I’ve had to scale back my goals a bit for my own sanity. Right now, I just need to focus on one thing at a time. This is a work-in-progress poster illustration which is part of a bigger project I want to launch. Stay tuned, I need your help to bring this to fruition… to make the world even a slightly better place with the talents I’ve been given. I can’t wait to show everyone!
I had a fantastic surprise when I got home from work today and checked my mailbox… a slim little envelope from Brooklyn. What’s in it, you wonder? It was my set of rules/directions and little sketchbook for the 2013 edition of The Sketchbook Project! The premise is that artists around the country fill up a small sketchbook with any type of art and medium. Afterwards, you send it back to the Brooklyn Art Library where the books are then taken on tour around the country before being archived at the library.
I first learned about the project a few years back and every year I thought to myself “Oh, I should join in” but time and other things always kept me from making the commitment. This year– after being reminded of the project by one of my lovely coworkers– I finally took the plunge and signed up. Now, to just figure out what my theme will be…
Are you interested in joining too? Click the link above to sign up or find out more details! I think it’d be a good exercise for any type of artist.
Today I tried my hand at making the “Better Bean Burgers” found in the book Vegan on the Cheap. It’s quick, it’s easy, it uses ingredients you most likely have on hand (and you can substitute where necessary), and they taste good!
My simplified version of the recipe just used things I had on hand in my pantry. Flour, salt, pepper, a can of beans and an onion. Add a little olive oil to cook in and you’re golden!
When I was young, I had a lot of dreams. That’s just the kind of child I was and, quite frankly, the person I still am. When I would imagine what I was going to be when I grew up, two things usually came to mind: Illustrator and Singer. The dream of illustrating books, much like many of my relatives on my mother’s side, eventually morphed into my career today. I work a 9-5 as a graphic designer and create artwork in my spare time. The other fantasy, that of being a singer kind of fell to the wayside the older I got. “That’s not practical” I would think, “besides, who would want to hear me?” That never stopped me from becoming that girl who rocks out while driving down the interstate, though. In the past year, though, my love for it has kind of been rekindled. I learned how to play guitar for accompaniment and brushed off my old piano skills for the same thing. I dabbled in songwriting, something I always swore I had no talent for whatsoever. And I got the courage to actually put myself out there for my friends– and even a few strangers– and let them hear… and the reaction was better than I’d ever imagined.
Some days, I just sit and think at night, thinking that I want to sing. To make more people smile than just my friends. It’s a strange thought and not one I’m sure what to do with.
I do, however, believe that our dreams and ambitions are given to us for a purpose. We’re meant to use them in some way to guide our paths in life. Is there something you dream of doing that you just never thought you had the ability for? I dare you to try it. You can do anything you set your mind to– never let the world around you tell you it won’t work out. I swear it’s the truth. You never know, maybe that thing that’s been buried inside for so long will free some things in you just as you let it escape into the world.
Why not try? What have you to lose?
I always say this but… live shows are the best! Young the Giant didn’t disappoint and I have yet another new band to check out, courtesy of their opening act The Apache Relay (electric violin. enough said.). Also, I know I’ve mentioned before that I prefer smaller venues but there’s one thing a larger place has going for it and that’s… fantastic light shows and sets. Add a little drama to a live show and I’m a happy woman. Besides, you can’t beat the gorgeous architecture inside an old theatre like The National.♥
