One Small Step For Foxen...?

I win!

Sort of.  Kind of.  Okay, a little?

*sigh*

FINALLY managed to figure out how to convince Wotan to print postcard sized prints (4x6 stock) today.  Yay!  *does dance of joy*

Foxenwood prints!  Joy!  Rapture!  Glee!  At last!  I can post prints on Etsy!  FOR SALE!

Wait... Wotan... What are you doing?

WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO EAT THE CARD STOCK!?!?!?

*sniff*

So, got a few cards printed (ie., the ones in the picture) at least.  Then Wotan decided that postcard stock is tasty, and every attempt since has involved unjamming the paper.  At least one memorable occasion involved dismantling every part of the printer that could be dismantled, and still having to pull bits of the stock out.  In sections.

*grumble*

I'm a step closer, though!  Maybe?  It's a small step, but it's definitely progress?  Yay?

*sigh*

Thoughts Scattered Like Leaves

It's been a busy week's time.  Epic...tomfoolery...at the DJ, a weekend larping, a wedding, and a semi-productive change in my work schedule.

Starting next week, I get to (finally) start working remotely 3 out of 5 days a week, which will enable me to get some actual work done.  I rather wish it hadn't had to come out because I finally got pushed beyond the limits of my temper and tolerance, but hey, whatever.  I'll take it.  Yay progress.

Weekend was great... exhausting as usual, but OMG!Lots of fun.  No, I don't know why I enjoy pretending post-apocalypse living.  It's just amusing as all get out, sleep deprivation, bruises, and all.

Went to the delightful wedding for the lovely Wondie at Rewondered and her now-husband, who happens to be an old friend of my Boy, whom I've also been acquainted with for a couple years.  Since I am amazingly awful at photographing humans (no, really... I don't know what it is.  I just can't get a decent human photo ever), I decided to try and get at least one shot that, for me, summed up the day.

I settled on this one....

The wedding party was one of the most delightfully colorful collection of people I've seen in a while, and the riot of joyful polychromatic glory was just....  I don't have words.  Suffice to say it was gorgeous, and wonderful, and it's such a beautiful thing to see people so happy.

I may also still covet the Maid of Honor's dress... it was just such a stunning shade of OMG!Red!  (I may have dyed my hair a similar color, years ago) that I just can't help myself.

So yeah...  a busy few days was had, and one hell of an emotional roller coaster.  Here's to a calm few days to catch my breath, and maybe a bit of time to fit some actual art in somewhere.

Hope everyone else's week has been a good one!

All the Pretty Posies....

Every week, we have dinner with friends, and every week I am sad that I forgot to bring my camera to the DJ so that I could take some photos of the gorgeously colored hydrangea next to their driveway.

This week, I finally remembered.  Okay, really I'd brought the camera because I wanted to get a couple shots of the urban art that decorates the side of one of the buildings near my office and some ivy on one of others.  Didn't get the ivy, but I did manage to get at least one of the art while on lunch...

The bubbles, I admit, confuse me, but the workmanship of the woman's face?  Gorgeous. (There are two other faces, as well.  At first, they creeped me out, but after a while I decided they were awesome and I kinda love them a lot.)

The hydrangeas were kind and were in fine form, as well.

Just LOOK at that color!

Same little bush, huge color difference, no?

This last one, sadly, didn't come out as clear as I would have liked, so I decided to see what going with the blurring would produce.  I don't know about you, but I kinda like it...

On other fronts, HOLY CRAP I SOLD A PIECE OF JEWELRY ON ETSY!  Ok, it was to a friend, but still! Whoot!  So far, I'm actually pleased with how things are going with the shop, which makes me happy.  I was really dreading that this was going to turn out to be as obnoxious as the last time around, but so far it's doing reasonably well.  Yay!  There may be hope, yet!

Now to just manage to figure out which of my photos I want to start getting printed up, and get a few of those listed...

Artists Are Small Business Owners.

(kicking around FB, no idea who the original is, sadly)

I spent a lot of time thinking about the.... episode... yesterday, and what I decided is that there were actually two points that were what caused my head to light on fire.

1.) The usual "your failure to hold dear what I do is an insult to me and everyone else" bullshit and

2.) The (once again) unending ridiculousness that is the idea that art isn't a "real" job and what artists do isn't "real" work.  Since it's not really work, and therefore has no value, we should give it away for free and be grateful for the scraps that someone might deign to give us.

Yet people want jewelry.  They want decorative statuary, and lamps.  They want pretty patterns for their curtains and upholstery. They want to watch tv and movies, and listen to music.  They want to play video games and read books.  They want prints and photos to hang on their walls and...

You get the point.

This?  This is all art.  Yet they don't seem to get that in order to have all of these things, the artists that create it all need to get paid.  If they're spending all of their time working day jobs that suck the energy and creativity out of them, just so that they can pay the bills, buy groceries, feed their cats, and pay the rent then guess what?

They aren't making art.

They aren't painting the pictures that get turned into prints.  They aren't writing the books.  They aren't designing the jewelry, making the movies, writing the music.  Hell, even those cheap-ass greeting cards at the grocery store aren't being made.

Without the artists, none of these things exist.

So tell me... Why exactly does our society tell artists that art isn't a real job?  That no one is willing to pay for their work?  Yet, unless they live in a cave, they all partake of the artists' work.  How does this not register?

I don't get it.  This?  This is one of those things that makes zero sense to me.

Then again, I'm an artist. My job is to drag that hypocrisy into the light and put it where all can see.

Whether they choose to take a good, hard look at it is another thing entirely...

In Which Our Heroine Momentarily Loses Her Shit: A Rant From A Fed-Up Artist.

I'm annoyed right now.  No, that's wrong.  I'm bullshit right now.  Why?  I made a post on my personal FB page earlier, a copy of the same one I posted on the FB page for here.  It was in response to what amounts to me being sick to death of getting inane platitudes shoved down my throat when I have the audacity to be having a seriously shitty week at the DJ, which epitomizes a huge reason why I wish to be self-employed.  I used to enjoy my little office jobs, but over the years the abuse that gets heaped on office personnel has completely burned me out, and I just have no particular desire to continue in them for the rest of my days.  

You would THINK this wouldn't be cause for hysterics.  Ok.  I wouldn't think it would be.  Apparently I'm wrong.  Sadly, the below (only slightly dramatised) conversation, is essentially what happens on a regular basis if I, when asked directly how my day is going, respond.

* * * * * *

“I’m so sick of this bullshit at the DJ.”

“Don’t let it get to you.  Just remember; in a year, this won’t mean a thing.  What’s the big deal?”

“That’s the problem.  It won’t mean anything.  I’m going through this for nothing.  It’s pointless.”

“OMG! You hurt my feelings!  You’re telling me that the unrelated job that I don’t mind doing  is worthless!  HOW DARE YOU INSULT ME AND MY ANCESTORS AND EVERYONE WHO EVER DID ANYTHING REMOTELY RESEMBLING THE THING YOU DO TO PAY THE BILLS!!!!!111”

“No, what I meant was that I don’t see a point for me, personally, to be doing this thing here, that I do, as it is not what I want to be doing and is something that I do simply to pay the bills and not because I have any interest in doing it.  Also, it makes it almost impossible to do what I DO love and WANT to be doing.”

“OMG! WHY ARE STILL INSULTING THE WAYS OF MY PEOPLE?!  YOU SHUT YOUR MOUTH AND DON’T LET ME CATCH YOU SAYING A SINGLE THING ABOUT THIS EVER AGAIN!  YOU’RE A HORRIBLE PERSON FOR EVEN SUGGESTION THAT YOU MIGHT BE DIFFERENT FROM ME!”

“No, I’m saying  that you wanted to know why I’m not happy, and that is why.  Also, I’m a little hurt that you are not only assuming that I’m personally insulting you because you don’t mind doing something that I dislike (even when they're not...you do something else...), and also that you’re telling me that my feelings are invalid because they are different from yours.  What the shit?  Am I insulting all cauliflower lovers by not liking it?  What’s the difference?”

“It’s totally different!  You said it out loud in public, so you’re insulting everyone that doesn’t mind their jobs ever!  You may as well have punched everyone in the face!  How dare you be different?  How dare you answer a CONSTANTLY BEING ASKED QUESTION IN A PUBLIC FORUM THAT ANYONE CAN READ?”

* * * * *

I dare, because I’m tired of answering the same damned idiotic question every third day every time I dare imply in any way that I AM NOT HAPPY.  I dare because I’m TIRED of being told every time I turn around to shut up, suck it up, give something that took me HOURS, DAYS, WEEKS, OR SOMETIMES MONTHS to create away for free because HOW DARE I want to be able to both create beautiful things AND pay my bills AT THE SAME TIME.  I DARE BECAUSE I AM TIRED OF BEING BULLIED AND VERBALLY ABUSED BECAUSE I DARE TO NOT CONFORM TO WHAT EVERYONE ELSE THINKS I SHOULD BE, BE WHO EVERYONE ELSE THINKS I SHOULD BE, BE A GOOD GIRL AND DO AS I'M TOLD.

Fuck.

That.

Noise.

Yet people honestly wonder why I sometimes entertain fond thoughts of finding a nice, isolated cave and moving in.  Sweet little fishies, “normal” society makes me tired.

Yay Progress?

I have been a slightly productive gypsy this week.  I managed to take my opinions and stick them in a jar on a shelf, and opened a new Etsy shop.  I even managed to get it set up and last night, in a fit of productivity (alright, I had some extra energy from being overly-amped after a particularly bad day at the DJ), I got ALL of my current jewelry pieces listed.  

Now to get the other stuff formally put together and listed.

I'm actually pleased.  The shop's door has been officially open for less than 24 hours (though it was actually up a few days ago) and in that time I've had a decent view showing, a couple of pieces favorited, and a total stranger "circled" and messaged me with a welcome email.

I'm having a better feeling about the site this time around.  Here's hoping this continues on this path, and that things work better this time!

Now, I go bathe and take myself off to another day of trying very hard to not get myself fired...  Dear Sweet Little Fishies, let today be a better day than yesterday.

Sometimes We Have To Do Things We Don't Want To.

Gods, I do not want to do this.  Annoyingly, I don't have much of a choice and so am sort of backed into a corner.  Unfortunately, since they're really the only game in town (yeah, yeah... I know, Artfire, eBay, etc...  all of which have other major issues), I have to use them and grind my teeth until a better opportunity presents itself.

After a lot of soul-searching, I'm signing back up with Etsy.

*twitch*

I guess if it helps me to stand a chance of getting the heck out of Dodge (aka, the Day Job; heretofore to be referred to as "the DJ"), than this is just one of those Things What I Have To DO.

I don't have to like it, though.  ;)

So, yeah...  hopefully by the end of the weekend (if not sooner), I'll have an Etsy shop set up again.

Whee?

Sometimes, When Left Alone, Old Man Apple Reclaims His Children

A couple towns over from here, there is an old, half feral apple orchard.  Most orchards are docile, tame things... not so, this one.  The trees are old and gnarled, and covered in vines, and I swear that one of these days I'm going to go by and I'm going to see them moving on their own, or hear them whispering among themselves.  On moonlit nights, you can see them wanting to pull their roots up and dance to the song of the owls, if only you were not looking.

I promised Grace at Domythic Bliss that I would try and get a photo or two that might capture some of their wild spirit.  It's been a little overcast here, which made it harder, but I got a couple that might come close...?

Of Bridges and Color Manipulation

I got bored waiting for the sun to come out so I could go for a ride.  So I played with the color on the Bridge God photo from the other night...

Original, untouched

Orange enhanced

Greyscale

Two-tone Black & White

Yes.  I admit it.  I've learned the town's obsession with that damned bridge.  It's just so damned photogenic, though!  (At night...In the dark and the fog...)

Last Week Is Fired. Next Week, You're On Notice.

It has been a Very Long Week.  Characterized by technology failures, Extremely Ill Pets (my housemate's elderly cat is pretty much at the end of her ninth life...unfortunately, he's been away since Friday the 3rd, so I've been  doing what I can to keep her comfortable until he gets back to deal with the Sad Decisions What Need Making), and just generally Murphy's Law* in full effect.  Needless to say, my cope has been extremely low, and it's been taking most of my energy to just keep putting one foot in front of the other and getting through each day.

On the plus side of things, having no electricity for 4 days gave me ample reading time, an excuse to buy a package of battery-powered Chinese paper lanterns (I've been wanting them for a while, but couldn't justify it...No power for an indefinite amount of time?  PAPER LANTERNS EVERYWHERE!), and the experience of bacon cooked over charcoal (all the meat got barbecued to save it from going bad)...

While taking that, I noticed that the yard has very pretty, tiny blue flowers... they made me smile, which I sorely needed right then.

The night of the actual outage (half of town lost power Sunday night due to some lines being down, although across the river still had it...our problem was that the main breaker in the house died at the same time) I got the opportunity to see what the new camera could do when the Bridge God was being Ominous again...

Old camera:

New camera:

Neither of those are altered, aside from resizing.  I can't quite decide which I prefer, actually.  I'm thinking I may play with the coloring on the new one, just to see what happens, but I'm definitely intrigued by the distinct differences between the two cameras.

So that?  That has been pretty much my week.  Today it rains which also sucks my will to move (why yes, I am vaguely photosynthetic... why do you ask?), and if I can dredge up the energy I'll set the easel back up, but tomorrow... tomorrow there will be with the going for a ride in the sun and the wind to wash this week away from my soul...

*When I ever find that bastard Murphy, he and I are going to Have Words.

**Edit:  I lied.  I went and played with the color on the last one...

Revisiting An Old Love...

I decided that today was going to be a personal day.  I have all this vacation time that, while I don't dare...justifiably so...to take all of in one shot, but that I will use sporadically for Sanity Day.

In that time, I've been playing with my new easel, and decided to revisit an old love of mine.... patterns.  Nothing particular, no plan, just lines of color until I'm done.  Granted, I would have been happier if this particular one had decided to be larger before being done, but who am I to argue with it?   It's lovely as it is, even if the paper size is a bit excessive...

I suspect I'm going to trim it down to a reasonable size and scan it so that I can actually make prints if anyone's interested....

Space, Studios, and Fund-raisers

As I was sitting here this morning, contemplating my coffee and Morning Pages (it occurs to me that not everyone knows what those are, so here, have a link to the explanation), I realized just how much I miss having a studio space.  Years ago now, I shared a space with a friend at Western Avenue Studios in Lowell (when I had to give it up, due to Stupid Life Circumstances, there were 3 of us in that space), and it was wonderful.

On the practical side of things, it was rather nice to have a space for my stuff that I didn't need to worry about being in the middle of the living room, the cats eating (Ajah) or stealing (Torin), and just generally having a place to put supplies and finished work.

On the less physical, it was nice to have a work space that was devoted entirely to art and the making thereof.  It was nice to be around other artists.  Western Ave. does monthly Open Studios, so it also provides a regular opportunity to interact with potential customers and generally show off one's work in public.

It was awesome and wonderful and one of my favorite life experiences, and I really miss it.  A lot.

I've half-jokingly commented that I wonder if I could pull off a Kickstarter (or something similar) to fund my living expenses for a year to focus on getting my art going.  While I doubt I could realistically manage that one (that would be at least $40k, since I'd also have to pay for my own insurance, etc.), a more reasonable goal might be a year's rent and some basic supplies I'm lacking.  There's no way I can manage it on my own, seeing as my Day Job has refused to give me a raise, so my paycheck will just barely cover standard living expenses once Boy and I get our own place, so a fundraiser would be the only way I could do it.

Having a studio doesn't solve all of the problems, but it certainly would help with a number of them (work/storage space being a problem).  Things to ponder.  I've started contacting a few of the area studios to check rates and availability to see what I would need for a budget, at least.  It can't hurt to look!