BradPhillips.org

One of my primary goals of 2010 was to get the process of music making started. My recent move to Nashville has been a catalyst for such desires. I feel like now is my time, and I’m ready to put out some truly meaningful content.

A few months ago, my ideas were organized, through a conversation with a longtime friend, into a very distinct direction. We came up with this notion of a Road and how each person’s life is linked by this journey. I’ve spent much of my creative life trying to reconcile my childhood and adolescence, and this felt like the perfect idea to finally speak truthfully on this subject.

Since that conversation, song snippets have begun flooding my mind! I’ve started sketching them out & posting them on my YouTube channel as song sketchbook entries.

I’ve added a new demo to the ever-increasing list of potentials, and this one is going to end up as the title track for the record. Please have a listen, and let me know what you think of the beginnings of “The Road”!

I was recently involved in a contest, hosted by The Open Clip Art Library, in which members of the Community were issued the responsibility of designing a new logo for the annual Free Culture Research Conference.

During the contest, I was tasked with the duties of spreading the word. Beginning, I created an official press release that called for submissions. Next, I was asked to style and fill the official announcement page on OCAL’s main site with content.

Submissions were trickling in, but the floodgates didn’t fully open until a link was placed on the home page of the Library. As the contest drew to a close, we had received over 240 submissions!

After a 2 week judging process, hank0071 was announced as the winner of the contest! The heading graphic of this entry is the winning selection.

Up next for my work at OCAL, I’ll be organizing the new 2.4 Release, in which we’ll be included a Sports-themed clip art collection. Make sure to contribute your sports clipart, and tag it appropriately (sports2010). I’ve been surprised and encouraged by the turnout of this contest, and I’m very much looking forward to future Open Clip Art Library Community Contests!

My free time, of late, has been spent absorbed in books. Most have centered around Stephen King’s epic Dark Tower Series. There’s something very essential and brave about a storyteller who’s willing to go “all-in” with his work and put it out into the world, for better or worse.

It’s this feeling that each page is written with the deepest conviction and desire to convey a larger concept and/or belief system to an audience that has enveloped my conscious mind, while greedily plowing through stacks of fictional tomes.

“It’s a long walk back to Eden, dear, so don’t sweat the small stuff.” – Insomnia

This month in Open Clip Art Library events, I’m in charge of organizing the next package release. In previous 2010 releases, the new original works have all dealt with Seasonal themes. For this new batch (to be released on Monday, August 2nd), however, the Community have agreed upon a game-changing Sports theme!

Work within the Community has already begun, so if you’d like to contribute to this new release, please register and upload any original work to OCAL by Sunday, August 1st.

Have a look at our Fabricatorz blog post for more detailed info!

In 2010, I have been actively involved in promoting the expansion and development of The Open Clip Art Library. I believe some key things are being set in place to exponentially increase the potential of this platform. Last month, the Spring 2010 Release set a new precedence, by incorporating a themed clip art package.

This month sees the arrival of The Open Clip Art Library: Version 2.3. This release continues building off of the last release, by including a Summer 2010 Clip Art Package. Version 2.3 also expands on it’s predecessor by adding a fresh Logo Design Contest into the mix.

The inclusion of these new elements are a great start toward really encouraging users of OCAL to register and contribute original works.

To learn more about Open Clip Art Library: Version 2.3, head over to the public wiki to read the latest official announcement.

Roger Ebert, an industry-respected film critic, has shocked the gaming community for the second time in 2010; He’s cried “uncle.”

In a surprising turn of events, Ebert posted a brand new blog entry stating that his position on video games was one of ignorance and bullheadedness.

I should not have written that entry without being more familiar with the actual experience of video games.

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