BE YOUR BEST YOU.
NO FILTER. Just like you should live your life. This artwork is by my friend Brian Kobasa, @thecubeabides.
We met in Oregon when we were both on road trips: he on a bike across America, me with my dog in my car. Like I had, Brian blew up his life in favor of living authentically: he quit his job in tech, bought a bike, and started riding. HE WAS NOT A CYCLIST. He had never ridden long distances before. In fact, he first bought a mountain bike, not knowing what the hell he was doing.
He did, in fact, ride across America. Once on the south side, from Key West, FL to California, through Oregon and all the way up to Vancouver, Canada. He camped along the way and listened to a lot of @logic to get him through the long, often dangerous rides.
Today, two years after that epic adventure, Brian is back working in tech, has a fresh yoga instructor certification, and is Rubik’s Cube artist.
Yes, you read that correctly: he makes art out of individually hand-configured Rubik’s Cubes. His work was recently commissioned by artist Mos Def for a live concert activation.
His art blends his tech savvy with his creativity. Here's how it works: Brian wrote a program that turns any photo into a “pixelated” art piece — a map of Rubik’s Cube configurations, which he then customizes block-by-block to color perfection. He then uses this “map” and hundreds of brand-new Rubik’s Cubes to create the image. He hand-configures each cube into the correct color combination and places it on the canvas in the correct position. Most of his art pieces require him to configure and place 300-600 INDIVIDUAL Rubik’s Cubes one by one to create the full masterpiece, like this one of MLK, Jr.
Brian’s story is similar to Dr. King’s in some ways. He broke from the pack to live the life that was authentic to him. He managed fear, ambiguity, and the unknown. He follows the call of his own intuition and approaches each day with drive, hope, and reverence for the experience of living.
Today is a day to be inspired by people like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Brian Kobasa. It’s a day to remember that we can forge our own path and that we should stand up for what we believe in, inspire others, and help those who need it. Whether you are fighting for equality or living each day with kindness and joy, you are doing good in the world.
Today is all we have. This is our one life to do something meaningful. What will you do?
Find more of Brian’s work at http://www.thecubeabides.com/ and on Instagram at @thecubeabides
#youmightdietomorrow #livetoday #mlk #rubikscube