Ani Difranco Poster

This Ani DiFranco poster is actually the very conception of what would eventually become FUTURALBUM. During my final weeks at my last job, I discovered Flickr Internet Archive Book Images, and since Ani’s show was our next upcoming event, threw together this quick design just for fun.

It was one of those instances where you see some sort of image you can’t help but make something cool with it, even if it only gets a few minutes and you know no one might ever see it. Sadly that was the case here, as this poster never saw light of day (hopefully you’ll still make it to the show).

Sometimes a piece of work without the inherited anxiety of trying to please someone else—even if thrown together quickly—can be the most effective. It is that magical thing where the purity of creating is imposed upon the creation itself.

It was such a simple design and reminded me of my early days as a designer… which got me wondering what else I could do with that Flickr archive… Naturally I went overboard and jumped into plans for FUTURALBUM the next week.

Today it is pretty cool to see all that’s transpired because I took 10 minutes just to do some fun design work.

Passionate About Nothing?

I’ve recently been doing some introspection about what—if anything—I’m really passionate. That word “passion” seems to be thrown around quite haphazardly to describe things one enjoys or appreciates, but to me passion means something much more, and isn’t a label I use lightly (if ever). Beyond my family and faith, I had a hard time considering even one thing I’d describe as a passion.
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Brandi Carlile “The Eye” Poster

Brandi Carlile Dance in a Hurricane - The Eye Poster

Brandi Carlile has a way of writing lyrics that resonate with me personally. Created this poster inspired by her new song “The Eye.”

You can dance in a hurricane, but only if you’re standing in the eye.”

New Project: FUTURALBUM

After three months of planning, working and waiting, I am so excited to finally announce my latest collaborative design project!

In a similar vein to Old & New Project, FUTURALBUM features a huge list of my favorite designers from around the world, each creating new artwork for awesome rock, rap, pop, country (broadway musical?) albums of the past.

With just a few guidelines, each artist has the freedom to create whatever he/she wants, and based on the feedback I’ve gotten so far, that process has been a great breath of fresh air for many who know all to well the anxiety that comes with pending client approval.
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2014 Favorite Albums

My favorite albums this year are mostly predictable, but nestled in there among my safe bets of the 2010’s (tUnE-yArDs, First Aid Kit, alt-j, etc) and long-term commitments to 1990’s heroes (Weezer, Beck, J Mascis) are a handful of really fun new discoveries from 2014.
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The Monster Project

My new favorite thing on the internet is The Monster Project. They recruit illustrators/artists to recreate monsters from children’s drawings. Such a cool idea!

From their website:

By collaborating with the students and finding inspiration from their imaginings, we hope to help them recognize the value of their ideas and make them feel excited about the potential of their own minds. Creativity comes in many forms, and we hope to encourage their exploration of their own unique perceptions of the world we share. And, while we’re at it, we want to introduce to them the notion of art as a legitimate career path.

Here are a few of my favorites. You can see all the art so far on The Monster Project website.
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New Exhibit: Ghosts & Figures

Troy DeShano Ghosts and Figures Art Show

I’m extremely proud of my recent art exhibit at THE BOX in Traverse City!

My painting style is extremely time-intensive. Just finding the salvage lumber to use as canvases is a lot of work in itself, then the steps involved perfecting the curves of each line, experimenting with painting techniques, and fine-tuning until each piece becomes what it should can take weeks or even months.

So since I went back to full-time employement, and my wife started her second bachelor’s degree it has taken over two years to find enough inspired free time to complete just enough paintings for this little show.

This new series Ghosts and Figures explores the human body in a sort of self-therapy to address personal neurosis I’ve developed while coming-of-age in a fundamentalist Christian culture where the body (female in particular) was implied to be inherently evil.

The process and resulting work have honestly given me a new, healthier framework for understanding the complex connections between the physical body, sexuality, psyche and spirit.

Here are some shots from the show. Big thanks to my friend Janelle for these great photos.
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