2008!

01.01.08 18:13

Sorry to see you go 2007....

 

Wow, a lot has happened over the past few days. Friends, music, and good times...

 

I played a Hanner show the other night with some really amazing people from Luminous Craft and Husbands Love Your Wives. It was one of those shows that was folky and cozy, and made me glad to be alive. I loved it. Also, I kicked over a giant glass of water during my set, which has always been one of my worst fears. There is something really awesome about having one of your worst fears realized, and living to tell about it. It's like getting a girl scout badge or something.

 

New Year's eve has come and gone, and Gabe and I had a good one. We threw a party...Gabe made some beef brisket, we filled the fridge with a lot of cheap beer, and I organized an enormous, drunken, life sized game of Sorry in the street. Have you ever played the board game of Sorry? Well, that is one fun board game, but...have you ever played Sorry with your body as a game piece? Pretty dang fun. A good way to ring in the new year.

 

And now, here it is.... New Year's Day. I couldn't be more excited for January. Strange as it sounds, January is actually one of my favorite months. I love the feeling of a new beginning.

 

First off, let me just say that 2007 was probably my favorite year of all time. I know that's a pretty bold statement, but humor me for a minute...

 

1. I went to SCBWI conference in NYC and met some great illustrators who invited me to be a part of the Group Soup.

 

2. landed the best agent a girl could ever hope for.

 

3. Got a book deal for Rabbits on Skates, with Roaring Brook Press

 

4. Got another book deal for Secret Circus, with Roaring Brook Press.

 

5. Moved into my very own beautiful art studio in an awesome location, surrounded by other artists.

 

6. Got married to Gabe, and had an amazing wedding with so much love.

 

7. Started training for the Portland Marathon next year, a big dream of mine.

 

8. Made some big progress with my fears of driving.

 

9. Slowly getting over my fears of performing.

 

10. Art business improved by leaps and bounds.

 

Woot, woot! I really am so thankful for all that happened in 2007.

 

I've decided not to make any resolutions or big goals for 2008. I'm just going to keep on keeping on, with a couple of themes in mind, that I hope to apply to all that I do this year...FREEDOM and CURIOSITY.

 

Love and hugs and high fives for 2008!

 

 

what's new monday

01.07.08 18:17

 

Back to the studio! I've been busy painting. The Secret Circus book is in full swing, along with a few other smaller projects. More to report soon...

 

Hope you're all having a fantastico Monday.

 

 

what's new monday

01.14.08 23:02

 

 

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about perfection. I’ve never considered myself to be a perfectionist. I’m not that tidy. My days often feel aimless and unstructured. More often than not, there’s paint in my hair. Can a perfectionist really be someone who goes around with paint in their hair? I didn't used to think so, but now I'm starting to wonder if there are all types of perfectionists, and maybe, I'm just the messy kind.

 

As I write this, I’m having to get up out of my chair every five minutes to stretch out my spine, which has tangled itself into an impressive ball of pain over this last week. Sure, I could chalk it up to the usual suspects (jogging and sleeping funny), but I have a sinking feeling that it has more to do with my contorted painting stance, and the relentless drill sergeant that lives in my brain.

 

Now that I’ve started working on the Secret Circus book, the stakes to get the book “just right”, seem incredibly high (though the pressure that I’m feeling has been put there by yours truly, and not at all by my kindly editors.)

 

I feel myself tightening up every time I lean over the canvas to add a little whisker to a mousey face. I clench my jaw, I tweak my back. I hold my breath for long periods. I’ve even started noticing that I hold my drawing arm steady with my other hand, when working out a scene. (How, is it possible, that I’ve just started noticing that?)

 

Now luckily, as far as illustration goes, the process is fairly straightforward...no matter how worked up about it I get. I toil and fret about the perfect details of measurements and image placement, but when the actual painting part begins, everything changes. My jaw unclenches, my brain gets shockingly quiet. I give in completely to the unpredictable nature of paint and water and ink. To all of the beautiful failures that come from the freedom of giving up.

 

Life is harder than painting. The process is always changing. The materials are always changing. If only I could apply the trust that I have in painting to the rest of my life. If only I always knew when to let go, when to unwind my body and let inky puddles of water and paint take over.....

 

The balance of staying focused and precise, with being open and free...is just about the hardest thing ever.

 

I guess it just takes practice....

stu-stu-studio

01.17.08 00:15

 

What a difference a day can make. My back is better. My brain feels better. My studio got cleaner....

what's new monday

01.20.08 21:49

 

Slowly but surely......(or, sorta surely...) the Secret Circus is forming..