Genius work on Behance by Peter Trueblood.

I raved about the 99% Conference happening this coming Thursday at the Times Center in NYC put on by our dear friends over at Behance already. But what about giving away a free ticket to the awesome and inspiring festivities? I’ve got one sitting here ($490 value) and will give it to the 99th person who leaves a comment on this post. Yes, you can comment more than once. GO GO GO!

Don’t worry, if you don’t win this arbitary contest, you still have time to buy one!

Update: Congrats to Nick. Contact me to get your ticket!

We all made new year’s resolutions, but Brock Davis is actually sticking to his. The artist has vowed to Make Something Cool Everyday, an ambitious project with a self-explanatory title. Each day in 2009, Davis puts together a photo, painting, or video, starting with a Lego scultpure nailing his mission statement in one word: ‘Build’. January saw a wave of clever illusions through photo, followed by various throwback graphics and pictures of shattered non-glass items. Following Davis’ interests through his daily work leads you to varying series, none of which are the same and all of which have us waiting for tomorrow. We’re seriously impressed, check it out on Behance.

Behance believes there are too many ideas in the world, and not enough action. The name is inspired by Thomas Edison’s famous quote, “genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.” The conference is for people that already have great ideas, but need to make them happen. The speakers are all people that have a track record of executing their ideas again and again, successfully. Seth Godin, our Threadless friends, Michael Bierut from Pentagram, Scott Thomas, the director of new media for Obama’s campaign, our friend Ji Lee and a few other very impressive folks. Perhaps the 99% Conference will be the kick in the ass that people with great ideas sometimes need?

Get your tickets now. Seriously. April 16th and 17th. Use the code 99EARLY09 and get $100 off the regular ticket prices. This looks like it’s going to be an amazing event, and probably the first of many to come.

Ready to move from creative to creation? Want to spread the word that you’re action oriented? We’ve got a handful of very limited T-shirts here from our friends over at Behance, founders of the Behance Network and Action Method, the ultimate tools to find inspiration and get things done.

Want one? Leave a comment with color and size preferences and we’ll choose a few lucky winners at random next week.

We’ve seen this pop up in a few places, but wanted to remind everyone about the Double Label series of collaborations. DC Shoes has teamed up with famed French designer agnès b (unusual yes, but their record shows support for contemporary artists across a wide spectrum of mediums: graffiti, illustration, music, movies, etc). A true fusion of their two unique styles, the partnership has yielded three colorways (blue, sesame, and black). To celebrate the project, the brands will present FORWARD3, a graphic design exhibit. The shoes will launch March 5, 2009 during Paris Fashion Week before traveling to New York for the March 31, 2008 release. Only 1500 pairs will be released worldwide in select sneaker boutiques.

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Ji Lee’s absurd conceptual genius has, at times, confounded, astounded, and even caused us to double over with laughter. The man who whiles away his daytime hours as Creative Director of Google’s Creative Lab doesn’t really need much on his resumé after that. But when the evening whistle blows, he continues to create stellar work that sparkles with inventiveness and makes serious statements. We’re not sure we could sum up the awesomeness of his achievements. That’s okay though–because Scott Belsky of Behance has taken on the monumental task for himself. The article explores the Lee’s prolificness across many mediums and how his work hinges on the motivation of turning even his most sobering of projects into fun and games. To learn more about Lee’s mastery, we recommend taking a peak.

Our pals over at Behance have just launched a fantastic new project called simply, Served. Served sites bring the user a steady supply of top quality creative work from within the Behance network. A group of curators comb through the projects on the site and serve up the best of what they find across a handful of disciplines. To start, they’re serving Fashion, Industrial Design, Motion Graphics, Photography, and Typoography.

Too busy to browse all day? Me too. You can also sign up for a custom email summary of the best work in weekly or monthly timeframes on the topics you choose. A pretty awesome way to stay in touch with some of the most impressive up-and-comers in the world.

It’s amazing how advanced, yet accessible, high quality models and illustration have become. If you’re a sneakerhead, or just plain appreciate artistic talent, check out Jim Kim’s portfolio, titled “Sneaker Fiend: A Tribute To Classic Nike Design,” on Behance. This talented artist showcases a series of completely rendered Nike designs with a clear nod to fan favorites such as the Air Max 90’s and a couple of Jordans, complete with the signature Jumpman. At first glance, one might mistake them for real sneakers in an elaborately staged for a photo shoot. The textures, right down to the speckled leather and the reflective elements really bring this series home. Some of our favorites after the jump.

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When most people are asked to name three people they’d love to have dinner with, living or dead, usually go with the some holy trifecta along the lines of Jesus, Martin Luther King Jr., and Gandhi. While All Day Buffet might never be able to deliver on that type of panel, they’ve generously compiled quite the lineup of lively innovators for The Feast. On October 16th at NYC’s Scandinavia House, they’ll gather 150 of the world’s most inventive minds to discuss prevalent issues and galvanize a movement for socially conscious change in arenas ranging from business to science. Speakers will include Piers Fawkes of PSFK, Scott Belsky of Behance, and Ecopop’s Chad Rea amongst others. While we have no idea if any meal is actually being served, the conversation is sure to be riveting. So get yourself a ticket pronto before they run out.

Last time we checked in on Royal Remarkable (aka Joshua Gajownik), he was getting busy with Grafuck and Hand Job, two of the most graphically brilliant projects with sexual undertones that we’ve ever laid caresses on. Since then, the man’s been hard at work tuning out great stuff for clients like Burton, Nike and Nixon, and filling the time between with a piece for The Train Car Project, a promising group show featuring the work of 60 international artists.

The project (a brainchild of art collaborative PROCESS) supplied each artist with a train car illustration, either as a vector file or a screenprint. They were then instructed to take complete creative control over the trains, resulting in a miniaturized versions of THE BEST train cars you’ll ever not see chugging along the tracks. Check out a few of the participants completed work here, and if you are in the Brooklyn area on October 10th through the 16th, be sure to swing by Papa B Studios for a solid range of graffiti, digi, and artsy-in-general inspiration.

Many will argue that radio, information, and life will be increasingly accessible to all of us via Wi-Fi, but we’ll always need a signal. Montreal-based designer Stefan Dukaczewski helps us envision the day when our clothing helps lead the way. His Wi-Fi sneakers light up to indicate signal strength whenever you walk near a zone.

Each week, JoshSpear.com explores the latest projects by top creative professionals in the Behance Network and highlights a few that are pushing the edge of creative industry. Josh Spear also serves as an Advisor and Guest Curator for the Behance Network.

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We’ve been talking about a lot of art in politics and war lately. It isn’t an intentional push, but the art collective OBEY (a.k.a. Shepard Fairey) just keeps making amazing stuff. This time it’s an exhibition, but the exhibition is huge. Over a hundred pieces will be hung on at White Walls in SF to give a large complex look at Shepard Fairey’s body of work.

OBEY has made some really great prints over the years, from peace solider images to the Obama prints. In the new exhibition, Shepard hopes to relate elements of optimism and hope of his Obama prints with his remix of war propaganda. “The difference between this show and previous ones, is that now Obama is in the mix,” said Shepard. The exhibition is appropriately titled Duality in Humanity and includes aspects of his message and the contrasting nature of our world. If you are in San Fransisco, the exhibition opens on September 13th at White Walls (and there is an after party you could probably get yourself into).

Justin Melnick is an avid photographer, digital artist, and has spent time oversees in the Middle East. All of these influences have come together in his latest project, titled Arm Me, Melnick imagines — quite vividly — what Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Pucci, and Chanel would add to standard ammunition. The exhibition starts September 2nd at Gallery 385 in New York City. The outcome is a compelling statement that questions how we — individually and as a nation — spend our money, contrasting the abundance of weaponry with the scarcity of high-end luxury goods and some pretty amazing imagery.

Each week, JoshSpear.com explores the latest projects by top creative professionals in the Behance Network and highlights a few that are pushing the edge of creative industry. Josh Spear also serves as an Adviser and Guest Curator for the Behance Network.

Okay — we’re impressed with Sakke Soini. The Turku, Finland-based artist, designer, visual jockey and web guy is a mad man — but in a good way. The spacey Dark Side of the Moon-esque graphics mixed with some amazing colors is inspired. There is very little commercial work represented in his portfolio which is interesting to see, and probably pretty fertile ground for collaboration. Check him out.

Each week, JoshSpear.com explores the latest projects by top creative professionals in the Behance Network and highlights a few that are pushing the edge of creative industry. Josh Spear also serves as an Advisor and Guest Curator for the Behance Network.