A magic realism tangent

Because of my current state of mind, the idea of Saturn’s return makes me think about the (unrelated) war on Saturn that takes places in the amazing, surreal The People of Paper by Salvador Plascencia, which I am currently reading. People hide under the lead shells of mechanical tortoises to evade Saturn’s voyeuristic gaze!

For more fantastic works of magic realism, see the likes of Jorge Luis Borges, Gabriel García Márquez, Haruki Murakami and Aimee Bender (specifically the books above). I had the privilege of meeting Aimee Bender on November 11 (yes, on 11/11/11) on the Oregon State University campus as part of the 2011-12 OSU Visiting Writers Series. She read a chapter from her new book The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake (which I love) and a fantastic short story about prosopagnosia (i.e., face illiteracy or face blindness) called Faces. Magic realism is currently my favorite genre of fiction. Note to self: remember to read more absurdity from Richard Brautigan.

Back to Saturn’s return

The Saturn return calculator revealed that my girlfriend’s Saturn return started on Halloween 2011 and it doesn’t end until July 2012. She deemed this a disturbingly long duration and shook her fist at Saturn for cursing her to suffer its trajectory-altering, life-changing transformations for longer than most. I’ve since learned that Saturn returns usually last about a month.

Being curious, I entered my birthday into the calculator and found that my first Saturn return was of normal length (one month), during which I bought my house and took a two-week trip to Hawai’i. Both of these events had great significance to me. Intrigued, I looked at other notable positions of Saturn throughout my life and immediately noticed a clear theme emerging: transformational travel.

Below is my Saturn return chart, which I’ve self-indulgently annotated.

So, was the schedule of all these transformational travel experiences coincidental, or were they somehow written in the stars (or dictated by a certain ringed planet)? I have no idea. I do find it fascinating that the three most significant eras of my life (so far) were captured by a random astrological calculator on the Internet.

Stop watching me Saturn!

The first two are out-of-print children’s books written in the 1970s by American author Tomie de Paola. I tracked down copies of these short stories after my dad visited Oregon in September and helped me remember a few books he used to read to my sister and me. When Everyone Was Fast Asleep (1976) and the more obscure Songs of the Fog Maiden (1979) both feature the magical, singing Fog Maiden and her blue cat Token. These two characters visit the children of Earth at night and bring them enchanting, fantastical experiences:

When everyone was fast asleep, the Fog Maiden sent Token to wake us up. And we slid through the curtains into the night. We floated across the grass, dancing on the dew, and met the elf horse. We all sang, “Tra la, tra la, too lay, too lay, hop-a-doodle, hip-a-doodle, flip-a-doodle day.” Down the road we went, counting moons until we came to the troll house, but we were not afraid. We ate hot buttered bread and drank warm milk with honey, and dressed for the ball at the palace. The crocodiles danced a quadrille and the peacocks waltzed with doves and we all sang, “Tra la, tra la, too lay, too lay, hop-a-doodle, hip-a-doodle, flip-a-doodle day.” When the king and queen arrived, the play began. The lion roared while the gypsy slept, and the princess was saved by the sand serpent. The night was over and the Fog Maiden came to cover everything with her dress. She picked us up and floated over the trees to our very own window, where she tucked us into our beds and kissed us asleep.

Now if that isn’t an alien abduction story, I don’t know what is. You miss some context without the illustrations, but the premise of When Everyone Was Fast Asleep is that a large-eyed animal (or therianthrope) peers into your bedroom window at night and whisks you away to an alternate, overwhelming realm of anthropomorphic entities.

(Note: I have illustrated the Fog Maiden and Token the Cat as 8-bit characters for Mascot Mashup, my daily pixel art project; they are scheduled to appear on November 10 and 11.)

The third book, Supernatural: Meetings with the Ancient Teachers of Mankind (2007) by Graham Hancock, is about the origins of art, religious ideas, consciousness-altering agents and consciousness itself (and ultimately how these might tie into modern conceptions of fairies, elves, angels, UFOs, alien abductions, DMT, DNA and the spirit world):

Less than 50,000 years ago mankind had no art, no religion, no sophisticated symbolism, no innovative thinking. Then, in a dramatic and electrifying change, described by scientists as “the greatest riddle in human history,” all the skills and qualities that we value most highly in ourselves appeared already fully formed, as though bestowed on us by hidden powers. In Supernatural Graham Hancock sets out to investigate this mysterious “before-and-after moment” and to discover the truth about the influences that gave birth to the modern human mind.

Hancock’s quest takes him on a detective journey from the stunningly beautiful painted caves of prehistoric France, Spain, and Italy to rock shelters in the mountains of South Africa, where he finds extraordinary Stone Age art. He uncovers clues that lead him to the depths of the Amazon rainforest to drink the powerful hallucinogen Ayahuasca with shamans, whose paintings contain images of “supernatural beings” identical to the animal-human hybrids depicted in prehistoric caves. Hallucinogens such as mescaline also produce visionary encounters with exactly the same beings. Scientists at the cutting edge of consciousness research have begun to consider the possibility that such hallucinations may be real perceptions of other “dimensions.”

More than any other book I’ve read, Supernatural almost unifies (or, at least, neatly gathers) cross-cultural supernatural and paranormal experiences throughout human history. There is much to think about. You might have an existential crisis while reading this book. I highly recommend it.

The fourth book, Wildwood: The Wildwood Chronicles, Book I (2011), is “a spellbinding tale full of wonder, danger, and magic that juxtaposes the thrill of a secret world and modern city life. Original and fresh yet steeped in classic fantasy, this is a novel that could have only come from the imagination of Colin Meloy, celebrated for his inventive and fantastic storytelling as the lead singer of The Decemberists. With dozens of intricate and beautiful illustrations by award-winning artist Carson Ellis, Wildwood is truly a new classic for the twenty-first century.”

I’ll admit that I was first interested in Wildwood because I am a fan of The Decemberists—and because Colin Meloy and his wife Carson Ellis live in Portland, Oregon (which is also the geographic setting for the book). Despite being written for adolescent children, I quite enjoyed Meloy’s esoteric, archaic vocabulary and his antique-weaponry aesthetic (not unlike his quirky songs). Plus there are delightful warring factions of talking forest animals! With 560 sparse pages, it is a fast read (it only took me six hours or so to finish it). Definitely worth the time.

I need to remember to read bizarre children’s books more often. For now, it is time to appreciate the rest of the Day of the Dead. I will eat tamales and drink Mexican hot chocolate.

P.S. I visit How to be a Retronaut regularly and these are some recent posts that inspired me: Nuclear Bunker Mannequins (a secret bunker in England), The Invisible Mother (creepy moms hiding under blankets in old photos), Tunnels of the River Fleet (the largest of London’s subterranean rivers), Rephotographing Budapest (perfect overlay of modern color photos on black & white ones), Twin Peaks: The Last Days (I miss that show) and Video Games Then and Now (I prefer a primitive 8-bit aesthetic).

Maybe, just maybe, I’ll start using this blog more regularly again since I have become thoroughly disenchanted with the social networking landscape. I used to really enjoy Twitter and Flickr (and tolerate Facebook, etc.), but joining Google+ in June overwhelmed me with social fragmentation. People I care about have splintered into too many social networks. And so now I generally ignore them all, to maintain sanity/memory. Just about the only online activity I don’t neglect is Mascot Mashup, my daily 8-bit art project. Well, I guess I maintain my film ratings and reviews at Filmometer.com pretty well too.

Here is the prevailing sentiment on campus about the latest version of Blackboard course management software:

To make your own nonsense images like this (or, even better, like The RAGE FACES of MARIO BROS. Collection by Eric Foster), visit Meme Generator.

No. 200 happens to be Johnny Cash (because he died on this day in 2003). Even though I attempt to tie my daily characters into birthdays, death days, holidays and historical events, arbitrariness often prevails.

See 12 example characters below. Their body proportions, pigeon-toed feet and poses are due to their direct stylistic relationship to the primitive QBasic Gorilla, which inspired this whole project.

Mascot Mashup was born in 2009, but was often on hiatus for the first year of its existence. In April 2011, the site became a daily blog of 8-bit characters designed by me to be used in an ongoing Flash remake of the classic QBasic Gorillas artillery game (and possibly other 1980s-era games). Each sprite has four animation states. The first sprites drawn were all NCAA Division I college mascots, but the characters have since branched into randomness.

I plan to continue this daily art project through at least the beginning of 2012, possibly indefinitely? To be determined. See all characters at mascotmashup.com.

Summer tennis tournament season is here again and I’ve been trying to figure out which weekends I will be on the courts. Most of my information comes from OregonTennis.com. I always try to play four or five tennis tournaments in the Mid-Willamette Valley over the summer. Here are the tournaments I plan to enter, in the USTA 4.0+ division (starting this weekend):

• Monmouth Independence Tennis Tournament: July 2-3, 2011
• McMinnville (MAC) Open Tennis Tournament: July 22-24, 2011
• Woodburn Open Tennis Tournament: July 29-31, 2011
• Albany All-City Tennis Tournament: August 5-7, 2011
• Dallas Community Tennis Tournament: September 30-October 2, 2011

Usually registration closes about a week before the start of each tournament. Each PDF entry form should show up at OregonTennis.com a few weeks in advance of each tournament. For Woodburn and Albany, you can also contact (or stop by) the city’s Parks and Recreation Department.

USTA tennis tournaments

I’ve yet to play in any of these, but summer USTA tournaments in Corvallis, Eugene, Ashland and elsewhere can be found at USTA TennisLink.

I am attending the HOW Design Conference 2011 in Chicago, Illinois. Below are my notes from the sessions I attended on Monday.

9:45 am-11:00 am – 36. All Your Creativity Questions Answered – Deborah Morrison, Heather Lins, Chris Chapman & Chris Elkerton
You’ve seen how Chris Chapman, Chris Elkerton, Heather Lins and Deborah Morrison keep their creative juices flowing and consistently deliver innovative concepts. Now’s your chance to ask them anything you want (preferably related to creativity). Even if you missed their earlier sessions, you’re more than welcome to come join the discussion in this panel-style session.

• Session hashtag: #howanswers.
• disneycollegeprogram.com - internship
• “The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.”
• No idea is ever original; get as much influence as possible; the best take stuff and put their own spin on it.
• “Your ideas aren’t precious.” – Heather
• Get out of the studio to generate ideas.
• Chris C.: My office is the world … my physical office is only where I execute
• Support people getting out of the office, and make the office more open and collaborative
• Everything is a Remix video series
• Statistical proof: The more fun people have, the more productive they are
• More design inspiration (through curation):
  • Brain Pickings – Deborah’s inspiration
  • The Cool Hunter
  • Inspiration Fuse sites
  • Designboom – good to look at 3D when you’re a 2D artist
  • Trend Hunter
  • Lovely Package
  • GOOD magazine
• Be a student of the world and never stop learning
• Get yourself out of your element
• Get engineers (or business people/marketers) and designers together from day one.
• Making the whole company creative might be better than building an isolated pod of creative people.
• Pick and choose your battles wisely.
• Have non-designers describe what’s not working instead of art-directing you.
  • You are the professional designer. Don’t let them move layout. Have them rely on you.
  • It’s really them just putting their thumbprint on something because they want to be part of the process.
  • Ask them: “What is this not achieving?” Big picture, not details. (Define roles, and context.)
  • You’ve got to train them on what their role is.
  • Example question: “Does this design recommendation you’re making impact the success criteria we’ve established?”
  • Don’t let them stand over you as you work.
• Search: innovation-based culture
• Academic credentials and working for universities:
  • Chris C.: All my biggest heroes dropped out of school or didn’t go to school at all.
  • Chris E.: You can go get the letters after your name, but if you’re a dick you’re not going to get the job.
  • Chris C.: “Get them [the manager] an MBA (Manage by Absence)” – your designer doesn’t have ownership because they know they are going to be micromanaged.
  • “Creativity is change. Universities don’t like to change.”
• Find this TED talk: Pixar (at their worst) during the Toy Story 2 process

11:15 am-12:30 pm – Closing Keynote – 39. Fascinate: How to Persuade and Captivate – Sally Hogshead
Why are you captivated by some people and not others? Why do certain messages convince you to change your opinion while others go ignored? And how can you create designs that irresistibly attract attention?

Find out as Sally Hogshead reveals her secrets for creating ideas that both persuade and captivate your audience. You’ll discover:

• which of the 7 fascination triggers you naturally use to persuade and captivate
• how to provoke strong and immediate emotional connections in your design and presentations—and even in your personal life
• how to influence decisions using the 7 fascination triggers: power, lust, mystique, prestige, alarm, vice and trust

What makes your personality irresistibly fascinating? Find out by taking the F-Score Personality Test.

• Session hashtag: #howfascinate.
• Are you selling a green ticket or are you selling an orange ticket? An orange ticket is fascinating.
• We take things that have no intrinsic meaning and we make them more meaningful and valuable.
• “Hi” is the GAP khakis of online dating.
• If your message fails to captivate … you get lost in the crowd.
• 9 seconds is our attention span (BBC study) and our brains are being rewired. You’re designing to goldfish.
• “In a competitive environment, the most fascinating wins.”
• The about your name that makes it different will one day make you love it.
• What makes you different, what sets you apart.
• Free digital version of her first book, Radical Careering: 100 Truths to Jumpstart Your Job, Your Career, and Your Life: sallyhogshead.com/rc
• Expressing your truest self is ultimate competitive advantage.
• You can be comfortable, or creative, but not both.
• Better to fail by going down in flames….
• Design comes in two flavors: Vanilla and Pistachio. If you want to create Pistachio, do not work at a (soul-crushing) Vanilla company.
• The 7 Triggers of Fascination (triggers are like instruments; the reasons why are almost compulsive about certain people & media).
• Mystique is almost the opposite of Passion; it is the most delicate of all the triggers.
• Rebellion is the trigger of creativity.
• Trust was the most dormant by a longshot among the HOW attendees.
• Trust is about consistency and reliability – make you work exciting and your structure boring if you want trust. Establish and repeat patterns to build trust long-term.
• Alarm is about deadlines and consequences. What is the negative consequence of not taking a particular action? If (not) X, then Y. Now your own emotional journey.
• Emotional journey of creative process: 1. possibility, 2. doubt, 3. agony (I am a hack and world is going to figure it out; I actually suck and this project is going to unveil me), 4. epiphany, 5. craft. The most important part is the agony, where you work through all the things that have already been done. Truly revolutionary ideas happen during the Throne of Agony. The worse it gets, the better the epiphany is going to be.
• Take the test: FScoreTest.com
• Mark Zuckerberg: Power and Mystique.
• HOW Design attendees:
  • 43% on the Passion trigger, secondary on the Rebellion trigger. (18% is statistically significant.)
  • You defend the world from predictability.
  • Passion is not a luxury. It is an imperative.
  • You rarely sort of care. The world is not changed by people who sort of care.
  • Use your natural fascination talent. It’s not enough to be the better (or best) unless it’s you.
• Make people fall in love with your ideas.

Thanks, Chicago. Back to Oregon.