Exploring AI for Queermandu's logo revealed vibrant pride colors and Himalayan motifs, yet lacked the unique touch of typography—my oversight. This highlighted the need for human creativity to truly embody our brand's essence, leading us to launch a logo contest for a design that resonates deeply and communicates directly with our community.

Approaching my 40th year, my life's journey—"born in America, made in China, dead in Doha, and reincarnated in Kathmandu"—reflects a series of profound transformations. From the formative experiences in China that shaped my early adulthood to the restrictive atmosphere of Doha, and ultimately to the vibrant rebirth in Kathmandu, each chapter has been a crucible of change. This narrative traverses continents and cultures, echoing the complexity and richness of embracing diversity, akin to my fondness for durian, a fruit whose divisive nature belies its rewarding depth. This essay is an invitation to explore the multifaceted chapters of our lives, prompting reflection on the unique amalgam of experiences that define us.

In my latest blog post, I discuss 'Making Time,' a stop-motion film developed at the Aardman Academy. The post covers how I combined traditional animation techniques with AI, and the use of everyday materials like Play-Doh and toy blocks for storytelling. I also touch on the role of sound design, and Foley work in animation. This blog is a straightforward account of the filmmaking process, offering insights for those interested in the technical aspects of animation and film production.

In my recent project, I've been focusing on crafting Live Action Videos (LAVs) for my upcoming project, guided by a storyboard I shared in a previous post. My primary challenge was balancing character movement and timing, particularly in re-introducing a pivotal walk sequence in scene 4 to depict characters' internal struggles, while preserving the loop-like ending of the current version. Additionally, I grappled with technical limitations of the blue screen setup, which impacted the integration of AI-enhanced GIFs for visualizing the characters' thoughts. Prior to detailing each scene, I compiled and critiqued the LAVs, editing them in After Effects to better envision the final product. This process included experimenting with scene setups and special effects, and innovatively processing the LAVs through RunwayML to create AI-generated videos with a stop-motion feel. These steps, combined with the addition of sound, have been pivotal in refining the timing and overall aesthetic, highlighting the intricate balance between creative vision and technical execution in filmmaking.

"Static" is an upcoming stop-motion project blending traditional artistry with AI enhancements. Centered around a character with a blue ping-pong ball head, it explores digital age challenges and the quest for authentic connections. The narrative uses AI-generated GIFs and imagery to deepen the exploration of identity and perception in a tech-dominated world. ChatGPT, RunwayML, and Midjourney will aid in refining and visualizing this concept, marking an experimental foray into the intersection of classical art forms and modern digital tools. "Static" aims to contribute to the evolving dialogue on technology's role in creative expression.

In the grand foundry of imagination, the base elements of Hemingway's terseness, Chandler's tenacity, and Bukowski's raw fervour, when alloyed with my distinctive voice, promise to forge something altogether fresh. AI-powered writing aids like Sudowrite and ChatGPT aren't mere tools; they're partners in the creative process, offering a sandbox for bold exploration and daring experiments. With these tools, I'm armed with the ability to blend the old and the new, the known and the unknown, into a style that's unmistakably my own.

My exploration of Sanskrit and AI has unveiled the immense potential of harnessing Sanskrit's complexity to propel advancements in AI-generated typography. By addressing the unique challenges of Sanskrit's intricate structure, we can enhance AI's ability to generate accurate, functional, and visually appealing typography across various languages and scripts.

"Meditative Pixels" is a meta-lyric music video that explores our evolving relationship with screens and our growing obsession with AI-generated content. By featuring a mesmerizing remix of an Alan Watts lecture from Nox Vahn & Marsh's "Come Together," the video challenges us to examine the impact of technology on our lives. The visuals combine AI-generated imagery from DALL-E 2's outpainting capabilities with images sourced from Midjourney to create a unique, thought-provoking experience. This project showcases AI's potential in art and content creation and invites viewers to ponder the interplay between screen culture, AI-generated content, and timeless wisdom.

Exploring the uncharted territories of AI image generation with Cubicolor's emotive track "Dead End Thrills." Dive into the creative process where art, technology, and human emotion collide, pushing the boundaries of what's possible while reflecting on the ethical dimensions of AI development. Discover the captivating results in the experimental music video that blends AI-generated visuals with a thought-provoking historical context.

Acid Pauli | Ahmed: "Happy Holi" is a 30-second stop-motion animation that illustrates the fundamentals of stop-motion animation. It features a ball rolling through the frame, a bouncing ball, and an inchworm, set to the theme of one of South Asia's most celebrated festivals, Holi. The project was also an experiment in using new AI image-generating software tools in art.

“MK | Chemical: A Match Made in Ping-Pong” is a 60-second stop-motion psychological love story between a ping-pong ball and its paddle, a game of back and forth where the ping-pong ball becomes overly obsessed with the paddle while feeling confused by the physical nature of their relationship and the symbiotic roles that define both their existence.

This piece was made for the Parsons School of Design online class Time-Based Storytelling at The New School. It was influenced by the book Design is Storytelling by Ellen Lupton and in-class reading and teaching. The story was based on the lyrics of the song by musician MK.

The Bombay-based electronic artist Fuzzy Logic and Kathmandu-based stop-motion animator Joey Foster Ellis and his team at CatManDew LABS have collaborated to create a music video titled 'Pretty Child'.

The song's lyrics talk about the difficulties of adolescence and growing up, becoming an adult, losing the freedom of childhood and the innocence of being young. The lyrics are a poignant reminder that growing up can be a difficult and emotional journey and that it's important to cherish the memories of our youth.

What makes this music video interesting is how it was made. The creators used a unique method of crowdfunding by selling cameos of people's childhood photos or pets. Based on the amount donated, the duration of the cameo in the final music video was decided.

CatManDew LABS has undergone many transformations over the years. It began in a humble apartment in Golfutar, Nepal, on the outskirts of Kathmandu, but now has a studio in the centre of downtown. The company has worked with clients such as the US Embassy and now Grammy award-winning artist Abigail Washburn, who is part of the collaborating team known as Wu-Force. This team worked with CatManDew LABS on "Paper Lanterns".

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Why The Best American Travel Writing 2000 are brilliant travel essays that make you nostalgic for the ghosts of travels past.

“Through stories of adventure, laughter and even horror, editor Bill Bryson and series editor Jason Wilson meticulously weave a tale of what travel was like at the turn of the century.”

🏝 🏝 🏝 (3 Palm Trees)

An adventure to Khanikhola & Dhikure, where I participated in Vijayadashami. Known as a time when family members get together on the tenth day of Dashain to give one another tikas, a red dot that is a mixture of rice, yoghurt and powdered red vermilion. The tika is a bright crimson preparation that you dab on a younger relative's forehead to bless their well-being for the upcoming year. The colour symbolises the blood that ties the family together.

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Why Draft No. 4 should be required reading for any creative fiction writer.

“John McPhee has arguably questioned my belief in the genre I’ve chosen, and my work couldn’t be better. His “creative nonfiction” tells us that what might be best is not by making something up but by making the most of what we have.”

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Why Writing Fiction is the best book, I’ve read on narrative craft so far.

“Literally, my bible for writing anything fiction. Janet Burroway’s intellect is that she makes it easy to understand where we as writers fail and just how manageable it is to transform a sentence into something brilliant.”

Ping pong balls adrift in a sea of pink kinetic sand, crumpled pages of Sanskrit, Jesus eating popcorn, and Hulk Hogan playing guitar. A laughing Ryan Gosling, a slice of pizza, and a grandmother grooving in her kitchen. This is the wild, dancing world of “Ar Don Go,” a music video crafted by Joey Foster Ellis for Sierra Leonean musician Moinina Sengeh. It’s a stop-motion extravaganza made over the course of three months in three different locations.

In 2017, the United States and Nepal celebrated 70 years of diplomatic ties, and to commemorate this occasion, CatManDew LABS created a video for the US Embassy. The video is a beautiful piece of art that showcases the bond between the people of the United States and Nepal through five themes: History, Democracy, Prosperity, Stability, and Friendship.