Now here - Now there.

I do not why, but I have the feeling that today is going to be a great day (link).

If the world does not end in 2012, next year will be one of the most remarkable ones in my entire life. For any artist, graduating from school is an infinitely stressful experience, one of self-discovery and meditation. Artists often lack the safety of a stable, full-time job prospect after school, one of the reasons many of them live gig-to-gig on a freelance basis. This is the case with many of my friends, and one of the reasons I decided to found an art & design collective.

The idea sprung up from the desire of many of my fellow RISD classmates / friends wanting to live in San Francisco, where I was working on vintage Mercedes. For that reason, I looked for a space (see this youtube video made for me by a realtor) and an investor, but the idea looked a little far-fetched for him. However, a few weeks later, he got back to me with a proposal to convert a relatively useless office space his family had, just there, sitting idle.

Tyler's visit made my plans complete: I would be hopping cross-country between Kansas and NYC (New York City), between the TV series and the design collective. I quit my job as an automotive restorer, and headed to New York city to get a feeling of what my future life would look like in the s0-called Capital of the World. If I can make it here, I can make it anywhere!

View from my friend's penthouse in the Upper West Side. Simply breathtaking.

The space is the 2nd floor above the Seven Eleven, two blocks from Times Square!

Many ventilation pipes in the way, but hey, it's free!

Thanks to my friend's generous parents, we will start developing the space in January. They will provide some basic contractor work (walls, bathroom, floors), and I am sure we can do something about the many ventilation pipes that stand in the way... either re-tube them or rise them to make the most out of this blessed office. There's a lot of office furniture in storage, so that is free as well –we pretty much need the people and the equipment.

Before my flight to Spain, I spent four days in New York City... mainly talking to my friend about the great plans for the future, visiting the space, walking around Park Slope, surrounding myself with women in terrible need of a head/back massage (do not ask me why, but at one point I had THREE OF THEM on my bed), being all cuddly and affectionate, and eating the best chocolate chip cookies I have every had at Levain Bakery.

One day I shall call "this" my half-home.

The final day in the City was slightly heartbreaking. It was almost as if all of Manhattan had decided to become ten times more interesting by the time I left, with venues, concerts and other friends visiting the area to do great things. On my way to the airport, I kept trying to convince myself that I would be back in a month.

Before taking off... the Boeing 757 is a very poorly insulate plane. Just saying.


I will see you in a month, Newark Airport!

It was beyond tender to have three of my friends come with me to the airport. I really wish them the best of luck in New York. One of them, Finis, found what seems to be the best sublet in the world: a room with a family of circus performers; the other, Rachel, is still working to find a visa sponsor so she can stay and work in the United States. Been there, done that... and what a stressful situation, for goodness' sake. I really hope she finds someone who can hire her...

Dawn upon Catalonia, Spain... about one forty-five minutes before landing.


These color were so beautiful I HAD to take a shot.


Dear Barcelona: I am home. What does my new home look like, I wonder?

Picked up my luggage, and went to my new address. It felt strange, as I had never been to this new building my family had moved to. The views from this tenth-floor flat were drop-dead gorgeous, but I was slightly upset that my mother had thrown away many of my belongings and replaced them for her own stuff. What now stood before me was a hallway-sized cubicle with a bed, a white Ikea desk and a white armoire. My beat-up antique furniture (including my much-sought-after Siemens library lamp) and almost the entirety of my book collection had been thrown out or given away. My moral took a strong hit, but I still kept in mind that if I wanted to live life on the road, I should not cling to material things. Too bad no one even bothered to even sell my stuff!

RIP, dear old bedroom (2009) full of cheap antiques.

The new flat was much smaller, but the views are the best of any place we have ever lived at. It is an older high-rise from the seventies, with some sound insulation problems, but many upgrades in the kitchen and the bathroom. A new set of double-layer windows would be lovely, so that should be next on the list once my mother and my sister get a job. *Sigh*.

I made a panorama with the views from my new room!