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Entries by Artémis Psathas (483)

Sunday
Aug072011

Day One

Day One kinda caught my eye the first time I saw it in the app store. It essentially is an app which helps you log stuff in a journal, with specific date and timestamps. However, I wasn't quite sold on the idea of bying an app which would do what I would be able to do by logging stuff in a note and saving that between my Mac and iPhone. After some contemplating I decided to get both the Mac ($9.99) and the iPhone apps ($1.99) which sync seamlessly via Dropbox (and with the arrival of Apple's iCloud I am almost certain they'll integrate that somewhere in there too).

I am using Day One quite a lot these past few days and it's just great how amazingly it does what it says it's designed to do. Actually, I don't necessarily use it to record what happens throughout my day -I'm not sure I'd want to see all that in the future- I use if to document the unexpected flashes of inspiration, ideas, images popping in my head and sparks of thoughts that could lead to something. The thing is; I usually get all the above when I'm in the car and I either have to pull over and write it in or try to type it while driving (not recommended). There's password protection for both apps and adding bits to the journal flow is easy and it sort of gives me that feeling that I am actually vaulting all these thoughts there to use them when the time comes, and it looks good too! So, those $12, were well-spent after all...

Wednesday
Aug032011

Inspiration Booster: Tycho - Hours

In search of inspiration "steroids" I was very excited to find that Tycho, which I must have mentioned on here before, released a new single titled "Hours". Just as I expected -and as it happened with last year's "Coastal Brake"- I am addicted to it's pure marvel! I don't think anyone will mind me playing this during this coming weekend's shoot. Nonstop. Enjoy and catch it for free here.

Tycho - Hours [Dive LP - Nov. 2011] by Tycho 

Friday
Jul292011

annakoumoushi 2011 Teaser

A few weeks back we did a great shoot in a vineyard outside Limassol and it was a great experience, despite the sunburn. Actually, working on annakoumoushi's new mini campaign, or any other annakoumoushi project, is pleasantly overwhelming because we seem to share a visual path as well as the reasons which justify our being on that path. The visual reference to -and reminiscent of- the past, which is something I am certainly going to write a post about in the very near future, probably plays the main role in this.

So this time, we're experimenting a bit with the overall image and the coexistence of the photography with linear elements. I'm not sure where I'll eventually go with this, but I am definitely enjoying the ride.

Thursday
Jul282011

L'appuntamento: Hello Ornella Vanoni!

First of all, I am ashamed of myself for spending time in Italy and not having listened to any of Ornella Vanoni's music before. I knew that Vanoni is one of the most legendary singers in Italy, however I never gravitated towards exploring that certain repertoire of Italian music before; I am sure that if I go into exploring Mina's work I'll find gold there too.  

Anyway, a couple of days ago, a friend of mine posted a live video of Ornella Vanoni performing probably one of her biggest hits "L'appuntamento" (The Appointment -which refers to a date she agreed to go to and further describes her emotions while waiting), leaving me speechless for a few reasons. (video posted below, with a mini intro from Raffaella Carra, who hosted the show)

Let alone the fact that I am going through my annual Italy-Obsession-Nostalgia phase and a Relics from the Past phase (to which I intend to dedicate a full post) at the same time; this video, dating back to 1971, touched me in a very surprising and unexpected manner. 

First of all, I was mesmerized by how effortlessly yet gracefully Ornella Vanoni sings, then by that charming, unusual softness in her enunciation. I, then, came to realize how simple, while at the same time, very powerful the lyrics are, and finally, the visual part of it stunned me. Everything, from what Vanoni wears, to how -what seems to be- a routine entertainment live broadcast was executed and directed is impeccable! 1971! Today's live show directors and producers could learn a couple of things. 

Needless to say that I'm hooked to the song and I will keep digging in Ornella Vanoni's huge discography. I may have been late to this appointment, but I'm glad I made it! 

Thursday
Jul282011

ListenToFeist

It's been a long wait since Feist released "The Reminder" back in 2007 and it seems that it will be a bit more until October 4th when, her next album, "Metals" comes out. To keep us on edge, Feist and her team set-up a website with teasers which are made available as the release date approaches. From what I've seen/heard so far, I really like the new/revisited sound and can't wait for "Metals" to come out.

Sunday
Jul242011

Back From Black (A Hopeful Designer Rants)

As I mentioned before, mermants stands as my online scrapbook of what inspires me, what makes my creative juices flowing and what I'm up to in terms of personal and professional projects. I usually try to stay away from sorrowful events and any reference to anything uncomfortably unpleasant because let's face it; most forms of negativity are creativity killers. 

As a universal observer, I usually comment and complain about what bugs me in an unsuppressed manner. Lately, though, I have remained blogmute for a while, so I thought that it'd be a great opportunity to break the blogpost-block and re-commence blogging with this post.

If I were asked to put a label on this month, I'd just go with "Black". 

July 11th was probably the most catastrophic day in my country's modern history since the Turkish invasion back in 1974. To make a long and painful story short: The explosion of a 98 shipping container munition cargo killed 13 people and rendered the island of Cyprus crippled on multiple levels. The cargo was confiscated from a Syria-bound ship back in February of 2009 and was since criminally and irresponsibly sitting exposed to all weather elements only a few hundred meters from the island's main power plant, at a naval base. 

The aftermath is, well… you do the math: Harsh! The power plant which was covering more than 60% of the island's electricity needs is now, for the most part, out of order and the water desalination units on the island will be, if they're not already, affected.  

So the officials who were bragging that Cyprus would come out of the recession able-bodied, should reconsider and take some actions. I'm not sure how the minimum repairing cost of the station (which by the way, elevates up to €2,000,000,000) will be covered, or how we will avoid the third-world country moniker, which is very threateningly lurking around the corner, but don't shoot me for stating this: I'm feeling timidly optimistic.

As if the local grief wasn't enough, we woke up to horrible news this Saturday coming from Norway, where the tragic outcome of the events was inevitably compared to those of World War II for Norway. I know, that's not how 2011 is supposed to be and one can't help but wonder: How can people do this to other people? How can some people be irresponsible or neglectful enough to allow the death of others and refuse to take responsibility, or at least show some sympathy? How can a person decide that a certain group of people does not deserve to live and personally sees that they cease to do so? How can people find pleasure in seeing and documenting other people's deterioration and death, and still live to talk bad about them after they're gone? Yes, that was for Amy Winehouse, and all the troubled people who deserve and need our support and guidance instead of our frowning, isolating and judgmental attitude.

Call me poetically light-minded, call me plain-out delusional, or just call me stupidly stubborn for never being able to retract my initial statement; but I still have that hopeful feeling, that positive gleam which bears a promise that things will change. It might not be today, it might not be tomorrow. Heck! It might not even be in five years from now, but I do feel that change will come. After all, when I decided to name my creative entity "IN PEOPLE WE TRUST" it wasn't because I don't trust in God; because I do! It was because I really trust and believe in people and in everything good & kind each and every one of us bear inside.

Wednesday
Jul132011

Imageournal, A Wordless Image Journal

Along with my other ongoing projects these past few months, I managed to create a humble "home" for all my random, mainly iPhone generated, photography. 

Imageournal, (Image+Journal), is a little showcase of what I see throughout the day, and given that a SLR camera, or a point & shoot for that matter, is kinda hard to carry around I shoot with what I have on me, my iPhone. Not all images are shot with the 5MP iPhone 4 camera, but the majority of them are and I am still amazed by how good the colors come out. 

Most of the images will be available as limited edition prints of five per photograph. (More info coming soon and at Imageournal)

Monday
Jul112011

Daily Levitation

Natsumi, a.k.a. yowayowa camera woman, is a Japanese photographer who took on this amazing project: She takes pictures of herself while she's in mid air every day and posts them on her blog. She shoots these pictures alone, using the camera timer, or with the help of a friend who just clicks the shutter button and poses in for composition purposes. 

Given my fascination with everything Japanese, I was blown away by the work of Natsumi. I really love the intense, playful and slightly sinister feel these images exude. The peeks at the japanese street scenery allowed through the pictures are an extra (priceless, if you ask me) bonus, and the overall composition is just impeccable. 

I should go back to my favorite Japanese movies for an inspiration bump, it's been a while...

Saturday
Jul022011

Just Be Who You Are

Watch Jessi Arrington's amazing -and super positive- TED speech "Wearing Nothing New".

(via

Tuesday
Jun282011

The Sartorialtwist

We all know The Sartorialist and bear our opinions about him and his blog. I am personally fascinated and intimidated by it, if that is even possible. Anyhow, I was very excited to find The Sartorialtwist, which uses images from Scott Schuman's blog cuts them in three modules (head, torso, legs) and shuffles them randomly. Some of the resulting images are super-stylish. Please don't make this guy stop using Schuman's images!