RANDOM HOUSE 1/1/2009 4:41:00 PM
The random issue is here. Okay, my good friend Sukhjit who I had the pleasure of meeting at this years TechCrunch50 in San Francisco did a blog entry about 7 random
facts about herself. At the end of her posting she lists 7 other friends that create their own Blog/OpenZine or whatever medium you use to create the same thing – 7 Random facts about yourself. So, with all the vanity that I have (LoL) I decided to join in on the fun and give you a no holds bard facts sheet of random facts about the mysterious artist known as Kiki Valdes. No better way then doing it with using the golden Godly number 7. With no further ado I present you my 7 random facts to start off 2009. Beware, you might be shocked and amused. Maybe, yeah maybe just a little! Also make sure to check out http://sukhjit.me
Also enjoy a "Random" little chart of a painting I made last year. You can see the progression I figured it would be a nice match for this issue. You can find it toward the bottom of this page.
7 RANDOM FACTS ON KIKI VALDES 1/1/2009 7:00:00 PM1. I’m Superstitious – Yes, blame it on the Cuban and Spaniard roots. I’ve denied it for years but I’m a superstitious type. Not very proud of it either. I don’t follow the
usual stereotypical superstitious beliefs like walking under a latter gives you bad luck for however many years or crossing a black cat or any of the ones that are known most in popular culture. I kind of created my own over the years. They are very stupid and I wish I was above them. I freak out when I have conversations with people and they put their hands in their pockets. I feel they are hiding something. I love the number 22, and believe it’s a spiritual number but it freaks me out anyway when I see it. If I’m at a restaurant I can’t have my back away from the front door. I always have to be in the direction facing the door. I can’t have cabinet doors open in the kitchen. It gives me a sense of chaos. If I hear weird noises I always think it’s a ghost or if it is a person I still think they are a ghost. If I see certain animals in the wild or in a backyard I feel it holds certain answers I’m looking for during that week or month. I know better then to believe in these things even slightly but I think it’s engraved in my genes and my blood. Oh well!
2. I have a very good memory – My memory is very sharp. It’s not perfect but I can remember small things that sometimes people can’t understand how I remembered. I can remember certain events and peoples faces and their stories very
well. I am actually pretty bad with names but if I meet you and you tell me about yourself a red light blinks in my brain and I keep that fact on file. Next time I see you and if I introduce you to someone else I usually try to bring people together by certain small facts I know from those red lights I got prior. Not many people know that but I’m a good bridge of putting good people together for this reason. I can even remember things pretty well from when I was 2 years old sometimes too. I think it’s a gift and has helped me career wise also. But again other times I don’t remember a thing but it could be due to my attention level at the time and if I was comfortable in the surrounding place.
3. I’m a loner – People in Miami know me for pretty much knowing everybody in the city. I know everyone from every corner of everything. If I don’t know you I have
sources to know you. I’m an acquaintance driven person. I have friends that care about me and likewise all over. But I am also a very big loner. I keep most people at an arms length. It’s very hard for me to put you in my inner circle. It’s not because I think I’m special or anything like that. I am just very mindful about those sort of things. I have never run with the pack. I lay down my own road and march my own path. If I feel I’m too involved in any organization or social group I always catch myself breaking away from it when it feels too routine for my own good. I love having people around me don’t get me wrong. But I walk my own beat and if something seems “cool” or “in the new” I am very critical and wary of it and stay away from it at a nice enough distance. This also goes with religious institutions, art movements, friends and causes. I’m the horse in the field that goes his own way. Maverick style all the way.
4. I created the Zine to OpenZine – OpenZine first started as a photocopy zine (underground publication) in early 1994 my brother Humby and I were just kids. Humby was heartbroken from a puppy love he had and wanted to start a zine called
Open because he thought he was closed minded. So, the zine was actually called Open for a while. He used to handwrite everything in it and I would help with the little cartoons and illustrations. It was more of his thing at the time. When he would produce 40 or 50 copies or so we would take them to the local record shop called Y & T (Yesterday and Today’s Records) and put them on the zine rack. There use to be so many zines to read back then! Anyway one day we took them and Open was still a brand new idea. I saw a flyer for a record label called Open Records and it freaked me out. I started to think about copyright infringement and getting really nervous. It was kind of funny thinking back. I was no older then 12 at the time and having all these concerns. I told Humby maybe it was a better idea to call it something like OpenZine to avoid conflicts with Open Records or anyone else for that matter. The name makes more sense now than back then. It goes to show your past actions always affect your future.
5. I didn’t graduate college – I went to college at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. Baltimore you ask? Well yes, my friends the school is one of the best in
the land for the painting department so for obvious reasons I took the dive. I went right after high school and did all my 4 years without a break like a good scholastic fool. I was committed to my studies of drawing and painting. One thing though, I was really bad at academic courses. I failed art history I don’t know how many times. I would fall asleep during the Renaissance through 1855 course on a weekly basis. It eventually caught up with me. Some old dork lady was pressed on making me fail her class and not get my 3 credits to pass. Well eventually she prevailed in her sinister plot. I walked on stage graduation day and afterwards when I walk to get my diploma I was denied for 3 measly credits. She might of won the battle, but I think it makes a cooler story for me in the long run.In all due time I will have the last laugh. It makes great dialog for interviews too. ;-)
6. I see the glass half full – I’m an optimist even if my current condition tells me other wise. I always try to see the bright side of things and push for the future. I detest people who doubt everything and bring their muggy cloud near me. I never admit defeat to anyone. I mostly do this for myself. It helps me keep the fight alive. I truly believe in mind over matter and we can pretty much do anything if we keep beating it over our heads thatwe can and actually act on it with God’s stream of wisdom. We can’t do
things alone, at least for me I am very aware that a higher power helps me do the things that I otherwise couldn’t. Keep your glass full with love. It will come back in mysterious ways and if it didn’t its still better to fight for the greater good right?
7. I'm a Freemason - that's pretty much all I can tell you. Goodnight!
Okay, now I will list 7 people to make an OpenZine just like I did about 7 Random facts about themselves. Lets keep the fire going! It will be fun I know it was fun for me to create. Can't wait to see your issue in my Paperboy inbox.
Humby
Ali
Eli Gold
Mike Macias
Birdz-n- Wordz
Melanin Certified
Yelhsadesigns