Wednesday, August 31, 2011

no drawing today!  Which was a good thing.

Got envelopes.

Working cards.

making progress

tired.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

so so day --

still sort of blocked drawing wise.  Ideas are just not flowing.  Either is my pen.  Blah - it really is a horrible feeling.  It would be so great to have new designs, new shirts, new photos.  But not yet...

Got card samples in.  Overall good -- progress.  But lots of color changes I'd like to make.  Color is killer.  Always tough - but I think it's all fixable.

So that's good.

Print nibbles the past few days have not materialized into sales.  A little frustrating for sure...

Monday, August 29, 2011

happy 80th birthday to my father yesterday!  that's a big one.
dear dave,

left work early, only to return late.  Mondays!  They are always so blah.

After taking Rem out, and hitting the gym, I felt like coming back.  Not really sure why.

My life has gotten smaller and smaller lately.  Home/studio/corcoran/parents  Those seem to be the places I go.

I need to draw!   But had no creative umph today.  so I did a lot of nothing.  So anxious to get my samples in, and envelopes.  New blanks and paper.  But it's all en route, or lost.  Most likely the envelopes and boxes are lost.  I'm betting on it.

Anxious to get back to the corcoran!  Its part of my routine.

Anxious to get moving again.  August - I curse you!  I hate it every year.  Ready for the world to start up again.  Come back everybody!

Friday, August 26, 2011

dear dave,

I feel better because I just ate, and took an inspirational break in georgetown.  I miss walking the streets and stepping into my old haunts there.  Felt nice to take some time to myself, and just be.  I've been cooped up in my studio all week (month), especially since the print studio has closed.

anyway, nice to be out.  Not many magazines to review at Barnes and Noble, but love the Paper Source, Baked & Wired, American Apparel (confirmed my negative suspicions about women's tri tees) and Apple. Always nice to see branddave.com on an ipad.  One day I'll get one...

Urban Outfitters is probably my favorite.  There is such a cool vibe there.  I always leave inspired.  It's always changing creatively.  Core products exist, but the store is a living growing thing.  So much creativity and ingenuity.  I love it.

Back at the studio, and feel a little refreshed.  I want to be creative.  I'm so focused on the holidays, and having a lot of new fun stuff to sell.  But I keep avoiding actually drawing anything.  And cards keep sucking me back into uncertainty mode.

I've got to push off the gravity of cards, and move on.  That is my goal.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

made shirts today
tweaked site

ha- thats about it!

----------
feeling blah.  time to go home.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011




dear dave,

cards are done!!!!!! At least the samples are done!!!!  At least the samples are sent to the printer!!!!

fingers crossed.  i put a lot of work into them-- but I really think they will be great.  Work will pay off.  I think cards are a natural fit, and I think I've found a good path - printing, paper, envelope, size, quality, content, uniqueness, packaging.  It should all be there.

In the end, almost everything depended on envelope size.  Funny.  I was full steam ahead with PSP, then realized their sale was pretty sucky, their sizes didn't fit regular envelopes, and it was an all or nothing deal -- less designs, much more money upfront, tons of money for proofing, and no (cheap) way to reorder.

So glad I found my way out, and back to VP.  Once I made the leap to the smaller size card, everything else fell into place.

Feel good about adding more designs, and growing it out.  There are TONS of possibilities.

Should be getting samples next week.  I'm super excited to move forward with them!

THANKS to all my focus group members (if you even read this blog)!  They were very helpful in deciding on designs, and finally steering away form all the bear, owl, wilson ones.  In the end I realized I wanted the cards to reflect my prints and shirts.  VARIETY!  So that is happily where I went.

I need to quickly note the earthquake, so years from now I can look back and remember.

I was at my desk, and felt the building shake.  I made the leap in thinking the building was collapsing, and ran out as fast I could.  I remember stumbling down the stairs.  It was so surreal.

Once out, we all looked back at it, then around, and realized everybody down the street was outside too.  Then news of the earthquake came.

SO WEIRD!  Took me 30 minutes to calm down.  My body was flooded with adrenaline.  I never ran so fast!

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

earthquake today!

And cards.  Still working on cards!  but almost done.  Almost done.

Monday, August 22, 2011

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Sunday, August 21, 2011

Sitting on a shady bench, dupont circle, waiting for hex.
Sweaty ice coffee, buzzing cicadas, honking cabs, slight breeze.

Just saw Mer at the farmers market.

Plans for today:
Danish puff
Finish shirts
Sell 6 dogs print
See Jimmy
Remi and rock creek
Dexter 5?

I think the coffees made me happy.

Friday, August 19, 2011

dear Dave,

I had an upsetting dream just before waking up about Dave K.

My brother John was fooling around, lifting him over his head (super strength?), like reverse push ups, and Dave fell backwards over a cement ledge, and we heard a thud.

We took a few steps to see down below. I remember dark red blood pooling out from his head area, and I flinched awake. Very CSI. and very scary.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Dear Dave
Home early--eyes bugging out from too much time on the computer--at least I hope that's it! I felt like I was having a siezure earlier--seeing spots
. Better now.

Working on cards still. Progress ebbs and flows. I think I'm too anxious to be done. I need to keep working. Getting some good feedback from my focus group. Very very helpful.

Sitting on couch, listening to lightening, too loud MTV, and hex's tv in bedroom.

Crazy.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

dear dave,

excited about my cards - they are coming along!  I'm really enjoying working on them, and think I made some good breakthroughs today.

a little frustrated with Mid City Caffe

love my peregrine ice coffee!

remi is on my floor right now, waiting patiently to leave.

Frustrated with Alternative -- stupid cobalt vs. blue jay!  I can't seem to get Easel tees together.

unresolved about A/F still

Fun printing with Caroline yesterday.  Wish that were a financial option. hmmmm

Guess that's it, for now

ps-shoot with Renato thurs!  awesome


Monday, August 15, 2011

Dear Dave,

Busy shipping shirts, which is a great thing!  Made some good money the past few days.  More More More!

Artomatic selection came and went.  A whole big crazy upsetting fiasco.  I hold onto the germ of an idea of still doing it.  But I easily talk myself out of it.

No working this past weekend!  had a yard sale with Hex on Saturday (120) and super lazy Sunday.  The kind of regretful day.  Hot Humid Rainy Lazy Bored Blah.  You get to this dark place where you don't want to do ANYTHING, but you don't want to admit that, or it's hard when you have a boyfriend that is constantly moving, being productive, and doesn't want to just sit around.  MAkes me feel worse!

Got Remi to the park, and visited Jimmy in Rockville, so all was not lost.  Made a cake.  A great cake, and saw the Help.  So so.

Anxious to get back to cards, but feeling blocked.  They are turning out too cute, too specific.  I want them to be more edgy, artsy.  I don't know.  Excited to see them through.






Friday, August 12, 2011

Great Thursday, good Friday!

Good mood
Waiting for hex
Garage sale tomorrow
Cards coming along
No work this weekend!
Maybe..

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Fresh sunflowers from Hex's garden.   

dear dave -

difficult couple of days, personal and professional.  I'm up and down.

Probably easy to see a clear pattern if I were to chart posts through the days, weeks, months, years.  This blog has become all about bitching.  Negative Nancy.  Everything sucks.  Can't Can't Can't.

I have long stretches of lows (or nos) with brief stretches of bliss and happiness.  It's been hard.  August is hard.  I don't know what I'm doing.  I'm down on everything I create.  I can't sell.  Nobody wants me.  Where will I be?  How do I change the pattern?  What am I doing wrong?  What am I doing right?  Questions Questions Questions with very little answers.

Everybody wants me.  I can't keep up!  I want to do this and this and this!!  I love what I'm doing!  Just sold another, and another and another.

The future is a black hole.  I have NO CONTROL!  Nothing is as it seems.  Just when all is lost, it's not.

It's hard to stay positive, but I have no choice.  Or I give up.  And I'm not there yet.


Monday, August 8, 2011

dear Dave,

monday monday!

not in such a great mood now - but had a great weekend over DOG DAYS.  Sold a lot of shirts, some prints, and just generally felt great.  Great reaction to all my work.  FEEDBACK.  The lifeblood of this artist lately.

Worn out, so today was just so so.  Typical monday I guess.  ordered more shirts, and put money in the bank.  Two good things.

Best of all, Hex's flower delivery.  I love my fresh flowers!

Friday, August 5, 2011

dear dave,

fizzled today.  i guess I'm wrapped up in the weekend plans, knowing I'll be working, and feeling like taking it easy today.  Or I'm just core-tired, like I used to say to Cord, and I don't have much oomph to do new things.

Down to the wire again last night at the corcoran.  Summer printing session is officially over!  I think I got a lot done over the course of 10 weeks, but want to count them all up.  Went to every class and open studio.  I did my best.

Finished my tabletop (printing at least) and signs.  Thats good.  Now I need to pull the whole table back together, coat the top, photograph it, and probably put it away somewhere.  Maybe a good Christmas item?

I keep thinking about my cards, and freaking out.  But August is here.  If Im good, I should be able to pull them together.  I HAVE TO!!!!!!  I HAVE TO!!!!!!!

Lots of things are coming up.  I feel bogged down.  Stuck on fronts.  I'm anxious to feel freer.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Patrick, tues


Hex is superman

I get tired easily

I need to be more positive!

things work out

keep trying

ask

speak up

rest your back

forgive yourself

it's ok

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Great news about mid city caffe--hanging work there this Thursday!
Busy preparing for dog days, and stressing about all my other projects.
Things will come together. Suddenly I'm short on work again. I'll have to be creative.

Back still hurts, bit it's improving.
Resting it helps

Monday, August 1, 2011

dear dave,

my back is horrible again.  I'm all twisted and achy, which makes for a difficult start to the week.

As usual, I pushed hard to finish my print on Saturday.  It was rough going, because I set it up in way too many little pieces.  I could have saved myself so much time if I made positives in a larger pattern.  Plus almost everything had to be printed twice, meaning twice the work.  I figured it out, and that means 67 passes, or prints.  I had 3 screens to work with, so I would print, clean, switch, -- over and over and over.  Crazy.

ONE MORE PRINT SESSION for the summer.  I'g going to finish my table first, then whatever else I can manage.

This weekend is Dog Days, so I'm focused on preparing for that.  if I could just stay awake.  These pain pills are killing me.

Hopefully tomorrow I feel better

Weekend pics

BLT's with tomatoes from the garden, and baked bacon

My messy printing station saturday

The discarded orchid found in somebody's recycle bin, now cherished