jan _25

▲ highlights: creating an Etsy shop for geometric illustrations // reconnected with my photo camera // Our future is somewhere here video // some resources & more.

Hello, 2025! I wish you a good one, more peace, less hate, more wisdom, less primacy, more understanding, less hastiness.

Also wanted to share that I am open to new work: if you or someone you know is looking for help visualising things - illustration, graphic design, research, or things like that, write to me! Short and long-term is both great.

And let’s have a look at my picks for this month: sending you two postcards from the island since I reconnected with my photo camera; I’ve put all the links from the “Our future is somewhere here” project in one place here; and I (finally) found the courage to create an Etsy shop (let’s see if that could grow into something at all). Scroll down for some resources, as well.

hugs,
ål // ≧◉◡◉≦

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// things to share » 

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🖤 <postcards from Limassol’s salt lake area, a territory owned by the United Kingdom/>

Kids playing // Lady’s Mile, UK (Cyprus)

Seagulls at Lady’s Mile beach. Seeing seagulls in Cyprus is a rather rare event. // Lady’s Mile, UK (Cyprus)

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🖤 <new adventure: an Etsy Shop!/> I’ve been considering exploring this side hustle for a very long time but never got myself to truly start researching how it could work for me. The time came when art and research projects were always hard to plan and income was never stable. This is one of the ways you can secure more small income streams, so maybe you can have your back and make ends meet in difficult times.

Now, I was wondering what could be the focus of my Etsy shop. Because in order to do well, you need to have one. If you’re doing a shop for all the variety of your work, it will be harder and slower for you to take off. Over the years I’ve tried different illustration styles, I am always interested in drawing in various ways. However, for the sake of consistency, I needed to pick one here.

Thus, I present you - drumroll - “Lines Of Alex” (wanted to call it “lines of al”, but I couldn’t get over how it looks like lines of AI, which is… like.. nope! Huge turn off xaxa)!

There, I will draw some of my favourite things in lines: animals, people, cities, and maps. Started experimenting with this illustration style back in 2019 and decided to focus on it for the shop. I am excited about creating new things in straight lines and to meet people who would love this style and - would like to have their own favourite thing illustrated this way!

What you can find in the shop:
▲ linear portraits of animals and people;
▲ geometric maps of cities, countries, constellations, and places we love (no matter if they exist or not);
▲ custom illustrated portraits of pets and people for you, or favourite places on the map (coming soon);
▲ which are downloadable digital files that you can turn into prints of any size;
▲ framed prints on demand (which might have a bit longer execution time, because I am still figuring out how to print and deliver from Cyprus, I am new there).

If you know people who are looking for art online or for custom gifts, please, share it with them <3 It’s here.

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▲ <Our Future Is Somewhere Here/> All the links in one place.

// this video was part of my installation at the group exhibition at CYENS ThinkerMaker Space 13-20 December 2024.

▶ the project presentation page @ alnik.me
▶ summary of the residency @ alnik.me
▶ the project’s documentation page @ alwiki
▶ documentation of the whole residency @ alwiki
▶ the research’s reader @ alwiki
▶▶ the project on CYENS’ TMS website
▶▶ CYENS Residency Showcase event official webpage
▶▶ CYENS Residency artist presentation webpage

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⊡ <visit Tranquilea(.it)/> Have a look at my latest baby: a website for a very special place that I hope I can also visit personally. Tranquilea is a house for retreats or personal escape from pressure where to recharge and look at the beautiful nature of Italy. Working on this project took several months and I am super grateful for the really smooth and warm working process I had with Mike. If you’re in Brussels, I recommend his yoga classes, too. ▶▶ Hop on here to see the website <3

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★ <Spotify’s dirty games behind the curtains/>

The January 2025 Harper's Magazine article The Ghosts in the Machine by Liz Pelly examines Spotify's collaboration with stock music companies, highlighting concerns about artist compensation and the platform's influence on music consumption. I am also one of the users who sometimes look for a ready-made playlist, even though I also have a collection of curated lists from the last 12 years. It turns out that this is one of their most lucrative channels of income (or for saving money). How? They put stock music in those playlists.

The result: the prevalence of stock music on Spotify's playlists influences listener habits, sidelining original artists and affecting the diversity of music available to the public.

Why, exactly, were the tracks getting added to these hugely popular Spotify playlists? We knew that the ghost artists were linked to certain production companies, and that those companies were pumping out an exorbitant number of tracks, but what was their relationship to Spotify?

Liz Pelly did a long and thorough research while looking for the answers.

According to a source close to the company, Spotify’s own internal research showed that many users were not coming to the platform to listen to specific artists or albums; they just needed something to serve as a soundtrack for their days, like a study playlist or maybe a dinner soundtrack.

And they came up with the idea to use this in their favour.

In doing so, they are effectively working to grow the percentage of total streams of music that is cheaper for the platform.

▶▶ Read the whole article here.

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★ <movie recommendation: Anora/> As usual, and especially during the holidays, I saw lots of movies and series. Besides finally making myself watch the “Substance” (thanks for the courage, Dori & Styko <3), there was another quite fresh thing to see: “Anora”. Matching my taste for satire and realism on the (big) screen, this one was also entertaining, fun, and sad at the same time.

Open Democracy’s Ava Caradonna, a sex worker, found it “a welcome departure from the long list of reactionary and misogynist portrayals of workers in the sex industry”. Far from the fluffy “Pretty Woman”, this one includes a more realistic main character who is witty and more informed, but also very young, delusional, and still open to escapism scenarios and looking for a better life. Take a look at the whole read here, and let me know what do you think of the movie when you see it.

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★ <resource to share: Public Domain Image Archive/>

Explore our hand-picked collection of 10,046 out-of-copyright works, free for all to browse, download, and reuse. This is a living database with new images added every week.

Hop on here.

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🖤 Any thoughts after reading this? Would be happy to read them :-)