February 4th, 2010 by Erik Paul under Business, Informational, Personal. No Comments.
Last week I mentioned I’d be posting some photos from the cardio cath procedure and here they are! So what is a cardio cath procedure and what are you looking at in these photos? Capital Medical Center uses the latest cardiac imaging technologies, one being echocardiography, a noninvasive diagnostic test that allows their specialized physicians to evaluate the status of heart valves and muscles. The information is displayed on four large monitors and the team is looking at the patient’s heart in HD. Upon pinpointing a troubled area (or areas), these specialists can repair tissue by going deep within the body by using small catheters and stents through a small hole made in the groin. This method of treatment reduces recovery time for the patient and greatly improves quality of life… and the best part about it from my point-of-view, there was very minimal blood. In fact, there wasn’t an open incision I could distinguish even after I observed the specialist use a scalpel. It was a very moving experience… to witness Capital Medical Center’s cardio team working together, orchestrating a network of small, thin tubes that sprouted out of, well, technically into, this patient (who was conscious during the entire procedure). He certainly was a good sport to allow me in the room to photograph him during this very real-life experience. It was quite the honor to have been the photographer for this shoot… knowing his life was literally in their hands and the quality of this shoot was in mine. If you have photography needs that require the skilled hands of a professional photographer, please contact me… and let’s get started today!
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Tags:Capital Medical Center, Cardiovascular Catheter Procedure, Erik Eikenberry, Erik Paul Artistic Communication, Lacey, Olympia, photographer, photography, Professional, Thurston County, Tumwater.
January 29th, 2010 by Erik Paul under Business, Design, Informational, Personal. No Comments.
If you’ve lived in Thurston County for some years now you are most likely familiar with Community Values Magazine. It’s a great local publication, owned by Lee and Babs Townsend, that features local discount coupons and information from quality businesses in the Olympia, Lacey & Tumwater area of Washington State. One feature that really makes this monthly direct mail advertising magazine stand out is the cover. Community Values Magazine approaches local graphic designers, artists and photographers and asked them if they’d like to create a cover at no cost. It’s a free plug for the artist to reach over 67,000 mail boxes and the opportunity for Community Values Magazine to have a cover that Lee himself must consider coffee table worthy. I was very fortunate and appreciative when Lee approached Erik Paul Artistic Communication a few months ago and asks if I’d like to create the cover for February 2010. With a big “YES” I got my creative juices flowing and designed the below cover. This idea has been a heavy concept in my mind to create… if many of us humans could replace our brain with our heart, there would be so much more warmth, kindness and love in this world… and universe. If you’d like to discuss graphical visuals that might bring love and light to your universe, please contact me... and let’s get started today!
February 2010 cover artwork for Community Values Magazine designed by Erik Eikenberry
Tags:Community Values Magazine, Coupons, Cover, Digital Paint, Direct Mail Advertising, Erik Eikenberry, Erik Paul Artistic Communication, graphic design, illustration, Lacey, Olympia, Thurston County, Tumwater.
January 24th, 2010 by Erik Paul under Business, Personal, Photography. No Comments.
I never thought being a photographer could be a dangerous job when I began studying photography at California State University, Los Angeles 14 years ago. The most threatening part was breathing in all that developer, stop and fix in the dark room, but those days are ancient history. With a camera in hand there’s a lot of safety looking through the lens… or so I thought, but it’s what one is photographing that can cause danger. I learned this when I was hired about six years ago as a ride along photographer for the Washington State Patrol. I was very fortunate to have had such a rare opportunity like that, but the risk of the situation did not become apparent until I was told I had to wear a bullet proof vest the entire time. Before I put the bullet proof vest on I had to sign a consent form stating that I was voluntarily riding with Trooper Julie Mitchell. There were lots of thrills; a high speed pursuit and even an arrest, but in the end I made it back safely. I salute Trooper Mitchell and anyone that puts their life on the line every day to protect and serve the greater good of the community. Click here or click the collage above to see a few photos from that day on November 3rd, 2003. Jumping back to the present, last week I found myself once again realizing that there are risks I like taking as a photographer. Capital Medical Center hired me to photograph a cardiac procedure in their newly remodeled, state-of-the-art cath lab. I would be shooting over the shoulders of one of the South Sound’s greatest cardiologist and his technical team (no pressure of course). Again I gave little thought to this shoot posing any threat to my health until the cardiac team told me right before this 7am photo shoot began that I needed to wear scrubs and then they loaded me up with a lead vest, lead neck wrap and a lead skirt. Again I realized once standing in the procedure room amongst fellow clad professionals, that the radiology equipment is seriously powerful and poses a risk to those who use it everyday to help those who need their medical artistry skills. After the photo shoot was finished, (both were a success… photos from the procedure to-be-posted soon), I asked Capital Medical Center’s Marketing Director, Renee Crotty, to take the below photo of me (to document my once in a lifetime photo shoot and my once in a lifetime garb). If you have any photo shoots that require a fearless photographer, with a quick finger and a sharp eye, please contact me… and let’s get started today!
Tags:Action, Capital Medical Center, Cardio Cath Lab, documentary, Erik Eikenberry, Lacey, Olympia, photographer, photography, Professional, Thurston County, Tumwater, Washington State Patrol.
January 17th, 2010 by Erik Paul under Business, Informational, Photography. No Comments.
It all starts with a great idea! If you think about that catch phrase too long you’re going to probably say to yourself, “that’s about as rudimentary of a concept as one can boast”… and that’s true. But, if something is worth doing, then it should be done right. That is were an idea will lead to a concept. That concept will lead to a message and that message must have strength, both linguistically and visually. It should be backed up by appealing graphic design work, intriguing photography (or possibly illustration) and smart copy writing… hence you will have yourself a successful advertisement. I see this too often, someone buys ad space and their ad content lacks any true concept… an idea was never started. Running an advertisement on any medium without a developed message is getting the cart before the horse… which in the advertising world is the same thing as throwing money away. Start with an idea and ask yourself, a co-workers, or ask an advertiser, what is the advertising idea? Ask if there is a concept. What is the message? Is the message worth presenting to the public (and is the presentation worth spending the money for the space it will be on)? In the ad business, most often when one creative person speaks to another creative person about a good (or great) ad they saw, they usually refer to it as a “smart ad.” If you’d like to discuss some smart advertising ideas and concepts that can strengthen the messaging of your business, or if you need some graphic design or photography, please contact me… and let’s get started today!
Tags:Advertising, branding, Erik Paul Artistic Communication, freelance advertiser, graphic design, illustration, Lacey, marketing, Olympia, photography, Thurston County, Tumwater, web design.
January 13th, 2010 by Erik Paul under Personal. No Comments.
It’s rare I post personal topics on this blog that do not relate to advertising in some form, but occasionally it’s good to make an exception, and considering this is well within the realm of creativity, I figured, “why not?” Today marks the official five year anniversary I completed my first jazz CD, Mellovertones. It was exactly five years ago today I finished the composing, arranging, producing and graphic design of this 12 track CD. Mellovertones was named in the end after all was final… based on the mellow nature of the overtones the genre carried. I call it a jazz CD, but in actuality it is a fusion of styles that range from bebop to hip hop with the character of all the instruments representative of jazz. This album is all synthesized and created with multiple sequencers, synthesizers, mixers, filters and computer editing software. This fact has been a disappointment to some that believe the real meaning of jazz is based on organic improvisation… so to them, I call this style of music electronica. But this blog post is not to defend the nature of how this album was created, it is to celebrate the fact that this album was created. If you’re wondering if I produced other jazz CDs, the answer to that sadly is no as of today… but on a happy note I did go on to produce a salsa-fusion CD called Ritmeloso which I completed about a year after Mellovertones. From jazz to salsa? I was so intrigued with all the realistic synthesized instruments, mainly spanish guitars and horns that are awesome, I couldn’t pass on trying! I’ll have to post that CD when it’s five year anniversary comes around… but until then, I hope you enjoy listening to these below tracks from Mellovertones. If you’d like to order a CD or download all the mp3 files please contact me to get groovin’ and movin’!
|
M E L L O V E R T O N E S
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| Track |
Song Title |
Running Time |
Listen |
| 01 |
Booda |
05′03 |
Play |
| 02 |
Jaziz |
04′59 |
Play |
| 03 |
Doovoo |
04′49 |
Play |
| 04 |
Malloe |
03′33 |
Play |
| 05 |
Lo-Fi |
05′13 |
Play |
| 06 |
Caffie |
05′55 |
Play |
| 07 |
Seeb |
05′15 |
Play |
| 08 |
Elble |
05′53 |
Play |
| 09 |
Sawn |
04′57 |
Play |
| 10 |
Blue’d |
05′07 |
Play |
| 11 |
Flewll |
06′07 |
Play |
| 12 |
Freax |
06′06 |
Play |
Tags:audio production, bebop, electronica, Erik Eikenberry, graphic design, hip hop, jazz, midi sequencing.
January 3rd, 2010 by Erik Paul under Business, Design. No Comments.
I mentioned a few posts ago that I’d be updating the photos for the outdoor media sweep Little Creek Casino Resort is running for “Power To The Player.” My hope was for the weather to be sunny and clear on a weekend that I could dedicate to driving around and hunt down these bus ads and billboards. This journey would start off in Thurston county and then move across the grid to the outskirts of Lewis and Mason County. Lots of ground to cover, lots of media to photograph. Unfortunately with Washington weather staying true to form, it’s been very gray and wet… not ideal conditions for getting good photos of the spanning outdoor advertisements. So, with these typical conditions on the weekend and my inability to run out the door on any old weekday, I have decided I will post the photos that were provided by the outdoor companies. The below photos are merely “proof of performance” (POP) snap shots. This means the installers who post the billboards or bus ads take these shots to give to the account executive at the outdoor company, who then in turn will give the client (in this case Little Creek Casino Resort) the images as “proof” of their “performance.” Sadly for the graphic designer (in this case that would be me) the photos are rarely good and most of the time considered poor quality. The image’s function is to get the point across as to what the client is paying for, is actually on the street. With fingers crossed and weather permitting, I will continue my quest to get some good shots of these media locations before the sweep is over… so hopefully I’ll get some better shots soon! If you’d like to discuss ways to design outdoor advertising to be an effective medium for your business, please contact me… and let’s get started today!
Tags:Advertising, Billboard, Bulletin, Bus, graphic design, Lacey, Lewis County, Little Creek Casino Resort, Mason County, Olympia, Outdoor, Poster, Proof of Performance Photos, Thurston County, Tumwater.
January 1st, 2010 by Erik Paul under Business, Design, Informational, Photography. No Comments.
Happy New Year to you, your family and friends from Erik Paul Artistic Communication! I hope your New Year is off to a safe and sane start in these fast paced and unpredictable times. As an incentive for all your advertising and graphic design essential needs, and as well, my way of extending my hope that your business is off to a great New Year, I would like to offer a 10% discount for all new client projects in the month of January 2010! That’s right, if you’ve never taken advantage of Erik Paul Artistic Communication as your advertiser, designer, photographer, web designer or illustrator, January 2010 is an ideal time to give me, and my services, a try! You’ll find out how my passion for everything I do can be an inspiration for your business and beneficial to your professional image. See for yourself why I say, “Anything I put my hands on, I put my heart into.” If you need professional advertising services, with more than 13 years of experience behind them, please contact me… and let’s get started today!
Tags:Advertising, branding, Erik Paul Artistic Communication, freelance advertiser, graphic design, illustration, Lacey, marketing, monthly offers, Olympia, Thurston County, Tumwater, web design.
December 28th, 2009 by Erik Paul under Business, Design. No Comments.
It’s almost the New Year and with any new year usually comes change and it’s most often a change for the better! For the Players Club members, who have previously received Little Creek Casino Resort’s monthly hotel offers, they will see this change for the better! Once again they will receive their hotel offers, but now with a completely new feel and a different style! Little Creek has decided to move away from their long standing hotel mailer brand which traditionally favored a calendar with a break down of the recipient’s offers; day-by-day, box-by-box. Though this was a very effective approach, it was also perhaps a little too literal of an approach. So with some incentive for change being the New Year and some inspiration from the “The Entertainment Capital of the World,” Little Creek’s Marketing Manager asked me to push the property’s brand limits! She wanted it different from any graphic design style they had ever done historically and best of all, she wanted me to let loose! It was to be illustrative, sexy, have movement and lots of texture… she wanted change for Little Creek and the New Year! Once the final design was completed I have to admit I was elated with the new direction and Little Creek couldn’t wait to get this new style into the hands of their Players Club members! If you’d like to start the New Year with a new look for your business promotions, advertising and collateral, please contact me… and let’s get started today!
Tags:branding, Direct Mail, Erik Paul Artistic Communication, graphic design, hotel mailer, Lacey, Little Creek Casino Resort, marketing, monthly offers, Olympia, rebranding, Tumwater.
December 18th, 2009 by Erik Paul under Business, Informational. No Comments.
If you were fortunate enough to see Cheech and Chong last February at the Skookum Creek Event Center, you know you laughed yourself silly at a once in a lifetime show! For those of you that missed out because tickets sold out in a matter of days, no worries, they’re coming back and this time there will be two shows on two separate days… February 26th & February 27th! It’s fair to say they truly are back by popular demand… which is no surprise as Cheech and Chong have been hailed as the comedy duo of their generation. It’s very evident that they are two partners who have a hilarious presence because they have a great chemistry working together… and for nearly 40 years!!! Don’t miss out, spend an evening with two iconic friends that will make you laugh until your eyes tear up and turn red… click here to get your tickets today or call 800-667-7711 or head on down to Little Creek’s box office!
Tags:Cheech & Chong, February 26th & 27th, in concert, Light Up America Tour, Little Creek Casino Resort, Live, Olympia, on stage, Shelton, Skookum Creek Event Center, Washington.
December 15th, 2009 by Erik Paul under Business, Photography. No Comments.
There’s still time to give your loved ones the gift of a precious portrait. Not to sound like a Hallmark card, but a photo truly is a timeless piece that holds its value forever. It’s the gift that keeps on giving; month after month, year after year. Give a meaningful photograph and you’re giving a lifetime of memories and warm feelings. Erik Paul Artistic Communication will love working with you on your next standard portrait or gift portrait for those special people in your life. We will discuss many different possible sittings to put you at ease and talk about what you should wear. Also, we’ll discuss scene layout, background color, texture, lighting and props. If you’d like to get going on your gift portrait, please contact me… and let’s get started today!
Tags:Christmas gift, Erik Paul Artistic Communication, Lacey, Lewis County, Olympia, photography, Shelton, special memories, standard portrait, studio, Thurston County, Tumwater.
