Results tagged “People To Watch”

The Abstract Pack is back with a new LP entitled Ear-Responsible. They've managed to resist all urges to go more mainstream with their sound, and create a "popular" record by staying true to themselves and the original philosophy that the group set out with 12 years ago; to create their own lane and have the mainstream drive in that.

And why should they conform to the auto-tune and pop tracks of their peers? They are grown men, who are married with children. To put out tracks about being on the block or up in the club would be to advocate lifestyles that don't really align with their beliefs or situations. And while that may be fine and dandy for some people in the game (ahem Rick Ross), The Pack is about more than that. There is a sense of responsibility that goes into their music. Not so much a responsibility to provide a social commentary or critique of some kind (although they do), but more a sense of making music that is true to their community, to their kids, and to themselves.

But where does this come from? Minnesota may be the cause. MSP had this to say:

Minnesota is a place where originality exudes. We were able to appreciate the region's influence on our music yet generate our own sound. There wasn't any pressure placed upon us to "represent Minnesota" like there are for artists coming out of the East, West, or South. The downside to that is that there aren't many resources available to hip hop artists coming out of the Twin Cities. That makes getting national/international attention a bit more difficult to attain.

Indeed, it seems to be a decision that most hip hop artists have to make at some point in their careers: Go for big money and mainstream success or do something completely different and original and take whatever comes along with that. The Pack was coming up in the "golden era" of hip hop, when the way to gain notoriety was to do something completely different and creative, and add something new to the culture. Rastar spoke on this, as well as the way the industry has changed from then to now.

Our agenda was always to form our own lane and to do whatever we wanted to do artistically. Today is seems that you have to sound like so-and-so in order for the masses to gravitate toward your music. Also, the digital age wasn't as prevalent either. Today's artists can establish their own careers using the internet. Computer programs have made it easy for virtually anyone to create a home demo that sounds almost studio-like in quality. The good thing about it is that artists no longer have to rely on label deals to be successful.

The Pack seems to have caught some of that DIY attitude themselves. Their two latest videos, for the singles Attraction and Ideas of Grandeur were both shot using 3G iphones: "We wanted to stay away from producing something that had too much of an HD feel. The majority of videos out today all have very similar imagery and they look homogenous. We wanted to showcase our creative side by offering a different visual conception and feel. Each videos was an experimental project. In "Attraction" we wanted to create a video that was grown and sexy without being trashy and misogynistic. It's all about flirtation in this video. For "Ideas of Grandeur", we simply wanted to showcase who we are as artists; our energy, how we get down at live shows, lyrical range, etc."

In the past 12 years since their debut LP Bousta Set It (For the Record), The Abstract Pack has gone through ups and downs, highs and lows. The decision to ultimately reform the group, start their own indie label, Pack Material LLC, and put out Ear-Responsible was in part due to popular demand from their fans. But regardless of fights, break ups, and everything else that's happened along the way, one overwhelming notion remains: At the end of the day they are a family first, and that is what matters most.

Eklipz further elaborates on this: "We are, first and foremost, brothers. The music is the common bond we share. We've lived together, fought together, helped raise each others kids, helped raise one another (most of us come from single parent homes where Mom served as both parents), we even had to bury one of our original members (RIP Herbert Ford Foster IV aka Sess). The truth is that we've broken up several times since founding the group, but the spiritual bond we share cannot be unlinked regardless of how much we disagree, argue, or fight. That's what you see within any family structure. At the end of the day music is music but family is forever."

Make sure to check out the new album when it drops, because it will definitely be worth a listen. The Pack will be providing fans with a free copy of Ear-Responsible. All you need to do is join their Fans List by emailing your email to abstractpack@packmaterial.net and you'll be sent a link to a free download!

Shad is dominating. The Kenya born, London Ontario raised, Rwandan Canadian rapper is on a high. He is currently in the middle of a Canadian summer tour and the new album, TSOL, has been short listed for the 2010 Polaris Music Prize. I wrote a post about the man and his new album just before his show at the Biltmore in June (which was amazing).

Each track feels like a conversation; like you're waxing poetic with a friend and confidant as he tells you what's on his mind. He's the kind of dude you genuinely want to have a conversation with, and he puts on a good show to boot.

Lucky for me, I recently had a chance to catch up with him, and pick his brain about his upbringing, his music, and his life in general. Check out what he had to say below!

You've lived in a lot of places, and may be associated with a number of identities. When people ask you where you are from, what do you tell them? How do your surroundings and self perception shape your work?

Well, I tell people I grew up in London, Ontario and that my family is originally from Rwanda. That feels pretty accurate to me. I live in Vancouver now but I still have ties there to some great friends and great people in London. My sister and a lot of my friends live in Toronto and I find myself there fairly often so I definitely feel at home there too, and my parents and little brother live in Rwanda now so I feel comfortable when I'm there as well. It's hard for me to comment on how all that affects my music; it's the only life I know so I'm sure it affects how I see things and express them but it's hard for me analyze exactly how if that makes sense.
 
Well, I tell people I grew up in London, Ontario and that my family is originally from Rwanda. That feels pretty accurate to me.

You seem to have a huge level of respect for your elders, and your peers, both musically and in life. Could you speak on that?

I think that history has always just interested me. Musical history, stories of different people and places... I think I'm just kind of fascinated by all the differences and parallels and lessons that can be extracted from looking at the past.

 
What's one of the most valuable lessons that your parents have taught you? Were they always supportive of your rap related ambitions?

My parents were never big worriers. I think that's a big thing they tried to pass on to us: To trust God, care for others, do your best, and then not to sweat it from there... you can't control the future so might as well relax and enjoy life... They were very cool with whatever I wanted to do career-wise. They're happy I found something I like and find meaning in.
 
You can't control the future so might as well relax and enjoy life.

How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard it before? What drew you this this particular form of self expression?

 I would say it's pretty much traditional sort of hip hop with a bit of my own spin on it. I try to inject my personality and experiences into it to make it something personal and unique to me.
 
When I picked up the new album at HMV the other day, I noticed that it said "alternative/conscious" in brackets beside your name in the rap section. Labels like these have followed you around your entire career. What do they mean to you?

 I'm not that bothered when people label me, but as someone that cares about hip hop, I just think those prefixes can be divisive and restrictive for the culture sometimes. So I'm not a huge fan of them.

What was the point of reference or framework that went into making the new album? Is there a story or concept behind it?

It's not as conceptual as the last one for sure. My approach to this one was more just about making songs that I felt were compelling on a couple different levels. I felt like I had this opportunity to make another album and I was just happy about that and wanted to work hard to make something fun and meaningful out of that opportunity.
 
My approach to this one was more just about making songs that I felt were compelling on a couple different levels.

Your show at the Biltmore was incredible. What goes through your mind when you not only sell out the venue, but the audience knows the words to every song? Why do you think people relate so deeply with your subject matter?

Well it makes the show a lot easier for one thing! It's also just a great feeling. It gives me that much more energy and makes me put that much more life into the songs when I perform them. It's a lot of fun and sometimes it's a real high... As for why people relate to what I'm doing, I can't really say. I try to consider my audience when I write and talk to them in a way that's honest and engaging. Beyond that, who knows? There's a lot of variables I don't control when it comes to how people relate to my music.
 
I try to consider my audience when I write and talk to them in a way that's honest and engaging.

Your music seems to draw influences from every aspect of your life, interests, and opinions. What are you reading, watching, or listening to at the moment?

I've been watching a show called Eli Stone lately. The premise is definitely hokey but I feel it!
 
After the summer tour is through, what's next on the agenda?

Back to Van to relax a bit in August then hit the road again in the fall - opening a tour for K'naan in Canada and for K-OS in the states. 

They're not Harajuku girls. But they sure have style. And they know how to make music that puts The Beach Boys "Good Vibrations" to shame. They have soul. They have that cute girl-next-door charm. And they are kind of a bad ass. What more could you want from an all girl super group that calls Tokyo their home?

A while back when I first came across The Suzan, I was so intrigued by not only their unique sound but by the girls themselves. From their colourful faces, to their wild fashion taste, there is just something about The Suzan!

This Japanese riot girl band is formed by sisters Rie (keyboards and guitar) and Saori (vocals and guitar), along with friends Nico (drums) and Ikue (bass). At the beginning in 2003 it was just the sisters making tracks in their home. They didn't have plans to do any gigs like other bands, but soon enough they got a record deal with a Japanese label. So they gathered up their friends Nico and Ikue, and started to call themselves The Suzan (the sisters' nickname since they were kids).

Not surprisingly The Suzan have played with several notable bands such as Peter Bjorn & John and The Go! Team. This September the girls will be releasing their much anticipated record "Golden Week For The Poco Poco Beat" with Fool's Gold Records. Produced by Bjorn Yttling from Peter Bjorn & John, the album is bound to make you get up and clap your hands and dance around wildly!

I recently had a chance to get to know the girls better. Here are the highlights from that interview.

Can you tell us a little bit about your musical influences growing up and now?
When we were young, we used to listen to classic music mainly. Now we enjoy all kinds of music, such as rock, pop, dance, hip-hop.

You have a new album coming out soon. What was it like working with musical mastermind Bjorn Yttling?
It was really fun for us to work with Bjorn and really exciting. We learned a lot from his style, like choosing the right sound and reorganizing compositions. We have lots in common with Bjorn when it comes to making music, therefore working with him was such a smooth experience, even though we only had about 2 weeks.

What was the greatest challenge you all faced while working on this record?
Skills for playing the instruments. I think we are all good at creating songs and performing on stage, but we still need to work on playing all the instruments well.

You all have a really unique and fun sense of style. As of late, artists and fashion seem to go hand in hand. Would you say your style is a direct reference to your music?
Yes. Very much.

The Suzan makes it home in Tokyo, but your music is certainly making a splash here in North America. What's it like knowing that your music is being heard across the world?
Rie: I think it's great and also very interesting to imagine the situation where people who didn't know of us before are listening to our music now. Also I would love to hear their reactions or feedback after listening to our record.

Nico: It's very exciting because we've been longing for this moment. We have been ready to step out into this world for 5 years now! I'm itching to fly out to all over the world.

Saori: I am proud of this record and sure that everyone willl love it. Hopefully we will have more chances to play in different places in the world than before, which would be very delightful.I would love to see you all come out to see our exciting shows.

Ikue: I'm so thrilled that people living in places that we've never been to are listening to our music. And I can 't wait to meet those fans!

Are there any plans to tour North America/Canada?
Not yet. But maybe around the time when the album is released. Hopefully, at the end of August or in the fall.

As big and as fancy as it was, the recently constructed Shangri-La Hotel in Downtown Vancouver couldn't possibly have been as intimidating as Jean Yeo, the Singaporean film director with whom I was scheduled to have an interview at 4 o'clock. At least, this was my initial thought process as I sprinted through the hotel doors out of breath and five minutes late. Surely she would be fuming at my tardiness.

Instead I found Jean, accompanied by her husband and producer Pedro Tan, reclining casually in the lobby couches, no different in demeanor from a pair of globetrotting Asian tourists soaking up the latest dry spell in a wet Vancouver summer.

We exchanged pleasantries and small talk, and soon all my fears and assumptions about Jean and the impending interview dissipated like the morning clouds.

Upon Jean's insistence, the three of us went to have high tea at the Shangri-La restaurant. This certainly added to the whole relaxed atmosphere, and I found myself putting aside my set of interview questions in favour of an entirely spontaneous and organic conversation. I learned that this was only Jean and Pedro's second time in Vancouver.

Throughout the course of our conversation Jean revealed to me that she is more familiar with the television medium in general, since being a television producer is a "day job," her "bread and butter," while movies represent her "personal interest."

Of course, just from watching the gorgeous cinematography of The Leap Years, it is apparent that Jean's "personal interest" can be compared favorably to the best that Asian cinema has to offer.

Jean has already established herself as a preeminent television director in Singapore, and now her first film, The Leap Years, is the highest grossing film in box office history for a locally produced English movie in Singapore.

With that achievement under her belt, I was surprised at how easygoing and natural our conversation was; It felt like a reunion with an old friend. Jean and Pedro have this friendly and approachable aura that made me feel as if I had known them well for a long time. They certainly did not give off a glimmer of the "rock-star persona" that seems to pervade many celebrities and artists in the Hollywood scene.

While fans of their work might vehemently disagree, Jean and Pedro do not consider themselves famous at all. Despite the surprising box-office success and the warm reception of The Leap Years throughout Asia, the pair continues to be refreshingly humble and grateful towards their new-found fame.

Their contributions to Singaporean film are significant; Jean's endeavours in both television and cinema have garnered unprecedented attention from Singaporean studios and broadcasters, attracting interest from international markets such as Hong Kong and Mainland China, markets which have been traditionally quite difficult for the tiny country to tap into.

The work ethic of Jean and Pedro is also remarkable; with the exception of a six month break after The Leap Years was finished in 2005, the duo have been filming and producing television programs and documentaries at an unceasing pace for the majority of their careers. The fact that Jean and Pedro had their six month-old son to take care of while promoting The Leap Years proves just how hardworking they had to be in order to thrive in a fledgling industry like Singaporean cinema.

When I suggested a similarity with Canadian film, which has been perpetually dwarfed by Hollywood, Jean pointed out that Singaporean cinema is in fact far younger than its Canadian counterpart.

With a history extending for less than 10 years, Singaporean cinema makes the Canadian movie tradition seem ancient and well established in comparison. Yet she still expressed hope that it would only be a "matter of time" before young Singapore rises to the heights of Hong Kong and China in the realm of moviemaking and television.

In any case, Jean notes that she would fully support any Asian country in such an endeavour, since, like many, she is tired of being constantly fed the "Hollywood diet."

When I asked Jean if she had any favourite directors, she responded with an unabashed declaration of admiration for Ang Lee, even going so far as to profess a desire to work for Ang Lee as an unpaid assistant. The passion and energy that she gave off reminded me of a star-struck fan. The irony here was, of course, that I would feel the same way after watching the screening of The Leap Years the next day. My respect for Jean and Pedro, and my awe at their accomplishment in depicting such a picturesque and emotive story against the stunning backdrop of Singapore, was matched only by my amazement at their modesty and humble nature.

After the conclusion of the film at the screening, Jean and Pedro got up inconspicuously from their seats for a question-answer session with the piqued Vancouverites. Listening carefully to each query, they strove to give candid, honest, and thoughtful answers, and expressed their gratitude at receiving input and comments on their movie. Jean had told me in our interview how appreciative she was when The Leap Years was shown in Shanghai, and the Shanghai audience asked a number of insightful questions, in fact extending the allotted fifteen minute question and answer period to an hour. It is no surprise then that Jean and Pedro made such a long trip from Singapore for the Vancouver screening; they both are highly interested in hearing how audiences from all across the globe respond to their films.

As Jean and Pedro waited patiently for their photos to be taken with theatre and explorAsian management, I was told, to my dismay, that The Leap Years was not available on DVD. In Jean's own words, they simply did not anticipate the enormous popularity of the film, and had sold out of all their DVD copies within days of their release. Though I was saddened by this development, it reminded me of just how humble and modest Jean and Pedro have been throughout their long and prolific careers.

I feel that they are the prototypes of a new wave in filmmaking across the globe, one where the focus is placed firmly on the films themselves, and not on the self-indulgent directors and actors behind them.

Jean had mentioned to me in our interview that her lifelong dream was to direct a version of the hit TV show CSI in Singapore. I was surprised by her interest and passion in such a violent and gritty genre, especially when compared to the aesthetic beauty of The Leap Years. Then again, with Jean Yeo and Pedro Tan, you're always in for a pleasant surprises.

Richard Fung is a Toronto-based, Trinidadian-raised video artist and educator, whose work has already earned him the Bell Canada Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2001. From his earliest piece, Orientations: Lesbian and Gay Asians (1986), to his Reel Asian feature project Rex vs. Singh (2008), Fung's work on place and history, sexuality and pop culture, family and diasporas, is pioneering. He is widely lauded as a master of his chosen medium, and even canonized as an essayist and public intellectual.

Fung describes his work as explorations, some of which involve re-venturing into the past and posing questions that were left unanswered, or unasked. Such is the endeavour in Rex vs. Singh, a collaboration between Fung and two other directors, in which they approach a Canadian court case accusing Indian mine workers of sodomy just a year after the famous Komogata Maru Incident.

I was honoured to have the opportunity of interviewing Fung, to learn of his inspirations, past work and present occupations.

You are of Chinese heritage, were born in Trinidad, went to school in Ireland, and are now based in Canada. How have the themes of your work been shaped by place and ethnicity?

I recently realized that space/place is the uniting theme in all my video work. I guess I am interested in how people relate or not to their surroundings, and how environments shape people and limit or open up possibilities. My very first independent video, Orientations: Lesbian and Gay Asians (1984), looks at sexual identities in the context of diaspora. The self-image and the feelings of exclusion or belonging experienced by the documentary's subjects arise from their living in Toronto, not in the Asian countries they or their ancestors come from.

In My Mother's Place (1990), I consider my mother's sense of self as Chinese and as a woman, and her feelings about one's social "place" is shaped by her life experience as a third generation Trinidadian [who] moved to Canada, and as someone who grew up poor but worked her way into the middle class. In Uncomfortable: The Art of Christopher Cozier (2005), the artist has a successful international career, but it is a struggle for him to continue to live in Trinidad, even though this is where his inspiration lies. This is due to the lack of funding, exhibition and work opportunities, the political and artistic environment and the fact that it is often difficult to physically travel from such geopolitically marginalized spaces. He describes how hard it is to get to his exhibition in Denmark when the nearest consulate to obtain a visa is in New York.

More recently, in the video installation Jehad in Motion (2007), I explore how a Palestinian-Canadian man responds to the extremely different physical and psychic spaces of the two cities he calls home: Toronto and Hebron. For example, while he has many Jewish friends in Toronto's West Bank, the only Jews he comes across are the Israeli settlers and soldiers ho occupy his ancestral land. Modifying all the talk of Diasporas, which is about tracing connections and commonalities among people with similar roots but living in different locations, I notice that my relatives in the U.S. think like Americans, those in Britain have British values, and those of us in Canada use Canadian lenses to view the world. Place and location are incredibly important and interesting.

Memories influence the art we create, and art keeps memories alive. You draw on your mother's oral history in My Mother's Place (1990), your uncle's stories of playing a Japanese soldier as a Chinese extra in Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison's blurred Asian identity in Islands (2002), and your loved ones' struggles with illness in Sea in the Blood (2000). Could you comment on the importance of de/re-constructing private and public histories through your medium

The more recent family tapes, Sea in the Blood and Islands, really come from particular circumstances, in the former case realizing that unlike most of my friends I've always lived close to illness, and in the latter thinking that my uncle's experience as an ethnically transvestite extra said a lot about my relationship to cinema as a viewer. But I think more deeply this ongoing interest comes from my formation in the Caribbean.

In Trinidad, I grew up with the terms inside and outside children, meaning those born within and outside a marriage. Many men have one or more families and these two groups usually know of, if not direction know, each other. It was and is a society with many open secrets, one in which private and public information blur in different ways than in Canada. I think it is the experience of migration, the move from one context to another, that put the conventions of both into relief. I think this is how I came to make these tapes which critics have called autoethnographic.

I believe the will to reconstruct family histories is amplified with a condition of diaspora. Wondering about one's ancestors comes about precisely because one is cut off from that knowledge. I know that my maternal great grandparents came to Trinidad in the 1860s from Fujian in Eastern China, but I have no clue beyond that. My father came from China in the 1920s, but I only visited China once, in the 1980s after his death, and I am cut off by language from my relatives in Hong Kong and China. In this absence of history there is speculation, conjecture and a reliance on memory. This is the case with all groups in Trinidad, those of Indian and African heritage included. I would say only the French creole elite can more easily trace their aristocratic lineage using conventional methods.

Your past video projects have dealt with areas where homophobia and racism overlap or intersect. Is your Reel Asian feature project Rex vs. Singh along similar lines?

Rex vs. Singh is a speculative history using the court documents from a sodomy case involving two Sikh men in 1915 Vancouver. This was the year after the notorious Komogata Maru incident, in which over 300 would-be immigrants from India were turned away from Vancouver's harbour after a lengthy stand-off. Their treatment laid bare the racist underpinnings of Canada's immigration regulations, but this was also a period of organizing within the South Asian communities and a period of particular harassment against them. It is interesting to look at the court records from that time and see the number of sodomy cases all referred to as Rex vs. Singh, in reference to King Geoge V and to the common Sikh surname.

Rex vs. Singh came about because filmmaker John Greyson was commissioned by Out on Screen, the gay and lesbian film festival in Vancouver, to make a film on queer history. He wanted to work with the cases of Sikh men charged with sodomy in early twentieth century Vancouver, and he invited filmmaker Ali Kazimi and myself to collaborate. In 2004, Ali directed Continuous Journey, the definitive feature documentary on the Komogata Maru Incident. For my part, I made a video called Dirty Laundry (1996), which looks at the erasure of outlaw sexuality from official retellings of Chinese Canadian history of the nineteenth century, the fact that many of the first Chinese women to come to Canada were prostitutes and that Chinese men, living in the almost all-male "bachelor" communities, were thought of as sodomites.

Rex vs. Singh is divided into four discrete sections. In the first, we three collaborated on a dramatic recreation taking all dialogue from the court transcripts. This was shot at Toronto's Old City Hall, now a court house, in period costume and using fiction film conventions. Next, Ali created a documentary exploration of the actual history surrounding the case featuring an interview with Gordon Brent Ingram, on whose research the film is based. In the third section, John created a postmodern musical mash-up that brought out some underlying notions, and finally, I produced a suggestive video meditation on history and cinema.

Given how challenging it is as a concept and as an experimental film, Rex vs. Singh has been surprisingly successful, and won the Silver Lion at the Sikh Film Festival in Toronto. It has also screened at several festivals in Europe and North America as well as at the Mumbai International Film Festival in India.

Come Back Home: The Blog Of Andrew Kim is about a young man's ambitious vision for an eco-friendly consumerist future. 18-year-old Korean-born, and now Vancouver resident, Andrew Kim currently attends the College for Creative Studies in Detroit and started a blog in 2007 to showcase his design projects. Andrew's work is smart, fresh, and eye-catching. Trust me, there's something very alluring about looking at sleek and sophisticated product designs. This talented young man is also the brain behind the design of the Eco Coke bottle.

When I first came across Andrew's design for Eco Coke I was, needless to say, impressed. The idea behind Eco Coke is an innovative, unique and reinvented design of the standard Coke bottle. Andrew explains,

"The premise of the Eco Coke is to maximize the efficiency of the bottle by creating one that does not waste space. Compared to a round bottle, a square bottle can have a 27% smaller footprint."

Probably the coolest feature of the Eco Coke bottle is how it can be collapsed after use, which is a great way to reduce space when being transported for recycling. Pretty eco-chic, if you ask me.

Behind every great design there is always a source of inspiration. For Andrew, his main inspiration was simple: To create a greener bottle.

"Coca-Cola is a very large company and I felt that even a small change could bring a huge environmental benefit. The design philosophy is that many small changes can lead to a very big change."

Most of us do not figure out what we really want to do until we're in our late 20's and older, because we're constantly seraching for inspiration. For Andrew, however, he's narrowed it down to two simple elements - nature and culture.

"It's never my intention but all of my designs seem to have something to do with nature, whether it be a 'green' aspect or just an appreciation of the beauty of nature. Culture is also a big theme I like to explore, as I believe that our designs will become the artifacts of our civilization."

At such a young age, Andrew already has a clear vision of what he wants to accomplish with his work and how he wants to make a difference. Such determination and maturity is hard to come by these days.

The Eco Coke project was only a "quick" freshman midterm project, but the press this design has been receiving is something Andrew never could have even imagined would happen. Though it was a mere midterm design at first, Andrew does feel like he would have done some things differently: "I feel that I could have done many more things with the bottle. If I were to create a second version, well ... it would look quite different." Such are the words of a perfectionist, so it would seem.

So did Coke respond to Andrew's design? Though Andrew never had any intention of getting a reaction from the public and press, let alone Coca-Cola, he received a response from David Butler, head of design at Coca-Cola in a financial publication: "I love the thinking and especially the way it provides a great example of how we have to think big and leverage systems thinking in designing for our brands." Butler also stated the tremendous brand equity they have in the traditional "contour bottle" and how it would be quite hard to change that. Andrew must be doing something right if someone as big as the head of design at Coca-Cola is responding to his designs.

While this project was target for the Coca-Cola Company, Andrew has other aspirations: "My biggest interest is in high-tech design. Obviously, Apple is a brand I love but companies like Lacie are also of great interest to me as they have a sense of obligation for artistic design."

For Andrew, life after Eco Coke is as busy as ever. "I am designing a conceptual convergence product for finals right now. It's called "Monami" and will be aimed at the laptop user. It'll be completed at the end of this month. I am also working on a more long-term project that is around the theme of nutrition and vitamins."

You can stay up to date with Andrew's newest design ideas in his blog here.