a shadow of myself

I would say my flat has returned to normal now that my ceiling has been fixed and walls painted, but I'd be lying. It's far from normal. It's a rare thing to be able to see this much carpet, to have cutlery in drawers and a have more than just a vague sense of order. But, it is nice and I think I may (attempt to) keep it like this! There are still the familiar piles of books and newspapers, but I can now navigate the rooms without having to climb over things. Anyway, having painted myself living in vile squalor, akin to Crack Fox in The Mighty Boosh I shall move on.

The eagle eyed among you may have noticed that my little Etsy shop has been unloved for some time now. I'm hoping to rectify that.....soonish. No promises of time scales yet, as I'm sure to break them. All that I was complaining talking about going on and not going on a month ago, is still going on...although not for much longer! I have 1 week left of my internship. It has been fabulous, I have learnt so much. I thoroughly recommend anybody to go and do something you love, even if it seems so ridiculous and scary and means being destitute for a while. At times I can't see how I have coped (thank you Chloe - my sister - whom I live with and who has put food in the fridge and covered the odd bill when I couldn't) but it has been totally worth it....for myself, my confidence, my art, my career......I can quite happily say that I will be continuing to work there on a freelance basis, at least until August, and then we will see what happens next. . And the actual change - the end and the beginning happens on 30th April so celebrating at Beltane .

Well, this post has turned out nothing like I had expected....it was going to be about new work....I guess it was in a way....but more about the polaroids and the ideas I have forming...ho hum, maybe next time.....

step inside and make yourself at home

I am slightly in love with this.
Bear sleeping bag Found via mermag

I am having a relatively lovely, lazy day. I have been taking it easy, ignoring the things piled up and packed away in anticipation of having the ceiling repaired.....playing on photoshop, reading online magazines, finding new blogs, re-visiting old ones, finding beautiful, amazing things and listening to magical sounds (Fern Knight, Marrissa Nadler (who is playing in Glasgow in a couple of weeks, which I am looking forward to lots.))

south

blurry

The past few weeks seem to have disappeared in a blur. There has been so much going on, yet not all that much at all.

The internship is going well....I am more than half way through this now, which seems ridiculous. 3 months is not a very long time really. I've also been chasing people on what seems like an endless journey of paperwork and protocol, incompetent staff and misunderstandings. These 2 things combined have meant I have upped my search for paid employment....short term, long term.....anything really....shine your shoes guvnor?

I am also battling with creating work...not through any lack of ideas or motivation - more a sense of guilt that I am not spending my time looking for a job, beacuase I need money and need to live. I finally came to realise this week (ok, my dad actually pointed it out to me) that my art is my work, I shouldn't feel guilty about making time for it. It may not actually be making me a great deal of money right now, but without it there is nothing, no progression and no future and I may as well be back working in a mind numbing job that I hate for the rest of my life!

Early tomorrow morning I am disappearing for a few days. A much needed break from every thing that is here....except maybe my sisters who will also be travelling north for our mothers 60th. It will be fabulous to get out of the city, untie myself from the computer, untangle myself from the shit that's going on here and just breathe......

Sometimes Making Something Leads to Nothing

I went to see this exhibition a couple of weeks ago...last week? Some time in the not so distant past anyway.
The exhibition takes the title from the Francis Alÿs film which features in the exhibition....it's about transformation. But also persistence and endurance. I was quite amazed that the artist manages to smoke a cigarette pretty much the whole time he is pushing the block of ice through Mexico City.
It also has work by Cornelia Parker (above) Callum Innes, Peter Liversidge, Iran do Espírito Santo and others.
The whole exhibition is witty and quite refreshing....definitely worth a visit.

the ingleby gallery website says things so much better than I ever could on a Sunday morning!

I heart............

So, I guess it is the appropriate day for me to be posting these, although really valentines day is a bit crap and to be honest, collecting and needles & thread should happen on every day of the year anyway, so it really makes no difference what the day is.


Anyhoo, I discovered Sophie Isobel yesterday, whilst checking out who 'follows me' on here. I'm so glad I did. Everything she creates is simply perfect. The two above I think were somehow destined for me. Also right now, until 20th all proceeds of sales will go to the Redcross Bush Fire Appeal in Australia, so if you are umming and ahhing then please stop and just go and buy something!

So, Valentines day really means very little to me being of the single persuasion.....it actually meant very little to me when I was part of a couple too.....But, nontheless, I am slightly annoyed that tonight I have been stood up (by my sister who is still ill no less) and so I am not going out to the Bob & Roberta Smith thing, or the gig I really wanted to go to. I do not go out alone, unless I have arranged to meet somebody there.....maybe it's something I should get over?


What are your Pro or Anti-Valentines plans? Mine are sitting here, having a couple o'beers and dreaming of the prints I shall be making tomorrow and listening to The Magnetic Fields

Dress Like an Artist.....apparently

So below is the definitive guide to dressing like an artist....by somebody/some people who I really hope were joking. The bold bits are my favourites and the grey my comments.
I will start off by saying that I may have a particular hatred of this before even reading it properly as I despise the words 'arty' and 'artsy' and the latter overused spectacularly in this article.

How to Dress Like an Artist
from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Whether you're heading off to art school, and want to fit in, or whether you're already there, and realize you don't, or whether you just want to be different at whatever school you're at...
Take these steps.

Steps

1. Understand that the world, including your clothing, is a palette to express yourself. Find what makes you feel happy or alive, not what others tell you is fashionable.
   
2. Look at your hair. Something has to be different about it. Choppy, bangs? Dreads? Dyed a unique color, or streaks? Shaved head? Mohawk? Teased, big, hair? Extremely short (girls)? Extremely long (guys)? You get the point. You really won't be taken seriously as an artist with a normal hairstyle, shave it all off immediately!
   
3. Do you have any piercings? You're not required to, as long as you employ many other methods of stand-out-isms, but it can help. yup, piercings can definitely help you be a better artist.... if you can't bear to put holes in your face then maybe just wear a novelty hat at all times - this will help you stand out, get noticed and therefore make you a better artist. Consider your eyebrow, especially. Or if you want something a little tamer, your cartilage. Be careful about nose rings. They can look trashy on girls instead of artsy. fuck off
   
4. Give up shopping at the generic department store, except for small staples like underwear, simple tank tops, and maybe jeans.
   
5. Buy the latest and most fashionable pieces you can find at the specialty or thrift stores.
   
6. Dress up any shirt or dress with awesome accessories, with a belt added to the natural waist (on girls) really pumps up the artsy. A well tailored trench coat is a good artsy investment. Most of the time you have to look like you don't care about what you're wearing, you just threw something on. It also helps a lot if it fits really well, especially on guys. Artsy guys should never wear ill fitting ruined dress pants or something. If you do wear jeans, make sure they're stylish and they can be ripped and faded. Shoes can be bought here too.
   
7. Shop at 'vintage' stores or at tiny exclusive boutiques. This will be much more expensive, but, if you have followed all the above steps, you will already be a rich and famous artist, so won't care about the cost but you can find some truly original things. Perhaps a couple good, classy pieces mixed with other stuff is a good idea.
   
8. Try Anthropologie, an artsy specialty clothing store.
   
9. Look for jewelry that is interesting and unique, or ties together your look. Look for funky pieces, foreign pieces, expensive well made pieces, intricate wood pieces, and the 80's had a bunch of fascinating stuff.
   
10. Stop shaving (if you're a guy), so a bearded lady is a little too much of a 'stand-out-ism' to get you noticed. It won't help. or give the impression you have. maybe draw on a little stubble, that way you can also show off your ace drawing skills as well as looking hot. No artsy guy is hotter than when he has a little facial hair.
    
11. Black is a good tool you can use to unify your look, as is white.
    

Continued (follow the link below)
Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Dress Like an Artist. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Emilys Guide to dressing like an artist.

1. Find some clothes. Put them on. They will probably be covered in paint, varnish, glue and other un-named substances that you were experimenting with. That doesn't matter.

2. Find more jumpers. Studios are cold. Maybe find some fingerless gloves too. Again, paint coverage doesn't matter.

3. Understand that your trouser leg is a palette on which to mix your paint.

4. When having to leave the studio, and are forced to look a little respectable, find the least paint covered thing you own and wear it.