a reminder…
‘nuf said…
TT
Filed under musings, photography, random, random fun | Comment (0)It’s been a while…
I’ve been temporarily removed from doing a lot of creative work (or work of any type) by a serious illness. No worries, though, I’m on my way to recovery and the needed rest has really recharged my creative batteries, no matter how much of a bummer the route to the rest was.I was hanging out around the house yesterday and I spotted these great cards that came from Aunt M for me, T and the kids, three of the same kind which gave me enough raw materials to make this little collage. I have been entertaining the idea of creating quilt patterns and this may be a beginning. It would be perfect for an appliqu√© quilt. Ironically, M and her sis, my M.I.L., Judi are both avid and awesome quilters. I may expand on this in sketches and patterns.
So it is good to be back at posting. I wish all of you the best in 2008. Stay tuned for more…
Portrait of C.J. (another meeting portrait)
Today’s unfortunate victim….staff meeting fun….
Smack in the Middle
Middle School seems to be one of the most awkward time periods in a young person’s life.
I have a child right smack in the middle of middle school and it’s just drama, drama, drama on a regular basis.
I remember those horrible middle years (11 - 14). Needless to say, they were anxiety ridden even way back then in the 1980s.
Your peers hate you or like you depending on what day it is. Gossip flies unchecked through the halls. Everyone is busy establishing their identity — worried about the kind of clothes they wear, how they do their hair, whether or not they are accepted by the others around them.
I was a soft-hearted, creative (go figure), naive child who was a terrible nerd (and I still am). I was not at all popular. In fact, I was quite the contrary. I was not terribly well dressed due to the fact that my mother’s single parent salary couldn’t support the latest Izod and Members Only gear (remember those?). I wore many hand-me-downs and second hand store clothes (I remember this pair of red velvet bell bottoms I had in the sixth grade…oy!) Being a non-athletic, pudgy girl with glasses and long ponytails didn’t help things much either. I was teased mercilessly.
There were a handful of us girls, similar types who loved to draw and write, read graphic novels and watch anime and fantasize about being someone else other than ourselves. There’s safety in numbers, right? I can see all their faces and remember their names despite the fact that I haven’t seen them in a good 15-20 years. Susan, Tracey, Catherine, Jerri, — I wonder what happened to all of them. The best time of the day was our lunch break where we sat together, collaborating on some new horse-lover’s club, or drawing our favorite character or talking about the latest Star Blazers episode.
The funny thing is, my daughter is so much the same. She has her little lunch-bunch that she has melded with and they draw and talk and make up stories and characters. It is so amazing to me to see the parallels in our lives. The names and faces may have changed but at the heart of it, it’s the same story and song.
Life does go on. You survive all the adversity and realize that the things you were teased about make you wonderfully unique. If you are smart, you exploit that difference and make it part of that identity you sought out so long ago - in the surreal land called middle school.
Filed under children's illustration, musings, random, sketches | Comment (0)Cupajoe…
I drink way too much coffee and not enough water. Of this bad habit, I am well aware. Akin to my efforts to get organized, I have purchased wonderful products with the promise of inspiring myself to drink more water (the very nice insulated water bottle with the built in straw, for instance) but most of the time, I’d rather have coffee or a big bottle of diet pepsi. It’s a constant battle. I read the womens’ magazines — I know water provides many benefits — clear skin, appetite control and the like, but I just can’t bring myself to drink the requisite amount I’m supposed to in a day. I have to have some sort of vice. I don’t smoke nor do I really drink with any regularity (a glass of really good wine here and there is about it for me).
So why am I beating myself up over a little diet soda? Hey, I try. I need caffeine to get me through the day’s ups and downs. I, like so many designers and illustrators, spend the majority of my time in front of a big computer screen. It’s a lonely business for the most part…and sometimes a bit tedious, believe it or not. At my day job, (which I still have due to extenuating circumstances, like the need to pay a mortgage and feed my children) I also have to attend meetings. (If you’ve read my blog before, you know how much I love these — read: sarcasm).
Truth be told, I simply must rely on external stimulants to keep me somewhat conscious during these long periods of idle time. Thank goodness my office group has gotten a new contract with a good coffee service. We have a new water cooler, too, so I might just be more inclined to drink water in that groovy insulated water bottle.(The image was drawn of my trusty coffee cup in yesterday’s weekly staff meeting.)
Filed under moleskine, musings, random, sketches | Comment (0)