For more than 10 years, I have had phone service with Sprint and have been paying over $120 per month for what was supposed to be a $99 unlimited plan. Well because I have a smart phone they charge an extra $10 plus fees and insurance, etc. They have been good in many ways over the years but their customer service has really gone downhill. Well, I am an entrepreneur so i am always looking for opportunities to help me become more financially stable. A friend of mind started working with this company and is making over $2000 a month and they pay his phone bill. He started off as a customer at $50/month for unlimited with more options than Sprint gives me. The companies name is Solavei. They have a great pricing structure for unlimited and so much more. Once you get three others to sign up it pays for your phone and you start making money. The more people you refer that sign up the more you make. You are helping others to make a living doing what they love. We all need our phones. Now I joined the company and now they are paying for me to go to Spring Break and do what I love. What’s better than having someone else pay your phone bill and sending you on Vacation to Network? If you are interested in knowing more, let me know, visit my page on the Solavei website.

It has been a while since any last updates. Many of you may know that I lost my mother last year and there have been some various hardships we have been working to overcome, but thankfully, I have a great team, a loving family and other elements to help take care of things. Without their constant support and encouragement, i don’t know where I would be.

So much to update you all on. If you are not following us on facebook we encourage you to do so:
http://www.facebook.com/bryan.crump
if you want daily inspiration check out our Kaizen Dreams project as well:
http://www.facebook.com/kaizendreams

There are pictures from events and other things that we have yet to update on the website, but all in good time.

The product we used for this shoot was Snazaroo. I order many of my supplies online generally, but Snazaroo seems the most readily available and best product to get locally. Michael’s Hobby and Craft stores carry it. Hobby Lobby also have some body painting supplies but they are just not on the same level. Both stores have a brand called Tulip, but every time I have used it, I find that is stains the models skin. So I avoid Tulip now. You can imagine how happy a model would be having to go around blue for a few days and trying to explain it to their client and agents. What you use is so important, so don’t rush and just use any products. My favorites so far are Snazaroo, Mehron, Paradise, Wolfe Brothers and Temptu. Unfortunately, the company that used to sponsor me with liquid latex years ago went out of business. Some people are allergic to the latex and some to the ammonia, so I have not been using much liquid latex over the years either.

Many people don’t realize what all goes into bodypainting. Sometimes our job sort of feels like a therapist, a stylist, a psychologist, a painter and so much more. I suppose that is where the motivational speaking comes into play and becomes a good help as well. I have been doing the body painting for more than 12 years now and worked with some absolutely wonderful and talented people.

My best friend and lovely assistant, Heather Beleza was there to help. She always brings such a great attitude to the job. She has been one of the most supportive ladies I have had the pleasure of working with. I want to make sure and credit her for her help. She is coming along in her own way with the body painting and I am very proud of her. Not only is she a great model and a good promoter, she is becoming quite the artist.

So all in all, it was a great shoot. We got along with the models and the photographer so well, that we spent a few extra hours going above and beyond and just having some creative fun time. It made for a great team and some beautiful art. The Flamingo, that inspired the clients, was originally conceived by the wonderful artist. Gesine Marwedel. Check out her work sometime, it is absolutely fantastic. We told her about the work we did and she loved it. Of course she enjoyed the credit too. We may not always remember to give people credit where credit is due, but when you do it makes all the difference. An attitude of gratitude can go a long way.

I love working with artists, clients and colleagues that realize all the hard work that goes into what we do. So many seem to expect us to be able to do this stuff free, but there is no way. The materials alone can be costly, then when you paint for 12 hours or more, the planning, the meetings and all the time involved in general, to simply earn pennies, one can not keep doing what we do. The goal is to start running this more and more like an effective business and we have some great business models that we are molding after. Many more surprises to come in the future.

Thank you to everyone for their hard work on this project. Chuck you got some great images. Emily and Jessica you were fantastic, lovely and awesome models. Heather, thank you so much for all you do, my dear friend. I love you very much. your support these past few years has been nothing short of amazing. My art is what keeps me alive and you all allow me to keep doing what I love. If you like what we do, please donate. It helps us as artists do even more.

So I have been focusing on more detailed designs and detailed oriented projects. Right now I am working on the substance and form, later will come more of the technique and style.  This month I was a featured artist with RAWARTISTS from Oklahoma City. We had a show called Radiate which was actually part of a larger project of the same show and name being thrown in major cities across the nation as part of the RAWARTISTS mission.

It was a fun event, with lots of very talented artists and individuals.

In preparation for the show I started working on completely new bodypainting designs to challenge myself and show more of what I can really do when given the time, a reliable model and a great team. Thanks to people like Heather Beleza, Kristin Ni

chol, Chelsea Nicole, Carlie Braun, Lacey Odell, Justin Hogan, Katey Easley, Mackenzie McCoy and many more I was able to create some really fabulous images, but I want to do deeper and bigger.  I need to find a core group of people to help me reach the next level and in turn they will be able to be part of something great. For now, here are a few images that were kept under wraps until this last art show.

One of the best pieces of advice I was given, was basically.. “Take time to take time”.. Okay so maybe it was actually, Take time to be quiet, rest and reflect, but once you take the time to breathe, the waters settle and you can start to gain clarity and focus on your purpose. What do you want to achieve? what is available to you? What do you have and what can you do with it? Then you use examples of things that are all around you. Artists throughout history have been inspired by simple beginnings. Even some martial arts were inspired by watching insects, animals and other living creatures. We all live in a world of cause and effect. When you start to see how things work, you also see what doesn’t work.

Start with the question of:  What IF?

Here is one of my very first speeches in Toastmasters with a little talk called: “How do you find inspiration?”

At least twice now I have done photo shoots with some Native American influence to them and each time it has been at the request of the client or a collaboration with the model for their portfolio.

Yesterday, I did my first photoshoot of the spring with the lovely model: Sammie Jay

She did a great job and is always easy to work with. When I got to my studio I decided to upload the pictures and work on a few to surprise. When I had them done, I posted them on my various social networking profiles and portfolios. Almost immediately I started receiving emails about how I was exploiting Native American women. This happened a few years ago too as someone else I knew felt that way about one of my images.

Now I am not out to offend anyone, but at some point you have to draw the line and keep your artistic integrity. The images I did today were beauty and swimwear portraits. Pretty simple and straight forward with  little editing for flair.

I don’t really see how people would be offended by these images, but I would love to hear some feedback from some of my fans and followers. It might help me come up with more interesting images in the future and I will know just what kind of stirring my images are causing.

I am not complaining. I am more curious and looking to learn from this situation. I want to create images that are thought provoking and engaging. I was not expecting the shots I did today to have any effect like that. In anycase, I hope you enjoy and I look forward to your feedback.

You see, New York is a big town, as many of you know. I was there to visit friends and do several photoshoots. So a lot of travel was involved. Driving a car around the big city just did not seem like a good idea. So I got my metro pass for the two weeks I was there and after getting my new boots I set out of my journey. I got to see the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and many of the arts districts.

I also have an injured knee, so I need something that is not going to complicate things. These boots give a great grip and firm hold.

Here it is just over a year later and my boots have finally given out. They literally broke in two after their faithful service. They have served me well in my travels, projects and adventures.I even escaped having my brains and boots stolen from a Zombie that had gotten loose from the Walking Dead promotion in town and when you are running from Zombies, you need a good pair of boots. If I had to do it again the one difference I may have done was purchase a pair of the steel toe boots, so I would have had a better defense against said zombies.

Since being in Oklahoma again, I have not been able to find the same boots. So for now I have a sub standard replacement in my boot collection along with some other decent shoes but perhaps I will talk about them in a different post as this one is dedicated to the memory of my faithful companions. Thank you N.Y. Lug Co for providing an excellent product.

If you are looking for a good brand check them out.

http://www.lugz.com/

Are you someone that is interested in attending or being a part of such a workshop? I need models for these as well as students. So let me know your interest and as things start coming together I can let you all know so we can start making things happen.

The first workshops will be NON-NUDE, but I will be teaching some concepts regarding painting for photography,events and other concerns that may be 18+. Any workshops that I do that are 18+ models will be wearing bottoms and pasties.

Looking at April 14th or 15th around 3pm. Talking with Venue now to see which day is best.

• The cost for the workshop will be $50. (Part of which will go to secure the venue and other costs)
• If you are a student, you will be asked to tip the models you are working with.
• If you have your own model, you may bring them with prior advance notice.
• All models give consent to students to take photos for their portfolio for shared use. Model Release may be provided.

As always, I appreciate everyone’s support and I hope the years to come will be fruitful, creative and wonderfully productive to the arts in Oklahoma. Body Painting is a great way to get your work out their whether you are an artist, a photographer or a model.

Now I ask you, what is the next step and who is interested?

Here are instructions on supplies you will need to get for the class, order now because it may take a week to get them, unless you choose priority:

1. Go to Sillyfarm.com
2. Go to bodypainting section, then Bodypainting
3. Then Click Paradise Makeup
4. Then Palettes or you can just click this link

Now you will order the Basic Palette or the Build your own Palette.
( You will need the primary colors plus Black and White )

You can also order brushes and other supplies if you do not already have them.

Let them know you were refered by Bryan Crump either on your order form or via phone order. I always like to place or confirm my orders via phone so I talk to a real person.

They also have a live chat should you have any questions.

So far i have things going back as far as 2006 or so I believe, maybe longer and I will be uploading old journal entries, notes and sketches as I find them as well. So when you visit my website, don’t just look at now and the future. There is a world of the past to discover as well. Enjoy and have fun.

From now until the end of November, Early December, I will be doing a series of projects turning people into birds with my makeup and bodypainting. I need volunteers from the Oklahoma City and surrounding areas.

If you would like to be considered and are available and interested please let me know. I am looking to work with hair stylists and costumers as well on this project. So please let me know if you would like to participate.

*** I need people both young and old. I will be working with wardrobe and costumes, so the more conservative people can work with me on this project.

• All models must be willing to sign model releases and have at least two forms of ID.
• If you are younger than 18 you must be accompanied by parent or gaurdian and have them sign your model release

I have a few of my favorite hair salons around town, so I want to leave this open to working with several people so I don’t brew any bad blood.

Anyone that helps will receive credit and for any of the good but unused images, I am contemplating donating them as stock art on a few sites so others can turn them into art and collages. The beauty of stock is that I can require if used that they give everyone involved credit as well.

So hair, wardrobe and jewelry would be nice as well. I have some big ideas for this project. Know any jewelers or jewelry makers that would let us use their product?

If you could identify with any kind of bird what would it be? or to put it another way, if you were a bird, what kind of bird do you think you would be?

Please email me bryan (at) bryancrump.com with the Subject being: “Oklahoma Call for Models : Bird Series”

with your most recent pictures. A good headshot and profile would be ideal. Any experience with modeling is a plus. Once you have done that, please respond here so I know to look for your email. I get several emails a day, so this helps me to locate specific emails.

I look forward to your interests and responses.

Sincerely,

Bryan Crump