by Vincent Mok

Hanny van Arkel is a science fan, not a scientist – yet, she has made a big name for herself in the field of astronomy and is known throughout the world.  Hanny is the discoverer behind Hanny’s Voorwerp, a rare type of astronomical object called a quasar ionization echo (also named after her).  Though her discovery may exist in space, she remains down-to-earth and encourages others to learn about science, even if it may seem out of reach.

 

She told Telescope about how exceptional things can happen in the everyday with her story behind the Voorwerp.

 

Telescope Magazine: What is the story of your discovery? Online, I can read something like “This is Hanny van Arkel. She discovered a rare astronomical object,” but what are the details that are missing?

 

Hanny van Arkel:  I wouldn’t have found out about the Galaxy Zoo astronomy project if it weren’t for Brian May, Queen’s guitarist, who mentioned it on his website. Brian is an astrophysicist, and he has a friend, Chris Lintott, who set up Galaxy Zoo. Brian put up some beautiful pictures and said that anyone can help — even if they aren’t a scientist or astronomer — by simply looking at beautiful images and marking them up. So after a week, I got this image on my screen, and it had a smudge. I didn’t know anything about astronomy, and never did I think, “Oh, this might be a new discovery.” I was just curious and e-mailed Professor Lintott. And now it’s named after me. That’s all that happened.

 

TM: Basically, this amazing thing occurred in completely unremarkable circumstances, right? So how do people view you?

HvA: Well, I’m many things, so it depends on whom you ask. My students, for instance, would say I’m a nice teacher whom they can trust but who can be strict as well. I’m also a perfectionist — I like to do things properly. If you ask my friends, they would say that I’m very spontaneous. If you ask people in astronomy, they know I’m Hanny van Arkel who discovered Hanny’s Voorwerp, who likes to tell the world that you can do science even if you’re not a scientist.

TM: Do you think that it’s important to have all of these sides, or is it okay to focus on just one thing?

HvA: I don’t think that one excludes the other. For instance, I can be spontaneous, but I’m very focused. I think you have to have the right balance.

 

TM: How does this idea affect your life? I mean, when thinking of amazing people, one might imagine that they wake at, say, 4 AMand do research or practice their craft until midnight. How does a typical day in the life of Hanny compare?

HvA: Sometimes the week is crazy. I mean, I was rushing to a live TV show yesterday. And today, I was teaching, cooking dinner, and doing normal things. My life is a mix of both, and I think I like it that way. But I don’t think I’m more extraordinary than anyone else just because I have something in the sky named after me. That’s not the important part.

 

TM: I like how you say that you’re no more extraordinary than anyone else. So how do you react when people do think that you’re so much better than them?

HvA: Well, the first time someone asked me for my autograph, I didn’t think he was serious. It’s fun to have that experience, but that’s not that point. In fact, I can relate to them because there are people I admire, and I feel like I don’t compare.

 

TM: And what do you say to these people who admire you?

HvA: One of the frequently asked questions I get is “What should I do to discover something?” If you ask me, I can only speak from my experience. The thing that gave me this opportunity was a bit of luck and the fact that I asked a question, so I think I would owe my discovery to passion and curiosity. As with other things in life, taking chances, working hard and staying positive are always good.

 

TM: Who is your hero or role model?

HvA: My hero and role model would be Brian May not only because he pointed out Galaxy Zoo, which allowed me to do all of these cool things, but also because of his work with Queen. And he has this position where many people know him, but he uses his fame well. I mean, in addition to astrophysics and music, he also does animal rights activism. And even more than using his fame to do good, he’s still really nice and down-to-earth. Really, he’s just a person, which I think people forget.

 

TM: Is there any closing remark you’d want to share?

HvA: Yes. We need to enjoy life more. It’s so short — that’s something I’ve learned through the years. I realize that I’m so very lucky for all the chances I’ve had — and not just because of Hanny’s Voorwerp but also because I have all of these great people around me. I really just want to make the most of everything because this is all I have.

Connect with Hanny:

Follow: @hannyvanarkel

Visit: www.hannysvoorwerp.com

by Chris Brumley

Vasu Sojitra skis on one leg better than most people do on two.  He told Telescope how he got to where he is today.

 

Telescope Magazine:  How old were you when you first started skiing and what made you want to take it on?

Vasu Sojitra:  I started skiing when I was about 10 years old. Prior to that, I was constantly open to trying a new thing and stubborn as always. I would tag along with my brother, Amir, and he would push me to give things a shot. Same went for skiing. We decided to go to a small hill in Connecticut with a friend. He told me to give it a shot and I did. It was quite the first day, but I knew I loved it the moment I went down the hill. It was such a priceless feeling to be able to do something independently.

 

TM:  Can you talk about the process you went through to teach yourself?

 VS:  It was a definitely a tricky learning curve, but I was able to manage it. As I said, I would always follow Amir around and that’s basically what happened on the ski hill. He would go down something difficult so I would too, without really knowing how much I would regret that decision. I kept a level head and never let my “disability” get the best of me and a lot of that was due to Amir. Never once did he, or my parents, pity me for having one leg. They always treat me equally and that helps me to be as independent as I can. I owe them everything for that. Now that I look back, a lot of it had to do with having a strong will and just becoming more emotionally stable with their help. That, I think is one of the major reasons for where I am today. That emotional stability helped me push aside the insecurities that having a “disability” creates. Once I got stronger and had more millage on the hill, I was gradually able to keep up with Amir and started to really enjoy the more difficult terrain. From there, my skill level just kept climbing. I Started skiing in glades and moguls. I fell a lot, of course, but always picked myself back up and kept going. My brother was always there to help or to just be there for support. After that, I started to make some friends that skied and I would go with them. They helped carry my ski and that’s about all, other than just goofing off and enjoying each other’s company. It just went from there.

TM:  How did you eventually get into backcountry skiing and what is special about it for you?

VS:  I got into the backcountry because of my friends in high school and at the University of Vermont. That was basically the next step for my skiing ability and my friends were on the same page. We all loved to go hiking and be in the backcountry, so eventually we said: “why not started combining that with skiing?” That’s when I decided to do some research and try to figure out how I would be able to get myself up the hill. It was quite a problem solving process and I loved every minute of it. Pursuing mechanical engineering really helped with that.

My first idea was a plexiglass basket type rig that broke on the first hike. Then I tried to attach some small skins for the bottom of my outrigger. That failed after getting too wet and falling off during a handful of hikes. And finally, the MSR Snowshoe extender with a toe loop and a tail strap, which I have used for the past 4 years. That opened a new door, the door into the backcountry. From that I really discovered what it meant and now that word to me is not just a word, but also a way of life. It has helped me slow down and take in all that life has to offer. When I’m feeling overwhelmed or just over people and the hustle bustle of everyday society, I try to go out there and see what nature can teach me about myself, even if it is just for one day. It’s like going into an unpredictable classroom. It is a natural therapy for me where all I need is food, water, and a ski, which in turn helps simplify my day to day life. That is why the backcountry is special to me. It helps me advocate and stand up for what I believe in even if there is this so called “disability” that tries to slow me down. That’s the end goal for us right? To find what truly makes us happy and keep that going.

TM:  What (or who) are some of your big inspirations and what gives you drive as an athlete?

VS:  My brother is one of my biggest motivators. I think inspiration is overused and I don’t consider myself an inspiration- just a dude who likes what he does no matter what. My brother has always pushed me and never pitied me and once again, I can’t thank him enough for it. The friends I have made who push themselves and test their limits to see what they are capable of. You truly get to know someone when you’ve shared a tent with them for a week straight in below zero temperatures. But more importantly, everyday people, whether they ski or not, that put themselves out there, not to be recognized, but make an impact on this world. The same people that work behind the scenes. Those types are the backbone of our society, because it wouldn’t function without their selfless effort.

 

TM:  What have you learned from your experiences as an adaptive athlete and what advice would you give to others?

VS:  One of the most important ideas I have incorporated in my life is what the word disability means to me. I try to help people realized that having a “disability” by the societal definition doesn’t have to mean less capable than an “able-body”—a  word, to me, that segregates people. People with a disability NEVER like to be looked down upon. They want to feel included just like everyone else. That we are people first and a disability does not define us. And last but not least that having a “disability doesn’t make you exceptional, but questioning what you think you know about it does,” said by Stella Young a comedian, journalist and disability advocate. Rest in peace Stella.

by Aaron Warner

 

I meet Mike Ott at his condo in Santa Clarita, California. He’s just returned from a Europe-spanning festival tour with his latest film, the micro-budgeted Lake Los Angeles. It’s his fifth feature film finished in the span of eight years. His table is splayed with his text-filled laptop and various documents; already he’s launched into finance-raising for his next film.

This might sound routine for a venerated independent auteur or a Hollywood household name, but Mike’s a teacher, on a break from his professorship at USC. Before that, he taught film to community college students at College of the Canyons, and to high school kids at the California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA). Finishing a feature film is a triumph, finishing five on a teacher’s salary is miraculous. Speaking with Mike, I meet a confident and unrelenting artistic mind, and find powerful pieces of advice for anyone hoping to pursue a career in any creative field.

 

Be honest and authentic

Between the three schools where Mike has taught, he has a clear favorite. “CSSSA’s hands down, the best”, he says “and I don’t know why that is”. But Mike remarks “they don’t overthink stuff; they make stuff straight from the heart, so it’s always moving and compelling.”

 

Believe in your medium

Mike becoming a filmmaker was something of a fluke; after a post-high school stint living in a San Diego punk house, Mike returned to his hometown in Santa Clarita, and began taking classes as College of the Canyons. “It’s the one thing that I tried that I didn’t feel that I was terrible at… I didn’t really know what I wanted to do”. One application to the famed California Institute of the Arts later, and Mike found himself under the mentorship of prominent academic and filmmaker, Thom Andersen, who he credits for illuminating the power of film.

“He had this really great quote” Mike says of Andersen, “‘You can walk into a movie at 1:00 p.m. on a Sunday, and walk out at 3:00 p.m. and see the world just a little differently’”.

“And also, I realized that movie have such an effect on culture, and I think a lot of that is in a really bad way. It can be a really positive thing, and it can be a really dangerous thing.”

 

Let your piece dictate the statement, not the other way around

Littlerock, the first in Mike’s now-completed “Desert Trilogy”, was critically described as being “about” failures in communication, adolescent angst, and the experience of being an outsider. His latest, Lake Los Angeles, seems rife with political subtext, owing to its two lead characters being Latin American illegal immigrants. But Mike admits he’s more interested in “letting the main thesis find itself”.

“I think you could make the argument that even being able to make a film is political. But I wasn’t interested in being preachy. I was just interested in these characters, and I already knew that ‘Mexicans coming over the border’ and ‘an illegal Cuban living in America’… all the politics are going to be there anyway, so you can let it happen and people will take what they want from it. I just realized, after watching all three movies recently; they all really have someone dealing with their dad issues.

 

Sympathize with your subjects

One of the most storied aspects of Mike’s films is the recurrent appearance of amateur actor, Cory Zacharia. Cory appears in all three of the Desert Trilogy films, each time playing a quirky character that’s a hard-to-decipher hybrid of Cory’s improvisation, and Cory himself. On screen, the Cory character speaks with a soft, nervy voice, wearing his insecurity and vague dreams of stardom on his sleeve.

“I think Cory’s the everyman. Everyone can relate to him; everyone has a dream of being somebody else. I can see him trying to fit in so bad, and there’s something to me so charming about that, because we’re all at a certain point in our lives that person, and he’s just such a raw version of that.”

“There are people who have watched Littlerock, and just can’t stand him. If you don’t like the movie, fine, fair enough. But for me I always say, if you don’t empathize with Cory, you have no heart.”

 

Embrace collaboration

Mike is not shy about crediting Cory, or any of his other collaborators for creating his favorite moments from any of his films, or the concepts as a whole. Littlerock, focused on two Japanese main characters lost in the eponymous California desert town, took off after Mike was inspired by camera-test improvs with co-writer and star Atsuko Okatsuka. He sums up Pearblossom Hwy as him “trying to understand Cory” after making and touring with Littlerock. When asked about the conception of Lake Los Angeles, Mike starts with his star, Roberto Sanchez.

“I think Roberto’s just this really fantastic actor who only gets casts in shit like 2 Fast 2 Furious. He’s handsome and he looks macho, and I think he’s not utilized, for as talented as he is. He’s always just some dude who’s smoking a cigar on a yacht.”

Actor improvisation has been huge in Mike’s films, since his first feature, Analog Days.

“I went into this with an antiquated idea of directing: ‘I wrote this, you need to say it like this’, but I had one actor in particular who could never really get things right, was kind of screwing up the lines. And when we started cutting the movie, I found that all his stuff was the most interesting. I just realized I like that process a lot more. All my favorite stuff in Analog Days was not the stuff I wrote.”

But Mike’s particular in discerning positive and sub-par experiences.

“When I made Pearblossom, we had a little more money than we had on Littlerock, so we had some more people, and there was someone who was working on the film every day who I couldn’t really vibe with. There was a moment afterwards where I said: ‘I’m never making a film again, spending my time with someone who I don’t want to be around; who I don’t believe in, where I don’t like their energy.’ As hippy-dippy as that sounds, it’s important.”

“And so we make Lake LA, which was the best experience in the world: all of my best friends hanging out, making work, experimenting, having successes, having failures—it was the best creative experience. It’s good that I had that stumble with Pearblossom, though.”

 

Stay humble, stay motivated, and take after Thom

Mike’s 2008 documentary Kid Icarus came from his experience as a community college film teacher. The film details Leigh Harkrider, a young film student with an unflinching determination to finish his under-conceived addiction drama, Enslavence. The documentary’s title alludes both to Leigh’s indulgence in video games at the expense of his relevant class work, and his hubris as disaster mounts during his short film’s production.

The film has been called a “cautionary fable” by one reviewer, and launching off from the film’s portrait of Leigh, and dissection of his technique’s breakdown, I ask Mike what kind of maxims he personally holds true for any aspiring artist.

“My mentor Thom said the three most important things to be an artist are to have curiosity: to be curious about the world and know what you’re curious about; to be able to be self-critical: to know when your shit sucks and not think you’re God’s gift; and to be ambitious.”

“I think that’s the smartest three little bits of information. I’ve known people who were missing one of those three things, and because of that, haven’t made anything. I think that’s really great advice, it’s so pared-down, so I think about that all the time.”

(Left to Right) Lake Los Angeles co-star Johanna Trujillo, Mike Ott, and Lake Los Angeles co-star Roberto Sanchez

 

More on Mike’s films, and those of his collaborators can be found at www.smallformfilms.com.

News about Lake Los Angeles can be found at the official site www.lakelosangelesmovie.com, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-Los-Angeles/466143060118943.

Kid Icarus can be viewed in-full at http://vimeo.com/37448951

by Lindsey Poole

Typically, we don’t see trains running through neglected deserts. But for the health desert that is South Los Angeles, public transportation is poised to be an integral part of the solution. In 2008, after the closure of Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital, South Los Angeles lost its community hospital. Dr. Katherine Sullivan responded with one question: What’s going to happen to all of the people—providers and patients? In her search for answers, she uncovered a disturbing truth: that South Los Angeles, termed an Economically Distressed Area, lacks a hospital with an ER, a sufficient amount of modernized health facilities and a substantial number of health professionals. Her solution to preventing the collapse of the community’s health ecosystem involves something rather unexpected: the train.

 

Telescope Magazine: What personal experiences prompted you to dedicate your life to addressing health inequity in South LA?

Dr. Katherine Sullivan: Professionally, my specialty is in brain trauma and degeneration, and how to recover from it. All of my research done in the 90s was in South LA. I became really excited about the potential of neuro-recovery. After doing all my research, I realized that something is better than nothing. If you give one population nothing and the other population something, then the latter has an advantage. That was a moral turning point for me. I thought, if I’m a therapist and I know that people get better when they get rehabilitation services, and I also know there’s a whole group of people not receiving those services, I have to speak for them.

 

TM: MetroHealth Station is designed to sit within walking distance of the Metro’s Expo/Crenshaw Station. How did this concept come about?

 KS: A colleague and I were working on a project to create “healthy neighborhoods at work.” We went to a community meeting in Leimert Park, Los Angeles’ African and African American cultural enclave. The meeting featured Metro representatives who were discussing the new line leading to the LAX airport; they were trying to decide whether or not to include a stop at Leimert Park. After I listened to Metro speak, I had this idea…what if we co-located?

I approached the speaker, who later introduced me to Metro’s urban planner. He gave me three suggestions on locations: Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights, the Art District in Downtown or Jefferson Park in South LA. All three places are health deserts, lack access to primary care and have high poverty rates. I realized it didn’t matter where the first station went as long as it was in an area of high need and near a Metro station…And it’s working!

 

TM: Can you explain how MetroHealth Station exemplifies the intersection of healthcare and transportation?

 KS: I love Margaret Mead. She once said, “One of the oldest human needs is having someone to wonder where you are when you don’t come home at night.” MetroHealth Station is about the message of this quote and the concept of family. Family members take public transportation to go to work or school, among other places. But, ultimately, they have to get back on the train to return home. To me, the train is an analogy that everyone is connected, yet we all have a home base. MetroHealth Station is designed to be near the home station of families in Jefferson Park. It’s specifically for the people who live or work in the neighborhood.

 “MetroHealth” means we’re concerned about the health of the people who live in urban communities with high density. Within a three-mile radius of the health station, there are 410,000 people. “MetroHealth Station – Jefferson Park” is named for the community; it belongs to the neighborhood.

 

 TM: What are some of the personal challenges you’ve experienced in your effort to end health deserts in South LA?

 KS: Sometimes I have trouble sleeping at night. I just cry. I just keep thinking about how the inequality has gotten so great, and it just makes me so sad. When you’re a health professional, you actually see the consequences of neglect and you know that something could have been done. People ask me why I’m doing what I’m doing, and I say because I have to. This is not an issue that should be polarized. This isn’t a left or a right issue. This is an American issue.

This is the scariest moment of my life right now. We really need support. We’ve built this beautiful place. We have excellent clinicians. But the reimbursement rates are so low that we’re barely covering our costs.

 

TM: MetroHealth Station’s philosophy is to foster collaboration across sectors, particularly with community groups. Why is collaboration so important in addressing this specific issue?

KS: We’ve created a health home that is culturally sensitive and community specific. Four factors make up a person from a health perspective—medical, physical, oral and emotional/spiritual health (represented by the four colors of our logo). These are four unifying factors, but how people tend to each of them depends on their culture—and that’s why we have to collaborate, especially with the community.

 

TM: What are some of the successes you’ve seen since the opening of MetroHealth Station in early December?

KS: Some of my employees have children and because we’ve created a health home, the kids treat it as such. We have rules, but they love to do things like run around and play hide-and-seek. Well, now when we say, “Hop in the dental chair,” they won’t be afraid because they’ve spent so much time running around the dental chair. Going to the doctor or dentist can be scary; we are changing that.

 

TM: What stories illustrate the gravity of health inequality in Economically Distressed Areas like South LA?

KS: There’s a homeless man named Levi who sweeps the street across from us. He’s my friend, my guardian angel. We’re the same age. In September, I noticed the sidewalk wasn’t getting swept. He was gone. I learned that he was in the hospital. A couple of weeks later, I saw him sitting with his head down; someone at his shelter had stolen his medication. He was deteriorating. One of our doctors provided him some medicine, but he was soon gone again.

This is the cycle that goes on here all the time. People are not getting regular care, so they go up and down and up and down.

For the past three months we’ve been waiting for our Medi-Cal contract, and I’ve been thinking Levi, please don’t die on me. Unless we get him enrolled here, he will keep going back and forth and one of these days he won’t make it. Taking care of your health is like getting your oil changed; if you don’t tend to it regularly, eventually the engine will break. It becomes irreparable. Levi is on that verge—the verge of chronic poor health and death.

 

TM: What sustains you on this challenging journey?

KS: If we don’t do something, this will be the biggest human catastrophe. I don’t think I’ll have any peace until this is successful. This is a faith walk. I don’t fight it anymore. In moments when I’m just about to lose faith, then there’s what I call a “God moment.” Recently, for example, I was at a breaking point, asking myself what are we going to do if we don’t get our Medi-Cal contract? That day, I put together a petition to provide more healthcare choices to South LA communities and the next day we got our contract.

So, I just keep walking because I know I’m on the right path.

Website: Metrohealthstation.com

Facebook: Metrohealth Station – Jefferson Park

Twitter: @MHS_JP

Instagram: MHS_JP

by Heather Ronaldson

Alyssa Carson watched as NASA test launched the S.O.S. Orion in Orlando, Fla. on Thursday, Dec. 4.

In 2033, it will be the capsule that is going to Mars – and it’s Carson’s ambition to be on the flight.

Carson is a 13-year-old girl from Baton Rouge, La. She has gone to NASA’s space camps 14 times – 12 times in Huntsville, Ala, once in Turkey and once in Canada. She has wanted to go to Mars since she was three years old.

“When I was little, I wanted to go to Mars, but I didn’t understand or comprehend how it could happen. But then I understood how it could happen. Becoming an astronaut and going to Mars is basically my main goal,” said Carson.

“NASA takes people like Alyssa very seriously. She is of the perfect age to one day become an astronaut and eventually travel to Mars. She is doing the right thing, she is doing the right training, and taking all the right steps to actually become an astronaut,” NASA’s Paul Foreman told the BBC in an interview.

 

Since BBC featured Carson, her life has become a flurry of media requests and interviews. She has been an invited Tedx  presenter. The title of her talk was “I am the Mars generation.”

“My talk was mainly about how a single planet species will eventually become extinct and we need to take this first step in going to Mars and living on other planets,” she said.

NASA also invited Carson to sit as a panel speaker in Washington, D.C. in January 2014 to discuss future missions to Mars.

“It was kind of one of the first times I got to do that sort of thing. That was pretty interesting,” said Carson.

When asked about something she knows about Mars that most people don’t, Carson said:

“There are three volcano-like hills on Mars that are in the same alignment as Orion’s Belt, and that’s the same as the Egyptian pyramids.”

While Carson’s aspirations may seem like a fulfillment of her own childhood fantasy, her goals transcend herself.

“I think the main message that I want to get across is how important it is to save the human race and how important it is for us to leave planet Earth because eventually it will die out. It just gets that first baby step that we can live on other planets,” said Carson.

“We can care for Mars to be like present day Earth in 300 years with current technology. We could begin living there but we have to start that process now.”

Carson’s hero is Sandra Magnus because she is the first female astronaut Carson ever met. Magnus wanted to be an astronaut since age 9, the same age Carson was when the two met.

“She proved to me that you can start young and achieve your dreams,” said Carson.

Bert Carson, Alyssa’s father, helps balance his only child’s life with friends and her extracurricular activities.

Carson speaks French, Chinese and Spanish from being educated at the nation’s only tri-lingual international school. She plays on a soccer team and in piano recitals.

“I have a pretty balanced life. My Saturday’s are usually packed, but not always by NASA stuff. These things just help me be a kid sometimes,” said Carson.

Bert Carson has said that he has never forced Mars ambitions on his daughter. He knows the risks of space travel and acknowledges that in 20 years he may never see his daughter again. But in the meantime, he fully supports her dreams.

“She has it in her mind to save humanity. There’s something in her blood, heart or mind that tells her she has to do that. The rest of this stuff is to inspire kids to be part of the thousands that send an astronaut to space or get into science and math. But as far as being famous or whatever she really could care less,” said Carson.

 

by Paul Yoder

Micah Gunnell knows that just being good isn’t good enough. In the comics business, you have to be prolific. As an artist for Marvel, Nickelodeon, and many other beloved brands, Micah puts out hundreds of quality drawings every week. His art appears in newsstands and TV screens around the globe, but he’s not complacent. We asked Micah why and how he got into the extremely competitive business of bringing heroes to life.

 

 

Telescope Magazine: When did you know you wanted to become an artist? Did you initially have comic books in mind?

Micah Gunnell:  From the time I could hold a pencil I was always drawing a lot. My Mom says I used to draw for hours when I was only three years old.

However, until my teen years I don’t think I ever really considered that being an artist was a feasible career. All the artists I ever heard about were the ones that didn’t really become famous until they were dead, so that didn’t seem too appealing. I think I did have kind of an idea of maybe being a book illustrator, or maybe a comic strip artist, but again, I didn’t really have any understanding about how one would go about doing that.

It wasn’t until age 15 that I started to read comics. I was watching the X-Men cartoon from the mid-90’s and at the end of it they had a little commercial about how you could follow more stories about them in their comics. I never bought a comic before that, but my interest was piqued, and I decided to buy a couple of them.

Immediately I was hooked, and realized that this is what I wanted to do! Literally from that moment I decided to devote myself to learning everything I could about the craft of drawing comics. I was very focused.

 

TM: Did you have a natural talent at the beginning? What did you do to improve your skills?

 

MG:  As I mentioned, I did have a natural inclination for art. No one comes out of the womb drawing beautiful images, so there was a lot of hard work and repetition that took place, even at an early age. I believe that the “talent” of drawing is having a very good visual memory, and the strange obsession of feeling it necessary to reproduce those images from your memory, as well as to create new ones.

My approach to improving my drawing has always been pretty much the same. First: find artists who are better than you, and analyze what they do and how they do it. Second: Draw as much as possible from life. Finally, draw everything that you are bad at drawing over, and over, and over until you’re good at it.

TM: What was your biggest struggle in building a career?

 

MG:  Probably just getting opportunities. The comic industry is not as thriving as it once was, so there are fewer opportunities there. Much of it seems to come down to who you know. You might be a better artist than another guy, but if he’s friends with the editor than you’re probably out of luck.

TM: How would you best describe your art, and what do you bring to the table when you collaborate with others?

 

MG:  I’ve had a lot of fans come up to me at conventions and tell me that my art reminds them of another artist, and many times it was someone that was not an influence on my art and sometimes someone who’s art I really didn’t much care for. I think there is an innate human need to classify and categorize, and I guess I’d like my art to be appreciated as an expression of who I am and what I like, without having to compare it or label it as a particular style.

 

TM:  Can you briefly describe what it means to be a “penciller?”

MG:  Generally in comics the art is handled by a few different people. Usually there is a penciller, an inker, and a colorist. The penciller is the person who reads the script and comes up with all the compositions and draws all the original lines. The inker goes over those lines and, if they’re good, they add some variation of line width. The colorist colors everything in Photoshop. This breakdown is not always the same.

 

TM: You got noticed when you entered a “Comic Book Idol” contest. What did that look like?

 

MG:  It was basically an online art competition for which 10 people were chosen out of about 300 entrants. It was modeled after “American Idol” in that the people who visited the website would vote on who they wanted to win. There were multiple rounds to the contest, and each week would have an assignment and the voters would decide who moved on to the next round and who didn’t. I made it through a few rounds before being eliminated but was contacted by Aspen comics during the contest to see if I wanted to submit some samples to them. I ended up getting hired by them a few months later.

TM:  You’ve worked as a storyboard artist in the animation industry. How different is it from your work in comics?

 

MG:  Very different. Some of the storytelling elements are similar, and obviously there is a lot of drawing involved so it’s similar in that sense, but it is a totally different animal. You have much more to take into account as far as camera moves, acting, timing, etc. Storyboards have really changed drastically over the last 10 years or so with the transition from working on paper to working all digitally. There are far more drawings required now, and essentially if you look at many storyboards they will look like key frames for rough animation. kind of like a flip book. It’s a lot of work.

Another way that it’s different is that the industry possesses far more resources, and therefore can pay a much more reasonable wage, and also provide health benefits, etc.

TM: What is the most demanding aspect of your storyboarding work?

 

MG:  The hours required to get the job done right! I routinely work 50-60 hr weeks…Sometimes more. There are a lot drawings to do!! On the show I’m working on now I’m responsible for about 8 pages of the script, which in my case usually translates into around 600-700 drawings over about 4 weeks.

TM: You’ve drawn Spider-Man, Deadpool, Heroes, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and many other beloved characters. Who is your favorite character? Who is the hardest to draw?

 

MG:  My favorite show of the ones I’ve worked on is actually the one I’m working on now, which is the Guardians of the Galaxy animated series for Marvel. My favorite character from it is Rocket Raccoon because he’s so over-the-top with his attitude, and that makes it really fun to draw scenes with him where he’s acting. I really enjoy it.

As far as hardest to draw I would probably say Shredder from Ninja Turtles. With the mask and the helmet and armor I always had a hard time making him look the way I wanted.

 

TM: What genres and stories give you the most creative freedom?

 

MG:  I think that the comic medium is the best for creative freedom, because if you self-publish you can do whatever you want and you don’t need financial backers like you do with animation or live action. In the future I hope to publish my own creations in a European hardcover format and sell it directly to the fans of my work. I have a bunch of ideas that are kicking around in my head and one in particular that I’ve been wanting to do for the better part of a decade. At some point I would love to be able to do my own stories and make a living at it, but until that point I’m very happy with working in animation.

TM:  How do you incorporate your hobbies and interests into your day job?

 

MG:  Well, I listen to a lot of podcasts while I work, which is nice. As far as incorporating my hobbies…I’m a big fan of MMA, and that sometimes comes in handy when I’m having to draw a fight scene.

 

TM:  Where does your mind go when a writer tells you to draw Deadpool shooting a hamster out of a shotgun?

MG:  “How am I going to make this look cool?”

 

TM:  Who is a real-life superhero of yours?

 

MG:  It probably sounds cliché but I guess I would say my parents. My dad showed me the value of hard work and the importance of humility. He also made a lot of sacrifices that I have only recently come to truly appreciate now that I’m a father. My mom is cool too! She has always been very encouraging and interested in my art since I was little. I wouldn’t be where I am today without them.

 

Follow Micah:

Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Art-of-Micah-Gunnell/106781559375176?sk=timeline)

Twitter (https://twitter.com/micahgunnell)

DeviantArt (micahjgunnell.deviantart.com/)

 

Images courtesy of Micah Gunnell from his website: http://www.deviantart.com/browse/all/

by Chris Brumley

Mr. Toilet, Jack Sim, is working to bring global sanitation issues into focus in order to save lives.    He believes the embarrassment surrounding the bathroom is keeping us from reaching out to those who are being poisoned by poor sanitation conditions.  See Jessica Yu’s  short film about the founder of the World Toilet Organization and why he believes the often neglected issue of sanitation should be brought to center stage.

Telescope Magazine:  What did you do before founding the World Toilet Organization?

Jack Sim:  I was a businessman. I founded 16 small and medium enterprises between age 24 and 40 and made some money. At 40, I was halfway to death at 80, so I felt an urgency to live more meaningfully than just accumulating material wealth. I reckoned that selling time to buy money was a loss making business, because time is the only thing life is made of. It’s better to be useful and die with a purpose.

 

TM:  When did you first decide to get involved in toilets and sanitation and what made you choose them?

JS:  I tried to volunteer with various social causes like heritage architecture conservation and answering distress phone calls at SOS. But my impact was limited. One day, our Prime Minister said we should measure our graciousness by the cleanliness of our public toilets. I saw that toilets and sanitation are grossly neglected agendas, and thought- here is where I can make a big difference. I’m a joker by nature and have no problem being laughed at or making a fool of myself! Toilets are an essential service, but people are too embarrassed to discuss it. What we don’t discuss we can’t improve, so I thought if I can make them laugh, they’ll listen. I started the Restroom Association of Singapore and everyone loved this new movement. I would later discover there were 15 toilets associations around the world, but they lacked a headquarters. So I offered them the World Toilet Organization and they joined.

TM:  What are some of the activities you and others have been doing through your organization?

JS:  Our biggest success is effective advocacy. In 2001, no politicians wanted to be photographed next to a toilet. The Sanitation Agenda was placed under the Water Agenda and, as Water is a politically sexier agenda, Sanitation virtually got drowned. My role was to make toilets as sexy as water, and to give it its own platform. Without funds or resources, I resorted to guerilla marketing, using a pun on the World Trade Organization and it worked wonders. The global media gave my messages so much legitimacy for the last 14 years that last year the UN General Assembly passed a motion to adopt our founding day of World Toilet Organization, November 19th, as the UN World Toilet Day. This created massive global support. Now Sanitation is as sexy as Water. We’ve broken the taboo on Sanitation and Toilets forever!

 

TM:  Where in the world is access to toilets still needed most and what are some of the challenges facing these areas?

JS:  India has the largest Sanitation crisis. ASEAN countries- Africa, China, Latin America, altogether 2.5 billion still do not have access to proper sanitation. Diarrhea kills more children than HIV AIDS, Measles, and Malaria every year. 90% of India surface water is contaminated by feces. How can we get drinking water when we pollute it with shit?

 

TM:  Can you explain what the “toilet taboo” is?

JS:  People can’t reconcile the fact that food processing is part of their natural bodily function. They feel guilty producing a pungent smell. They think it conflicts with their wholesome image. But this cultural norm has prevented us from addressing this agenda which has escalated into such a crisis state today.
The repulsive smell is actually there to alert and protect us against pathogens.
So to date, we do not have a gentrified language for toileting, except for euphemisms like #1 or #2, sing-a-song, wash my hands, lay a cable, etc. With humor, we could address the agenda better because once they laughed, they listened and it broke the ice. WTO’s unique mix of humor and serious facts opens the way for people to engage in a fluid conversation that addresses the challenges.

 

TM:  What is the most rewarding part of the work you do?

JS:  In a lifetime of 80 years, it will be a privilege to serve an important cause and improve the destiny of many. If we come to this planet and leave without doing something useful, what’s the point of coming at all?

Follow Mr. Toilet:

Website: www.worldtoilet.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WTO.org?fref=ts

Twitter: @WorldToilet

by Alyssa Bellia

Ramona Cox is a pilot, adventure traveler, and gear reviewer who inspires by her hard work and perseverance. Learning from her courageous father, she has pursued spirited undertakings including backpacking, skiing, scuba diving and her true passion…flying. With solo airborne trips lasting months at a time in remote areas of wilderness, she has had the privilege of seeing some of nature’s most beautiful offerings but also has had to master survival skills and overcome the fear of being in unpredictable environments. Named “Pilot of the Month” in an issue of AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association) Magazine, Ramona goes to show that a five-foot woman can be an aviation dynamo. Ramona enjoys giving back and is a board member of the Aero Club of Southern California, an organization that supports aviation education. Additionally, she works with MotoArt, a company that saves aviation history by recycling aircraft parts into functional furniture. Ramona is known as the “Skychick,” and her adventures prove that the sky isn’t even the limit for her!

 

 

Telescope Magazine: How did your nickname “Skychick” come about?

Ramona Cox: A little embarrassing… I was walking past some pilots at an airshow and one of them said loud enough for me to hear, “That is one hot chick that loves the sky.” I looked at him and laughed and his friend yelled “SkyChick, come tell us some good flying stories.” So I did and from then on, the name stuck. I have big red lips on my airplane, so there is no secret that a female is flying it and I’ve always tried to maintain my femininity despite gravitating toward male-dominated sports. I sit on three red pillows and use rudder pedal extensions in order to reach the controls. Overcoming obstacles was a given from day one of my flying as I quickly realized that most aircraft were designed for large men and not tiny women.

 

TM: What did you learn from your father, an avid pilot, about flying?

RC: My father was a true adventurer and passed on that trait which can be a blessing and a curse. He always said, “If you’re going to do something, do it well or pick something else that excites you enough so that you WANT to do it well.” He didn’t just learn to swim – he became a lifeguard. He also taught snow-skiing and flying, so I was fortunate to be the lucky recipient of some of his skills. He taught me to swim, which lead me to scuba dive and film underwater all over the world. He also introduced me to camping which caused me to gravitate toward the outdoors like a bee to honey. Although I never flew with my father, his bedtime stories of flying adventures made the “sport” sound fun and exciting, so I knew I would try it “someday.” That day came through snow-skiing and ski-racing, a sport my father had introduced me to as soon as I could walk. One day a fellow ski-racer offered me a ride in his “experimental” airplane and I was instantly hooked. It was a tiny tandem seat aircraft called a Long Easy, designed by aviation guru Burt Rutan, with a clear canopy and racecar style cockpit where your legs are extended out in front of you. Instead of a yolk, it had a stick to control it just like an F-18 fighter jet. We did loops and rolls and I quickly became one with the sky. I felt like a Jedi fighter in this little pocket rocket and knew life would never be the same. I signed up for ground school at UCLA the next week and soon afterward I became a licensed pilot. So aside from loving the feeling of flight, my motivation for learning to fly was to get to Northern California’s ski resort, Mammoth Mountain, much faster than driving. The four hours saved by flying would be enough time to analyze the snow, select the best wax for the conditions, properly tune my skis, get a couple of runs in and hopefully take first place instead of no place in women’s “expert” division, a class whereby one could win or lose by a mere hundredth of a second.

 

 

The most important life lesson I learned from my father was that I could do whatever I wanted to do as long as I had a strong desire, perseverance and willingness to work hard to attain that goal. Although my mother tried clothing me in frilly dresses, which I would dirty faster than the speed of light, my father’s approach was genderless. Whether I wanted to play with dolls or lizards (the latter being more likely) he encouraged me. It was obvious that I was a tomboy as a child, so he had a little buddy in me. Regarding flying, the greatest lesson I learned from him was to put safety first. He knew that I was like him…a person who would “Go For It” whenever the opportunity arose. I surprised him when I decided to fly and didn’t tell him until the day I soloed the aircraft. When I told him I had done so, he glowed brighter than a blow torch. I almost cried as his eyes lit up with the stories I told him of my first flight and subsequent lessons. We had changed roles…now he was the wide-eyed child anxiously awaiting my next story. He then gave me a piercing look, eye to eye and said, “Ramona, you must always remember the saying…There are old pilots, and there are bold pilots, but there are no old bold pilots. No matter what the situation, safety must come first. It’s better to arrive late, whether it’s an hour or a day, than to never arrive at all.” In later years, I understood what he meant and stories like the one of John Kennedy Jr’s death pounded the message home. Kennedy departed two hours later than planned. Considering the weather conditions, he should have reconsidered leaving, but possibly felt pressured since it was a family wedding they were attending. He had the “I gotta get theres” and unfortunately, he and his passengers lost their lives. My father instinctively knew that I would gravitate toward flying on the edge as he had done with aerobatics, and he was right. Soon after acquiring my pilot’s license, I learned to fly formation in a T-34 Mentor, a military trainer, which led to doing formation demonstrations over airshows like the Reno Air Races. Like precision ski racing, precision formation flying is very challenging, exhilarating, and must be done right, or it will quickly bite you. When I switched to “air-camping” in my a Cessna TU206, also known as the SUV of the sky, the camping and fishing skills my father had taught me while backpacking gave me a good base upon which I would build. My Father was my best friend, closest confident, strongest supporter and greatest loss. Despite his passing many years ago, I think about him often and am confident that when I’ve been in a pinch, it’s been his voice (along with a the higher power whom I believe protects me) that helped guide me through. Today, I try to give back through lectures and enjoy introducing both kids and adults to aviation. When I look eye-to-eye with a 10 year old (which you can do when you’re only 5 feet tall), I simply say…“Hey, if I can do it, you can do it.” I love it when they slowly look me up and down as if to size me up in comparison to them and say, “Yeah, you’re right.” So like an “inspiration farmer,” I try to plant the seeds of confidence in people and whether it’s aviation or some other activity, I hope that our brief exchange will have impacted their lives in a positive way.

 

TM: Which is more difficult, taking off or landing?

RC: Although taking off has it considerations, landing where I land in the wilderness on unimproved airstrips can be much more challenging. Today, most pilots worry about breaking the rules and violating the latest TFR’s (temporary flight restriction), which can pop up as result of an event, a fire, or a visit from the President which closes the airspace surrounding his route of flight. My concerns focus around the suicidal moose who casually strolls in front of my landing aircraft oblivious to my arrival. One thousand pounds of muscle mass is similar to hitting a brick wall which can easily pierce and crumple the thin skin of my fragile fuselage or damage the wing, which happens to be full of fuel. Then there are the pesky little gophers that work like stealth saboteurs digging camouflaged holes in the tall grass that can swallow my nose wheel and leave me stranded in the middle of “nowheresville.” Most of my favorite airstrips are deep in canyons with a tall mountain at the end, so there is only one way in and one way out with little room for error. Few aircraft are capable of handling these rough conditions and few pilots have the skills to navigate them safely. That is exactly why these places are my favorites! Few visitors mean more opportunity to photograph the wildlife. I often sit in front of my aircraft, motionless and quiet as a mouse, to enjoy watching a herd of elk walk down the center of a runway or a pack of wolves run through the forest.

 

TM: Tell us more about your three-month solo flying adventure to remote wilderness strips in North America.

RC: My summer adventures were the fruition of a vision I found irresistible. One afternoon, I was flipping through an aviation magazine and saw an article with the headline “There comes a day when you’ve put off your dream for long enough.” The photo showed a small aircraft which had landed in the middle of a grass field. I thought to myself…I’d like to do that, barnstorm a bit…fly around the country free as a bird landing wherever and whenever I want.” I was working in the graphics field and pondered about how I could unplug and still make a living. Long story short, I watched the development of internet retail websites combined with the advances in mobile technology and knew that this combination equaled FREEDOM. I strategically educated myself over the next couple of years to take advantage of these combined technologies and soon after, started an internet retail website which I could run from anywhere in the world using a laptop combined with a cell or satellite phone. The most important part of my plan was to set up a system whereby 95% of the process was automated. Before long, people were hitting the add-to-cart button 24-hours a day and product was being shipped by my distributor who also handled inquiries and returns. That left me handling my favorite part of the process, marketing strategy and analysis of my website’s performance compared to my competitors. Before long, I was supporting myself while flying into the wilderness and camping at the best and most remote back-country airstrips in the US. I was new at what some refer to as “bush flying” and through trial and error, taught myself the ropes. Sitting in the inflatable kayak I had packed in the airplane, I would have a laptop in one hand and a fishing pole in the other happily catching dinner while responding to emails using a satellite phone. With my roots as a backpacker, I hiked all over the woods photographing the wildlife. If there was any type of a road around that could get me to a city, I would use the folding motorized bike I had brought to find an internet coffee shop and do market research on a fast WIFI connection. Back then, the SAT phone technology was too slow to surf the net. The SAT equipment I use today is much faster and cheaper. I had so much fun that summer that I kept extending the trip, which ended up lasting three full years with travels both in and outside the US. As time passed, I realized I had lost all sense of a traditional “wall enclosed” office environment. I’ll never forget sitting in a lava field wearing a flowered sarong on a remote shore in Maui, Hawaii. I was answering emails on my laptop when a man walked by and said in a disgruntled voice…”You need to learn to do your work in your office.” Puzzled by his comment, I responded “Sir, I AM in my office.” Since then, I lecture on adventure and do my best to inspire others to live their passions and pursue their dreams—TODAY…not next year, next month or next week, but NOW. Having lost my mother at the age of ten to cancer, I was fortunate to have the early realization that there are no guarantees in life and recognize that someday, we will all run out of somedays. That loss set the stage for an amazing life adventure, which I intend to continue until my last breath and through my lectures, and I encourage others to do the same.

 

 

TM: What obstacles have you overcome as an adventurer traveler?

RC: At 5’0” and 97 pounds, I had to become an expert at using leverage. When I leave for one of my 3-4 month “winged-adventures,” I may be carrying 800 pounds of gear. To reduce the risk of injury, I limit the amount an individual item can weigh to a max of 45 pounds…close to half my body weight. I’m small, but like an ant, I’m strong for my size – which is somewhat of a requirement for most adventurers who often face obstacles that must be overcome to succeed or to simply survive. I also had to learn to use weapons since I travel solo and may land in the middle of a million+ acres of wilderness home to grizzly bear, mountain lion, moose, and other hungry and potentially cantankerous mammals. These places have no road access, no cell coverage and no 911. In these remote locations, a scream would do nothing more than echo through the woods. Bottom line is that I had to overcome fear because it paralyzes the mind. And in situations where one has only seconds to react; there is no time for hesitation. In the wilderness, my senses become heightened and in a sense, I transform to become one with my surroundings. I am swift like a deer, stealth like a wolf and focused on the basic instinct all living creatures have in common, survival.

 

TM: Can you tell us about Aero Club of Southern California and how it supports aviation education?

RC: As a proponent of aviation and member of the Board of The Aero Club of Southern California, I help select the students who will receive up to $5000 in grants yearly toward their education in aviation and/or aerospace related studies. We’re always looking for good candidates, so those interested should apply at the website. The club started in the mid-1920’s and was formed to promote aviation and its commercial use which was relatively new in that era. In the 1980s, ACSC successfully saved the famed Howard Hughes “Spruce Goose” Flying Boat. It was being displayed in Long Beach, but loss of the lease left it destined to being chopped up and scrapped for firewood. ACSC became the legal owner and negotiated for it to be moved to an aviation museum in Oregon where it has been on display ever since.

 

TM: What is the process for recycling aircraft parts into furniture for MotoArt?

RC: With family ties in the Air Force, aviation history runs in my veins, so MotoArt and I were the perfect fit. MotoArt creates the coolest furniture on the planet from recycled aircraft parts. We might use the rudder from a 70-year old B-25 Bomber to create an executive desk, the float tank from an Albatross Seaplane to create a stunning couch or wings from a Gulfstream to make a 32-Foot long smoking hot bar. Much of our vast inventory is from military aircraft, which is virtually impossible to get today since the government stopped allowing civilians to purchase military aircraft after the 911 attack in 2001. Since then, all decommissioned military aircraft are chopped up into little pieces, melted and sold to other countries for the metal value. At Motoart, our mission is to save America’s aviation past by turning decommissioned aircraft into heirloom pieces that will be passed down for generations. I personally get excited knowing that each piece will be cherished for its rich heritage and the service it provided to our country. At the same time, I’m helping the ecology of the planet through repurposing the parts. Besides all that, working at MotoArt is just plain fun. The company is like a family with a close-knit group of friends. The owner’s dog, a golden retriever named Milo, happily greets and welcomes all guests. Right in the showroom, we have a massage chair, shuffleboard, a pool table and 12 foot long bar made from airliner fuselage. Google headquarters has nothing on us! We socialize together, party together and even attend Burning Man where we cruise in our own art car fabricated from aircraft parts. So if I am not on an adventure, MotoArt isn’t a bad place to be and helps support my habit of adventure travel!

 

TM: Any new travel adventures in the works?

RC: Yes. I will be flying across the country again visiting some of my favorite remote airstrips to document changes from previous years and to explore some new challenging airstrips as well. I review and test gear on my trips, so I’m excited about testing some of the new equipment provided by various manufacturers and potential sponsors. It’s one thing to camp for a weekend or a week, it’s another to camp for several months where extreme weather is a given. I’ve had to use all my strength to keep my tent from flattening during a microburst. I’ve listened to the sound of branches cracking as a hungry bear tried to access my hanging food pack. I’ve saved the life of a man, through an aerial search and rescue, who was stranded in the desert, injured, dehydrated and near death. And…I’ve tried equipment that looked hardy, but broke with little use. In real survival situations, there is no room for fluff. So it’s no secret that I’m known for cutting to the chase when reviewing gear to determine what’s real from mere hype. My next long journey will take approximately a month and cover at least 3000 air miles. As always, I’ll document it with multiple GoPros positioned both in and outside the aircraft. I also use a Quadcopter, which helps me view areas which are difficult to access on foot. Each trip provides new stories for my book which I look forward to sharing with other adventurers very soon. I believe that part of the responsibility of adventurers is to share our experiences, especially our mistakes, which may actually help save the lives of others.

 

TM: Who is your hero?

RC: I have many heroes. My father is number one because he not only impacted my life with his positive attitude but impacted the lives of everyone around him. Another one is Pancho Barnes, an aviatrix with a big heart who lived by her own rules and never let social norms get in her way.

 

Sneak Peek into the World of Skychick from Skychick on Vimeo.

To learn more about Ramona Cox and her adventures visit her website: http://www.skychick.com

by Paul Yoder

James Cheeks III didn’t know Michael K. Green, an on-the-rise skateboarder coming out of Long Beach. But when Michael was killed by gang violence, James found himself following Michael’s family and friends with a camera. What followed was the critically acclaimed documentary On the Grind. Part skate video and part crime drama, On the Grind helped James tell the story of skateboarders and their struggles against gang violence and poverty. We asked James how and why he did it.

 

Telescope Magazine: What film inspired you to go out and become a filmmaker?

James Cheeks III:  In 7^th grade I saw this movie called Glory. It’s a different side of the American Civil War about the black soldiers who fought for the Union. I thought it would be amazing to get into filmmaking and tell stories that don’t usually get told. I’ve been doing Production Assistant work since I was 16, and in 2004 I got up the courage to move out to LA.

 

TM:  How did you first learn about the subjects of On The Grind? What attracted you to their story?

JC:  I came up as a black skater in Oklahoma, where there weren’t many black skaters. I always knew I wanted to tell the story of skaters and punk rockers – people who were into the things I was into. Then I moved to Los Angeles, and I was surrounded by black skaters, particularly the ones coming out of Long Beach. I wanted to know why Long Beach? When I went to research that, I came across the story of Michael Green who plays a big part in the film.

 

TM:  The film tackles gang violence in Long Beach, including the tragic death of the promising skateboarder Michael K. Green. What response has the film provoked?

JC:  I never met Michael Green, but the community loved him. I wanted to know why a skater who was headed for such great prospects would have been killed like that. He was going places and seemed to be on the right path. His family was still searching for the killers when I arrived with my friend Kevin Michael Campbell. I have a cousin who is in prison for life because he was being initiated into a gang, and I told the family that I wanted to use Michael’s story to get out a positive message. We’ve been like a family ever since.

 

TM:  Growing up in Oklahoma, did you have any previous experience with skateboarding?

JC:  I grew up in Tennessee but went to High School in Oklahoma. I grew up as an independent thinker. I wanted to stay true to myself. Skateboarding and rock were hobbies of mine, even though I was often the only black person in that scene. I think a lot of people see skating as a suburban thing, so I wanted to tell the story of people who use cities as their playground.

 

TM:  What were your biggest struggles in the making of your documentary?

JC:  The documentary didn’t have funding. It was all blood, sweat, and tears. It was tough trying to film in Long Beach because a lot of our subjects didn’t have cell phones or transportation. I would get on MySpace and try to get a message to our subjects by word of mouth. Communication was a nightmare. We were also filming near 4^th Street gang territory, so it wasn’t the safest environment. The skaters really helped us out by saying “you might not want to film over here, because your camera might get taken.” We all looked out for each other, which I needed because I was also going through Grad School.

 

TM:  This project took three years to complete. How did your subjects change over the course of those years?

JC:  I was working on this project on the weekends. I knew it would take some time to finish. I even used the short version of the film to graduate from film school. I got to see some of the skaters grow up. They were 18-20 when we first met. Some went to take college classes, and some had children of their own. Michael’s mother Laurietta changed the most. She is so full of life, even though the years have been tough. When her son’s killers went to prison, there didn’t seem to be enough justice to cover for her loss. But something cool happened: a local park was really run down, and when it got renovated they named it Michael K. Green skate park. When they opened that, it was a beacon of light in the community. She would always come by the park and bring the kids sandwiches and chicken. The real justice wasn’t in revenge, but in seeing the impact Michael had on her community.

 

TM:  What about skateboarding and the skateboarding culture positively impacts your subjects and their community?

JC:  I wanted to show what happens when people stick together on a positive route. These guys are following their dreams and growing up together. Skateboarding is a big sport in California, and it’s something fun to do in an urban setting. These guys have goals; starting a skateboarding company, going pro, working on design and artwork. You’re working on your own skills and helping your friends. Trouble can still find you when you’re walking the right path – one of our skaters was wounded by a gun during production – but these guys are still finding positive ways to express themselves.

 

TM:  What was the biggest lesson you learned shooting your first documentary?

JC:  Jumping into a project and not knowing if you can finish it – that was tough for us. I work full time and I still have to apply for grants and work on the feature length version of our documentary. If I was going to work on another project like this I would want to have a budget in place and a plan how to finish the film. I also learned that I’ll never really be done with the film. It’s so valuable to actually attend these screenings with the skaters. We get to show some disadvantaged people how to use the cameras and other equipment, and we can show the viewers that they can be involved in a positive hobby.

 

TM:  What was the coolest stuff you caught on film?

JC:  Some of our best footage came from the set of a great skate video by Spike Jonze (the video has explosions going on while the skaters are doing tricks). We climbed the fence with all our equipment to get in. We climbed a lot of fences.  We wanted to accurately reflect some of the real situations faced by skateboarders. The short begins with us climbing over a fence into a school. Some of our skaters got footage of me getting frisked by the cops afterward. That was a good depiction of skateboarding, which is a sport which uses public space as a playground.

 

TM:  On The Grind won plenty of awards, including “Best Documentary Short” at the Mammoth Film Festival. What impact did the film have on a personal level?

JC:  The film brought a lot of people from Long Beach together. Even the DA and detective working on Michael’s case showed up. People have told me “I used to yell at skateboarders before, but you’ve given me insight into their lives and why they do what they do.” The biggest impact was Laurietta’s story of forgiveness. Her strength and words in the film have helped a lot of people in their struggle to get through tragedy. It’s a universal story. It’s not about skateboarding – it’s just a story of struggle and hope through the lens of these skaters.

 

TM:  What is the future of this film, and how can our readers see it?

JC:  The full-length film has some definite possibilities for theatrical release, and I think it would have a great home on a channel like HBO. The short has aired on Pivot TV and the Documentary Channel. We just want to reach a lot of people while keeping our grassroots model. The filmmaking process has been a lot like skateboarding – you try something, and maybe you fall, but you have to pick yourself up and keep trying until something works. The story is fun, dramatic, and positive. We believe in it.

 

TM:  Who is your hero?

JC:  Michael’s mother, Laurietta King. She was just a trooper, and she showed such strength – not just to get by after Michael’s death, but to forgive the guys who hurt her and her family. She did what the skateboarders do, which is to take a tough environment and use it as a backdrop for doing great things. She was a second mom to a lot of us.

 

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By Chris Brumley

Official HD video presented by adidas Outdoor. Premiered Dec 3, 2011 at The Gear Co-op http://www.gearcoop.com. adidas team athlete, Sasha DiGiulian became the first American women to climb the grade 5.14d (9a) with her historic ascent of “Pure Imagination” in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge. Filmed and Edited by 3SM. Music by Emancipator (emancipatormusic.com)

 

Telescope Magazine:  Growing up, you also excelled at a number of sports, what made you really want to focus on climbing?

Sasha DiGuilian: I really wanted to focus on climbing because I loved the idea of puzzle solving and physical activity melded into one sport. In climbing, so much mental and physical engagement is necessary, and I really feel in control of what I can do.

 

TM:What kind of training do you do in preparation for a climb?

SD: A lot of my training is climbing-focused. I do sport-specific cross training with weights and high intensity interval training as well. A lot of core workouts, too.

 

TM: When you’re up there- what goes through your mind?

SD: I am really thinking about the movement in front of me. When I get to the top, I think: I am so happy to be here right now. I want to take it all in and wish that my eyes could capture a panaroma of the whole scene. But I know it’s better—I get to experience it in real time!

 

 

 

TM: You completed the “Pure Imagination” 9(a) in 2011—what other climbs have you been up to since then and what’s ahead in the future?

SD:  I have done another 9a and several other big “red point” ascents. Most important have been my First Ascents and my Big Wall climbs. I have been focusing my career on achieving First Ascents and First Female Ascents around the world, and applying my single-pitch climbing experiences to multi pitch climbs.

 

 

TM:  Which climb has been the biggest challenge for you so far? Why?

SD:  My mental game: I struggle to really find and dedicate myself to a big project at this point. While I have had projects, these have all been maximum 2-3 week experiences with failure. This has been a challenge for me so far- I have limited time at climbing areas right now due to school, and have yet to find that perfect pitch that I am willing to dedicate years of effort towards. It will come, though!

 

TM:  Aside from climbing, what else have you been up to?

SD:  I am in my third year at Columbia University, studying Nonfiction Writing and Business. I love hiking, swimming, and exploring. I live in NYC, so I have a great home base for meetings, nonprofit and charity involvement, and media related events.

 

TM:  You set the record as the first American Woman to climb a grade 9(a)—what advice would you give to other young female athletes?

SD:  When you have a goal in mind, make it happen by taking the steps to go after it. Don’t be intimidated by the grandiose nature of a dream – everything comes with baby steps. Believe in yourself, because a strong mental game is extraordinarily important!