2009 in Review

Stephen's Best of 2009:
*Graduation with Bachelor in Fine Arts (and a Minor in Literature) in May
*Getting a full-time job at Keating in May
*Leaving Keating in August
*Finding an apartment in one weekend in Overland Park in August
*Getting a job at Crossover Graphics in August
*Paying my truck off completely
*Traveling to Colorado to see my Uncle and go hiking and fishing in the Rockies
*Turning 24 (old dude)
*Late Night Trivia at Auntie Mae's with Matt, John, Aubrey, Dillon, Todd, and others
*Kings of Leon concert with the Abandon Kansas boys
*Swell Season concert with Kyle + friends
*Killers concert with Jeremy, Brad and others
*Abandon Kansas includes me in their first released CD on their new label
*Winning tix on the radio to the Jet/Flock of Seagulls/Black Joe Lewis/Ravonettes/White Rabbits concert with Aubrey, Matt
*Minus The Bear/As Tall As Lions concert with Jeremy
*VIP at Spoon/Hockey/Metric/The Bravery concert with Jeremy
*KC Royals game vs Red Sox with Cy Young winner Zack Grienke pitched a shutout
*Becoming roommate with Kyle Gach (then sadly, ditching him for KC)
*ENGAGED to my beautiful girlfriend
*Designing a mural for West Hall 4th Floor (link to old post)
*Dallas Design conference with friends AND getting my poster entered
*Commerce Bank Student Art Show in Manhattan, getting poster entered
*Seeing Abandon Kansas live about 20 times
*Justin's wedding
*Kenny's wedding
*Ali+James wedding
*Applying to Hatch Show Print
*My brother Sam getting Prom Prince
*Another great year with Antony Miguel Cardenas Cortez, my sponsored child

(please feel free to help me add to this list if I'm missing anything!)

Hammerpress

In November, I had the sweet privilege of going with the K-State AIGA to the world famous design studio Hammerpress, started in 1994 by Brady Vest.

I love this place. They still do the old fashioned type set printing on well-oiled old printing machines from the turn-of-the-century (the OLD one, not the most recent t-o-t-c). If you have ever seen any of my design work, you will know that I love the unique look that old-fashioned type setting brings to a very modern, computerized world.

I have such a respect for the fact that it takes so much longer, so much more concentration, a better game plan of the 'big picture' when setting the type and determining colors, size variations, distribution, etc. Each piece of everything that is printed is uniquely different from the next since it may contain just a little less ink, be just slightly in a different area of the paper, display a nick in the type a bit more predominantly than the previous pieces.

They do posters for bands and tours, cds, books, cards, invitations, and stationary. Its this raw, unique, individualism that so intently draws me in to places like Hammerpress and Hatch Show Print. Man I love this stuff, just can't get enough!

BA-BFA-BFFs

(LtoR:Ryan, Me, Kasie, Aubrey)
So this week we said good-bye to a long-time friend, colleague, inspire-er, outside-the-box-thinker-and-do-er: Kasie Fry. We went to Manhattan's very own high-scale healthy-eatery, Panera Bread. (It is slowly growing into a favorite of mine, since its a safe place to eat at).
I ran her thru a series of gauntlet questions, and here is the conversation that followed:
{Stephen} So is it "Kasie" or "KC", like Kansas City or Kind Chihuahua?
{Kasie/KC} Its "Kasie" with an 'S'.
{S} Like "KCS"?
{KCS} Nope, like "J,M,K,A,S,I,E,Q,7"
{S} Lots of extra unnecessary letter there, were your parents hippies?
{JMKASIEQ7} Might have been...(cue "sudden realization" face)that would explain so much.
{S}How were your last finals ever at ol' KSU?
{KC}Bien! I had a final in Spanish.
{S}Man, no me gusta examens de espanol.
{Kasie}Si, me either-o. I didn't quite understand the test, it was something about a Japanese family and flowers or cats or something.
{Esteban} Bueno. Almorzamos aqui a Panera Pan (We are eating lunch at Panera Bread). Isn't that impressive?
{Aubrey/Maria}Tango un gato in mis pantelones. Y no me gusta gatos.
{S}(fast-thinking-change-of-subject-as-to-not-make-aubrey-feel-awkward)So KC, you're moving to Utah,eh? The bee hive state?
{K}Whoa! How'd you know that?
{S}I am full of useless information.
{Aubrey}(interrupting the last conversation I've ever had with KC) Yeah, that is why he is a hero champion at Trivia nights
{S}(Rolls eyes, dusts off shoulder then huffs on finger nails)Yep. So you're going to what school? And what is the mascot?
{KC}Utah Valley University. And the mascot is the, um, Valleys? Or something, Salt-Lakers maybe. I don't know.
{S}Oh, well I think they're like the Wolverines or something.
{Interrupter Aubrey again} Yep, see how awesome he is at trivia?
{S}(Rolls eyes again) So, do you have a station wagon?
{KC} No...
{S}You should probably get one. (exit scene)
(*Those were the final words that I ever said to Kasie/KC/Maria/KCS Fry. I wish her luck in all her endeavors at UVU.)