Modus Operandi
the islands of my digital lifestyle
You can catch me occassionally online at: flickr, delicious, youtube, skype, or by email:
Vivos voco.
Artist Statement
I humbly consider myself an artist with one eye to the future and one eye to the past. From poetry to fiction to personal journalism, I am committed to expressing and exploring the vast colors of human experience.
Digitally Active
I've been tinkering with computers since 1987, been on the internet since 1995 and designing and creating online content since 1999.
Aesthetic
My personal philosophies of beauty, art and design include: No Style As Style (see Bruce Lee), Form Without Form, Zen, Wabi-Sabi and "The Art of Designing Without Designing".
Interests
digital journalism, blogging/writing/poetry, motorcycles, soccer, travel, personal stories, Japan, Brazil, Spain, France, Italy, Texas, Mexico, music, film
Writings & Weblog
My weblog is on a working hiatus for the foreseeable future...
I'm currently working on two novels, American Homies and Last Night as an American.
American Homies is coming in 2008.
- Last Night as an American - A novel - TBA.
- American Homies - A novel - Coming in 2008.
- It Has Come To This, Spill Over Feeling - A poetry collection.
- Tokyo Note Left - A novella.
Currently Living In
- Houston, Texas USA
- Cheap Motels in Little Towns around the American South.
- Denver, Colorado USA
- Houston, Texas USA
Education
I earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Interactive Media Design (aka web design, production and programming) from The Art Institute of Colorado in September of 2007.
Previously, I earned an Associate of Applied Science degree in Multimedia and Web Design from The Art Institute of Houston in December of 2001.
To-do List 2008
- 1. Finish "American Homies".
- 2. Publish and promote "American Homies".
- 3. Get accepted to the JET program... Not a candidate.
- 4. Write tons of poetry.
- 5. Return to being completely mobile ala the Macbook Pro.
- 6. Buy a new camera. Re-start photography hobby.
- 7. Finally buy a guitar and begin playing it.
- 8. ?...?
- 9. ?...?
- 10. ?...?
10 Things That Continue To Fascinate Me Circa 2006
- 1. Concepts and confusion in human identity.
- 2. Human psychology - why we do the things we do.
- 3. Perceptions of time, reality and memory.
- 4. Shapes and shifts in points-of-view.
- 5. History and misinterpretations thereof.
- 6. Languages foreign, domestic and remixed (dialects).
- 7. Web applications.
- 8. Japan
- 9. Brazil
- 10. Mexico
Influences & Thanks
- Charles Bukowski for bringing the humanity.
- Hunter S. Thompson for the gonzo and speed.
- Bill Hicks for the humor and this rant in particular.
- Colin Wilson for The Outsider
- Céline for Journey to the End of the Night
- Keiji Haino and Kan Mikami (Fushitsusha/Vajra) for the musical inspiration.
- Ennio Morricone
- Gustavo Santaolalla
- David Julyan
- Graeme Revell
- Nobuyoshi Araki
- Daido Moriyama
- Shinichiro Kobayashi
- Beat Takeshi for Kikijiro
- Tony Gatlif for The Crazy Stranger
- Chan-wook Park for Old Boy
- Tian-Ming Wu for The King of Masks
- Chazz Palminteri for A Bronx Tale
- Bernardo Bertolucci for Last Tango in Paris
- Kwon-taek Im for Painted Fire
- Jonathan and Christopher Nolan for Memento
- Matt Wagner for Grendal
- Stephen Addiss for The Art of Zen
- Howard Stern for the honesty.
Motto
- With imagination, I am all men. With imagination, I have done all things. - Mark Rodriguez, 2006
- Men must change before governments can.- Jesus of Nazareth
- The Dream never dies... - Mark Rodriguez, 2002
- Freely ye have received, freely give. - Matthew 10:8
- The mystery of life is not a problem to solve but a reality to experience. - Frank Herbert, Dune
- I want to change. I really want to change! My heart burns to change. I want to live a new life everyday... - Jang Seung-up, 19th Century Korean painter
- I don't need no arms around me...I don't need no drugs to calm me...I have seen the writing on the wall...Don't think I need anything at all!!! - Pink Floyd, The Wall
- As it is well known, I regard myself as a religious man and yet I belong to no church. I'm an able soldier but I abhor armies. I could even add that I've been introduced to hundreds of women yet I've never married. In other words, no one has ever talked me into anything.- General 'Chinese' Gordon in Khartoum
- It won't shake the world, it won't kill a soul, it won't fire a gun, ah, but you'll remember it to the day you die, you'll lie there breathing your last, and you'll smile as you remember... - John Fante, Ask the Dust
- What I mean is that there are things in every man's past that he won't admit except to his most intimate friends. There are other things that he won't admit even to his friends but only to himself - and only in strictest confidence. But there are things, too, that a man won't dare to admit even to himself, and every decent man has quite an accumulation of such things. In fact, the more decent he is, the greater accumulation he's bound to have. I have only recently dared to explore of some of my past adventures...I want to make a test to see whether it is possible to be completely frank and unafraid of the whole truth...a man is bound to lie about himself. - Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Notes from Underground
You can catch me on: flickr, delicious, youtube, skype, or by email:
© 2006 Mark Rodriguez V6 - Hosting Ala Webfaction




