Carlsbad Art and Culture

The weather is changing, we have set back our clocks and 2011 is rapidly approaching which means the Third Annual Carlsbadcrawl.com Local’s Calendar is right around the corner. An archive containing hundreds of photos has been browsed with the goal of finding a total of 13 photos that capture the sites of the Carlsbad village, the sites locals see walking to and from work, while walking their dogs and during sunset strolls. I sought the shots that locals talk about each day over a cup of coffee and the rumors that spread over late night pints. I wanted to capture the man who falls asleep in his wheelchair outside the old bead shop on State and the double rainbow over Fiesta Liquor. I wanted to capture the tree fallen victim to a friendly toilet papering on Jefferson and the runaway kite stuck high above Carlsbad Boulevard. These are the shots that I used, shots captured through the eyes of a local and recorded through the trade of an artist.

After choosing the photos, I soon realized the importance of this blossoming project. These photos capture the village and all its beauty, but not in the fashion used in so many past calendars. This collection of photos records the village’s creative attractiveness, a charm yet to be captured. It describes the transformation the village has been going through in the past few years from a community based on Summer weather, waves and tourism to a community based on the arts and an emerging creative culture. These photos serve as a visual portfolio for the past few years, today and the future development of one of North County’s thriving creative hubs.

Eager to share my realization, I hit the streets with my calendar project. At this point I decided to improve the quality and increase the quantity of the calendar. With more calendars slated to be printed with the best quality printing, I soon realized that to make this project possible, I would have to seek help from the community. For 3 days straight I traded in my crusty paint splattered clothing for slacks and a large stack of business cards, sponsorship packets and calendar mock-ups.

I began my journey visiting neighbors on UpState (North State Street) with the wild idea of seeking local business sponsorships during a recession. I talked about the importance of advertising during slow times and rambled about the selling power of creativity. I flipped through the pages of my highly detailed sponsorship options and offered my graphic design service for free. I was asked how this calendar was to help business and I described the benefits of having an ad printed on the page of a month independent of all other ads. They asked if people still use wall calendars with the increasing popularity of smart phones and I shared stories of seeing previous carlsbadcrawl.com calendars hanging from the walls of businesses, offices and homes.

After 7 hours and dozens of conversations, I was nowhere near the amount of sponsors necessary to help finance the calendar. With a raspy voice, tired and sunburned, I glanced up at the setting sun and realized that the first day was a good test, but tomorrow would be better.

I started the day early and hit the streets with a new found energy. I began at the West end of Carlsbad Village Drive and headed East, stopping at every open door. I began with my pitch, flipped through the wrinkled pages and shared the importance of advertising. The pitch became smooth, but the interest remained low, if any at all.  I continued East on CVD with a lingering smile, but an approaching feeling of disappointment. I decided to backtrack and visit the businesses along the coast that I had previously missed. I entered a surf shop with a solid foundation which I new had come from dedication and perseverance. The surf shop still smelled like wax and new clothing just as I remembered years back when purchasing my very first skateboard, surfboard and wetsuit. I entered smiling and approached the owner with my calendar. Before I was able to share my photos, I was interrupted and informed that Saturdays are the days for making money, not spending money. I exited the empty surf shop confused, but not yet deterred.

The day concluded on a down note. Not because of the level of interest in my project, but the new found realization of the state of the village. For every time I used the word sponsorship, I was matched with the word economy. After two days, I had visited nearly 40 businesses, talked to the owners in depth about my calendar project, the state of the economy and future business projections. Some business owners fought off tears when explaining why they could not participate while others threw money in my direction before I could finish. I winced at the thought of local favorites closing shop and regained a sigh of relief when learning of others thriving, but I could not help to wish that it was more evenly distributed.

After 3 straight days sharing my project and nearly 60 business visits, I had secured enough sponsorships to help finance the calendar. I returned home, sat at my computer and began recording all the finances, but was unable to concentrate with the many conversations from the past 3 days still fresh in my mind. I thought of how I caught up with old friends and made new ones. I shared past projects and consoled those who anticipated their last year in business. I discovered mutual friends and shared stories of the subjects within the photos of the calendar.

The desire to share my local photos ignited this project, followed by the desire to provide a medium to promote our village and all the local businesses within. Each month contains an isolated local sponsorship along with a center double-page spread scattered with additional sponsors. The photos document the village through the eyes of a local artist and speak volumes of an emerging creative culture, however, as impacting as the photos are, the emotional journey I found myself traveling upon shouted alarming concerns.

Calendars Available Online: 11/22/10