My name is John “Halcyon” Styn.
I am a Lifestyle Artist.
My path is my work.
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WORK:
entertainment: Host of HugNation
social media: Co-founder of Anybeat
consulting: Owner of Royal Pink Productions, a Creative Services Agency.
PASSION:
Hug Nation, Burning Man, my nephews, pink, Video
WEB:
- Bought first URL in 1996, prehensile.com, to migrate my xeroxed “zine” to this new worldwide publishing system I heard about. Published a new funny story every Monday.
- Worked as the very first Webmaster for Sony’s E-commerce Mall before they took it in house.
- Sued by Fruit of the Loom for a parody piece called “Meat of the Loom.” I won.
- Launched cockybastard.com to publicly explore inward using this new medium.
- Won the 2000 Webby for best personal website, cockybastard.com.
- Was Spokesperson and Community Voice for the 2 million member CollegeClub.com web community from 1999-2001
- Shot a TV Pilot “Hot Tub TV”
- Coined term, “digital intimacy” to explain the real connections people have over the net
- Explored webcams as a tool for connecting via the web. After developing CClive at collegeclub, created and ran CitizenX.com, an experimental webcam community.
- Hosted and ran “live audience” interactive webcam events like Virtual Grace, HugNation, and the Feel The Love call-in show.
- Lived for 2.5 years in a 24/7 webcam house with night vision and audio.
- Subject of an MTV documentary about living publicly.
- Sam Donaldson said “Get a load of that guy! What an ego!” about me on the air at the 2001 Webby Awards.
- I MC’d The SXSW web awards (live event) from1999-2003.
- Won a second Webby Award with my grandpa in 2007 for our video podcast, HugNation.
- Did the first ever “Hug Tour” in honor of Grandpa Caleb in a 24 foot pink RV.
- cruise my neighborhood regularly on a pink fur bike.
- host of the NBC.com experimental project “FEARS. REGRETS. DESIRES.”
MISC:
- I cut off my long hair on a TV makeover show.
- Had my first “real” date on the Gameshow STUDS.
- Burning Man is a central part of my spiritual practice. (participant since 1998)
- Pierced my right nipple in 1991 and my left in 2001.
- I have no tattoos.
- My best friend is my brother.
- I tend to be very good at being in the moment. But much worse at remembering moments.
- I forget everyone’s names.
- Sometimes when people are explaining things to me in a warm way, I get a blissful tingling sensation. I’ve called it “the feeling” since I was a kid. Sometimes an interesting accent can trigger it. Sometimes a cold chill, or foreign accent helps maintain it.
- My skin complexion is my weakness. I pick at my face and then get depressed when my face is a mess.
- My personal mantra is, “love more, fear less. float more, steer less.”
- I had a spiritual experience on a mountaintop in Turkey in 1991 and have been changed ever since.
- I have walked on hot coals, sky dived, And naked bungee-jumped.
- I hosted a weekly call-in radio show for almost 2 years.
- I’ve had the personal licence plates: DEF MANE, C*CKY, HUGABLE, and HUG NATN
- Lost my virginity or Prom night, right before my 18th birthday. Neither one of us climaxed.
- I wore turtle necks every day for a year (10th grade) because I thought it made my ears smaller and my ‘pencil neck’ not-so-noticeable.
- I wore makeup (foundation) during jr high and high school because of my complexion. Occasionally, I still do.
- I was heavily into underground rap in 1988-89. I saw NWA and Public Enemy live. My rap name was “Def Mane.” I also saw Farrakhan speak.
- My first car was a beige Volvo Station Wagon.
- I Helped start a fraternity while in college.
SPIRIT:
- I am ordained in the Universal Life Church.
- I have performed several unorthadox marriages.
- I do not consider myself a Christian, but do consider Jesus to be one of my valued teachers.
- I consider Buddha, Gandhi, Eckart Tolle, Mr. Rogers and MANY others valuable teachers, too.
- I believe that a spiritual path is deeply personal. And whatever works for you is perfect.
- I distrust anyone who knows “the true way.”
- I do a weekly “Belief Buffet” broadcast before HugNation each week where I share ways that work for me.
- I tend to believe what my grandpa believed, summed up in the title of a book he gave me: “All Religions Are True” by Gandhi.
- I consider myself a spiritual infant.
- I believe in love.
- I love you.
INSPIRATIONS:
Teachers/places/things that enrich my journey.
- Jacob Glass
- Grandpa Caleb
- Byron Katie
- Eckart Tolle
- Thich Nhat Hanh
- Gandhi
- Viktor Frankl
- Mr. Rogers
- Alan Watts
- Martha Beck
- Mom & Dad
Films:
- Gandhi
- Jesus Christ Superstar
- The Big Lebowski
- Gifting It
Schools of Thought
- A Course In Miracles
- Pronoia (Rob Brezney)
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