Contemplative . Inundated . Separated . Back to Basics . Like The Lake Is . Time Is Age-Less . All These Faces  . Caught In Places . Lines I Traced It . Tails I Chased It . Seasons Changin….

_Ra / 1:30am

“I don’t know why he keep blessing me……”

_. The sweater concept above is just a concept.. I just always wanted something simple for Stablished… Might could…

Artist: Unkown
Title: Unknown.

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_. Was hangin’ with Don last week, and he dropped off some new beats for my listening pleasure… I don’t know who this is by, but its got a great upbeat feeling to it.  A nice surprise, considering the sample is from Jay-Z’s Song Cry, which I just learned uses a sample from..

Bobby Glen – Sounds Like A Love Song

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_. Been strugglin lately to have clear thoughts.. I want to write, but don’t know what to write about.. I have long term goals, that I can’t entirely speak on just yet… and maybe it’s the fact that I gotta hold off on things publicly before, advertising it to the world. I just know that come summer time, I’ll be in a new head space… I’ve been patiently waiting, and slowly molding a different future for myself.  Planning things out by year pays off…

Wow… Something I wrote back in April last year…. embarrassing. Crossed out the parts that sound so stupid…. dummy.

Title: “Show Up & Go”

Don’t look left. Don’t look right.. Just Go. That’s what you gotta do these days to stay focused and keep it movin’. There’s so much creativity out in the world… So much content to filter through.. and even more distraction. But at the same time, there’s so much more inspiration. Unimaginable ideas are coming to life, and now that technology is at an even playing field for new artists, so much do-it-yourself media is out there these days, for us to digest. Weather we take it in or not is our choice, but sometimes, if you’re consumed in it like I am, it gets a little tough to differentiate yourself from the rest of the world. New ideas are screamed out daily, some of which are crap, or some we all wish we thought up first! Either way, maybe like me, you’ve been faced with the struggle of defining yourself, in a visual world.

My name is Ratha, folks call me Ra. I’d like to say I’m just a hip-hop graphic design kid from San Jose, CA, but the ‘kid’ would be an understatement. I’m currently hustlin’ at the age of 30 years. I’ve got some world travels and life experiences under my belt. And I definitely, still got my 2-step! If you catch me on a good day, I can rock this get-down I do, where I jump to a hand stand, then stack down to an elbow freeze, stack down again to a shoulder freeze, then back up to an elbow freeze, (all while waiting for a 3d render to finish .

Yeah buddy. I definitely had a b-boy swag coming up. From ‘98-’04, I danced my life away. And after all was said and done, the b-boy spirit still lives in me. The dance taught me so much about foundation, philosophies and concepts.. and even though I don’t dance as much anymore, that determination, passion and ambition drove me a long, long way. These days, I’m working as a creative, for an agency that specializes in media for the pharmaceutical industry. And when I’m not doing that, I run my dream business, Stablished Projects.

Stablished was originally going to be the name for a clothing line I wanted to design back in ‘03, while I was working at a silk screening shop, but it eventually became the creative umbrella I stood under, that transformed into a motivational icon for my region in the south bay. Stablished Projects graduated from black-book illustration doodles, to designing party flyers, to painting at live events, to being the first artist in my region to break into motion graphics, to animating for Bay Area music videos, to directing my own music videos, to working with clients like Nike, Reebok, Inifniti, Avaya, TBWA/Chiat/Day, Mekansim, Westernized Productions, Phoenix Editorial, Tribal Gear, Jabbawockeez, Lyricist Lounge, Current TV, Eveo & many more. And so today, I sit as a Senior Motion Graphics Art Director for my 9 to 5, am the current Branding Manager for the Jabbawockeez, and Creative Director of Stablished Projects. I just go. And I’m here to shed some light on my creative journey, spread some knowledge, and hopefully inspire folks to be the creatives they want to be.

For me, it all started with the moment I found something that truly inspired me. I saw an experimental video online back in 2003 done by Syndrome Studios, out in Los Angeles. Coincidently, it was a motion graphics animation called “Inspiration,” and it was made as part of a collective gallery installation. It all clicked when I saw that it incorporated all the arts.. and I mean ALL THE ARTS. Everything from illustration, design, graffiti, 3d, photography, motion graphics, video, stop motion, music…, All that, wrapped in this animation that was like a Hip-Hop Animated Graphics Anthem for me. I saw it, and then thought to myself that I would do anything to get as good as they were. But it wasn’t easy though.. and that’s what fascinated me even more. How the hell am I gonna learn all these skills? Just one of them alone is hard enough… I asked myself, How am I gonna make this dream come to life…? And that’s when it all started…

I just took off. Like a b-boy, i tilted my hat down low, entered battle mode, came prepared with my tactics, and did my thing like no one was watching, knowing that everyone was watching. My future success was burned into my mind, and all I could do was learn a much as I could, to make my dream come true. At the time in my life around the age of 24, most folks around me were partying… but me, I was insanely focused on catching up to the pros. I wasn’t playin’ no games, no nothing.. I took that inspiration I had, locked myself in the cave, and stayed determined to do something that I knew no one else could do. That inspiration was crucial, and I gotta remind myself sometimes that if you embrace inspiration then and there, it can take you on an amazing journey. I feel very fortunate and blessed to have been in the environment I was in, and to have had that state of mind, of a burning drive to be successful, at what I knew I was meant to become.

The next step was to develop a plan… and I’m not talkin about a to-do list.. At the time, I was talkin’ about a list, for my life.. A Life List! It felt like I was my own high school counselor, mapping out my life for the next couple of years… but this time, I was actually excited about my future. I figured it like this.. It’s gonna take me a year to learn After Effects and make a demo reel, then another year to actually get work with it, then another year to start building clientele, then the next year to get even better clients, and the year after that, I would be able to hire other artists and have the sickest company in the Bay.. and so eventually, this became my first “5-Year Plan.” And for the most part, it worked.. I got everything except for having my own company with employees.

Easier said than done though. Life is gonna throw you curve balls, and sometimes life can just have you in a giant ditch that you can barely climb up out of. Everyone has their share of cold reality, but the key is to stay focused, show up every day, keep good company, stay balanced, stay healthy, stay persistent, exercise good communication, laugh and smile.

I’m just one dude with a big dream, and a tank full of ambition. Sometimes I feel like I’m not exactly where I should be, but in retrospect, I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be… Life has its levels, just like a game does. You’ve got to maneuver through obstacles, rack up points, find the secrets, stack up on the best weapon you can find, and then beat the boss at the end, to move onto the next. But if you feel like you lost that level, it’s probably because you haven’t entered all the rooms, and exhausted every inch of it, to find that key that’s going to give you the power to beat the boss at the end. I’ve got my own level to beat right now and I’m facing my own obstacles. The only way I’m gonna be able to reach my dreams, is if I show up everyday and keep going.

Ratha Nou for Lion Medal | Wednesday April 13th, 2011

Always Wanted v1 by Stablished

_. Was in a chill mood the other night and got to working on this.. It’s just a beat sketch.  Inspired by a nice guitar sample.. An attempt at recording my own vocals.. Weird hearing my own voice humming a melody, but I hope at some point I get used to it.

_. It’s scary putting yourself out there like that,doing things you don’t normally do… but I’ve made the habit for myself to be a work in progress… so this shouldn’t be any different.

_. I titled it Always Wanted…. cuz I’ve just always wanted to do somethin like this… smooth.

Here’s my latest version of Don’t Look…..

Dont Look v3 by Stablished

Wow….. Inspiration.

His Pain :: BJ The Chicago Kid + Kendrick Lamar

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I’ve been cutting some things out in my life, and trying to approach this year with a clearer head.  (if you know what I mean..) Here’s some images and creations from this past week, and proof that I’ve been productive…

_. A view of Bryant St. in SF, in front of Elastic Creative on my afternoon stroll for my soy latte @ Darwin.

_. A Sketch of Boba Fett.. Prolly one of the illest villain character designs EVER.

_. A 3d Model in Cinema 4D of a chain concept… reminded me of a Crooks & Castles t-shirt graphic.

_. A quick 3d script I made strictly in Cinema 4D, of Elastic Creative.. purely for fun.

_. A picture taken while walking Coalla, this past Sunday, which was crazy cold outside.

_. Julius’ Mighty Fresh sticker found @ Genki in SF. Their ice cream crepes are killer.

_. Lunch in South Park

_. A style frame for an upcoming project @ EC. Excited about this one.

_. Followed by a beat I started Sunday night…. It’s been a trip going down this music road.. I’ve been getting cool feedback from my circle.. And to hear folks rhyming over stuff I’ve just been messin with, is very motivating.  I’ve always been influenced by music, and to finally be a part of that world, feels amazing , when its acknowledged.

_. Not shown is a still from the new JBWKZ website coming in February.!

_. Getting ready to dive into the world of Resolume. Look it up. I recently picked up an APC40, and found out you can trigger not only beats, but visuals that you can assign to the beats…….. shit blew my mind as soon as I connected the dots.. This is definitely the next for me…

_. The big project I was working on towards the end of last year, with Westernized Productions, is gonna drop around the first week of February.  Be on the lookout, for a huge milestone in my creative journey.

Dont Look v2 by Stablished

I’ma treat this year… just like I treated the past couple of years… to stay on target for the long-term goal.

Whatever your dreams are.. I hope you stay locked on them.

As for me… I think it’s time to cross that bridge.

Chocolate Chip by Stablished

:: Stablished Crewneck Sweaters & T-Shirts :: Buy Here