writing and blogging inspiration.

[App store link: Evernote for iPad and iPhone].

3. Moodboard Pro ($4.99) and Moodboard Lite (free) Make a moodboard to visualise your ideas and jump-start your creativity. Capture a mood, feel or ambience with a collage of materials (photos, textures, sketches, text and color palettes). Easily share early design concepts with clients and colleagues to communicate your idea or use as a guide and inspiration for your own creative projects.

[App store links: Moodboard Pro and Moodboard Lite].

4. MaxJournal for iPad ($2.99). A simple and elegant diary or journal. Customize the font and size, add up to three photos per entry and password protect your journal. Features tagging, time stamping and autosave.

[App store link: MaxJournal for iPad].

5. My Writing Nook ($4.99) and $2.99 for the iPhone. Simple and powerful tool for writers. Minimalist and distraction free writing environment with easy-to-use dictionary and thesaurus. Word count and auto save. Work on your manuscript anywhere, on your iPhone, iPad or computer, synchronize and have access to the latest version for reading, writing and editing everywhere.

[App store links: My Writing Nook for iPad. Also available for the iPhone].

6. Qvik Sketch Pro ($0.99) Quick, easy, effortless sketching, doodling and drawing tool. Qvik Sketch shades or inks your sketches in real-time, creating beautifully rendered drawings. Fast and fun.

[App store links: Qvik Sketch Pro for iPad. Also available for the iPhone].

7. Adobe Ideas 1.0 (free) A simple, vector-based digital sketchbook. Capture and explore ideas on the go. Use the color scheming tool to create harmonized color palettes extracted from your photos or artwork. Email your sketches as PDF files for further editing in Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop. A handy tool for designers and artists.

[App store links: Adobe Ideas for iPad and Adobe Ideas for the iPhone].

8. Brushes ($7.99) A portable art studio and powerful finger painting tool for creating original artwork featuring an advanced color picker, swatches, high quality brushes, layers, extreme zooming, and a simple yet deep interface. Paintings made with Brushes have been published on the cover of The New Yorker on several occasions. With Brushes Viewer for Mac (free) you can replay your Brushes paintings stroke by stroke, render them at high resolutions for printing, and export them as QuickTime movies.

[App store links: Brushes – iPad Edition and Brushes for iPhone ($4.99)].

9. SketchBook Pro ($7.99) A versatile, elegant digital SketchBook for painting and drawing that features 75 art brushes, a smear brush, geometric shapes and a symmetrical drawing tool. Interact with SketchBook through a gesture-based multi-touch user interface.

[App store link: SketchBook Pro].

10. iMockups ($9.99) This gem of a tool will save designers countless hours by helping you to quickly create mock-ups, layouts and wireframes for your web design, iPhone and iPad app projects. iMockups includes customizable navbars, tab panels, and autofilling Lorem Ipsum text. Intuitive and beautiful interface that takes full advantage of the breakthrough touchscreen device with iPad-optimized gesture controls.

[App store link: iMockups].

11. StudioTrack ($39.99) StudioTrack is a powerful audio recording and songwriting tool for musicians and producers who want to capture musical ideas and record songs on the go. Multitrack recording with up to 8 tracks, and bounce them down to add even more. Easily apply effects such as delay, reverb, EQ, and a compressor.

[App store link: StudioTrack].

12. Korg iElectribe ($9.99) A perfectly faithful replica of the famous Korg Electribe•R analog drum machine that’s easy and intuitive to use. Features 64 preset patterns, 8 supercharged effects and advanced Motion Sequencing that make patterns come alive.

[App store link: Korg iElectribe].

13. Rehearsal ($20) This professional tool for actors helps you learn your lines. Developed and tested by Hollywood actors. Highlight lines, play peekaboo to memorize your script. Record your script and play it back. Add notes and record different takes to explore your character. Updated with the ability to open your scripts directly from the email messages in which they arrive from your agent, casting or production. “Almost every show on TV has at least one actor that uses the app”.

[App store link: Rehearsal].

14. CameraBag ($2.99) Recreate the magic of film by emulating photography’s most beloved and iconic vintage cameras, film, and processing techniques. Easy to use with an intuitive, simple interface. The perfect companion for your iPhone photography.

[App store links: CameraBag for iPad and CameraBag for iPhone ($1.99)].

15. TiltShift Generator ($2.99) Make your photos look like they are shots with miniatures, toy camera images and fake DSLR by adding a radial blur to your photos to change the perception of depth. Move the sweet spot with your fingers and increase or decrease its size.

[App store links: TiltShift Generator – Fake DSLR for iPad and TiltShift Generator – Fake DSLR for iPhone ($0.99)].

16. Fabric Stash ($4.99) Manage, catalogue, match, track quantities and organize your fabrics with Fabric Stash. Perfect for quilters, sewers, interior decorators, fashion designers and fabric designers.

[App store links: Fabric Stash for iPad. Also available for the iPhone].

17. HandiCraft ($4.99) Quilting, knitting, crochet and embroidery on your iPad with more than 150 patterns with full instructions and HD video lessons. Features patterns and step-by-step instructions displayed in a beautiful interface.

[App store link: HandiCraft].

18. iZen Garden 2 – portable zen garden ($5.99) Tranquil, Japanese rock garden, where you can find peace and create beauty. Arrange and resize objects like stones, seashells, fossils and butterflies, rake the sand into patterns and listen to soothing, ambient soundtracks.

[App store links: iZen Garden for iPad and iZen Garden for iPhone ($3.99)].

19. Soundrop (free) Wonderfully fun and simple sound game. Tap the screen to draw lines and watch as a ball bounces off them and Soundrop creates music out of the pattern you create.

[App store links: Soundrop for iPad and Soundrop for iPhone].

20. Zen Bound 2 ($7.99) Beautiful puzzle game with gorgeous graphics and sounds. Tilt and touch to wrap and twist the shapes to solve puzzles.

[App store links: Zen Bound 2 for iPad and Zen Bound 2 for iPhone ($2.99)].

More writings about the iPad: First impressions of the iPad.

Do you have a great tips for creating a digital studio? Have you tried any iPad or iPhone apps that you found inspiring and that boosted your creativity?

READ MARMALADE MOON VIA EMAIL

iPhone photography: Ice melting on the lake in April

Ice in April. As you can see, it hasn’t melted much since March, when the ice on the lake inspired me to make this painting and for all my efforts, I still can’t coax the printer into making a good print of Breaking Ice. In stead, it prints horrible washed out and pale, faded prints. I think it simply just won’t cooperate with the latest operating system, since everything was working fine before I upgraded. Isn’t it frustrating when dealing with technology is like walking in sand?! Two steps forward, and one step back. At least I got this dreamy, serendipitous iPhone photo out of the process.

iPhone photography: Test print of Breaking Ice