Changethethought™

Nearly 13 years ago my younger and only brother Luke was in a terrible car accident that he barely survived. It’s hard to believe it was that long ago. I was only 23 at the time and about to graduate from college. I returned home one night after going out with my then girlfriend (she is my wife now) to find a message on the answering machine from my mother that my brother had been in an accident and I needed to rush to the hospital immediately.

After a night of partying my brother hopped into a car with some friends, none of which should have been driving. The car lost control not long after they left a house in the country outside of our hometown of Kearney, Nebraska.

My brother was thrown from the vehicle and suffered severe injuries and head trauma. He was clinically dead when the ambulance arrived. He was later revived but in order to survive the brain swelling he was put into an induced coma for the next two weeks or so.

That is only where the story begins. My brother died multiple times as was recorded by the medical staff and each time had different near death experiences. It’s truly a miracle that he survived. His memory of events both in and out of his body are unique in my opinion amongst the mass of people who have had similar experiences.  I say this only because he remembers so many of them in extremely visual detail.

It took me many years to come to grips with my brother’s experiences and it put me on a coarse to search for meaning in my own life. His accident came at a time when I was supposed to enter the world confidently and begin my adult life after my education. Instead I began that life in question. All of my beliefs had been stripped from me. The next several years I struggled to care about the frustrating system in which we are supposed to live. A brush with something totally spiritual is enough to make you wonder why we have made life so difficult for ourselves in this world.

The only answer I have found is love. I love my brother. I love my wife, my parents, my friends, family and now my beautiful son. Love is the spiritual twine that binds us to this world and whatever is waiting for us on the other side.

My brother was asked last year to share his remarkable story with The Biography Channel. I suspect he will likely be asked again in the future to share his story at greater length through another media channel. His episode of I Survived…Beyond and Back will premier Sunday January 29^th at 8pm Mountain Time (10pm EST).

I am apprehensive about watching it because I know he is going to share things I am sure I have probably never heard him speak of. I am very proud of him for deciding to tell his story and share it with such a large audience. He is my only brother and I love him so much. It’s been hard for him to pick up and carry on with life but he is now doing extremely well. It is amazing that he survived such a traumatic accident with barely a mark on him. He’s currently attending University with a major in theater and an interest in someday becoming a director.

I will be watching the show with my wife this Sunday. I invite you to join in. Lastly, I want to thank all of you who have read this blog and supported me over the years. This special place I have created has opened many doors for me and introduced me to some amazing people. I have always left the myself open on this blog as to who I am, the experiences I have had and what inspires me. It’s a line directly into who I am as a person. My brother’s experiences have had more impact on me than almost anything else that has happened in my life. There is nothing more personal that either I or my family could share. I hope his story will now further inspire you as we all look toward a more meaningful and spiritual future. Thank you for all the love you have given me through Changethethought. Hopefully this story will actually inspire the name I adopted for both my work and this blog a decade ago.

written by Christopher | tags: Christopher Cox, Lucas Cox, Personal, The Biography Channel

Well this is it. The big year according to many cosmic calendars. It was a wild year for us at Changethethought. This was really the year the business of the studio got officially underway. We did a lot of work this year and will be carrying several projects over into 2012. We traveled, met lots of new people and had the opportunity to work with some absolutely wonderful human beings. We feel very lucky and very blessed.

I myself added a new member to my family. My son Liam Charles. He has since become the new love of my life. For all the fear I harbored over many years of marriage at becoming a parent, I have found all of it to be totally unfounded. My son is one of the greatest things that has ever happened to me. Seeing him smile, grow and learn is one of the greatest joys of my life. It’s given me renewed purpose and has pushed me even harder toward success. It’s also made me look at my wife with fresh eyes and realize just how fortunate I am to share a life and love with her.

2012 is going to be an important year for Changethethought. We will be adding some new people to our team and taking on even bigger and more exciting projects this year. We will also be working toward releasing more posters and breathing new life into the blog as well. Of course none of this would have ever been possible without the support I have received from my partners, the amazing people who have worked for us, my family and extended family and of course all of you that have read this blog over the years. Thank you to everyone and lets all hope that 2012 will not be the end of anything but the beginning and awakening of something entirely new, unexpected and utterly amazing.

Happy New Year from Changethethought to you.

written by Christopher | tags: Changethethought, Holiday, New Year, studio

Well I am sure you have noticed that my blogging pace has slowed quite a bit these past few months. The reason being is that about 20 months ago I launched the Changethethought production studio. In the past year we have completed around 50 or so motion design, 3D, illustration and graphic design related projects. Our focus so far has tended to be motion and 3D but we are still delivering a lot of illustration and graphic design based projects for print. We are still very much just starting out with this new venture but we’ve managed to work with some exciting agencies and clients already. Our best projects so far are currently in the pipeline so please keep an eye on our portfolio as it will be changing often.

You can view our new site and reel here: changethethought.tv

Thanks so much as always for supporting Changethethought and expect a lot of new things to happen in the coming months.

written by Christopher | tags: 3d, Changethethought, Illustration, motion design, studio

I finally bought myself a Cintiq. It’s awesome. That’s all I have to say about that. I have been experimenting with creating my own brushes and have settled on a little pack that allows me to generate some imagery that feels like it’s been inked even when viewed up close as a printed piece. Being able to draw directly onto the screen and into the computer takes a little getting used to. It’s taken me about 3 weeks to adjust but I have settled in now and it’s totally changed how I illustrate. Now I don’t think I could live without it.

I just did this the other day and thought it turned out kinda neat. Thought I’d share it with you.

written by Christopher | tags: Art, Changethethought, Cintiq, Illustration

Indyink will be hosting a little poster exhibition this Friday here in Denver. The theme of the exhibit is ’2012′. I will be exhibiting the above silkscreened poster at the show which will also be available for purchase. Originally I thought about taking the whole thing really seriously and making some thought provoking conspiracy theory-inspired piece before realizing it would be a lot more fun and probably memorable to just call shenanigans on the whole 2012 thing. The poster made my wife laugh and I figure if it’s good for anything at least it was good for that. I managed to squeeze Nostradamus, a Crystal Skull, Mayan sacrifice, Mayan numerals and alien abduction all into one piece so there is that at least.

I am going to try to make the show possibly with my baby son in tow, so please stop by, grab a beer and say hello. Thank you to Indyink for inviting me to take part.

2012: Poster Apocalypse
INDYINK
Address: 84 S. Broadway • Denver, CO
Phone: 720.937.9722
Time: 11AM-6PM MON-SAT

written by Christopher | tags: 2012, Changethethought, Indyink, Poster, Silkscreen

We are currently experiencing intermittent disruptions to our server because of a problem with our hosting. Apparently the problem is being addressed and should be corrected by tomorrow morning at the latest. We will finally be moving Changethethought to a dedicated server after this issue is resolved. On behalf of both myself and my studio, I am very sorry to both the readers and our clients. There is currently nothing we can do other than wait for our host at Onewebhosting to fix the issue. Apologies again and we should be back online and in full effect shortly with more content funneling into your RSS.

written by Christopher | tags: Ctt News, Need a new host, Site Down, Web Hosting

We have been getting pretty crazy about updating our studio Flickrfolio lately. In the past 2-3 weeks we’ve posted a grip of new work on almost a daily basis. I have personally been working on several new ongoing self-initiated illustration projects just to stretch my legs a little. I’ve been diving deep into psychedelic art lately and some of the work definitely reflects that. So keep an eye out because we are using Flickr as our place to just dump whatever it is we might be up to for the hell of it.

written by Christopher | tags: Changethethought, Ctt News, Flickr, Illustration, Posters

Studio Changethethought is currently seeking 2 unpaid internships lasting 12 weeks. Internship positions are open to both part and full time as well as students and recent grads. Interns will be working closely with the Creative Directors and Executive Producer and will be expected to jump in and perform. Possible employment within Changethethought will be given consideration at the end of 12 weeks.

Motion Design Intern:
Skills necessary for this position are a solid understanding of Photoshop, After Effects and Illustrator. A working and/or strong knowledge of Cinema 4D is also a plus. Any additional skills such as filmmaking, Maya, editing (final cut), illustration, or other ninja abilities also receive a gold star. Design aesthetic and a solid understanding of typography will also earn extra points.

Producer Intern:
Our Executive Producer is also seeking an intern. Appropriate skills include any and all office software (strong Excel, Powerpoint skills), project management software (one or more: Visio/Fasttrack/Basecamp/etc). Any knowledge or ambition toward interactive, video production, advertising, media, writing, shooting, etc. will also be strongly considered. We are a creative studio and expect an appreciation for creative thinking with all of the people who are associated with producing under our roof.

Please email your resumé or information about yourself to: hire@changethethought.com

written by Christopher | tags: Changethethought, Employment, Interns, motion design

I just wanted to say Happy New Year to all of you out there and thank you for following our blog this year. 2011 is going to be a year to remember for both myself and my partners who recently helped me start the Changethethought Studio. It will mark our first official year as a studio and who know what we will end up working on. We already have some exciting projects lined up for the new year and we hope to line up many more. My son will be born in February so this will definitely be a year I will remember for the rest of my life. Both myself and everyone else at Changethethought hope that this year will be a great one for both you, your friends and your families. We appreciate your support more than we have words to express. We love you all and wish for an amazing 2011.The Denver Egotist was kind enough to ask me to take part in an interview where I spoke about what both myself and the rest of us at Changethethought learned this year. You can read it here. Happy New Year everyone.

written by Christopher | tags: , Changethethought, New Years

Licorice Stick from Comedy Centrals Chocolate News – watch more funny videos

We just wanted to say thank you for visiting our blog and continuing to support us. This next year will no doubt be one for us to remember. My wife and I are having our son in February so I’ll only be a month into 2011 before my life will change in a gigantic way. I have been joined by two amazing partners this year to embark upon launching the Changethethought studio and we have already worked on some exciting projects for some big brands this past year. We are looking forward to what is coming next in 2011. My Partner and Executive Creative Director and I have to share our favorite studio lightening video from the past few months. Anytime we are stressed, tired or frustrated we play this brilliant skit from David Alan Grier as pornstar ‘Licorice Stick’ Mayfield sharing all of the famous porn sex positions that he invented over his ‘long’ illustrious pornstar career.

It’s a strange little gift from us to you, but we really do wish you all happy holidays and are excited to see where we will go in 2011.

written by Christopher | tags: Christmas, Comedy, Ctt News, David Alan Grier

Changethethought will be exhibiting the above piece this Friday, December 3rd at the Illiterate Gallery for a show entitled ‘Mile High on the Map”. We printed 5 Giclée’s and one is framed. The framed piece will sell for $150 while the unframed will be available for $100 each. All prints are signed and numbered. We are excited to be a part of the show and hope to be exhibiting more work in the upcoming year at Illiterate. You can see a detailed image of our print at our Flickr-folio. Our piece is a bit of a puff surrealist pop art bit about  two of our favorite quintessentially weird iconic Denver public art sculptures. You can also see the first pass of the graphite drawing used as the foundation for the piece before it was finished digitally.

The show starts at 6pm this Friday and runs until 11pm. Be there or be square.

Exhibiting Artists:
BLUE BEANIE / CHRIS COX / HILARY CLARCQ / SANDRA FETTINGIS / JOUVELT / KRIS FRY / RUBEN GAUCIN / MIKE GRAVES / ANDREW HOFFMAN / AUSTIN LANE / SCOT LEFAVOR / SANDER LINDEKE / ROB MACK / MARKHAM MAES / NIGEL PENHALE / STEVEN PROCHYRA / ADAM SIKORSKI / ANDI TODARO / DARIUS VALE / JOSH WILLS

written by Christopher | tags: Art, Changethethought, Denver, Illiterate Gallery

It took a while but I finally got around to updating our studio Flickrfolio with a whole lotta work from the past 4-5 years. We still have a lot more to add but it’s fairly up to date with some illustrations we’ve been working on for various art shows happening this next month. You can peep our efforts here at the official Changethethought Flickr stream. We’ve been trying to up our illustration skills to some extent in hopes of procuring more illustration commissions. Hopefully there’s something in our folio that you dig and if you don’t, that’s o.k. too.

written by Christopher | tags: Changethethought, Flickr, Graphic Design, Illustration

Animated gif artist David Ope has updated with some excellent new examples of simple animated psychedelia. The example above in particular is absolutely ace.

written by Christopher | tags: Animated Gifs, Art, David Ope, Pschedelic

Alright, this may seem like an odd request but I am currently in the running as a contestant on a very interesting reality television show about the power of social networking. I need to beef up on my Facebook friends for the show. So if you could be so kind and click here, I would be happy to be your pal. If it makes you feel a little better about the deal, the Changethethought RSS is fed through my Facebook page which gives you one more option for consuming the information. I appreciate your support and I am going to be asking your help if I make it on the show. That’s all I can say about it now but as soon as I know more you will too.

written by Christopher | tags: Changethethought, Facebook, Reality Show, Social Networking

So today is my birthday. My wife is gone in Brasil. She’s actually flying to Rio tonight to spend the next few days there. It’s kind of a lonely birthday and it’s my last before becoming a father in February. So I guess it’s a bit of a benchmark, but one I am experiencing alone so it’s hard not to be a little contemplative. So much has happened already this year that it has been hard to stay on top of everything. I left my job as an Art Director after 4 years at Cactus. I then embarked on the crazy startup phase of officially opening the Changethethought production studio for business. It took nearly 3 months to finally completely finish remodeling the studio which aside from one granite countertop and sink was done entirely by me and my initial business partner. Not long after I found out my wife was pregnant. Then only 3 short weeks ago my new and amazingly talented partner Mike Slane informed me he was moving out from San Diego to join me after working the last two years for Shilo.

So now here we are, crunching it as hard as we can go day-by-day to get the studio off the ground and support our families. It’s been tough so far and we both know it is going to take time to build our list of clients and begin introducing ourselves and our work to agencies. We are new to all of this so we are still feeling our way but we are not new to producing creative. We know what we are capable of in that arena.

So after all of these changes, it’s almost impossible to imagine where I will be and what will be happening 1 year from today. I know I will be a dad and I know I will be a husband. Aside from that, who knows. The best part of starting a new business is that each day is a new adventure and that continues to be rewarding.

Thank you all for tuning into the blog for one more year and for all of your support. What I really want for my birthday is a new project to work on but meeting the people I have met through this blog and communicating with such a richly talented and passionate audience has been the best present I could ever ask for.

Expect much more this next year. We are only just beginning what Changethethought will one day become.

written by Christopher | tags: Birthday, Changethethought, Ctt Studio, News

We are thrilled to announce that motion designer, animator and filmmaker Mike Slane has joined the team as Creative Director at Changethethought. He will be partnering with Christopher Cox and Elysia Syriac to help round out the Changethethought creative studio with capabilities in motion, 3D and broadcast. Mike recently relocated to Denver from California after working as an Associate Creative Director for Shilo. He has worked for agencies such as Exopolis and Motion Theory in the past and has completed projects for clients like Sprint, Campbells, Reebok, HP, Gatorade and Jack Daniels to name a few.

This is going to mean a lot of new and exciting things will be coming out of the Changethethought creative studio in the very near future. We couldn’t be more pleased to have such an amazing talent with us here in Denver. Mike is one of those rare individuals who is not just an amazing talent but also a family man and incredibly nice person.

His leadership role at Changethethought is all part of our plan to negate our physical geography while amplifying our global digital creative footprint. We firmly believe we can service top shelf clients here in Denver with a focus on design, and we intend to do so in the coming months.

For inquiries in how to contract Changethethought for your next project please visit Cttcreative.com to view our portfolio or email us at hire[at]changethethought.com.

written by Christopher | tags: Changethethought, Cttcreative, Denver, Mike Slane

I am currently at a 2 day workshop hosted by Boulder Digital Works. I have to thank the New Denver Ad Club profusely for allowing me the opportunity to be here. It means a lot to me. There are some very exciting people from within the advertising and creative industry here including the top creative minds from agencies like Modernista, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Goodby Silverstein, etc. We are putting our heads together to try to figure out this new landscape and understand what exactly it means for the creative industry. Thus far and not surprisingly, there are no tried and true answers. Especially after the massive change in the last 18 months brought on by a technological windfall with gadgets like iPhones and iPads that are quite literally changing our lives minute-by-minute.

So far, I have met some really exciting people here. I feel like I am coming in at a weird angle where I have worked in the ad industry but also come from the creative-to-creative community side that a lot of people within the ad industry don’t consider. I spoke with a group this morning about tribalism and people moving into tribes within the digital landscape. I found that interesting. Currently I am about to listen to the head of UI at AKQA.

I will do a followup when the conference is done, but it should come as no surprise that this world we live and play in is changing dramatically and the agency/client model is struggling to keep up or even understand the changes. My question is and has been for a while, whether or not the agency model is even relevant anymore and if it can even find a way to sustain itself. Stay tuned.

written by Christopher | tags: BDW, Boulder Digital Works, Changethethought, Workshop

I returned yesterday from a week-long holiday to New York. I am sure you noticed the lack of updates to the blog which I have to apologize for as I didn’t really tell anyone I was leaving. I had an absolutely fantastic time there and got to hang with some really wonderful people. I attended the opening of Hyper Island’s New York school and met some nice people there including the founder of Hyper Island. It was a fun event but boy I have to say it had to be 200 degrees inside. It was hot as hell that night and made for a sweaty affair. That same night I ended up going out with a really talented Senior Art Director from Big Spaceship for some drinks and a slice of pizza.

I also attended a Yankee’s game at the new Yankee stadium which was really enjoyable even though I am not a huge sports fan (except for World Cup). It was hotter than the mind could imagine at the game but the new stadium is really impressive. I went to a wedding in Bryant Park which is somewhere you should stop by next time you are in the city. It’s a beautiful park. I finally got to visit the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) which did not disappoint. I got to see some of my favorite Francis Bacon paintings up close and personal and that was really inspiring. I also attended the American Museum of Natural History which I really enjoyed, more so than I thought I would to be honest. I absolutely love anything and everything to do with dinosaurs and the collection there is absolutely fantastic. Rarely does the word apply but it is the only adjective that comes close to describing the collection there. I also visited the Solomon Guggenheim Museum and enjoyed their current photography exhibit entitled ‘Haunted’. Walking up through Frank Lloyd Wright’s classic architectural masterpiece is a very memorable way to experience art. If you ever visit New York, don’t skip a chance to visit the Guggenheim. I walked back and forth across Central Park 2 or 3 times since the train doesn’t really cross it. Central Park in the summer is always an interesting place to visit. I tried to hit up the New Museum since it was only two blocks from my hotel but it was closed Monday and Tuesday. I was sad I didn’t get to see it. I stayed at the Sohotel in Soho close to Little Italy and Little China. The hotel was very affordable and it was also very nice. I recommend it if you are looking for somewhere to stay in NY close to the action but don’t want to spend 3 or 400 dollars a night on a hotel. I hit up some bars in Soho near Houston and Ludlow and also ate dinner in Little Italy. All experiences included were wonderful. I went to the top of the Empire State Building. You have to stand in line forever to get up there and I was a little salty by the time I arrived but when you look out on Ellis Island and the rest of the city from above, it is totally worth the wait. I visited Times Square and took in the movie Inception as well as a cheesey but super fun 80′s rock musical called Rock of Ages on Broadway. I wanted to see the new Mamet play starting Eddie Izzard titled ‘Race‘ but it was sold out. Rock of Ages was a really great time though and I highly recommend it. I  walked by the new interactive Forever 21 billboard directed by my close friend Jasper Gray at Futuristic Films. The billboard points a camera back at the crowd and a lot of people were gathered to stop and take photos. It was exciting to see something from a local Denver shop in the heart of Times Square drawing a crowd, especially something directed by one of my best friends. I also partied a night or two in Brooklyn near Bed-Stuy. I got to see a Banksy piece in the neighborhood and also hit up some really cool bars. That neighborhood is really an exciting place and just spilling over with art. I stayed with my good friend Josh Pipic who works at Agency Net and lives in an absolutely beautiful apartment in Williamsburg. He was really a great host and I can’t say enough about how talented he is and how much of just a great all-around person he is. I had drinks with the fine people of Agency Net one night as well and still keep them high on my Rolodex of people to work with. They are just good souls and have the talent to match. I was stood up by Mario Hugo for drinks since he said they landed a big account and had been pulling back to back all nighters. I accepted a rain check but was bummed I didn’t get to check in with him in his local habitat. Next time I guess.

As always, I love riding the subway in New York. With all of it’s decay and sweltering summer heat it has to be one of the strangest places on Earth. I saw magicians, choirs, crazy people and musicians on the train and riding it is a cultural experience that is unique to NY. I was asked a lot of questions by tourists so I must have looked local which made me feel good.

All in all, it couldn’t have been a more eventful trip for only 1 week’s time. Go to NYC when you get the chance, it’s one of the most amazing cities on this planet. You can live harder, denser and faster there than anywhere else in the world.

written by Christopher | tags: Changethethought, Christopher Cox, Holiday, New York, vacation