Toms Shoes is going to New Orleans

Toms Shoes is going to New Orleans. I was thinking of buying another pair soon, but when I heard Toms was going to New Orleans this August, I decided to buy two pairs of shoes last week. My brother has been borrowing my old pairs so much, he decided to finally buy his own pair, too.

Below is the collection of household Toms.



A lot of people have these shoes.



I went camping a few weeks ago, and I was surprised on how comfortable these shoes were, even in the wild. I wore my Toms instead of my trusty boots the whole time.



The veteran Toms. Hundreds of miles on the bike paths.




In efforts of Toms going to help New Orleans, I will offer free one hour photo shoots for those that purchase new Toms from now until August.

"Anyone who has a small company, incorporate giving in what you do."

Patience & Un-Punctuality

I took this shot in Downtown LA and I have been thinking of using it to blog about the "time challenged" people, like myself. I had this idea that punctual people should be more patient towards un-punctual people. After all, everything cool never starts on time. Movies, concerts, festivals, parties... And who reads analog clocks anymore?

I just got back from Sequoia National Park today. Let me tell you, I thought I was patient AND un-punctual. Nope. This concept I have been playing around with in my head, I had to apply to myself this past weekend. Patience towards the un-punctual. The whole time I was there, all I did was drive faster to see more stuff. Go go go... See more now now now... In Southern California, we live in a fast pace culture, and I try to slow it down as much as possible. But slowing down time gets hard (especially when texting is so fun and I need to be somewhere five minutes ago), and we all get sucked up into the vacuum of faster faster faster...
So when I was standing in line at the store to buy some ice, and the one person in front of me was taking FOREVER with the small amount of items, I had to remember that I was not in Southern California, and I was a visitor to the giant forest, just like everyone else.

Everything is slower and no one cares. Take a deep breath, and wait.

Alas, a new section to the blog... What I have learned...

Say it loud, I'm stubborn and proud.

Lately, I have been reading around that stubbornness is a negative trait.
I consider myself to be fairly stubborn. Around 75%. Let me tell you, being stubborn is the make up of who I am and how I operate. I do what I want, when I want, and there is nothing you can do to stop me.
Sound like a bad thing? Maybe, maybe not. Stubborness is not be confused with being selfish. I have always lent a helping hand out to those in need. (I drove to Santa Barbara once at 11PM to pick up a friend who crashed his motorcycle...)

Stubborness is part of my drive. I don't like people telling me what to do. This is part of preserving my individuality. You can't change me, or who I am.
If I want to go on a trip somewhere, I will go and I will not wait. Sometimes, I am like a roaming bull in the field.
Bottom line, I see this "weakness" as a strength.

Joey Rules in Theory

I love rules that say don't follow the masses, and walking around the Disney Hall got me thinking. This giant metallic thing definitely stands out as a Los Angeles landmark and took Frank Gehry a lot of his own creativity to put together this timeless monument.

I made a list of my own rules of creative theory.
#1. Who cares what other people think. Don't compare yourself to others. Don't be nervous. Don't think. Just visualize and do. If the great minds of our time listened to what others thought, they would have not created their progressive work and not be respected for being great. You need to be your role model.

#2.Think with your mind, not with your medium. Painting, sculpting, photography, whatever. Mediums have creative limits, your mind does not.

#3. Exercise & go outside. When you feel good about yourself, you will perform better on every level. Exercise is a must for creative balance & progression.

#4. Be respectful to your subjects weather they are alive, dead, or inanimate. Just like when your mother used to tell you, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all..." It is easy to make your subject ugly and unattractive, but it takes skill and grace to make them look beautiful.

#5. Do. You can talk about "how to do" or get inspired, take classes or workshops, or research books for whatever creative avenue all day long, but practice makes perfect. All that talk about following your passions is interesting and "inspirational," but honestly, I prefer to practice. Do.

#6. The last rule is: There are no rules. Don't let anyone tell you to be like someone else or stop your creative groove.

With these theories in mind, I think The Disney Hall would look way cooler if it was purple.

LA Day part 1

A day of Packed Adventure

Big day today.
Joe Photo asked me to go shoot with the Day Tripping Club with the B School.
I went on a morning bike ride to get my creativity flowing for the photo day in downtown LA. After riding around, I got a flat 100 feet away from my house. Could be better, could be worse.
I thought about taking the train to Union Station, but by the time I got to the train station and waited for the train, I could already be at Union Station in my car. And I kind of wanted to go shoe shopping....

I get to Union Station, and my friend and long time classmate, Netanya, saw me from across the crowd. She said she noticed me by my "jovial walk." I have been hearing people tell me this for the past few days. Maybe it is because I don't think about being on time. I don't know, I guess I am a walk 'n stroller.

The group was pretty big. 16 people from all over Southern California tend to attract attention where ever they go. Kind of like the Spartans. If you stand up next to an orange wall with a green checkered hat and say "I am the greatest model you have ever seen," 16 people will take your picture all at once.
We walked from Union Station, to Olvera Street, to Little Tokyo, to the Disney Hall, to somewhere else, and ended up at Market Street and took the subway back to Union Station. Subway? Yes and who knew LA had one. Not me, so it was my first time.

At the end of the day, I was kind of tired, but not tired enough to go shoe shopping. I went to the fashion district. Walked in wanting a pair of shoes. Walked out with a pair of shoes, and three suits.


Joe Photo's portrait of me.