Super Successful!

Today was awesome! I woke up at 8:30... AM... BY MY OWN FREE WILL. Then I proceeded to get a ton of stuff done from there. Mostly I just ran errands but I feel really good about it and I don't know why. Maybe its because I did nothing but go to Kat's wedding over the break... Which was AMAZING. Everything was so tasteful and autumn-ey. Sigh. It was absolutely perfect.Maybe I'll most some pictures.... maybe. In any case, No matter how much I get done there's always more, but it feels so good to make a sizable dent in it. like. pow. kaplow. I beat you up imaginary villain character. Here's a list of all the shit I did today. Don't feel obliged to read this, this is more for me.
stretched sore back... check
farmers market...check
epic breakfst... check
read genji...check
defeat japanese women's literature midterm...check
discount sushi... check
apply for graduation.. check
orchid mix mission and explore strange outlet mall.. check
find awesome art magazines..check
meet someone that knows someone that knows someone in madagascar... check
repot orchid... check
keep room clean...check
write new blog...almost check but when I post it, it will be check.
more color work? ..probable check?

It is just one of those days when shit falls together. It's really satisfying after a week like last week. Bring it on IP you can't push me down!

Also: The Featured Creature just made my life. SO FLUFFY. Things like this make me want to change my IP to just drawing adorable animals.

So yeah! Have a great day!

Super sucessful

Existential Crisis

I find them hilarious.(xkcd) But really, Sometimes its hard to stay grounded. Writing my project proposal I kept thinking about all the terrible things happening in the world and its rather debilitating. You want to do something, make some kind of difference yet your actions seem futile. You can only really change yourself. But maybe, that's the only thing that matters. Yeah yeah, current news is absurdly depressing, but shouldn't knowing you've done your part be enough? I find it absolutely aggravating that some people care to little. But it isn't it also painful to care to much? I would never suggest not to care. Apathy is not the answer. I'm suggesting to choose your battles. Frankly, we can't win them all. But we can win a few, or maybe several, or maybe a whole slew and before we know it things will be changing. People should be ambitious and try to do insurmountable tasks(cough: sisyphus) but we cannot let ourselves we waited down with the fear of failure. The only thing we can do is try and in the end that is the only thing that has ever made a difference. Trying is the only thing that matters. What does it matter if you've failed when you've never tried in the first place? Let me take it a step back. If you don't try you've already failed. The guilt is on your shoulders, its your neglected responsibility. If you've tried and failed at least it shows you care. Perhaps through your failure, it will pave the road for others to meet your intended goal. Life isn't certain. Life isn't easy. We know this. The trick is accepting this and moving the eff on. We must plow forward, even if we plow into a wall. We'll still be better off than the guy pondering at the starting line. So yeah. Do stuff. Make art, write, debate, speak, dance, sing or educate. It doesn't matter what you do as long as you do something. You'll feel better about yourself and the world. It may seem a tiny task, but honestly, what else can be done? Take solace in the fact that you are part of the solution, not the problem.

Sidenote related to my project: I think that storytelling is what makes us uniquely human. Our ability to encapsulate an incident in time and relate it to someone wholly unrelated to the incident is strangely unique. Storytelling is how we learn, entertain and share. It makes our species, our existence what we are. How different would life be without it? Storytelling is intrinsically a part of our psyche. Its been passed on for eons of generations and now there is no way to separate our lives from this phenomenon. I'm okay with that. :) Illustrating takes aspects of storytelling (characters, emotion, enviorment) and adds new elements (color, lighting, mood, composition) to make these stories tangible. What is interesting to me is the vastly different interpretations that can be made, an illustration can solidify an idea or totally obscure it. Its all up to the audience which I find exciting, if not a little terrifying. The possibilities are endless. I want to create a million works for a million people just to prove that no one thought would be exactly the same. They can be in the same thread, but each is uniquely personalized by the viewers prior experience. The goal as an illustrator is to appeal to the senses of a majority of people but still present a work that is interesting and intriguing. It is definitely a balancing act, but one I take on with great fever. Who could ask for a more stimulating task?
Just some thoughts rattling around in my head.
Have a nice day!

All nighter time

There comes a time when I am too stressed to sleep. Which is fine, actually, because I have too much work to do anyway. Though I do like sleeping... I dreamt it snowed last night, it was all very poetic. It hadn't really snowed and I strangely felt sad. Also, this says dreamt is not a real word. Well, it should be. This is my work in progress for the international show.

It's not what I really wanted, but I guess it'll do. I suppose if I didn't procrastinate so much I wouldn't have this problem.... dur.

If anyone one likes Lemurs this is a great site:Duke Lemur Center So many babies! eek! I want a pet AyeAye so bad. It can chill with my nest of bats. It'll be great. Everyone will be afraid to visit me. lol.

Back to the grind! Time to be super productive! I am a prismacolor machine!!!!

???

Things to do this weekend:
International show piece due Tuesday 5
IP Proposal due Tuesday 3
Batik samples 4
Kiwanis frames and silk on Saturday 2
More Tale of Genji reading for Monday 4
Color Homework due Thursday 3
Rated on a scale of 1 easy to 5 hard
eek. tiimmmee is on my side.... hopefully? maybe? please?

oh my.

Are you okay?

Today in ruokay day. At least in Australia... which means it was yesterday for them but today for us. Yeah. Think about it.

So yeah, Are you ok? Ask your friends. It means alot to them that you care. I assume you have friends.

IP is highly frustrating because not one of my advisers seems to understand what I want to do. The exceptions are my boyfriend, Joe Trumpey, my mom, and some close friends. Basically, more rational minded and not necessarily art minded people who are not in my section get it. I admit, it's my fault for not being able to express myself well and its my challenge for choosing such a complicated project. But really? Really? REALLY? I don't think my GSIs and professors understand what they don't understand. haha. They seem to think I don't know what I want. False. I know precisely what I want, and don't want. I just don't know how to tell you people. Exasperated Sigh. In any case, let me attempt to organize my thoughts here.

Facts:
My IP is a narrative illustration.
I'm using the myth of Sisyphus as a metaphor for life.
Life is struggle. (cite: Buddhism, Camus, general philosopherizers)
Like Camus, I agree that we cannot rely on the future for our happiness.
We must appreciate the present to be actually happy.
Therefore we must imagine Sisyphus as happy.
Happiness is different for everyone, but for me the most essential and basic happiness in nature.
I will convey this happiness in Sisyphus by illustrating the marvel of the mountain.
To really reach viewers and convey that Sisyphus is really content with his burden he must actively choose to start over once he finally reaches the summit.
Important factors in my work will be lighting, composition and facial/body expression. These are always important in art, but they are integral to my piece to achieve my message.

Challenges:
Bridging the gap between being content with labor and the American need to consume and to have is going to be largely difficult. People, in general, are very opposed to seeing Sisyphus as a happy person. Even though their lives are largely like his eternal duty they are abhorred to think of his destiny as theirs. Getting people to accept the mountain as a metaphor for their life is hard to imagine.

Unknown:
How many panels it will take. Oh lord I don't know.
Does it matters if people understand it? I expect everyone to take away different interpretations, and obviously not everyone is going to agree with me. There are plenty of great art works that are great because they are a mystery.

Blarghhh. So that's where I am right now. The most important thing I learned this week was when Joe said that I'm more interested in the cultural relevance and not the myth itself. The myth is a metaphor, a vehicle, not the entirety of the work.

In any case. LOOK AT THIS!
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/glance/8100244/200-new-species-found-in-png

Bats! Must have a panel of bats! Yay! No one is surprised!

Also:

SHE LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE NANA. THIS MADE ME SO HAPPY. CAPITAL LETTERS.


So in conclusion, there are several people who I find highly inspiring that make me super excited for IP. And then there are some people who make me wanna hit my head on a wall... such is life. :) It should be my prerogative to surround myself with talented people who understand where I'm coming from. Like you. :)
I hope you have a nice day!

negelct.

It has happened here. I sincerely intend to reverse that. There are many posts to come i currently caught in the whirl wind that is 'IP.' It feels more like being sucked down a whirl pool of shadowy senior year project doubt. Forgive my pessimism, this is a lovely opportunity to strut my stuff before released into the art world. Of course, I would be lying if I didn't admit the system is quite vague and generally self defeating. Sigh. I find that in the face of great challenge is when the human spirit shows its best colors. Which, actually, is what my project is all about. Human struggle is constant and unyeilding. The way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it. (please forgive the rafiki quote) Better put, you either absolve struggle or revel in it. This is what I plan to enlighten. I shall revel in my own struggles to enlighten the rest of the world to value theirs. A little meta isn't it? With struggle, trial or even pain, humans are nothing. Lifeless and incomplete it is only though hardships that we can find meaning. No task is too meaningless or trivial. Every person suffers differently. The only way to relieve this suffering is to be aware of it, accept it, and persevere. What other alternative is there? We must find happiness in the little moments and in every moment. Those who wait for tomorrow and its glories will be disappointed to find that tomorrow never comes. So rejoice in the present, rejoice in your suffering and you will find that you are not suffering anymore.
whhoooo. That was heady but I needed to get that out there. Hope you don't think I'm entirely a cuckoo. Well, you might anyway so I guess that's ok. Picture posts by the end of the week! (If those jerks fix the gd scanners grumblgrumble) Hope you have a wonderful day!