As of tomorrow, April 1st, I’ll be embarking on a monthly project for the next five months. This is yet another gimmick I’ll be employing in order to become a more prolific artist. My art practice has suffered pretty terribly since October, when I went from part-time to full-time at my job. At the end of a full work day, after I’ve finished making and eating dinner, I often have very little energy or desire left to try to be creative, so I need to set up some external motivation again. My open-ended “make something a day” technique has not … Read more »
Or so I gleaned from this video with Ira Glass, in which he reinforces the old Thomas Edison idea that “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.” Glass’s thesis is that if you know your field, and you have the eye to recognize that your work is not as good as it could be, then what is holding you back from greatness is not your lack of taste, it is lack of practice. I personally find this notion very reassuring, because lack of practice is something you can easily remedy with something like a Thing-A-Day project. Acquiring … Read more »
I’ve always wanted to have an Oscar Party. The visuals are so dazzling on Oscar night — from the incredible gowns to the elaborate dance numbers — that it makes for the perfect party theme. So this year I’m taking the leap and actually doing it. I’m REALLY excited!
My time is very limited these days, so I’m focusing just on games and food. To start with, I’ve created twelve bingo cards for red carpet time, because we all know that’s when the show really begins. If you want to use these on Oscar night, click this link to download the pdf. I’ve designed … Read more »
3.06.2010
Like many creative types these days, I’ve had to get a day job. It’s not that I’m getting fewer projects, it’s just that fewer of them pay much, if anything. When faced with the choice, I always go for the well-paying projects first, then fill my remaining time with the projects that pay in web traffic, nebulous future sales/commissions or “cred.” Unfortunately that’s been most of them lately. I’m pretty good about not taking on jobs that realistically won’t give me much of either.
My new job isn’t bad. It’s mostly tech-y admin stuff and it changes on a regular basis … Read more »
2.04.2010
I know I didn’t post a separate thing for yesterday but that’s because I spent both days this weekend (and many others beforehand) finishing up my Yoka bear for the DKE traveling Custom Yoka show. I made new things for it each day, so I think it still falls within the bounds of my commitment. If you’ll recall, my initial string-art-turned-embroidery idea didn’t quite work out because the toy was too small to puncture or sew, so I sketched up a feathered griffin idea instead:
2.02.2010
Ever since I was a wee bairn, I have loved making schnitzels. No, not that kind of schnitzel (though you all know about my affinity for meat). I’m talking about teeny tiny paper and fabric bits.
For example, one of my favorite projects ever was this Paper-Aid recreation of Van Gogh’s “White Roses.” I started it in college for an art class, but I didn’t finish it until more than two years later. This image is pretty much actual size (the finished piece is 4” x 6”).
If … Read more »
1.30.2010