okay, not really. but i came closer than i’ll ever admit.

as far as having the “beautiful world” part in there, i like the tension, love tension of dichotomy, sort of have to have it. like an eye in a foto, something seems missing to me if its not there. there’s really a lot i could say about that part…i could say something about how its easy to become toppled over into polarity…darkness is not only velvety smooth and seductive, its a fucked up world we’ve made, so its easy to focus on what we are doing wrong. but i’ve always liked to have both elements at once…i remember my mother asked me to paint something on her backpack when she went back to school…but she sometimes forgets i am who i am (or forgets that i’m compelled to express what i feel, not what someone “wants” necessarily, diff btw a fine artist and a commercial artist?) so i painted a skull with a flower growing out of its eye, but you know, she doesnt so much care for “dark” elements in art, she likes to focus on the good. but i steer away from that polarity, too.

so for me, having the tension=truth. there is joy in all things, even in pain, which is why some people will always make it, while others suffer from that same making.

plus i like having both, it frees me up. i veer back and forth. i’ll make dark stuff and then i’ll make hopeful stuff. neither one is a lie, nor is either one the complete truth. so having the name that includes both poles also allows me not to be boxed in.

maybe you liked it because of that tension…even tho, i think you are right, and i appreciate the larger frame: why box it in at all? why describe it? i think that’s the part i’ll take with me.

but i guess the tagline was just because…jeje, well. it appeals to the marketer in me. gotta have a tagline!

actually not true. i made it on a whim. when i made one of the recent pieces, i just kept going, and typed out this thing at the bottom that said XOLAGRAFIK: etc. i dont know that i’ll keep it for much, aside from the site. and maybe only temporarily, even so.

always appreciate your thoughts on stuff like this. and happy new year!

Also, you are enough of a brand, so to speak, that doesn’t require you having to be so specific. Anyone who knows you or your work would know that you are able to transform ugly things through the beauty of your expression. Maybe you don’t need to spell it out. That being said, I was attracted to the original title of the post “Wicked Art for a Beautiful World,” so maybe I have no idea what I’m talking about. Happy New Year bro.

odd. why won’t wp keep my comment form logged in for me? i go to the back end and i’m logged in. but then i go to comment, and i’m not. wtf.

interesting that baking soda works. i have some of that in the kitchen. it’s also cheaper than the majority of deoderants on the market.

but, baking soda. i’m gonna try that. did you know that baking soda can be used as a household cleaner too? you just add vinegar. and, as a toothpaste.

this is all after i read that anti-perspirant with aluminum causes breast cancer.