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.

If we ever wanted to create a nursery with an “Animals Our Children Will Never See” motif, this Global Warming rug by the Mexican design team at NEL (and available at Spanish retailer Nanimarquina) would certainly tie that room together. Maybe you can’t see it, but they surely intended this to be a Big Lebowski environmental metaphor: you see, the carbon-spewing corporations, those are the “carpet pissers.” Society is like the Dude, who just wanted his rug back. And Al Gore? We’d like him to be Walter, but see him as more of a Donny.

Ever since Beijing was picked to be the site of the Olympics (which, as we all know, starts on Friday) controversy has ensued. From concerns about pollution to censored web access, issues leading up to the Games are only going to get crispier on this political hotplate. I just got an e-mail from my Brazilian friend Pedro Inoue (a graphic designer who did the splendid work for artist Stephen Doitschinoff’s book), alerting me to an online project he’s co-partner of called Remember Tibet. He’s putting out a request to all creative types to send in any copyright-free work related to the quest for Tibetan freedom — animation, music, T-shirt designs, etc. It’s a sensitive subject that sadly fluctuates from being a hot topic to a cold one and back again, but with China on the international stage this week the issue has never been hotter.

Sure you’re a social superstar. You’ve mastered the art of small talk and can really lay on the charm. But no matter how skilled you are in pleasant conversation there’s one party skill that eludes you: chowing on hors d’oeuvres while holding a glass. That’s all about to change thanks to designer Ken Goldman’s Fingerfood, the somewhat hokey but nonetheless innovative little plates with rings. Now you can grasp your goblet and get a forkful of fried calamari at the same time.

We realize that there are so many amazing things out there and only so much time to get to it all. To help speed the process along a group of artists, writers and thinkers have started The School of Life as an opportunity to catch up on some of the more fulfilling aspects.

What makes this school different than other alma matters? For starters artist Charlotte Mann designed the classroom. In fact, everyone involved with the School of Life is a notable figure in their respective fields, including a few former curators of the Tate Modern. The School is located in the arty district Bloomsbury in London and houses a bookstore with the “right” books and artwork for sale. Instead of your Earth sciences and dead poets, courses cover five major areas of life: Love, Politics, Work, Family and Play. And to complete the higher eduction experience, they serve up meals, take you on group vacations and even inspire with a few sermons. The courses run £195. If the tuition is too steep, check out their blog for some nice freebies.

Less than a minute into the first track of Sonya Kitchell’s new album, This Storm, and I was hooked. With her debut, Words Came Back to Me, popping up in every Starbucks across American two years ago, Kitchell became a fixture on the late night circuit, CNN, and NPR. This year the 19-year-old phenom singer gets to tour with one of jazz’s most veteran: Herbie Hancock. The duo will sing songs from Hancock’s latest Grammy-winning album, The Joni Letters, while Kitchell will headline her own tour in support of This Storm (out September 3). Listen to the track, “For Every Drop”, right here.

Kehinde Wiley is approaching superstar attention levels in the art world with his continuation of The World Stage series. Wiley’s first installment was centered around China’s urban youth and propaganda art. This time he’s moved to Africa — Senegal and Nigeria to be specific. By setting up shop abroad Wiley lived and worked with his subjects and their surroundings. The style mimics 19th century royal portraits, and even though he is clearly channeling some Victorian art styles, the pattern has nice modern touch. The World Stage: Africa, Lagos ~ Dakar is now showing at The Studio Museum in Harlem and will continue until October 23rd. Seeing Kehinde's paintings in person (they’re huge) gives you a better understanding why he’s getting so much attention.