Here’s the crew.
I’ve been kind of sidetracked from blogging late. What can I say, sometimes life gets in the way. If anyone was curious, I have been keeping up with my creative challenge. The next few days I am going to investigate the world of DIY sites. One of my lovely friends, Ms. Lauren Savit, works for the L Magazine introduced me to her friend who writes the L’s To DIY For, which is really great and inspiring. I love DIY sites. I particularly love posts that say things like “Make an ugly mirror pretty,” “buy a cheap mirror from a thrift store and paint it!” (You know who you are Design Sponge–I like you, but sometimes you make me smile for silly reasons.)
Anyhow, here are some photographs of some of my more recent adventures. I call this one Dinosaur Apocalypse.
Then came Halloween…
I’m really strong.
Really, really strong.
Also introducing the Bearded Lady, Trapeze Star and Sad Clown (all in getting ready mode, once I get the film developed you can see finished mode).
I’m back, back to the reality of job hunting (blah). Vermont was so much fun, I wish I was still there. I caught a ten hour Amtrak home yesterday, which I thought would seem a lot longer then it did. It gave me a lot of time to think, read and write. Well, the writing wasn’t very successful due to the rocking of the train; I couldn’t really read what I had written down. I gave up writing sentences and wrote an outline to a story I am going to write (I’ll share that with you later) and I wrote some poems, but none that I like enough to share.
Here are a pictures from the other days of my trip. We went hiking, attempted to make more pie, ate so many apples my teeth hurt and just spent a lot of quality Eliza/Katelynn time drinking tea and talking.
One of our adventures.
Our hike changed from being surrounded by beautiful fall colors to winter wonderland! Amazing how the weather changes with a few hundred feet in altitude.
The ominous dark peak at the top of this photo is what we hiked, it is called Camel’s Hump. The hump is the second tallest peak in Vermont. Eliza works for the VYCC which is located in a gorgeous barn with a beautiful view of the hump. Their across the street neighbors thought it would be really funny if they got a camel so that the camel could live right under Camel’s Hump, so they bought one. The live camel (who’s name I forget) was inside when we passed by. I was also told Camel’s Hump used to be called Camel’s Rump, but was changed to be more ‘appropriate’ or ’serious,’ depending on who you ask.
Yesterday I made my way up to Vermont. I took a beautiful bus ride from Port Authority to Williamstown, MA. A lively five and a half hours; after multiple announcements asking passengers not to use their cell phones or at least keep conversations short and quiet, the woman sitting directly in front of me spent the next four hours on her phone. It went so far as to the bus driver making shushing sounds over the loud speaker, thank god for headphones.
Vermont is one of my most favorite places in the whole world. I arrived in Williamstown where my dear friend Eliza picked me up and drove me to her childhood home in Bennington. We pulled up to a flurry of cider pressing, wandering chickens and my old friend Peanut (a chocolate lab) lounging around the front drive. Cider pressing transitioned into pizza dough making (for the wood fired pizza oven) which then got side-tracked by an extensive stay in the sauna. It was one of my most favorite days in a long while. Everything here is incredibly inspiring. The colors are so vivid, the food so fresh and the company doesn’t get any better. I’d like to ramble on and on about my adventures, but I am using borrowed internet and in a hurry, so here are some photos I took and there are more to come (particularly of chickens).
This is my beautiful friend Eliza!
Eliza’s mom setting up the industrial press. We didn’t end up getting the fancy one to work, so we went old school with the hand presser.
These are all home canned vegetables. We used a can of delicious tomatoes for our pizza.
They say practice makes perfect, so don’t judge me by day 1. Do to a lack of time today I just did some quick sketching. While I am not totally pleased with the outcome, the whole point of the 30 day creative challenge is to get in the habit of doing things so that I am more pleased with the outcome. Perhaps day 2 will go more smoothly. I am going to Vermont tomorrow, so there may be some delays in posting.
Here are some photos of my room where the majority of the creative challenge will probably take place. I tried to set it up so it would be inspiring. The panels on the wall are ceiling tiles that I am using like cork board. FYI they work really well in case you are looking to hang something like cork board, but can’t afford giant slabs. They also have a cool industrial feel.
inspiration….or lack there of. My goal is to start inspiring myself and utilize those around me who inspire me.
For the past few weeks I have been unemployed. A slightly fun, but slightly dismal existence has ensued. I had hoped (still hope) to use this time to find myself (corny I know, but as an introverted, over-thinker, I could use it). Indulge in all of the creativity I have always wanted to indulge in; use this time to draw, sculpt and write. I guess I just need a kick in the ass, so that is what I am doing. I am kicking my own ass and doing a thirty day creative challenge.
Everyday for the next 30 days I will do something. Whether it is drawing, writing, taking pictures, volunteering or simply contacting people I am interested in, I am going to do something that is more then just applying to jobs.
So here we go…..
I’ve officially begun learning how to sew! Check out the curtains I made for my room above, they kind of make the window. I know how to hand stitch, cross stitch and fix buttons, but I don’t know how to sit down at the machine and craft something from a yard of fabric. That’s where Kelsy Parkhouse comes in. She is one of the most lovely and talented girls on the planet, who just happens to be my friend, and who has agreed to squeeze in some sewing lessons in between her busy schedule of being a rockstar Pratt fashion design student. Here’s a look at some of the stuff she sells on etsy, check out her page here!
Fall is my favorite season in New York City. Here are some things that are new with me:
1. Job hunting is way more difficult then I thought it would be. If anyone has any leads or recommendations, they’d be greatly appreciated.
2. I am going to one of my favorite states of all time on Monday! Yay for Vermont! Yay for my long-lost friend Eliza, who if you don’t know her, she is the coolest.
3. As the lovely Miss Melanie pointed out a new cloud formation has been discover. Crazy I know, check it out here.
4. The weather…could NYC be any more beautiful in the fall? Such a good season.
5. The lovely Miss Kristin Koch’s blog: art you can fart.
6. The lovely Miss Ana Perkin’s blog: Grown Up Shoes.
7. I am very sad about the closing of Gourmet. I still can’t believe they are closing it. It was so good.
8. I am in the beginning stages of marathon training. Anyone want to go for a run?
One of my most favorite people work for Creative Time, a cool New York City based non-profit that does a lot of public art projects. They’re next event is coming up October 23-24. You all should check it out.
