Inspiration Showcase #3

As a lover of many forms of visual communication, I always find inspiration from other artist's work among many others. When i see an an art work or a design, i study it and try to understand its story. I believe that every art work, in whatever form tells a story, if it doesn't, then the purpose of the work is defeated. Because a work of art is suppose to communicate something; its supposed to rouse a certain spark of life in the spectator.

It is in this breadth that i have compiled some works that i have come across in the past weeks that i found to be in this category; works that not only reflect a distinct concept but are innovative, affecting and beautiful.

The Umbrella (By Luminatii)

Lemon (By sa-cool)

Yellow Brick Road (By Larafairie)

Rain (By Antonisfes)

Music (By Jonl521)

Delirium HighSpeed (By Hicky2)

Music Power (By Waver-H)

Claustrophobia (By Black-Nemesi)

No Smoking (By Mohammadamiri)

THE (By Skryingbreath)

Please feel free contribute your own inspiring art works/videos either through email or via twitter (twitter.com/johnluarca). Please put #Inspiration" in the subject line or before your Twitter message.

The Man in the arena

Watched Invictus a few days ago. Good movie. Morgan Freeman is good.

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

Being Alive...

I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing. (Agatha Christie)

Hope, courage and heroism

Courage, it would seem, is nothing less than the power to overcome danger, misfortune, fear, injustice, while continuing to affirm inwardly that life with all its sorrows is good; that everything is meaningful even if in a sense beyond our understanding; and that there is always tomorrow. (Dorothy Thompson)

Hope is both the earliest and the most indispensable virtue inherent in the state of being alive. If life is to be sustained hope must remain, even where confidence is wounded, trust impaired. (Erik Erikson)

Vision and Hope

If you want to build a ship, don't herd people together to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea. Antoine De Saint-Exupery

Bon Appétit!

Is there a role/character that Meryll Streep can't portray excellently? Because in my book, she is clearly THE best actress in the world and watching her graciously (and sometimes surprisingly) shift from one character to the next in every movie is such a delight.


I just finished watching Streep in Julie & Julia and even if i do not know who Julia Child was before the movie, I still watched, because she (Streep) is in it. The movie is adorable and Streep is outstanding in it. The hand gestures, the voice, the accent, the facial expressions - Streep was just perfect. And even if you're not exactly a fan of French cooking or does not know who Julia Child is, Streep's acting is an enough treat to watch the movie. 


Plus, watching the movie will definitely teach you a thing or two about French cooking. As for me, i got hungry after watching it and wished I would be able to taste Julia Child's signature Beef Bourguinon. Hopefully i can find a decent French restaurant in Manila serving it when i get back home.

Video: Love on Post-Its

Saw this a few days ago and it's totally adorable; an office romance sprung forth by the use of post-its. I know, using post-its to create a collage of love messages isn't exactly earth friendly, but hey paper is recyclable anyway and when you're in love, one tries to get the message across in any (so long as they're legal and decent) way possible.

So, watch you guys.

Cheers. ☺

Saw this first in BitRebels.

Pablo Neruda's I Do Not Love You

Pablo Neruda is one of the world's most gifted poets and my most favorite. His poetry is music and love weaved into lyrical perfection.

Let me share with you another Neruda poem which I truly, truly love. Written and published in 1959, here is...

I Do Not Love You (Sonnet XVII)

I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,
or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.
I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,
in secret, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that never blooms
but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;
thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,
risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
so I love you because I know no other way

than this: where I does not exist, nor you,
so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.

And here is a video of Robin Williams from the movie Patch Adams with the poem. Emotional.

The delightful art of Arghavan Khosravi

Delightful. Youthful. Meaningful.

Three words befitting the amazing art of Arghavan Khosravi, a female Iranian illustrator/traditional artist who has made one of the most indelible impressions in me since I have become a member of DeviantArt four years ago.

Arghavan's illustrations depict a world where hope seems to spring eternal - where one abandons their prejudices - where one rekindles their lost romance with their childhood.

If an artist's work is truly a reflection of his or her inner self, then perhaps it is her beautiful state of mind and perception of life that yields these art works showcasing a world we all want to be in - positive, inviting, lovely and colorful.

Arghavan has truly found that one distinct "voice" in art that is absolutely her own; and her mastery of that "voice" is ever so consistently displayed in her amazing body of work.

Below are some of my most favorite pieces from Arghavan's DeviantArt gallery.

View more of Arghavan's work here.

10 Meaningful and Amazing Animated Short Films

I find short animated films to be a forward-focused medium capable of greatly affecting its audience even though it could only run for a few minutes. They are short but powerful and mostly mind blowing. In fact, i believe that it is the time constraint that essentially helps the message become pure and heartfelt.

Further, the kind of work, the amount of time, effort and creativity that these people, the animators, put out to produce these outstanding animated films is absolutely admirable .

In this breadth, I have decided to share with you 10 animated film treasures and my favorites that are mostly leaning on the more sentimental (I'm a sucker for sentimental themes); those that make one reflect about love, hope, the triumph of the human spirit, desperation,dreams. These videos are incredibly meaningful and has struck something tender and lonely in me and I hope that you take the time to watch them and hopefully be moved by them as well.

The Artist's Model by MattCarter



The Clocktower By Arenyth (Pls click the title to play off site)



Fireflies by Juusan13



I Know You by Robertas



Clouds by FargalEX



Colored for Life by TSnow



Entropy by RhubarbZoo

365 days left to save the world

Great video directed and animated by Ubik, reminding us of the effects of global warming to this one planet we call home.

3650 from Ubik on Vimeo.

Global warming's tipping point means that if we don't do something in the next ten years, it will be too late to do anything at all. So, there are just 365 days left to save the world... and counting.

Manila's Super-Blogger BryanBoy in D&G's Swide

Manila's very own super-fashion blogger, Bryanboy, gets interviewed by Dolce & Gabbana's digital arm, Swide. Well BB has been interviewed a lot in the past, but this one interview struck me as the most interesting because the questions and answers captured in part, what I wanted to know about BryanBoy, the person.

In his blogging life - fashion superblogger BryanBoy has been described as an "Internationally-loved fashion superblogger" by the New York Times/The Moment, "a cult read in fashion circles" by Style.com and "one of the nine hottest internet celebrities" by The New York Post - Marc Jacobs even went so far as to name a handbag after him (the BB ostrich bag).

Swide interviews the man behind the super-blog.

"Sorry I'm Late" & "Little Big Love" Short Films

Award winning short films done by brilliant London-based Motionographer Tomas Mankovsky. Watch the making of the videos here and here.

Little Big Love from Tomas Mankovsky on Vimeo.

Sorry I'm Late from Tomas Mankovsky on Vimeo.

In support of Cinemalaya 2009

The Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival is a film competition and festival that aims to encourage the creation of new cinematic works by Filipino filmmakers – works that boldly articulate and freely interpret the Filipino experience with fresh insight and artistic integrity. It also aims to invigorate the Philippine filmmaking by developing a new breed of Filipino filmmakers. Each year, ten fresh talents are given a seed grant in order to create the film of their dreams. These films are then featured in a nine-day long festival at the Cultural Center of the Philippines every July and compete for the coveted Balanghai Award. Awards are also given in twelve other categories, as well for the best efforts in short narrative features. The film festival begins on July 17 until July 26, 2009.

These are three short films made to promote this years festival.

"Saan Nagtatago Ang CCP?" (Looking for CCP) Stars Dino Jalandoni.


"Candelabra" (The Candle Holder) Stars: Erik Matti and EJ Galang


"Ang Kapatid Ko'ng Nagpupumilit Makita Si Ricky Davao" (My Sister Wants to See Ricky Davao") Stars: Ina Feleo, Cinemalaya 2007's Best Actress, Ricky Davao, and Coco Martin

YouTube Cannes Young Lion 48 Hour Ad Contest

Vote for Filipinos Katrina Encanto and Apol Sta. Maria in the YouTube, Cannes Lions & Oxfam's 48 Hour Ad Contest.





(Via Plus63)

Great McDonald's TVC's from all over the world

For inspiration and fun, i have gathered some of the best and most memorable McDonald's TV spots that i found over at YouTube. Most of these are really fresh, fun and heartwarming - the direction that all McDonald's commercials seem to take.

McDonald's is one of those global brands who has gone beyond race and geography and has reached a global mass appeal that is phenomenally unbeatable. And these kind of TV spots have helped in creating and empowering that global appeal.

Lea Salonga at the Earth Hour Celebration in the Philippines

Filipino Tony Award winner Lea Salonga (Miss Saigon, Les Miserables, Cinderella and The Flower Drum Song) performed two songs during the Earth Hour celebration in Manila, Philippines.

iPhone 4G Concepts

Truly, the iPhone has inspired and revolutionized the way we perceive and use the mobile phone. Not only is the iPhone flashy and beautiful, it is also functional and intuitive. With the imminent release of the new iPhone software and probably a new iPhone design, I have found over at Flicker (via Abduzeedo) one of the best iPhone design concepts which I think would make all iPhone fanatics out there hope that it remains not just a concept but a soon to be tangible and purchase-able reality.

Concepts designed by YoungSpace.

Inspiration Showcase #2

As a graphic designer and writer, I always find inspiration from other artist's work among many others. Works that not only reflect a distinct concept but are innovative, affecting and beautiful. This post is part of my weekly showcase of inspiration ranging from graphic design, photomanipulation, traditional and digital art, typography and even videos that I found from all over the internet. Please feel free contribute your own inspiring art works/videos either through email or via twitter (twitter.com/johnluarca). Please put "My Inspiration" in the subject line or before your Twitter message.

Chandra7

The Story of a hundred years By Ennil

Forgotten fairytales By Zemotion

Summer's Day By Kayceeus

Hope By JustInBlackPhotos

Lady In Red By Godlike86

Adriana Gerasimova

Feel My Greatest Temptation By Fathur Rokhim

In A Maasai Dream By Foxfires

Ophelia By FallenRoseMedia

Transcendent By Shane Smart

Dream On By Manolya F

When I Feel I'm Gone By Bryan Collins

The longest way from a daydream to a dream

On November 9, 2007, photographer and student, Christoph Rehage started the longest journey of his life from China to Germany. By walking.

Although, he was not able to finish his original goal of reaching Germany as he stopped November 13, 2008. He has already achieved a very significant feat. He walked 4646 km for a year - passed the Gobi Dessert, various travel issues with local authorities, unlimited beard and hair growth and apparently zealous watchers who posed with him as he took pictures of himself during the journey.

I could just imagine how enriching this journey has been for Christoph; to travel and see the world not through the fast and dynamic advances in transportation, but through the most basic form of travel. This is a remarkable journey that only an equally remarkable man could do.

The title of this post is inspired by Christoph's statement in his website ..." There are longer ways, and many people have walked them before. So what’s the point in calling this “the longest way?“ It’s actually quite simple. Some take walks and others do other things. Nevertheless, this goes for everyone - it is the longest way from a daydream to a dream." Know more about Christoph Rehage at his website The Longest Way.