A Visit to Artechouse in Washington, DC

Recently I had an eight hour layover on a train trip from North Carolina to Pittsburgh, so I decided to use the opportunity to visit some places that I’ve been wanting to go but haven’t had the chance.

My first stop was Artechouse, an interactive art venue that focuses on merging art and technology. The exhibit that I saw was called Renewal 2021, their 4th Annual Cherry Blossom Inspired Installation. Visual Design for the exhibit was by Yuya Takeda, music was by Mario Hammer and the Lonely Robot, and the scenery was by Design Foundry.

There was a short video before entering the exhibit space that explained the exhibit and their policies, then I was free to explore as I pleased.

The main room was an interactive video and sound installation that changed as I moved along the walls. The projections on each wall featured a city 100 years into the future that was covered in garbage, but cherry blossoms as well. When I got close to the walls in the sequence depicting the city, blossoms and piles of garbage flurried around me as I waved my arms and moved about the room. That sequence featured how the world might look in the future: covered in garbage, but with bits of nature waiting to reclaim it. Another sequence was a beautiful meadow, with more blossoms flurrying around me as moved, inspiring hope that we can change our future and make the Earth a healthier place.

In a hallway adjacent to the main room was a futuristic arcade that featured games, vending machines, and stalls selling various wares. There was a long room off of this hallway that mimicked a cat walk above the city with an interactive screen at the end that highlighted my silhouette in fizzy neon pink that scattered into little dots around me.

On the way back from the catwalk was a hallway featuring graffiti from an artist I can’t remember now and could kick myself for not taking a picture of the information plaque. It was like Graffiti Wall 2121 and the part that stuck out to me most was the lettering that said, “Do What You Want to Do.” And I felt that.

In summary, Artechouse is definitely worth a visit if you like being immersed in environments that make you think and make you a part of the work itself. It’s cool that the projections followed me as I moved and the whole thing was eye candy to the max, but it’s also cool that the work is symbolically saying that I am a powerful individual, and I can influence the future now. Right now. And with people like me and you taking care of the planet, the future isn’t bleak. It’s full of promise and possibilities.

Update: New Things on the Way!

It has been too long, dear readers! I hope you are all well, and have experienced some form of sunshine in the past few days. The gray of winter really puts a damper on things, so I am glad spring is upon us in the Northern Hemisphere.

I just wanted to update everyone on what I have been working on:

1. I will be moving from RedBubble to Threadless Artist Shops because the user interface is more friendly, so stay tuned for a new shop link here and in my LinkTree on Instagram.

2. I am also finalizing a journal/sketchbook for people aged 7-700. It’s super cute, so I hope artists big and small enjoy using their imagination and having some fun:)

3. The National Collage Society’s Small Format Show features collages that all measure 4x6 inches. I won an award for my entry, Astronaut in the Ocean! The show will be online and run from May 14-September 30th. You can access the show here.

4. Finally, more painting. I really wish I were a vampire so that I could stay up all night painting. And learning the piano. But oh, well. As I said in my last post, rest and play are essential for optimal productivity and living itself. So in addition to sunshine, I hope you all take that nap or color in your coloring book, because those are important things, too.

Enjoy your day today, and I’ll see you next time!

Productivity, Rest, And Other Tips

So I’m taking this Skillshare class on Productivity by Brooke Glaser and she said that your super productive days are usually followed by a day where you are not as productive. When I watched this lesson, I was like, oh my gosh, so true! She also said that as a creative entrepreneur, you need to take your weekends off to rest, do fun things, relax, etc, so that you can maximize your productivity during the week.

I took these things to heart. My super productive day was Friday. Saturday, I knew, would be unproductive and that would be okay because Weekend! So I ran some errands, did some fun web surfing, then I thought, what if I worked on project X for just a little bit? I’ve been a Photoshop girl for 20 years now, but I’ve been learning about Illustrator so I thought I would just draw my cute idea and it would be easy breezy because Simple Project.

I ended up running into a problem with no answer on the forums, it seemed, and I got incredibly frustrated to the point of wanting to cry if I was just a little closer to the edge. I figured out the solution after digging through every post about the topic that I could find. But I’m writing about this because I didn’t enjoy what I was doing anymore because I had expended so much physical and mental energy the day before, and I needed to do something fun and rest. I learned my lesson. And I will probably have to relearn it many times because I do love crossing things off my to do list and conquering tasks, no matter what day it is.

So, now for your reading pleasure, my list of other major productivity tips, as I have learned at this point:

1. Rest. (See above)

2. Do something you would normally do, but do it in a novel way (also from Brooke Glaser’s Skillshare class). If you have an ongoing project that starts to feel like a drag, mix it up! Do your work in a coffee shop or reserve a study room at the library. Take yourself to a picnic table at the park.

3. Play. In The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, she emphasizes that our creative spirit thrives on play, and losing that ability is what causes artist’s block and emotional fatigue. Having fun is a form of taking care of yourself, and is what makes life livable. Take a class that sounds fun, do something you enjoyed as a child, go for a walk and look for interesting rocks, whatever you can think of. I recommend The Artist’s Way to anyone who pursues creative work or anyone who feels stuck in life, especially the audio book because her voice is so soothing.

4. Stretch and take breaks often. Repetitive strain injury is real. I have plantar fasciitis because I stood on one foot for too long while I was painting. Stretching, getting up and walking around (or sitting down, in my case), or getting a drink of water and playing on your phone for ten minutes are vital for your mental and physical health. Experts recommend taking some kind of break for your physical health every 20 minutes, and as someone who likes to be in the zone for three hours, I struggle with that. I’m still trying to find the right balance, but at least my body and mind get a break every so often, and hopefully more often as I figure out how to get in the zone as soon as I sit down to work.

5. The Pomodoro Technique. When I’m doing something more administrative than artsy and my to do list is extremely long, I start at the top, set a timer for 20 minutes, and tackle each thing for that amount of time, rotating until I finish as many as I can. And also taking breaks every two chunks of time to keep my brain from getting fatigued.

6. Scheduling two to three major tasks each day, and then tackling smaller things after those major things are complete. No need to overload oneself. This is the method of the Flourish planner by Bonnie Christine, surface pattern designer and lover of productivity. When she first started her creative journey, she resolved to do at least one thing each day that would bring her closer to her goals. And if you think about it, that’s 30-31 things a month, 365 things a year. That’s a lot of productivity! Two to three tasks are manageable, but if you can only do one because life happens, you’re still making progress.

Those are my methods for now. I am not done with my Skillshare class, so there are many more things to learn, but these have helped me and will continue to help me. My major goal now is to focus on three things: making time for rest and play, pattern design, and my second coloring book. Let’s see how this goes! What are some of your favorite productivity tips?

Five Painting Tips For Beginners

So I’ve been working on a portrait of a human being and his noble canine (whose identities I cannot reveal because it’s Christmas related), and I’ve had so many Hagrid moments (“Oop. Shouldna [done] that”) that I thought I would write this post to help others on their painting journeys. I feel like I’ve had time to reflect on the process now that I’ve done so many in the Bella Bright style, so I will share these insights for any other poor soul who is trying to paint something realistically and may not have a lot of experience with it. Here goes:

1. Whatever you’re painting will look horrible for about 80% of the time you’re working on it because you’re building up all those layers, and it’s best to think of that 80% as adding muscles to the basic structures of your subject. And everyone knows how ghastly naked muscles look without skin over them. Ghastly!

2. To make something look three dimensional, you’ll need lots of layers that include a range of light, medium, and dark tones. Also, highlights don’t always have to be white. Sometimes they can be pale blue or pink or yellow. This brings me to my next point.

3. Purple is great for shading skin because it doesn’t make it look dirty like pure black or mixing brown and blue does. Sometimes I’ll use Payne’s Gray to shade, but it’s very rare. (Thank you, Sarah Mattingly Benson, for sharing this secret with me back in college:)

4. If you’re painting something complex like a human face, which I think is challenging no matter what your skill level, you’ll need to paint for shorter durations than if you were painting a simplified background, say. First of all, you need to give your brain and your emotions a break. Secondly, it helps to step back from your painting and really study it to make note of how you want to fix things or just proceed in general.

5. Go ahead and seriously think about giving up. Entertain the idea. Almost do it. Then get back to painting. I have discovered that as soon as I start thinking, “Screw this!” and then rally, I make a breakthrough and the painting begins to enter the skin/last 20% stage. Then I have a Dr. Frankenstein moment as the lightning strikes and yell, “It’s working! It’s alive! IT’S ALIVE!” Which motivates me to finish.

   That is it, folks! Hopefully these five tips will save you some heartache with your painting projects. There is one caveat, though. If you start to feel like you are about to throw the painting out of the window in frustration, then a break is definitely called for! So take frequent breaks to prevent frustration burnout and muscle stress. The think-about-giving-up-then-rally tip is a save for last resort thing. Happy painting, and have a wonderful week!
   
   

26 Things to Do When You're Alone and Lonely

Hello, all! I’m back with some fun things to do when feeling alone and lonely. I am using both of these words because one can feel lonely while in a group, and alone when no one is around, but not necessarily lonely. I am currently living by myself for a few months, and as the holidays are coming up, and COVID continues to require people to isolate themselves, I thought I would do a lil post on what to do when you find yourself alone and lonely. There are some no to low contact things and some mid to high contact things, some indoors and outdoors things, but hopefully there is enough variety that some might suit your situation. And now, the list!

1. Reach out to someone you haven’t talked to in a while, for whatever reason. If you are 18+ years old, I’m sure you have someone on your friends list on Facebook that you can message, even if it feels a little weird to do. If Facebook is not a healthy step for you, keep reading. If you are still on Facebook, here are some conversation starters: “Hey, I was just thinking about you! I hope all is well!” Or, “Hey, I just had a random dream with you in it, haha! Just wanted to check and see how you’re doing! The Universe be crazy sometimes!” Note that these openers are not emotionally loaded or creepy (the dream one could be, so please use wisely.) But everyone is going through something, and maybe no one has actually asked how they’re doing and actually cared about the answer. So, you might be reaching out to someone at just the right time.

2. If you are not on Facebook, there’s Reddit! Reddit can be totally anonymous (or not), but I am recommending it because the community is 95% of the time very encouraging and positive. Over 30, tired of dating fiascos, and need to vent? There’s r/datingoverthirty. Need your faith in humanity restored? There’s r/HumansBeingBros. Need to see something cute so you don’t fall into the dark gaping maw of politics? There’s r/EyeBleach. These topics are called subreddits, because they are little branches under the larger canopy of Reddit. There is a subreddit for anything and everything. Some art ones that I like are r/ArtistLounge, r/trippingthroughtime, and r/ArtTimelapse. If you’re already on Reddit, and it’s not as interactive as you would like, search via Google “forum” “+niche interest you have”. There probably is one, and if not, it could be time to start one!

3. Sign up for a pen pal. This Travel and Leisure article shares seven platforms that will connect you with a pen pal from anywhere in the world, and it doesn’t have to be through snail mail, although a few prefer that. Some services offer video chatting, texting, or virtual meetups. Postcrossing sounds neat to me! There are also senior care centers around the US asking for pen pals to combat isolation. If you are in Pennsylvania, here is a list of several places who have requested pen pals.

4. Go to your local library and sign up for a library card. Ask them to show you how to borrow books electronically.

5. Go on a walk or hike.

6. Go on an adventure! See what sights are within an hour’s drive of your location. If it’s a restaurant, go try the food. If it’s a comedy club, go check it out. If it’s a museum, see what they have on their walls.

7. Along the same vein, take yourself out on a date, IRL or virtually. Dress up and go all out, pick up your favorite beverage and cook something special that you wouldn’t normally. Get a movie you’ve been wanting to see on your digital device. If going out IRL, check out that new place you’ve been wanting to try. Take your phone, journal, or sketchpad with you and write about what you see and hear. Draw your meal or your surroundings. Pretend you are a food critic and you’re doing a write up. Being alone and dining out isn’t embarrassing when you look fantastic and you’re treating yoself! Also, go you for being brave! A lot of people would rather sit at home in misery than be seen out by themselves, so hell yeah for doing the damn thing!

8. Have a slumber party for one in your living room! Get all your favorite snacks and drinks and funny movies (or Schitt’s Creek!) and pillows and blankets to the floor! Watch all those movies til the early morning and fall asleep where you’re laying, then get up when the sun rises and go back to your comfy bed until noon. Aw yeah, that’s a slumber party done right!

9. Get a cat. Or a fish, if that’s more your level. I say these because they are somewhat low maintenance and provide someone to talk to at the end of your day. According to the CDC, pet ownership can help you manage loneliness and depression, as well provide health benefits like decreased blood pressure and cholesterol. Cats are great because they are affectionate, but independent as well, so if you need be away from home for long periods during the day, you won’t have to worry about your cat. Or your fish. The pluses are really adding up here. Here are more scientific benefits about cat ownership. I currently have two kitties, so I am a tad biased, but here are the benefits to owning fish:)

10. Do NaNoWriMo. It stands for National Novel Writing Month, and the main event takes place in November, but prep for it starts in September. Got a story in you? NaNoWriMo says yes, you do. There are writer’s groups and meetups, pep talks by famous authors (here’s Neil Gaiman’s), and tools to help you build the world that will be your novel. I’m going to do it next year (2021) because I was not fully prepared this year, but I will persevere, and my novel will get written. WHO’S WITH ME?!

11. Draw on your windows with chalk markers, or your sidewalk with sidewalk chalk and tell your neighbors a joke, inspiring quote, or fun trivia fact per day. Goal: lift up oneself and one’s neighbors with knowledge and positivity. Side note: if you decide to use spray chalk, you need to wash it off within 24 hours or it will stain. Speaking from experience.

12. Learn TikTok dances or funny skits and post them.

13. Volunteer to walk dogs at the shelter. Or sign up for Rover and get paid to walk them.

14. Help someone, somehow. Cook a meal for a neighbor. Volunteer at a food bank, soup kitchen, or homeless shelter. Leave a nice note at the bus stop. Buy socks (or go through your sock drawer) and hygiene products and donate them to the homeless. Socks are the least donated, but most needed items for homeless shelters.

15. Go minimal! Watch Tidying Up with Marie Kondo on Netflix. Get rid of the excess baggage and keep the things that spark joy. Go through all your things and donate, sell, recycle, or trash all that extra stuff. Feel how nice a clean, uncluttered space feels. Ah. Breathing room.

16. Sign up for a virtual meetup. Meetup.com is still active, some virtually, some IRL. I’ve seen hiking ones, life drawing ones, free and almost free ones, the possibilities are endless!

17. Organize a silly walk parade in your neighborhood. Put up some flyers and ask everyone to join in the fun. Keep your six feet of distance, but be as silly as possible on two feet.

18. Cut out some magazine pictures and grab a glue stick. Glue them to places around town! Paper is biodegradable and if the glue is water soluble, it won’t permanently damage what you’re gluing it to. Be wise about where you glue though. No store windows or super public places. Let it be a little treasure for someone to find.

19. Pretend you’re Kevin McAllister in Home Alone and do all the things you are not allowed to do when people are around, like dance naked or make a tower of ice cream, then eat it for dinner.

20. Take the bus and get coffee in a neighborhood you don’t normally visit.

21. Go outside and use your phone to take pictures of ten different textures or all the yellow things you see around your neighborhood.

22. Start a gratitude journal and start small, then think bigger. To begin: I am thankful that I can blink. And the middle/daily stuff: I am thankful I got up the second time my alarm went off. And get bigger: I am thankful that the moon is always there, even when I can’t see it.

23. Practice a hobby that involves working with your hands or using your creative brain powers. It’s hard to feel lonely when you’re in the flow of making something.

24. Fashion show! Put on ridiculous outfits and strut in front of your mirror. Or get the mail.

25. Listen to podcasts while you do chores around the house. One of my favorites is The Moth, a storytelling podcast and live event. They are doing a virtual gala to honor Padma Lakshmi on November 17th, and the theme is LIFT OFF: Stories of Going Above and Beyond. Other favorite podcasts include Optimal Living Daily, Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness, Rebel Eaters Club, The Jealous Curator: Art for Your Ear, and Creative Pep Talk with Andy J. Pizza.

26. Support an artist on Patreon and participate in their community. If you support an artist on Patreon with a monthly donation, you get some cool rewards, including an exclusive private feed for fans, and the ability to contact the artist directly. There are musicians, YouTube creators, podcast hosts, visual artists, and more. It’s definitely worth checking out because you can donate as little as $1-$3 per month and get inside info and a community led by your favorite artists. I’ll be launching my Patreon soon, so stay tuned!

That is all, friends. I hope some of these activities inspire you to be brave and take loneliness by the hand and trot into the sunset of the joy of being alone ( or together, depending on your activity of choice). Being lonely can make you feel lost and helpless, but hopefully this list will inspire you to take some control over your situation and help you forget about it for a bit. Let me know if you try them in the comments or via the Contact form! I wish everyone good health and a good weekend:)

Adventures in Pittsburgh: Contemporary Craft and the Swoon Exhibition

Hello, friends! I hope all is well and that everyone is staying warm and dry wherever you happen to live. It is currently gently raining here, but on the particular day I was able to visit Contemporary Craft for the gorgeous Swoon/Caledonia Curry exhibition, The Heart Lives Through the Hands, it was a lovely sunny day.

I first fell in love with Swoon’s (Caledonia Curry’s artist name) work when I started to learn more about street art as I was researching it for a project for my students. Her work as a street artist consisted of life size portrait linocut or woodblock prints that were adhered to surfaces with wheat paste (which I still have not done with my own work and am thoroughly kicking myself right now). She continues to make life size portraits that are interwoven with imagery related to plant growth, anatomy, and interconnectivity. Her work is socially conscious as her influences Kaethe Kollwitz and Honore Daumier were. As we are all interconnected with the earth and universe, so are we connected through our actions as social beings, whether as a business owner who owns several steel mills, or as a steel worker who labors in those mills and supports their family. As the beautifully printed program states, “To regenerate our communities, to preserve and regenerate our ecosystems, we need to change how we think about everything. Portraiture may seem like an unlikely place to start. But Curry’s portraits point to healing, and the need to go through what is necessary to face a future that isn’t rosy, or even guaranteed.” (Katie Peyton Hofstadter wrote the program for the exhibit.)

Pittsburgh is considered a Rust Belt city, as its population has declined since the steel industry moved abroad. One of Swoon/Curry’s pieces, Braddock Steel, was inspired by a documentary called Struggles in Steel, which focuses on African-American steel workers and the racism they experience. One of the subjects of the film, Henderson Thomas, is the subject of the piece, with his arm draped around the piping of a steel factory montage, other workers performing their job duties in vignette below him. As Hofstadter writes, the concern here is that capitalism and its devotees, do not care about the workers they exploit or the environments they leave behind when they relocate to more profitable locales. While portraiture does not solve this problem, it does humanize the issue, and provide a glimpse of the member of the team we’re on, and the people we can stand up with. And Curry does that with her community engagement through her foundation, Heliotrope.

Curry was invited to Braddock, PA, an old steel town near Pittsburgh (connected to Pittsburgh?), by then-mayor John Fetterman (now Lt. Gov, go JF!) to do something with an abandoned church that had been damaged by fire. She acquired it and, long story short, over the course of ten years, Curry’s Swoon Studio worked with art collective Transformazium, Braddock Youth Project, and Braddock Tiles to provide job skills to community youth in making tiles for the church’s roof. While the roof was never completed, the catalyst of art sparked a sense of community and relationships that were vital to the success of many of the young adults they worked with. The tiles they made are on display in the show, as well as an explanation of the project. As Curry said in an interview quoted in the program, “I take myself, my drawings, and this little bundle of creative forces that is me, and I try to make a chemical reaction with the world.” And that she did with Braddock Tiles, and the city of Braddock. Her work hangs in the local Carnegie Library and the Community Center, which I am going to try to see.

So, that’s the back story. Don’t you want to see the show? Street artist/kickass artist in general/community activator/helper? She’s doing wonderful things and her artwork is equally beautiful, all worthy of spending time with. There are 15 pieces in the show, most hung on the walls, but two towering over us all in the middle of the gallery floor. I won’t describe them because I don’t want to tell you what to expect, but my favorites were the ones that spoke energetic life and quiet joy, with touches of color acting as highlights, and biomorphic forms interacting with geometric ones. It’s definitely worth the visit to Contemporary Craft.

To visit Contemporary Craft, they are at a new location in the Upper Lawrenceville neighborhood on the corner of 57th and Butler Street. There are two differently abled parking spots in the front of the gallery, but more ample street parking is available on 57th Street by the playground. Admission is FREE, my lovelies! For COVID reasons, however, you need to reserve a timed ticket and wear a mask. Contemporary Craft has some great shows. I first discovered them when I initially moved to PA five years ago, at a show that featured artists and crafters who had been touched by mental health issues. Swoon/Curry also had a piece in that show, which was a marvelous surprise. They are a museum that focuses on bringing contemporary craft to the public, engaging the community, supporting artists, representing all the perspectives, and “filling in critical gaps in public education.” There is a lil studio space for the kiddos as well, because families welcome:) You can find out more about visiting Contemporary Craft here.

My next adventure in Pittsburgh will be virtual: Vanessa German’s one-woman show, hypersensitive, featured by the Pittsburgh Playwright Theatre Company. You may recall I was able to see Vanessa German’s artist talk when she came to speak at IUP when I was in grad school and she blew my mind. She opened with a monologue performance that was amazing, then proceed to amaze further with her talk. I cried. She is also socially conscious and spreads her message of love in her community by placing I love you signs throughout her neighborhood encouraging people not to shoot each other. I am very excited to see it, and if you would like to purchase tickets ($25) for her virtual performance, you can visit here. I am telling you, it. will. be. worth. it.

That is all my friends. I hope you have a wonderful weekend, and stay safe.

Adventures in Pittsburgh: The Mattress Factory

Hello dear friends!

Today I would like to tell you all about my visit to The Mattress Factory, a museum dedicated to the art of installation in the Northside neighborhood of Pittsburgh.

I actually went to the wrong location first because all the streets were closed around the main campus of the Mattress Factory. I had requested a window of 1:30pm (COVID procedure) to arrive and I was supposed to check in at the front desk, but I went to their Monterrey Annex first. The Mattress Factory owns three buildings in the same block, their main campus on Sampsonia Way, their Monterrey Annex on the corner of Monterrey Street, and their Sampsonia Annex, which is pretty much right next door to the main building.

So, I will describe my visit as it went, rather than how it was supposed to go. When I first entered the Monterrey Annex, I walked in on the joy of several taxidermied wild animals having a dinner party: a bear, a porcupine, an owl, and a gray fox, if memory serves. Their table was set with all the good things wild animals such as them would like to eat. On the walls of magenta paint were patterns created with various insects, which were much more fabulous than “patterns of various insects” can describe. In the drawers of card catalogs lined up on shelves at the lower half of the walls, were various tableaus continuing the theme of taxidermy and nature explosion that adorned the walls. Think Joseph Stella on steroids and if he were commissioned to create tableaus for a natural history museum. The installation is called The Museum of Everything (2020) by Jennifer Angus and it is a visual delight that should not be missed. There are other installations in the Monterrey Annex, but they didn’t speak to me as loudly as The Museum of Everything and my favorite ones in the main campus and the Sampsonia Annex.

On to the main building! When you check in, the gift shop is on your right, and through the gift shop is the cafe, which I did not visit and now am sad about it. The gift shop has so many cool things, it was hard to leave without buying anything, but I live in a studio apartment and I just don’t have the room for new acquisitions.

So! They recommend that you ride the elevator to the fourth floor and work your way down on the stairs. Upon entering the fourth floor, you see the installation All is Not Forgotten (2019) by Patrick Robideau. In this installation, you see glimpses of a house as though you were walking through someone’s vague memory. They can’t remember all of it, and the memory exists in shadow, but you can see select fragments. There’s a creepy hallway to walk down and see more glimpses of the memory, but you can’t experience the physicality of it for yourself. Great way to start our tour.

The next installation, you can actually experience in person, live and in living color. The Other Apartment (2019) by Sohrab Kashani and John Rubin is a complete reproduction of Kashani’s apartment in Iran, down to the toy Supermen he has on his bookshelves, his posters on the wall, and his bedcovers. Because of the travel ban, Kashani is unable to visit the USA, so they brought his home to us. Also because of COVID and quarantine, he lives in isolation, so he brought a variety of experts on various topics to him—and us. Through video chats, he learns how to pop and lock, how to sing, and how to practice martial arts. Or, rather his super alter ego does. Very neat. You never think about how the objects in your home tell the story of who you are, but as you selected them to express your interests and personality, of course they do.

On the third floor, the wonderful sculptor Yayoi Kusama has two connecting installations, Repetitive Vision (1996) and Infinity Dots Mirrored Room (1996). Both super fun as you can see yourself in the mirrors, and as we all enjoy looking at our reflections like little birds, very enjoyable. But the coolest part is that both installations and figures—and you—seem to go on forever, obliterating your reality and your special identity into many realities and identities. According to the artist (from the Mattress Factory’s website), “A mirror is a device which obliterates everything including myself and others in the light of another world or a gallant apparatus which creates nothingness.” Not to disagree with the artist’s original intentions, but I don’t feel nothingness; I feel that there are many of me in other dimensions doing the exact same thing at the exact same time. We’re all visiting the Infinity Dots Mirrored Room in all of our dimensions, which I think is a really cool feeling. It’s like, “Hey to all of the me’s that I can see right now. We’re doing our art admiration thing and enjoying ourselves. Carry on!”

I will now skip to the Sampsonia Annex, which had three floors dedicated to A Second Home (2016) by Dennis Maher. I sadly (or maybe not sadly, since I was able to experience it with an open mind) missed the placard at the beginning describing the artist’s intention due to it being behind a door. However, I went into the installation on the first floor, and it was an over the top explosion of architectural details like peaks of roofs, or stairs, or columns or so many other things I can’t even name them! The first floor kinda left me cold. I’m not that into architecture. But I do appreciate over-the-top. The second floor, however, had more architectural explosion, and also a piano soundtrack to accompany the objects of home piled on top of one another as you wove your way through the floor to the second floor. The piano soundtrack felt…a little off. When I reached the third floor, the off quality of the piano combined with the projections to create a feeling of unease. In one of the rooms a recording of a person repeating a series of words including “home” and “mom” added to the atmosphere of general uneasiness. At this point I was impressed because I was actually feeling the atmosphere and finally understanding what was behind all the architectural fragments covering every surface available.

Then I exited through a black curtain to a stairwell and the crisp fall air. I did go back in and read the placard describing the piece. (From the placard) “A Second Home transforms the Mattress Factory row house at 516 Sampsonia Way into a mysterious wonderland that cleaves, intermingles, and collages a house’s physical and metaphysical counterparts.” If I see one more storyline in a show or movie about how someone doesn’t want to leave their home that’s in the path of impending destruction and doom because it’s their HOME, I will set myself on fire. (Arrested Development reference.) But I see where the storyline comes from, and where Maher gets his metaphysical quality for A Second Home. A home is more than its parts. Your home is your sacred space where you rest your head, the place where you can really be you because you and your home are just for you and your family. Full of love—or conflict. It absorbs your energy and gives you energy. It’s also the thing that gets haunted when you die a tragic death. Is the haunting because you died tragically, or is it because you don’t want to leave your home or have anyone else moving in?

That concludes my adventure for today. I didn’t realize it at the time, but of course the theme that unites most of the installations is the concept of home. Duh. I can’t stress how cool The Mattress Factory is enough. Totally worth the price of admission tenfold. If you have a chance to visit the Pittsburgh area, it would be a shame to miss it! You can learn more about The Mattress Factory here .

Take care of yourself, and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

These Times We Live In, Updates On the Way, Homepage URL Changed

Hello, dear readers. It has been a tumultuous few months at home and abroad, and I have been meditating on what I could possibly say that might bring reason or hope about many of the issues that have been on our collective minds. I am not exactly speechless, but I do want to choose my words carefully and not add to the noise. I have research to do, as any responsible human does, and I will not be comfortable saying anything until I have done my due diligence.

Creatively, I have been painting some wonderful things in the last few months, and doodling some silly things to make myself feel better, so I will be updating my Paintings and my Sketches and Fun Stuff soon. I changed the URL for my homepage, so if you have it bookmarked, be sure to update it so you can see all the new things!

Be well, my friends, and take comfort. Change is gonna come.

Coloring and Activity Book Now Available: It's a Wonderful World of Words!

Dear friends!

My coloring book is now available! If you click the announcement at the top of this page, you can check it out on Amazon! If you have favorite pages and don’t want to buy the whole book, you can click on my Etsy Shop link and see each page for immediate digital download. Each digital download includes the coloring page, the activity page, and the answer key. Entertain yourself and your favorite person who colors! Cute animals abound, and the facts are really fun! Let me know which page is your favorite! Happy coloring and learning! :)

60 Things to Do When Boredom Strikes During Quarantine

Hello, all. Here is a list of things to do if you’re by yourself or just plain bored during quarantine. A little silly, a little serious, and a little of the unexpected. Enjoy.

Self

1..Write down your best qualities and why you’re a wonderful individual to have around, from the silliest to the most serious. Tuck your list away somewhere safe so you can read it when you’re having a bad day. I did this in group therapy a few years ago.

2. Write a letter to yourself in the future, seal it, and don’t open it for five years.

3. Write in a journal or check out one of these journaling apps.

4. Write down the things that you can be grateful for.

5. Take a bath with a candle lit somewhere and get romantic with yourself.

6. Create a vision board for where you’d like to see yourself in 5 years.

7. Do a life audit per Life By Grit. Write your goals on Post It notes and put them in envelopes to be opened at the intervals you’ve chosen.

8. Listen to a guided meditation on YouTube before you go to sleep. The ones for kids are really cute, but there are three hour long ones for adults that are equally high quality and will send you snoring peacefully.

Explore

9. See what you need to do to volunteer at The Panda Centers in China, just to dream.

10. Look for Best Of lists for music, movies, shows, or books from previous years. That’s how I found Jake Bugg. Thanks Rolling Stone!

11. Look up what the life cycle of a frog looks like.

12. Look up flights to far flung places and dream a little. Think about what you would do there.

13. Start with a random topic on Wikipedia and see where the rabbit hole goes. I recommend starting with Lewis Carroll and Alice in Wonderland, the book and all the films it has spawned, like the 1988 stop motion one by Czech director Jan Svankmajer. Donate a $3 tip to Wikipedia if you enjoyed your journey.

14. What does whimsical mean? Go to dictionary.com and read definitions for common words that we take for granted like hope, love, prayer, spirit, happy, humor, divine, agnostic, food, soul, kiss, hug, smile, sadness, depression, grief, mourning, sun, light. Do you agree with the definitions?

15. Look up some cool quotes or verses that you can hang around your house and draw inspiration from. One of my favorites is from Van Gogh: “Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together. And great things are not accidental, but must certainly be willed.”

Create

16. Create a map of your home and use a dotted line to trace everywhere you’ve been in a day, a la Billy on Family Circus.

17. Plan a 24 hour day for what you’ll do once quarantine is over down to the hour.

18. Create a mini zine of the definitions you looked up on dictionary.com and illustrate it with magazine pics or markers. If you have a printer that copies/scans, copy it 10 times, fold up your zines, and mail them to your friends.

19. Write a letter to someone famous you admire, look up their official mailing address, and send it. Decorate the envelope so it stands out.

20. Trace your hands on a piece of paper and make each finger a different character with hair, eyewear, three items of clothing/accessories, and then write a scene where they’re five friends or strangers stuck in an elevator.

21. Write a limerick and illustrate it.

22. Draw an hourly comic about what you did for the past 24 hours, like these.

23. Rewrite the 8th season of Game of Thrones as it should have been, then perform it in your bathroom mirror.

24. Write a haiku. Use 5-7-5 and concrete, specific detail.

25. Roast some chickpeas and snack on them.

26. Try to memorize your favorite poem or piece of writing and recite it in your mirror. Bonus points if it’s from Shakespeare or another language. Now try backwards.

27. If you’re a person who sews, make masks for your local medical providers.

Social

28. Create a bulleted plan that would solve all the world’s greatest problems from poverty to dealing with all of our garbage efficiently to getting everyone access to clean water.

29. Read up on harm reduction, intersectional feminism, body positivity, or another social issue.

30. Drink some water. Check out Water.org, a charity to get clean water and sanitation to people around the world who need it.

31. Say hello to all of your household appliances and thank them for being so helpful.

32. Email your senators, representatives, governor, Lt. governor, or mayor about the things you care about. See if they’re already doing something worth your attention.

33. Update your voter registration if you’ve recently moved.

34. Find your childhood best friend on Facebook and say hey, thinking of you, remember that time we…

35. See what local organizations are doing to help others in your community.

36. Make a sign for your neighbors and put it in your window to encourage them.

37. Get on Reddit and look up every subreddit that may possibly interest you, like r/grandpajoehate or r/Eyebleach.

YouTube

38. Learn how to chop vegetables and fruits properly.

39. Check out this video on waterbears/tardigrades. They can survive in space!

40. Watch cute giant panda videos where they fall all over themselves like this one.

Music/Physical

41. Find a yoga or workout video on YouTube. The Fitness Marshall is funny, inclusive, and dancy, and the length of his workouts vary, so you can choose what’s right for you. He is also on Instagram.

42. Look up all the albums from your favorite musical artists and listen to every song to find hidden gems

43. Follow the DJ D-Nice @dnice on Instagram and tune in to his live dance party broadcast, Club Quarantine, on 4/4/20 at 4pm Pacific Time (7pm EST). I either heard about this from NPR or the NYTimes, I can’t remember.

44. Try to do a headstand. Carefully.

45. Do some stretching or exercises as though you were in elementary school PE. Circle arms, big then small, then big again, are my favorite. Be careful not to knock something over.

Read

46. Reread your all-time favorite book

47. Turn out all the lights, get under a blanket, turn your flashlight on, and read like a naughty kid staying up past bed time. Ghost story telling would also work.

48. Listen to or read The Art of Flaneuring by Erika Owen, then take a leisurely stroll outside and see what’s out there.

49. Read The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation by Thich Nhat Hanh, (it’s pretty short) then try one mindfulness exercise a day until you find one or a few you’re comfortable with. My favorite ones are following your breath and having a day of mindfulness with light housekeeping/organizing and reading, among other activities. You’ll never think of cleaning your house or doing the dishes the same way.

50. Read every Roald Dahl book out loud to your cat/dog/fish/plant/couch pillow. Matilda is my ultimate favorite, but The BFG and The Witches are close behind.

Clean/Organize

51. Organize books on shelves and look for ones you didn’t actually read, then read them.

52. Go through the pictures on your phone or computer and delete the ones that don’t bring joy (The Marie Kondo way).

53. Look through all of your screenshots and delete the ones you don’t need anymore.

54. Back up your files from your computer, flash drives, SD card(s), onto an external hard drive so everything is nice and safe in the same place. Organize them if you so choose.

55. Go through all of your important papers and organize them, throwing out things you don’t need any more and grouping like things together.

56. Clean the dust off your ceiling fan, air conditioner, or standing fan. I need to do this.

57. Go through all of your old electronics and see what you can sell, donate, or recycle. Do you need all those cords?

58. Try to gather all your change from around your house and put it in a ziplock bag so you can cash it in at a Coinstar.

59. Go through your closet and see what you can sell on Poshmark or donate. Mix and match what’s left and have a fashion show with blaring music and all the lights on. Holy crap, you can sell more than clothes on Poshmark, check it out!

60. Rearrange your furniture if nothing’s too heavy.

Whew! I hope that’ll give you a few things to try, but I hope we won’t need all of them in the coming weeks. Stay safe and healthy, friends. Sending love your way!

A Bit of News from the Quarantine

Hello, dear readers. The past few months have been very busy, with visiting my family for the holidays, then immediately moving to Pittsburgh upon my return, then immediately starting work at my new day job. That’s a lot of immediatelys, and they do pile up. However, since my job is non-essential to sustaining life, I am suddenly and currently free for 40 hours of my week now, and I have been putting that new available time to good use. My alphabet coloring book is almost ready! I have just a few things to do before it heads to publishing land, and I will definitely spread the word when it becomes available on Amazon.

I hope that everyone is staying safe and healthy, and if you know anyone in a life-sustaining occupation, please thank them for me. Sending much love and prayers their way. <3

A Little Progress Each Day Adds to Big Results/Find Your Artistic Voice by Lisa Congden book review

Hello, all!

Back for my monthly (loose term) update. The title for today’s post came from an image one of my best friends sent to me. I made it the wallpaper on my phone because it really is those little things that build up to something amazing, which is why someone seems like an overnight success, but their success was really a decade or more in the making. For example, artist of many hats Lisa Congdon.

I have been doing little things here and there to educate myself about my craft and my field, as well as continuing to make and experiment. One of these things was going to a lecture by Lisa Congdon which was about her book Find Your Artistic Voice: The Essential Guide to Working Your Creative Magic. The talk was wonderful, she signed my book (!), and I finally accepted two important pieces of advice.

For YEARS, I have struggled with working consistently and dedicating a time each day to making something. I like to experiment and work for eight hour stints when I can dedicate a day to it. As Lisa said, even just making something for 15 minutes each weekday keeps your artistic muscle nimble and flexible. One artist friend of hers wakes up at 5 am each day to hone her craft, which she did admit was hard at first, but then she started to look forward to having that time for her passion everyday. My goal is not to wake up at 5am everyday because that just makes me laugh about how ridiculous that would be for me, but being mindful about how I spend my day and being as productive as possible? I can do that. Lisa also said to not only schedule in your art making time, but also the other aspects of an artist’s life, from researching packaging for your art prints, to writing a grant, or to documenting your work. I was like, yasss, Lisa, those are all vital things that need my attention! So, creating blocks of time for the making of things that you need to make, that you want to make, that you would like to learn more about, are essential to being productive as an artist. And are essential to self-care.

The other takeaway from her book that also sunk in was creating bodies of work around a central theme or giving yourself an experimentation assignment to explore. One of hers was creating something using only the color blue everyday. Another artist friend of hers created a different character everyday. I haven’t decided on my experimentation assignment yet, but I am leaning towards her blue idea because the examples she showed us from that body of work were so beautiful. Maybe I should create a blue character everyday? I would like to get away from using reference images and just draw the things I like in order to develop my own visual language. And there it is. My assignment for myself. Thank you, gang! And see you next time!

The Mint Museum Permanent Collection (Charlotte, NC)

As promised, a review of the permanent collection at the Mint Museum in Charlotte, NC:

I would describe the permanent collection that was on display as carefully procured, eclectic, Surreal, and inclusive.

I went to the modern and contemporary art side first, as I was under a time constraint, and where they had a sculpture in deep purple (Night Wing, c. 1972-78) from Anne Truitt, whose Daybook I would strongly recommend. I’ve read her Daybook, but had never seen her work in person, so catching it at the Mint was a surprise treasure. :)

Cristina Toro, who was also featured in the collage exhibition, had a painting, Without Exception Everything is Reflected in this Mirror, 2015-2016, which is the coolest self portrait I have ever seen, and she is definitely someone to follow, as her work is a visual delight, overflowing with detail, texture, color, and life.

There were also works from Andy Warhol: one of his Marilyn Monroe screenprints. There was also a hand-pulled acrylic and enamel screen print of Nina Simone with diamond dust on linen by Russel Young—which I mistakenly attributed to Andy Warhol in an earlier draft of this post. I took a Boomerang of the print and will be posting it in my Instagram stories for a Flashback Friday. There was also Ed Ruscha, Norman Rockwell, and Ansel Adams, as well as funky surreal works by Harold Lehman and James Guy, a quaint landscape by Constance Richardson, American art from the 30s-50s featuring factory towns and leisure activities, and a through-three-different-doorways portrait of studio and family life by John Wilde, an influencer on American Surrealism.

A favorite subject matter of mine in the work of female artists is that of the transcendent, mysterious, and surreal. Surrealism is one of my favorite genres anyway, but the quiet, spiritual, and enigmatic scenes in work like Gertrude Abercrombie’s Deportation (1948) is as special a find as Anne Truitt’s Night Wing (c. 1972-78). There were also works by Post-Surrealist painter Helen Lundeberg, Poetic Justice (1945), and Surrealist painter Kay Sage’s Ring of Iron, Ring of Wool (1947), all beautiful, dreamy, haunting, and treasures to behold. The work of the 1930s-1940s are way underrated in my opinion, so to see it collected so carefully and lovingly by museums like the Mint is refreshing. I should really go on a personal quest to find as much art from the 1930s and 40s that I can. The 30s gave us Surrealism, factories, daily life, and an explosion of female artists, so it should definitely get more attention. Now on to Romare Bearden.

Romare Bearden’s watercolor work is deeply saturated with color and features city scenes from his life. Screenprints like Salome (1974) depict Biblical scenes with rich texture and pattern. The coolest works by Bearden were his collagraphs of city life featuring buildings, musicians, and other life. Now that I’m looking at them again, I need to do some collagraphs, stat. So freaking cool. Definitely unique and worth checking out.

So to wrap things up, the Mint Museum’s permanent collection is thoughtful, unusual, and worth the trip. I also saw a bathing suit from the early 20th century, which would apparently be worn with full-length dark cotton stockings. What a bummer to have to wear! So thankful society has changed for the better in what qualifies as swimwear, and so thankful to see so many unique pieces in the Mint’s collection. It was refreshing and rejuvenating, and I strongly recommend a visit. :)

Art Potpourri: New Things I'm Workin' On

Dear Readers:

Thank you for hanging in there and being patient with me as I learn and grow. It means a lot.

Art Updates: I added a new collage that I made for a show and did not get into. That’s cool. I love the collage, plus I have a small series that I’m planning based on dreaming. Dream in Technicolor was my first dream one, Butterflies Save the Day was the second, Brother Bear is the third, and now there will be more, so stayed tuned. :)

Another update was to my Sketches and Fun Stuff, with drawings that I made by scribbling lightly on the paper first and drawing the pictures that I saw within. I realized after doing the one with the two guys in shades, that I am creating a new visual language for myself through these drawings. So, I’m excited to be developing a new way to create that’s just fun to do because each one is a pleasant surprise. :)

I am also continuing to work on my coloring book. I just drew a warthog wearing a Marie Antoinette-inspired wig, and it has definitely taken 1st place in my funnest things I’ve drawn. :)

That’s all for now, folks. See you next time.

Under Construction: Collage from the Mint Museum (Charlotte, NC)

Ahoy, mateys!

Last week, I had the pleasure of joining the National Collage Society for a tour of Under Construction: Collage from the Mint Museum in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was an absolute delight to see the variety of methods used by artists who collage. I enjoyed works by Tim Rollins and KOS, Robert A. Nelson, Man Ray, Cristina Toro, Shepard Fairey, Kristina Rogers, and Mark Wagner. The collages featured were irreverent and funny, dark and mysterious, narrative or abstract, or everything all at once and in between. There were collages made of trash and there were collages made of cash. The exhibition did an excellent job of showcasing how versatile and relevant collage is to the last century and beyond. It was exciting to see the potential of collage in the form of an exhibition, and I hope to see more of its kind in the future.

Speaking of relevant, the Mint Museum has quite a collection of Romare Bearden’s work, as they should! Romare Bearden grew up in Charlotte and became the 20th century’s most important collage artist. His work depicts memories and rituals from his childhood, with baptismal ceremonies being a particular focus of several pieces, as well as musical performances. The coolest part about his work, besides the symbolism and moods he created, is the variety of materials and methods he used to create his collages, mixing photos from magazines with colored papers with watercolored paper with wallpaper and drawing and so on. I don’t have the guts yet to use such a variety of materials in my own collage work, but I will get there. My favorite pieces by Bearden in the show were the ones featuring musicians, especially Guitar Magic (1986). He used photo, construction paper, watercolored paper, and drawing. The joy and energy of their performance were captured so well in his use of color, line, and shape! He also captured the soft, pale, quiet light of dawn in his Morning By Candelight (c. 1968-1972). If you venture into the Mint Museum’s permanent collection, you’ll find more of Bearden’s work, especially his forays into print making. You’ll have to hurry to see the collage show, though. It comes down on August 18, 2019.

I’ll do another blog post about other works in the Mint Museum’s permanent collection; it deserves a post of its own!

After touring the exhibition, the president of the National Collage Society, Gretchen Bierbaum, led a collage workshop in the atrium for all ages. We started with a postage stamp, and used sewing patterns, stained envelopes, credit card envelopes, old calendars, slide frames, etc. to ignite our creative fires and, for me, make something that I wouldn’t normally make on my own. For starters, I mostly use images from National Geographic, and I definitely do not just rip the paper by hand. I like to precisely cut around the edges of things in a meditative state. This workshop was about action and intuition, and it was just what I needed to loosen up and branch out into something new. Many thanks to the National Collage Society and the Mint Museum for these wonderful experiences and fresh eyes. :)

World Collage Day!

Hi, all!

I’ve been a bit on a hiatus while creating illustrations for a psychology book and working hard for the money, but on Saturday, May 11, I’m putting everything on hold for World Collage Day. I’ll be spending the whole day cutting and pasting, and thank goodness! I’ve missed it so! Join me on Saturday while we cut and paste the day away! Tag me @jenisforlove on Instagram and Twitter with your creations, and I’ll show off my progress throughout the day! If you aren’t into collage, I hope you do you in some way, whether artistically or otherwise. Shine on, lovers!

Oh, Lawd, Another Holiday!/Little Things to Celebrate You! (Self-Love Day)

Happy Valentine’s Day to my Lovelies!

If you are like me and are perpetually single on Valentine’s Day, or just in general feeling unloved and especially miserable today, do something to treat yourself!

I was incredibly down about Valentine’s Day around the beginning of February because it occurred to me that the holiday approacheth and I still had not found my True Love. This hurts my feelings and triggers some things in me mentally due to my previous psychotic experiences (which I’ll talk about later in a YouTube series). So when I talked to my therapist about my feelings and triggers, she suggested that I make it a Self-Love Day and do something that would bring me joy. So, I decided to make February Self-Love Month, and I’ve been doing a few things here and there that make me feel good, like applying a milky facial sheet mask or reading the Cosmo with Gina Rodriguez on it, having a bath or baking brownies (which are super easy to make from scratch and my mom’s recipe is magical.)

I did go hard the day of Valentine’s Day, though. I had brunch with a friend, got myself flowers, a llama stick balloon, and heart-shaped Reese’s Peanut Butter cups. I got a steak for me and for my wee doggie, and my plan is to either roast some Brussels sprouts or sautee some green beans with mushrooms and onions…I have about 30 minutes to decide. Oh, and I also sent about 20 Valentines to family and friends, which I thoroughly enjoyed putting together using stuff from Dollar Tree, Wal-Mart, and the William and Mary Gift Shoppe, Inc., a local shop with neat little things in it. That was me spreading love to others, yet also taking care of myself.

The point is, make today an occasion that brings you joy, that you would want to repeat and build on in subsequent years. Make it something that might start a tradition where you can celebrate you and anyone who needs love.

Here are some ideas of my own to help you celebrate Self-Love Day, plus some that my best friend gave to me when I talked to her about it:

0. Walk dogs at a local animal shelter

1. Spread a blanket on the floor of the living room and have a PB&J sandwich cut into the shape of a heart.

2. Get dressed up and sing your favorite song in the bathroom mirror.

3. Make Valentine’s Day cards for a local nursing home.

4. Take yourself to a movie and get the little snack pack with the popcorn AND the candy.

5. Cook an elaborate meal that you wouldn’t normally cook for yourself, but that you enjoy immensely.

6. Buy or pick yourself flowers.

7. Get some form of chocolate or other sweet goodness for dessert.

8. Go to a museum! I know some that have later hours on Thursdays.

9. Go for a drive and sing a long to the radio.

10. Curl up with hot chocolate and a book you’ve been wanting to read.

I would love to hear some of your ideas in the comments. :) Enjoy your Day of YOU!

Oh Lawd, the holidays comin’

Hi, friends! I hope everyone had wonderful Thanksgivings! I had a Friendsgiving with two of my close friends and it was a blast. Cooking was no prob because it was my second Friendsgiving rodeo and my friend Jess helped. Plus, I didn’t try to roast a whole chicken like I did last year. Thank you, Butterball, for roasted turkey breast!

After we ate I spent the rest of the day playing Punch Out on my Nintendo Classic with my friend Bobby. It’s all about the opponents’ tells and timing. He would demonstrate how to beat them, then let me try and offered tips while I was playing until I could beat them myself.

Now for the rest of the holidays!

I know that for some, this time of year can be difficult, and I would just like to remind you to take care of and be kind to yourself. Self-care is incredibly important for recharging your well-being battery, so however you can squeeze it in—a longer shower, a singalong to a favorite song, a night of watching your favorite movie—please do. You’re worth it. <3

Things Worth Your Attention, vol. 2

Dear readers, here is a list of things that I have been consuming lately that deserve more attention:

BOOKS
Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis
The 50th Law by Robert Greene and 50 Cent
These books actually have a few things in common. But first, Rachel Hollis is a mother of four, an author, event planner, a lifestyle blogger/influencer, a long distance runner, and a Christian. Robert Greene is the author of The 48 Laws of Power, which chronicles how historical figures used their gifts to rise to power. He also uses historical examples in his book with 50 Cent, who is a hustler cum rapper cum media mogul. I listened to book of these books via Audible and thoroughly enjoyed reading two books while driving. Audible is awesome!
So, what Rachel Hollis and 50 Cent have in common are the abilities to see opportunity in crisis and to imagine in concrete, specific detail big goals broken down into actionable steps.

Body Positive Power: Because Life Is Already Happening and You Don’t Need Flat Abs to Live It by Megan Jayne Crabbe
This is a must-read for anyone who has ever hated their body. Megan Jayne Crabbe exposes the diet and anti-aging industries lies about our bodies and our health. She promotes intuitive eating, Health At Every Size, self-love and kindness. I am currently reading this via my Kindle app on my iPad, so I’m not finished yet, but it has been mind blowing. Everyone deserves love and respect no matter what body they exist in.

TV
Queer Eye on Netflix
Jane the Virgin, also on Netflix
Queer Eye is the most uplifting, positive show I have ever seen. The Fab Five change lives so that whoever is nominated gets a fresh, fabulous start. The first two episodes were my favorite, but the goodness keeps coming in subsequent episodes as well. I haven’t made it through the first season yet, but I definitely will!
Jane the Virgin is an Americanized telenovela centered around Jane, who is saving herself for marriage, but gets accidentally artificially inseminated. It’s hilarious, heartwarming, romantic, and relatable. I am currently on season four and the show still delivers delight and surprise. Be warned, though: almost every episode ends on a cliffhanger!

MUSIC
Pray for the Wicked, Panic at the Disco
This album delivers both celebratory and sardonic vibes. On the one hand, the band made it, becoming a success after a lot of hard work and believing in a dream despite the world telling them to quit. On the other hand, you can’t trust anyone and the lifestyle can be full of empty pleasures. The literary and pop culture references are on point, and High Hopes is definitely a song to put on your playlist when you get down about not achieving your goals.

Swimming, Mac Miller
This recent album of the late rapper is a dreamscape of beats and poetry. You’ll want to listen to it while you’re creating artwork, driving, or staring out of a window at the rain. It’s chill, but jamming enough to make it hard to keep from nodding your head. Self Care is a favorite jam of mine. Speaking of Mac Miller, his previous album, The Divine Feminine, is not to be missed. It’s sexy, nasty, romantic, and features guest spots by Kendrick Lamar, Njomza, and CeeLo Green.

While I’ve been consuming all of these things, I have also been working on my coloring book. I have three pages left to illustrate before I send it off to get published. Stay tuned for the release date! :)

Yinz Bopo Swim Meetup!

You may be wondering what in the world Yinz Bopo is. 

It is a body positive group based in Pittsburgh created by artist and plus-size style blogger Jamie JeTaime @jamie_jetaime (http://jamiejetaime.com/).  "Yinz" is what Pittsburghers say instead of "Y'all."

Body positivity is loving the body that you are in, right now.  It means telling yourself that you deserve love and respect, no matter what your body happens to look like.  Abled, disabled, or otherwise.  We are human beings and none of us are perfect.  AND THAT'S OKAY!  Why spend your life criticizing yourself so harshly?  Why continue the hateful narrative that we learned through societal contact?

The first time I was made fun of for being overweight was in kindergarten.  A boy said that I looked pregnant.  I was thankfully not bullied to the point of depression, but I did learn as I grew up that my body was something to be ashamed of.  Thankfully, my mom didn't want me to hate my body like she hated hers, so she never criticized or commented on my weight.  I wasn't hearing it through her.  Just everywhere else.  Magazines, TV, movies, classmates, etc. 

I learned about body positivity after following @gabifresh (https://gabifresh.com/) on Instagram.  Then I found out about Jamie, Tess Holiday, @glitterandlazers (http://www.glitterandlazers.com/Blog/), Megan Jayne Crabbe @bodyposipanda (http://www.bodyposipanda.com/) and others.  The imagery these women create are a powerful refusal to fit into an impossible mold.  These women are living life on their own terms, blazing a trail, and lighting the way for all of us to accept ourselves and live to the fullest. 

The Yinz Bopo meetup on Sunday was a day full of love and positive vibes.  I came away rejuvenated and fired up about being myself, building a community, and having fun while wearing a bathing suit in public.  In the words of the badass Yesenia Guadalupe @myxxfly (http://www.myxxfly.com/), appearing in public, in bathing suits, and loving ourselves while doing it, is an act of rebellion.

I hope that a group like ours encourages other body positive people to get together and just bask in all the love and support!  It feels good!  

(Big ups to ModCloth for supporting Yinz Bopo and sponsoring our suits for the event!)