Stuff

IMAGE DUMP!! So I'm actually posting a bunch of things for once! WOW!

The first image is a logo I did for my good friend Tracy who is starting her own business in the handmade baby items industry. Check out her blog: http://thecheekybootique.blogspot.com/ I drew the flower out on paper and was just going to scan it in and vectorize it, but my drawing skills are not up to par these days (working on it!), so I ended up just tracing my messy flower drawing in Illustrator to clean it up.

The next two are business card designs I created for 2 clients for their jewelry selling businesses. I've done these before for a few other people in this line of business and they love the "cartoon" version of themselves. Got to love word-of-mouth networking!

The last one is obviously old (as shown by the date), but it was one of the many small projects I did last year that I never posted. It is a wedding logo that was also used as a gobo light.

More to post soon...

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I am still sore from the Sunday gym escapade. I got way too excited about all the machines they had. I think I feel even worse than I did yesterday. I shouldn't have jumped into it too fast! Oh well.

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Oh, and regarding the project that I plan to do for myself... I COULD try to do it all with photography, but I think that may be an easy way out. It is easier, but it will be expensive since I want it to be large scale and printing photos that large can get expensive. If I did it the traditional way (the way I initially planned) by drawing everything, it would take more time (a LOT more time), but materials would be cheaper. I dunno. I want to do the traditional way, but I'm kinda scared to start drawing again, but I want it to also show the technique and style that I have. We'll see. I still haven't nailed down a concept yet, but I have ideas. I don't want to talk about it here until I narrow down my options.

Hurts to cough

We joined a 24-hour gym (woohoo!) and they ave multiple locations around the region. We've already been to 3 of them. The one that is the closest to us is the crappiest and smallest. All the weight machines are butted up next to each other and the few cardio machines they have are in a little corner next to the windows... which don't even face outwards (so the public can watch your jiggly ass try to run on the treadmill).

Anyway, we tried one out that is a little bit further of a drive, and it had way more machines (and the step machines I like that the other one didn't have). We're probably going to go to that one more than the rinkydink one closer to us. Yesterday we tried the one they have at the mall... it was awesome. Lots of space, lots of machines, has my favorite assisted dip/pullup machine AND the treadmills have fans. And surprisingly it wasn't even very busy. Pretty cool. We had such a good time there yesterday that today I can't lift my arms without them hurting... and whenever I try to cough, my abs hurt. Good times.

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On the art front... I've been trying to work in some time to do the small projects I've taken on. A couple logos - one for my friend's handmade baby goods boutique and another for a communications business. Also trying to come up with a concept for a more personal artwork. I've never done a piece for myself that was never a school project or something that someone asked me to do. So I'm asking myself to do something for ME! I don't know what it will be yet, but I do know that I need to brush up on my fine art skills... drawing... and I want to break out some charcoal. I need to get my hands dirty.

Back in the Gym

There's a lot of work to be done before next year's 1/2 marathon. I've started using the cardio machines at the gym but was reluctant to get on the treadmill. I decided to try it out last night. I started out with a 1% incline and 6.2 mph... which is what I USED to start off with a couple years ago when I was in much better shape and a little lighter than I am now! Um... I just BARELY made it a mile. I had to stop the damn machine to breathe and drink something. I wanted to go at least a 5K, so I started it back up again, kept the incline, but decreased it to like 5.8 mph. I began feeling the burn not even half way through the second mile, so I decreased again to 5.6 mph. After this mile I had to stop and recollect my self before doing the last 1.1 mile. I took away all incline and started off at 5.6 and gradually went up to 6.1 to finish off strong! Woohoo! I did it! I think I may have OVER done it... my stomach felt crampy all morning. Got a lot of work ahead of me.

Today I'm doing bicep curls every hour... well, unless I get busy with work like I usually do. I started push ups the other day and didn't make it to 5:oo because of work.

Still weighing in the same. Can't get that damn needle to go any lower. Whatever.

Thoughts on Creativity

Although I haven't posted anything that I've done creatively on this blog lately (as it was intended for), I've still been doing some freelance projects here and there, while working full-time "for the man".

Unfortunately, I had to "drop out" of my online courses because I didn't get them all completed by the time they were supposed to be done. So much for that. I did, however, manage to save all the lessons that I wasn't able to complete into PDFs so I still have access to them if I ever feel the desire to do some independent learning. Haha... not sure if that's "legal" but what the hell. I paid for them! But then again, who knows when I'll have the time. Having a baby wasn't what I expected (it was actually 100x harder thn what I thought it would be... who knew, right? haha), and I wasn't able to devote time to anything else other than my job that pays the bills and baby. I was selfish to myself for opting for relaxing (aka sleeping or just being lazy and watching TV or something), as opposed to learning in the little free time I have.

Between working as a graphic designer in a corporate situation where a lot of the time you feel like the work you produce isn't something you really put your heart into and deviating from participating in activities that would have helped me grow creatively... I've really lost my "mojo". I started this blog to HELP me get my creative juices flowing again. The last post where I actually posted something that I did was last October... and it was a cake!! haha Hey, I count that as something creative!

I now also have a lack of confidence with my work these days. Well, more so than I used to. I was asked to do a family photo shoot of a friend of mine (who is trading her personal trainer service for my service). After agreeing to it, I thought about it and became nervous and anxious. The only pics I've taken recently are of Liam! No recent practice other than point and shoot! I'm probably making a big deal of it in my head, but I'm afraid of letting them down and myself down if the photos I take aren't good enough.

I've been watching "Work of Art" on Bravo (I love that show! It reminds me of my college days!) and there's a guy on there, Abdi, who made it to the finals with this really awesome charcoal drawing he did of himself. It was a very striking self-portrait where he was peacefully laying down. He described it as a rebirth of himself as an artist (his previous works were all cartoony paintings). The challenges before this one, he was on the bottom and didn't feel like he had any connection to his work being produced.

I can very much relate to that... and I want to find my inspiration to move on and try different things and grow as an artist. I've disconnected myself from my creative roots. I can blame major life changes, work stress, whatever... but really, I shouldn't place blame on any of that. I should accept everything that life throws at me and express it somehow. I don't know what's holding me back.

Half Marathon

I just registered for my first half marathon (13.1 miles)!

The Rock and Roll marathon series is coming to Savannah next year on November 5, 2011. I figure that should be more than enough time to prepare myself and possibly get a decent time. On the registration, it asked you to put in your estimated finish time... hah! I don't know! I put in 2 hours and 30 minutes, based on previous race times. My goal is to NOT exceed that time! Hopefully I'll fall somewhere in between 2 and 2.5 hours. I've done a 10K in a little over an hour (included a bridge in it), but I'm thinking my pace will fluctuate... and I'll probably hit a wall at some point, but then ideally get a second wind near the end of it! Maybe I will surprise myself!

Now to find the time to train!