Flowering tangles

Stuff will possibly soon be on this account

2009-10-09T01:40:27Z

After ignoring this account for a good half-year (shocker! Given my track record) I now may actually be putting Stuff up here. Like, possibly. Significantly possibly.

Art stuff, that is. I'm developing a graphic novel series. I'd be less pretentious and just call it a comic book, but that makes people think I'm doing like FUNNY stuff. Dude. If I could, I would. Nah, I'm doing the same snotty pseudo-intellectual quasi-literary examination of the human condition crap that I've always done. (Even when I was writing Naruto fanfiction. No, really. You can actually inject a good chunk of metaphysics in there, given all the chakra jazz and stuff about demons.)

Anyway, this Thingie is being developed. So I'll probably be posting Bits of Such here. I'll put it all behind cuts and stuff, so people's flists (I'm sure there's a DW term for this, but it's an effing flist regardless) won't be jammed up.

Buuut, I just thought I'd give notice for people who might want to de-friend the journal.

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Back at art school, woo

2009-05-07T01:01:56Z

And wow, the registration systems have not gotten any less annoying.

GRANTED, they are much better than the voicemail nightmare UBC had in 2000. Still, sitting around this morning registering and dropping courses was a real blast from the irritating past.

However, I am excited.

Plan is, I pick up my design certification, a specialized post-grad fine arts certification, and then see about cutting a deal with program advising to let me into some upper level fine arts courses. The point here is not to get another degree, just to actually take advantage of the whole art school thing WHILE NOT SICK.

Nice thing about art school is that it's less stringent about RULES and CREDENTIALS, if you can prove you have the ability, you can apply for honorary credits. I'm reasonably certain that I can get into some degree-stream stuff without being in a degree program (again.)

I <3 art school. Seriously. I missed being at Emily Carr. I'm looking forward to riding my bike there for classes again. The plan is, I guess, to just start going to classes here and there and never leave.

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So I did something productive dreamwise today!

2009-05-04T19:01:26Z

(Though before I get into that... wow, I should upload some icons already.)

ANYWAY.

I am working as a graphic designer now. I actually kind of like this job. It's a very good day job, it has flexible hours, two out of three of my bosses are hilariously crazy (in a good way), it's $$$$, it lets me use my visual arts and design skills. I know that a job that didn't let me do this would SRSLY KILL ME. I'm not even joking. I couldn't stand to not do art all day. I don't care how bad the recession gets, I am not taking a non-art job.

Fortunately artsy things are everywhere and you just have to be kind of a lateral thinker to get your mitts on 'em.

But yeah, so here was the problem.

I am not entirely better! I'm like... oh, maybe about 85% better. My blood sugar behaves itself so no more fainting in public (thankfully!) Whatever was wrong with my thyroid has chilled out so I'm no longer bleeding calcium and iron and having a hemoglobin count of about minus two million. The emotional symptoms have eased off, and I appear to actually have some serotonin now, which is NICE because I don't know about you guys? BUT ANXIETY SUCKS. I do not enjoy having anxious freakouts over nothing! I also don't enjoy having like, zero impulse control so I start 20384398 projects at once and finish none of them (plus feel anxious about it- NOT good times.) I still am kind of a moody bitch, but the endorphin lows that create THAT are easing off. Dopamine levels seem okay! (Caffeine, unironically? Helps. LOTS.)

But I'm not 100% better.

So I've held off on finishing my design certification. I don't have the energy yet to formally get my (formal) portfolio together. And yeah, design (and in fact most art jobs) are weird in that you can actually start working before you get (all) your certification. All they care about is your portfolio.

And I had this idea that I had to wait to be BETTER to finish. But eff that. I'll pick up my one last course, finish it, and get my certification.

I have a job, I can wait on my portfolio for better!job later.

I am also going to pick up a fine arts/illustration certification! I do have a BA, but EH. I was so busy fighting my illness that I feel like I didn't take advantage of the main benefit of art school- time to really nurture and develop your style and abilities. So I'll do that now. I have the $$$. I have the time. And I'll finish up with not ONE piece of paper, but TWO pieces of paper.

Plus, this will nudge me towards getting cracking on both my illustration and design portfolios.

PLUS, I get a discount as an ECIAD allumni (local art school, I'll squee about it in another entry). I enjoy saving money. I really enjoy killing like, four birds with one stone.

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So, Dreamwidth. Are you worth it?

2009-05-01T17:35:02Z

I considered getting a Dreamwidth account.

I thought- why should I?

Because: I am in the process of becoming an artist/writer creature. Illness has stopped me from really seizing these raw abilities and making something of them. But as I heal up, I have the focus and energy to learn, polish and consolidate these talents. Talent is nothing if you (a)don't use it and (b)don't nurture and feed it with training. Dreamwidth bills itself as a site where creative people can display their work and connect with other creatives. I'm not yet better enough to have a body of work made and ready to show. But: I could chronicle the process of learning and creating it here.

The idea appealed to me.

But then I thought- you are fully aware this is hype, yes?

Yes. I don't understand everything about this service yet, but so far it appears to be a LJ clone. Cool features are promised, a more fluid interface is promised, I'm reserving final judgment. But I understand the marketing lure the developers have used. By presenting their service as a portfolio/exposure site, they associate it with the desire of all creative people to win notice and validation for their work. By offering codes to various big name online creatives, they create a mystique for the service- this is where the famous and talented are. Wouldn't you want to be famous and talented too? Don't you want to be on Dreamwidth too?

This tactic worked brilliantly on fandom. Dreamwidth started to glow with the halo of status symbol.

Can't lie, I felt that lure tugging on me too. Wouldn't I want to jump on this too? True- what wins exposure for my work should be my work itself. But I also know that a little marketing synergy helps that process along.

But- this mystique is entirely constructed by marketing. It's a brand image. In the same way an ipod won't make you have the fun, cool, carefree groovy life that the commercials present, Dreamwidth won't make you famous and talented. Obviously. It's an LJ clone. It's marketing.

But then again, what can I say? I like me some shiny. I have an ipod. I enjoy it for what it is.

And lookee here, I have a DW account. The conclusion I came to was this. I love woo, and one of my favorite articles of woo is the idea of The Universe and Your Dreams. If you accept and pursue your dreams, The Universe acts in it's mysterious ways and sends you little opportunities to help. I've actually seen direct personal evidence that this is not entirely bullshit. So I said to the universe:

"If it's going to do some good for me to have a DW account, send me one."

So I've got one. We'll see.

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