After my rant about not getting any art work done, what do you think happened? I buckled down and got some art work done of course. And here I was feeling guilty about sharing my angst when I'm supposed to be inspiring you. Just goes to show me.
Guess I need to fess up more often.
Monday, November 27, 2006
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Staedtler Roadshow
If one day while you are shopping somewhere, a Harry Potter/Zorro/Batman-like magician wants to show you some magic with Staedtler stationery, yes it could be me. Ha. This is a roadshow presented to you by Staedtler, the leading stationery brand, throughout the whole west M'sia starting from mid Nov till the end of Dec. It's gonna take place in 18+ major shopping centers during every
true confessions
The day after Thanksgiving I had an emergency root canal, and it looks like I'm going to have to have the tooth extracted. I've been having problems with that tooth for about a year, maybe even more, so after my initial shock and anger wore off, I realised there are a lot of things in my life that I just kind of live with and ignore for way too long. Art time being a big one.
I've had an order for a custom made ring for about 6 months, that I never seem to be able to get to making. And a few weeks ago, an old customer emailed for a replacement for a pin she'd bought from me a few years ago. I've stopped beating myself up for missed art submission deadlines. And I've been trying to plan a trip to India for 3 years.
So what gives? John Lennon said that life was what happened while we were busy making other plans. And my life is a busy one. Karate, harmonium lessons, a spot in an antique center, laundry, a 3-day a week job and the odd additional freelance assignment. But why does art always come last, squeezed into the last moments of a life that seems always to be in transition.
Traveling back and forth between my home in the Hudson Valley, and the work week in NYC packs a wallop. The house is in a constant state of disarray. Art supplies are everywhere, and nowhere to be found when I need them. I've been trying to get my studio cleaned up and organized for about a year now, and though I've made some progress, it's still not workable.
I dream of a clean, new, wide open, completely empty light filled space to live and work in. Which is why I started selling antiques and collectibles 6 months ago in an attempt to clear out the house and my life.
Everywhere I turn there is more to be purged. Often I just turn away and distract myself with something that feels more manageable. A bath, the dishes in the sink, a hike. I try to divide and conquer with small jobs that aren't too overwhelming, like a stack of magazines that can go to the dump. But even so, in the office which we've been trying to clear out for over a year as well, there are piles of unopened mail, much of it junk mail, that I just can't seem to get through. Weeding out what needs to be read, and what can just be tossed or run through the shredder is a time suck I avoid like the plague.
I hate the idea of life as one big long to do list, the day divvied up by tasks to be performed on a time schedule. But I'm beginning to think that it may be the only way to make any progress.
I was successful for a number of weeks, maybe even a month or two, in setting aside a couple of hours a week to work on my book, but even that has fallen by the wayside the last few weeks.
Progress in everything seems to be at a snail's pace, and every step forward, even giant ones like the remodeled mud room and new washer and dryer, seem to come with the proverbial two steps back.
My biggest question of myself always comes back to this: why isn't art #1? Forget the tired old answer of needing to earn a living. How can I make art the first thing I do in the morning and the last thing I do before sleep? How can I take the approach of the bhakti yogis, who strive to think of god in every moment.
It's not unrealistic really. Art is in the living, it's in the moment. It's just a matter of turning idea into a physical manifestation.
And perhaps, as I've done this morning, taking advantage of not being able to sleep, and turning it into an opportunity to write.
I just wish I could find a way to attach a video cam to my hip. Although I might never find the time to edit, I'd feel like I was making art.
I've had an order for a custom made ring for about 6 months, that I never seem to be able to get to making. And a few weeks ago, an old customer emailed for a replacement for a pin she'd bought from me a few years ago. I've stopped beating myself up for missed art submission deadlines. And I've been trying to plan a trip to India for 3 years.
So what gives? John Lennon said that life was what happened while we were busy making other plans. And my life is a busy one. Karate, harmonium lessons, a spot in an antique center, laundry, a 3-day a week job and the odd additional freelance assignment. But why does art always come last, squeezed into the last moments of a life that seems always to be in transition.
Traveling back and forth between my home in the Hudson Valley, and the work week in NYC packs a wallop. The house is in a constant state of disarray. Art supplies are everywhere, and nowhere to be found when I need them. I've been trying to get my studio cleaned up and organized for about a year now, and though I've made some progress, it's still not workable.
I dream of a clean, new, wide open, completely empty light filled space to live and work in. Which is why I started selling antiques and collectibles 6 months ago in an attempt to clear out the house and my life.
Everywhere I turn there is more to be purged. Often I just turn away and distract myself with something that feels more manageable. A bath, the dishes in the sink, a hike. I try to divide and conquer with small jobs that aren't too overwhelming, like a stack of magazines that can go to the dump. But even so, in the office which we've been trying to clear out for over a year as well, there are piles of unopened mail, much of it junk mail, that I just can't seem to get through. Weeding out what needs to be read, and what can just be tossed or run through the shredder is a time suck I avoid like the plague.
I hate the idea of life as one big long to do list, the day divvied up by tasks to be performed on a time schedule. But I'm beginning to think that it may be the only way to make any progress.
I was successful for a number of weeks, maybe even a month or two, in setting aside a couple of hours a week to work on my book, but even that has fallen by the wayside the last few weeks.
Progress in everything seems to be at a snail's pace, and every step forward, even giant ones like the remodeled mud room and new washer and dryer, seem to come with the proverbial two steps back.
My biggest question of myself always comes back to this: why isn't art #1? Forget the tired old answer of needing to earn a living. How can I make art the first thing I do in the morning and the last thing I do before sleep? How can I take the approach of the bhakti yogis, who strive to think of god in every moment.
It's not unrealistic really. Art is in the living, it's in the moment. It's just a matter of turning idea into a physical manifestation.
And perhaps, as I've done this morning, taking advantage of not being able to sleep, and turning it into an opportunity to write.
I just wish I could find a way to attach a video cam to my hip. Although I might never find the time to edit, I'd feel like I was making art.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Standard Chartered Branch Open Day Celebration
I'm back from a 3-day show! It was about the open day of 4 new branches of Standard Chartered Bank in Melaka, Penang Autocity, Kajang and Kepong respectively. This grand opening took place from 11th to 13th Nov and was really an exciting one for me as I also took this chance as a mini-vacation=p. The journey was pretty hectic though, started on the very first day itself.
The first day event
Saturday, November 11, 2006
OCBC Bank Mystical Carnival '06
Having turned down a few offers in Oct due to exam preparation, now i'm finally free for shows again! This month is gonna be really exciting. First in the schedule is this, the Mystical Carnival 2006 by OCBC Bank, held on 10th Nov in Hyatt Saujana Subang Resort. This carnival was exclusively for OCBC Bank staffs, and it sort of resembles the Masquerade party that I did for Digi, as the
Friday, November 3, 2006
Done my Step 2 CK!
Finally done my exam, USMLE Step 2 Clinical Knowledge on 2nd Nov at Prometric center in Sheraton Hotel. Think this time i did slightly better than the last, though the duration of preparation is more or less the same (2 months), time is comparatively more adequate this time as in without having to juggle with the clinical works like what happened for my Step 1, which took up half of my study time
weekend in vermont
Last weekend my dear friend Sanae and I hopped Jet Blue to Burlington, VT for a Yoga of Transformation Retreat presented by another dear friend Lori and her partner Nicholas.
It was an amazing weekend, almost too much to process, as I realize another work week has come to an end and I'm still reeling from re-entry.
The retreat was held in a contemporary stone house that was built by one of the Seagram's and is now being transformed into a retreat center. It's got floor to cathedral ceiling windows and a formidable staircase from the entry way to the main floor. And thanks to the wood stove and the company it was warm and toasty inside, though windy and pouring outside. We even woke to a bit of a snow flurry Sunday morning.
Sanae, Lori and I are planning to do an art, yoga, knitting retreat there in April. The weekend of transformational yoga, breathing and being was capped off by a lovely drive, and lunch with Nicholas and Lori. We ate at the Bee's Knees in Morrisville, Vermont (yummmy), stopped on the road to visit with artist Thea Alvin, whose arches and carrots made from construction netting are above, and watch glass being blown.
Now I'm back in the city, at the apartment doing laundry - which I will be doing next weekend in a brand spanking new LG washer and dryer.
I have to say, I never imagined I'd be the sort to be excited by domestic appliances, but the promise of a mud and laundry room with new floors and walls, and a washer that won't need to be rebalanced everytime I do a load, has got me giddy. The best thing? The new dryer has a front lint trap, so I'll still be able to collect one of my most precious art materials.
Oh, and I almost forgot the really best part: the pic above of my mini tile mosaic at the entry ways, created from a pile of broken dishes I've been collecting for years.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)