Brother Bears

One of these guys knows exactly how to make me laugh. He never complains and thinks anything is perfect the way it is.  He doesn't use his cell phone because he "doesn't want people to be able to reach him."  He'll eat anything you cook, even if it's terrible; he calls it "eating it anyway." He likes staying up late and waking up early and seems to never stop playing his electric ukelele. Or piano. Or guitar. Or banjo. Or harmonica. Or homemade ukelele. He learns to play any song I say I like, as if just to make me happy.  He'll let you hug him for as long as you want, but he doesn't often hug back.  He's got the softest skin and tangly blonde hair that reminds me of my own.  Somehow it's so much cuter on him.  He's getting his braces off soon and I'm dreading it. He'll be that much more grown up and I'm afraid I'll forget his crooked pre-teen smile he tries so hard to hide. It's a good thing he's got those dimples that give him away because I don't know what I'd do without that smile.

The other seems more my age the older we get.  He's more a man than anyone I know.  He's smarter, kinder, more generous than I am, and he makes me want to be a better person every day.  He's honest, sweet and knows how to listen.  When we were little he wanted a dog more than anything, and one day I hope he gets one.  He always lets me be right, even when he knows I'm wrong.  He'll apologize for no reason at all, just to stop fighting.  We'll always share the giddy excitement of Christmas morning.  And even though we're older now, he taught the little one the same excitement and has been right there with him jumping on my bed at 5 am every year.  He dresses well, has wonderful brown eyes and a pretty girlfriend. But between you and I, no girl will ever be pretty enough for him.  I used to be the big one, the tall lanky sibling that held her little brothers close, with each elbow around their necks like they were her dolls. Now that he's a little bit taller, he's my protector. I can't imagine resting my head on anyone else's shoulder.

My little one

My best friend

Bren and me

Nothin's changed there

Always loved this one

Look at that team

Sunday afternoon

Spending it the way I like.

Windows are open. Have nowhere to be, but still put on a sundress because I felt like it.  Enjoying one of the spring blonde wheat Blue Moons.

Just me, my bunnies, and an art project. 

Happy Easter

and Happy 1st birthday to the little furry black bundles of happiness who seem to love me every time, all the time, no matter what. 

Spring Nails

Cause you understand them Disney beats, we never growin up

I love this blog post and my best friend and her obsession with colorful pants. Kind of like when your best friend shows you a song you haven't heard of. And she's jamming out. And you're like Okay Okay. And eventually you both are like BLEAHJLKWJKDSJLS BREAK IT DOWN AT ALL THE STOPLIGHTS.

On another note I am literally laughing out loud at #whatshouldwecallme

Like this is the funniest shit ever.

Hiroshima Shadows

Okay so in all my classes I'm getting all the rubrics for our finals.  So this blog is going to get a lot of finals project brainstorming action over the next few days.  For my 3D class I had this morning, we are to create a performance piece with a body extension using the idea, material, or concept learned from the artist we studied earlier in the semester.  I did Banksy. So like, what in the world am I supposed to do with that.  Banksy is like the last thing from a performance artist (i.e. he is never present during the exhibition of his work- which is what a performance piece essentially is.) .

What I've got to work with: graffiti, walls, stencils, urban, war, Vietnam, 60s, 70s, youth, spray paint, capitalism, politics, consumption. 

My idea: When the atomic bombs hit Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the intense heat and radiation left behind silhouettes of people whose bodies were vaporized in an instant.  I want to honor these lives by recreating ghostly figures of myself on a wall, using a spray paint to stencil my form onto the surface of the wall.  Obviously I can't use aeresol spray paint because that's highly toxic, but my teacher helped me develop alternative ideas. Conclusion: Spray tanner. (She was really into the fact that my great grandfather invented the stuff and insisted I do something with it.) This self-tanning aspect will play into the consumption and youth of layering on toxic chemicals to your body for aesthetic, cosmetic appeal, think- Toddlers and Tiaras.  This culture America has bred our youth, our children, to deem normal-  that we must "doll" them up for display. Apply fake eyelashes, smear on lipstick, smother them in spray-tans.

The night city grows, look and see her eyes, they glow.

If you had a PINTEREST, we could have one more social media outlet to take over each other's walls/timelines/pinboards on. Just kidding, I haven't really been on mine in a while.  The whole copyright issue freaks me out. And being interested in design as a career, I can't splash around in that puddle. 

But I got on today and came across this little gem. And not only have I admired Anna Wintour as a professional role-model since I've been studying design, I think she's the absolute key person to look to when you feel like you've been taken advantage of.  She's the kind of woman who will slap you across the face, tell you to stand up and get back in charge.  Then go tell you to do something about those nails.  Ms. Wintour, I am working so hard to be like you one day, and when I am, we're firing everyone in the workplace without a manicure.  

 

One month of school WHAT

My design final is on logos. Here, I will put helpful reminders I stumble upon while I do my research.  I like how some can be applied to other aspects in life. I like how this class teaches me to never cage your freedom. To always be growing and tending to yourself. To remember that sometimes, you have to be selfish. In order to develop, to take advantage of new opportunities, to make your "brand" the strongest, most lasting brand it can be.  Because you're going to have to live with it your whole life. So you want it to be good. And "In order to be irreplaceable, you have to be different." -Chanel

"Milk comes with a definite expiration date. Logos do not. When you sell a brand owner a fresh logo, make sure that person knows how to store it properly.  Or it may sour prematurely."

"Don't fall in love with a direction at this stage.  Step back and develop several ideas.  You may have something genuinely insightful.  If you get too attached to one idea, you're shutting out other possibilities and turning off the creative faucet."

"Surrounding Layout: Are you building an anchor or a sail?"

"Don't be too timid and squeamish about your actions.  All life is an experiment.  The more experiments you make, the better."

"Bottle rockets are a heady source of delight for many youngsters, for the same reason they're the source of angst for many parents- they're unpredictable.  As a designer, there's no telling whether your logo launch will soar, implode, or simply fizzle.  Scary, considering that now it's not just your fingers on the line."

"Most customers have trouble committing.  They'll take home a jar of peanut butter one week, then ditch it for a cheaper brand the next.  Steady customer loyalty takes work.  Customers don't respond to a flowers-and-candy spiel- they respond to brand consistency."

I've set up a pace/schedule for myself so that I stay on top of things:
WEd 4/4: Research/make thumbnails
Mon 4/9: develop concept/design form
Wed 4/11: Collect/have 30 textures/ print photocopies
Mon 4/16: Begin collage/edit composition
Wed/4/18: BE READY FOR YOUR CRIT