Apologies for the formatting issue, but I guess a big video box is better than no video box!

1800 tEQUILA Showcases up-and-coming artists on bottles in limited edition series

12 Limited Edition Bottle Designs Include Shepard Fairey’s Studio Number One Artwork

New York, NY – Proximo Spirits, Inc. and 1800 Tequila are thrilled to announce today the release of the second annual collection of limited-edition Essential Artists bottles. Introducing 12 new bottles designed by up-and-coming artists from New York to Hawaii, the 1800 Tequila Essential Artists series celebrates a dynamic range of original artwork on a unique and unexpected medium – bottles of 100% Agave Silver Tequila! Showcasing eleven designs gathered from over 15,000 online submissions, selected by 1800 Tequila, and one special edition “celebrity artist” bottle, this new line is a vibrant example of the undiscovered, yet soon-to-be-recognized talent residing across the country.

The first installation of the series proved to be a compelling initiative, attracting attention from a wide-range of both world-renowned and unknown artists. This year, in addition to the eclectic variety of 11 user-generated designs, 1800 Tequila is excited to feature a special-edition bottle by Studio Number One, a group of rising star designers whose work is now being recognized as ‘essential’ in the art world.

Founded in 2003 by artist Shepard Fairey (who gained global notoriety this year for his Obama “Hope” design), Studio Number One has built a reputation as one of today’s most influential creative agencies in the country. Describing themselves as a “firm where art and design bridge the gap between culture and enterprise,” Studio Number One reflects the mission of the 1800 Tequila Essential Artists series.

“It’s a pleasure to be involved with something that puts art in more people’s hands, and to work with a brand like 1800 Tequila that supports and promotes artists,” said Amanda Fairey, Chief Operating Officer for Studio Number One.

“We wanted to create something that’s as much fun to enjoy on the shelf as it is off the shelf. It’s a design that captures the wild side of tequila, but tames it with a dose of humor and a sense of adventure,” added Florencio Zavala, Associate Creative Director for Studio Number One.

In addition to Studio Number One, eleven artists nationwide contributed work to create the series of 12 bottles. These artists include StevOramA (Honolulu, HI), the $10,000 Grand Prize Winner whose design has been given a starring role in the series, as well as Ian McGillivray (Brooklyn, NY), Nickelyn Reames (Manteca, CA), danyol (San Francisco, CA), Leyland “Lee” DeVito (Detroit, MI), Danielle Salinas (Bloomfield, NJ), Chad Shore (Atlanta, GA), Mark Sweeney (San Francisco, CA), Branden Tintiangco (San Diego, CA), Chuck Trunks (Los Angeles, CA), and Michelle Villasenor (Atlanta, GA).

“We’re excited to offer another round of Essential Artists bottles, as we received an overwhelmingly positive response to the first campaign,” said Elwyn Gladstone, VP of Marketing for Proximo. “Emerging artists can struggle for years before seeing their work recognized on a national scale, but the creative genius behind the submissions and the incredible demand from consumers has allowed us to expand this program and feature 11 more artists, on our way to showcasing 1,800 inspired submissions.”

Only a limited number of bottles have been produced, making for an attractive collector’s item and lively addition to any bar. To find the bottles, which retail for $24.99 each, consumers can enter their zip codes into the “Liquor Locator” on 1800Tequila.com to find the series in their area. In hopes of encouraging other artists to make their dreams a reality, 1800 Tequila plans to re-launch the contest at the end of this year, inviting artists to submit their own bottle designs for a chance at inclusion in the next series.

For one, he was a huge part of my childhood, and I think anyone in my general age range can say the same thing. So when he died, we all just got a little older, a little sadder. It was bad enough when he started getting all weird and creepy — already a lot of the magic was gone after that. But now he’s dead. Beat It, Thriller, Man In The Mirror, PYT, Wanna Be Startin Something… all that joy, all that fun… gone.

Two, it’s the end of a tragic story. Yes, it’s easy to see him as just another celebrity freak, but he was a person. Someone raised in the eye of fame since he was a child. We see what just a little bit of fame can do to people who star in sitcoms as children. From the time he was a child, Michael Jackson was wrapped up in a level of celebrity that only grew until you could seriously argue he was the most famous person in the world. And what started out as a happy little kid with a great voice ended up a haunted, drug-addicted, self-mutilated ghost with sexual issues that likely led to criminal behavior. It’s a tragedy of epic proportions that someone who brought so many people so much joy ended up the way he did.

(hat tip to Andrew Sullivan at TheAtlantic.com)

But when I’m waiting on that line and someone else has the nerve to play the genius and skip me and everyone else, oh boy is that a different story. Who are you to think I’m a stupid follower? I am the one who thinks you’re the follower! How dare you!

It’s the same way with elevators. I’m the first one to pound on the door close button as soon as I get in, but I’ll fume in anger when someone refuses to hold the door for me. I guess I should get into that whole do unto other thing more.

Seriously though, this week’s Dustinland is a topic I tackled a few years ago, but this time I think I got it right. I also realized I haven’t been touching on subjects of sex and love quite as much as I once did. That’s probably because I’m a long way from single these days, and that’s when you really start thinking about those things. I’ll see if I can dig up some more theories though, since it’s a great topic. The best really.

Interesting tidbit (or useless crumb): the comic originally was just the first 6 panels, but then I was inspired to extend it. It got a lot weirder, as you can see. I did watch Synecdoche last night, so maybe that had something to do with it.

And think about this: some people write “grey” and some people write “gray.” I think I even did it both ways in the comic. “Grey” is better though. More regal.