Phos Collective is just this sort of collaborative project:

Nine guys + their iPhones + a tumblr blog = a collaborative adventure.

Featuring each of the contributors unique visual temperament via photos from their mobile devices. Phos Collective is based upon the premise digital photography, that is, a collection of light refracted through a lens onto a electronic image sensor partnered with the immediacy of mobile internet connection, can be collaborative, creative, inspiring, and fun.

So. What’s the point? What are we trying to do with this site?

Without speaking for the collective, I think the reason I am contributing is two-fold, first I want/need to be challenged creatively. I take pictures everyday, and to have a motivating force behind each shot is a fantastic challenge. Second, the reason is simply relational. I love these guys… I’ve worked with every single one of them and have nothing but good great things to say about their creativity, work ethic and personality. I jumped at the chance to be apart of this project as it is just one more way to stay connected as we have been scattered around the US over the past few years, each pursuing our passions whilst taking photos of the journey.

The guidelines are quite simple (and are evolving), upload an inspiring photograph from your iPhone utilizing a filtering app like Camera+, VSCO et al. The only stipulation is, we cannot submit a photo that has cookie cutter filtering, like for example Instagram photos that have very specific filters and easily identifiable borders. Phos Collective is trying to stay away from an identifiable photosharing brand… rather, we are focusing on the individuals use of filters and trickery to produce a visually striking photo.

The dudes that make up Phos Collective are: Adam, Chase, Daniel, Dave, Don, Jo, Nate, myself & Wes.

Go check it out — http://phoscollective.tumblr.com

With that said here are some links and mini-reviews of products I love, but don’t own… yet.

Bike Valet

I freaking love the Bike Valet, it is sleek, modern and practical. I love the simplicity of the design and the way in which it presents your bike on the wall. I’m trying to talk the partners at welikesmall into purchasing a few for the new offices in downtown Salt Lake City. They are very bike centric and love design, so I’m hoping it will be an easy sell.

Bike Valet got started with a Kickstar campaign last year. It was fully funded and now the Bike Valet can be — PURCHASED HERE.

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TigrLock

I love the idea of the TigrLock, but don’t know if I’d like the look of it strapped to my bike when I’m not using it. It’s one of those products that, unfortunately, is necessary in urban environments, as peeps just can’t be trusted. So, if I had to lock my bike up everyday… this is a product I would be looking to invest in.

TigrLock was also funded from a successful Kickstarter campaign, and can now be PURCHASED HERE.

VX Small Rucksack // AP Series

Mission Workshop does it right. They develop bags and apparel for the biking commuter. The AP series VX Small Rucksack, is sweetness with shoulder straps. If I was regularly commuting to work in an urban environment and needed a backpack that was sturdy, weatherproof and could carry my MacBook Air. I would order just ordered The Sanction rucksack (a step down from the VX AP series) from — HERE.

Bike Junkies — What would you add?

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1. One month equals a quarter and one year seems like five.
2. The spokesperson or the spokes-people.
3. Gen-Flux: are you bracing for upheaval

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1. One month equals a quarter and one year seems like five.

This may be of no surprise to you… but, in the start-up world everything is urgent. This urgency is not bad or good… it just is.

“…for there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.“
- Hamlet, speaking to Rosencrant

I think what Shakespeare was saying in this iambic pentameter prose, is this: only in looking back do we have the space to judge whether an action can be categorized as good or bad. In the moment judgement is given no quarter, only action and progress.

In the start-up world nothing is more truthful than this sentiment. As the future of the company leans on the progress of today. Yes, we can look back on last week and learn. Realizing which decision and subsequent action was a good play, and critiquing the bad ones, always learning, always implementing, always moving. And in this movement we look up every once and a while and realize the work that has been done equates to months of productivity mashed into the confines of a 30-day cycle. Then in a moment of celebration we sigh, one of those contented after a good meal sighs, take off our headphones and share a pint of barley. Crashing down on our pillows we dream of API integrations and organic user growth strategies… Only to be awoken at 5:45am to the smooth sound of Jack Johnson’s “Anything But the Truth” from our Hip Clock app on our iPhone, allowing Jack’s acoustics to propel us again, into the urgency that is the start-up life.

2. The spokesperson or the spokes-people.

My buddy Tony spurred some thinking in me, with his post on brand influence. It seems in a pre-social media (read: social empowered) world, the norm was to restrict brand engagement to the requisite spokesperson, thereby vaulting (as Tony states) the brand, the organization or the spokesperson themselves (usually the CEO or President) above the minions who actually run the show. But in an era of participation, where each cog now has a voice of their own, we are seeing varying degrees of response from said corporations accustomed to controlling the voice.

Some have responded with ignorance, others with 1984-ish regulations in which employees are reprimanded for speaking out (in any form) about the company. Personal antidote: After signing a 3-month contract with a large corporation in Pella, IA, I innocently tweeted out something to the effect of adulation for getting to work with such a well respected corporation. That very day, before I had even stepped foot into the building, I received no less than three emails of reprimand for tweeting about the corporation. It seems this former Fortune 500 company had employee regulations in place stipulating the “appropriate social network behavior” which is basically, “Don’t tweet about said company.”

This would be an example of a corporation that doesn’t embrace the reality of today, that is, each member of the organization is a conduit of information about the company. This is scary to most organizations, because they are worried about the negative PR that a disgruntled employee may create. So. Instead of solving the problem of disgruntled employees they attack the symptom by putting a employee regulation in place.

But if we look at this from another perspective by embracing the employees of the organization as people with vested interest in the success of the company, we can empower our teammates to be positive voices, vaulting the perceived image of the company to something tangible rather than a boilerplate image manufactured for the big screen.

Newsflash. There is no longer a big screen. Just as there is no longer room for just one voice, one builder. We are all builders, and if treated well, each of us will also be the best evangelists the company could ask for. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship, keeping the integrity of management intact, by giving a voice to the cogs.

3. Gen-Flux: are you bracing for upheaval

I was reading an article in Fast Company, on the Gen-Flux… And I’m now pretty convinced, people groups as defined by genographic norms are being replaced by more psychographic traits. That is, the new paradigm, as influenced by globalization and the internets, is based on flexibility, instability, and adaptability. Gone are the broad strokes defining a culture by its birthdate, rather we can be defined by our model of phone, and whether or not you are bi-lingual… not in language but in code type. Those of us labeled Gen-Flux do quite a few things very well, we are flexible to the environment albeit corporate, non-profit, start-up or small business. We are comfortable with instability, that is, we do not need a label to be productive and work well in the unknown. We are adaptable and can be dropped into new teams and projects at a moments notice, we can learn on the fly and don’t need months of educational prep to be productive.

Some personality types thrive in this new environment, as it seems the job security of our professional fathers has been shown for what it is… white collar factory work. Jobs dependent upon escalating GDP and unlimited access to natural resources. But in this new world — financial stability of large organizations is tied to the markets of Asia and Europe. We are no longer an autonomous economy, this utopia has been replaced with an incestuous interconnectivity which rises and falls based on the turmoil of the day (no matter where the disturbance propagates).

So. Are you ready? Are you a Renaissance Man or Woman… Or are you a stalwart? Bemoaning the bygone days of corporate retirement packages and social security paybacks.

So. With these things in mind, I’m excited to announce that I’ll be starting at welikesmall on Tuesday of this week as one of their Interactive Producers. I’m completely bananas about joining a team that is leading the field in interactive development — from consulting, to design, to development, to construction and installation — welikesmall does it all, with a small nimble team talented enough to deliver large international projects in short order.

To some of you this may seem out of left field… I’m truly sorry for that. Life is a whirlwind, and sometimes the plans we make don’t seem to travel as we hoped, but we must take what we’ve been given and move with expectation into the plans set before us.

Go chase your dreams and don’t ever settle for something less.

Sidenote: The next couple of weeks will be literally packed, as we are planning on being completely settled in Salt Lake City by May 15th. So, if you want to know the schedule of how all of the pieces are going to fit together to get everything moved… email or call me at your convenience.

Pics of Salt Lake City: taken on my interview trip

welikesmall Company Bio:

Welikesmall is an interactive design consultancy committed to sticking up for the little things. Things like small egos, small solutions to giant problems, and small movements for great change. We’re about fewer, shorter, better meetings. It’s death to bureaucracy and the eradication of “that’s not possible.” We believe that small and nimble is far superior to big and lumbering. Small, you have a new champion. We’re here to make compelling creative work based on strategy that actually has a point. We’re here because the big way is the old way. And you’re here, friends, because you know we’re right.

Welikesmall is the brainchild of 3 award winning interactive industry veterans who were, quite frankly, fed up with the inefficiencies and bureaucracy of large interactive companies. We knew that our clients were growing tired of it too. So we created a new model. We feel that by remaining small and hand-picking the best people, allows us to stay nimble, offer the absolute best client service, and ultimately, work faster and more effectively than our larger sized competition.

Within two minutes, I knew we had to do this project. I’ll let you hear Rick tell his story, and I’ll add some more thoughts about this project after the jump.

Rick Moody: 1953 – 2012

DP: Bobby Neptune
Editor: Brian Hill
Producer/Writer: Sam DuRegger

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This project was to be Rick’s self-eulogy to be played at his funeral. As he states in his video, he had a rare form of cancer that was unusually harsh and aggressive. To be honest when we shot the video, he was optimistic in thinking he would have a couple more months of life left to enjoy. To the delight of everyone around him, he lived another 14 months in relatively good shape and spirit considering all that his body was undergoing. I spoke with him every few months over the last year and he always wore a warm smile, and gave a hearty handshake. We kept the video project a secret, as only my wife, production team, Pam and Rick’s friend Rusty knew about the project until the funeral just a few days ago.

Rick’s body was put to rest on Tuesday, after a 36-month battle with cancer. He died with his family by his side last Thursday (more information on Rick’s life can be found HERE).

This past Wednesday Pam called to talk about the impact of the short film on the attendees of Rick’s funeral. Even in her grief, she was overjoyed at the influence Rick’s self-eulogy had on all the friends and family in attendance, as many burst out in laughter at Rick’s stories and also welled up in tears as Rick tells of his struggle. The reasons Rick was motivated to do this project are varied, and I don’t know if he told me all of them, but I do know that he wanted to have the last say… he wanted to be the one to tell his story, in his words… and more importantly he needed to tell his family and friends about how his faith brought him through many of life’s tribulations.

In documenting Rick’s story, I was reminded… there is joy to be found in life, and peace to be found in Jesus who was/is Rick’s most ardent fan. Rest in peace my friend, and may we see each other once again where pain and death hold no dominion; where life and joy are ever-present.

Twitter: @jerrodcreates
Website: http://jerrodcreates.com

Bio: Jerrod is a mixed media artist living in Oklahoma City who always tries to push the boundaries of medium, concept and community involvement with the arts.

He is currently working on a space called “The Society” that aims to bring artists together giving them a space to create their work and location to be directly involved in the art of what’s happening in OKC. His themes involve our humanity and the awareness of being a wrecked people with the hope of seeing good and creating change.

What is your earliest memory of creating/producing something you were proud of?

I use to enter coloring contests at school and at local shops in my hometown. I cam remember always being complimented and always walking away with a ribbon. One year I one first place in a city-wide coloring contest and won a brand new baseball glove. I was probably 9. That was a proud moment.

Who pushed you in your art, and what did they do to help you?

I had two teachers, one in jr. high and one in high school. They were able to make me believe that I had it in me to be a creative person and in high school the road was paved to enter state wide competitions were I was winning savings bonds, cash and other prizes. They told me I had something special and gave me the means to conquer at a young age the idea of being a “starving artist.”

What inspires you to create?

The every day. The conflict, struggle, happiness, hope that comes from being human and living close enough to bump shoulders with other. You never know what will speak to you. I just try and pay attention when I hear the voice.

What role does collaboration play in your art?

Crucial due to the multi-sided approach of how others create. You always learn something about yourself and other people when you lay pride aside and push towards working with others.

Once a project is finished and shipped to the world, what do you do to unwind/celebrate/relax?

I spend time with my dogs, end up watching movies and try to get together with friends. I am so lucky that my biggest fans are the ones closest to me. It feels good to share the joy of that.

Lastly, some random questions to see Jerrod’s top-of-mind answers!

Who is your biggest fan? My girlfriend Samantha even though she is more talented than me.

What is the last album that you could not get enough of? Jonsi’s “GO”

Who is your favorite visual artist? Robert Rauschenberg

Name a website you visit almost daily? Craigslist and eBay. Always looking at motorcycles and motorcycle accessories.

Apple or PC? Apple

Item on your next Christmas List? Sandblaster, screenprinting octopus, paint gun.

Some of Jerrod’s Work

Wikipedia: Matthew Knisely
Twitter: @MattKnisely
Website: http://mattknisely.com

Bio: Matt Knisely is a multi Emmy® award-winning photojournalist and storyteller based in Dallas, Texas focusing on social-awareness campaigns around the globe. He is best known for his professional standards and his vivid editing and use of depth of field in his photography.

Matt is the Creative Director for Active Network and is also the founder of Good World Creative, a collaborative focused on developing meaningful graphics and motion pictures to help non-profits tell their story.

Prior to joining Active Network, Matt worked was the Creative Director of Fellowship One, and also was the director of photojournalism for FOX Minneapolis and made it one of the best stations in the country for television photography and visual communication. His work has been featured on the BBC, NBC, ABC, and FOX News Channel and he has received the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award in electronic journalism and has been named AP Photographer of the Year.

What is your earliest memory of creating/producing something you were proud of?

I was five an had drawn an elaborate picture in art class, that got everyone’s attention for my talent.

Who pushed you in your art, and what did they do to help you?

My parents both pushed me to use my talents from a very early age, but I have also been running from those talents as well. My parents & God have helped me understand what I think of as a curse or hassle, others think of as art and stories that have brought about change.

How does your creative process begin?

The creative process begins with hard work for me, it’s processes are not be inherently enjoyable. It’s the incubation period the subconscious mind fleshing out the idea, making new connections, separating unnecessary ideas, and grabbing for other ideas. I have to fight for the “Eureka” moment to get to the fun part of creating.

What inspires you to create?

It depends… inspiration comes from a lot of things. Sometimes it’s a memory, sometimes it’s an emotion, sometimes it just happens. I feel the need to create to be centered and at peace with the world. Being creative for me is a very spiritual experience; it’s worship.

What role does collaboration play in your photography/videography?

Collaboration is the life blood behind my work. For me I like to verbally process the project with several people, the communication helps me focus and hone whats bouncing around in my head. Additionally it allows me to see areas of weakness in the project or idea.

Photography for me is about capturing truth and collaboration in research or investing time with the subject to helps in me dig for the story before we shoot, or we have the tendency to skew reality and be invasive and offensive. I have a saying: “a story is only skin deep, but heart of the story is hidden deep within.”As storytellers we must go deeper. Our actions and images across cultures can be positive and negative, shoot for the positive. And as a photographer/storyteller I often work in tandem with another person or crew, and the relationship element of those involved must be strong. Because in order to get close with a lens, you first have to get close to the heart of your subject and the crew has to understand and adopt that premise. Think about it… people tell things and act differently with a friend, then when they’re with a stranger. I have found 99% of the time, when someone is looking into uncertainty or dealing with the unthinkable there is HOPE and a brighter side. People tend to believe what they see, even if it’s not true. Capture truth, not just what you first see.

What is your philosophy behind your artistic endeavors… what is your motivation?

I’m passionate about storytelling, telling stories with a still image or even video. Stories are told to bear witness to compassion, to the undying hope which persists in the face of suffering, and to the universal beauty of humanity which is created in the image of a loving God. Meaningful stories need to be told, and told well.

Lastly, some random trivial questions and Matt’s top-of-mind answers!

Who is your biggest fan? My Son.

What is the last album that you could not get enough of? I’ve got two that I’ve wearing out for the last year: “Sigh No More” by Mumford & Son’s and “Gossip In the Grain,” by Ray LaMontagne.

Who is your favorite visual artist? Errol Morris or Picasso.

Name a website you visit almost daily? http://www.psfk.com

Apple or PC? Apple

Item on your next Christmas List? Lecia M9 Camera.

Some of Matt’s Work

First-Person Bio:
I’m pretty lucky, really. Most of my life is basically writing and playing music. In my free time I write and perform my own stuff. I’ve got a rad wife and a awesome son, we live in Southern California and I’m a big fan of cooking, the beach, front porches, and pipes. I’m also the Growth & Development Director at Mariners Church.

Twitter: @Kretzu
Website: kretzu.com
EP: Songs From The Hospital

What is your earliest memory of creating/producing something you were proud of?

I feel like I’ve been writing lyrics or poetry or words or whatever for a long time. I don’t remember when it started, but I remember the first time I shared it with anyone was when my grandma died. I wrote this thing about her and then showed it to my mom. I was probably 12 at the time. After that, I didn’t share anything that I wrote with anyone until I was almost 24. I don’t think she responded negatively or anything…

I think it’s just that I love music, and I love words, and so it’s always been really hard for me to feel like I had anything worth adding to the conversation because so many bands and artists were already contributing in such beautiful ways.

The first song I ever wrote and played publicly was this song called Let It Rest, and that was at a music & art show when I was 24. I still play it sometimes cause I think it’s actually kind of decent.

Who pushed you in your art, and what did they do to help you?

My mom played the viola and saxophone in high school, but other than that my parents weren’t very musical. I remember always wanting to play the drums. I loved the drums. My dad was a Methodist pastor so our church only did hymns with the organ and piano, but anytime we visited another church or anything like that, I would always ask the drummer if I could play when service was over. My parents got me a drum set for Christmas when was 11. I was shocked. We were extremely poor growing up and I knew how expensive drums were. It was a sparkly blue drum kit, and it didn’t have any cymbals, hi-hat or drum throne. It was literally just the set of drums. I played a lot of Wipe Out that year. My older brother got an electric guitar that year, but we never played together until last year – almost 18 years!

I’d have to say the people that pushed me were the bands I listened to. I never took lessons or anything and didn’t have any close friends that played music. I taught myself to play drums by listening to Weezer’s blue album and the Gin Blossoms and stuff. Then I moved on to Starflyer 59, Driver Eight, MXPX and other Tooth and Nail bands back in their heyday. I’d put my headphones on and play over and over and over and over again until I could do what those drummers did. So I never learned properly, but I learned.

When I was about 20 I picked up the guitar so I could start writing music to all the words I had been writing. It turns out that playing drums along with other peoples music is a lot easier than writing your own music.

What inspires you to create?

Other artists inspire me to create. I absolutely love art and creativity and so I try and check out as many art shows as I can from local artists, especially. They usually are a bit more gutsy and raw than the more well known artists. Other peoples music inspires me to create also. But it’s different than art, because while good art inspires and creates that spark inside of me, bad music actually pushes me to write the stuff I’m happiest with. If I hear something and have the thought of “I could do that” or “I could do that better” than I get this fire to prove myself. When I listen to good music, some of my favorite bands or songwriters, I tend to just write songs that sound like bad rip-offs of their stuff so it kind of backfires.

When it comes to lyrics, it’s a different story. Lyrics for me always have to come from a deeply personal place or experience that I’ve had.

What is your philosophy behind your music… what is your motivation?

Like I said earlier, I have this complex about bringing things to the table lyrically when there is already so much incredible and beautiful stuff available. But I started to realize, and am still trying to convince myself, that if I write about what’s real in my life, than it’s worth adding to the conversation. If I write about my fears, my hurts, my successes and joys, and my life – nobody else will have offered that yet.

Somebody said once that you can only write four songs: “I love you,” “I hate you,” “go away,” or “come back.” I think the idea behind that is pretty solid. There’s only so many things to write about, so the chances are pretty high that I will never write a song on a topic that is untouched – however, if I write about a topic that has touched me and is personal to me, then hopefully it will resonate with somebody that has also dealt with that.

I’ve only told this to one person because it makes me feel like a real nerd, but I visualize music floating through the air. When we hear an artist or band’s song, it comes into our ears and travels into our brains. When it arrives there, we process the words and melody and 1 of 2 things can happen:

I can recognize that a song is good or bad. Lyrics, melody, whatever. It is labeled as “good” or “bad.”

OR, my brain can process the lyrics and melody; connecting it to my own personal experiences. It triggers a memory or an emotion that is tied to me as an individual. If that happens, the song moves from my brain and just being “good” or “bad,” to our heart – and then it becomes “true” and becomes ours. That song is no longer the songwriters; it’s ours. My heart has staked claim to, or bought shares of someone else’s song. It’s not longer about his life because it’s about our life, our struggles, or our triumphs. It’s no longer somebody else’s “good” or “bad” song, it’s our song about what happened to us.

Sorry for the rant, but that’s what fuels me to write. I want to write “our songs.” I don’t want to get on a stage and sing cute stories or weave tales of heart break that are fictional and forced. I want to walk on to a stage and sing the hearts and stories of the people in the room. I don’t like to admit it, but I can do something that a lot of people can’t (or wont’): write and perform songs. In the same way that we rely on preachers to teach us and politicians to govern us, we rely on artists to paint us and singers to tell our stories.

Lastly, some random questions and Kretzu’s top-of-mind answers!

What is the last album that you could not get enough of? David Ramirez’s “Strangetown EP” [iTunes Link] or Joe Purdy’s “This American.” [iTunes Link]

Who is your favorite visual artist? Chris Koelle. His work blows me away.

Name a website you visit almost daily? shirt.woot.com!

Item on your next Christmas List? I’d really like to finish the tattoos I have planned for my arm. It might be tricky to talk my wife into agreeing to that, though.

In light of the ridiculousness of parenthood, one of our favorite ways to get Haddie to smile has been to re-enact the Mah-Na’ Mah-Na’ video from The Muppets. Dear gawd almighty… this one will stick in your head for days and most likely weeks (thanks goes to the Brehmer’s for introducing us to this sadistic little video).

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On that note… have a blessed Easter weekend, and hug your significant others, because life is really, really fun when the inhibitions are gone and you can be your true ridiculous self.

twitter: @walrusmuse & @eutopiana
website: eutopianaccident.com

Bio: A talented musician, Dustin travels with Oklahoma City (OKC) songwriter Charlie Hall mainly playing drums and electronics; He also produces, records and does studio session work for OKC and elsewhere artists.

Dustin writes and records his own music as Eutopian Accident; he also moonlights for indie OKC bands Student Film and Dr. Pants. And as if that wasn’t enough, Dustin teaches recording software and songwriting at The Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma (ACM@UCO).

What is your earliest memory of creating/producing something you were proud of?

I remember performing a version of Phil Collins’ “Another Day In Paradise” for my parents when I was very young (maybe around 6-8?). The thing is, by perform I mean I mimed several of my stuffed animals playing inflatable guitars and an old Casio keyboard along to the tape player.

Yet I honestly didn’t get to place of being proud of what I was recording until only a couple of years ago, when I released The Red Land Tradition (a Eutopian Accident record) – until then I was always rushing through the writing and recording process, and I focused so hard on writing lyrics that I never turned an ear to working on memorable (or even…extant) memories.

Who pushed you in your art, and what did they do to help you?

It’s worth recognizing the role of my parents, who allowed not only the peculiar physical annoyance of music to happen in the house (drums!), but also the more subtle mental strength they both gave and had themselves to watch their son go down a very odd path of a career. The war of art in oneself is both a healthy valve for anyone drawn to create in order to express themselves, but it is also very socially and mentally difficult at times. To watch a son or daughter do this cannot be easy.

Credit also goes to many of my friends, both for constant encouragement, but also honest appraisal. I remember James Coe, an excellent artist in his own right, tell me something along the lines of I would be wasting an opportunity to not at least try to play music for some job stuff. It was harsh in the best kind of way, and very matter of fact. It still drives me to this day, because I know him to be someone who wouldn’t just say things to be nice to me (though he is very nice).

How does your creative process begin?

With other artists, when I’m playing drums or another instrument, I try to listen for a few things that can happen in between the usual assumed parts one can play in accompaniment. What I mean is, there seems to be a good list of expected parts one can offer in response to a sketch of a song. I like to listen for rhythms, or harmonic alternate root notes (if on bass), little bits that happen in between the more expected backbeats and accents. Sometimes it is wholly inappropriate to try and apply the resulting ideas in any sort of consistent or note-heavy way, and then I might cordon off those weird parts into a quick fill or something, and go with what serves the song best in the end. This is always the most importune thing.

With Eutopian Accident, I usually have a book of lyrics lying around, that I constantly scribble in, usually inspired by some place of travel or another, and when I get to sit down and start hashing out a chord progression on guitar (usually), I’ll sift through the lyrics to find something that is sticking like a thorn in my brain at the moment, and see if I can make it adapt to the push and pull of the musical elements.

What role does collaboration play in your music?

Collaboration plays the biggest and best role in my work by helping to eliminate options. In contemporary music, and in music production, there are so many options at one’s fingertips, so many that it can become paralyzing to sift through them. Likewise, in a producer’s role, I enjoy being able to be the one to help eliminate options and draw us down a path where we end up with a great performance and arrangement. It’s pretty tough sometimes with Eutopian A stuff because there are no limits and I have to somehow find a style and stick with it. Maybe Afro-Cuban Prog Metal. Who knows?

Once a project is finished and shipped, how do you unwind/celebrate/relax/goatlegg it?

I do try to have a “capping point” for a project when I can take the physical disc or LP and play it in my car or walk a street and listen to it from top to bottom on my iPod. My goal is to listen to anything I work on as I would to a record by an artist I admire, and remember that I am fortunate to work in the field I do. I grew up imagining (and still kind of do, if I’m honest) what life would be like as an actual professional musician. Of course , I was probably imagining R.E.M. or Sting or someone who makes lots of money, and that is definitely not me, but it is kind of crazy, and I mean loco, to be able to step back and place myself, in a distant way, alongside the people I admired so much growing up.

That, and a good beer from COOP Ale Works, a local brewer in OKC. Probably the Oak Aged Imperial Stout, if in season.

What is your philosophy behind your artistic endeavors… what is your motivation?

I suppose I hope that by creating the right kind of fictions in musical storytelling and in momentary recordings and performances of music, I can offer something to people with which to imagine the world just one more day in the midst of what is mundane or seemingly hollow of meaning. My favorite time of day is dusk, when the lights of a neighborhood will just warm up, and the sun is down, but the light is still around. I have no idea why, or how it moves me like it does. I try to create music to consider why or how something like that would happen, and sometimes instead of worlds that analyze a fleeting thing-quite literally the sounds, the actual aural goings-on, they express what it feels like to see through (not past or around, but through) what happens around us.

Lastly, some random questions and Dustin’s top-of-mind answers!

Who is your biggest fan? Probably my mom, though my wife Becca gets to hear my most frog-like attempts at writing melodies, and hears metronomes clicking all day long, so she gets major points there too.

What is the last album that you could not get enough of? Champagne Downtown, by Halloween, Alaska. Good golly.

Who is your favorite visual artist? Georgio Di Chirico. I go out of my way to find his stuff in museums in towns we tour in. I also really like Guthrie/Santa Fe artist Jim Keffer. As a tall scrawny person, I have a soft spot for Giacometti.

Name a website you visit almost daily? DailyThunder.com

Apple or PC? Apple, though I often despise their policy of forced obsolescence. I’m a reluctant but consistent cultist. Or just a Luddite who assumes computers last forever.

Item on your next Christmas List? An old stereo system for my LP player.