Stay Healthy My Friends

This isn't something I normally do, but I wanted to mention a project I've been working on. In my market research and internet marketing class, I'm working on a group project for Elevate Fitness and Rehab. To be more precise--we're working with Doctor David Hunt, the physical therapist for Elevate. So far, we've built up a website and started a couple of different campaigns for Dr. Dave. We're hoping to drive a lot of traffic to the website and generate some leads for Elevate.

So, I just wanted to tell y'all that you should check out our website, OremPhysicalTherapy.com, and admire our skills. And if you're in need of a physical therapist, Dr. Hunt is a pretty cool cat.

Anyway, that's my spiel on Elevate Fitness. Since I never finish a post without a picture of some sort, here's me endorsing Elevate:

Art Wurk

Hey, it's time to update the blog again with some of my newest artworks. [Because I do like to remind people that I can do things outside of MS Paint sometimes]

Because I had so much fun repainting the Caravaggio, I decided to try to create another old-school style portrait. Here it is:

I'm trying to get away from simply copying famous artists' works and create original content from now on. This portrait is a composite of a profile portrait done by Botticelli, as well as a few other stock photos I found on the interwebs:

So my second work is from my computer graphic design class. The assignment was to make a concert poster for a band. I chose to create a poster for The Format. Because, let's be honest, we'd all like to see them go on a reunion tour. 

Even though it's a computer graphic design class, I'm allowed to use any medium I choose. Since I don't have Photoshop, or even know how to use it that well, I decided to just paint the whole poster the old fashioned way. I scanned it in at school and then did some quick touch-ups on the computer.

Sorry for the crappy image! I'll replace it when I get a better one.

I wanted this poster to have a childlike nostalgia quality to it. I noticed that all of The Format's music videos tend to involve something kind of playful (a school play, performing hands, moving paper cutouts), so I thought that maybe a puppet show would be a good subject for a poster. It was suggested that the poster told the abstract story of what happens in a typical song by The Format, so that's what's going on there.

The poster is currently on display in the Harris Fine Arts Center on BYU's campus (fourth floor). You should go check it out if you have the chance.

As you can see, the rest of the class used their awesome Adobe software skills.

It's a pretty cool exhibit, if I do say so myself.

Finally, I wanted to show off a piece I did recently as a commission for a friend. She really likes princesses, so she asked me to paint Belle from Beauty and the Beast. I was a little sketchy of doing the project at first, since Disney princesses aren't really my repertoire. But, the project turned out to be a lot funner than I thought it would, and I'm very pleased with the results:

On that note, I'd like to put in a plug for myself: I am always looking for extra money and I would love to paint something for YOU, as long as you're willing to pay me for it. I charge a relatively good rate and am willing to negotiate. Just let me know either through Facebook, Twitter, or the comments here on Shared Musings.

What Skyrim Has Taught Me About Myself

Ok, this is going to be a super-nerdy post, but I feel the need to talk about something has sucked my life away.

If you didn't know, Skyrim is like, the coolest game ever. It's a little too cool, in fact. It's really addicting, and it's been sucking my life away. I'm normally not a huge gamer. Here are some things I've discovered as I played the game.

Discovery #1: People depend on me waaay more than they should.

Discovery #2: I get distracted really easily.

Discovery #3: I get a kick out of doing things in a videogame that I would never do in real life.

Discovery #4: You should never take directions from me.


If you frequent the blog, you probably already know this. But I have found that when getting from point A to point B, like so:

The suggested path might look like this:

But I will always take a path that looks something like this:

That is my feeble attempt at using a shortcut by trying to go in a straight line from A to B--even though a giant mountain is in the way. And then I get distracted by funny looking buildings along the way, and then I might get stopped by a guy who wants me to save their dog, and then I might get jumped by some bandits, and then I might kill a bunch of deer just for fun, and then I might get eaten by a dragon and have to start the whole journey over. . . It's kind of like playing The Oregon Trail, actually.

Discovery # 5: I find amusement in slaughtering everyone when I run out of things to do.


I'm not going to draw a picture of this one, but once I've completed all the main quests and all the side quests, and even most of the minor quests that no one likes, I'm left with a character that has god-like killing abilities--and no bad guys to kill. What other choice do I have other than to storm through the main city and mindlessly kill everyone there?

Like I said, I do things in videogames I wouldn't do in real life.

Fifty Years From Now, This Will Probably Be Me

. . .minus the grandma part. I probably won't be a grandma.

I originally got the image from imgur.

Kony 2012

(Edit August 2012: I regretted posting this video almost immediately after I posted it. I'm still embarrassed that I fell for the hype [even if it was only cautiously optimistic hype]. But, I figured it's worth keeping up here, for historical reasons. However, I still stand by what I said earlier--that their are still people willing to work for a good cause. The most important thing that came out of Kony 2012, in my opinion, is that it showed us how powerful the internet has become in mobilizing us. I hope that social media will continue to be used as a tool to connect people and causes together.)


Just so you know, you may be seeing a lot more of this guy really soon. Hopefully he becomes as famous as George Clooney.

Why? Watch the video below:


TooLong;Didn'tWatch: Joseph Kony is a horrible war criminal who needs to be brought to justice and we, the people are going to make it happen this year. You can go to his Wikipedia page to learn more about him or to Kony 2012 to learn how to do more.

Now, I don't care if you actually do anything. I myself am probably not going to be among the crowd that goes out all night long putting up posters. In fact, I'm probably not going to give any money to invisible children. I just want you to know who he is. I just want you to know that when you see the bracelets and the posters and the young activists shouting slogans, that this isn't just some hip fad.

I want you to know that the people putting up the posters are working to make the world a better place.

In an age when politics have become ridiculously divisive, and when most political rallies focus on what we don't have, or how horrible our country is, I want you to know that there are people out there who actually care about deeper issues, the global community, and the welfare of those they will never meet. Remember that. Sure, this video may be an oversimplification of some very complicated issues in Africa, but I think it is a much more worthy cause than, say Occupy Wall Street or One Million Moms.

However, I do want to add a caution, the moment this campaign revolves around Kony 2012 and not around Joseph Kony, it will turn into a meaningless fad.

An Act of Kindness on Valentine's Day

If you're a BYU student, you're probably familiar with the note shown below:

You might be familiar with this note even if you don't go to BYU. This story was picked up by every local station in Utah and even by The Daily Mail in the U.K..

But in case you're not, here's the really brief rundown: Brittany Molina, a 21-year-old accounting major, was studying in the library on Valentine's Day. For any girl, that would already be a drag. While she was studying, an anonymous male student passed her the above note and vanished. At first, she thought it was a Valentine, but obviously, it wasn't.This is what she was wearing at the time, by the way:

This is not outside the normal dress at BYU. In fact, here is the exact wording used in BYU's official Honor Code statement: 

"A clean and well-cared-for appearance should be maintained. Clothing is inappropriate when it is sleeveless, strapless, backless, or revealing; has slits above the knee; or is form fitting. Dresses, skirts, and shorts must be knee-length or longer. Hairstyles should be clean and neat, avoiding extremes in styles or colors. Excessive ear piercing (more than one per ear) and all other body piercing are not acceptable. Shoes should be worn in all public campus areas."

So here's my quick opinion about the guy that wrote that note:

1. You need to re-read the dress code statement.
2. If you feel the need to so brutally judge someone's spirituality based on the way they dress, at least pick someone that actually might need it.
3. Even if you do find someone who is breaking the dress and grooming standards, passing an anonymous note like that on Valentine's Day is tacky.
4. If you feel that what Brittany Molina was wearing makes you feel less "safe," you probably have a *cough* pornography *cough* problem. 

Anyway, I bring all that up because I wanted to share a story I heard in church today about another anonymous guy.

So this girl was sharing her testimony today in church and she talked about how she was also in the library on Valentine's Day, and there was guy wandering around with a large bouquet of flowers. He was walking up to all the girls who were studying alone and giving them a flower, wishing them a happy V-Day. And this girl actually teared up when she saw this guy going around, because of how kind he was being and how much she knew it must have meant to those girls (she was studying with another guy, so she didn't receive a flower herself).

Because of the media's taste for sensationalism, stories like this will almost never be reported, and this kid won't get the same media attention that Douchey McJudgemental will. Which is a darn shame, because I would much rather have my school be known as one that gives girls flowers rather than one that chastises them for wearing leggings.  Because of that, I wanted to share this short story with you, so that you can know that there are great guys out there who are willing to go out of their way to help a stranger.

TL;DR: Build people up by giving them flowers, rather than tear them down by calling them sinners.