Don't Blink.

Perhaps due in large part to my lovely, video-making, video-obsessed boyfriend, I have been watching (in a somewhat obsessive fashion) tons and tons of videos lately. Not just of the music sort, but everything from commercials to comedy and fashion videos, short films, everything. It seems to me to be a very interesting time for video direction and production (as I suppose it is for many of the creative fields) because of the immense amount and variety of content available on the internet. On the one hand, it seems that directors are exploring each and every realm, (although there may be certain "fads" in video which sort of string them together, like there are in anything else,) to create the best and most memorable experience for the viewer. On the other hand, (in my humble opinion at least) the widespread accessibility and use if HD cameras can make almost any footage at all, and in turn, any video at all, seem amazing. I admit at first, I would find myself watching an only mildly interesting video with this intense awe because I couldn't seem to take my eyes off the images on my screen. It turns out...it was just the HD! I quickly learned and have become perhaps a little too skeptical at beautifully filmed works, realizing that anyone can buy and operate a fancy camera. But it takes an artist to tell a story, and leave a lasting impression on a viewer... especially in this era of internet-information-overload.



Which brings me to my latest video obsession: Blink Productions. Ellis had sent me this great music video (above) which quickly led me to the Blink page on Vimeo where I was totally blown away with the variety, quality, and creativity of work shown. I'll let the videos I picked speak for themselves, but I highly, highly suggest checking out their Vimeo page, as well as their website for a look at all of their work. You'll notice some familiar favorites included in the impressive league of directors... such as Patrick Daughters, and Andreas Nilson who did two Peter, Bjorn and John videos ("Nothing to Worry About" and "It Don't Move Me"), as well as the directors of the awesome Hot Chip video "I Feel Better", and one of the We Have Band videos I wrote my first post about, "You Came Out".

Not your grandmother's needlepoint.

As per usual, I came across this lovely work a while back, wrote a note to myself to post about it right away, but here we are, a month later and I am just telling you about her now. Oh well! I learned about Ms. Joetta Maue while working at a great, great, little boutique in Park Slope called Urban Alchemist, where some of her beautiful needle points (I believe) are currently being sold. Although my personal taste for home decoration tends to be a little more streamlined and modern, I fell instantly in love with the giant "Be Strong" banner, and found myself dreaming about where I would hang the beautiful thing in my own apartment. The pieces at the store were only ones with text, but on her website I found that she also embroiders portraits and scenes of people, which I found very impressive and equally awesome. I'm not normally into feminine things, but the second-hand, vintage-y feel of the one-of-a-kind lace and linen on which she does her work, make Joetta's pieces too heartwarming and interesting to resist.