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Mon, May 25, 2009
The name Prozac Rsin, R-sin and Rsin popped up on a ton of shows we covered last year. I checked out his Flickr, and noticed he was crazy-customizing Munnys like they were going out of style. I remember thinking: “his name must be a commentary on toy-making as a remedy for depression.” Turns out I had part of it right. I’m in awe of how quickly Rsin can crank out these mini-masterpieces (all the while being a frequent tweeter). Rsin is part of the next generation of toy artists you will be hearing about everywhere, so take note. Interested in getting one of his signature Burning Bear Munnys? You can act fast and buy one here. Or take a chance and enter…
“Life has gotten tough for a lot of people recently and ’cause of that I made the Hope mutt,” writes Rsin. “What do you do to release, to forget, and to make it all better, that does not involve drugs or alcohol?” Best answer (in the comments section below) gets the 7-inch custom Munny and limited edition Burning Bear print.
Please post your comment by June 7th at midnight PST. We will declare the winner on June 8th, shortly before the next custoMONDAY. The contest is open to anyone, anywhere in the world. If you have already won a custoMONDAY in 2009, please feel free to share your creativity, but you are, regrettably, not eligible for the prize.
How did you get started customizing toys?
Not really sure how it happened. Four years ago my mother passed away from brain cancer, and at that time I wasn’t working, so I could help take care of my two sisters, and to just be there for my father. At that time I decided to start tattooing and did that for two years. I always was drawing and doing color pencil work, and pieces with Prismacolor markers, but never got into painting. First time I tried painting was 6-7 years ago and I hated it, had no control, no idea what I was doing. But I decided to try it again, and I loved it. I started painting in November of 2007, and within a week I finished my first Munny and a handful of canvases. I was hooked, the next week I ordered me a master case of Mini Munnys. Since then, I have done over 70 Mini Munnys; it’s been fun! I have no plans on stopping. I work on toys every night 7 days a week. I’d rather be doing this than anything else. I am open to customize just about anything, send something my way and I will do it. I got a Mega Munny that’s been begging me to custom, but I like it blank!
What is your favorite platform to customize?
Not really sure I have a favorite, but I have done a lot of Munnys and Dunnys. Mostly ’cause they are easy for me to get and cheap (which is good for us struggling artist, haha). I recently completed my first 10″ mad*L and had a blast working on that platform. There are a lot of platforms out there I’d like to work with one day, but I am still new to this, there is plenty of time.
What’s the scene like in PA?
More like no scene in PA, for some reason nothing happens here. Unless you are painting farms, Amish, or some covered bridges you’re pretty much nothing. We do have some local shops like Metropolis Gallery in Lancaster that have helped me by holding small events where I could show work. Besides that there is the Goggle Works here in Reading that’s supposed to focus on local arts, but once again they are very very picky as to who and what they show. Last year there was a local group formed called “Reading We Have a Problem” as a way for artists to meet and network, and to try and make a scene. Again its hard when you got no place to hold shows, or people who are willing to leave their house for a few hours and get involved.
Tell me about the combination of “prozac” and “resin”?
Well this is funny…so my nickname I guess a few years back was Prozac R-sin. Not really sure where it came from of, but that’s what it was. About 5-6 years ago I dropped it down to R-sin, and after a few months the “-” slowly disappeared. So I get “resin” a lot when its actually “Rsin (Arson)” I have thought about changing it, but I think its funny every time someone calls me Resin. For now I either go by Rsin or Rsinart.
I totally thought it was “resin!” Tell us about your custoMONDAY piece.
The burning bear is my logo I guess; it’s something I have been drawing for 7+ years. Its always been a bear hanging by a noose, and sometimes he’s on fire. I’m sure I have painted him over 50 times since I started, everyone seems to love it. This is me taking it into vinyl, and based loosely off a painting I finished recently. [The winner of custoMONDAY gets the Munny shown above and the print shown below!]
Who are some of the people who have influenced and inspired you?
I have a great family that has provided me with the support I needed to do art, and try to make a life out of it. I appreciated the feedback I have gotten from the toy community over the past year. Look back at my first Munny, and you can see I have taken all the advice and comments, and it’s helped me become a better artist. I am still learning every day, and I hope you guys enjoy what I make. Grimsheep, Southerndrawl, Motorbot, Drilone, Crisr, and many more: you guys are what inspire me. You guys push me to be a better artist every day, so thanks. Big ups to Jeremy and Jason from ToyCyte, giving artists like myself a place to show work and to give back is awesome. So glad I could be a part of this, thanks!
What’s coming up next for you?
That’s a good question; I don’t really have much going on this year locally. It seems that with the current economy that people are not doing as many shows. Last year I think I was a part of over 50 shows, but this years been slow. I am currently working on a new Dunny series–all 3″ with a matching canvas. They should be out in June. I am also going to focus on more canvas work this year, more smaller pieces. I got the “Munny Grubbers” show coming up in Phoenix later this summer, and a few other shows. I think sometime this year I am going to look into going back to school. I am going to just keep painting till 6am every night, sleeping and doing it all over. Hope to find me a gallery to do a solo show sometime this year. Also hope to have my first sculpt of my own figure done by the end of summer. Got so many ideas, just need to funds to pull them all off.
You heard the man. Want to commission some art? Drop him a line at Rsinart [at] msn [dot] com. And be sure to check out his shop too. The customs below await.
Jeremy Brautman - who has written 1965 posts on ToyCyte: Toy Culture Collected.
Jeremy Brautman joined ToyCyte in 2008 and has been writing about toy culture ever since. You can currently find him contributing to a variety of blogs, artkiving doodles at Doodlesplatter.com and cataloging artistic ephemera at ARTkivers.com.
[...] { 27 27UTC Maio 27UTC 2009 @ 9:56 } · { toy art } { Tags: concurso, internacional, toy art } Para concorrer você deve responder a pergunta “O que você faz para se libertar, para esquecer e para tornar tudo melhor, que não envolva drogas nem álcool?” (em inglês) no site do ToyCyte. [...]
[...] head on over to Toycyte right now for your chance to win a 7″ Burning Bear Munny by Rsin. I am giving away a [...]
May 25th, 2009 at 12:24 pm
Videogames let me take out my frustration on evil monsters and/or save the world while riding unicorns.
May 25th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
Doesn’t matter what the situation is, doing anything with my son makes everything a better time. There no way to describe how being a parent can change your life in such good ways!
May 25th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
When I am feeling really low, weather depressed, stressed, or really scared about something that’s coming up; I call my family. Talking to a sibling or to one of my parents really helps to calm things down, because I know that there is/are people out there who love me no matter what.
May 25th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
when the stresses of life get to be too much i pick up some paint and start throwing it onto old windows and i just keep doing it till my stress is gone eventually the windows become very meaningfull pieces of art that hold all the stress and pain that was channeled into them
May 25th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
To release, I prefer to turn to a creative outlet, in order to produce something that will let others experience and share the relief that I got out of making the piece of art. In that way, a cycle is created in which a felling of relief stems from hoping that others will feel the same way when they see what I have done. So currently, art is the currency of happiness.
May 26th, 2009 at 12:07 am
When I’m feeling stressed out I usually either go out for a walk if it’s nice or I will start messing around with super sculpey. I don’t really do it to forget as it is more calming and soothing to me while I reflect upon what exactly is stressing me out.
May 26th, 2009 at 6:20 am
I just play with my daughter when I feel stressed. She reminds me of the simple and innocent things in life. Stress is something we put on ourselves,she reminds me since I created therefore I can take it away just as easily.
May 26th, 2009 at 10:14 am
When I’m down I usually pick up my guitar and play music. Usually I try to write music about each Dunny I have on my shelf, trying to write out a story for each. I guess it’s dumb… but I like to do it. It keeps me occupied and it helps me get better at writing music and it gets me more acquainted with my Dunnys. I have five tracks so far about them. And the more I end up collecting… the more songs I end up writing. I live in Maine, after all, and not too much happens out here. Music is my escape from reality. The more Dunnys I get results in the more songs I create. It’s a wonderful hobby and it keeps me going. Vinyl figures make me happy.
May 26th, 2009 at 10:47 am
lately i’ve been visiting this website called F*mylife..reading stories on there makes me realize that whatever is getting me down…isn’t really that bad. for example…
“Today, I was woken up to my mom playing the piano awfully. I screamed down the stairs “you suck, stop playing!” Turns out it was my 5 year old cousin playing a recital. For my entire family. FML”
see..i feel better already about whatever was bothering me today.
May 26th, 2009 at 11:13 am
Hiking with my 6 year old son. Nothing makes everything ok like the chance to sling him up on my shoulders and take a long hike in the woods, putting a little distance between us and life.
Best time ever was a hike up Cedar Butte, where we found the survey marker located there, incorrectly stamped ‘Ceder Butt’. Nothing better than being at the top of a big old hill with a 6 year old and a survey marker with the word ‘butt’ on it.
May 26th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
I like to let loose by killing a few zombies, then I’ll head back inside and enjoy a spot of tea.
May 26th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
When I’m feeling stressed out or dissapointed with life, I draw and paint. I’m an aspiring artist and I feel like the only way to truly get away from the world is to create your own. Even if you go somewhere else, do drugs, or drink, those emotions are still buried inside you, eating away at your soul and growing like the Venom Symbiote with Spiderman’s hate. By creating art, I can escape my current situation and build a solution for myself with my artwork.
May 27th, 2009 at 5:43 am
I get doodling! My doodles normally end up looking like I’M heavily under the influence of drink and drugs!
May 27th, 2009 at 6:10 am
I throw on my ipod crank up some 80s power ballads and ride my Paul Frank Chopper bike with a banana seat and chopper handle bars.. then i cruse around doing wheelies and big turns.. good to ease my mind and relax!! nothing is better then whitesnake and wheelies!!!!
May 27th, 2009 at 9:22 am
When I am needing to shed frustration or tension I do probably what most artist do. Get the paint brush and channel your feelings, dreams, pains onto the closet canvas possible (vinyl, paper, fabric, whatever). Then when you see this awesome beautiful creation birthed from something that started out as a potentially destructive feeling…you realize there is more to art than meets the eye. Very medicinal.
May 27th, 2009 at 9:55 am
ducati hypermototard at 135mph anyone?
May 27th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
In all honesty… I pray!
May 27th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
In answer to What do you do to release, to forget, and to make it all better, that does not involve drugs or alcohol?
To make it all better I love to go ball deep!! makes my day infact makes my whole week ;P
May 27th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
Seriously the bet thing I do to relax is to sketch or paint. You can lose yourself in focusing on one thing or even take out your anger by creating new ways to kill your random doodle people.
May 27th, 2009 at 7:22 pm
i read a book or draw something to forget about stress if that doesn’t work i watch t.v until i forget everything that happen that day
May 27th, 2009 at 8:00 pm
When I’m a little stressed out, I like to look at some of my favourite pieces in my collection. Take them out, examine every little detail, then put them back and go on to another until I feel better.
When I’m REALLY down I spend money. Usually on vinyl or prints. Since there are no shops that deal in vinyl nearby this means getting online and hunting for something I really want. Sometimes I can spend hours searching for just the right something. Then, I get the anticipation of waiting for it to arrive in the mail. And of course, to top it all off, nothing cures the blues better than that first toxic whiff of fresh vinyl when you open a brand new toy. It’s my collection that keeps me from going completely off the deep end.
May 27th, 2009 at 11:46 pm
killer stuff keep it coming!
May 28th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
I don’t have a lifelong “release” method, rather I go through phases. That being said, my current modus operandi for escape is rooftop kite flying, preferably at night. I guess there’s something poetic and symbolic in the process – as the kite flies higher into the darkness, getting tinier and tinier, any worries or stresses just seem to float away and disappear with the kite. Seeing the city at night from the rooftop is a lot of fun, and it puts things into perspective. It grounds me every time.
May 28th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
Nice keep them comments coming. Looking forward to giving this out!!
May 28th, 2009 at 4:11 pm
i like to just hang out with friends. it makes me forget my problems
May 28th, 2009 at 6:30 pm
I release my anger by playing GTA or Unreal Tournament. I forget by putting on some good tunes and just engulfing myself into my latest art project. I take a look at what I made and how all my feelings went into it and I’m happy with what I created.
May 28th, 2009 at 9:25 pm
Havin a rip on my skateboard. These are some of the sounds:
AHHHHHHHH
KSHHHH
WCHOOOOOO
KRRKRKRKRKKR
ZZZSSSSHHHHKRRRROOO
VVFFFFFFFFKUK
SSSSKRRRRRSSHPP
May 29th, 2009 at 7:10 am
I beat the crap outta some of my students in the College martial arts classes I teach. LOL aside from that, I do a little customizing here and there to clear my head.
May 29th, 2009 at 10:43 am
Release, forget, and make it all better! I like that.
For me, the most effective mood-alterer is music. I don’t play but I listen– and listen a lot (and if my only spectators are my kids, I dance too; shhh don’t tell anyone). There is something incredibly powerful about music and the simple act of selecting and playing one tune over another can be such an altering experience! For every single mood I desire to be in, there’s a corresponding playlist waiting to happen (if it doesn’t already exist). And the fact that you can combine music with any activity makes it the single best mood-alterer for yours truly!
May 29th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
I draw, cause you can make your own world something to scape and fell better you can be whatever you want and make whatever you want, also images can be understood in any language anywhere, so dont use drogs make art!
May 30th, 2009 at 10:16 am
I’m with Rsin. Draw, paint, customize a toy. Creativity and destruction can often feel the same while they are happening, but the difference is in the results.
May 30th, 2009 at 11:08 am
For me it’s all about the disc golf. ME and my also currently unemployed buddy go out almost every single day and usually play a round or too. Nothing clears the crap away like some good disc with some good friends.
May 30th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
I play the PS2 game Parappa the Rapper 2 when I’m feeling down
I seriously know every song in that stupid, stupid game.
May 31st, 2009 at 12:26 am
I got out of art school in time to live in New Orleans at Katrina; The current troubles haven’t really changed anything for me. I got T boned by a freaked out soccer mom the day the city reopened and haven’t been making my art- school and car wrecks will do that. So I surfed into the toy scene by accident (or fate?) and have been looking at a lot of work, some buying ‘cos other peoples art around is so cool! And studying the Japanese! This is really a rebirth thing for me even surfing and looking and then revisiting work I never got to develop in school.
So I have a stack of fake power rangers from the dollar store and am working out who and what they might be, gods or demons or things. I need to work out materials problems too… But it’s good to just write mythologies that might create what these plastic bodies might be.
May 31st, 2009 at 9:12 am
Well.. I’m self employed, so even if things are good,, I’m still stressed thinking about if tomorrow will be ok, and more so being that my work comes from selling a luxury item, I’m talking about flowers.. not really your basic need..
To get of my really bad stress,.. I’ll go to the park in the middle of the town.. I’ll got it by a tree or a bench… and I’ll look at everyone passing by, I let myself go in a trance kinda state.. just being there, breathing and looking outward instead of my inner problems.
my mind just looks analysis and process the birds, the guy selling cotton candy, the Latin slushy(scraped ice with flavored syrup) the old couple that combined have like 160 years of age..walking about in their nice get ups.. that’s how I flush all my troubles..
May 31st, 2009 at 10:44 am
What really keeps me going is my friends, they make me forget about all my problems and make me let loose and have fun i can be whoever i want to be whenever im around them.
May 31st, 2009 at 4:44 pm
As I read through everyones comments, I begin to think, what it is that I do to release the stress of life. Its funny, I just realized, that it is drawing, and art that help me deal with it all. It keeps me from letting life get me down. I have found, when I run out of ideas to draw or create something, I catch myself becoming alittle depressed.
May 31st, 2009 at 8:21 pm
I think of how my mother would look at me as a child, and the smile that would have been on her face right at the moment I started feeling sad. and all pain would just fly away.
June 1st, 2009 at 12:25 pm
I load up my iPhone with my favourite music and go for a long bikeride. I like to ride through a big park and try to think about the positive things in my life. After the ride I take a long hot shower to relax and de-stress.
June 1st, 2009 at 7:31 pm
1 word! Abby She is my 18 m/o little girl. As gay of an answer as you guys think it is you couldn’t be more wrong. Everytime i look at her or hear her i couldn’t be more happy. No matter what happened that day or night. As soon as i think about her i can’t help but smile.
June 2nd, 2009 at 12:52 pm
Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. ~Confucius
Well I like to work. I know it sounds like the root of all stress but to me it’s quite the opposite. I work hard to play hard, you know. I can admit that I would love to retire at an early age and travel the world but then comes the MONEY issue. So I tend to day dream all day at work about the corniest scenarios and dream on fantasies. I sometimes get tips or compliments on my work by both young and old and this helps me reevaluate my efforts in always doing a good job. Man I hope my boss reads this (lol). I travel a lot, meet tons of zany people everyday and am pretty much on my own schedule no matter what I do. I truly find my job to be like therapy, it keeps me out of trouble and I love seeing the fruits of my labor.
The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play. ~Arnold Toynbee
I also hike Stone Mountain on the weekends because it’s an awesome feeling of accomplishment once I reach the top. You see families and friends do it all day and I think this is the best high ever. It’s free too. Nature rocks (get it?)
June 2nd, 2009 at 7:27 pm
When im down i just take a nap and get a fresh start and when i wake up my problems are forgotten and long gone. Another way to relieve my stress is PAINT, painting is my passion and im always in the mood. so whenever im having a bad day a nap or paint is the way to go for me!!!!
June 4th, 2009 at 2:36 pm
well, my house recently burned down, my mom got into a car crash and she lost her job life isn’t easy but i will always be optimistic, i pray everyday and ask for guidance, an open mind, and a sense of humor. just laughing at a joke makes life a little more bearable. over the past few months my life has had large downsides but the little upsides make it all seem so much better. find something you like to do and do when you are down. when you get into something you really love you seem to forget all your problems. be optimistic, look at what you have not what you don’t, its all gonna burn.
June 4th, 2009 at 7:21 pm
When life gets to the point where I just want to explode I just sit back and look at everything that surrounds me. I look at my friends and family as well as my own accomplishments and realize it’s not that bad and things could be a hell of a lot worse. My ultimate release is music and writing about it. I love sharing what seeps into my ears with others.
June 8th, 2009 at 11:18 am
OK…drumroll please…the winner is…kite-flying LisaCaroline! Rsin picked a few runner-ups too: Eatmoretoys, JayJayFool, Nicocato and Intolerable. Lisa gets the Munny and the rest of you will get a little something too. Please contact Jason (jason at ToyCyte dot com) with your mailing info! Congrats everybody. My final custoMONDAY is coming up in about an hour. Stay tuned!
June 8th, 2009 at 2:09 pm
First off thanks to you all for entering. It was hard to pick, they were all great but a few stood out. I am glad to see that others look to art, family, and video games to release. I do not drink, or drugs, and it seems alot of people look to those things to get by or fit in, but screw that. I also picked a few people I will send a print to, or something small. I can’t do much but I wanted to give some more stuff out. Please if any of you would like something done, just message me. And thanks for the support and you all are great. Keep ya head up.
RSIN
LIVE_LOVE_CREATE
June 8th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
my son flipped his lid when he found out you’d name us a runner up as he was super excited about the contest. huge smiles, you can’t beat that. thanks much!
June 9th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
Thanks for the mention and runner up detail. I am not a blogger or much of a reader of blogs but am a new big fan of your work. It’s also nice to hear people say they are proud of not falling into peer pressure (of drugs and alcohol ) and are above that, especially in a creative field. You are a positive role model.
Oh yeah, I also would have chosen the “i fly kites at night on top of my roof”, dude that was so poetic I felt like Tim Burton could have directed a short just by that one line. Well, congratulations to everyone and thanks for sharing your gift.
Peace
June 10th, 2009 at 6:33 pm
Hi im sam i ordered form you not to long ago but if i were depressed or feeling down and not sure how something is going to turn out. I go into my zone and think about how it will go good most of the time. if im realy stressed as an artast i would draw or call a friend to talk to.