Last week I flew across the country and the border to visit our friends up North for FITC 08. Since this was my first time attending the conference, I had two goals: Recharge my inspiration tank, and meet Scott Hansen.

It’s difficult to capture all the thoughts and ideas I was able to take away from attending FITC Toronto, so I’ll quote Erik Natzke to sum it up: “I’m not sure where I’m going, but I am sure enjoying getting there.” Here’s a sporadic list of my favorite sessions and thoughts on each:

Photo: Cut&Paste via Raul Dario Acosta

Cut&Paste: The Toronto team of Justin Broadbent and Alex Kurina STOMPED Guillo Echevarria and Edward Ubiera from New York in a tag-team style design contest. It was a small crowd compared to other Cut&Paste events but it’s always fun to see other designers processes, and how much better you are at using shortcuts.

Evan Roth (Department of Homeland Graffiti): I didn’t get to see this session as I was napping off jet-lag but Shaun came back raving about the cool LED lights and high powered projectors, so I wanted to link to Evan’s projects with the Graffiti Research Lab. Watch Graffiti Research Lab L.A.S.E.R Tag

Photo: Erik Natzke via Bram Timmer

Erik Natzke (Beyond The Knowledge: The Art of Playing): Tied with Hodgin for most inspirational session. Natzke walked through his simple approach to experimenting in Flash, showing how he creates his works of art. Even looking through his blog you can see the evolution of the circle and ribbon style he uses. Turn up your volume and watch Sunday Preview.

Mario Klingemann (The Pixel Whisperer): He designed the Aviary Peacock pattern application. We’ve all run into applications that try to do everything without doing anything well (Myspace comes to mind). “Aviary is a suite of rich internet applications geared for artists of all genres. From image editing to typography to music to 3D to video…” they’re focusing on releasing individual apps (like Peacock for patterns), perfecting each one before moving on to the next.

Photo: GrupoW via Magda Olszanowski

Daniel Granatta and Ulises Valencia of GrupoW (The Madness of Interaction): Daniel and Ulises laughed about the difficulties they had raising one million clicks for the “Let’s Save Fermin” campaign. The user was asked to donate a “click” to save Fermin. The trouble was, users were clicking everything *except* the “Donate A Click” button.

Photo: GMUNK via Magda Olszanowski

GMUNK (GMUNKICKDOWN ‘08): He’s a compulsive mouse clicker and starts drinking early in the morning (observations from his session). Oh yea, and he does some really sweet motion work.

James Paterson (Modulating A Lot): Strangely inspiring mix of hand drawn animations and a less than consistent maturity level.

Photo: Scott Hansen via sharkvsbear.com

Scott Hansen (ISO50: Blending Analogue & Digital): I DID meet Scott Hansen, when he walked up beside me at a book display. My quick thinking prompted me to purchase Past is Prologue (the same album I already had digitally) and ask him to sign it. Smooth. Hansen is a designer who I’ve admired, since I first started using Photoshop, for his ability to blend organic shapes and textures with Bauhaus style. Also, I’m lucky that my boyfriend admires his work as well, otherwise it would be (more) awkward when I refer to him as Scott Handsome.

Davis Eriksson (North Kingdom - An Inside View): There’s an easter egg on the Coke-Zero game where you can see the girls inside the locker room before you enter. No one has found it yet.

Grant Skinner (My Favourite Things): Perlin Noise is the best thing since the abacus.

Rob Chiu/The Ronin and Chris Hewitt/Dstrukt (Cinematic Motion Design): These guys like to talk and talk and talk…and they ended up getting cut off by people setting up for Hodgin’s session. They collaborate from across the ocean (New York and London) while experimenting with motion and videography. Also, Chris likes sharks and hopes to be eaten by one at some point. That’s nice.

Photo: Robert Hodgin via Isabel Foo

Robert Hodgin (Breaking Away): I began learning Processing in January but couldn’t visualize where to go with it. After seeing Hodgin’s experimental work with Processing, my book is off the shelf again. Check out the short study on flight patterns he did with Nando Costa. I’d love to see a code battle between Hodgin and Natzke.

Overall, the conference was interesting, fun, and time well spent. Thanks to Struck for sending me on this trip.

checked out this event last weekend in seattle…a very cool benefit for kids in cambodia featuring World B Boy champs Massive Monkees, legendary Seattle photographer Charles Peterson, immigration activist Many Uch & photographer Stuart Isett.

made me think, experienced some radical breakdancing and maybe drank a brew or two. hey - it was for a good cause ;)

Tiny Toones was born in the Bassac slum area of Phnom Penh,Cambodia and provides free HIV/AIDS, health, drug awareness,performing arts and language education in English and Khmer to underprivileged youth. It also serves as a community center, with an open door policy, where hundreds of children have a positive environment to channel their energy into learning and performing arts. The group was founded by Tuy Sobil, a.k.a. KK, originally from Long Beach, who brought his b boy dance talents to the streets of Cambodia to help the country struggling to rebuild after 30 years of war.

Funds raised from the event will be used to support Tiny Toones as well as purchase a small mini-van so the kids can be driven safely to school, dance performances and rehearsals.

thats pretty cool.

Stuart Isett’s Photography on Flickr

Tiny Toones - Flickr

sick space it was held at -
GreenwoodCollective.com

watch it -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ng7tgtK-NnQ&smf=18

* all images courtesy of Charles Peterson

The Upper Struckers recently converged on Snowbird Resort for the annual Struck Managers Meeting. We came. We were trained. We conquered. And for the second year in a row, the most beginner-skier of the bunch got ditched on the slopes!

We casually called the Salt Palace just to see if there happened to be any booth openings left on the floor of one of SLC’s largest conventions—the Winter Outdoor Retailer show. Sure enough there were a couple spots left, so for a nominal fee and a whole lot of help from our bros at JDHgroup—we got ourselves a booth and made our début at the OR Show.

We had a great time. And at the end of the day there were a ton of hippies sportin’ Struck stickers, some great contacts made, and most importantly some solid Guitar Hero III scores were laid down for the very granola onlookers.

As far as products were concerned, everyone was buzzing about Black Diamond’s new line of ski boots. For me and some fellow Struckers—we were pretty stoked on the serious amounts of “fashion-tech”? going on. The Lolä booth was sporting some great looking tweed numbers for the ladies. And the crew at Scapegoat somehow pulled off some serious outerwear that completely satisfies both the outdoorsman and hipster in us all.

So look forward to seeing more Struck action in the outdoor arena.

It’s January in Utah. Sundance is here and that means films, lots of bio diesel-powered black Hummers puttering around Park City, Paris Hilton, weaseling into 50 Cent shows, Paris Hilton, weaseling out of 50 Cent shows after waiting in a crowded bar for three hours and finally, a little rock and roll with Camp Freddie. I heard Paris Hilton was there, but I didn’t see her. Camp Freddie is an L.A. cover band with a rotating line-up. Usually, you will find mainstays like Matt Sorum on the drums (The Cult, Guns n Roses, Velvet Revolver) and Billy Duffy on guitar (The Cult). There are always some notable guest appearances, in this case, Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme) and Scott Ian (Anthrax).

A Nato sighting on Main Street Park City

 Camp Freddie takes the stage

Nuno Bettencourt playing Led Zeppelin’s Whole Lotta Love

Danny is gearing up for a major art show at Palmer’s Gallery in mid-January. We’ll tell you tons more later on. Just know that it’s a HD (HD: Huge Deal, as opposed to NBD: No Big Deal). This is just to tease you:

It’s only been 5 days since the Salt Palace in downtown Salt Lake looked like this:

And already there’s not a trace of evidence (except a few downtown vagrants suspiciously sporting new orange knapsacks) that we were ever here. Every piece of vinyl is down, every window cling is unclung, every custom fabric banner is undraped, the snowflakes are just boring metal frames, and the massive ’salt shakers’ are once again clear glass. It feels a bit like the day after Christmas, or a few hours after Thanksgiving dinner. After months of preparation, it happens. And after all that hard work, and the short frame of ecstasy, it’s over. Not necessarily a bad feeling, just a strange one. Invasion was a big part of our day, and now it’s gone. Not that we won’t start on next year’s convention in the blink of an eye, but there will always be a soft little spot right here in our hearts for Invasion. Am I getting too sentimental? Quick, someone post about Halo.

The long and storied tradition of turtleneckory needs no explanation.

Here’s Kyle sporting a burnt orange number. Note how the denim jacket says “Even though I’m wearing a turtleneck I”m all man”

Even though it’s turtleneck day we are all business at Struck.

MMMM feel the warmth. Ryan is as hugable as kitten in his J.C. Penny green cable nit.

So fashionable. So useful. So Brandon.

Dressed to impress? You BET!

Looking good guys, looking real good.