It.s been a long time....

it.s hard to tell where exactly that i left off. i know i can look back to my most recent posts....but that don.t mean shit.

in the last month....


shot a whole bunch for context clothing:

this shoot was for GQ magazine.s top 100 stores. in newsstands soon!


karen walker sunglasses

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stopped by the Mess Hall Press to peep some stuffs from our creative youth
in Madison. these kids get together weekly at the Madison Teen Center and
screen print stuffs.

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then said goodbyes to....

jared ---> LA

neil ---> Philly/NY

jessica ---> Chgo

evan ---> Boston

vukadin backonja ---> LA

good luck guys.

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moving out...

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the car that.s linked to the story of humiliation

WI----->CA

i made it (or rather, i'm in l.a.)! it's been an awfully intense couple of weeks... some of it is explained in the poem "shifting decks" below, which turned out to be the final poem of the collection "blankets, bolts, and blue jeans" that i submitted to a small press in ohio for their "first book of poetry" or something contest. i sent it out last thursday so that's a huge relief/leap into uncertainty. maybe i'll actually get published and maybe that would legitimize this poetry business in my head a bit more.. who knows. left stevens point on friday morning to head to minneapolis, where i was graciously hosted by none other than mr. neal jerome olson (thanks again) and met up with ben and michelle.. good times. oh, g&t. oh, byog&t. spent saturday at neal's cabin.. two words: ladder golf. fuckin' a. left sunday, made it to s. dakota and was surrounded by bikers (sturgis, anyone?).. camped in s. dakota, left early monday and made it to the southwest corner of wyoming. beautiful drive that day. saw bighorn national park, a town called thermopolis (no shit) and some crazy canyons, rivers, lakes, wide open landscapes.. stopped for the night, camped, and drove another 13 hours through salt lake, vegas, and finally, the city of angels. been hanging here, talking with the new roomies, trying to find a job. i have an interview tomorrow at a coffee shop in beverly hills.. we'll see what happens. l.a.'s got a pretty poppin bike scene as well (http://www.midnightridazz.com/), so i'm excited about that and also excited to get settled a bit. yay!



an advert for http://contextclothing.com/??

my dad and i.

country riding.

four generations.

nephew baraka.

uncle danny riding my track bike..


mr. daryl olson and the fine, fine art of ladder golf. he has technique. finesse.

campfire c/o http://www.flyoverstate.com/.

bighorn national park. i'm a fucking goon.

wyoming. scary.

Shifting Decks

**line breaks are screwed up in this format... i just got to l.a. a few hours ago though and am extremely tired after two long days of 12+ hours of driving.**


Shifting Decks



Leaving is many parts
meeting new people and the feeling
of time lost and “Don’t hug me for more than ten seconds” because I’ll cry
(and in front of all these people at that)
and then also feeling “thanks for making me cry” thanks so
much for that for allowing me to spill myself onto your shoulder

food on the grill during the evening affair and then hummingbirds
at my Mom’s house
but wait, that’s skipping parts
steps, but that’s leaving
how places can be very similar and how one of my first poems was
“When the Hummingbird’s Hum Ceases to Hum” about death
in a sort of Keatsian manner, how funny that is

deck conversations, realizing what months
can be
and airing jeans on the line and snapping photos of them to get
a laugh
and cats that seem immortal

talking about new friends to old friends
and discovering role models

poems coming together on the road, one of them was
title “I Was Almost Crying Forty Miles Ago and Pulled Off the Road to Write This Especially for Earl and Phill”
body “I
love
you.”
but we all know that’s not a poem
and finding connections before departures realizing missed
opportunities
it’s casting lines out and breathing
camping overnight

feeling joy for buying baby food
for my little nephew
it’s “I’ll see you again”s that are both sincere and not

and a stick-shift in my hand
and great smells
seen but hidden by goodbye cigarettes
a walk in the woods I grew up in
showing my dad a poem

and it’s going to keep happening and it’s coming true and yes, it could be.

And if nothing else, it’s lots of hugs and taking chances,

and kissing vulnerability on the cheek,
backing away with a little wink.

well hello there

so, this is my introduction to blogging. i've never really felt the need to showcase my every move since i've never really found my routine life to be anything spectacular.

i guess, with this first entry, i'm ready to showcase the things that really drive me. these moments are typically never shared with anyone and most never realize what truly keeps me alive. i have stacks of sketchbooks and rolls of drawings that no one has ever seen. with them, carry unknown secrets and thoughts that i've kept for years.

this is a poster i did for a show that my friend mel set up. hardcore shows meant the life to me a couple years back. it was the first time where i could identify myself as a part of a culture that differed from race and class. anger, politics, ideologies, religion, hope...nestled in lyrics, in gang vocals into a mic, on a tattoo, on a tshirt, in a pamphlet. it was a way to express yourself through a particular style of music.

like hip hop, hardcore had a similar upbringing. there are specific dances that differ regionally and an apparent respect for its founders. there were traditions, covers of classics, art and design but all stemming from the music. this poster is an homage to the early times of hardcore and punk rock where kids would actually draw out their posters instead of using microsoft word. where kids actually promoted a show instead of just creating a bulletin on myspace.

i spent hours on this poster and asked nothing for it. at that point i hadn't gone to a show in almost 2 years, the sheer excitement of going to a basement show was enough to restore a sense of life in me that i hadn't felt since i was last in a pit. it was the most elated i had been in the last year.

now ask yourself, what gets you so excited, that it'll make you dance like a damn fool?

the bbq today

	is being pushed back to after 6ish because i miscalculated my time to do stuff. bringing food is a big thumbs up. so is bringing beer (though not as big cause beer is easier to come by). don't bring anyone i don't know. this is not a dance party. perhaps we'll venture down to the caribou later?? i'm excited to see everyone. love, jared

Communication and Sketching Ideas

Phill and I decided early on that this space would be where we could explore things that we're working on and stay motivated with our projects. For Phill--correct me if I'm wrong--this consists of bringing people together in this sort of online community and also in bringing shots from his life and his eyes to all the rest of us. My wording sounds a little bloated with significance, but you get the idea. For me this is a place where I can throw out poems I'm working on to both keep myself writing consistently and also to see and hear what others might think about them. Thanks to those of you who have discussed anything you've seen on the blog with me. That's cool. Now, I encourage you to comment and also to let me know which of the poems or ideas you think don't work or think need some re-working. Hearing that things look nice is a nice thing, but isn't necessarily always the most productive. It's funny... so many people have said they read or saw something on winksandhandshakes and had an interesting thought of some sort about it. Great! We want to hear that shit.

Right... and I'm also moving to Los Angeles so then you want have the opportunity of telling me in person that you thought Jessica's comment on "Writing John a Letter" was super duper wack. Thanks for that though.

Ok. Love you all. Oh, and BBQ on Saturday at mine and Earl and Ben's place at around 5PM. I'm bouncing on Sunday.

And Phill- In case I forget to mention it, can you change the settings so that when a viewer clicks on a link it will open in a new tab or window? And can you add madbikepolo.org to the things we like? Oh, and the pics look great.

moving season is here

it seems that this time of the year, everyone is busy with their own shit.

packing.

moving [some even far far away].

drinking.

working.


i sometimes wonder what other people.s lives are like
during the day...or even throughout the week around
this time. i know that around this time we all have to
get our shit together and we all have our own ways of
dealing with it all. these days, i.ve been a bit unmotivated
and it must be because after i get my tasks/work/etc

done, i.d rather just sit around and do NOTHING.

but this is what happens when i get home and do NOTHING.

the "living" room


but sometimes while basting in my own mess, i [almost] finish
other things like pics from the road trip.

click here

i have a few hundred up right now and i should have more
up soon. sorry for the delay to all who have been waiting.