Photography | Andrea Mai

ART UPDATE: I FEEL INTO THE CRYPTO RABBIT HOLE

Some time ago, I was experimenting with animating my photographs using video editing software. I recently learned how to turn them in GIFs. And since then, I’e been looking at my body of work from a new perspective. I’m excited. Photo animation opens up new possibilities for how my photography can be presented as an artwork. The pandemic has been hard on my photography, as we are all being stuck at home all the time. For me as an artist, I am inspired by being in different places.

With all the hype in the news about Bitcoin and crypto currencies, I have learned something exciting. It felt as though I had just woken up from a coma. Everyone is now talking about Bitcoin, but they’re also talking about Ethereum, which I had never heard of before. Ethereum came about years after Bitcoin, and it was designed differently in that Smart Contracts can be built into the blockchain. This means when a piece of the blockchain has transferred ownership, there can be additional actions built in, such as commissions. What does this all mean, and why does it matter? For the first time in history, blockchain technology has offered a means to register an asset onto a decentralized public ledger. This protocol could be used for commercial applications like verifying authenticity, or to execute automated contracts like commissions on sales.

In the art world, authenticity of an artwork by a master has always been in question, as works can turn out to be counterfeits. And after an artwork is sold, it is generally the case that it is the collectors and auction houses that take all the profits in its future sale, not the artist. Blockchain technology offers an innovative solution to this age old problem. Artists can “tokenize” their works on a blockchain, like Ethereum, and program a Smart Contract to receive commissions if the token is sold in the future. A token is that piece of the blockchain that the artwork is registered to, and it acts like a public receipt that proves ownership. It is kind of like the deeds to a piece of land, though it is not the land itself, it is a legal representation of it, and when you sell it, the deeds have to be transferred to the new owner. The deeds is the proof of ownership registered in the government’s land registry.

This also solves an issue for digital artworks that tend to live on the internet, like animation and video. It could even apply to music. I can very much see this as being something major i the future of art, and I am excited to learn and participate in it as an early adopter. I have just added a new page on my website to explain a bit more about Crypto Art, the term being used to describe artworks that are tokenized. I have some of my animated photos there and will be posting more as I create them. The crypto art scene seems to like hanging out on Twitter, so if you want to join me there, come follow me at @AndreaMaiArt

I HAVE THREE ANGELS – EVP June 10, 2020

Not much new has happened since the last post. It’s been more of the same thing; staying at home, sewing masks, social distancing, etc. Stores that have its own external entrance have been allowed to open for a while already, but I only walked into my local Winners last week. When I did, I found it very empty, it looked like a going-out-of-business liquidation sale. I did not stay long, as being in there was giving me anxiety. People were not wearing masks, as it is not mandatory here. A few days ago, I was in a dollar store and there was a guy chatting away on his phone, telling whomever that he had gotten tested for covid, and was waiting for the results. I left after I heard that.

I have been reviewing EVP that I recorded in the last month. What I found to be interesting, was the mention of “three angels”. I heard on some EVP in Iceland, that there were the presence of three angels with us.

I heard them mentioned again in some recent recordings. I tested these clips on my laptop speakers and they are audible, though they are better heard on headphones. The clips are repeated on loop, so that you can get a good listen.

I was at the post office, when a sweet little voice said, “Three little angels”. Sorry, this clip is noisy because of the music in the background, but listen carefully and you’ll hear the sweet little voice speaking,

The lady at the counter handed me my receipt. There was a voice that said, “Receipt”.

I walked into the mall to get to the dollar store. It was very empty with the majority of stores closed. I waited in line to get to the dollar store. There were some small children running around. On the recording, I heard, “Your friend is here, Prince… Wanna play with us?“.

The line started moving. I got to the front and waited, because I thought it was only one in at a time. P said, “Andrea”.

Then someone said, “Go in”. After that, the lady at the door motioned to me that I was already allowed to go in.

When I came out of the shop, I was with my mom. I pulled out my bottle of alcohol to spritz my hands. But when I did that, the top flew off and landed in the food court area that was blocked off. I can’t see from a distance very well. My mom started helping me look for the cap. I told my mom is it was ok, that she didn’t have to search, I have more bottles at home. But she insisted on finding it. Someone in spirit said, “Right here”. She climbed under the tape, and found it on a chair.

We got in my mom’s car, and P said to someone, “Get out”. I have observed on many occasions, that spirits will get into people’s cars. I have heard P telling them to get out. I have a friend who has also observed on EVP, that there was a family of spirits hitching a ride in her car. Sometimes I wonder if this could be a possible cause for why some people experience road rage while driving, unknowingly being under the influence of spirits.

As I went back to review some other recordings, I also noticed again, the mention of three angels. On May 29, I was caught in the rain. Luckily, I was still at the mall, and I waited underneath the mall entrance for the rain to clear up before walking home.

Someone said, “Look, there’s angels”.

Another said, “Three angels… Wow”.

From my repeated observations, based on the reactions of spirits, it does not seem that the sight of angels is all that common. It is often pressured that everyone has a guardian angel, but if that were the case, then the sight of angels should be everywhere. It was only after I started doing EVP, that I discovered that there were some not nice spirits in my home. They were saying mean things to me, and even harassing P. I started praying to God for protection. It was after that, that I started noticing the mention of angels in my home, and angels that protected us during travel. I have since made it a regular practice to pray.

As I have said before, the angels told me not to pray to them, only to God. It was conveyed to me that they took orders from God. It is very common nowadays, to hear about people who do direct communication with angels. This practice is very suspect, as the kinds of things these “psychics” say, are very questionable. I would suspect that these are not angels at all, whom they are talking to.

Another thought is, I wonder if the sighting of angels is less, because in general, people don’t pray anymore. They don’t believe in God, or angels, or spirits. So then angels are not employed as often. It’s just a speculation. But I would urge everyone to pray for God’s protection. There is just so much going on in the spirit world that we do not understand, that could be affecting us. The only way to be safe is to ask for God’s protection.

It looks like this year, I will not have a lot of opportunity for landscape photography. I live in the suburbs and there is just not that much of interest here to photograph. It will be a long time before I would travel. However, when I do see something, I grab my camera. I have been doing a lot of still life and product photography. This year, the roses in my garden have been blooming like crazy.

I have been picking the petals and drying them for tea. I am also selling them in my Easy shop.

These recordings were recorded using my EVP Wrist Recorder 3 on June 10, and May 29, 2020.

Image above: “Roses in my garden” by Andrea Mai.

LIFE UPDATE: EVP DURING QUARANTINE – May 11, 2020

I’ve been so busy here, filling orders for face masks. The days seem to melt together and I wake up confused about what day it is. One morning, I woke p from a dream where I was in a car, travelling through a tunnel, and there were theses raised sidewalks along the tunnel walls, there were racks of clothes for sale, like a street market, there were signs that said 11-11. When we reached the end of the tunnel, we were in a major city, perhaps New York. I honestly don’t know what this dream could mean, But that morning happened to be on the morning of May 11th.

I try to fill the orders as quickly as I can, because I know that these are people on the other end, waiting desperately for masks. I feel honoured that people choose to buy from me, and that I am able to offer up my skills for a worthwhile cause at this time. The struggle is real though. Most people will have no idea what a task it’s been to acquire supplies during corona lockdown. Trying to purchase fine quality fabrics; Shopping online, I’ll put things in my cart, but by the time I am ready to check out, items will be sold out. Elastics: I’ve attempted to purchase on five different occasions. Items do not arrive as expected, and I am having to keep searching for other suppliers that can deliver faster. I am having to pay for shipping and inflated prices for things that are normally not that highly valued.

I have not had time to review EVP very much lately. But I am still recording. It is only today that I did not have so many orders, that I can make this post. I got some interesting EVP clips while I was outside walking to the mailbox.

These clips are recorded outside, so they are not necessarily the best sound quality. But I have tested them on my laptop speakers and I can hear them without headphones just fine. They are repeated on loop.

Here, someone says, “Quarantine”. I wonder the the spirits are thinking about this pandemic? Especially after so many deaths have occurred in such short time…

Here is P saying “Hello”.

Someone offered P an orange, “Want an orange”. I have heard him being offered an orange before, while we were walking. I wonder if it is the same person?

P accepted, and he said, “Here you go, Prince”.

Someone asked, “How’s it going?”. P replied, “Gotta mail the masks”.

Someone said, “Look, there’s an angel“. I assume it’s one from my group. I have a group of angels that stay with us, and follow us for our protection. Every night I pray to God to give thanks for them.

There hasn’t been much time for me to work on my art photography as of late. But occasionally I do get a shot in here and there, when I see something that catches my eye. I took these photos of the cement moon, one evening while walking to the mailbox. In this one, you can see a bird flying.

These recordings were recorded using my EVP Wrist Recorder 3 on May 11, 2020.

Image above: “Spring moon” by Andrea Mai.

ART LIFE UPDATE: CREATING THE PRINCE ARTIFACTS TOTE BAG

Ever since I graduated from fashion school, I’ve wanted to create a merchandise line. At the time, I wanted to be a fashion illustrator and sell branded items, like Hello Kitty or Lisa Frank. Of course, I didn’t know how I was going to do that. As I did my research, I discovered how costly it was to design a product range and have it manufactured. I gave up on the idea as I moved onto other things.

Having made the decision in the last five year, to focus solely on my photography, the idea for a merchandise line rose again. I felt that my images could be more than just artworks hung on a wall. They could become part of everyday items, like bags and home accessories. I saw that the technology for printing mediums had advanced greatly since I last experimented with them as a student. I could print high resolution images on transfer paper and heat press them on to fabric. New ideas were born!

I bought some transfer paper and the first product I designed was this tote bag. I really just wanted a lightweight tote bag to carry my shopping, or packages I need to bring to the post office. It’s a large size, but it folds up nicely to go inside my purse. It’s made of muslin fabric. Muslin is a staple for any fashion designer. It’s a cotton cloth used to make initial samples of a design to test out the pattern. The fabric is lightweight, but tough wearing. I love the shabby chic vibe of muslin.

I printed my Prince Artifacts photo on the front side of the bag. But then I got some more ideas… I added these strips and arranged them to look like stickers. I was inspired by the way sometimes guitarists like to paste up stickers all over their guitar cases. I designed a piano keyboard pattern on one strip. I was inspired by the way Prince had piano keys incorporated into his decoration at Paisley Park. I designed my own leopard print pattern, emulating the look of washi tape. I was inspired by Prince’s signature leopard print guitar straps. And then I added a strip with the words “Love God” in Prince’s own handwriting, that I traced over from a Christmas card that I saw online. And of course, I added my own brand logo with the textile label.

The process was several weeks in the making. Initially, I thought about just buying ready made tote bags, but I didn’t find any I liked. They were poor quality and made using cheap labour in foreign countries. They weren’t what I envisioned. So I decided to design and make my own bags. I ended up making three prototypes to get it just right. First, I did a sample to test out the transfer paper on some leftover fabric I already had (from over 15 years ago when I was in fashion school!). Then I ordered more fabric, but it was different from the initial sample. I decided to wash the sample to see how well the artwork would hold up. It shrank. Then I realized that I should have pre-shrunk the fabric. So then I washed the fabric and I made another sample. My first sample didn’t have the strip of leopard print. That came later when inspiration kept brewing, and one night, I spent hours designing leopard print on my iPad Pro with pencil.

My experiences have taught me that if an initial idea doesn’t come out the way you hoped it to, don’t give up. Just set it aside. Ideas came return in new ways later on. Keep working towards your goals. I try to spend everyday working little by little towards a goal.

A Special Offer
I just listed the tote bag in my shop. As a promo offer to coincide with the fourth anniversary of Prince’s passing (April 21), I am offering free custom monogramming when you order this bag. Normally, I would charge an additional $5 for the customization. I will also throw in a freebie, two Cosmic Duo Art Greeting Cards, Comic Day and Cosmic Night, its design was inspired by Paisley Park (the cards are a $14 value). Offer will end on my birthday, May 5, 2020. No promo code needed. See here for details.

Image above: “Sewing” by Andrea Mai.

ART LIFE UPDATE: MORE #STAYATHOME & PRINCE-INSPIRED ARTWORKS

Despite my intuitive feeling that my art show might not happen this year (I submitted a notice of cancellation to the venue), I decided to move forward in action for my overall plan anyway. I used the art show date as a deadline to push myself. And now I am getting closer to where I want to be in my work. I have developed new artwork prints and product designs. The world is in chaos, but I am peaceful inside. It doesn’t mean that I don’t care about what’s going on, but I see no point in worry or complaint. I take necessary precautions where needed. I accept that this pandemic may take longer than we hope for it to pass, might as well settle in for the long haul. People are upset that they have to stay inside, questioning how real it is, how valid are the threats to justify it. I try a little everyday to work towards my goals, because I believe in making lemonade when life hands you lemons.

One such goal is working on my online art shop, adding new products and coming up with the best ways to present and package my art. In the past, I was reluctant to invest in the production of my work. I saw how others were using drop-shipping to sell their work. But after much consideration, I do not see it as a viable option for me. Perhaps it works for others, (or maybe in the future). But it is not for me. My preferred approach is hands-on. I want to be in control of production. I want make it special.

After an experience where a photo lab failed to send out my order, they allegedly lost all my prints and told me that they would reprint it immediately and deliver it to me. I do not like the idea that there could be unauthorized prints of my work floating around out there. That is why for prints that are not produced in-house, I offer a Certificate of Authenticity. In another experience, I was attending a warehouse sale for blank t-shirts from a printing company. I saw amidst the piles of t-shirts, that some were printed. Were they prototype samples for a customer? I don’t know, but it made me question; who knows where your designs could end up without your knowledge? It begs the question, how well do you know your suppliers? Do you trust that they will destroy all unauthorized samples or not sell them without your permission? That is why I have decided to produce as much of my own work where reasonably possible.

Admittedly, the audience for my work is very small. While I considered the option of using drop- shipping services like Printify or Society 6, to produce my designs and artwork, it is not a business model that works for me. Custom printers want to make a high profit margin for their print-on demand services, but they cut every corner on the cost of materials, leaving me, as the artist very little opportunity to reasonably mark up the items for a profit. The product quality does not justify the cost, in my opinion. As an artist,, I would have to be selling large volumes for this model to be worthwhile. I found the finished products very expensive for what it is, and I would have to order sample products for approval. The start-up cost would be very costly, meanwhile I could have s[ent that money and invested in my own production supplies.

I have relaunched my two Prince prints. The prints were originally produced by a lab the silver-halide method, which I love, but have decided to move on with printing in-studio. I currently have two options, mat and frame, or mat only.

The metallic paper I use to print on, reflects a subtle golden light from it when viewed at certain angles. It creates a stunning effect when viewed in person.

I also have the Prince Artifacts in a greeting card version.

And I was suddenly struck with inspiration to create these two new Prince-inspired greeting card designs. They are what I call the “cosmic duo”, as they are titled Cosmic Day and Cosmic Night. (And yes, for those of you well-versed Prince fans, Cosmic Day was an unreleased song title by Prince.) It was inspired by the ceiling murals at Paisley Park. In the sitting room area for visitors, is a painted ceiling with piano keys and a view of the night sky. There is also a version of it in the conference room upstairs. The central hall is covered with painted clouds. I find this interesting, because that is exactly what I dreamed of having on my bedroom walls when I was a kid.

I have two other Prince-related pieces. I was able to source some unused vintage Prince vinyl. It has the original Paisley Park labelling. They did not come with any record cover art. I hate to vinyl go unloved. I thought the 7-inch singles looked cool mounted on over my circle prints. So I created these two prints, and mounted the vinyl over it.

I actually have another Prince-related item that I’m working on, that I’m very excited about. I will fill you in on it when it’s ready.

Image above: “Behind the scenes” by Andrea Mai.

ART LIFE UPDATE, SPIRITS REACT TO PRINCE AT MICHAEL’S – EVP March 8, 2020

I’ve ben busy since February, preparing for an art show in May. Though it might not happen, as this coronavirus pandemic has caused school closures and event cancellations. They say that it might last until June or longer. I am not surprised though. I have not felt optimistic about 2020. The end of 2019 saw riots in Hong Kong and Paris. The virus was slowly erupting in China, and has now it has reached all around the world. I had a feeling at the beginning of the year, that things could get cancelled. I intended to lay low this year. But the art show placement was assigned to me since last year. I procrastinated working on it. Then in January, I started making plans for it. I made some decisions to grow my art business. I invested in buying equipment and art materials. It’s been a real process, something that I had been avoiding for years. Up until tis point, I’d only been testing the waters to see if anyone would buy my art. Having the art show as a firm deadline to work from, gave me the push. Otherwise the hesitation about what to do could drag on. So even if this art show doesn’t happen, it’s all work that I had to do anyway.

The biggest decision I made, that will affect my art the most, is choosing to print my own work. I bought a photo printer. I had been sending my work to print at a professional lab. I love the results that the labs give, but it’s not flexible enough for my business, logistically speaking. The cost of shipping really ads up, plus the waiting time. All the prints listed on my shop are currently lab printed. They are printed using the silver halide method on a metallic finish paper. The process involves photo paper that reacts to light. There is no ink involved. It is really the best, and I will still offer it for large size prints. I have a found a metallic finish paper that I can use on my inkjet printer that offers very compelling results. They are not the same, but it is still just as beautiful. Silver halide prints are have a super shiny finish, they are more silver toned and look very 3D, whereas the inkjet metallic is also very shiny and glossy, it leans more on the golden side. There is a subtle golden glow that projects from the paper. Below are photos of silver halide on metallic versus inkjet on metallic. The photos hardly do it any justice, you really have to see it in person.

Creating art prints and products for people to buy has a real process involved. Every detail must be considered. Decisions must take place before things can get started, as they will affect the materials and equipment that I need to buy. For instance, choosing what sizes of the art prints to offer, only until this is firmly decided, that then I can consider what my packaging options are. And then comes the sourcing, and that is one of the most crucial but challenging steps. One must envision how they will package and present their artwork to the customer, and then find the appropriate materials. Have you ever heard the saying, that God only gives you what you can handle? In the past, I have found that if I did not have the packaging ready for my online store, the sales for larger orders would not come in. I used to think that I could just wait to get an order in and figure it outtlater. But those orders never came. Then I splurged on the packaging and the orders came in.

Last week, I went to Michael’s to get a hold of a white Sharpie marker. I recorded EVP while I was in there. I rarely ever get to go to Michael’s. I could honestly spend hours in there.

These clips turned out pretty good. I tested them on my laptop speakers and you could hear them audibly. But I still recommend headphones for a better listening experience. The clips are repeated on loop.

Here is someone saying, “Hi Prince”.

I think we must have ran into some of his fans, as this one said, “I adore you, Prince”.

This one asked, “When did you die?“. P said, “2016”.

Some one said, “Orange tree… Eat an orange”. I think there must have been an orange tree there on the spirit side.

Someone offered P a drink, “You wanna drink?”.

“Orange juice”.

Someone said, “Angels in here”.

“There’s an angel”.

I spent about 50 minutes there, browsing. I had already gotten what I came for, but I couldn’t stop looking. But it was getting late in the day. P said, “It’s getting late. Gotta go”. I felt him tugging at me to go.

But before I left, Michael Jackson’s song came on, Remember the Time. The spirits there knew it was going to come on the radio. They said, “Next is Michael Jackson”.

I only bought the Sharpie and went home.

I have a collection of art prints and greeting cards coming soon. I found a really wonderful inkjet cardstock to print on for cards. The print quality is amazing. I already have one card posted in the shop. It’s the card version for my Prince Artifacts print.

These recordings were recorded using my EVP Wrist Recorder 3 on March 8 2020.

Image above: “Ink and prints” by Andrea Mai.

THEY MOVED THE CLOUDS FOR ME – EVP January 15, 2020

Our hotel was walking distance from Niagara Falls, so we walked to Prospect Point, the only spot where you can see both the American Falls and the Horseshoe Falls at the same time. It was cloudy, windy, and very cold. I recorded EVP as I took photos.

I got some good clips, but you can hear the wind and the water in the background. I tested the clips on my laptop speakers, they are audible, but some are better with headphones. The clips are repeated on loop.

As we walked along the river towards the falls, it was very cold, and I wondered if P was cold. I imagined for him, a black sateen bomber-style jacket with black rhinestone crystals encrusted on the back that formed his symbol. Though I’ve heard that one can give gifts to spirits by thought, I never really knew if it works. P said, “Andrea, a new coat“.

He then said, “I got it, thank you”.

It was very windy, P said, “Windy”.

Then he said, “Lost my hat”. Fortunately, after that I heard someone found his hat. It must have blown away.

There seemed to be talk about P’s new coat with with the spirits nearby. Someone asked him what the symbol was, probably referring to the symbol on the coat. He said, “Love sign”.

P said, “Nice and warm”.

Someone said, “Hey Prince”.

As I was taking photos, someone said, “Like this”, and another said, “That’s pretty”.

The sun was starting to come out and there was a small strip of light appearing halfway along the horizon. It was beautiful, but I said that I wished the rest of the clouds would move so that the light could fill up the horizon. As we waite for someone to return from the washroom, I noticed that the clouds had moved and the whole horizon was beaming with light!

I heard them on the EVP, saying, “Move it away”.

It was stunning, I knew someone was helping us with the weather. After we left the park, the entire sky cleared up and it was bright and sunny. I felt really blessed to see such beauty.

These recordings were recorded using my EVP Wrist Recorder 3 on January 15, 2020.

Image above:“View of Niagara Falls” by Andrea Mai.

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