kozyndan, me, and Martin Wong (of Giant Robot)

About a month ago, I was recognized while waiting in line at the Manado airport by a “Dan and Kozy.” We introduced ourselves to each other, snapped a photo together… and continued on with our lives.

ericndan at baggage claim in Singapore (photo: kozy)

After corresponding with Dan for a bit on Facebook, I realized that it wasn’t “Dan and Kozy” I met, but rather, kozyndan, the well-known artists responsible for (among lots of other things) Uprisings, a print my sister bought for me some time ago (I am a fan of Hokusai and derivatives).

Uprisings, originally created for the cover of Giant Robot #28

Not long after I realized that they were behind a print I really like, I discovered that they were also behind the alien Puma campaign. I saw the alien storefront while I was wandering around Charleston and was inspired to run across the street and snap a photo because I liked it so much.

kozyndan’s second line of Puma products just launched.

alien slugs are cool

So after my circuitous, serendipitous path of art education, I met up with kozyndan in Santa Monica today for Japanese curry and frozen yogurt — this time, as fans of their work. As we sat down for yogurt, Martin Wong of Giant Robot sauntered by with a few of his friends. Since kozyndan know Martin well, it was easy to get an introduction.

It’s a tiny world on that little stretch of Sawtelle Blvd.

At 5pm, I headed over to Werner Publishing for a drink with Chris Robinson, Editorial Director of Outdoor Photography, Digital Photo Pro, HD Video Pro, and others. I am lucky enough to be featured in this month’s issue of Outdoor Photographer, and was featured last year in Digital Photo Pro, and wanted to meet the man behind the magazines.

Business is funny these days; I have never met the majority of editors I work with, which is a real shame. I had a great time chatting with Chris. He’s an experienced SCUBA diver himself, and is someone I’ll (hopefully!) enjoy working with for years to come.

Finally, I had dinner with Matt Segal at El Cholo. Matt’s always complaining about the lack of Mexican food in the places we normally meet (e.g. the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia), and I now know why he is not satisfied anywhere else. Also, it was nice to have Matt buy me a meal, now that he’s out of school and working a high-tech job. :)