Little Bro In The Bow David Mendolia.
A Visual & Written Essay by Clarkus Patriacus.







I've known David for a number of years now. We first met because he called me up when he was young... like in middle school young, and wanted to talk about the 'business' of photography. Because he was so young and so serious... I was all about it. I'm a fan of serious people. Especially those serious about creating.

In the time that I've known David he's been working consistently at his craft. He's always shooting. He stays motivated and isn't discouraged by the reality of the 'business' of photography. He's having fun with his work and the people he shoots. He's on top of the latest and greatest in the gear world and always up on trying out something from the photographic past too. He's exploring. He is into cars, he's in college, and on every level he's just doing his thing.

David has got the freedom to play around with his creative projects without the worries of agency clients or anything else messing with his Ch'i. With his freedom David is doing something that seems to happen when you feel your own freedom. He is getting better.

I've seen both David and his work grow up in the time we've been friends. I can see where he is starting to develop his own style and where his talent is moving. And I'm all about it.

Although we don't spend tons of time together I sort of think of David as a younger brother to me. As I've seen him grow in his work it keeps me motivated to keep exploring in my own work. It's like playing basketball with your younger bro. For years you humor him when playing together... you could always beat him. But, as time passes he catches up fast, and now, well, you can still win, but you have to try a lot harder than you'd like to admit in order to beat him. And sometimes he's going to get you anyway. You start to see your younger bro as one of your peers instead of your younger brother and you're proud of that. You can take ownership over how pimp your little bro really is and perhaps feel a bit of pride in your relationship to shaping his growth. I'm not sure I had much to do with David's growth as an artist. But, I can say that his growth has helped me stay motived in searching for my own.

So, shine on little bro. Thanks for pushing me to try and be on top of my game. And try not to beat me up too bad when you're crushing it as a world famous photographer someday!

Here are some of David's images that I dig found in his ever growing body of work.

Inside the mind of Osama Esid.
A Visual & Written Essay by Clarx X. Patricx.



A portrait of Osama.



Osama praying to the Gods of creative energy and magic.



Behind the scenes.



Osama showing me some of his homemade lighting rigs... impressive stuff.



Got cameras? Osama does...



Shelves of the photo scientist.



Osama's work on the walls.



More...



More....



I spent the day with Osama and his daughters. We took a quick snack break from our rigorous day of shooting.



Want a slice?



One of Osama's beautiful, smart, and funny little ladies.



She's got my number.



Fruit face!



More of Osama's prints. (Found under his bed of course!)



Hello Kitty. Hello portfolio.



Anywhere in Osama's house you can find a print...



Oh, hello buddy.... always time for a good laugh.



"Hold on, a quick call."



At the end of the day Osama's talent extends far beyond photography.... These little munchkins have one hell of a father too.

So........... where to begin when explaining the magic of Osama? Well, I guess I could start by saying that the first time we met I loved this guy and I loved his work.

Osama has a huge amount of energy- positive energy. His mind is constantly turning and he loves telling you about what projects he's working on, what he's thinking about, showing you work he's done in the past, and always asking if you'd like him to lend you some of his homemade camera equipment. His generosity is amazing. The first day I met him he offered to lend me thousands of dollars of stuff because he loves photography that much-- and he wants the world to have more art in it.

Osama has developed a name for himself in the fine-art photo world with his work showing in galleries around the globe like at the: Kashya Hildebrand Gallery, Universe In Universe Gallery exhibitions, and Masasam Gallery, but when he talks about his work his successes are the last thing he might mention because he's way too excited telling you about a new camera he's building or a new technique he's working on. His focus is single-mindedly on exploring the world through the camera. Osama doesn't know what's going on in the photo-world scene, he doesn't follow the latest blogs, or trending news, because he's too busy creating and spreading his positive energy to the world.

I know way too many photographers now who are focused on the negative aspects of our business and art, but Osama doesn't have time or space for that in his mind. Beyond the insane amount of positive energy this guy puts out into the world- his work is truly amazing as well.

He's a master of old-school techniques and his studio is really like a mad scientist laboratory. He builds his own cameras, lenses, lights, and everything else you could imagine needed in the photographic process. One of his bodies of work was created by hand coloring all of the final images. The final images are amazing! That type of dedication is truly inspiring to me.

I hope that Osama and I can be friends, creative buddies, and positive energy producers for a long time together because I definitely love this guy and his inspiring work.

Thanks Osama for the love you put into your work and your life. You're making an impact.

(And I know I need to get over to the studio more often... working on it!!!)

Please, please take a moment to check out some of his amazing imagery here:

Osama's Portfolio

Also, check out his cool studio here:

A video of Osama's studio

Poetry reading and dinner with Carl Atiya Swanson & Stacy Ann Schwartz.
A Visual & Written Essay by Clarkus A. Patrick.



Double trouble. JK. Double awesome!



A portion of Stacy's collection of VIP radness.



Old-timie love.



Stacy's Jack White Holga. The perfect cross-section of music and photo goodness.



An album cover Stacy shot. Big pimpin'.



Oh, hello.



Paraphernalia. Of the photo kind.



The homestead.



Carl. The man. The myth. The legend.



Smiles from the dream team.



What a funny!



Carl and William Seward Burroughs II. Thinkers.



Carl's art in the archives. (Eye painting by Garrett Perry.)



(The woman is a drawing by Egon Schiele in the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.)



Explaining themes that reoccur in Carl's work.



On the walls. (The Masculine Energy print is by Cave Party.)



On the arms.



Carl reading poetry. I'm super amped to check out his recommendation.



Stacy showing me some images from her published photo book. She's got me beat on that front. Awesome stuff.



Keep on clickin'!!



Where do I begin with these two?

Stacy and I have known each other for six-ish years now from being out-and-about in town mostly at music venues and other such happenings. She always had and still has a camera in-tow whenever I see her.

When I spent the day with Stacy & Carl I got an even more in-depth view into the insane degree, volume, and depth of projects these two individually and collectively work on.

Stacy does:
Photos. -- She creates a huge amount of various photo projects in both film based and digital formats, most often with a music focus.
Law. -- She has a law degree and works with other creatives on all sorts of legal projects making their lives easier.
Records. -- Sometimes she still picks up shifts at the awesome local record store The Electric Fetus.
Music Booking. -- She runs a booking agency called Damaged Goods - that works with events like The Stone Arch Bridge Festival, Art-A-Whirl, and Vita.mn's Music & Movies series to book music and entertainment.
Edumacation. -- Beyond all that she works at the McNally Smith College of Music. She will be teaching graduate and undergrad classes in music business there in the fall.

I'm sure I've left something out, but jeez how much can one person do? (Stacy, don't answer that.)

Carl does:
Writes. -- As much as possible but with sometimes painfully long gestation periods. (So he says...) He write for Cake In 15, occasionally for mnartists.org, and other outlets. He writes mostly to try and get out the word on what's happening around him, but also to attempt to articulate an experiential world view where the arts are critical and valuable. He loves interviews and interviewing as it is often more interesting to have artists talk about their life and work than simply react to stuff. (Amen brother.)
Theater. -- As an actor, writer and administrator, he powers forward his theater company Savage Umbrella. He loves theater because it combines all art forms - visual, physical, aural - and it is a catalyst for conversation and a filter with which to discuss ideas bigger than just ourselves and entertainment.
Business. -- Carl is an MBA student at the University of St. Thomas and works at Springboard for the Arts (Check them out!). He knows that artists need to make a living, and the value of art to a creative and growing economy can't be under-estimated. So he's trying to make sure it's not. (Double props here.)
PR. -- He sidelines on projects with/for his friends, and spun off a company, Crown & Sparrow - to help promote them.

Stacy & Carl together do:
Write, organize, and promote Cake In 15. Other stuff. Garden. Bike. Eat. Hang out with each other. And sometimes cook friends like me dinner. Rad.

I feel like I should write in greater detail about all of Carl & Stacy's projects, but if you haven't heard of either one of these folks yet... the links above will get you started. And if you're interested in what they're doing - reach out to them and connect. At the core, these two are connectors. Both Stacy & Carl put a huge amount of effort into exploring the people, projects, arts, music, and culture that makes our city and beyond so great. They are explorers on a constant hunt for inspiration to in-turn produce things that inspire.

For all that they do there is a type of fluidity behind it. It all fits together. And it makes sense for who they are as people. It's awesome to see a pair work on so many things together and still maintain their own unique characteristics and point of view as well. I feel like these two set the bar for the super couple. Two hyper-productive awesome artists - together.

But more than that, my favorite thing about both of them as individuals is their passion and promotion for others in the arts. Sure, Stacy is a dedicated and passionate photographer, but more than that she tirelessly promotes the work of others. And sure, Carl is a deep thinking writer, actor, and theater man, but more than anything he is also a promoter of other artists.

They are like a vortex of giver supporters for artists on all levels. We shared a similar sentiment on the evening we hung out for this project - which is that although we don't love all art, music, theater, poetry, photography, painting and on-and-on and so forth - we appreciate that ALL artists care enough to create the work that they do. And that the work by artists that we do love and appreciate is something we'll always find a way to promote to anyone who is willing to listen.

So, Stacy and Carl - thank you kindly for going out of your way to find the time, effort, and care - to promote the work of others - more often than not above and beyond the promotion of your own work. The greatest advocates of the arts are also in many cases the greatest artists. Keep on working towards the greatness.

My telepathic day with Brock Davis.
A Visual & Written Essay by Clark Patrick Yo Yo Ma.



Brock telepathically sent me a message to come over and meet him at the mushroom table. I dropped everything. It was time.



We started our day at the "mushroom" table... wink, wink, if you know what I mean. No, but seriously we had coffee at the mushroom table.



We talked about art.



We chilled. Relaxing and maxin'.




The mushrooms kicked in..... Wait, I mean we talked about art.



Then we went to Brock's office. He showed me a new project he's working on. (I found out one of Brock's big creative secrets - he draws with both hands. At the same time. Think about that one ladies. Think about it. Both hands+same time. Damn son!)



He sang me a ditty. It was really great - about a farmer, old McDonald, who had this farm that was destroyed by GMO's and industrial-agi... something like that- heart warming. A crowd pleaser, for sure.



Then Brock's headed exploded and one million tiny toys poured out of it. Ahhhhh!!! Mushrooms.



In honor of his achievements for tiny-toy head exploding skills and world peace. I awarded Brock G.W. Davis the congressional tiny trophy for advancements in tiny bio-technology and super string theory. A tiny band played tiny horns. It was a wonderful ceremony.



We made a block tower. With letters. (That spelled secret spy messages for the Chinese. But, keep that on the DL.)



Brock had to consult his tiny horse for some outstanding invoice issues. The conversation was slightly heated.



We took our afternoon nap. You know what they say. Rest fuels the mind. Rest = mind fuel. (write that down.)



The afternoon was very productive. (Nap powered.)



Text from Hilary. Brock was all like, "What up girl? Did you get my new shirt at Tarzay?"



"No 50 million yen... and tell Zuckerberg, he's more like Suckerberg! Oh, snap.... Where's my ice-latte."



At some point humming birds, butterflies, and rainbows appeared. There was also a faint smell of a pine forest. This guy... let me tell you. Like St. Francis over here.



Finally, at the end of the day. We meditated for 15 years. But, only 1 second had passed by. Brock Davis changed my life. Everything is now clear. I love you all. Clark Loves You.

The End.

Did you like my story? Haha.

Um, but for realzy. Brock Davis is about the only person I know who doesn't need mushrooms to be a 100% pure thorough(lazer)bred creative genius.

Everyone in the Twin Cities advertising scene knows Brock is the king. Brock dominated the ad world in town for a long time and is now freelance.... aka - moving onto world domination - - One tiny idea with a big impact at a time.

Beyond his towering creative abilities, on a personal note, as I've become friends with Brock over the last few years I can say in total sincerity he is one of the nicest, most kind-hearted, friendly, insanely funny, and genuine people I've met in this business since I started my career.

The advertising world can be a harsh industry at times especially when the motivations of its leaders, movers, and shakers, get too caught up with the bottom line and they lose sight of the engine inside the machine... their creatives. The people without whom this business would not run.

But, that's the best part about Brock. He's not really an Ad Man and he never was. He is an artist. An artist so good that there are absolutely no boundaries in his world. It's a beautiful thing really... a world without boundaries and unlimited possibilites.

Thanks for the inspiration Brock - - In both the human and artist department. Your tiny ideas make my tiny days feel much larger.


View and support Brock's work here:

It Is The World That Made You Small
Brock Tumblr
Brock Davis Portfolio & Store
Behance
Flickr
Threadless
Twitter
Society 6

Here are some of my fav's from Brock's extensive body of work:




Editorial art.



Awesomeness.



Double awesomeness.



Dark side of the Doritos.



My credit score.



Buy these for your children now. No, but seriously right now.



Oh, jeez, what a cool bear. I have to admit when I was a kid I always wanted to be a cool bear. Pipe dreams... pipe dreams I tell ya.