"The War of Art"

First off... if you don't read, you're missing out. If you claim you don't read for a "lack of time" and yet watch more than an hour of TV, you're fooling yourself! Books can bring so much more to your life, and get parts of your brain firing that you haven't used in a while. Stoke your fire and make some time to read!

That said, one of my favorite sites is http://chrismccombs.net and his writings geared toward "Hardcore Happiness". The dude has a message to spread, and does a great job getting it across. A while back he recommended the book that this post is all about: The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. I figured it would be worth 10 bucks to see if it was as great as he claimed, so I bounced over to Amazon and ordered it up. One morning this week, I opened it up with the intention of only reading the foreword or at most a chapter. What I did instead was clear my morning and dig all the way through by lunch. I then threw it in my backpack and have steadily gone back to reread portions, and my wife started digging in as well. I plan on reading it again all the way through, I liked it THAT MUCH.

Pressfield is a guy that has paid decades of dues, had his dreams smashed, been told no, and ridiculed. But he still gets up every morning, fights through, and puts words on the page. He caught a big break when he pumped out The Legend of Bagger Vance despite the fact it was about golf. He's learned a lot of lessons the hard way, and I for one REALLY appreciate learning from other people's hardships and avoiding them like the plague.

This book dives into creativity, but not so much the creative process. Rather, it tackles the setting for making creativity happen. When inspiration meets skill, great things can happen. But as anyone who tries to be a full time creative can tell you, there's a lot of Resistance to this. Pressfield dives face first into this very Resistance, and shows ways to identify and battle the forces that try to stifle creativity. I for one needed the kick in the pants that he offers up, and will put his words into practice.

He explains the difference between an amateur and Pro. And it's brilliant. A solid road map for going pro in whatever it is you do, and the keys to keeping the joy. Your creative outlet is your territory, and an entirely different set of rules apply to it. If you're an entrepreneur or fancy yourself a creative, or just need a little nudge, this book is for you. I for one know what several of my friends will be getting as gifts in the coming months. Grab it, read it, and CREATE EVERY DAY!

-Scratch

Eureka Springs Fat Tire Festival Recap

I love bikes, beer, music, my wife, my friends, and road trips. Made sense to load up for this event, so I splurged on the add-on for my bike rack and somehow crammed all our camping gear, riding gear, and entire booth/ inventory setup into the truck with four people for our fifth long weekend in a row. It was quite the load, and after some creative organizing and excellent tie down skills, we hit the road.

I LOVE the drive into NW Arkansas. Just to get out of North Texas and into some hills is amazing, and reminds me how sketchy of a driver I can be on anything but open highway.

We bunkered in for Thursday Happy Hour and a nice evening with friends in Fayetteville. Much love to the Chancellor Hotel for being bike friendly and keeping an eye on the rig over night. 

Just add caffeine, calories, and dirt for a good time. Friday morning breakfast and straight to Slaughter Pen to meet up with some riding buddies!

This should be a testament to how much fun Slaughter Pen is. One of my "to-do's" for the weekend was document everything with pics, videos, etc. We had 2 GoPros and my Nikon, and all I got was this shoddy iPhone pic at the top of the freeride park. I couldn't make myself stop and take pictures, we just wanted to RIDE! Huge props to Brantley on his first ever downhill run, and Jami's first MTB experience!

After visiting Bentonville's bike shops and the original Wal-Mart, it was time for Eureka. A great weekend for tent camping, I actually woke up cold for the first time in a long while! Great KOA facility outside of town. 

Fresh chainring logos for the weekend, loved seeing how many of these made it onto bikes, windows, etc.

...and then we went to work! We tweaked a few things on the booth, and it looked GREAT for the weekend, especially with a couple good looking ladies running around it. Thank you girls for all the help!

Bikes were ridden, minimal blood was shed, and a TON of promotion took place! VB Clothing was a proud sponsor of the Downhill Duo event (combining the DH and Super D Races), and we hope you enjoy the prize packs. It was a great gathering of riders and racers on some of the best trails around. We enjoyed meeting everyone that came by, as well as our fellow vendors! A huge thanks to all the promoters and everyone that came out, now go check out the site and store at VBCLOTHING.COM!!!

New Tunes Time!!!

I distinctly remember walking my fat ass through the mall, past all the cool kids, head down so the girls wouldn't make me blush. Shuffling through the smell of Chikfila and the white noise of a consumer's haven, no time for the arcade. With that bright red sign in my sights, Sam Goody Music was my target as soon as I rounded the corner at dear old Midway Mall (RIP). 

I miss the days of fishing through all the music, thousands of CDs just waiting for me to take a closer look and maybe even a listen. Before Pandora told me what I liked, years before iTunes made everything a click away. Back then there were only rumors of the "Music Genome Project" that would allow apps like Pandora and Slacker to open a whole new realm of noise to my eager ears. 

Every time I catch myself feeling that occasional hunger for new music, I can almost smell Corn Dog 7 and remember that very hunt. Twenty bucks in my pocket, gonna get some new tunes. Some were a home run that would play over and over in my walkman, while others were a bust and sat in the case until they were traded in or given away. With the nature of my life, I spend about 12 hours a day with some kind of music playing. It carries a great deal of weight, helping carry my mood or express my feelings. But I caught myself unhappy with my Pandora stations, and after a few throwbacks in my library, I was ready for something new...

Enter Bliss N Eso, a 2 MC 1 DJ trio out of Australia with a bag full of tricks and a message to spread. Their 5th Studio album released a week or so back, titled Circus in the Sky.

I was late to our 4th of July celebration thanks to a bike ride with this in the headphones. I just couldn't stop. So much flow, a great rhythm, and the kind of production value that makes it hard to pick out one song. I just want to listen to the whole album start to finish every chance I get. It's unlike anything else I've got, and you can count on me going back and collecting their other albums and EPs. 

I dig hip hop. I love the energy, I love the beats, breaks and drops. However, I don't give a shit about ho's, bugattis, your whip, paint job, or how cool you think you are. So many rappers today have so much skill, but zero substance. You've got millions of people listening, and you're gonna rap about clubs and doo doo (every damn Lil Wayne song has a poop reference). It makes no sense to me. That's what really stands out with Bliss N Eso. Some songs are storytelling ventures that display a ton of talent, and the rest are filled with motivation, inspiration, and samples of the most energy-boosting variety. You can't help but feel good when you listen to it, and it will silence a car full of people so everyone can listen a little closer. 

Much love to Bliss N Eso for this album, and the track that lead me to them (Addicted). If you're a Flobots fan looking for a better tempo, or like the edge of Atmosphere without the hostility, give it a shot. If nothing else, fire up a Bliss N Eso Pandora station and enjoy.