The League of Uncertain Supervillians

If clouds could talk...

 

I enjoy giving everything in life a personality.  Creating a tiny back story and character to anything, big or small.  This is either used as a means to get a laugh or to create a personal attachment to said 'thing'.  This is just a little experiment in that concept.

Taking Risks

Life is all about taking risks.  In my opinion, I haven't taken enough of them.  I decided that I should depict how I feel about risk taking.  This picture was drawn when I was in Europe.

The idea behind the picture is that sometimes we have to jump from our stable platform onto something seemingly unstable.  As we do this, it is as if our brain shatters through the back of our heads and stays behind.  I often feel this mind numbing feeling when I take a leap.  For instance, when talking to an attractive girl.  However, in order to move forward in life, we often times have to take that leap.  Perhaps not a new thought but a new depiction. Here is version 1 of the final image. 

Let me know what you think!  

James

My Personal Credo

After going to see the movie 'Beginners' this weekend and watching Stefan Sagmeister's TED talk, they inspired me to write down my own personal credo.  These are the things that I try to remind myself everyday.  I don't know about you, but it helps me to put these down.  I plan to print this out and hang this in my room so that I never forget.  Let me know what your personal credo includes and possibly some lines to add.  This is version 1.

 

Wait, you didn't know I had left?

Hey everyone,

So I got back from Europe on Wednesday, the 29th of June, from a two week vacation with my parents.  There were many destinations and one final goal.  All will be revealed soon.  Stay tuned!

James

Introducing, James's

07 My Friend by James's

 I began my solo music project at the end of my senior year of high school.  Eight years of piano lessons, a class in 'Computers and Music' offered in high school, and an internship with a guy named Justin Paul producing video tutorials on recording programs were what dipped my foot in the water.   Soon afterward I decided to inflate some water wings and jump in. At first it was all instrumental.  Only within the past two years have I been comfortable to write lyrics and add vocals.  I am constantly assessing my writing, composing and recording abilities in order to achieve what I deem to be some decent tunes. 

This song is something a wrote at the beginning of last summer and addressed the idea of the friends I was loosing to graduation.  To me, the song encapsulates the feelings of the sadness of their leaving, the celebration of their friendship, and the confusion at the clashing of these emotions. 

Just another way that I create, and I hope you like it. 

-James
 
P.S.  the artwork is an original image

Listen to your Father (he knows stuff)

At the end of last week I began to cut up my material.  I used a saw from my garage in collaboration with a plastic saw guide and a measuring tape.   The sawing itself was not difficult.  However, the saw was stripping the top layers of bamboo as I was cutting through it.

This became distressing for me.  There was a time that craftsmanship was not my major concern.  However, since entering the industrial design program at Virginia Tech, this has changed.  I needed a tool that would give me a better cut.  SUDDENLY, there was a bolt of lightning as my father reached towards the heavens and grabbed such a tool.  

And so it was the Peter Connors bestowed upon his son a Pipe Cutter, which cut beautifully through the bamboo. There was much rejoicing.   Stay tuned!

-James

Let there be light!

 Thanks for all the great feedback peoples!  
Decisions made since last time:

1 this piece of furniture will be a bedside table (24" tall (to the table top) x 24" in diameter)

2 it's style will be somewhere between #8 and #9 of the last post, due to the peoples choice (Paul makes the most convincing argument for the style) and the extra storage space it creates (as pointed out by Oscar).

3 the table top will be roughly the same diameter as the bamboo supports. 

4 the table will be also have a built in lamp feature!

Table/lamp of course!

I had been trying to figure out how to take advantage of the natural hollowness to bamboo.  Feeding electrics through a stalk seemed very interesting.  After these decisions where made, some orthographic drawings of the "final" were conceived as well as some possible strap color combination. 

Final v1.0

 

So above are some color options.  I tried to take cues from modern furniture trends.  There is a current styling trend done that combines natural materials with the bright coloring of joinery, cushioning, or support.  I also wanted to use colors intelligently in relation to their "meanings", their relation to light, or their relation to the earth.  

Let me know which number intrigues you the most!

-James

What to do with Dead Bamboo?

Well I'm trying to answer this question.  My backyard has a little bamboo forest.  When I was younger I used to make little swords from the dead bamboo that had fallen to the ground.  Since defeating all of the imaginary Chinese dragons in my backyard, these dead bamboo tree's have for the most part gone unused.

 Backyard Bamboo

 Dead Bamboo

So....I've always wanted to make a piece of furniture that I could use.  Why not a little table?  Annnnd I can use the dead bamboo as material!  Now the design may not be anything innovative. In fact, I've seen designs like this.  My friend Elise made some really cool tables from broken pole vaulting poles.  The point is, I don't really care about being innovative here.  This is about creating!

 Started with this sketch

the process (and yes, table is a verb!)

Which one to choose?

materials harvested!

Love to hear your thoughts!  Which design should I choose.  Give me a number! 

-James

New to this...

Hey everyone, 

So this is my first blog post, and I'm a little nervous.  This blog is about creation.  For most of my life I have been creating.  It is only within the past year that I have really made the effort to expose my creations to the light of day.  This is to further that effort.  Predominantly, these creations will include my music, which I have been writing and recording for a few years now, and my Industrial Design work, a field that I began studying last year in school.   However, my posts will not be limited to this, so don't be alarmed if you see other things up here!  The hope is that my work brings pleasure and encourages others to create.  I am open to feedback, and I hope you will follow me on this journey. 

James Connors