FMX 210, Joshua Campbell

"HAND TAPPED" In April 2016, I traveled to American Samoa as part of the Marine Corps Forces Pacific Band to participate in their Flag Day Ceremony and surrounding events. This annual ceremony attracts quite a bit of attention, leaving no vacancies at any of the hotels on island. Fortunately, we were honored guests and made our reservations well ahead of time. What I had not planned on, was getting a Tattoo. Wilson is an Internationally known Tattoo Artist from American Samoa. I'm pretty sure he has more to his name than just "Wilson", but that's what he calls himself, and that's what everyone knows him as. While I had some "Liberty" on the island, I scheduled a session with the master. It was quite a bit different than other tattoo sessions I've had. Tattoos are a big deal in American Samoa. It's common for children to start getting "inked up" at around age 16. The culture is quite a bit different there, than that o

"MEME" There's nothing like finding just the right Meme to express how you feel. My meme is pretty cliché, but relatable to anyone taking classes in the CASS bldg. It's tucked away in the corner of the University next to the tracks & the river, and far away from all the other comings and goings of the school (including the commuter parking lot). The CASS is so hidden, that you can't even see it when your standing on top (5th floor) of the parking structure. It's also a very cold and dark place where suntans and dreams go to die... Not because you find discouragement there, but because you will never sleep again. I need to learn how to day dream again like I did as a child... And the bonus one... 10 FAVORITE MEMES:

Somewhere I've Never Been I've traveled to quite a few places in my lifetime. There are so many different cultures around the world and so many different people. Yet, I still see a bit of myself in them. There's something about the human condition that allows us to relate with each other, no matter how different we think we might be. In my piece, I present myself as a sort of apparition that's posing along with the crowd. The process involved making 2 copies of the original photo, and cutting out the background for the top layer. I cut myself out of an old photo, and placed it between the layers. A few Hue / Saturation adjustments needed to be made to blend the blacks and contrast a bit better.

Inner Feelings and Outward Reflections It's easy for the world to look at you and pass judgment. It all starts at "Face" value. It's a much harder thing to define how we see ourselves. Sometimes it's hard to put it all into words. Then there's the old saying, "A picture is worth a thousand words"... "Inner Feelings and Outward Reflections" is about how I see myself. More specifically, it's a reflection on the last twenty years of my life. There's always been so much I wanted to say, but had to filter out. There are so many places that I had to be all at once. There's so many places across the Nation that I have seen. It's hard to see our Nation sometimes, because it's just so diverse. When people ask me what I think of myself, or of the Nation, I wish I was able to show them more than one thing at a time. Each element is insignificant by itself, but finds it's identity and meaning when placed with the other e

"Whats Old is New Again" As a young child, I really enjoyed coloring books. The empty spaces presented endless possibilities to express myself with color. The original image would always be there, but it carried new and unique meaning when colored in a different way. With the advancements in technology, this same basic concept can apply to photos that have been sitting stagnant in an old album.  A new "Paint Job" brings new life to an otherwise old and boring image. "What's Old is New Again" embodies the playful childlike spirit that lives deep in each of us, and reminds us to reconnect with that spirit when life gets too serious and weighs you down. My composition started with a photo taken while I was stationed in Hawaii with the Marine Corps Forces Pacific Band as the Small Ensemble Leader. This photo was taken in 2015 when I was still a Staff Sergeant (standing on the far right while looking at the photo). The occasion