Happy Saturday

I hope everyone is having a great weekend so far. I am working on the thesis, I am really lucky to get such great feedback from my thesis chair. My literature review is almost done, I've found a lot of great stuff on mashups.
In other news - I finally got a haircut! My hair was getting totally crazy. I wanted to get a lot of layers but still keep the length. People have been saying how much they like the result. I really like it but Garrett says it looks sort of like a mullet.  Oh well, I will just make mullets cool again. I had a really great experience with my new hairdresser though, if you live in Gainesville and are looking for one try calling The Tease. I went to Amber but I actually have a friend that goes to Courtney so I can say both are great.

thanks

Thank you big things. Thank you University of Florida for my undergraduate and now graduate degree. Thank you for giving me options! Thank you Penland. I'm saving up my pennies to come back. I promise! Thank you learning. I'm so grateful.

Thank you friends who are scattered all over. Thank you Sigma Kappa friends, Erica in New York City, Katy in Texas, Jen in Orlando, Amy in DC, and all my other girls. Thank you old friends - Jillian, you make me so proud. Thank you new friends and new people that are almost-friends. I look forward to new adventures. I look forward to missing you when you aren't around. I love you all!

Thank you Gainesville. If you haven't come to visit yet, get over here! I have a futon you can sleep on. I love my little house on third. I love riding my bike. I love our teeny downtown. I love the Top. I love meeting new young people who are inspired by Gainesville. Thank you for Satchel's. Thank you for awesome pizza! Thanks to the boyfriend for always being kind and tolerant and a great cook. Love you.

Thank you to small things. Thank you hulu. Thank you thift store sale craft supplies. Thank you cuddly cat and fluffy dog. Thank you needle. Thank you thread. Thank you $1 refills at Maude's. Thank you nutella.

My Artwalk table

Special thanks to Garrett, The Center for Art Lovers, and the Floating Island.

i feel like i have to write something

Barry Bernard was not related to me. He wasn't even a close friend. He was someone that living in Gainesville brought into my life. I would see him all of the time on his bicycle or out while I was out. He was tall, handsome, and black. He always had on an awesome outfit and was very friendly.Even among the gorgeous kids I know in Gainesville, he stood out. He worked at Gainesville's American Apparel and it was always a bonus to see him there. His runway walk for Gainesville Fashion Week got the biggest screams of joy. Everything about him made you want to get to know him better.

His death is not something I can make sense with. He was only 25! He was loved by his girlfriend, his friends, everyone. I am glad I got to meet him. I am glad we once talked about New York. I'm glad I always waved to him when he was biking around.I am sorry I did not get the chance to know him better.

factory windows

inside....

the start of something....

and then we stole a van

What are you going to do with that?

Below is the first in a series of pieces I'm writing on my current development as an artist. Wow, that sounds very official. I'm going to write about the challenges as well as the triumphs.
I always get the same questions from people. The first is the title of this post. The second is:

How do you make money as an artist?

The short answer is: you don't.

But, I am never one for the short answer.

First, you have to have a short history lesson on me as an artist. I loved crayons as a child but my mom would not let me play with them inside the house. My parents also did not let me paint my room the crazy colors I wanted. This sparked an obsession with color. I did AP and IB art in high school. I graduated from the University of Florida with my BFA in Fine Arts this past May. For better or worse, I am forever a Gator. My concentration was Painting. I did a lot of crazy things that will be recounted later but it was mostly a great experience. I also went ahead and got minors in English and Art History. So, I am at the point where I am like, what now?

I knew I did not want to go straight into graduate school in the fall. The art grad students that I learned the most from all seemed to have taken off some time from school. Plus, I just did not feel ready. I decided to take a year off and live in Gainesville. The goal is to stay creative and not starve. It is mostly working out.

I know I'm facing a lot of challenges. I live in Gainesville, Florida. I love Gainesville. It's a city with real character. But it's not New York City, Los Angeles, or Miami. There are just less opportunities for a wide audience to see my artwork. Another challenge is one pretty much all artists will identify with- a lack of funding. I simply do not have the savings to just sit at home and paint.

But for all of the things stacked against me, I have some great things going. My parents are very supportive and encouraging. If you have that you are really lucky. The painting and drawing alumni in my school have a listserv. So, I hear about show openings, job offers, and other opportunities. I recommend everyone just about to go to school to make sure you have something similar. If you do not have it, set it up yourself! It's easy.

Well, you are probably wondering, what is she doing for money then? Well, art is not paying the bills yet. I have what most creative types have: a day job. Right now I work in an office. Soon I'm going to be doing some work for my family. That and working on graduate school applications is going to take up most of October. Stay tuned.

Welcome to Gangsterville

So I am fully a Gainesville convert. While my feelings about the University of FLorida vary, I freaking love Gainesville. I love Satchel's. I love Tim & Terry's. I love Common Grounds. I freaking love the 2nd Street Bakery. I love random house parties. I love the Top and the Atlantic and summers of gin. But most of all I love the local characters. Katy has dubbed them Gainesville superheroes.
Here are a few:
King of Bums- Seen everywhere. Always wearing a leopard skin pillbox hat and all black clothing.
Motorcycle Pirate - Most often seen in Target Copy. Always wearing multiple bandanas and a leather eyepatch.
Wandering Man - Very blonde. Most often seen walking back and forth University Avenue muttering. Might be a rapper.
The Chariotteer- Always on a bike. Uses his dogs as transportation. Told his mom about Lindsey.
One-Legged Jesse - Usually on the corner of University & 13th. Has one leg. Claims to be a Vietnam war vet. Is probably about 10 years to young to be one.
Oh and I was wondering if this was too mean to post being as how some of these people are probably homeless AND crazy. But Katy says it is not mean. Plus we should stop pretending people that dont have homes do not exist. Yeah, I'm going to hell.
Shout out to Spacecowboy & Always Running Man!
Note: After having Amy read this I realize that it could look a bit cold. The plight of the himeless is really sad and in Gainesville the real homeless don't have a lot of resources. However I realize that most of these people are just unique rather than destitute. I'm pretty sure most of these people have jobs and homes. They probvably make more money than I do. Well, probably not One-Legged Jesse....

Holy Geek-out, Batman!

I’m not part of any one scene. I’m an artist and have some artsy friends but I don’t really seek out to define myself as such. I’m a sorority girl and proud of it but not all of my friends are greeks. I’m Jamaican and Chinese and that suit me just fine. I think it’s a cool combination. And I think it sometimes throws people off guard that I am proud to be an American. I mean, I absolutely LOVE America. And yes, I am a Liberal. You can be both. And I like a lot of stuff that comes with belonging to the so-called “indie scene” in Gainesville. First off, the indie scene in Gainesville is much more of a welcoming atmosphere than most. People are nice here. For the most part elitist snobs who are wearing that thrift store shirt to be ironic and actually drive some sort of disgusting SUV are actually hard to find. Also, it’s a small town. You meet one person and then realize that they were in a band with your friend or served you sweet potato fries at The Top or you went to their ex-boyfriend’s art show at the Down-Home Gallery. Gainesville has a lot of charm in it and I like that it doesn’t make me choose. I can get decent food here for a good price. While I think our mall is lacking, Orlando isn’t that far away and that sorta makes me save money. Besides, I do NOT need to be obsessing over things I cannot afford.

The only thing I am missing in this town is a REAL comics shop with underground comix and a knowlegable staff. Not Manga, although I bet a store devoted solely to Manga would do pretty well in Gainesville. I’m talking independent comics or at least things a little more experimental than your standard superhero fare. R.Crumb? Chris Ware? Harvey Pekar? Some new person I don’t even know about yet who is self-publishing his own tomes like a mad monk? I would like to find out firsthand who the next Marjane Satrapi is by reading his/her book, not by reading the blurb in the New York Times Book Review! Note: if you haven’t read Persepolis, do it now. It’s simply drawn and sensitively told. It’s great storytelling. Also, it would be nice if I could go to one place and be able to find a decent comics selection. Right now the only series I am into is FABLES. I can’t wait to find out what is next. So Gainesville, you heard it from me first, if you want to get better as a city, we need a comix shop.

PS- I still think the term “graphic novel” is pretentious. It also sounds a little like it’s something dirty. Think about it.