Vinyl is big. Everyone knows as much. While we all appreciate the convenience of MP3 files and streaming, there is more to the musical experience than a song in hi-def. Vinyl offers printed album artwork, track information, and a lasting, tactile experience—something you can savor, and hold. It just hits different.

Print media is overdue for a similar resurgence, and I’m ready to offer a similarly superlative experience. I have been in print media for decades; only the last ten years or so have been purely digital. My last print project, SkateBook, was well received, and became a collector series, now fetching mind-blowing prices.

My latest idea is to continue to print lasting impressions. It’s time, the moment is right. I have a trove of photos and contributors throughout the skateboarding, art, and music scenes. I’ll offer looks into our history and its fashions, timeless content that will cross barriers and show the influence of the past on the youth, as well as capturing the youth driving the future. 

This project is a reaction against the ephemeral, and mindless consumption. I’m calling the project XO Flowers. It will be a solid book, 324 pages, printed quarterly, and its presence and content will make it a permanent hold for those who collect each volume. With ridiculously affordable ad rates and retail prices, it’s meant to cement the past and present of the culture, unaffected by the fleeting, day-today images that so quickly come in and pass us by. 

Let’s leave an impression - Michael Ballard

Soft Cover | 9"x7" | 324 color pages