Gee How Quaint

26 Dec 2010

So. Here we are in that lull between one big party and the next. It's a nowhere place, this in-between time. The boredom is somewhat welcome after being thrown mercilessly into the Christmas Spirit.
This down time does cause a person to reflect. You want to change things. But what? And why? You want to plan something big and momentous for the upcoming year, as if you won't feel tired and dragged down by the tedium of the everyday.

As I think of the year ahead, I am freaking out. I am so excited about the project of creating all those artworks and seeing my big plans come in to being. But what actually freaks me out more is thinking what to do next. What will I be doing this time next year? I've got so many big plans and ideas, well, big ideas really. It's a bit dangerous to start planning at this stage.

Maybe what I shall focus on are all those great and fun things I've done in 2010 and how I will continue to do them in 2011. What is good for the soul? Knitting and soldering with friends, Samba drumming, and general goofing around with my family.

My, it's lookin' a bit empty in there

The other day, a friend asked me a very good question.  'Cassandra, what exactly is your Gee How Quaint blog supposed to be about?'  At first I thought that the answer was a bit obvious.  The blog is so clearly about my business, Gee How Quaint.  Upon closer inspection, I did realize he had a point.  This blog seems to be a lot about random stuff.  Stuff I like.  Stuff that is neat.  Stuff about me.  Some stuff about the business.  It has most certainly changed from the original intention.  In the beginning it was about Gocco screen printing, how I create my printed fabrics and about the business.  The blog has most certainly changed.

Well, just as the blog has changed, so has the business.  For those of you that occasionally dip into www.geehowquaint.com you may have found that things are looking a little bit sparse.  Where are all the different types of shoe bags and knicker bags that were once available?  What about the men's section that has somehow completely vanished?  What about the New Product Updates that used to be delivered with such excitement and fanfare.

The truth is, I have decided that Gee How Quaint has been doing too much of the same thing over and over.  I have let my ranges sell out to leave a space for something new.

So here's the deal, folks.  Once the shiny pink knicker bags have sold, there will not be any more to replace them.  When the Authentic Tea Shirts have finally be delivered to their final destinations, they won't be replenished.  Gee How Quaint has been ticking over nicely, but it is time for a shake up. It isn't that it is not doing well, it's just that I need to do something different.  Once the spark begins to lose it's glow, it is time to change things.

 

 

The wrong kind of Monday

What has happened to my week?  I ended the work day yesterday feeling a bit annoyed and that annoyed-at-myself feeling is seeping into my Tuesday.  It will surely visit me tomorrow and I can tell you that I will be fighting it off for the rest of the week.

So, what happened?  I should know by now that for my week to go well, I need to have a super successful Monday.  My Monday needs to rock.  It needs to be filled with great music to work to and it needs to be filled with long blocks of time for me to create.  Instead, my Monday began with my bad decision to deal with odds and ends.  No, Cassandra, no!  That is what Friday is for.  My morning was spent doing a little bit of this, doing a little bit of that, flit flit flit.  I then had to run a couple of errands which gave me 15 minutes free time here, 20 minutes free time there.  Then it was time to make dinner.  And walk the dog.  Again.  Because she gets two walks out of me in a day.

What happened to my Tuesday?  Although it was super lovely to meet my good friends, the morning before I ventured out was spent updating spreadsheets, sending off a couple of random emails, random ditty things all morning long.  I should have sat down at my desk, grabbed my fabrics and just gotten on with creating.  On the upside, I was the recipient of some great news from my very pro-active friend and her plans for the future.  Hurrah, Black Sheep.  Hurrah.  And of course catching up with my good friend Ian was also a delightment.

What will happen to my tomorrow?  My diary tells me nothing creative, day 3 in a row.

Next week will be better.  I have learned my bad Monday lesson and promise to do better next time.

College closure

As of Wednesday, 30th of June 2010, my alma mater no longer exists.  My first reaction was one of disbelief (Can colleges close? Can that happen??).  My second reaction was self centered (Nuts.  How will I be able to use them as a reference for future work?!).  My third reaction was relief (Thank God Nicole went to UNK, instead).  And then I had a thought for someone else.  Lots of someone elses.  Like the students.  The staff.  Where are they all to go now?  My friend that works at the college had found out when everyone else found out and this was by reading the newspaper.  How atrocious.

What does Dana College mean to me?  I think that I shall eulogize.  It was the perfect college for me.  It was far from home, small, manageable, and had a rockin' art department.  I loved loved loved my art classes.  Life Drawing, Painting for 2 semesters, Photography, 'Art in the Dark' Art History which I excelled in, Printmaking for 2 semesters and on and on and on.  It is telling when I say that there was only one other person in my  Art Education class.  This was actually ideal.  Dr H and Other Student and I would have class in his office and on nice, sunny days, we would walk around the campus.  At Dana, I felt like an important part of the community.  I wasn't wrapped up in anything extra curricular, however I felt like so much focus was on the individual student that if I were gone, I would be missed.

I appreciate the fact that when I was ill and had to leave for a semester, most universities would have cleared me off the honours list and waved be good bye?  What?  You can't keep your grades up to keep your scholarship?  Sucks to be you.  In my situation, I had a conversation, explained that I would be in a different state undergoing surgeries then recovery, I missed my semester then added it back on at the end, graduating in not 4 years, but 5.  It was gutting to see the class that I started my uni experience with, graduate.  Although I was so excited for my friends, it was sad to have to wave them on to The Next Thing whilst I felt left behind. 

As for the friends that I made, although I am not in touch with most of them, I believe at that crossroads in my life, all those unique connections were right for the time.  My roomate, so much my opposite, with her schedule broken down into 15 minute increments, her cheerleading, her singing, and acting, and dancing, oh my!  How did we ever get on?!  And Max.  Such a great friend.  No, not just a friend, but a best friend to me.  I blame myself for how stupidly that all ended.  My nemisis, Nikki, and that talent that just would not end.  Lindsey crazy as a firecracker.  Liza with the kinky ginger locks and drama.  Man.  Those were some days.  Not crazy days.  But interesting days.

Oh how I have just digressed. 

So.  Dana.  What a sad day for us all. 

And I wonder...how exactly will I be able to prove that I graduated from there if no one is present to answer the phone?

For more information on Dana's closure, please follow this link.

Time to get back to work

The month of June has been an exciting, fun and eventful  month as my family from the states visited me here in the lovely city of Edinburgh.  We had joy.  We had fun.  We got sunburned in the sun.  For an update on the visit (warning:  update ends on a sad note) please visit my other blog at Tea Towels and Sheets.

I had decided that I didn't want to have to rush around working whilst my family were visiting, so now, well now, the list is rather long and daunting.  As I am having a stall at the West End Fair during the Edinburgh Festival in August, I must get to work on creating artwork to actually sell in that space.  Put this note in your diary folks:  August 12 - 15, West End Fair, Princes Street Gardens.  The fair actually spans the month of August, however, I can only take part for this short period of time. Artwork prices will range from £20 to £200.  You can expect to see works of the castle, tenements, tower blocks, some with LEDS, some without.  I am so excited to carry on with this work.  I did find that my hands were twitchy during the 2 1/2 week break from working. 

With that said, I must scoot and get to it.  This afternoon I have a meeting with an art space facilitator and am hoping to come out of that appointment feeling rather chuffed with life.

My favourite things

As a member of the Newcastle Craft Mafia, we were asked to list 6 of our favourite things.  This is my post from the Newcastle Craft Mafia Blog.

Whilst thinking of my most favourite things that I need in order to work well/stay sane/enjoy life, it took only a few seconds to come up with my list of six. What are the things I need in my life to make it interesting and exciting, to keep it creative and energetic and fun. What are the things I need around me for inspiration.

1. A dog named The Outlaw Josey Tails. This photo was taken just a couple weeks ago, when The Jose and I (along with husband, of course) clamboured up Arthur's Seat. You can see Edinburgh layed out in the background and Josey, for some reason, is listing to the left. How does this little wiggly dog keep me inspired in my work? As I work from home, I spend many many hours in the house going about my tasks. I find her presence comforting. She also lets me know when I need a break by waggling her tail, looking up pleadingly at me to let me know it's time for her Walkies.
2. My music. Listening to my playlist helps me to get into the 'zone' which is the place I need to be in order to get stuff done. My top choices are Grizzly Bear (the remixes), Aphex Twin, Phantogram, Caribou, Four Tet and Fleetwood Mac. (Which one of these things is not like the other?)
3. Art Board. In my home studio, I have three magnetic boards. One is dedicated to artwork that I find inspiring/interesting/I could stare at it for hours. Currently, I have images from the Yoshitomo Nara+Graf exhibition which I saw last year at the Baltic, and a photograph of an exhibition I just saw at the Fruitmarket Gallery in Edinburgh. Artworks by Cloud Commission and Marlarky also occupy this space.
4. My Gocco Printer! How could I leave this to number 4?! This is the machine that I use to create most of my artwork. It's versatile, tactile, a little bit quirky and temperamental. Possibly a lot like me.
5. Baking (even though I am awful at it). I bake when I am stumped. I bake when I complete an artwork that I feel has been a success. I bake when I am between projects. Baking time is my thinking time. Yesterday I made Chocolate and Guinness cupcakes to celebrate creating what I feel is my best artwork yet.
6. My husband. Even though he often doesn't 'get' me, this fiery creative female, I am thankful for his support. He has seen me at my worst and he has seen me at my best. I seem to leap from one extreme to the other, yet he is nice and steady. He helps keep me grounded, which can be a monumental task at the worst of times.

Lighten up, Cassandra

Dear Cassandra

Will you please ligthen up.  You are driving yourself mad and possibly into an early grave if you do not give yourself a break.

If I were Other Than Me, this is the note I would write myself.

I have been getting a little annoyed with myself as of late and the more I think about it, the more unjustified it is.  My frustration is based on the question: Why aren't I getting more stuff done?!  This is in reference to my funding applications for the art tour (still?!), the fact that I haven't gotten in to any shops in Edinburgh, my lack of ideas and sketches for the art tour and well, why isn't the guest room sorted out?!  But the fact is that I have got a lot on my plate. 

This is the dish:

Two upcoming art exhibitions in London which I still need to create work for (this July and May 2011)

Researching, contacting other exhibition opportunities

Learning new techniques for my creative output, namely, how to rig it with LEDs

6 artworks need to be complete for new gallery in Leicestershire

Art tour - funding applications, preliminary sketches of works, final working drawings, and after all that eventually printing and adding the details

Plus the daily running of Gee How Quaint, daily trips to post office, printing and preparing orders, restocking, etc, etc, etc.  Today I at least printed my tea cup aprons.

I think it's the way in which I am tackling it all that doesn't feel very effective.  I sort of spend my day dealing with everything.  A bite here.  A nibble there.  Perhaps I need to schedule a full day dedicated to one activity.  It's just that I feel really scatty at the moment and usually I am quite good and keeping to my schedules.

But I also need to be forgiving in the fact that I am still quite new to Edinburgh and I need to allow myself time to settle.

Bake-crastinating

Today I bake-crastinated with blueberry muffins.  Oh boy, did they smell nice baking their little melty blueberry goodness in my oven.  I have a most serious problem of using baking to keep me from working.

To date I have bake-crastinated with:

Banana Bread (family recipe.  Thanks Ma!)

Cupcakes of various chocolate toppings and icings

Lemon Drizzle Cake

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Not all on the same day of course.  That would be madness.  I did actually print 2 metres of black Florie fabric but I tell you at the end of all that hard work, one just feels a bit peckish and a little chocolate biscuit just isn't enough to satisfy the hunger.

I dare say I better go now and eat the little blueberry darlings. I hang my head in shame (and stuff my face with food).

Adversity will change you

This weekend I received a request from a textile design student living in London, asking me if she could have a work placement.  As amazing and lovely as that sounds, the distance is a huge issue and to be honest, I think I would be learning more from her than she would from me.  Obviously, that ain't no bad thing for me, but a bit of a timewaste for her.

As I read through her CV and artist statement, I was floored by her experience, international travel to learn techniques and obvious excitement for life.  In the middle of it was a statement about her having had major (and I mean MAJOR!) surgery in her teens.  How much did that influence her later decisions?

I also stumbled upon a comic book artist that had created some pretty nifty work and had even done an entire comic on his own battle with Chrohn's Disease.  I think the title is something like 'What you never wanted to know about Crohn's Disease.'

Then there is the story about my friend Duane...always going on and on about going to art school.  Why don't I go?  I should go.  And he just...wouldn't.  And then something very sad happened.  His Dad died at such a young age.  Now Duane is going to art school and is doing amazingly well.

So it gets me to wonder, how much does adversity change your decisions in life, therefore changing your course?  Would I have been quite a different person if I had not had my own battles?

I have spent somewhere between 120 and 130 days in hospital over a span of 7 years.  Some of those days were grouped together in weeks and sometimes well over a month.  Think of all the things you do in a day.  All of those hours stretched out and the things you see and do and people you meet and the food you eat and the coffee you drink.  Imagine days of laying in a hospital bed.  Day after day.  And the only form of entertainment is spent thinking 'Thank God I'm not that person in the bed beside me, with the broken hip/liver disease/heart problem/whatever' (I was in for along time so roomates changed frequently).  Thirteen surgeries later and I wonder how has all of that changed the person I was going to be?  (I most certainly wouldn't have to carry my medical kit around with me all the time).

Is this why I feel complete frustration sitting infront of the t.v. in the evenings, itching to get out and do things instead of feeling like I am wasting my life?  Do I appreciate walking in the sunshine, eating amazing food, drinking coffee and people watching more than I would have done before?  I have made some pretty drastic decisions because, heck, you've only got one shot at life.  Would I have moved from the states to the UK, started Gee How Quaint (so risky, both of them), made the scary decision to stop pissing around with jobs I hated (admin) and finally, single mindedly, step out as a working artist for my career.  It definately isn't a 'safe' choice.

I don't see any stopping my need to pick up new skills, however random they are:  Indian Head Massage, Swing dancing, knitting, and the latest learning of how to put LEDs into stuff.

So what does this make my life philosophy?

If you're not passionate about what you're doing, then there is no point in doing it.

This weather makes me hurt

As the title states, this weather makes me hurt.  My body has been aching for the passed three days.  How is it that my 31 year old self has been dumped into the body of a 60 year old?  I don't LOOK like a 60 year old, but with these aches and pains, I feel like someone who has been around a LOT longer than my three-and-a-bit decades.

My hands are swollen. I'm finding it difficult to hold the sewing needle and make my intricately designed and made artworks.  It's all about the details...and my hands are rebelling.  Keeping at bay the scared little voice 'what if we can't do this much longer?!  What if..' is trying at the best of times.  It's nearly impossible at the worst.

If I couldn't print and draw and stitch and knit and work in my creative way, then what?  Maybe take up painting with palette knives?  Work big and sloppy? I am sure there are other ways.