HYPER-DIMENSIONAL POWERS

The other day I went record shopping. That in itself is not unusual for me, but at the same time I discovered something about myself. What I discovered, upon further introspection, is nothing new; In fact, it's possible that a lot of my lifelong creativity has been sparked through my new(old) super power!

While perusing the shelves for new music, I found a record that seemed interesting enough. The record was by an artist who went by the name Xander Harris. The album artwork was an extreme close-up snapshot of a scene from a cheesy horror film snapped directly from a TV screen. The staff at the record store had written on the record's cellophane packaging an intimation in sharpie marker that read something to the effect of "Lo-Fi synth-horror in the vein of John Carpenter etc." This made me realize that I would probably enjoy the record or I would at least like to flip through my record collection and see that bizarre cover art pop out every now and then. I wanted the record, but at the same time I was a tad low on cash. Being low on cash does not typically heed my music purchases so I wistfully held onto the record as I scanned some more titles. Then my newly realized ability kicked in. You see, I didn't need to buy the record because I was already imagining a perfectly good version of it in my head. I may have even "listened" to it a few times over before leaving the store and that wacky cover design was burned well into my memory. I had possessed the record through some form of osmosis! I had so accepted the assumed compositions in my head that maybe they were more delightful than the actual hard copy in my hands!

I've always considered myself to be very intuitive and a good judge of character, and this 'osmosis' is probably a near cousin to those qualities. When enough elements or details are given to me about a new subject; I am able to determine its whole. Sounds obvious, right? Surely everyone possesses these tools of reason, but perhaps not everyone is aware of their full range of applications. We can draw inspiration from practically everything around us and this will allow us to not only shape our ideas, but shape the physical world as well. So the next time you look at something, really look at it, and you may be surprised to find that you are in tune with its texture or temperature. The next time you touch something, really touch it, and you will maybe feel its distress over the years or its contents will reveal themselves as if you have x-ray eyes! Absorb your surroundings, calculate what you've gathered and use your gifts to their fullest potential.

MULTIPLE PERSONALITIES PT.4

Here's a little treat for everyone! This track is the jump-off point of a new sound I have been experimenting with lately. Don't be fooled into thinking that it is only tedious and sad; this song is meant to be peaceful (for a happy or sad moment) and yes you may need to have a little patience and time to listen to it. This featured song is called The Well. In the near future you should be able to check in here for more songs to be born from the same style. Titles to check back for include: You Went Away and Shapes In The Sunlight. Both songs are currently in production. Enjoy!

The Well by Justin P Cipa

C.O.P. is #1!

A year ago today I found myself at the brink of a mini nervous breakdown. I had quit my job and I wasn't sure in what direction I was heading. My mind was flying apart and I needed to focus my thoughts and my energies and at the same time I wanted to find peace within myself. I soon realized the potential for a goofy blog to aid me in reasoning with my situation. I wasn't searching for answers or results so much as I was looking to relieve myself of the pressures I was facing. I took a deep breath, I smiled, and I prepared to start from a new humble beginning. Throughout the next few months I absorbed into a simpler lifestyle, I accepted help from family and friends without allowing myself much guilt, and made sure to spend time in the sun and listen exclusively to calming ambient music. This surely sounds corny and new-age-y, but it honestly helped, and I recommend this practice to anyone who finds themselves in a similar predicament.
I have since fully "recovered" from joblessness and many other pieces have fallen into place elsewhere in my life; I gained full custody of a beautiful cat, I met a wonderful girl, I shifted my artistic style a bit and I apparently took the time to write every-now-and-then! All of this wouldn't have been possible without the support from those who embraced Code of Posture and gave me continual encouragement and inspiration. My blogging community (ugh, that sounds ridiculous) consists of faithful readers, some of whom have blogs of their own. My friend Mackenzie has a couple of blogs. My favorite blog of Mackenzie's can be found if you click right here. She is, to speak in her language, rad. My girlfriend Allie has a couple blogs too! A seemingly endless visual treat from Allie's blog universe can be found if you click right here. (I hope you gals don't mind the free publicity!) My biggest fan is most likely Mom. Mom, you have been my inspiration to keep my writing clean and refined which has served well as a huge part of the template for each Code of Posture posting. My friends John and Joe (recurring characters in a few C.O.P. topics) have roused many ideas that were worth writing about. Thanks.

I hope you all continue reading because I expect that life is only going to get more interesting in this next year and I'll be sure to give you some perspective along the way.

Beautiful Day

The sky is a little hazy today in response to a thick heat consuming the Philadelphia region as of late. The sun is there for sure, and a beautiful day is breathing it's deep and slow breezy breaths onto those of us who have the patience and time to recognize that, yes, it is indeed a beautiful day. I'm fortunate to have today and tomorrow free of work so I can absorb every sticky second of my Wednesday afternoon even though my sweat glands are squeezing it all right back out onto the plastic chair I'm sitting in on my back porch. Wish you were here.

SLEEPLESS NIGHTS

The movie Communion, as far as I can bring to mind, is the only movie creepy enough to keep me from being able to fall asleep at night. I saw the film once when I was twelve or so and again sometime in my early twenties. Even in my young adult life I feared I would see the alien from this clip peeking from behind my dresser or from inside my closet door or around the corner in the hallway when I went to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Terrifying.

LAUREL AND HARDY

The best comedy to ever exist! Oliver Hardy's priceless takes to the camera and Stan Laurel's vacant reactions to the world around him: incredible. Enjoy!

HAND MADE MAN

What have I been doing with my life? To be quite honest, I have been enjoying it. Often I overanalyze and criticize life and the people around me, but I do have very basic problems and I'm grateful that I am able to apply some introspection to most of them to keep my cool. I'm lazy, I'm typically broke, and I haven't necessarily found myself where I pictured myself to be when I was younger, but that's through no fault but my own; I have never felt like I've just been dealt a bad hand- I just haven't played my cards right. I'm patiently learning the game though, and it helps to realize that I'm playing the game with others who are learning as well. We win a few rounds and maybe lose the next one, but it's always a fine idea to smile and have fun and learn some tricks along the way.

Sometimes I have intense moments of clarity and I realize what I'm destined to do. Today I said to myself- and probably for the millionth time, " I should just focus on doing album artwork. I love looking at album artwork and packaging techniques and when I'm shopping for those products I get inspired to come home and draw... Then I would make money that I could spend on shopping for records..." and so on. That sounds to me like a pretty safe full house to bet on. Then, before I know it my day off is over and I get sucked back into my weekly nine-to-five and I make almost no time for pursuing such a dream. Sad... but again, that's just me being lazy. I've never really broke my back for my passion, yet interestingly enough I get regular lower back pain (and I'm only 31! yikes!) most likely from my retail job with lousy pay... go figure.

So what have I been doing with my life? I've been enjoying it, yes. I have also been watching it closely from the outside and maneuvering it from the inside, but a piece is still missing. I haven't made that move that scares most of us from completely controlling our lives. I am yet to say, "all in"