TeXt Marks The Spot

With ToyCyte being on permanent hiatus, I needed a place to channel my toy blogging energy. John “Spanky” Stokes opened the door and gives me the chance to blog my head off whenever I feel the need. I even have my own tag! The article pictured above is a story I’m particularly proud of. I encourage you to check it out!

I made it to the big time! Amazon’s Toy Whimsy blog gave me a guest blogger position, and I began writing an Art Toys 101 column called “The Art of Toys.” Occasionally, I post a blast from the past. This little post about Devo toys apparently got an unprecedented number of hits. There’s a fun interview with me here.

In the past couple months, I’ve been honored to contribute art and design news to Cool Hunting.

Cool Hunting is a daily update on ideas and products in the intersection of art, design, culture and technology, and features weekly videos that get an inside look at the people who create them. Published since February 2003 as a personal catalog and reference tool, the site today attracts and inspires more than 400,000 regular readers from around the world.

Earlier this summer, Doodlesplatter got a makeover from Jon Burgerman himself and my new co-conspirators, the generous and talented, The Neon Hive. With Doodlesplatter, I coined the term blogography. The blog is a biography about Jon and his work, with a Web 2.0 twist: I infuse a little bit of me (the blogographer) in the way of opinion and commentary in each post. This is some of the most fun I’ve had in a blog, and it’s turned into a really uniting factor. A street art project based on Shepard Fairey’s iconic Andre the Giant sticker has even sprung up worldwide. Doodlesplatter is updated nearly daily.

A quick note about Doodlesplatter: In my daily postings about art, toys, design and culture, I found myself blogging Jon Burgerman more than any other artist. A t-shirt here, a skateboard there, but certainly something every single week. I became very interested in the variety of “canvases” open to today’s artists, and I began to dig around. Whether you’re sick on a plane (airplane vomit bag) or stuck in the rain (umbrella collab with SIZE?), Jon’s doodles are there to cheer you. The more I searched (Jon called it an “e-dig”), the more I found. This site is meant to complement Jon’s other sites as a “blogography” or archive from a fan’s perspective. It also functions as a glimpse into what’s possible for artists who want to go beyond the easel. Under construction!

After five months of living and breathing toys (much to my girlfriend’s dismay), I got promoted to ToyCyte’s Editor in Chief (girlfriend is happy now). ToyCyte’s publisher wrote a very nice press release about my dedication here. Those kind words were joined by accolades from other toy sites and artists in the community–all of which feels really terrific. As EIC (or as I cheekily refer to myself Editor-n-Chief), my main goal is to make ToyCyte the best website for designer toys and its ravenous and dedicated associated culture. To paraphrase a quip from the illustrious owner of Hair Club For Men, I’m not just the Editor, I’m also a Collector.

JoshSpear.com is a “daily source of inspiration for marketers, brand managers, advertising executives, and a wide range of everyday people from around the world who love to stay ahead of the curve.”

It’s an exciting time for toy culture. Toy designers are sought after to customize everything from sunglasses to hotels these days, and I’m helping tell the story as a contributor on toy trends. Writing for JoshSpear also gives me more room to write about music, books, memes, fashion and gadgets.

http://joshspear.com/item/kidrobot-x-the-simpsons

http://joshspear.com/item/dotdrops

http://joshspear.com/item/vivian-girls

http://joshspear.com/item/33-13-books

http://joshspear.com/item/fail-sticker

http://joshspear.com/item/resin-collective-group-toy-show

www.toycyte.com

A writer’s dream is to write about a topic of true interest…and get paid to do so. As a blogger for ToyCyte, I get to play with words and toys, thus merging my passion for writing and collecting. Beyond toys, I’m interested in all aspects of how art and culture collide. I cover designer toys, urban art, DIY and custom toys, the artists behind the projects and related events. Browse my features and interviews in the Toys and Trends category section of TeXt Marks the Spot here, or click here to read my most recent postings directly on ToyCyte. I average 7 posts a day, 5 days a week. You probably didn’t think there was that much toy news, but there’s plenty if you know where to find it.

www.eastbayinsomniac.com

East Bay Insomniac (EBI) began in 2003 as a hobby-project to find places to eat that served food past 10PM. It expanded into a full-service late-night Bay Area yellow pages. Users can search data, menus and reviews of 17 different kinds of cuisine; peruse local watering holes (alcohol and coffee) and check out a variety of evening activities from music to bowling to billiards to saunas. The site is also searchable by closing time. So if you’ve got a hankering to karaoke ’til 4AM, EBI has you covered. The site is updated as time permits. I do all the research, writing and principle photography.

I gave the site a facelift in 2007. This was my first foray into blogging. (I used Wordpress.) Before it became a dynamic blog, EBI was a static HTML page that looked like: