Well what the heck have I been up to? Sorry I'm not so good at this updating blog thingy.
Things to talk about. I'm in the last class of my first year of Grad school and I've somehow to managed to keep straight A's. If only my high school teachers could see me now. I'm pretty proud of myself for it too. Its still stressful and its hard to figure out where you need to go when you keep getting teachers telling you to be this kind of a teacher or that. This last time I had one telling me I needed to be a special education teacher. Sigh, I have nothing against it but I really want to teach Art and now there is a possibility that the whole time I've been going through this program I might be in the wrong one. Ahhhhh can't someone just explain things to me clearly. I've tried talking to my Advisor on the subject but she gets pretty nasty with me. The last time we talked she told me I just need to stay where I was at because she felt that I would be more marketable in it. Isn't it my choice weather or not I want to be more marketable?
Anyways, the printmaking class is interesting. I enjoy the process of blending and mixing the ink, roiling it out on the boards and seeing the images on the paper. I"m not so fond of my teacher's lack of clarity when it comes to projects. I have a hard time using extremely good, expensive paper on "trial runs" and not actual art. Otherwise I'm having fun.
I finally get to go to see my dad and his family. My grandfather isn't doing so well, and its been way to long since I've seen them. My grandmother has told me that my father himself has been sick to, but he won't admit it to anyone. I'm a bit uncertain of how the whole trip is going to go. How will I feel when I see my family? Will I be able to keep my composure if its to much of a system shock? I've found that the older I'm getting the easier I cry. I blame stress...and hormones. Goodness I wish I could be seven again. The age where all you cared about was playing, eating candy, and not having to worry about much.
In the last two days I've also had two people who's backs have gone out. My print making teachers and my friend Wendy in KS. They are both near my age, and now I am having a dreaded fear that my back too will go out. Working at the shoe store has been hard on my back. Yesterday I just wanted to go home and lay down and not move for at least 6 hours. I wonder if I can mentally cause a back blow out. I hope not. I don't think I could take it. well I believe this is enough rambling for today.
Wow, long time no write.
Lots have things have happened since January. I"m out of my boot and into regular shoes and my feet feel great. I've noticed that even after my feet start hurting I still have the ability to stand for long hours. something that I could not do last year. I'm heading into the last two class of my first year in grad school and so far have made straight As! I even got to go back to Georgia for a week to see my family. Three years is way to long to not see them. My boyfriend is about to finish his grad school and Disney already said they liked his work which I hope to mean "we want to hire you". All in all life is good. Still very stressful but some how I'm making it through.
Started a printmaking class at a community college. I've never done printmaking except for one or twice in high school. Its not really my favorite thing to do but perhaps this class will change my mind. Anyways I'm off for my first really class tonight. Wish me luck! :)
Well a lot has happened since I've moved out to Colorado. I spend two months in beautiful Estes Park, having a great time staying with people who I considered family and working in a fun fossil and rock shop. I even got some sheep drawings done for my book and applied as a volunteer at the local art center.
Then we moved to Fort Collins, joined the local Schmooze Group and waited to hear if I could get transferred to the fossil rock shop in Fort Collins. Mean while I kept busy by looking for a job in the arts, something that would be more productive to my degree. Had a few interviews, but nothing worked out. Things went sour pretty fast in Fort Collins. We had a fall out with the roommates in our new place and it was clear that to persevere the friendship that we needed to leave soon, but where could we go? Should we pack everything up again and go back to real family? Should we try and make it work in Colorado. Did we even have enough for first month rent and security deposit?
We found jobs in a start up company out in Greeley, my boyfriend working as a website updater, and I working in the sales department. This was my first time doing commission based sales, it sucked. In the two months I worked I didn't make a dime. This work was extremely tiring and I missed my old job in California at the kids art studio. I started to reevaluated my life. I needed to know where I was going, and what I needed. I also new that I needed to complete my childhood goal of getting a Masters degree. I started to see that I needed to pair my love of art with my love of children. The same passion that fueled me to be an illustrator needed to be put into a new passion of similar interest. Thus I looked at the local schools and found one that had a great program in teaching.
While applying for school, we searched for a place to live in the surrounding area and found a nice two bedroom apartment that would save us 200 dollars a month then what we where paying now. We moved in the second week of December and five days later I took off of work to have surgery done on my foot. Christmas came and we drove to Kansas to visit my boyfriends family. This Christmas was hard for me because I had been planing to see my family in New York, but due to the bad move in Fort Collins, we lost the money that would have bought me a ticket. I'm still every angry about it but I try not to think on it to much. Yet the Christmas in KS was good. For the most part I was out of it due to heavy medication and had the most fun just siting on the couch watching food networ
These are some images I've been working on for a long time. Mostly not finished because I've been to scared to paint on them for fear I will destroy them.
So we saw Alton Brown make parsnip muffins a few weeks ago. Last night I had a sweet craving because I've been eating healthy and excising that I was having sugar withdrawals. Apple pie or apple pandowdy sounded amazing but then i wanted ice cream with it. (Not a good idea) so trying and trying to fight my sweet craving I remembered the muffins. Ran off to the store picked up some parsnips and back home to make some muffins. 25 mins later the house smelled amazing! Once they where cooled we both looked at each other and took a bite. They where interesting to start off with. We weren't sure what to expect but they where sweet, kind of spiced like carrot cake but lighter, remind us a little bit of lemon poppy seed, with out the lemon or poppies. Very buttery which was funny cause there wasn't any butter in them. Over all they where good and they fixed my sugar craving. Plus they are very healthy! Parsnip muffins so funny...
So as it nears the end of June, life is about to change. We are moving from California to Colorado to stay with some family while we get back on our feet. I can truly say I am happy. I'm ready to leave and start fresh and new. I understand now more about myself and my needs. I am a Southern lady. I need slow and steady pace. I need to take time to do things. Los Angeles is not any of that. Thus I am ready to get back to slow and steady. I want to dive in to my art and create. I want tangible. I want real.
Been a while but there has been so great stuff lately that I've been apart of. I"m on several projects again. One of my favorites is one that is for my UN Still women's group. I've acutally gotten to the painting part. Its an emotional piece about a point in my life where an event changed it. For me its the relationship between my youngest sister and I and accpeting that she no longer needs to be mothered. I"m in love with the subject as well as emotionally tired from it. She is a very speacial person to me and I love her dearly. This piece will most likly not be understood by my peers but its okay, because this is after all a personal piece. I think this illustration i'm doing is consdiered to me more of an fine art piece. Once its done I will take a snap shoot and load it up along with some other work that I've been doing.
I've also finally gone to a SCBWI Schmooze group!!! YaY!!!! It was wonderful to meet everyone there. They where so wonderful
