I've been very busy this past year!
D and I got married at city hall June 17th 2011
Flew to Singapore for six weeks (!!) June 24th-August 8th
Visited: Indonesia, Cambodia, and Thailand
Flew home
Helped friends move the second weekend in August
Visited D's mother for her 60th birthday bash the following weekend
Pre-wedding Openhouse Reception for people in the NW the next weekend
Took a break over Labor Day weekend (HA!) final wedding planning
Wedding
Post-wedding Openhouse for family in Utah following weekend
Started school the weekend after
And since then school has been crazy!
I might add that I was taking online courses full-time at my university while I was in Singapore! After a very busy school year pushing myself to the limit, I graduated June 16th 2012 with my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Traditional Art!
I've been very busy building my artist website
as well as my shoe website
I want to keep this blog, but my priority is cultivating my shoe business and getting serious about being a professional artist.
I won't forget about you though ;)
July 14, 2012
Thoughts About Becoming an Artist
(written two months ago!)
I came across this that I started writing over a year ago. My, how I've changed! I feel like I was an arrogant asshole, especially because I hadn't undergone my own personal evolution as an artist.
I came across this that I started writing over a year ago. My, how I've changed! I feel like I was an arrogant asshole, especially because I hadn't undergone my own personal evolution as an artist.
Being a student of the arts I have come to accept the fact that becoming an artist takes recognizing your abilities to create successful works of art. Much of what an art student needs to recognize is that they are a good artist. I think this recognition is a pivotal moment for the future of any student.
There comes a point where continual self-deprecation becomes worse than arrogance. An art student should be able to assess their own works based on their talent. When I look at my artwork I am surprised by what I create and sometimes even impress myself. Other times I look at my work and laugh at how crappy it is, but I tell myself I can do better and have done better.
What irritates me are the people who continually talk about how bad their work is and complain that their friends are always lying when they give good feedback. The fact that you have been accepted to Bachelor of Fine Arts program should be enough of an indication that your work does not suck. If you cannot portray yourself as a confident and talented artist, then I would wonder why you would even want to get a masters degree.
I'm graduating in a few weeks (HOORAY!) and look forward to my future with excited trepidation. Where will I be in 5 years? Masters Degree? Children? A house? Teaching others' to embrace their weirdness as artists? Will I be involved with a gallery? How much of my work will I have sold?
I hope everything will be positive.
I'm still surprised with everything that I've done and that I continue to do. It's like "Wow. I can really do this! I AM an artist!"
It's all about confidence.
I KNOW my color, I KNOW I can draw, I KNOW I can paint.
I'm so nerdy with colors that I like to think to myself what a particular color in the world would be... For example, the kleenex box on the desk is a nice color of blue. The paint mix would be: ultramarine blue, white, a smidge of pthalo blue, and some cadmium red medium. *NERD* It's a nice periwinkle sort of sky blue.
It's all about confidence.
I KNOW my color, I KNOW I can draw, I KNOW I can paint.
I'm so nerdy with colors that I like to think to myself what a particular color in the world would be... For example, the kleenex box on the desk is a nice color of blue. The paint mix would be: ultramarine blue, white, a smidge of pthalo blue, and some cadmium red medium. *NERD* It's a nice periwinkle sort of sky blue.
June 3, 2012
September 29, 2010
Knotty things!
September 29, 2010
Yes, it's true! D and I are tying the knot! Wedding website is in the works. Any suggestions on website urls that DON'T include the word "and"? I find the word "and" in urls very un-aesthetic.
Neglect
Ah! My beautiful blog! How I've neglected thee. Well, I've been trying not to. There have been so many things going on in my life that blogging has been my lowest priority. I hope to be up and blogging more soon, but that means getting more pictures edited and uploaded. Flickr has failed me, so I'm trying to find some other source for posting a plethora of pictures.
April 6, 2010
Nose Piercing
April 6, 2010
So as most of you on Facebook know, I pierced my nose for my birthday. I had been thinking about doing it since I was 18. After discovering how they pierce a nose (with a needle) I whimped out. Finally, I did it! And I love it!!!
The Piercing
I Did a lot of research on good tattoo/piercing parlors and took advice from my awesome hair stylist (Kelle, who ROCKS) who has multiple piercings and tattoos, Body Manipulations in San Francisco was my place of choice.
A word of advice for first time piercers DO RESEARCH ON WHAT TO EXPECT, THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY. There are always risks to piercing. Your body may reject the piercing, regardless of following cleaning instructions 90% of people WILL get an infection, or a granuloma (a bump that can turn into a nice pus/blood filled blister), or scar tissue which can be a nice little lump that may or may never go away.
D-Day was January 21st a week before my birthday. Dan met me in the city to hold my hand during the procedure. Went in to the place filled out some paperwork, my piercer came out and screened me to make sure I was a good candidate for piercing. That I wasn't sick, on any medication that thinned my blood, and of course old enough. We went into the back to do the actual piercing. A good piercer will most likely do the piercing "free hand" (which is what I had). This means they don't put anything into your nose to stop the needle from poking your other nostril, these piercers have so much experience they can maneuver the needle deftly through your nostril. (Most piercers will put a cork in your nostril to catch that needle.) FYI: Piercers will not numb cartilage because cartilage doesn't numb.
In the back was like a doctor's exam room. There was a little table to lay down on, sanitary stuff like latex-free gloves, and other things you would see in a doctor's exam room. My piercer dotted my nose with a little marker and asked what I thought of the placement. I said it was fine and then was instructed to lay back on the table. My piercer told me exactly what would happen, that he was going to pierce while my eyes were closed with the needle out of direct view, that it was going to feel like a big pinch but that the small pain would subside within seconds, and my eyes would water which is a completely normal reaction.
After a small breathing exercise to relax, he poked the hollow needle through my nose, taking out a small chunk where the actual stud would go. It was exactly what he said, a pinch and then a little sore for a second or two longer. He left the needle in my nose to slide the stud in and then pulled out the needle. The stud is usually an "L" bar with the end extending back into your nostril. I got used to it pretty quickly. There was no bleeding. For the rest of the day my nostril was a little sore like an annoying zit, but nothing major. You can't take any regular pain killers as it can cause bleeding, but odds are there will be no pain.
I was given clear instructions from my piercer on how to care for my new piercing. The care was sea-salt soaks twice daily for 3-5 minutes. Yes, soaking the piercing, which isn't fun because it involves dunking your nose (and practically your face) in the salt solution. It's annoying, but necessary. Also, you can't touch your piercing unless you're cleaning it. I did forget it was there and would scratch my nose without thinking and it didn't feel good. It's like "Ouch! Dammit, forgot that was there!" The healing takes 6-9 weeks and maybe longer. Nostril piercings can be quite picky.
For soaking I recommend using a little medicine cup that comes with Pepto or Nyquil. I mix the salt solution in a larger container so there is an accurate amount of salt.
I followed the exact instructions for cleaning and I did get a nice granuloma bump. It looks like a nasty red zit right next to the piercing site. It kept growing so I went back into Body Manipulations (as instructed if something like this happened) and had my piercer take a look (which is free, if it's not, you need to re-think where you got your piercing done) and make sure everything was normal. He instructed that I do chamomile compresses in addition to sea-salt soaks, which is basically brewing chamomile tea, taking the hot tea bag and putting it against my nose and told me to come back in a week. Chamomile draws out any infection and sea-salt soaks will dry out the skin. Another word of advice: DO NOT USE ALCOHOL OR PEROXIDE TO TREAT ANY SIGNS OF INFECTION. DO NOT TRY TO "POP" THIS BUMP AS IT CAN BECOME REALLY INFECTED. Peroxide and first aid alcohol is for wounds, NOT holes. Cartilage heals MUCH differently from regular skin tissue. Peroxide will kill the white blood cells that are trying to heal around your piercing, so you're taking a step backwards in the healing process.
I did the chamomile compress for a week and to my dismay the bump got bigger and bigger. I could tell that it had pus and blood in it. Yes, I panicked, and yes I thought about popping it, but didn't. Man, it was hard not to!!! After the week I went back in. My piercer took one look and said, "Perfect! It's doing exactly what it's supposed to" only unfortunately all that crap had nowhere to drain. Usually it will come out on its own. He took me into the back rooms and used a needle to poke a tiny hole in the bump and helped it drain. (DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME. PIERCING PARLORS HAVE DISINFECTANT TO PREVENT ANY INFECTION FROM GETTING IN THE PIERCING!) He put some disinfectant on the piercing and gave me a small sanitary pack of q-tips and gauze in case the bump kept draining on my way home. I was given strict instructions to do a chamomile compress as soon as I got home and to continue the compress and sea-salt soaks for another week.
As I continued the treatment, the bump kept getting nice and flaky (which is normal) and finally today the rest of the bump kinda peeled off! So now I am bump free! But a word of advice the bump will most likely come back, so be prepared and at least you know exactly what to expect!! :)
Sadly I don't have any pictures yet to really post. But there you go! My experience of piercing! And advice if you want to get pierced!
The Piercing
I Did a lot of research on good tattoo/piercing parlors and took advice from my awesome hair stylist (Kelle, who ROCKS) who has multiple piercings and tattoos, Body Manipulations in San Francisco was my place of choice.
A word of advice for first time piercers DO RESEARCH ON WHAT TO EXPECT, THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY. There are always risks to piercing. Your body may reject the piercing, regardless of following cleaning instructions 90% of people WILL get an infection, or a granuloma (a bump that can turn into a nice pus/blood filled blister), or scar tissue which can be a nice little lump that may or may never go away.
D-Day was January 21st a week before my birthday. Dan met me in the city to hold my hand during the procedure. Went in to the place filled out some paperwork, my piercer came out and screened me to make sure I was a good candidate for piercing. That I wasn't sick, on any medication that thinned my blood, and of course old enough. We went into the back to do the actual piercing. A good piercer will most likely do the piercing "free hand" (which is what I had). This means they don't put anything into your nose to stop the needle from poking your other nostril, these piercers have so much experience they can maneuver the needle deftly through your nostril. (Most piercers will put a cork in your nostril to catch that needle.) FYI: Piercers will not numb cartilage because cartilage doesn't numb.
In the back was like a doctor's exam room. There was a little table to lay down on, sanitary stuff like latex-free gloves, and other things you would see in a doctor's exam room. My piercer dotted my nose with a little marker and asked what I thought of the placement. I said it was fine and then was instructed to lay back on the table. My piercer told me exactly what would happen, that he was going to pierce while my eyes were closed with the needle out of direct view, that it was going to feel like a big pinch but that the small pain would subside within seconds, and my eyes would water which is a completely normal reaction.
After a small breathing exercise to relax, he poked the hollow needle through my nose, taking out a small chunk where the actual stud would go. It was exactly what he said, a pinch and then a little sore for a second or two longer. He left the needle in my nose to slide the stud in and then pulled out the needle. The stud is usually an "L" bar with the end extending back into your nostril. I got used to it pretty quickly. There was no bleeding. For the rest of the day my nostril was a little sore like an annoying zit, but nothing major. You can't take any regular pain killers as it can cause bleeding, but odds are there will be no pain.
I was given clear instructions from my piercer on how to care for my new piercing. The care was sea-salt soaks twice daily for 3-5 minutes. Yes, soaking the piercing, which isn't fun because it involves dunking your nose (and practically your face) in the salt solution. It's annoying, but necessary. Also, you can't touch your piercing unless you're cleaning it. I did forget it was there and would scratch my nose without thinking and it didn't feel good. It's like "Ouch! Dammit, forgot that was there!" The healing takes 6-9 weeks and maybe longer. Nostril piercings can be quite picky.
For soaking I recommend using a little medicine cup that comes with Pepto or Nyquil. I mix the salt solution in a larger container so there is an accurate amount of salt.
I followed the exact instructions for cleaning and I did get a nice granuloma bump. It looks like a nasty red zit right next to the piercing site. It kept growing so I went back into Body Manipulations (as instructed if something like this happened) and had my piercer take a look (which is free, if it's not, you need to re-think where you got your piercing done) and make sure everything was normal. He instructed that I do chamomile compresses in addition to sea-salt soaks, which is basically brewing chamomile tea, taking the hot tea bag and putting it against my nose and told me to come back in a week. Chamomile draws out any infection and sea-salt soaks will dry out the skin. Another word of advice: DO NOT USE ALCOHOL OR PEROXIDE TO TREAT ANY SIGNS OF INFECTION. DO NOT TRY TO "POP" THIS BUMP AS IT CAN BECOME REALLY INFECTED. Peroxide and first aid alcohol is for wounds, NOT holes. Cartilage heals MUCH differently from regular skin tissue. Peroxide will kill the white blood cells that are trying to heal around your piercing, so you're taking a step backwards in the healing process.
I did the chamomile compress for a week and to my dismay the bump got bigger and bigger. I could tell that it had pus and blood in it. Yes, I panicked, and yes I thought about popping it, but didn't. Man, it was hard not to!!! After the week I went back in. My piercer took one look and said, "Perfect! It's doing exactly what it's supposed to" only unfortunately all that crap had nowhere to drain. Usually it will come out on its own. He took me into the back rooms and used a needle to poke a tiny hole in the bump and helped it drain. (DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME. PIERCING PARLORS HAVE DISINFECTANT TO PREVENT ANY INFECTION FROM GETTING IN THE PIERCING!) He put some disinfectant on the piercing and gave me a small sanitary pack of q-tips and gauze in case the bump kept draining on my way home. I was given strict instructions to do a chamomile compress as soon as I got home and to continue the compress and sea-salt soaks for another week.
As I continued the treatment, the bump kept getting nice and flaky (which is normal) and finally today the rest of the bump kinda peeled off! So now I am bump free! But a word of advice the bump will most likely come back, so be prepared and at least you know exactly what to expect!! :)
Sadly I don't have any pictures yet to really post. But there you go! My experience of piercing! And advice if you want to get pierced!
Foster Cats
So far, Dan and I have fostered
Mandarin
Edward
Alphonse
Baby
Jinksy
Maxine (only for a few days)
Sparrow
Jack
Ann
Elanor
Lily
and currently have
Ford
Lexus
(I didn't name these and take no responsibility!!)
I hate to pick favorites, but my all time favorite has to be Jack (formerly Captain Jack). This poor boy was neutered and then mismarked by the shelter he came from as female and then spayed. Unfortunately for Jack, there was nothing to take out of his belly, so they cut him open and poked around for no reason. Poor baby!
Here is his bio:
*Meet Jack!! (Formerly Captain Jack) He is a very busy cat! He likes to check out what's happening out the window and if any closets or cupboards need inspecting. If you're doing the dishes, Jack will be there to help and you can always rely on him to check in on you while you shower. He is sometimes too busy investigating all the nooks and crannies in the apartment to cuddle, but when he is satisfied with his inspection he likes to be held and petted and get lots of scratches under his chin.
Jack has the sweetest little meow that will absolutely melt your heart!! He meows very politely when he needs something and is a little purr-bot when being snuggled and loves to snuffle and tickle ears with his whiskers. Every few days Jack picks a favorite toy to play with. His current favorite is his foster mom's sock. He carries it around in his mouth from room to room and tosses it in the air to catch and pounce on! He looks like a little bunny when he scampers around after toys.
This sweet little guy has been through so much already in his young life! He came from a shelter with a spay infection after being incorrectly marked as female. After a nasty infection and enduring two weeks or the cone of shame, he is STILL the SWEETEST little love-bug and definitely loves tummy scratches! Once he was feeling well enough to play he learned that he could scoop up toys in the cone and sling-shot them across the room to chase!*
I miss him the most!!! Such a sweet boy. His new family is head over heels in love with him, so is his new buddy Moose :)
Mandarin
Edward
Alphonse
Baby
Jinksy
Maxine (only for a few days)
Sparrow
Jack
Ann
Elanor
Lily
and currently have
Ford
Lexus
(I didn't name these and take no responsibility!!)
I hate to pick favorites, but my all time favorite has to be Jack (formerly Captain Jack). This poor boy was neutered and then mismarked by the shelter he came from as female and then spayed. Unfortunately for Jack, there was nothing to take out of his belly, so they cut him open and poked around for no reason. Poor baby!
Here is his bio:
*Meet Jack!! (Formerly Captain Jack) He is a very busy cat! He likes to check out what's happening out the window and if any closets or cupboards need inspecting. If you're doing the dishes, Jack will be there to help and you can always rely on him to check in on you while you shower. He is sometimes too busy investigating all the nooks and crannies in the apartment to cuddle, but when he is satisfied with his inspection he likes to be held and petted and get lots of scratches under his chin.
Jack has the sweetest little meow that will absolutely melt your heart!! He meows very politely when he needs something and is a little purr-bot when being snuggled and loves to snuffle and tickle ears with his whiskers. Every few days Jack picks a favorite toy to play with. His current favorite is his foster mom's sock. He carries it around in his mouth from room to room and tosses it in the air to catch and pounce on! He looks like a little bunny when he scampers around after toys.
This sweet little guy has been through so much already in his young life! He came from a shelter with a spay infection after being incorrectly marked as female. After a nasty infection and enduring two weeks or the cone of shame, he is STILL the SWEETEST little love-bug and definitely loves tummy scratches! Once he was feeling well enough to play he learned that he could scoop up toys in the cone and sling-shot them across the room to chase!*
I miss him the most!!! Such a sweet boy. His new family is head over heels in love with him, so is his new buddy Moose :)
January 10, 2010
Sad and Happy
January 10, 2010
So it finally happened. My last first foster cat got adopted yesterday. Edward and Alphonse came from a shelter the day before they were scheduled to be euthanized.
Edward is on the left and Alphonse is on the right. These two sweet boys had a death sentence primarily due to the fact that they are black cats. Unfortunately people have a predisposition against black cats. They're bad luck, associated with the dark arts, and children are taught this by their parents and even in school. (!!!!)
Since August these two sweet boys have graced our home. Our sincere hope was that they would be adopted together, but every family that came by looking to adopt a pair ended up adopting the white, calico, or orange tabby kittens instead of boring black Ed and Al. Before I left for Utah for two weeks for Christmas, Dan and I talked about separating the two. We agreed that it would have to be only for the best home possible and of course that weekend Alphonse stole someone's heart. I cried for 2 hours when Dan called me and told me the news. Edward was very sad for a while and was incredibly cuddly and clingy with Dan.
This Friday I had the feeling that Edward would be adopted. When I said this out loud I clapped my hand over my mouth and was so worried that I jinxed it! Two people showed serious interest in Ed at the mobile adoption event but both just seemed wrong. Somewhere deep inside I was very happy because I love sweet Ed and would have kept him if no one else wanted him. Then a young couple came by and the woman exclaimed as she walked by "he looks just like my very first cat!" Long story short she and her boyfriend fell in love and I felt that their current cat would be a fantastic personality for Ed to bond with and the couple were very cat savvy. I cried, but I am very happy.
I miss him but because our home opened up Dan and I took home two kittens that were brought down from a high kill shelter up north. One is black and one is a tuxedo cat with a black chin. They are incredibly affectionate and loving. Dan and I named them Captain Jack and (Little) Sparrow. Sparrow is quite sick right now but we're taking good care of him and know he'll be 100% in a few weeks! Here we go again!
Since August these two sweet boys have graced our home. Our sincere hope was that they would be adopted together, but every family that came by looking to adopt a pair ended up adopting the white, calico, or orange tabby kittens instead of boring black Ed and Al. Before I left for Utah for two weeks for Christmas, Dan and I talked about separating the two. We agreed that it would have to be only for the best home possible and of course that weekend Alphonse stole someone's heart. I cried for 2 hours when Dan called me and told me the news. Edward was very sad for a while and was incredibly cuddly and clingy with Dan.
I miss him but because our home opened up Dan and I took home two kittens that were brought down from a high kill shelter up north. One is black and one is a tuxedo cat with a black chin. They are incredibly affectionate and loving. Dan and I named them Captain Jack and (Little) Sparrow. Sparrow is quite sick right now but we're taking good care of him and know he'll be 100% in a few weeks! Here we go again!
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