About Me
I love art. I can’t even define what type of art I love best, because I am moved by so many different forms of expression. Film, Music, and Theater have always been mediums that have influenced me. However, I love the written word almost more than any other art form out there. I feel like sometimes I have so much to say. Sometimes, having that much to say can make a person chaotically mute.
Living and growing up in Southern California can be frustrating and awesome all at once! It is a muse beyond muses and, yet, sometimes I feel like everything is so overly suburban. Maybe that is because I live in the burbs? I hail from the San Gabriel Valley, one of the most culturally diverse areas of the entire nation, which is why I am open-minded to all types of foods and cultures. I love living here, but sometimes I wish I were somewhere else because of the “go-go-go” atmosphere around here. Either way, I have a love-hate relationship with my wondrous state! The only other place I have lived was in London, which I loved beyond belief and miss everyday! I am slightly bohemian by nature and a true Pisces!!! For me, “Art” is everything, “creativity” is a driving force, and I have a feeling that, no matter what I do, I will always be creating something because that is what I am drawn to do.
My second love is photography – digital photography in particularly. I am never without my digital camera (and even when I am, my cell phone has one built right in, so I am never truly without one). A few times I have been left stranded – no camera, no phone – and it feels like sickness, like part of me is missing. I need to capture images as much as I need to put thought onto paper. It is like a secret drive deep inside. I can hardly explain it or expect anyone else to understand it. It is like, when I am driving and see a beautiful sunset or a building whose lines arch across the horizon like some beautiful poem made into design and then not being able to pull over and capture that onto film makes me sick and leaves me empty. As you might imagine, I am a pain to travel with because I can spend hours in one spot capturing its essence over hundreds of clicks of the camera’s shutter. I particularly love to photograph architecture, cityscapes, nature, and people in those environments. I also have a love for common items that most people surpass, but when studied they offer some insight into humanity and some inner beauty that only the lens of a camera can capture.
I am also getting the hang of this graphic arts thing. I love Photoshop. I would not be able to go on without it. It is almost becoming as valuable as my camera…or my pen. My favorite digital art mediums/techniques are: photo illustration, creative portraiture, pop art, composites, collage, lomography, cross processing, tilt shift photography, selective coloring, mixed media design, vector art, and t-shirt design. In fact, one goal is to eventually have my own t-shirt line under my design name: b.christopher designs.
My creativity also flows beyond the computer, camera, and page. I have a soft spot in my heart for all things handmade. I am currently learning to sew because I love plush and want to design some. I like working with paper arts, mixed media, and jewelry. I am also a fan of ATC’s and ACEO’s and have created a few. Greeting cards also speak to me. Another goal of mine is to have a greeting card line. Greeting cards make everyone happy. I like that about them.
As you can see, I have so many areas of interest. And, because of this, I am constantly busy with something or other. But, I always have time to make new friends and give feedback – so, don’t be shy. I would love to know what you think about my artwork. There is more to come, so stay tuned! And, if you are interested in hiring me or commissioning/purchasing one of my works, please contact me at b.christopherdesigns@yahoo.com. Thanks!
Best Regards
~b.christopher
butchart
what a nice read… i feel like i know u a little now…. thank you for that…..... we have alot in common…writing…artwork of all kinds and i sew like a muthaf**.... and oh yeah… your partner kinda looks like mine…......... peace and light…......b
bchrisdesigns replied
hey b, thanks!!! i wanna learn to sew like a muthaf**...! would be interesting to see your partner’s pics for a comparison!
thanks for the shout out! much love to ya!
~ bchris :o)
butchart
lets connect dude… email me sometime….. i love finding like souls on here….. much love and peace and light back to you….....b
bchrisdesigns replied
i’ve been really busy lately and going out of town next week, but i will definitely hit you up soon!!!! cheers!!!!
Paul Compton
Yep, you’re truly a creative person. You can jump genres and mediums superbly. I really enjoyed reading this little insight into you life. Keep up the great work.
bchrisdesigns replied
Thanks, Paul! I always try to learn as many mediums as I can because I get bored too easily. lol!!!!
mstrace
I relate completely, to much of what you wrote above…being a fellow Piscean for one! Growing up in SoCal and my love/hate relationship with this area (it can be tough sometimes)...and finally writing is like breathing to me, its words are oxygen to my soul and my brain…and I couldn’t live without them.
bchrisdesigns replied
“writing is like breathing to me, its words are oxygen to my soul and my brain…and I couldn’t live without them”
I just fell in love with this quote! I may have to quote you in my blog, if you don’t mind? :o) I could not have put it better. I have tried giving up all creative pursuits for a different sort of a career and I was miserable every single day and was hating life. It is like, if I cannot create then I am an empty shell.
But, when I am creating – it is like being ALIVE. And poor. Life is a compromise. :o) Thanks for the feedback fellow Piscean!!!! (BTW, are you an overly emotional and empathetic romantic who is in tune with the spiritual and supernatural world around them?)
=]
mstrace
of course you can use the quote!!...just fixed it a bit below (cheeky grin)
“Writing is like breathing to me, words are oxygen to my soul and my brain…I cannot live without them”
Something else I’ve always said (even thinking of getting it tattoo’d on my back):
Books are like fire to a frozen soul
I agree with you about the art and creative endeavors and the near impossibility of making a living at it. I do have a career that pays the bills and then some, but it is writing that carries my soul. I’ve been writing since I was a child.
So in this regard, I fit the general rule of thumb for a Pisces…I am intensely creative, spiritual but non-practicing and the supernatural world fascinates me. However, the things about a Pisces that I don’t seem to fit…I’m very outgoing, and at times opinionated and implacable. My writing is often visceral and brutal in its honesty, explicitness and imagery.
What about you? How much of the “piscean” are you?
bchrisdesigns
“I’m very outgoing, and at times opinionated and implacable. My writing is often visceral and brutal in its honesty, explicitness and imagery.”
Oh, but these are ALL Pisces things! I am all of those things. Pisces is both outgoing and a hermit, brutal in honesty and empathetic, opinionated and reserved… it is an inner struggle constantly. A Pisces personality almost contradicts itself. For example, I am always torn between going out with friends and just staying home by myself and writing/reading. I have been called both a dear friend and a bitch – by the same person! LOL! Most Pisces hate the fact that they are brutally honest, which makes them more of a Pisces than they know. Remember, we are the two fish that swim in opposite directions. One wants its private/alone time and the other wants to go out and dance!!!! :o)
I also love to dance.
=]
mstrace
Okay, you got me there… because I am both a hermit AND a night owl prowler (cheeky grin). And yes, I can be a “bitch” too! I’m also fiercely loyal and my friends are a tight bunch.
Dance you say? What Pisces doesn’t? Any fish that didn’t like to “twitch and swim” in the seas is no fish at all…
May I ask, what kind of dancing?
bchrisdesigns
I am the sarcastic/witty one in my bunch of friends and I am always the one people want to be around because they say I am like a ray of sunlight. Only, sometimes I can be a jerk because I do like alone time as well. :o)
As for dancing… oh, well, if it has a beat then I am on the dance floor. That is how it usually goes. I like all forms of music, so I am a dancing machine. Even for a big boy I can boogie! Heaven help whoever is with me while shopping at a supermarket that is playing music in the background…I can’t help but boogie down the aisle and sometimes sing out loud! LOL!
Oh, and I am also a daydreamer and love romance. And the smell of old books. =]
mstrace
Oh, and I am also a daydreamer and love romance. And the smell of old books. =]
SERIOUSLY?
Do you know that since I was a kid and my Father took me to the library every week, I’ve smelled books!! No kidding. Every book I read and every book I purchase, I open it up and bury my face in the middle of the pages and take a deep breath. In old bookstores this is especially fine…like breathing in a wine bouquet…
you’re an interesting bloke…ya know that!?
bchrisdesigns replied
Thanks! You are interesting too!
And, yes, I am serious about the smell of old books. I love spending hours in old bookshops just because of the smell… Also, I am a book whore!!! Once I own a book…it is NOT leaving my library! LOL! When I went to study in London, I came home with one full suitcase of old books. I went crazy in the old book shops over there! It was like paradise. My friends were busy getting drunk and I was out buying old books!
Ok, so I got drunk a little too… well, a lot. Okay, okay, I was a lush in London but that did not stop me. One afternoon, I went over to the Hyde Park and sat in the grass and read Wicked (this was when it first came out). It was an amazing day.
BTW, I used to go to the library every week as a kid as well. In the summer I would do the summer reading program and my certificate would be filled with the stamps you get for doing the book reports. I was an odd sort of child. I loved doing book reports.
I also have this weird quirk where colors in my environment directly affect my mood. Blues are calming, as are lgiht tans, greens, and browns. Reds and oranges make me uncomfortable. And, black depresses me, even though I love pitch dark rooms. Another contradiction at work. LOL!
=]
mobii
I thought that I was the only one that noticed that distinctive smell that old books and used bookstores have. You’re a hoot. Don’t let “them” change you!
bchrisdesigns replied
No worries, I won’t be changed! hehehehehe… lol! Thanks for the comment! :o)
LostGod
awww…what a pussy.
bchrisdesigns replied
omg, you are so are sweet!!!!! sending lots of gay hugs amd rainbows your way!!!!!
LostGod
greetings cards…awwww.
bchrisdesigns replied
i know, isn’t it absolutely presh to have goals?!!!! loves it!
LostGod
you amuse me.
bchrisdesigns replied
yay! i can check that one off my goal list! smiles!!! :-)
Delphine de Noire
MMM! What is it about the smell of books? MMM! Great story, feel quite kindred with you in a freaky kinda way. By the way I’m a born and bred Londener. Look forward to checking out some of your other work.
bchrisdesigns replied
I hear ya! The smell of books is just sensational!! Glad you found me on here! I always love finding fellow kindred spirits – it makes me feel less alone in this huge world. Hehehe… What part of London are you in? When I was there, I lived near Imperial College close to the Glouscter Road tube stop. I miss it so very much; it was such a great experience. Thanks for the wonderful comments!! =]
Delphine de Noire
My pleasure. Yes, I think this site is an amazing way to meet and relate to so many creative and fascinating souls. I love it!