nixon now.. and again

Nixon -- another brand i have grown faithful to.
Last week I found this watch buried deep within the archives of bracelets, charms, necklaces and rings that i once loved, could never get rid of, but will never wear again..
i instantly remembered that i discontinued the wear of my beloved watch because of a loose clasp. well!, i took the watch to a repair shop immediately -- a new clasp, a new battery, and $27 later -- I have a new watch!

i cant recall exactly what year i got it or where i bought it from but i know i have found love again.

this watch, which apparently is not available anymore, is clearly the coolest women's watch Nixon has made to date. its more like a bracelet than a watch. lightweight and very functional.

time frames and deadlines are a part of my everyday life -- so if i wear a watch it is under constant observation. however, things are different when i wear this watch! -- checking the time is an option requiring a small flip of the face, kinetic movement, to know what time it is. brilliant!

Something really Fantastic

OH! Of course. One of my all time favorite design firms working with my all time favorite film maker. Thats all.

The Making of Fantastic Mr.Fox

"Wes Anderson was closely involved in the book design. He provided Hyland with his starting point, the book Truffaut by Truffaut, and worked in conjunction with the Pentagram team, approving overall structure, layouts and use of font."

Oh to be so lucky.

Dear Wes Anderson,
I have cleared my schedule for the rest of my life in anticipation of working with you on your next film/book design.
Love, The Office of Val Brown

Suite!

Proven. The word "Apartment" ("Apt") can be effectively replaced with "Suite" ("Ste").. and that is SWEET!

Another year... Another Moleskine

i am clearly a creature of habit.
and a loyal consumer to the products i have learned to love.. and quite possibly can not function without.

this time of year is always a challenge. switching from one calendar to another. And with the change of the year comes the awkward few weeks of accidentally writing the wrong year on everything and statements like "this is MY year".
well, if anything is apparent it is that time moves on. and 17 days into the new year i will with much reservation move on from my twenties into my thirties. ..

its hard for me to believe! thirty years into "it" and i am happy. happy to be surrounded by my loved ones. happy to know who my friends are. happy to be successful in my path. and happy to be alive and (almost) 30.

happy sprouts

Well wishes do come true!
I found this little $3 plant during a late night Walgreen's experience. He was happily living in my office making my work day delightful when the Vortex of Negative Evil that sometimes takes over my workplace killed him D:
I arrived to the office one Monday to find my guy sans leaves! ohhh no. I brought him home to my lovely little Boofie Cave (apartment) which is clearly filled with positive energy & "all things that are good", re-potted him and wished him well.

After a month and a half of no signs of life -- I was shocked the other day when i noticed -- SPROUTS! wow.

HAPPY SPROUTS that will not capitulate to the Vortex of Negative Evil... and neither will I!

"Okra lovers Unite."

Word of mouth lead me to what turned out to be a very inspiring lecture of ideas by Amos Paul Kennedy Jr, a letter press and book artist from Gordo, Alabama. His ideas seem simple yet unexplored. Their intention is to stir emotion and inspire.

"Why is it fair that we are trying to better ourselves with higher education and then leave institutions as indentured servants with $20,000 in debt?!"

Amos lectured on minimalist principles from how much to charge for artwork to what makes a person happy and it doesn't really matter where you live -- as long as you are able to create. The latter is a thought I have had the past two years.

I wonder if i would create more if i was surrounded by like-minded people that i could share ideas and create energy with or if being surrounded by those very people would distract me to the point that i would create less. At this point in my life, I am my best & hardest (and only) critic. Whatever I think is right! and good!... because i am the only one subjectively critiquing. which seems to be a great way to work by way of feeding my own ego and confidence in my work.

For Amos Paul Kennedy, this seems like the only way to work -- no distractions in the small town of Gordo Alabama (pop. 1,677), plenty of time to dedicated to the art and be simple.

"Artist have the biggest egos." because their ideas are exposed to everyone.
raw feelings on the line for others to openly critique.

Thrift Store

Really. Nothing makes me feel more "Lubbock" than a Thrift Store Cowboys show.
http://www.last.fm/music/Thrift+Store+Cowboys/_/Damn+New+Mexico

And this weekend was no exception. I went to a Thrift Store show on Friday night and it summed up my Lubbock experience perfect:

BEAUTIFUL. LOCAL. FUN. LONESTAR. TOWNIES. COUNTRY. ALTERNATIVE. LOUD. ENERGETIC. AWKWARD. OVERALL GREAT!

Just as I can not fathom why 54 Seconds:
http://www.last.fm/music/54+Seconds/Coma/Complicated
one of my favorite Austin bands.. is not FAMOUS yet!.. I can not imagine how the Thrift Store Cowboys are not "famous" yet either.

I guess just as most contemporary artists might live -- undiscovered these bands are one in the same. Undiscovered. I hope one day they will be. And maybe they will GET THEIRS. Just as most artists should. :D

i do!

photo: me. my favorite office coffee mug

Everyday should start with a little Milton Glaser.
http://www.miltonglaser.com/pages/identproj/id_index.html

I had a conversation with a friend last weekend about how "men are more talented than women". crazy thought. but.. hummm, I wonder if it is true. I think about all of my immortal heroes: Dario Robleto. Matthew Barney. Ryan McGinness. Banksy. Egon Schiele. Tord Boontje. George Orwell. Massimo Vignelli. The Factory. Donald Judd. Milton Glaser. Herman Hess. Sagmeister. Wes Anderson. Anthony Bourdain. the asterisk.

ALL MEN.

well, the gender of "the asterisk" is not yet determined but I would venture to say the asterisk is in fact a man -- characteristics being physically secure and confident, sarcastic, alterior motives, underlying meanings and hard for most to pronounce. a man.

What is it about these men that made them so? And is "it" something that is unattainable to women? Why are all of "the greats" -- at least the ones in my world -- men?..

I was once mistaken for a man before an design interview. I submitted my resume, was called in and interviewed and then in a moment of honesty the Art Director told me -- based on my resume, their whole firm thought i "was a man". I was impressed with myself. And inspired to make more non-gender specific art.

I don't want to be a man. I love being a woman. And I love men.
But surely there is more to this than simply "men are more talented than women". Maybe it is something that men posses that women are simply lacking. And does that lacking include all women? fingers crossed that maybe I am in the minority and one day I will wake up and realize that I am too am one of my own immortal heroes.

sew it seems..

Another addition into my exploration of ideas :) A Singer "Tradition" sewing machine!!
My sister began to teach me how to sew this summer. After I nailed a few projects... I was hooked! During the August Art Market my dear Grandmother, Michaela Villegas, came to visit and was so surprised that I had learned to sew. Being the generous and caring Grandma that she has always been, she offered me her beloved sewing machine -- the machine that single-handedly made each member of our family their own "colcha" (blanket).

I was elated! My mom trekked out to my Grandmother's house a few days later to pick up the machine. She was to take Grandma's machine to the shop for a routine maintenance and then I would pick it up from her house.

Later that week, I arrived at my Mom's house... and to my surprise my Mom had bought me my very own machine! Apparently Grandma's machine was worn beyond repair and would have been difficult for a beginning sewer, such as myself, to use.

I have had a great time playing with my machine and making new things. So far I have made -- lavender scented eye pillows, cloth headbands, yoga mat bags and attempted a clutch bag... which turned out to be quite a failure. My Singer Tradition has proved to be, as everything in my apartment must be, very portable. I set it up in the kitchen usually right after dinner :). What a perfect place to feed my creative exploration of a new medium!

And how fitting is it that my mom gave me the Singer "Tradition"? Just as it should be named. I will work to carry on a tradition that has been in my family for generations. Maybe one day I will make "colchas" for everyone just as my Grandma Mickey did.

lucky me.

My relationship with the vehicle called ART has been exciting, experimental, challenging, heart-breaking, consuming, rewarding, positive, negative and overall life changing. The feeling of physically being productive and having the ability to transform my ideas and experiences into works that could potentially out live me consumes me and... i feel lucky. It is a beautiful energy that I willingly allow to take over my thoughts, heart and briefly my life.

Each time I fall into that all-consuming place i am reminded of why love being there.

"have fun! make art!" -- Pehr Smith