March 2008 Archives

Okay, for those of you who haven't visited my photostream on flickr lately,  this Elmo shot has just recently hit the "big time".  It all started when we (the boy, a coworker and myself) took a walk between the matinée and evening performance.  The goal was to head over to Best Buy and browse around, but as luck would have it, for some reason they, and the giant Circuit City were closed that day.   Granted it was Easter, but this is NYC. I've never heard of such a thing.  So rather than wander around BB, we headed over to Bryant Park.  And to think, we would have missed this.

Yesterday a ton of motivation finally slapped me in the face and I finally took over the empty room next to our bedroom and created my own "studio".  I prefer studio over office so neener.  It's my own space to draw in, work on my photos, decorate and just sit around in.  An added bonus, our bedroom has gone from small, stuff and cluttered to wide open.  I call it the ballroom now cause the floor is open enough for dancing around on. 

Of course, I am the only one likely to break out into dance around here.  Yes, even when I'm alone. No, sometimes it is not concious...I just start dancing. Then halfway through I'm all "How long have I been dancing around?"  That's when I start to imagine Dooce dropping by with a slab of bacon.   Then we'll have a bacon dance off.  Whoever wins, gets to eat the freakin' bacon of course.

Yeah, I love my new space.  My imagination is already on overdrive. 

Pictures and more to come.

I can feel the lack of motivation lifting like a huge weight off my back.  Now the only problem is defeating that old "not enough time in a day" thing.  I mean honestly,  Do I really need to sleep? I mean really really?

Work has got me crazy!  We just got through our first normal weekend with the play.  5 show weekends are a total pain in the ass in our world. In case you didn't know, all the shows here (off and on Broadway) do 8 show weeks and there's usually two options: a matinée on Wednesday leaving only one performance on Sunday OR a 5 show weekend, which is what we do where I currently work.

We have a show on Friday night.  This is show 1 of the so called 5 show weekend.  By this time we've been in every day since Tuesday.  (Monday being our only day off a week.).  On Saturday we come in an hour before "half hour", and by we I mean the technicians.  Actors come in at half hour.  ("Half hour" is the 30 minutes before the curtain goes up...and that's just a term for when the show starts, there's not always a curtain.).  So this means we come in at 12:30 for this show.  We run the first show and then have a big break between the matinée and evening performance.  For most of us this means grabbing dinner and coming back for a nap because we don't live close enough to go home and relax.  With this particular show we have enough time on Saturdays to go see a movie if we wanted because it only runs for an hour and a half.

Originally uploaded by RGP

It's been a quiet but long lived dream of mine to write and illustrate a children's book. This is an old idea I had that I finally got down on paper. It's a start but I'm not sure I have the faith in myself to actually follow through on such a project. Maybe one day!

It reads:
" Follow me to the broken woods,
where things aren't what they seem,
the trees hold woulds and coulds and shoulds,
they sometimes call them dreams."

"The spindely [sp] spider left the perch..."

Maybe some day I can actually finish this thought process.

This is a shot taken from my subway platform.  There is a ton of graffiti lining the wall across the tracks but this one, for obvious reasons, sticks out.  It's all alone and rather big.  Apparently Pilot Spag is actually two graffiti artists and they're known for tagging over other people's work.  Clearly that wasn't the case here. My cousin Todd gave me this information.  I can't seem to find it on Google but my searches have been, admittedly, half assed.  Maybe you can find something more on "Pilot Spag". 

I found a fun photoshop technique last night which I used on this photo.  I'm not entirely sure I got the exact effect they described but I have to say, I love the look on this.  THe original now looks like a washed out, crappy photo I took on the fly.  With this effect, I was able to give it a lot more depth and feeling.  I look forward to trying it out on a few more of my "so so" shots. 

In other news,

Originally uploaded by RGP

I really can't seem to knock this funk. I mean, I know it'll pass eventually but it's really got a hold on me. I have to blame it on my weird work schedule. Sometimes I'm in all day, other times I'm not in until 6. We're also going through a 10 show week (as opposed to an 8 show week). We open next wednesday so instead of taking Monday off like usual, we're waiting until Thursday.

I need to get out and take a walk. I haven't been able to do that in about a week and a half now. Maybe I can do that today before I head in.

Sincerely,
Desperately Seeking Inspiration

Because I posted two doodles for one day, I messed up my count.  I knew I should have just put them in one picture. 

I'm really in a funk these days, creatively speaking.  I can't put my finger on it but I'm lacking in motivation. It's probably because my schedule is all over the place AND we have house guests for a week. It's all thrown me off balance.

I really....REALLY want to get a little faster at posting these doodles.  I keep telling myself it's okay because I'm at work ALL day, but really when I'm home, I do have plenty of time to slap my doodles in the scanner.  I'm not even making any excuses.  I just don't do it.  Slacker = Me. 

Okay, now you're probably all "Teddy bears? Really?" Yeah, I know.  I honestly have no idea.  Truly, I can't explain what inspired me to draw them.  It's one of those "I just did" things.  There is something moving about a sad teddy bear though, wouldn't you say?  Except for the large bear, these are all true doodles. Mindless, subconcious, tv was on doodles.  This is the extent of my wisdom today. 

Yes, there are three doodles up there for 2 days, but the two portraits go together. both drawn yesterday when I was teasing the boy.  He said something and I said "Oh yeah! Well I'm gonna draw your face!" Oooo, burn.  It was really funny if you were there...and one of us. 

So then I drew myself. Yep, that's me. A perfect likeness.  No, not the one with the facial hair, the one with the lighbulb head!  It's my latest nickname for myself.  It's not a bad thing. Really. It's just, I really do have a long and sometimes lighbulb like head.  The boy laughed out loud when he saw it (which is extremely rare) so that lead to me believing it was actually a pretty decent self portrait. 

Oh, and the one on top is an actual, bonafide doodle done on a napkin. I scanned it in grey scale but if you look close enough, you can kinda make out the coffee ring at the top.  In real life, it is indeed the color of coffee.

So, I feel like I should remind you what I'm doing here, 75 "doodles" in:

Originally uploaded by RGP

Wow, 72 drawings so far, and not a day missed. Suddenly 365 doesn't seem so hard! (she says not even halfway through).

Seriously though, i am so proud. I can't think of anything I have stuck with for 72 days straight without getting bored. Sure, I've had many days where I felt completely unmotivated, but that's easy. I can get past those as long as I remind myself that those days always pass. That's probably been one of the strongest lessons I've learned so far with this project AND can apply it to every day...crap.

Not that I've turned over this annoying optimistic leaf or anything. Noooo. I still have plenty to bitch about just like everyone else, I'm just finding it a lot easier to deal with the every day kinks. I've learned to do that thing where you smile instead even when you don't want to. Ugh, it's soooo hard, it really is, but I have to remember that it's annoying to be around someone that's grumpy all the time.

However, it's equally annoying to be around someone who's peppy all the time too. After all, life isn't fair.

Discuss and Comment Here

 We all know it pays to work hard.  It's taught to us early on and throughout the rest of our life.  If we're lucky, we get to choose what we work hard at.  However, there's another side I've been trying to learn how to balance lately...the play side.   

Up there are my doodles for March 6th -8th (in order from top to bottom).  Yes, I finally scanned them. Sheesh! Gimme a break!  The third one was a subway doodle.  One purely from imagination and the other of a view I had of someone sitting in front of me reading.  The top two is just a new look I'm trying out for faces.  I like it so I think I'll expand on that idea.

So I wrote an entire entry for about 2 hours before MovableType ate it up, never to return.  At first I was pissed.  Really pissed. But then I realized that I hated that post anyway and it was probably going to take me another hour to read it over and over and edit it until I decided I still hated it and never posted it anyway.  So, thanks MT!  You read my future and made it good!

All I really wanted to say is how I'm learning something new and terrifying about my artisitc self.  Although I am completely and 100% against censorship, I am totally doing it to myself.  I have some how cut off a part of me that, I feel, makes up who I am as an artist/writer/photographer and all because I......care what other people think. Eeeeeew!

I've been back at work lately. That photo was taken from the roof of my workplace.  It's interesting because I really thought my world would collapse when I went back to work. I thought I would give up on my projects, give up on my dreams and give in to the work day taking over my life.  Thankfully, I was totally wrong.  I bring my sketchbook, laptop, camera and any other implements of destruction with me that I can stuff in a bag and still manage to carry.  I am super lucky because I happen to have a job where most of my time is spent waiting around.  I actually hate this, with the fiery passion of 1000 suns, but I am able to do more at work for personal gain than most people.  I have to count this as a blessing.  Even though I do get this time to do my work while... at work.... I still get so frustrated when they don't use me for hours and hours.  It's the stubborn side of me.

Originally uploaded by RGP

I drew this on the subway. I am actually shocked that it is easier to draw on a moving, bumpy NYC train than it is to write. Whenever I write on the train, i get cramps in my hand from trying to keep the damn pen steady. This was much easier and soothing.

I have a confession to make. I usually play a video game when I'm on the subway these days. I don't play any outside of the subway so it's my little guilty pleasure. However, this time I had the desire to draw something, and so I did. That has definitely been something interesting about this process. Responding to my random desires. A lot of the time I might start to think "Hmm, I'd love to write right now" but for some reason I end up ignoring the impulse and continue doing whatever if it that I'm doing. I'm proud to say I am starting to act on my instincts. A long hard road that's getting a little, tiny bit shorter.

Wow! I might actually be learning something from this!

Discuss and Comment here.

Originally uploaded by RGP

I'm going through a lack of inspiration with my doodles lately. I don't see this as a problem, just a gearing up towards something amazing. I wouldn't be normal if I felt like I was producing above par work every day. In fact, it makes me feel very human to feel bleh about drawing. The success here is doing it even if I don't really want to. This, for me, is usually when I give up entirely on a idea.

Since the goal here is to grow, giving up is so not an option. I refuse!

Discuss and Comment Here.

Originally uploaded by RGP

So now I've taken it to a Whole NEW Level! What's that? SwirlyDoodles AND a tree, or plant or shrubbery of some sort? Madness! Sheer madness! It's amazing I ever awoke from this haze!

/end drama

Discuss and Comment Here.

Originally uploaded by RGP

I've been back to playing with my pens lately. Those first couple of trees I worked on last week brought back an addiction. But I can't stop myself from doing a little subconscious doodling. Hence, the SwirlyDoodle.

I've never been any good at meditating. My mind moves way too fast and no matter what I do to try and slow it down, that's just not how it works for me. However, now I am finding it much easier to just space out and let go, so long as I have a pencil, pen or other implement of destruction in my hand.

Originally uploaded by RGP

Mostly testing out a new post style but also wanted to show off one of my favorite pictures of the brudda.

He got the looks. Punk.
 

Originally uploaded by RGP

Honestly, playing with the lines, shapes and shading of a tree is so relaxing and so zen that I just can't stop myself. It's so entirely different from paying attention to the detail in someone's face for example. With these tree drawings I've been up to lately, I can just go. Even the act of erasing some of the lines feels like it's part of the sketch.

I guess you could say I'm a bit of a tree hugger these days. But I've never really noticed until now, after taking zillions of photographs in Prospect Park and after doodling them so much lately, that trees are just as diverse and beautiful as snowflakes.

/end cheese.