2012. the year I get famous.

this year I am going to become great. I dead fucking serious. seriously. I waited several weeks to actually write down my new years resolutions. Thats because by late January many folks have already broken them and have become discouraged. This gives me an advantage over them cause I haven't even made mine yet.

But this is the year I get famous. In 2011 I quit my day job in accounting and became a graphic designer. then I quit that and become a bartender and server at the Playground. At the Playground I've got to meet some people who are really great. I don't mean nice people. I mean they are great and influencial at what they do. Well they have inspired me to be great like them. Over the years I've lost the vision that I could be great. But I've regained it again from being around great risk taking people. To be great you have to be around great people. Unfortunately there are not a lot of great people in the accounting department. Only a lot of nice, stable people...far from great.

Ancient Myspace Blog Entry 2

I've been meaning to get all my writings in one place. Here is a myspace blog I wrote like 6 years ago. Holy shit.

Starbucks dating. Internet love.

Starbucks dating. Internet love. I vow to refrain from both. I am the phantom. the freshman. Not invited to the party. Alone. without a coat or jacket outside in the cold, southern californian, December fall. Looking in. I feel fine. My other Senior beer drinkin buddies are keeping it real. Stuffing freshmen in lockers where they belong. We keep it real. Dag. Another one has found love. We keep it real. Playing Halo. Staying up late till 4. Waking up on my buddy’s couch. EAting donuts, hotdogs, and slurpies. Shoot. She’s in love. not with me. well that’s a relief. and teh remaining 4 keep it real. WE KEEPS IT REAL. Dang. another one bites the dust. drunk with love. I don’t blame him. He seems pretty happy. and I am happy for him. shizah. another. our crew is vanishing, dissapating like misty vapor. Sparse, fading. Each day. We are few. we keeps it real.

I Am desperate Now. I am here for friend’s, networking, dating, and serious relationships. I enjoy playing halo, eating hotdogs, fighting freshman, long walks on the beach, and waking up on Jonesy’s fouton. I would love to meet you @ starbucks for a drink. a late’. I love you. Oh Geeeezz. I blew it. dang. I guess I will find some new friends. I wish I could spell out sobbing noices. sobb, sobb. sobb.

Ancient Myspace blog entry

Auto Response: to my close friend.

I don't really have time to respond to everyone who leaves me a comment that says, "Hey Mike! how have you been? What have you been up to?" Are you dead? If I were to respond to everyone, I wouldn't be up to anything.

So here is my auto Response to you, my good friend:

Recently I sold my soul to the Devil and have been working as a temp for different property management companies. I make copies and live in a file room. i forget about the pain by drinking lots of black coffee and striving towards my material success goals of owning a porshe and a trophy wife.

but on the weekends i let loose. as soon as i leave the office i rip off my white shirt, burn my tie and paint naked until till the wee hours of the night.

i wake up next to a bottle of absinthe and don't know why i am I covered in oil and surrounded by paintings of little, old chinese men doing calisthenics.

Monday morning I enter the office again in my slightly faded, blood stained, white shirt and tie. i tell no one of my experience and sit quietly in my cubicle as if it never happened. I occasionaly make small talk with folks like Barry the Accountant and ask how his kids are. The week is a blur until friday comes and without a word i walk down that same dark path, pulled toward it like it is some strange, slient addiction.

besides that, not much you know, just chillin'. how bout you? miss ya

Mike

Let me nominate you.

We had the Annual Transwestern Regional Awards for my company. So people in our company would nominate whoever they think should win and one person or property would be chosen. Both the Accountant of the Year and Property of the Year awards were received by the 2 that I nominated. Could it be their hard work and outstanding facilities? Probably. But I like to think my convincing words may have helped. Below is what I submitted:

METROCENTER (costa mesa) Property of the Year!

I'm a little biased, but Metrocenter is the bomb. If I was a tenant and not an employee here I would feel like I'm royalty. Seriously, you should have seen the Santa Clause they hired this year for Christmas. I saw his invoice, his name really is Cris Kringle. The guy was legit. His costume was custom made and not the generic looking red and white felt looking thing. REAL SANTA BEARD. His hair was even in the ringlets, don't ask me why but it worked. I never thought an industrial building would help me overcome some bad childhood experiences of drunken Santas past.

On top of that they served us gourmet breakfast that day. Not what you would expect. Even now as I type I can taste the awesome French toast. It was pretty fancy. Some folks’ palette wasn't ready for it but you have to hand it to Metrocenter for going above and beyond. We usually do something for every holiday but Christmas is the best.

We also have the Tenant Appreciation Day Party. It’s ridiculous. I've gone twice and they always out do themselves. Caricature, Live bands, Photographers, Slushies(with take home souvenir cups), Pulled Pork sandwiches, and Chocolate Dipped ice cream.

Little things like getting ice cream every fire drill. Makes you feel special like a kid.

Other, things. The property management office is so much fun. The ladies there are totally nice, Tina, Rita, Angelica, and Jen Stuffendorfer (who recently transferred to Stadium Plaza). They had this giant jar of Jelly Bellies for Halloween. I ate most of them.

Metrocenter is beautiful, the landscape, the awesome Starbucks across the way. Bathrooms are always exquisite. The maintenance guys are great. I know most of their names and we chit chat when we see each other. Same thing with the Door Men.

Our Accounting office used to be in a whole different building that wasn’t a Rreef or TW property. We never got anything like that stuff. I don’t think they ever bought us breakfast or anything. Not that they needed to but it sure is so nice to get that stuff.

I don't know who is responsible for all the awesome things Metrocenter does for us but if I were to point a finger it would be at the always pleasant, Thomas Smartypants. Thomas seems like a great down to earth guy. Knows everyone’s name and is always so gracious to our team here on the 2nd floor.

Jane So and So. Accountant of the Year:

I know that every accountant in TW works long, hard hours. But I bet that the Costa Mesa office with the Rreef portfolio work harder and longer than any accountant right now. Our accountants do it day and night (some stay here past midnight on occasion). They come in on Saturday, Sundays, and even holidays. They just don't stop. An accountant told me the other day that she has been dreaming about work lately. Crazy. While I, the AP guy dreams about being a dinosaur, they are dreaming about closing the quarter.

Every accountant here is an overachiever, but Jane So and So is the crème de la crème.

She has a ton of work like the rest of them and is really good at it. Jane is one of the 4 supervisors in our office. The supervisors still have all their properties to take care of like the rest of the accountants but they have the extra responsibility of making sure the group they oversee is doing everything right.

The thing that separates Jane from the rest is that she never complains. Always a great attitude and stays cool under pressure.

I get embarressed.

I think of the internet as one of those epic drug-filled parties that happen at the climax every cheesy 80's movie. The one Senior Graduation party where everyone is invited. All the cliques lay down their defenses for one night and have the time of their lives.

That said I don't want to be the wet blanket of the internet, so please don't take me too seriously. But I've been kinda depressed lately. and if my situation stays this way too much longer, I will be uber-depressed.

I've been diligently looking for a restaurant server or bartending job for over a month and have come up short. I don't mind most types of rejection but if someone is looking for a restaurant job it usually is some sort of back-up plan for them. And when your back-up plan doesn't go through it can be quite depressing.

An interesting thing happens to me when I get depressed, I start reliving scenes in my head of my 9th-11th grade life. And not that awesome parts. One recent one...

9th Grade, 1996:
I had acne (at the time I thought it was horrible acne, but looking back it was only moderately bad). None the less I was mortified by it. Not only that I wore braces (the clear ones that turned gross yellow). I had really bad fashion sense and a shaved head due to football initiation. I was so embarrassed by my acne that I got an idea from a "Home Improvement" episode where JTT got a big ole zit and he used a little cover up. So I grabbed a bottle of my mom's foundation and carefully blended a thin layer to the affected areas (nearly a full face of foundation). My confidence rose, and each day I would get a little bolder with the foundation until my acne wasn't too bad at all. But then my acne started getting worse and I had to use even more makeup.

Until one day in homeroom a girl I liked was talking to me (which she never did), stopped, took a closer look at me and asked, "Do you use some type of cover up"?

I acted sort of dumbfounded, "Huh? what?"

"you know, like make-up. foundation."

Acting like I had no idea what she was talking about, "No!" she left it alone, and I felt really awkward.

That was 15 years ago. At the time I was so embarrassed that she found out my secret. It embarrassed me for the rest of the year. Since then I haven't thought about it more than a minute. It pops in mind today, and I get so embarrassed again. But its brand new embarressment, sitting here in my cube I am as embarrassed as I was at that moment. I am not embarressed like the first time, being caught wearing makeup. But embarressed of how I reacted to being caught.

I wish my 29 year old self could go inside my body at that moment and respond with a dead stare: "Yeah, I'm wearing make right now. Being 14 is a bitch."

My New Design Page.

mikechrist.tumblr.com check it out.

I hate it when you go follow up on an interview and they say...

"Oh, hi Mike. If we haven't called you back yet that means at this time we have decided to go in a different direction." -assistant manager, secretary, or even host (i'm applying for restaurant gigs right now).

This reminds me of a similar response I would hear several years ago, "oh! Hi mike, I really like you, buuuut i just want to be friends." -cute 15 year old girl who sits front row in Algebra.

But the 15 year girl is not a grown up. A 35 year old man needs to learn how to talk to people and not be such a female anatomy word. While trying to sound professional and non-rejection-like you come off arrogant and unempathitic. Be a man and say, "Dude, I'm sorry. We didn't pick you. Deal with it. or try again later." I can connect with that.

"Mike, thanks for having the stones to ask me out. I respect you for that. Most boys your age just make fun of girls when the like them. But unfortunately Mike, I'm just a little out of your league. Don't worry, keep at it. I bet in 10 years you will be awesome, I'll marry Johnny Football. He will have a drinking problem and I will have trucker hips."

actually blogging. and top 4 bloggin Cliches'!

So I know i haven't really actually blogged on this blog (been my portfolio until now), but since I launched my new portfolio site mikechristdesign.com I have been itching to. but i've also been to lazy. I know, if you are too lazy to actually vomit stream of thought onto this instant medium you are one lazy dude.

the other reason i've not been blogging is that is has been so oversaturated. Everyone has an opinion and if that person has internet access I may end up reading it regardless if the person's opinion is actually beneficial to me. if the person can actually write. I waste so much time reading blogs, tweets, and statuses. Why do i know what miley cyrus is thinking or doing? I actually wasted a few precious seconds of my life. I only have 50 or so years to make my mark in history but i may come up short because I know what Paris ate for lunch!

ok, that aside. another reason I haven't blogged:

Blogging clitche's. I don't want to end up being one. and they are:

Starting one but never updating it.

If its worth reading, it will be published.

Making lists.

Terrible grammar, misspelled words (this one is inevitable for me)

There are more, but who cares. Here is the reason I am blogging today and will hopefully blog again with some sort of consistentcy: I woke up early this morning and I changed my work schedule to later in the morning so i can be creative for a couple hours before I to kick some accounting ass. And this is the fruit of it. Well actually this the fruit of me procrastinating of me being creative.

So, stream of thought: 8:10 am, starbucks, classical music, extremely comfortable at the big work table they have here and about 8 sips into my coffee. and its a short day until my 3 day weekend. my procrastination has fulfilled my soul and i now desire to draw. heres i go. Goodbye and get off the damn internet. Read a Fucking book. or watch those crazy Kardashian sisters.

New Paintings for the New Year

"Kristine?"
36'' by 30''
2010


"Jackie"
15'' by 30''
2010

2009

"OMG." 5 of 10
Silkscreen on Paper

10'' by 13

"OMG." 1 of 10

Silkscreen on Paper

10'' by 13''

"OMG." 7 of 10

Silkscreen on Paper

10'' by 13''

"Megan" 9 of 10

silkscreen on Paper

"Megan" 2 of 10

silkscreen on Paper

"Old Man"

Silkscreen on magazine paper of Audrey Kawasaki painting

8.5" by 11"

Digital Painting

This was just for fun. Macworld wasn't keen enough to pick up my design.

"City of Champions"

Photo manipulation

"Meteor Girls"

Digital Painting

"Burt Reynolds Unicorn"

Digital Painting

2009 was a huge year for me. But it is only the beginning a storm brewing for what will be 2010.

2007-08

"Barefoot & Pregnant"

26'' by 48''

"After the Pike"

26'' by 28''

June 2007 @ It's a Grind. Long beach, CA

Untitled (Landscape Study 1)

11'' by 14''

Untitled (Landscape Study 2)

11'' by 14''

Untitled (Landscape Study 3)

11'' by 14''

2005-2006 Paintings

These paintings where done after I recently graduated from college and moved across the country to LA. Looking at this work just brings back all those memories of this very fun and exciting time. It is the only art that I have ever done to bring forth such strong feelings. In fact except for this group of paintings, I really don't care too much about any of my old art. I am just care about making new art.

I think the reason why these paintings conjure up such strong feelings and memories is that when I look at them I just remember the houses I was living in and the friends I had at the time. I moved 3 times and did some art in each new home. When I look at each piece it just reminds me of the home I was in at the time. I apologize for being nostalgic.

Oil Paintings 2003-2004

click on image to enlarge

She was a Teenage Zombie

oil on canvas

24'' by 48''

Lagoon Man

oil on canvas

2004

24'' by 42''

Loreal Girl

oil on Canvas

18'' by 22''

2004

You best chill Patty Wark

oil on canvas

28'' by 44''

2004

Self Portrait

oil on Canvas

2003

The Resurection

oil, acrylic, and charcoal on canvas

2004

Untitled figure

oil and charcoal on Canvas

2004

New Creature

oil on canvas

2004

Narrow Door

oil, acrylic, and charcoal on canvas

2004

Beautiful Cruxifiction
Oil, charcoal, and Roof Cement on Canvas
2004

Polish Model

Silkscreen

14'' by 28''

2003

These were all done in my Junior and Senior Year at Slippery Rock University. I really miss being able to spend so much time in the studio. (I have a lot more work but you don't need to see it). I also love the more innocent and aggressive approach I had to painting back then. For me as I have matured and harnessed my craft more, the more cautious I have become. As I look at these for the first time in a while, they really inspire me to get back to this approach again. Back then I didn't worry as much about making a mistake. I had more of an urgency to get the painting done as fast as I can so I can get to the next piece. It is a very exciting, reckless, and beautifully aggressive approach. I also was not worried about making a mistake because I was so interseted in expirimenting with the medium. Notice the 2nd painting, (Lagoon Man) I did that 6 years ago and I will never forget all the different expiriments I did with mixing linseed oil and oil paint. There was like half a gallon of linseed oil on that thing. It sat lying down for half a semester just so it could dry. Yeah, I'm looking forward to destroying a blank canvas this weekend.