Guiding Principles

Phone Rings...

I answer...

"Hello?"

A voice says, "What does your heart ask you to express?"

"Uh...Who is this?"

They reply, "You know who I am. Many are called, but few are chosen Andrew... Andy... Whatever you choose to call your self these days."

Hangs Up. Dial tone... 

"Hello? That was weird. Maybe they will call back?"

    When I was a kid my brother and I would make short films and stop motion animations. I always wanted to be an artist. In many ways my "little" brother did too. He's now a brilliant engineer. I am what I always wanted to be when I grew up. An artist. Super hero wasn't a real option for me. Was it? However, to my defense Batman's only super power was being super rich.

    As an artist it is my job to express my self. If it doesn't come from the heart it's not gonna be as powerful. BAM! Sometimes my ideas come from dreams. I can't tell you how many people are actually living their dreams out there. Not many. Hell even my mom told me a few years ago she still didn't know what she wanted to be when she grows up her self. This level of honesty with me among all of my family members wasn't and isn't something new. In fact it's been like that nearly all my adult life and I decided it was gonna be my first guiding principle in my relationship with my child. I don't lie to her. Never have and never will. It's been that way since she could talk. This open expression of love builds trust. The kind of trust you see even on the battle field.

    Life can be seen as a struggle or war. It's You vs. Them. You vs. Nature. and the most difficult battle of all. You vs. Your Self. Sometimes you have to dig deep inside your self to move forward. This brings us to my second guiding principle. Never under any circumstances give up. If it works for learning to ride a bike and video games imagine what it could do into adulthood right? 

    Unconditional love means we never leave anyone behind, always listen, and offer our help. Right armed services, police, fire, rescue, doctors, lawyers, and sheriff? Take a look around our neighborhood. Our communities are supposed to be a place where we can grow together and support each other. Look at the scenery and the people. Really look. Don't pay attention to those "labels." Are there smiling faces in the numbers we should see? Hardly. If you give up on your self you are giving up on them too. If you don't go out into the real world and only live through your screens you'll never reach your full potential and neither will they.

    Look, I'm not naïve and unicorns don't s#@$ sunshine, rainbows, sparkles, and chocolate, but I can help you put a new roof on your house. Think about how you can express your heart to help others. Call attention to the things you want to see done. Then actually try to help fix things. Just saying we need to do something doesn't fix s@#$. The roof will still leak won't it?

    Be the change you want to see. Be extra ordinary. Be bold. Seize the day! #remixmovement #remixpekin

Andy Ray Uppole is an artist from Peoria, Illinois that specializes in audio and video production, graphic design, commercial art, and creative consulting. You can contact him by calling 209-509-4120 or email him at subversiondesignsolutions@gmail.com 

Community Standards

 "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things." Martin Luther King Jr. 

How much value do you place on a human life? What about those lives that are not your own?

    Ice T put it bluntly by stating, "No lives matter" during the introduction to his band Body Count's "No Lives Matter." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlk7o5T56iw He is essentially saying "they" (which could mean anyone) do not care about others period. This is color blind. We set the bar for our community creating a standard. Not this "them" or "they."

    I'm sure you have read signs like, "No shirt, no shoes, no socks, no service." Right? What we tolerate becomes the norm as well as what we don't. (Covers ears) What we turn a blind eye to is expectable. (Covers eyes) I will not except silence any more or selfishness. (Covers mouth) Only discussion, revelations, and Unity. 

    With the advent of the internet our communities now stretch across the globe like a spiders web. There is almost no delay in our communications. Each web page can be instantly translated and convey ideas that have the power to shape lives the world over. A simple post can rattle a small town or save lives. We can ask for help with our problems, get advice, expose lies, and free the truth. Lets raise the bar for our own community together right now. This is the new standard. #remixpekin   #remixmovement

Andy Ray Uppole is an artist from Peoria, Illinois that specializes in audio and video production, graphic design, commercial art, and creative consulting. You can contact him by calling 209-509-4120 or email him at subversiondesignsolutions@gmail.com 

Community and Unity

     Community is a compound word that consists of the words communication and unity. Meaning it is a place where we can come together to freely share ideas as one people and right now we have the opportunity of a life time to come together like never before, but we have to band together. 

    Over the next year secondary markets for consumer goods will take off like a rocket and explode due to COVID-19, because the working class perpetually have to search for the best deals and that is going to fuel a major shift towards pawn shops, flea markets, and digital markets like Facebook, Craigslist, Etsy, and Let Go post coronavirus. This seems like a no brainer especially after watching trends in the retail sector as the number of homeless and jobless climb. 

    I believe in just a short time entire physical communities may in fact become centralized around this type of new market almost like they once were, but in a more modern setting. The urban sprawl has contributed to the essence of communities dying along with other factors through out the United States as well as miss management. My generation, the one of the internet is ready to take control of it's destiny and renovate the place. It's time to #remixpekin. #remixmovement

Andy Ray Uppole is an artist from Peoria, Illinois that specializes in audio and video production, graphic design, commercial art, and creative consulting. You can contact him by calling 209-509-4120 or email him at subversiondesignsolutions@gmail.com