Stephen Kissel

After a bit of trial and error, our Christmas cards are printed!...

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 19:49:00 -0500

After a bit of trial and error, our Christmas cards are printed! (Only lost one screen in the process.) (Taken with instagram)

A little preview of our Christmas card this year. (Taken with...

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 00:30:14 -0500

A little preview of our Christmas card this year. (Taken with instagram)

Hooray for fall! Been spending the past few hours cutting paper...

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 20:18:00 -0400

Hooray for fall! Been spending the past few hours cutting paper leaves to hang in the apartment (or at least that’s our plan). My finger may be cramped up permanently from my X-acto grip, but I’m kinda enjoying it. Might have to do a bit more with cut paper down the road.

superamit: Two weeks ago I got a call from my doctor, who I’d...

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 01:13:55 -0400

superamit:

Two weeks ago I got a call from my doctor, who I’d gone to see the day before because I’d been feeling worn out and was losing weight, and wasn’t sure why.

He was brief: “Amit, you’ve got Acute Leukemia. You need to enter treatment right away.”

I was terrified. I packed a backpack full of clothes, went to the hospital as he’d instructed, and had transfusions through the night to allow me to take a flight home at 7am the next day. I Googled acute leukemia as I lay in my hospital bed, learning that If it hadn’t been caught, it would have died within weeks.

—

I have a couple more months of chemo to go, then the next step is a bone marrow transplant. As Jay and Tony describe below, minorities are severely underrepresented in the bone marrow pool, and I need help.

A few ways to help:

If you’re South Asian, get a free test by mail. You rub your cheeks with a cotton swab and mail it back. It’s easy.

If you’re in NYC, you can go to this event my friends are putting on.

If you know any South Asians, please point ‘em to the links above. Thank you.

jayparkinsonmd:

My friend Amit Gupta founded my favorite photography site Photojojo. A few weeks ago, he was diagnosed with leukemia. Amit is one of the nicest, most genuine, most creative people you could ever meet. Prior to founding the awesome Photojojo, he also co-founded Jelly in 2006 in NYC, a coworking community, that’s now spread to 60 cities across the world and helped spark the coworking revolution. It looks like Amit will need a bone marrow transplant quite soon. We can help him with that.

tony b:

Unlike blood transfusions, finding a genetic match for bone marrow that his body will accept is no easy task. The national bone marrow registry has 9.5 million records on file, yet the chances of someone from South Asian descent of finding a match are only 1 in 20,000.

This is where we come in. We’re going to destroy those odds.

How? By finding and registering as many people of South Asian descent as we possibly can.

Tests are easy– a simple swab of the cheek. If you’re a match, the donation involves an outpatient procedure. It’s not fun, but it’s not dangerous either. And doing it could save a life.

We are encouraging anyone of South Asian descent to take a test to see if you’re a match.

You can get a free test by mail, or, if you’re in New York, you can join us Friday, October 14th for a special party to rally support.

We’ll have test kits on hand at the party, as well as music, booze, and maybe even a photo booth. It will, for the first time, combine a House 2.0-style party with a New Work City-style party, and if you’ve ever been to either, you know they are always something special.

Please spread the word and please do everything you can to help Amit beat leukemia. He’s a superstar.

Much thanks to Tony and pals for organizing this event, and EVERYONE who’s been tweeting and reblogging.

Please help us get the word out any way you can. My life quite literally depends on it.

Working on things for the new site!

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 04:59:24 -0400

Working on things for the new site!

UPDATE: The new RSVP date is actually February...

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 10:00:00 -0500

UPDATE: The new RSVP date is actually February 21st!

~~Today’s the last day to RSVP for Zinery!~~ Still working on my submission… good chance it’ll probably involve food.

All the info is below per Winners Press:

Winners Press will be presenting a group zine exhibition at the 2011 SGCI called, ZINERY and YOU are invited to participate! This exhibition is organized by, Nancy Palmeri, Paul Windle and Winners Press.

Who are we?!

Founded by designer/printmakers Paul Windle, Spencer Moorman and Whitney Burnett, Winners Press is a traveling Zine School, conducting zine parties and events around the country.

What are we doing?!!

We will be creating a zine installation for 2011 Southern Graphics Council International Conference, at Washington University in St. Louis’s Weitman Gallery. The intent is to fill the space with zines to create an interactive exhibition and zine making event.

What we need from you?!?!

Make an art zine! any size, shape, content. No problem if you don’t have the time, just send something you’ve already made—and please invite any friends this is an open participation project so the more the merrier! Go ahead and have zine making parties - you can combine them with your denim jacket parties, or pumpkin carving contests? We only need one zine, but if you are able to send more we will graciously accept them. You may use any methods that you like—please remember that everyone will be allowed to touch them. The zines will become a part of a travelling exhibition thus wont be returned, so please don’t send your last copy of your very best diamond encrusted zine. We are also planning to set up a DIY zine buffet table at the exhibition for take home zines, so we are also asking you to please send us a 8.5x5.5 page of artwork, as a PDF (of course this can be something you’ve already made!) so that we can include it on the table for visitors to iput in the zines they construct themselves.

When we need things?!!?

15 February

RSVP to Paul pcwindle@gmail.com if you are going to participate

28 February

zine buffet page due to Paul, via above email as PDF file

1 March

zines must be received by Nancy Palmeri

Send them to : Nancy Palmeri

UT Arlington Department of Art+Art History

502 South Cooper Street, Room 335

Box 19089

Arlington, TX 76019-0089

What else???!

We will be documenting the exhibition as well as your zines in order to create a Blurb catalogue and will contact all of you when it is ready to order.

Photojojo and the Impossible Project are giving away a Rainbow...

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 16:07:00 -0500

Photojojo and the Impossible Project are giving away a Rainbow OneStep Polaroid camera. Crazy, right?

Go here to check out the super rare Polaroid cameras, as well as all their other goodies.

Oh… and don’t forget to check out their rad Tumblr!

(My entry is above! Courtesy of Photojojo, of course)

Amazing things happening from Photojojo and the Impossible...

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 14:43:21 -0500

Amazing things happening from Photojojo and the Impossible Project!

They’re even offering up a Rainbow OneStep that can be won today. I suggest everybody get a move on this one, pronto.

photojojo:

Surprise! We’ve busted out a new Limited Edition set of Polaroid cameras in collaboration with the Impossible Project (with a beautiful box design by the charming Kate Bingaman-Burt).

Right now we’ve got three cameras in the shop that span nearly three decades of Polaroid awesomeness.

They’re ultra-rare, and we’ve only got 100 kits total. So if you’d like one, hurry!

But if you’re feeling lucky, we’ve decided to save a Rainbow OneStep Camera edition and give it away to the good people of Tumblr.

Here’s how to enter:

1. Grab a photo of a Photojojo Store goodie from our site

(any photo you’d like, just right click to save, or click on the download link for a hi-res if it’s available)

2. Head to Big Huge Labs or Poladroid to turn that photo into a Polaroid

3. Share your new Polaroid-ized photo on Tumblr with a link back to the Photojojo Store

(IMPORTANT: be sure to tag your posts with #photojojo and #impossible so we can find you!)

We’ll announce the winner at 8 EST today. Good luck!

Friends on the Interweb

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 19:00:00 -0400

How have I yet to mention this here!? Two good friends and former classmates of mine have recently entered the world of blogging.

Jessie-Lee Nichols is a graphic designer who began The Hyphen Tantrum a few months ago in an effort to get her brain around something other than her day job in data entry. You’ll find her constantly posting great work, things that inspire her and a ton of great items that she’s lusting for over on Etsy.

Kim Davies, a graphic designer and illustrator, just started her blog this week! (She’s already a more frequent poster than I am). While she admits that the direction of her blog hasn’t been decided, I’m sure it will be filled with her work and many inspiring posts.

Jessie-Lee and Kim are both super talented and wonderful people, so I know they would love to see some new followers. So definitely keep an eye on these two.

Man… I can totally relate to this. (It ties in with my...

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 23:44:00 -0400

Man… I can totally relate to this. (It ties in with my last post too.)

Here is Kate’s original post that reminded me of the video (via theokbb)

Ira Glass on Storytelling #3 (via kentj1)

I don’t teach in the summer, but I am talking to a group of sophomores tomorrow at PSU and then later that night I will be reviewing senior portfolios at PNCA, so my mind is back in school mode for the time being.

A few years ago, I stumbled upon a great set of Ira Glass videos about storytelling. The above video is especially good for several of the frustrated design students that I encounter almost daily. They are firmly rooted in the situation where their taste is WAY better than what they are making and they are pissed. They feel stuck. They start to question whether or not they should even do this whole design thing. To them I gift the Ira Glass advice:

“It’s normal to take awhile. You have to fight your way through that. You will be fierce. You will be a warrior and you will make things that aren’t as good as you know in your heart that you want them to be.”

You are NORMAL, but you have to keep busting ass and making work and sharing and revising and making and doing. Each new piece is going to yield a tiny discovery. A small advancement. Something to apply to the next piece.

I remind myself of this daily. And I keep making.

BE WARRIORS! BE FIERCE!

I know what I like and I know where I want my work to be. It always falls short of my own expectations. There were definitely instances during school when this caused serious doubts in my mind about continuing in the field. That passed and so will this, I’m sure.

The new plan: I’m going to be a warrior.

Well friends, its time for me to take a break. It’s a...

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 11:00:00 -0400

Well friends, its time for me to take a break. It’s a wonderful thing to have access to anything and always be connected, but for me it has also become a giant distraction. When you find yourself constantly consuming the work of others and no longer making work of your own, you know you’re in trouble. So, with that said, I’ll be spending a bit less time around the interwebs.

I feel like this is a great chance to just get out and do things. (It’s still summer, after all!) My hope is that it’ll help me refocus and refresh myself, as well as my work.

I’m not entirely sure how long I’ll be away. Honestly, I haven’t thought that far ahead. If you’d still like to get in touch though, you can always send me a little e-mail!

The Gocco finally arrived this morning! First project planned...

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 12:04:37 -0400

The Gocco finally arrived this morning!

First project planned for it… some long overdue business cards.

As if I wasn’t mesmerized by letterpress enough already....

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 08:00:00 -0400

As if I wasn’t mesmerized by letterpress enough already. This video has been making the rounds as part of an interview that Grain & Gram did with Nick Sambrato of Mama’s Sauce. There are some wonderful photos on the site as well. Head over here for the interview: http://grainandgram.com/nicksambrato/

On a side note… how great is the layout on that site?? Personally, I can’t wait to see more from them.

(via Share Some Candy)

Radiolab

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 12:20:00 -0400

Radiolab:

Lately, I’ve really gotten into WNYC’s Radiolab show. The latest of which brings us to a conversation at Hunter College in NYC, involving Oliver Sacks (a famous neuroscientist and author) and Chuck Close (the artist known for his giant portaits). Both of these men were born with what’s known as Face Blindness, meaning, well,… that they can’t recognize faces (though it sounds like it’s just problem with humans). Unless there is some oddball characteristic about a person, neither man will be able to point that person out after talking to them.

I was aware of Close’s paralysis and how that affected his work, but I had no idea he that he couldn’t even recognize faces. It’s just really fascinating stuff. If you’re curious about topics like this, I would definitely recommend checking the show out.

http://www.wnyc.org/shows/radiolab/

via chrispiascik: Ramen Noodles: It’s kind of funny that Ramen...

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 10:38:38 -0400

via chrispiascik:

Ramen Noodles:
It’s kind of funny that Ramen Noodles have become the go-to, poor-artist or student food. I know I’ve been there…

… and I’m still eating them on a consistent basis. It’s odd, but I’ve kinda grown to enjoy them.

Failing is Doing

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 10:00:00 -0400

Every two weeks, Design is Love has their InWords discussions about a different topic. The most recent of which is asking people to share their biggest obstacle and how it affects their work and well-being. In my case, the biggest obstacle is usually fear. Fear of failure, making wrong decisions, offending someone, etc. (Heck, there’s a bit of fear just in typing this.)

Honestly, the fear is pretty irrational most days. This often leaves me stuck though, unable to make any sort of progress. I’m not naive enough to think I’m the only person who gets stuck like this. It seems pretty common.

Thinking about my own failures reminded me of a personal story from Frank Chimero involving a parachute, a conversion van and failure. (Way more interesting than what I’m writing, I assure you.) There’s something he mentions that makes a lot of sense to me.

“Every movement is positive, simply because it’s movement.”

What I’m realizing (or maybe accepting now), is that in order to get anything done, we have to disregard these worries. For me, it’s just working and letting ideas out. They might be crap… and that’s okay! It’ll put me one step closer to doing something better.

UPDATE: Sea Legs - A new show from Jolby and Ashley Forrette!

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 11:56:00 -0500

I’ve been a big fan of Jolby’s (the duo of Josh Kenyon and Colby Nichols) work since seeing it featured on Kitsune Noir’s Desktop Wallpapers last year. In only a few days, they’ll be opening a new show in collaboration with Ashley Forrette (an excellent photographer who’s also based in Portland). All of the pieces will be based around mythologies, legends and superstitions of the sea… which sounds pretty fantastic to me! (note: The rhyming was completely unintentional, I promise.) Like half the events I come across, I would love to go, but can’t since I live on the opposite side of the country. It definitely looks like it’ll be a wonderful show and if you can make it out, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.

Opening Reception:
Thursday, February 25 (6-11pm) at Together Gallery, 2916 NE Alberta St. Suite A, Portland, Oregon.
The show will be running from then until March 20, 2010!

For more info and some sneak peeks, you can check out Jolby’s blog. You’ll also find some nifty little icons to use on your Facebook profile or as your Twitter icon to show you support!

**UPDATE**
You can now view the whole show online right here!

You may also purchase pieces from the show through Together Gallery.

The Big Team Scribble!

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:30:00 -0500

While I sadly missed out on The Scribble Project’s last big collaboration, I know I’ll be submitting something this time around. All you have to do is print out the train carriage template, draw something fun (by hand, no digital), scan it and send it in! The drawings have to be limited to black and white since they’ll be used for a coloring zine. Everyone should totally try to submit something by the deadline (now Feb. 26th!), especially since all profits from the zine sales will be donated to UNICEF. If you’re interested in finding out more about The Scribble Project or want to be involved, go here!

My website is finally up! It still needs a little tweaking as I...

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 22:02:00 -0500

My website is finally up! It still needs a little tweaking as I get used to Cargo. Check it out at www.stephenkissel.com.