Tag Archives: comics

the ol’ yakety yak hour

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Well now! The lovely Catherine Reece of Village Clayworks on Etsy featured my Ska FabCuff in this “dark impressions” Treasury. I really like this Treasury’s theme and items, especially this antler embroidered throw pillow by autumnmodest. It’s also available in other colors…. YUM!

Whew! That was a link-heavy paragraph! You’re welcome. :)

And oh yes, I am officially a member of the SF Etsy Street Team. Hopefully this will lead to an exponential rise in AWESOME. Heyo! Check out the awesome blog, too, please.

But despite all this excitement, I’ve been having one of those weeks where I KNOW I have a lot to do and a lot coming up, but motivation is seriously lacking. I’ve been super tired from working closing shifts, and super distracted. In a positive bent on this lack of productivity, I always remember one of my favorite dance professors and choreographers at CU, Mr. David Capps, telling me that in order to be productive, your brain also needs time to wander. Sometimes, you just need time to stare into space, mull things over, plot and dream.

I’ve been thinking a lot about projects and priorities and ye olde social networking. In early June, I heard this interesting feature on NPR about “Dunbar’s Numbar” and the magical number 150. Then, I read this “Quit Your Day Job” Etsy blog post featuring the Vermont Branch Company. What struck me about this article?

When asked the question, “What advice would you give someone considering a similar path?”, one of their points was, “We…don’t use any social networking tools, which I imagine would take up much more of our time. We haven’t found it necessary.”

Blew. My. Mind.

Seriously.

One of the things that I’ve found really difficult about starting an Etsy shop and wanting to create products to sell online is a lot of the advice that pops up seems geared towards online social networking. “Tweet sales!” “You need a Facebook business page!” Now, there’s nothing wrong with these pieces of advice, and yes, I have tried some of them.

On a good day, I see the obvious advantages of networking and connecting with folks. And who doesn’t like discovering new online visual, informational deliciousness! I’m actually pretty into my Twitter account and who and what I’ve connected to using it. I’ve been online and exploring my love-hate relationship with the Internet for long enough that I know - one of the keys to online social networking is experimentation. Make it work for you, baby.

However, I also hate it some days. It drains my time and energy. It really sucks you in, and as a dancer, one thing I don’t want to be doing is sitting and staring at my computer for hours. If I’m going to be sitting at all, I need to be sitting and creating. Or not sitting at all. You know what I mean. For me, sometimes, online social networking can feel pointless and shallow and narcissistic.

And new social networking sites and “opportunities” pop up everyday, to cover every interest and function. (No thanks, Google+.) What to do?

Yesterday, I was talking to Mister Boyfriend about it, and we both said how much we barely use Facebook anymore. FB started when we were in college, and now we feel like we’ve grown out of it. But I actually like that my parents are on it, and friends from childhood, and that dancer I just met in class yesterday. I don’t want to call it quits. I enjoy seeing pictures from people who I no longer see everyday. The problem stems from too many “friends.” So we applied Dunbar’s number to FB.  And it was shockingly easy. Matt got down to 109 friends. I’m at 130. And Facebook feels… (dare I say it?) FUN, again. When I look at my newsfeed, it’s actually people I know and am interested in continuing to know! What an idea!

Here’s the thing. The great World Wide InterWebs, can be a tool, or an escape. It’s tricky and balance is necessary (if you care, I guess). For myself, I want to keep my life simple, balanced, and focused on people, things, and projects that truly matter to me. Like this website, for example. What do we really gain from spreading ourselves thin online and in life?

…says the lady who was just offered a new project and accepted!!!!!

 

I am very excited to announce that I am the new intern for the ODC Dance Jam, Fall 2011!

And on that note, I’m feeling more productive… ;)

Hot diggity.

Goodbye, Crazy June, Lazy June

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June has been an intense month!

One big change up was saying, fondly, gratefully, “goodbye!” to the cafe at House of Air and, breathlessly, excitedly, “hello!” to Coffee Bar. Working both jobs was a bit of a trick, and I’m happy to now be exclusive with the lovely CB. I’m so pumped to be apart of their barista staff.

A big highlight of the month was participating in Hecho Local, a new arts fair that has sprung up in the Mission district at SubMission arts space. It was amazing to be apart of the first round and I’m looking forward to be apart of its growth. Here are some doodles and pictures from the event:

 

Psst! I hear there’s gonna be another Hecho Local in August! Sadly, I will not be there, but GO ANYWAY!

Today is the last day of the online event, 30 days of creativity! This was a great event. It was so much fun to keep track of my creative ways and to see others who embraced the month’s goal. Please, check out my board on Pinterest: This is where I showcased what I did everyday this month.

Happily, I finally got a few days off in a row this week. I was able to catch up on important things like sleep, emails, manga, and doodling. It looked a lot like this…

And this…

What’s coming up? An indie film shoot, the Hot August Tour of CO & KS, and SFZineFest 2011 (oh yeah, we’re gonna be there)!!!

A Humble Tribute to Comics I Love

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Last week I went to my friend and role model Amy Martin’s reception at the Cartoon Art Museum here in SF. I’ve been meaning to check out this museum since I moved here, and it was a great occasion to do so. It was awesome to see Amy’s originals and really great to see the museum’s collection. I was actually teared up when I saw an original Bill Watterson Calvin and Hobbes.

There’s just something about seeing the originals that really hits me. Seeing the faint traces of the sketch lines still visible, appreciating the quality of the ink on paper in the way that only the naked eye can, and witnessing something of the artist’s process in those aspects.

And what is it about comics that I love so much? I think that simple things are often the best and comics are SIMPLY AWESOME. Comics are art that tell narratives and how they do it – what characters and worlds comic artists create – seems limitless. I think comics are an incredible testimony to human imagination and skill. In high school I fell in love with Japanese manga, even more so than anime at times, because the personality of the artist really showed through in the styles of drawing and characters. Even as technology, media, and the publishing world change dramatically, comic artists inspire me because they create work by hand, and are more and more self-published. Some of my favorite comics are now online, but owning them in book form is incredibly important to me.

I am definitely pretty low on the the comic nerd spectrum compared to some of my friends, and I actually wish I knew a lot more about comics. I recently tried my hand at creating my very own comic and I want to do more!

Here is a list of my all time favorite comics & manga, new and old!

Calvin & Hobbes
Doonesbury
Sailor Moon
Battle Angel Alita
Trigun
Ghost in the Shell
Gunnerkrigg Court
Amy Martin Comics
Questionable Content
Girls with Slingshots
Tiny Kitten Teeth

A REAL SF Weekend

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A REAL SF Weekend

started on
my Thursday:
ink stains
darken
my pillow flesh
my writing callous

but
late afternoon sun
illuminates red
produce glows
lights up locals

then
in the Kitchen
bike grease
darkens
my manicure
what was the point?

love being both

quiet evenings
raucous afternoons
awake at
3 AM, 5 AM, sunrise

washing day:
shrouded in chill
day of the sun:
aptly named
a blaze on my skin

Dolores

soak it up:

good food + good friends
good food + good friends
good food + good friends

Oh geez, SFZF is only 3 weeks away!!!

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In 3 glorious weeks, my BFF from CO, the righteous MQ, will be in SF and we will be getting our DIY on at the SFZF or San Francisco Zine Fest (that’s a lot of initials/acronyms in one sentence)! And this weekend felt like a Zine Fest preview weekend for me.

Yesterday, Saturday, I took a walk and checked out the Market SF artist fair at the Blue Macaw in the Mission and met some lovely artists. Melinda Mae and I gushed about how much we love the physical textures of fabrics and how we can’t resist touching them! We also discussed the best places to buy fabrics (Japan & NYC are at the top of the list, just in case you’re curious. I learned later that LA is also great). I really wish I could buy Melinda’s handbags – they’re so beautiful! Hopefully one day soon.

I also lusted after Creek Van Houten’s amazing steampunk jewelry and trinkets. Leyna Lightman gave me a cookie and told me about dyeing lace and the lace she bought in Turkey. I bought fun envelopes from Meleta Buckstaff and I LOVE her bracelet cuffs made from old men’s ties. Brilliant! I didn’t get to talk with them, but I really liked Monkey and Seal’s crafts too! Lastly, I spent a long time talking with Stephanie Cortes of nerdJerk whose blog I’ve just started to read, but whom I already have an ENORMOUS craft crush on. She’s also a member of the SF Bay Area Etsy Street Team. I bought her zine and she gave me a button. Huzzah! There were lots of other lovely artists at the fair, but unfortunately I didn’t get to talk with them all.

Today, Sunday, I took an early morning bike ride through the Mission to Ocean Beach. On the way back through Golden Gate Park, I stopped at the County Fair Building (the same venue as the SFZF) and checked out the Vintage Paper Expo. I had no idea people were so hardcore about vintage paper goods! I’ve also never seen so many boxes of postcards in one place. In order not to get overwhelmed/spend any money I didn’t spend a ton of time there, but I looked lots and I did buy a couple vintage postcards for friends. I want to save my pennies and hopefully buy some original, turn of the century fashion plates next year!

And to top it all off, I visited a friend who went to Comic Con in San Diego this year and brought back a little present for me – a signed copy of Amy Martin’s The Girls are Mighty Fine, which I was planning on buying at SFZF! Oh, glory!

So I’m all inspired and close to getting my own projects finished for the SFZF in a few short weeks! I’m putting out a collection of 10 years of my poetry, and my first ever comic book! I couldn’t be more excited. I’m also stoked to work on my Etsy shop and make it better.

Don’t forget, kids! Come to the San Francisco Zine Fest! Sept. 4 & 5 at the County Fair Building in Golden Gate Park!

All of my friends are so nice!

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I didn’t quite understand this comic by my friend Amy until today.

I woke up emotional and exhausted. Lately, I’ve been having these nights where I sleep deeply, but I have these crazy dreams that are so intense I wake up feeling like I’ve run a marathon. My brain isn’t resting even when it’s supposed to! Last night was vampires + ice skating + university graduation… WTF? Less amusing, my lower back and hips have been hurting a lot again in the last week. Towards the end of the day I’ll start feeling really sore and tight and then by the time I lie down, it’s painful.

Of course, all of this whining is following a really good Monday yesterday, when I got a TON done, saw friends, got ear acupuncture, so I feel bad for complaining.

Anyway, I went to my chiropractic appointment and almost burst into tears describing my chiropractor how my back and legs were feeling. Luckily, I have the BEST CHIROPRACTOR IN THE WORLD, and he really helped me talk it out, calmed me down, adjusted my spine and my soul, and sent me back into the world feeling so much better.

He reminded me that when I started treatments with him, I was injured and overly emotional about that. I’ve been doing so much better the last couple months really allowing myself to rest, which is hard for a dancer/athlete, but I AM healing. But now I’m on the other end of the spectrum – I’m going through a lot of changes which is emotionally difficult and now my body is reacting to that, asking me to continue to take it easy and be kind to myself. Why is that always the hardest thing to do? Why do I always run myself ragged?

When I got back from my appointment, my new roomie, M, asked me if I wanted to go get a torta with him down on 24th. It was a really simple gesture, but today, it meant a lot. And it was my first torta in the Mission and it was AMAZING. I definitely want to try all the torta places near our place now! Which means I will get increasingly chubby, but it will be sooooooo worth it…

Also, I picked up some flowers for the apartment, to brighten our kitchen. I’ve been missing sunny Colorado a lot these days, and sunflowers always remind me of Bear Creek Canyon in late summer/early fall, bright against that brilliant CO sky…

Maybe the CO vibe somehow inspired my CO BFF to contact me today… a long chat with the MQ is always a life saver!

Lastly, I’m quite pleased with how a new project is turning out… more to come, but here’s a little preview pic…

Now if only I could escape to a nearby mountain for a good hike, I would feel right as rain… hopefully soon! But until then, I really am grateful for the good people I have in my life.