I might not have been around much but I have been doing the odd thing - mostly finishing up commitments - just not had time to put them on here recently.....
Oh how I miss arty times and arty friends
Friday, December 29, 2006
Working away
I might not have been around much but I have been doing the odd thing - mostly finishing up commitments - just not had time to put them on here recently.....
Oh how I miss arty times and arty friends
Late and early
Life's chaos so this is my late Christams and early New Year wish to you all - may 2007 be your year.
Here's a Christmas decoration I made in response to November's challenge on Creative journey - you're welcome to come and join us if you can commit to exploring a theme through monthly arty challenges
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Fast and Dirty Revisited
OK, the fast and dirty not so chunky book slowed a little - mainly due to someone else's misunderstanding and the chaos that was unwittingly caused. Anyhow, that's all sorted and the skinny minnies will all be going out to their owners over the next few days - yippee!
so hoping to show a few pics on here soon
Just to keep the visual content up, here's a pic of a Posada that came to visit me a few years ago. I might not be religious, but I felt honoured to participate nonetheless. And here's the explanation of what it is
Friday, December 08, 2006
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Nice one!
You are the Star:
You are The Star
Hope, expectation, Bright promises.
The Star is one of the great cards of faith, dreams realised
The Star is a card that looks to the future. It does not predict any immediate or powerful change, but it does predict hope and healing. This card suggests clarity of vision, spiritual insight. And, most importantly, that unexpected help will be coming, with water to quench your thirst, with a guiding light to the future. They might say you're a dreamer, but you're not the only one.
What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.
Friday, November 17, 2006
Big Excitement
Biggest news of the weekend for me - I'm featured in an interview with Artella Daily Muse. Here's the details with a link two a free two day subscription:
"You will be in the Artist Profile of the Day this Sunday, on November 19th. So, if you'd like to see it, then sign up for a free, 2-day membership to the Daily Muse either on Saturday, or Sunday, whichever you like. Here's the link for you:
here
Also, the DailyMuse shows up much better in Internet Explorer than in FireFox, so you probably want to open up that link in IE."
I can't tell you what a boost this is to me - just what I needed. It's all come about through an art deck that I participated in - will get some pics and tell more about it in the wild blue yonder of when I have more time........
"You will be in the Artist Profile of the Day this Sunday, on November 19th. So, if you'd like to see it, then sign up for a free, 2-day membership to the Daily Muse either on Saturday, or Sunday, whichever you like. Here's the link for you:
here
Also, the DailyMuse shows up much better in Internet Explorer than in FireFox, so you probably want to open up that link in IE."
I can't tell you what a boost this is to me - just what I needed. It's all come about through an art deck that I participated in - will get some pics and tell more about it in the wild blue yonder of when I have more time........
It's the weekend!
Oooooooooh - made me gasp with delight - shame the little boy one is all sold out!
The teapot artist is Andy Titcomb
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Uncanny timing
Sometimes it's unbelievable
'Judging yourself for what you haven't yet accomplished, Laura, is kind of like taking rocket fuel from the rocket so that it might fly higher.
I said, "kind of."
Tallyho,
The Universe
Thoughts become things... choose the good ones! ®
The rocket needs fuel, Laura, and you deserve a standing ovation. I know. '
Exactly what I needed to know from
here
'Judging yourself for what you haven't yet accomplished, Laura, is kind of like taking rocket fuel from the rocket so that it might fly higher.
I said, "kind of."
Tallyho,
The Universe
Thoughts become things... choose the good ones! ®
The rocket needs fuel, Laura, and you deserve a standing ovation. I know. '
Exactly what I needed to know from
here
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Waving not drowning
Not a whole lot of art going on here - adjusting to my new life - but I'm determined to get a bit in! Even showed an altered book to a largely non comprehending audience in my first team meeting - have to get them used to the concept first..... one person seemed to switch onto it very quickly though.
Anyhow - here's some old stuff just to be getting on with
An altered playing card around the Lammas Fair at Ballycastle (think cinder toffee and a mass of wasps....)
My entry into a monochrome deco - one of the first I ever did
Bit of a green theme here then eh? Missing my arty times with everyone
Anyhow - here's some old stuff just to be getting on with
An altered playing card around the Lammas Fair at Ballycastle (think cinder toffee and a mass of wasps....)
My entry into a monochrome deco - one of the first I ever did
Bit of a green theme here then eh? Missing my arty times with everyone
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Friday, November 03, 2006
03-11-2006 16;54;56
OK - I'll give a prize to the first person who correctly guesses how I created this background
Great poem
" Neil Gaiman
The Day the Saucers Came
That day, the saucers landed. Hundreds of them, golden,
Silent, coming down from the sky like great snowflakes,
And the people of Earth stood and stared as they descended,
Waiting, dry-mouthed to find what waited inside for us
And none of us knowing if we would be here tomorrow
But you didn't notice it because
That day, the day the saucers came, by some coincidence,
Was the day that the graves gave up their dead
And the zombies pushed up through soft earth
or erupted, shambling and dull-eyed, unstoppable,
Came towards us, the living, and we screamed and ran,
But you did not notice this because
On the saucer day, which was the zombie day, it was
Ragnarok also, and the television screens showed us
A ship built of dead-man's nails, a serpent, a wolf,
All bigger than the mind could hold, and the cameraman could
Not get far enough away, and then the Gods came out
But you did not see them coming because
On the saucer-zombie-battling gods day the floodgates broke
And each of us was engulfed by genies and sprites
Offering us wishes and wonders and eternities
And charm and cleverness and true brave hearts and pots of gold
While giants feefofummed across the land, and killer bees,
But you had no idea of any of this because
That day, the saucer day the zombie day
The Ragnarok and fairies day, the day the great winds came
And snows, and the cities turned to crystal, the day
All plants died, plastics dissolved, the day the
Computers turned, the screens telling us we would obey, the day
Angels, drunk and muddled, stumbled from the bars,
And all the bells of London were sounded"
Just saw a reference to this on Pixeldiva and had to post it - wow!
sorry about the lack of art or any other communication - life's a bit hectic with a new job so I'm hoping to get caught up a bit over November
The Day the Saucers Came
That day, the saucers landed. Hundreds of them, golden,
Silent, coming down from the sky like great snowflakes,
And the people of Earth stood and stared as they descended,
Waiting, dry-mouthed to find what waited inside for us
And none of us knowing if we would be here tomorrow
But you didn't notice it because
That day, the day the saucers came, by some coincidence,
Was the day that the graves gave up their dead
And the zombies pushed up through soft earth
or erupted, shambling and dull-eyed, unstoppable,
Came towards us, the living, and we screamed and ran,
But you did not notice this because
On the saucer day, which was the zombie day, it was
Ragnarok also, and the television screens showed us
A ship built of dead-man's nails, a serpent, a wolf,
All bigger than the mind could hold, and the cameraman could
Not get far enough away, and then the Gods came out
But you did not see them coming because
On the saucer-zombie-battling gods day the floodgates broke
And each of us was engulfed by genies and sprites
Offering us wishes and wonders and eternities
And charm and cleverness and true brave hearts and pots of gold
While giants feefofummed across the land, and killer bees,
But you had no idea of any of this because
That day, the saucer day the zombie day
The Ragnarok and fairies day, the day the great winds came
And snows, and the cities turned to crystal, the day
All plants died, plastics dissolved, the day the
Computers turned, the screens telling us we would obey, the day
Angels, drunk and muddled, stumbled from the bars,
And all the bells of London were sounded"
Just saw a reference to this on Pixeldiva and had to post it - wow!
sorry about the lack of art or any other communication - life's a bit hectic with a new job so I'm hoping to get caught up a bit over November
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Arty meme
The first five people to respond to this post (via the comments section) will get some form of art made by me. I make no guarantees about type or delivery deadline. (You get what you get, when you get it, but I'll do my best work.) The only catch, of course: as with most memes, if you sign up, you have to put this in your own journal as well.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Fast and Dirty Not so chunky book swap
10 players max
4" x 4" pages
Theme - Christmas recipes
Sign up by 24 October with payment of £3 to me for binding, provide your own pages
pages to me by 17 November - NO CHANGES OR EXTENSIONS - if they're not with me by then, sorry but you've forfeit your money and your book
no pages to be more than card thickness within 2" of the binding edge
Contact me or leave a comment...
4" x 4" pages
Theme - Christmas recipes
Sign up by 24 October with payment of £3 to me for binding, provide your own pages
pages to me by 17 November - NO CHANGES OR EXTENSIONS - if they're not with me by then, sorry but you've forfeit your money and your book
no pages to be more than card thickness within 2" of the binding edge
Contact me or leave a comment...
Perspective
In the Shadow of Saturn
Explanation: In the shadow of Saturn, unexpected wonders appear. The robotic Cassini spacecraft now orbiting Saturn recently drifted in giant planet's shadow for about 12 hours and looked back toward the eclipsed Sun. Cassini saw a view unlike any other. First, the night side of Saturn is seen to be partly lit by light reflected from its own majestic ring system. Next, the rings themselves appear dark when silhouetted against Saturn, but quite bright when viewed away from Saturn and slightly scattering sunlight, in the above exaggerated color image. Saturn's rings light up so much that new rings were discovered, although they are hard to see in the above image. Visible in spectacular detail, however, is Saturn's E ring, the ring created by the newly discovered ice-fountains of the moon Enceladus, and the outermost ring visible above. Far in the distance, visible on the image left just above the bright main rings, is the almost ignorable pale blue dot of Earth.
Monday, October 16, 2006
Beware
Unquote | Futility Closet: "'Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut.' — Ernest Hemingway "
So I'll have to be careful tonight. Happy 40th birthday to me!
So I'll have to be careful tonight. Happy 40th birthday to me!
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Cool binding idea
I posted this on the wrong blog to start with - hey ho!
Fun and Easy How to Guide to Binding Your Own Paperback Books At Home…FAST » Achieve IT! - Helping you achieve your goals
This has just been featured on another blog I lurk at - but blogger doesn't seem to want me to provide a link to it so I will do it seperately!
What a great idea
Fun and Easy How to Guide to Binding Your Own Paperback Books At Home…FAST » Achieve IT! - Helping you achieve your goals
This has just been featured on another blog I lurk at - but blogger doesn't seem to want me to provide a link to it so I will do it seperately!
What a great idea
Friday, October 13, 2006
Funny facts
Your foot is the same length as your forearm from elbow to wrist
twice around the wrist is equal to a man's collar size
Anyone know any more like this?
Thursday, October 12, 2006
I've been named and tagged
So I'd better do it, eh?!
Have You Ever:
1) Taken a picture completely naked? Of me? Nope. Of someone else - yep - my babies! More intriguingly, I have a strong mental image of a long past crush from my single days - how the heck did he end up naked and me still fully clothed? yum yum.......
2) Danced in front of a mirror naked? Ewww - not for years - because of the effect of the babies in 1) mainly!
3) Told a lie? I'd be lying if I said no
4) Had feelings for someone who didn't have them back? Many, many times (see 1) and I'm sure I've done the reverse too
5) Been arrested? Not even close to it
6) Seen someone die? Not yet
7) Kissed a picture? Of course
8) Slept in until 5pm? Ah - student years!
9) Had sex at work? No - but been sexually harrassed by my manager at work - may he rot in hell
10) Fallen asleep at work? Yes - head down on the desk in my first job after college - never again
11) Held a snake? Many times - had a boyfriend into reptiles who used to let his python (no sniggering) just roam the house - I once tickled it and it scarily, swiftly tightened around my hand
12) Ran a red light? By accident - yes
13) Been suspended from school? Nah - far too much a goody two shoes - only ever had lines once
14) Pole danced? Nope - it would have to be reinforced! The local pub has a room set up for lessons and they don't even put pole dancing on there
15) Been fired from a job? I suspect if I hadn't have left the job in 10) I would have
16) Sang Karaoke? No way - I couldn't carry a tune if it was in a bucket
17) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't? Oh so many, many times. See 1) again
18) Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? The kids do it to me regularly
19) Laughed until you peed? Since the kids - so much more frequently
20) Caught a snowflake on your tongue? I love that - rare and getting rarer here
21) Kissed in the rain? DH proposed on a rainy afternoon in York, 10 weeks after we met (and we lived 200 miles apart so had only seen each other about 6 times)
22) Had sex in the rain? Not outside, but it's kind of nice with the rain on the window
23) Sang in the shower? Occasionally
24) Gave your private parts a nickname? Not a chance
25) Ever gone to work without underwear? No. I do like to wear very nice underwear if I've got a scary presentation or such to do - a hidden confidence!
26) Sat on a rooftop? On the top of the bay window in my childhood home
27) Played chicken? Too much of a scaredy cat
28) Been pushed/thrown into a pool with all your clothes on? No way - I swim like a brick
29) Broken a bone? Not a one - funny I was thinking about that today
30) Flashed someone? Often hubby while he's on the phone
31) Mooned Someone? See 30)
32) Skinny Dipped? See 28), plus Cleethorpes is too damn cold any time of the year - River Humber/North Sea anyone?
33) Shaved your head? No, but did have it number 4 on the clippers all over
34) Slept Naked? Used to - now HAVE to have my bum covered or I don't sleep well at all. DH thinks I'm afraid of the mythical bottom inspectors
35) Blacked out from drinking? Oh indeed, see 8)
36) Played a prank on someone? Yep - best one was on the student neighbour who reckoned he was in the SAS (I suspect TA really). We got into his acommodation and took all of his lightbulbs out and put them in his fridge. Upshot - he is in the dark, eventually finds the bulbs, puts one in, but when he switches it on the temperature extremes causes it to blow.
37) Had a gym membership? Yes, infrequently
38) Felt like killing someone? Used to have PMT really bad - once had an argument with the BF before DH and 'came to' as we were stood at the top of the stairs - me with hands on his chest - poised to push him down
39) Cried over someone you were in love with? Oh so many, many times
40) Had Mexican jumping beans as pets? Older flashy cousin had them
41) Been in a band? See 16) - been friendly with a band though (not that way)
42) Shot a gun? Yes - I shot the clay pigeon the very first time I used a rifle and then couldn't shoot any more for laughing
43) Shot a bow and arrow? Yes, very badly. Freakily, the organiser of our local archery club once apropos of nothing informed me that as well as being a cabinet maker, he has a specialist business making BDSM furniture
44) Played strip poker? No - don't know how to play poker
45) Donated blood? Once but it made me have a full on, Exorcist style fit in the donation hall, so never again
46) Ever jump out of an airplane? No - not my thing
47) Been to more than 10 countries?? Not yet
Well that's a lot of stuff you now know about me.
OK, I tag Maz and Jill
Have You Ever:
1) Taken a picture completely naked? Of me? Nope. Of someone else - yep - my babies! More intriguingly, I have a strong mental image of a long past crush from my single days - how the heck did he end up naked and me still fully clothed? yum yum.......
2) Danced in front of a mirror naked? Ewww - not for years - because of the effect of the babies in 1) mainly!
3) Told a lie? I'd be lying if I said no
4) Had feelings for someone who didn't have them back? Many, many times (see 1) and I'm sure I've done the reverse too
5) Been arrested? Not even close to it
6) Seen someone die? Not yet
7) Kissed a picture? Of course
8) Slept in until 5pm? Ah - student years!
9) Had sex at work? No - but been sexually harrassed by my manager at work - may he rot in hell
10) Fallen asleep at work? Yes - head down on the desk in my first job after college - never again
11) Held a snake? Many times - had a boyfriend into reptiles who used to let his python (no sniggering) just roam the house - I once tickled it and it scarily, swiftly tightened around my hand
12) Ran a red light? By accident - yes
13) Been suspended from school? Nah - far too much a goody two shoes - only ever had lines once
14) Pole danced? Nope - it would have to be reinforced! The local pub has a room set up for lessons and they don't even put pole dancing on there
15) Been fired from a job? I suspect if I hadn't have left the job in 10) I would have
16) Sang Karaoke? No way - I couldn't carry a tune if it was in a bucket
17) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't? Oh so many, many times. See 1) again
18) Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? The kids do it to me regularly
19) Laughed until you peed? Since the kids - so much more frequently
20) Caught a snowflake on your tongue? I love that - rare and getting rarer here
21) Kissed in the rain? DH proposed on a rainy afternoon in York, 10 weeks after we met (and we lived 200 miles apart so had only seen each other about 6 times)
22) Had sex in the rain? Not outside, but it's kind of nice with the rain on the window
23) Sang in the shower? Occasionally
24) Gave your private parts a nickname? Not a chance
25) Ever gone to work without underwear? No. I do like to wear very nice underwear if I've got a scary presentation or such to do - a hidden confidence!
26) Sat on a rooftop? On the top of the bay window in my childhood home
27) Played chicken? Too much of a scaredy cat
28) Been pushed/thrown into a pool with all your clothes on? No way - I swim like a brick
29) Broken a bone? Not a one - funny I was thinking about that today
30) Flashed someone? Often hubby while he's on the phone
31) Mooned Someone? See 30)
32) Skinny Dipped? See 28), plus Cleethorpes is too damn cold any time of the year - River Humber/North Sea anyone?
33) Shaved your head? No, but did have it number 4 on the clippers all over
34) Slept Naked? Used to - now HAVE to have my bum covered or I don't sleep well at all. DH thinks I'm afraid of the mythical bottom inspectors
35) Blacked out from drinking? Oh indeed, see 8)
36) Played a prank on someone? Yep - best one was on the student neighbour who reckoned he was in the SAS (I suspect TA really). We got into his acommodation and took all of his lightbulbs out and put them in his fridge. Upshot - he is in the dark, eventually finds the bulbs, puts one in, but when he switches it on the temperature extremes causes it to blow.
37) Had a gym membership? Yes, infrequently
38) Felt like killing someone? Used to have PMT really bad - once had an argument with the BF before DH and 'came to' as we were stood at the top of the stairs - me with hands on his chest - poised to push him down
39) Cried over someone you were in love with? Oh so many, many times
40) Had Mexican jumping beans as pets? Older flashy cousin had them
41) Been in a band? See 16) - been friendly with a band though (not that way)
42) Shot a gun? Yes - I shot the clay pigeon the very first time I used a rifle and then couldn't shoot any more for laughing
43) Shot a bow and arrow? Yes, very badly. Freakily, the organiser of our local archery club once apropos of nothing informed me that as well as being a cabinet maker, he has a specialist business making BDSM furniture
44) Played strip poker? No - don't know how to play poker
45) Donated blood? Once but it made me have a full on, Exorcist style fit in the donation hall, so never again
46) Ever jump out of an airplane? No - not my thing
47) Been to more than 10 countries?? Not yet
Well that's a lot of stuff you now know about me.
OK, I tag Maz and Jill
Come again?
Bloglines | My Blogs: "Blogger and Blogspot was down between 5:30 and 7:30 PST this morning due to a network malfunction. We apologize for the inconvenience and the fact that this blog was not updated earlier but since this blog is also server by Blogger updating it was of little use."
I love that last clause - I think I can hear the shrug!
I love that last clause - I think I can hear the shrug!
Friday, October 06, 2006
Magnetic Cow Magnets
Magnetic Cow Magnets: "What are Cow Magnets?
Cow magnets are popular with dairy farmers and veterinarians to help prevent Hardware Disease in their cattle. While grazing, cows eat everything from grass and dirt to nails, staples and bits of bailing wire (referred to as tramp iron). Tramp iron tends to lodge in the honeycombed walls of the recticulum, threatening the surrounding vital organs and causing irritation and inflammation, known as Hardware Disease. The cow loses her appetite and decreases her milk output (dairy cows), or her ability to gain weight (feeder stock). Cow magnets help prevent this disease by attracting stray metal from the folds and crevices of the rumen and recticulum. One magnet works for the life of the cow!"
Please someone, tell me if this is true? And where do you put the magnet? Oh - just read that - it stays in the poor cow's stomach....
Cow magnets are popular with dairy farmers and veterinarians to help prevent Hardware Disease in their cattle. While grazing, cows eat everything from grass and dirt to nails, staples and bits of bailing wire (referred to as tramp iron). Tramp iron tends to lodge in the honeycombed walls of the recticulum, threatening the surrounding vital organs and causing irritation and inflammation, known as Hardware Disease. The cow loses her appetite and decreases her milk output (dairy cows), or her ability to gain weight (feeder stock). Cow magnets help prevent this disease by attracting stray metal from the folds and crevices of the rumen and recticulum. One magnet works for the life of the cow!"
Please someone, tell me if this is true? And where do you put the magnet? Oh - just read that - it stays in the poor cow's stomach....
ATC display
I saw on a friend's blog that she was looking for ways to display ATCs. Here's one thing that I do - how do you show off your treasures?
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Mad flurry
I've had a mad flurry of posts cos I uploaded a few pics to Flickr. Plus I wanted to get all the PC stuff done so I can do what needs to be done today - lots of tidying. It's our 10th wedding anniversary today so DH has taken the day off and we are having our best man and bridesmaid over for the weekend. Lots of talking and eating will ensue, but I have to empty my studio to turn it back into a formal dining room before that can happen.
See, just as you thought I was sliding off into personal stuff, there is an art reason for it!
I've been catching up on so many projects recently - spurred on by a return to full time, out of the house, blissfully with adults rather than children type employment at the end of the month. Hence the grand announcement -
CHUNKY BOOKS ARE READY!
Sadly one person didn't follow through with their pages, but at last everyone else has. Thank you to all participants for having the patience to wait for people who had severe real life problems get in their artistic way. The books are well, well worth the wait and I have bound every page in a different order, just for the fun of it. I haven't put covers on - I tried two types and they just detracted from the wonder of them, so they are a little bit naked but I'd rather you all get them rather than me hang on to them for another week figuring out what else I could do. They should go out Monday at the very latest - depending on how the tidying goes I suppose!
See, just as you thought I was sliding off into personal stuff, there is an art reason for it!
I've been catching up on so many projects recently - spurred on by a return to full time, out of the house, blissfully with adults rather than children type employment at the end of the month. Hence the grand announcement -
CHUNKY BOOKS ARE READY!
Sadly one person didn't follow through with their pages, but at last everyone else has. Thank you to all participants for having the patience to wait for people who had severe real life problems get in their artistic way. The books are well, well worth the wait and I have bound every page in a different order, just for the fun of it. I haven't put covers on - I tried two types and they just detracted from the wonder of them, so they are a little bit naked but I'd rather you all get them rather than me hang on to them for another week figuring out what else I could do. They should go out Monday at the very latest - depending on how the tidying goes I suppose!
Nature AB - birds
Last pic!
I had an urge to be playful with Twinkling H20s and some waste kitchen towel cut into a rough bird shape. I shouldn't have been surprised at the towel splitting into two, but I was, particularly as the 'markings' on the birds aren't quite the same
I had an urge to be playful with Twinkling H20s and some waste kitchen towel cut into a rough bird shape. I shouldn't have been surprised at the towel splitting into two, but I was, particularly as the 'markings' on the birds aren't quite the same
Quotes AB - travel
My entry into Claire's AB. There's a lot more shimmer to this than the photo shows.
Nature AB - cottage
I did this spread rather a long time ago, but never photo-ed it. I love its freshness and I must revisit this technique cos it yields some lovely results. I think I love the green crayon splatters even more
angels and demons - full
My entry into Claire's angels and demons AJ. A bit more yellow based IRL. closer pics on my flickr if you really want to read my words!
Body Image journal - my page
My entry into my first circulating art journal - Body Image - a topic that continues to intrigue, irritate and inspire in equal measure. I made this stamp myself from a photo I took and I adore it.
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Friday, September 29, 2006
Free haircut anyone?
Chop chop: "Haircuts by Children is a whimsical performance that playfully engages with the enfranchisement of children, trust in the younger generation, and the thrills and chills of vanity. Students from Parkdale Public School, between the ages of ten and twelve, offered members of the public free haircuts, in hair salons across Toronto on May 6, 13, and 20, culminating in a two-day performance on May 27 and 28, 2006 at Harbourfront Centre's Milk International Children’s Festival of the Arts."
No flippin' way!
No flippin' way!
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Chunky book Update
OK, here's my page. I've discovered another new technique - I've got 3 or 4 techniques now - maybe I should produce a little zine - what do you think?
Anyhow - I'm still waiting on 2 people, plus a few stray pages from someone. I'm going to put a final closing date of the end of this month on the whole thing - what's not here by then is too late and tough!
I so love this FLYlady quote.
New journal
I'm starting a new art journal, just for me, using a larger size than I am used to. I was given this school planner thing last year and, inspired by so many friends, have decided to be very free with my experiments. So far these pages have been attacked with colourwash sprays, aquarelles and oil pastel. I'm not finished yet by a long chalk, particularly that odd splat thing in the second page, but I am having so much fun!
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Quotation to mull over
Quotations Weblog
September 26th, 2006 by Laura Moncur
Fear is that little darkroom where negatives are developed.
Michael Pritchard
What have you been fearing lately? Have you let those negatives thoughts develop in your darkroom of fear? Turn on the lights and let them shine brightly on your fears. Let the sun expose those negatives for what they really are: blank film. It was your imagination that turned them into monsters.
September 26th, 2006 by Laura Moncur
Fear is that little darkroom where negatives are developed.
Michael Pritchard
What have you been fearing lately? Have you let those negatives thoughts develop in your darkroom of fear? Turn on the lights and let them shine brightly on your fears. Let the sun expose those negatives for what they really are: blank film. It was your imagination that turned them into monsters.
Friday, September 22, 2006
Sarah's EDB
Theme - sunbleached and seaside
Can't get any more sunbleached than my years old, weathered into holes old peg bag! I used the reverse and added some Portrush sand, my test piece using that Ranger crackle glaze (enhanced with some oil pastels) and an ATC dangled from a chain donated by Maz.
I love the peaceful feeling this page gives me
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Just don't do it!
52 Projects: A Not-To-Do List: "A Not-To-Do List
Today is the day you start your project.
Wake up. Make your coffee. Sit down. Get to work.
Now, it should be that simple. Wake up and get to work.
But there are many distractions. Mental and otherwise.
So this is NOT a to-do list. This is a not-to-do list. You don't need to check anything off, because these are things YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO DO.
Do not check your email.
Do not go to nytimes.com.
Do not decide to organize your cd rack.
Do not turn on the television.
Do not clip your nails.
Do not stare at your bald spot in the mirror and begin to calculate how much time your hair has left.
Do not start catching up on the DVDs that have arrived from Netflix.
Do not update your Netflix queue.
Do not Google all your Exes.
Do not Google yourself.
Do not dust the house.
Do not sweep the floors.
Do not take out the trash.
Do not get sucked into the argument when your significant other starts screaming about the fact that you drank the last of the milk and even though you said you would get more you didn't. Just apologize, apologize, and then apologize again. (But don't be tempted to apologize 'for being such a horrible person' – that is a sign that you are getting drawn into a bigger dust-up. Stay on target with your apology, explain that you have serious work to do, and get back to your project.)
Do not decide to make yourself an elaborate lunch.
Do not take a nap.
Do not change the cat litter.
Do not decide to figure out the calorie count of your recent meals.
Do not pay your bills.
Do not balance your checkbook.
Do not freak out that you have no money.
Do not go into the bathroom and give your Academy Award acceptance speech.
Do not put on Prince and party like it's 1999. (Well, okay, maybe ONCE, just to get you fired up about your project.)
Do not start going through your closet.
Do not decide to floss.
Do not organize your spice rack.
Do not update your address book.
Do not make a list of things to do.
Do not watch Oprah.
Do not listen to NPR.
Do not start to think you don't have what it takes to actually do your project.
Do not read any further on this post – caught you! Stop reading now and get to work on your project.
Do not check what time the movie is playing later.
Do not decide to send an angry email to that annoying friend who recently pissed you off.
Do not play with the cats.
Do not clip your nose hairs.
Do not start trying to organize a dinner party.
Do not start wondering if that mole that seems a little bigger than the last time you checked it might be skin cancer.
Do not start going through all the papers on your desk.
Do not make a list of all the things you have to get done at work.
Do not start thinking you are never going to finish.
Do not make a quick run to the grocery store.
Do not search for gray hairs.
Do not start fantasizing about sex.
Do not decide to make a call to your significant other to tell him or her that you don't think you've been getting any, and that you better damn well get some tonight (you know, because that one works every time).
Do not go to IMDB to see who that actor was in that movie you saw the other night. Or what that girl from that show from way back when is doing now.
Do not start perusing your own bookshelves.
Do not organize your computer files.
Do not clean out your inbox.
Do not click into the online gossip sites.
Do not pick your nose.
Do not start reading old letters from old flames.
Do not crack open a beer.
Do not pluck your eyebrows.
Do not to give yourself a facial.
Do not start going through your photos.
Do not return your phone calls.
Do not start reading your old journal entries.
Do not start thinking about how your project is lame.
Do not scrub the tub.
Do not clean the toilet.
Do not open a bottle of wine.
Do not start wading through all the magazines you subscribe to but never read.
Do not decide to start a screenplay (unless, of course, that is your project).
Do not post to your blog.
Do not pull the ATM receipts out of your wallet and start entering withdrawals into your checkbook.
Do not get up and keep getting yourself a glass of water.
Do not refill the ice trays.
Do not do the dishes.
Do not start picking off the wax on your candle holders.
Do not start worrying about all the time you've already wasted.
There are a million more things that could be on this list, but remember, it's not a to-do list, so it doesn't matter if something is missing -- you are NOT supposed to be doing these things. Just get to work on your project.
--Jeffrey Yamaguchi"
Today is the day you start your project.
Wake up. Make your coffee. Sit down. Get to work.
Now, it should be that simple. Wake up and get to work.
But there are many distractions. Mental and otherwise.
So this is NOT a to-do list. This is a not-to-do list. You don't need to check anything off, because these are things YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO DO.
Do not check your email.
Do not go to nytimes.com.
Do not decide to organize your cd rack.
Do not turn on the television.
Do not clip your nails.
Do not stare at your bald spot in the mirror and begin to calculate how much time your hair has left.
Do not start catching up on the DVDs that have arrived from Netflix.
Do not update your Netflix queue.
Do not Google all your Exes.
Do not Google yourself.
Do not dust the house.
Do not sweep the floors.
Do not take out the trash.
Do not get sucked into the argument when your significant other starts screaming about the fact that you drank the last of the milk and even though you said you would get more you didn't. Just apologize, apologize, and then apologize again. (But don't be tempted to apologize 'for being such a horrible person' – that is a sign that you are getting drawn into a bigger dust-up. Stay on target with your apology, explain that you have serious work to do, and get back to your project.)
Do not decide to make yourself an elaborate lunch.
Do not take a nap.
Do not change the cat litter.
Do not decide to figure out the calorie count of your recent meals.
Do not pay your bills.
Do not balance your checkbook.
Do not freak out that you have no money.
Do not go into the bathroom and give your Academy Award acceptance speech.
Do not put on Prince and party like it's 1999. (Well, okay, maybe ONCE, just to get you fired up about your project.)
Do not start going through your closet.
Do not decide to floss.
Do not organize your spice rack.
Do not update your address book.
Do not make a list of things to do.
Do not watch Oprah.
Do not listen to NPR.
Do not start to think you don't have what it takes to actually do your project.
Do not read any further on this post – caught you! Stop reading now and get to work on your project.
Do not check what time the movie is playing later.
Do not decide to send an angry email to that annoying friend who recently pissed you off.
Do not play with the cats.
Do not clip your nose hairs.
Do not start trying to organize a dinner party.
Do not start wondering if that mole that seems a little bigger than the last time you checked it might be skin cancer.
Do not start going through all the papers on your desk.
Do not make a list of all the things you have to get done at work.
Do not start thinking you are never going to finish.
Do not make a quick run to the grocery store.
Do not search for gray hairs.
Do not start fantasizing about sex.
Do not decide to make a call to your significant other to tell him or her that you don't think you've been getting any, and that you better damn well get some tonight (you know, because that one works every time).
Do not go to IMDB to see who that actor was in that movie you saw the other night. Or what that girl from that show from way back when is doing now.
Do not start perusing your own bookshelves.
Do not organize your computer files.
Do not clean out your inbox.
Do not click into the online gossip sites.
Do not pick your nose.
Do not start reading old letters from old flames.
Do not crack open a beer.
Do not pluck your eyebrows.
Do not to give yourself a facial.
Do not start going through your photos.
Do not return your phone calls.
Do not start reading your old journal entries.
Do not start thinking about how your project is lame.
Do not scrub the tub.
Do not clean the toilet.
Do not open a bottle of wine.
Do not start wading through all the magazines you subscribe to but never read.
Do not decide to start a screenplay (unless, of course, that is your project).
Do not post to your blog.
Do not pull the ATM receipts out of your wallet and start entering withdrawals into your checkbook.
Do not get up and keep getting yourself a glass of water.
Do not refill the ice trays.
Do not do the dishes.
Do not start picking off the wax on your candle holders.
Do not start worrying about all the time you've already wasted.
There are a million more things that could be on this list, but remember, it's not a to-do list, so it doesn't matter if something is missing -- you are NOT supposed to be doing these things. Just get to work on your project.
--Jeffrey Yamaguchi"
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Real life
It's got a bit busy around here - can't quite say why yet, but it's something hopeful. I'm missing my blogging time though, that's for sure
Amazing artist
Germaine Koh projects: Fête:
I'm astounded by this woman. "Swags of mostly-black hair sewn into fringes hang on a wall, like tinsel celebrating a rite of passage. Each section is discreetly embroidered with a date, referring to the year in which the artist had the haircut resulting in the hair for that section. Ordered chronologically, each section has a different character: more and less healthy, increasingly showing grey. The hair continues to be somewhat organic, hanging differently with atmospheric changes. "
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Appreciate what you have
click here
How ridiculous all of my petty concerns seem after viewing this
Sending love out into the world to one and all
How ridiculous all of my petty concerns seem after viewing this
Sending love out into the world to one and all
Monday, September 11, 2006
Open for business!
I've done it. Finally my etsy shop is open - starting small with my soldered pendants (now complete with silver coloured chains courtesy of a kind donation from Maz). I've so much more to upload over the coming days, so I hope that someone likes what I have to offer.
you can either click on the title of this post to be taken there or click here. The addy is http://bitsa.etsy.com
you can either click on the title of this post to be taken there or click here. The addy is http://bitsa.etsy.com
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Making a monkey out of me
betz's blog
Sometimes I come across blogs that just make my heart sing. Can you go ooh ooh ooh with me over this one?
Sometimes I come across blogs that just make my heart sing. Can you go ooh ooh ooh with me over this one?
Friday, September 08, 2006
A little light relief
Lots of creating going on for this craft fair - sometimes I just have to look at a screen and find something funny. I'm so guilty of the last one, so where's the rocks?!
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Oh, I love these babies
I'm having a craft stall on Sunday and anything I don't sell will become the starter stock for my etsy shop. I've got high hopes for these soldered pendants cos I love them myself
Blogging feast
I'm having a bit of a blogger feast at the moment - sudden freedom after the summer I reckon.
Here are some women themed ATCs for a swap-bot swap - you can't very well see the pearly goodness of the last ATC - I laughed when I saw that I'd got the other two to say 'sexy mother'! The stamp on the mother card is an Indian woodblock that I bought in the summer - wish I'd bought more now......
This is my entry into Elizabeth's Quotations book. I couldn't get out of my head the supposedly shortest poem in the English language, so I had to go with something that my brain had dredged up from reading my grandmother's magazines when I was in my early teens. All of those coins are individual stamps, so I had great fun masking the other evening
Monday, September 04, 2006
The Original DoodleArt
The Original DoodleArt
Oh I am so happy to have found this - did anyone else love doing these as a kid? I had a rainforest or jungle type one for a Christmas present once and made everyone who visited the house colour at least a bit of it
Oh I am so happy to have found this - did anyone else love doing these as a kid? I had a rainforest or jungle type one for a Christmas present once and made everyone who visited the house colour at least a bit of it
Mini Altered Board Book
Clearing the bookshelves I came a cross some great little board books that stripped very easily. I turned one into a mini AB as a birthday card for my MIL. No idea what she really thought of it (hmmmmm), but I had fun making it
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Little bitsa fabric fun
I've had two swap-bot deadlines worrying me this week - one for a handmade item and one where you had to show your heart. In the depths of the night I realised that I could do two things almost the same, so voila - two wall hangings very similar to each other!
As well as free machine embroidery to secure the raw edge applique, I've scrawled about with markals and a chinagraph pencil, added buttons and wrote the description of each heart next to it, then hung each very simply from some bamboo cane with my favourite hairy string for hanging.
No idea if the people receiving them will enjoy them half as much as I did making them.......
I've never smoked, never even wanted to because both my parents were smokers when I was a small child. Yet I know exactly when I would have a cigarette throughout my daily life. Walking home in the pouring rain I realised I was thinking - if I smoked I would get home, have a coffee and a look at the paper (I don't get a paper) and have a cigarette. Exactly what my mum does every morning.
It amazed me that I could absorb my mum's routines so very very deeply - especially as I haven't lived with her for almost 20 years. Even more terrifying is the revelation that I know these routines because I've observed them from babyhood (along with the thrill of playing with empty B&H cigarette packets which I've know got an olfactory memory of and the joy of wafting my hands through the beautiful curls of grey smoke) - what the heck have my children absorbed for good or for bad? What will they be doing or not doing for the rest of their lives because I did X or Y?
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Visual Feast
Oh my word - more chunky pages came this morning and wow, wow, wow! I am so looking forward to putting these books together - they are looking magnificent just loose leaf
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Creative Journey
Creative Journey
here it is - the blog where we will be exploring one subject / object with different challenges each month. Please contact me with an e mail addy if you are interested in joining in
here it is - the blog where we will be exploring one subject / object with different challenges each month. Please contact me with an e mail addy if you are interested in joining in
Peek a boo
Don't think I showed you this yet - a 3D doodling I made at my retreat earlier in the summer - guess who'd been looking at the Stampington transparencies book earlier that day? Middle top is a pill capsule - if I'd thought about it I wouldn't have swirled paint in it then wondered why it started to dissolve! It ended up being a race between the setting point of acrylic and the dissolving point of the capsule. No idea what I'm going to do with this - let it hang around and gather dust probably.
Wading Through Treacle
That's what this catching up feels like. Suddenly I have a million things to do and only seconds in which to do any of them. Guess I'm feeling a bit out of sorts but I'll shake it off soon.
On a brighter note toot toot for Maz getting some of her fabulous photos in Lisa Vollrath's new edition of her zine. She's been far too quiet about that herself so I'll shout from the rooftops for her!
On a brighter note toot toot for Maz getting some of her fabulous photos in Lisa Vollrath's new edition of her zine. She's been far too quiet about that herself so I'll shout from the rooftops for her!
Monday, August 28, 2006
Friday, August 25, 2006
Molly's birthday card
Happy Birthday tomorrow sweet thing
Continuing with my fabric obsession, here's a card that's mainly a gel medium transfer from an inkjet print, plus a bit of sewing, two gems and the ubiquitous rub on lettering
Continuing with my fabric obsession, here's a card that's mainly a gel medium transfer from an inkjet print, plus a bit of sewing, two gems and the ubiquitous rub on lettering
Chunky book roll call - it's growing
In my box of delights so far I have pages from
Lori
June
Katrina
Wendy
Pat
Annie Hester
Alis
Sarah Hutton
Birthe
Scraphappy
Fiona
Skippy
Flo
and every single one of them a delight - can't wait to see the others.
If you have sent to me and you don't appear, please get in touch - the post has been this morning
Lori
June
Katrina
Wendy
Pat
Annie Hester
Alis
Sarah Hutton
Birthe
Scraphappy
Fiona
Skippy
Flo
and every single one of them a delight - can't wait to see the others.
If you have sent to me and you don't appear, please get in touch - the post has been this morning
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
NYO - New Yorker's Diary 2
NYO - New Yorker's Diary 2
There is a killer line in this:
. My late mother interrupted a successful career for 15 years to be a stay-at-home mom, which, she was finally able to admit, made her profoundly unhappy. Besides gardening, I don’t recall her liking much about her daily routine. She never enjoyed cooking, and I always thought she burnt the meat in revenge. Maybe, though, domesticity is another thing entirely when you get to choose it.
There is a killer line in this:
. My late mother interrupted a successful career for 15 years to be a stay-at-home mom, which, she was finally able to admit, made her profoundly unhappy. Besides gardening, I don’t recall her liking much about her daily routine. She never enjoyed cooking, and I always thought she burnt the meat in revenge. Maybe, though, domesticity is another thing entirely when you get to choose it.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
When Maz returned from Kari's degree show, she talked to me about how inspiring it was to see artists create a body of work exploring a theme. I've been mulling over this ever since and have finally come up with a workable concept. I'd like to invite anyone who wishes to join with me and share a blog with all participants.
The idea is that each person picks a theme or object that they will work with over an extended period. Either bi-weekly or monthly (to be decided between participants) the group will be given a technique to try with the subject of the piece being the theme or object. In the example I gave Maz, maybe the first month I would have to draw a pear in pencil, then in the second month I would have to create an embroidered pear, the third a print etc etc
I'd like people to join me and would also love some suggestions for a name for the blog we could show our work on
The idea is that each person picks a theme or object that they will work with over an extended period. Either bi-weekly or monthly (to be decided between participants) the group will be given a technique to try with the subject of the piece being the theme or object. In the example I gave Maz, maybe the first month I would have to draw a pear in pencil, then in the second month I would have to create an embroidered pear, the third a print etc etc
I'd like people to join me and would also love some suggestions for a name for the blog we could show our work on
Big Brother (From MSN)
BB7: Where Did It All Go Wrong?
And so, plagued with accusations of vote rigging, unwise housemate selections, and a healthy lack of respect for its audience, Big Brother 7 has at last whimpered to its predictable conclusion.
Pete's victory was assured the minute he staggered, gurning and spewing expletives, into the house 13 weeks ago, despite barely-disguised attempts to con the public into voting for Nikki. This, of course, had nothing to do with the fact that she'd already been signed up for her own E4 show, in which she 'attempts to hold down a job'.
What next? Monosyllabic Neanderthal Mikey presents an educational film in which he 'attempts to string a coherent sentence together'? Shahbaz 'attempts to convince men in white coats that he's sane'? Glyn 'attempts to wipe his own backside'?
I can think of a hundred reasons why this was the worst ever Big Brother (yes, worse even than the Big Brother 4 snooze-fest won by Orkney virgin Cameron in 2003), among them the Golden Ticket fiasco and the desperate ratings drive that was the decision to vote housemates back in. I'm sure the Golden Ticket ploy seemed like a good idea at the time; certainly the joint revenue it will have raised for Endemol and KitKat is probably more than you or I will earn in our lifetimes, but it was a disaster for the show thanks to the winner.
Boring, self-absorbed, silicone heavy, boobs in different postcodes, 40-something 'model' Snoozy Susie takes the prize for being Big Brother's dullest housemate of all time. She had already auditioned for the show and been rejected several times in the past, and with good reason. Her sole contribution for the next seven weeks was to make infinite cups of tea, complain about the mess, and hide toilet paper behind her bed.
Had BB replaced her with a piece of two-by-four with a couple of balloons and a wig stuck on, I doubt if anyone would've noticed. She even achieved the unachievable in making Imogen, look interesting by comparison.
The Housemates From Hell
But Susie wasn't the first (or indeed the last) poor choice of housemate this series. Whatever happened to Big Brother's much-touted 'rigorous selection process'? This year it threw up at least two borderline breakdown cases and innumerable slack-jawed bullies and bottom feeders with nothing – absolutely nothing – to contribute. Let's take a look back at some of those housemates because, God knows, by this time next week we'll have forgotten the lot of them.
In Richard's audition tape, he described himself as a "sexual terrorist"; so much of a "sexual terrorist" is he that, in his words, he'd even "seduce a corpse" (which, to be fair, is probably about the only thing he could seduce). In reality, Richard floated around the house, a bald, leather-glove wearing bore who did little more than emit an annoying nasal drone for the entire 13 weeks.
His main ally Lea (or Leer, Old Mother Hubbard, Le-aaarrrrghh! - take your pick) was the oldest looking 35-year-old I've ever seen in my life. There aren't many people on this planet who can make Jackie Stallone look human in comparison, but Lea is one of them. And what a sad, self-pitying old crone; she looked like she'd been made out of balloons – two for breasts and another with some eyebrows and lips painted crudely on by a particularly short-sighted three-year-old. The scenes in which she slobbered all over innocent children Glyn and Pete during a game of spin the bottle were among the most vomit-inducing and objectionable in TV history.
Speaking of objectionable, both national disgrace (diss)Grace and vapid cretin Sezer the geezer entered the house with the wholly misguided belief that they would sail through to the final. They didn't, and here's why.
Lets start with (diss)Grace – a vile, lemon-sucking Sloane Ranger with a face like Ermintrude from The Magic Roundabout after going a few rounds with Mike Tyson. She preyed on the weak, engineering Shahbaz and Sam's downfall/breakdown and driving a wedge between Richard and Lea by spreading he said/she said misinformation throughout the house.
Even the shock of the jeering crowd during Sam's eviction ("Get Grace out! Get Grace out!) wasn't enough to shake her out of her inherent bitchiness. Her relationship with Mikey, who was often to be seen slumped in a corner trying to remember his own name, drool cascading down his chin with the sheer effort of concentration, was one of convenience, her sole ally in a world of hate.
Meanwhile Sezer the geezer slimed his way around the house like some sort of idiotic walking erection, quickly targeting exceptionally impressionable/thick prey Imogen (Dimogen, more like) with his vile smarm offensive. In one memorable episode, he promised to keep his hands to himself as she drew closer to his bed, like a particularly stupid moth to a particularly cheap and nasty 40 watt light bulb. He lied of course, and was all over her like a particularly chronic bout of dermatitis. Sezer the geezer spent most of his last week in the house (week 3) laughing off the idea that he'd be evicted because, he thought, girls would want to keep him in the house. Girls didn't. He was booted out with a record 91.6% of the public vote, to everyone's amusement; I don't think I've laughed so hard since Pete Doherty was voted Sexiest Male by NME readers.
Runner-up Glyn was this year's token 'boy-becoming-man' story. This despite the fact that the only skills he appeared to have added to his limited repertoire by the end of the show were a) boiling an egg, and b) making a sandwich. (he's yet to master speech). Even Mikey was able to get away with calling Glyn 'dopey', which is no mean feat. But 'dopey' didn't even come close.
Astonishingly Aisleyne – the real-life female equivalent of Ali G; the self-styled ghetto princess who thought that saying things like "off the shizzle," or referring to the house as her "yard", didn't make her look like a complete imbecile – made it to the final three. Her finest moments (other than looking exactly like a cheap blow-up sex doll on final night) were her scenes with rubbish Irish 'rapper' Spiral (Shpoiral), one of this year's more interesting characters (so you voted him out at the first available opportunity, obviously).
Following the eviction of pointless meathead Jonathan at Aisleyne's own hands, she returned to the main house grieving as one might for a dying relative, as opposed to some imbecile she'd only known for five days. Shpoiral was on hand to comfort Aisleyne in her hour of need, all the while weighing up his chances of a snog. "She's got an a**e loik a loaf of bread, and Shpoiral warnts a sloice," he later 'rapped' as his obsession began to border on the psychotic.
But the blossoming romance (in Shpoiral's head) wasn't to be, and he later reduced her to tears again when asked if he'd like to lick curry from her body. "I wouldn't lick it off her body," he responded, "because then oi'd vomit on it." Lovely chap.
But the indisputable star of this year's show was 24-year-old Nikki, a ten-year-old trapped in, well, a ten-year-old's body; a terrifying tantrum machine with a face like an angry scrotum. When the public stupidly voted her out in week 8, it was inevitable that Endemol would have to take drastic action to get her back inside, a move which really couldn't have backfired more spectacularly. Instead of embracing the concept, the tabloids turned on the show like a pack of hungry wolves.
Worse still, when Nikki did eventually return to the house it all seemed like one big act, wholly informed by her time spent back in the real world: the tantrums yet more spectacular and prolonged, the Diary Room rants more frequent, and the relationship with Pete turned up to full throttle, presumably because Nikki now knew that he had it in the bag, and wanted a piece of his limelight for herself.
If we are to see a return to Big Brother's former glory next year, and I think that even die-hard fans will acknowledge that something was extremely putrid and rotten in the state of Elstree this summer, series 8 will need to include the following things: a damp cellar kitted out with medieval torture instruments; a live homicide; and a menagerie of half-starved wild animals roaming the garden. Endemol should also lift any ban on the inclusion of criminals, illegal immigrants, and former contestants. Failing that, at least budget for some bloody soundproofing for any future not-so-secret houses next door. Or, better yet, maybe they should just put it out of its misery altogether.
Big Brother Quotes Of The Series
"Don't ever think positive. Always think negative then when the positive happens it’s better." Plastic surgery disaster area Lea was a real ray of sunshine.
"I don't think you've lived until you've slept with someone who's not up to scratch." Sleazer Sezer's past girlfriends would probably be the first to agree with him.
"Fat birds work harder." (Diss)Grace quickly endeared herself to the nation's womenfolk.
"He'll get more than boos; he'll get fireworks thrown at him." Sweet, innocent Nikki had nothing but compassion for the deposed Shahbaz.
"Birds are the same as us." Misogynist Mikey thinks that the entire female population is as vapid, sleazy and dumb as he is.
"I want to be remembered as Sezer The Sleazer." Your wish is my command, Sezer.
"Most guys, if they have any sense, wouldn't go near her. She's a dog." Grace didn't get on with Aisleyne then. Or perhaps she was talking about herself.
"Susie is a posh bird, she doesn't like dog turd." Pete made some wild assumptions about Susie in the poetry challenge.
"Grace don't have to put make-up on to look good." Mikey knew how to charm the ladies. By lying, obviously.
"It's awesome. It's overwhelming. It's off the shizzle." Aisleyne: the real-life female Ali G.
"Boring, bland Imogen. Hmm, let me see, shall I watch paint dry, or sit up and chat to Imogen?" It was pots and kettles at dawn for Richard.
"I smell like a cow's udder." Nikki smelt like one; Lea looked like she had two.
"It's only a little f****** melon." No Shpoiral, that's a f****** grapefruit.
"I say 'Do you speak Welsh?' and if they say no, I ask them if they'd like a bit of Welsh in them." Glyn could teach Mikey a thing or two about what women want.
"Some people make the worst tea." And others, Snoozy Susie, make the worst BB housemates.
"I wouldn't lick it off her body, because then I'd vomit on it." Shpoiral had a unique way of impressing the ladies.
"You got to give me a little bit of warning. Because a girl needs to shave the legs. Tan the fake. Wash the hair." Tan the fake, Aisleyne?
"Why are you doing this? How are we supposed to get out of bed with this f****** blizzard?" Ever heard of a jumper, Nikki?
"I'm not qualificated. I'm not intelligent like Glyn. He's intelligent but he's a simpleton in everyday life." Nikki: the first person to ever think herself thicker than Glyn.
And so, plagued with accusations of vote rigging, unwise housemate selections, and a healthy lack of respect for its audience, Big Brother 7 has at last whimpered to its predictable conclusion.
Pete's victory was assured the minute he staggered, gurning and spewing expletives, into the house 13 weeks ago, despite barely-disguised attempts to con the public into voting for Nikki. This, of course, had nothing to do with the fact that she'd already been signed up for her own E4 show, in which she 'attempts to hold down a job'.
What next? Monosyllabic Neanderthal Mikey presents an educational film in which he 'attempts to string a coherent sentence together'? Shahbaz 'attempts to convince men in white coats that he's sane'? Glyn 'attempts to wipe his own backside'?
I can think of a hundred reasons why this was the worst ever Big Brother (yes, worse even than the Big Brother 4 snooze-fest won by Orkney virgin Cameron in 2003), among them the Golden Ticket fiasco and the desperate ratings drive that was the decision to vote housemates back in. I'm sure the Golden Ticket ploy seemed like a good idea at the time; certainly the joint revenue it will have raised for Endemol and KitKat is probably more than you or I will earn in our lifetimes, but it was a disaster for the show thanks to the winner.
Boring, self-absorbed, silicone heavy, boobs in different postcodes, 40-something 'model' Snoozy Susie takes the prize for being Big Brother's dullest housemate of all time. She had already auditioned for the show and been rejected several times in the past, and with good reason. Her sole contribution for the next seven weeks was to make infinite cups of tea, complain about the mess, and hide toilet paper behind her bed.
Had BB replaced her with a piece of two-by-four with a couple of balloons and a wig stuck on, I doubt if anyone would've noticed. She even achieved the unachievable in making Imogen, look interesting by comparison.
The Housemates From Hell
But Susie wasn't the first (or indeed the last) poor choice of housemate this series. Whatever happened to Big Brother's much-touted 'rigorous selection process'? This year it threw up at least two borderline breakdown cases and innumerable slack-jawed bullies and bottom feeders with nothing – absolutely nothing – to contribute. Let's take a look back at some of those housemates because, God knows, by this time next week we'll have forgotten the lot of them.
In Richard's audition tape, he described himself as a "sexual terrorist"; so much of a "sexual terrorist" is he that, in his words, he'd even "seduce a corpse" (which, to be fair, is probably about the only thing he could seduce). In reality, Richard floated around the house, a bald, leather-glove wearing bore who did little more than emit an annoying nasal drone for the entire 13 weeks.
His main ally Lea (or Leer, Old Mother Hubbard, Le-aaarrrrghh! - take your pick) was the oldest looking 35-year-old I've ever seen in my life. There aren't many people on this planet who can make Jackie Stallone look human in comparison, but Lea is one of them. And what a sad, self-pitying old crone; she looked like she'd been made out of balloons – two for breasts and another with some eyebrows and lips painted crudely on by a particularly short-sighted three-year-old. The scenes in which she slobbered all over innocent children Glyn and Pete during a game of spin the bottle were among the most vomit-inducing and objectionable in TV history.
Speaking of objectionable, both national disgrace (diss)Grace and vapid cretin Sezer the geezer entered the house with the wholly misguided belief that they would sail through to the final. They didn't, and here's why.
Lets start with (diss)Grace – a vile, lemon-sucking Sloane Ranger with a face like Ermintrude from The Magic Roundabout after going a few rounds with Mike Tyson. She preyed on the weak, engineering Shahbaz and Sam's downfall/breakdown and driving a wedge between Richard and Lea by spreading he said/she said misinformation throughout the house.
Even the shock of the jeering crowd during Sam's eviction ("Get Grace out! Get Grace out!) wasn't enough to shake her out of her inherent bitchiness. Her relationship with Mikey, who was often to be seen slumped in a corner trying to remember his own name, drool cascading down his chin with the sheer effort of concentration, was one of convenience, her sole ally in a world of hate.
Meanwhile Sezer the geezer slimed his way around the house like some sort of idiotic walking erection, quickly targeting exceptionally impressionable/thick prey Imogen (Dimogen, more like) with his vile smarm offensive. In one memorable episode, he promised to keep his hands to himself as she drew closer to his bed, like a particularly stupid moth to a particularly cheap and nasty 40 watt light bulb. He lied of course, and was all over her like a particularly chronic bout of dermatitis. Sezer the geezer spent most of his last week in the house (week 3) laughing off the idea that he'd be evicted because, he thought, girls would want to keep him in the house. Girls didn't. He was booted out with a record 91.6% of the public vote, to everyone's amusement; I don't think I've laughed so hard since Pete Doherty was voted Sexiest Male by NME readers.
Runner-up Glyn was this year's token 'boy-becoming-man' story. This despite the fact that the only skills he appeared to have added to his limited repertoire by the end of the show were a) boiling an egg, and b) making a sandwich. (he's yet to master speech). Even Mikey was able to get away with calling Glyn 'dopey', which is no mean feat. But 'dopey' didn't even come close.
Astonishingly Aisleyne – the real-life female equivalent of Ali G; the self-styled ghetto princess who thought that saying things like "off the shizzle," or referring to the house as her "yard", didn't make her look like a complete imbecile – made it to the final three. Her finest moments (other than looking exactly like a cheap blow-up sex doll on final night) were her scenes with rubbish Irish 'rapper' Spiral (Shpoiral), one of this year's more interesting characters (so you voted him out at the first available opportunity, obviously).
Following the eviction of pointless meathead Jonathan at Aisleyne's own hands, she returned to the main house grieving as one might for a dying relative, as opposed to some imbecile she'd only known for five days. Shpoiral was on hand to comfort Aisleyne in her hour of need, all the while weighing up his chances of a snog. "She's got an a**e loik a loaf of bread, and Shpoiral warnts a sloice," he later 'rapped' as his obsession began to border on the psychotic.
But the blossoming romance (in Shpoiral's head) wasn't to be, and he later reduced her to tears again when asked if he'd like to lick curry from her body. "I wouldn't lick it off her body," he responded, "because then oi'd vomit on it." Lovely chap.
But the indisputable star of this year's show was 24-year-old Nikki, a ten-year-old trapped in, well, a ten-year-old's body; a terrifying tantrum machine with a face like an angry scrotum. When the public stupidly voted her out in week 8, it was inevitable that Endemol would have to take drastic action to get her back inside, a move which really couldn't have backfired more spectacularly. Instead of embracing the concept, the tabloids turned on the show like a pack of hungry wolves.
Worse still, when Nikki did eventually return to the house it all seemed like one big act, wholly informed by her time spent back in the real world: the tantrums yet more spectacular and prolonged, the Diary Room rants more frequent, and the relationship with Pete turned up to full throttle, presumably because Nikki now knew that he had it in the bag, and wanted a piece of his limelight for herself.
If we are to see a return to Big Brother's former glory next year, and I think that even die-hard fans will acknowledge that something was extremely putrid and rotten in the state of Elstree this summer, series 8 will need to include the following things: a damp cellar kitted out with medieval torture instruments; a live homicide; and a menagerie of half-starved wild animals roaming the garden. Endemol should also lift any ban on the inclusion of criminals, illegal immigrants, and former contestants. Failing that, at least budget for some bloody soundproofing for any future not-so-secret houses next door. Or, better yet, maybe they should just put it out of its misery altogether.
Big Brother Quotes Of The Series
"Don't ever think positive. Always think negative then when the positive happens it’s better." Plastic surgery disaster area Lea was a real ray of sunshine.
"I don't think you've lived until you've slept with someone who's not up to scratch." Sleazer Sezer's past girlfriends would probably be the first to agree with him.
"Fat birds work harder." (Diss)Grace quickly endeared herself to the nation's womenfolk.
"He'll get more than boos; he'll get fireworks thrown at him." Sweet, innocent Nikki had nothing but compassion for the deposed Shahbaz.
"Birds are the same as us." Misogynist Mikey thinks that the entire female population is as vapid, sleazy and dumb as he is.
"I want to be remembered as Sezer The Sleazer." Your wish is my command, Sezer.
"Most guys, if they have any sense, wouldn't go near her. She's a dog." Grace didn't get on with Aisleyne then. Or perhaps she was talking about herself.
"Susie is a posh bird, she doesn't like dog turd." Pete made some wild assumptions about Susie in the poetry challenge.
"Grace don't have to put make-up on to look good." Mikey knew how to charm the ladies. By lying, obviously.
"It's awesome. It's overwhelming. It's off the shizzle." Aisleyne: the real-life female Ali G.
"Boring, bland Imogen. Hmm, let me see, shall I watch paint dry, or sit up and chat to Imogen?" It was pots and kettles at dawn for Richard.
"I smell like a cow's udder." Nikki smelt like one; Lea looked like she had two.
"It's only a little f****** melon." No Shpoiral, that's a f****** grapefruit.
"I say 'Do you speak Welsh?' and if they say no, I ask them if they'd like a bit of Welsh in them." Glyn could teach Mikey a thing or two about what women want.
"Some people make the worst tea." And others, Snoozy Susie, make the worst BB housemates.
"I wouldn't lick it off her body, because then I'd vomit on it." Shpoiral had a unique way of impressing the ladies.
"You got to give me a little bit of warning. Because a girl needs to shave the legs. Tan the fake. Wash the hair." Tan the fake, Aisleyne?
"Why are you doing this? How are we supposed to get out of bed with this f****** blizzard?" Ever heard of a jumper, Nikki?
"I'm not qualificated. I'm not intelligent like Glyn. He's intelligent but he's a simpleton in everyday life." Nikki: the first person to ever think herself thicker than Glyn.
Spread Some Joy
I was thinking about the C word yesterdy - no, not THAT one - the jolly December festival! I'd like to run a round robin type present thing and wondered if anyone would like to join me.
The deal
I'd like someone to make something for me. Once whomever is kind enough to volunteer signs up, they can ask for someone to volunteer for them etc etc. At the end of October, whoever is last on the list will get a present from me, thus completing the circle. I think maybe we will have a blog or a Yahoo group to sign up to so we can keep track of sending and receiving etc.
Does this sound like a reasonable idea?
(Image from www.stampin.com)
Monday, August 21, 2006
EDB entry
Before being seduced by paper arts, I was strongly into textiles - sewing, patchwork, quilting, embroidery - it was all me! I've been resisting the call of fabric for far too long and have started experimenting with ideas from Pam Sussman's Fabric Journals book. I've started on an experimental journal, but this is my entry into Sheilagh's everyday book (the theme this month was 'growth' with the colours of gold and green). I suspect the colours on screen are more muted than IRL - the green at the top is almost like those '80s luminous socks (oops were they really a fashion?!) and the orange section is luscious silk from Designers Guild
Makes you think
Lessons in Life
Five (5) lessons to make you think about the way we treat people.
1 - First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady.
During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one:
"What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"
Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name?
I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.
"Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say "hello."
I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.
2. - Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain
One night, at 11:30 P.M., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car.
A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab. She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached. It read:
"Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away... God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others." Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole.
3 - Third Important Lesson - Always remember those who serve.
In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.
"How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked.
"Fifty cents," replied the waitress.
The little boy pulled is hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.
"Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he>inquired.
By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient.
"Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied.
The little boy again counted his coins.
"I'll have the plain ice cream," he said.
The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies. You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.
4 - Fourth Important Lesson. - The obstacle in Our Path.
In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock.
Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.
Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway.
The peasant learned what many of us never understand Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.
5 - Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts...
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare & serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister.
I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes I'll do it if it will save her."
As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded.
He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away?"
Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.
Five (5) lessons to make you think about the way we treat people.
1 - First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady.
During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one:
"What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"
Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name?
I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.
"Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say "hello."
I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.
2. - Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain
One night, at 11:30 P.M., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car.
A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab. She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached. It read:
"Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away... God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others." Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole.
3 - Third Important Lesson - Always remember those who serve.
In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.
"How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked.
"Fifty cents," replied the waitress.
The little boy pulled is hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.
"Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he>inquired.
By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient.
"Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied.
The little boy again counted his coins.
"I'll have the plain ice cream," he said.
The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies. You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.
4 - Fourth Important Lesson. - The obstacle in Our Path.
In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock.
Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.
Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway.
The peasant learned what many of us never understand Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.
5 - Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts...
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare & serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister.
I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes I'll do it if it will save her."
As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded.
He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away?"
Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.
Friday, August 18, 2006
The Museum of Temporary Art presents The Rebsch-Collection
The Museum of Temporary Art presents The Rebsch-Collection
I love this idea!
' The museum itself is located in my home. It is about 40x50 cm big and has 33 compartments. This website is a representation of what is currently in the museum, i.e. the compartments.
The Idea
Most of the objects in the museum are linked to a memory or anecdote which increases their actual value far beyond the materialistic one. The museum is a chance to give such seemingly meaningless objects the platform they deserve. They are Temporary Art.
The Contributors
Anyone, who is able to see beyond the surface and is willing to part with such an invaluable item and its story. For details see 'Participate'. '
Chunky book Reminder
For everyone who is in the chunky book 'Words to Live By' - it's due at the end of the month.
so far, the pages I've received are fabulous - can't wait to see the books come together.........
so far, the pages I've received are fabulous - can't wait to see the books come together.........
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Something and nothing
I love del.icio.us but it frustrates me. I've networked with someone whose links I really admire but I can't see on that site any way of contacting them, so I'm linking her here in the hope that she will get in touch via the comments............ Convoluted or what?
Quote
Good Friends
the good kind of friend not only encourages you to grow
and inspires you to grow ~
the good kind of friend makes you believe you can grow.
Which of your friends gives you belief?
the good kind of friend not only encourages you to grow
and inspires you to grow ~
the good kind of friend makes you believe you can grow.
Which of your friends gives you belief?
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Soul002
SoulCollage Card
I Am Interpretation
I am an ancient figure, a fertility goddess. I stand naked, proud to be who I am, accompanied by others, not afraid of their gaze. I am free in nature, enjoying the trees and flowers.
I want to give you body confidence, the ability to accept yourself as you are, to trust your choices and value your personal freedom. I want you to think about your body, to treasure its capabilities, to not worry what others think.
You will remember when you worry about eating something, when you compare yourself with others.
I Am Interpretation
I am an ancient figure, a fertility goddess. I stand naked, proud to be who I am, accompanied by others, not afraid of their gaze. I am free in nature, enjoying the trees and flowers.
I want to give you body confidence, the ability to accept yourself as you are, to trust your choices and value your personal freedom. I want you to think about your body, to treasure its capabilities, to not worry what others think.
You will remember when you worry about eating something, when you compare yourself with others.
Monday, August 14, 2006
I'm back!
I've been away camping and have come back refreshed and ready to make things, so expect a flurry of posts soon. I'm scared to look at my bloglines cos there are at the time of writing 1332 new entries
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Bloglines probs
Bloglines doesn't seem to be reminding me about any blogger blogs. Anyone else having the same problem?
It's also online
Punch card exhibit entry
Punch card exhibit entry
Title: The Collapse of the Red, White, and Blue
Medium: gouache, gloss heavy gel medium, punchings from a comb binder
Exhibited at the Washington Pavilion Visual Arts Center
Round as a pound, that's what I'll be.
I'm up incredibly late because I've been out on yet another restaurant review and I over ate. I worked out that by the time I finish my last review on Wednesday, I'll have eaten out 6 times in 10 days - 5 reviews and one family wedding.
I've loved it - it's not exactly a bind or punishment to go out with DH or a friend for a 3 course meal for free after all, but I'm now dreaming of the simple food we'll be eating when we go camping next week.....
I've loved it - it's not exactly a bind or punishment to go out with DH or a friend for a 3 course meal for free after all, but I'm now dreaming of the simple food we'll be eating when we go camping next week.....
Skippy's Everyday Book
Here's my entry into Skippy's everyday book - the colours had to be mainly brown and cream and the theme was memories. I punched the flowers out of an expensive rug catalogue that came through the door.
Monday, July 31, 2006
News@UofT -- Biological basis for creativity linked to mental illness -- September 30, 2003
News@UofT -- Biological basis for creativity linked to mental illness -- September 30, 2003
Proof that we are all a bit nutty! :
iological basis for creativity linked to mental illness
Creative people more open to stimuli from environment
by Jessica Whiteside
Sept. 30, 2003 -- Psychologists from U of T and Harvard University have identified one of the biological bases of creativity
The study in the September issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology says the brains of creative people appear to be more open to incoming stimuli from the surrounding environment. Other people's brains might shut out this same information through a process called "latent inhibition" - defined as an animal's unconscious capacity to ignore stimuli that experience has shown are irrelevant to its needs. Through psychological testing, the researchers showed that creative individuals are much more likely to have low levels of latent inhibition.
"This means that creative individuals remain in contact with the extra information constantly streaming in from the environment," says co-author and U of T psychology professor Jordan Peterson. "The normal person classifies an object, and then forgets about it, even though that object is much more complex and interesting than he or she thinks. The creative person, by contrast, is always open to new possibilities."
Previously, scientists have associated failure to screen out stimuli with psychosis. However, Peterson and his co-researchers - lead author and psychology lecturer Shelley Carson of Harvard University's Faculty of Arts and Sciences and Harvard PhD candidate Daniel Higgins - hypothesized that it might also contribute to original thinking, especially when combined with high IQ. They administered tests of latent inhibition to Harvard undergraduates. Those classified as eminent creative achievers - participants under age 21 who reported unusually high scores in a single area of creative achievement - were seven times more likely to have low latent inhibition scores.
The authors hypothesize that latent inhibition may be positive when combined with high intelligence and good working memory - the capacity to think about many things at once - but negative otherwise. Peterson states: "If you are open to new information, new ideas, you better be able to intelligently and carefully edit and choose. If you have 50 ideas, only two or three are likely to be good. You have to be able to discriminate or you'll get swamped."
"Scientists have wondered for a long time why madness and creativity seem linked," says Carson. "It appears likely that low levels of latent inhibition and exceptional flexibility in thought might predispose to mental illness under some conditions and to creative accomplishment under others."
For example, during the early stages of diseases such as schizophrenia, which are often accompanied by feelings of deep insight, mystical knowledge and religious experience, chemical changes take place in which latent inhibition disappears.
"We are very excited by the results of these studies," says Peterson. "It appears that we have not only identified one of the biological bases of creativity but have moved towards cracking an age-old mystery: the relationship between genius, madness and the doors of perception."
Proof that we are all a bit nutty! :
iological basis for creativity linked to mental illness
Creative people more open to stimuli from environment
by Jessica Whiteside
Sept. 30, 2003 -- Psychologists from U of T and Harvard University have identified one of the biological bases of creativity
The study in the September issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology says the brains of creative people appear to be more open to incoming stimuli from the surrounding environment. Other people's brains might shut out this same information through a process called "latent inhibition" - defined as an animal's unconscious capacity to ignore stimuli that experience has shown are irrelevant to its needs. Through psychological testing, the researchers showed that creative individuals are much more likely to have low levels of latent inhibition.
"This means that creative individuals remain in contact with the extra information constantly streaming in from the environment," says co-author and U of T psychology professor Jordan Peterson. "The normal person classifies an object, and then forgets about it, even though that object is much more complex and interesting than he or she thinks. The creative person, by contrast, is always open to new possibilities."
Previously, scientists have associated failure to screen out stimuli with psychosis. However, Peterson and his co-researchers - lead author and psychology lecturer Shelley Carson of Harvard University's Faculty of Arts and Sciences and Harvard PhD candidate Daniel Higgins - hypothesized that it might also contribute to original thinking, especially when combined with high IQ. They administered tests of latent inhibition to Harvard undergraduates. Those classified as eminent creative achievers - participants under age 21 who reported unusually high scores in a single area of creative achievement - were seven times more likely to have low latent inhibition scores.
The authors hypothesize that latent inhibition may be positive when combined with high intelligence and good working memory - the capacity to think about many things at once - but negative otherwise. Peterson states: "If you are open to new information, new ideas, you better be able to intelligently and carefully edit and choose. If you have 50 ideas, only two or three are likely to be good. You have to be able to discriminate or you'll get swamped."
"Scientists have wondered for a long time why madness and creativity seem linked," says Carson. "It appears likely that low levels of latent inhibition and exceptional flexibility in thought might predispose to mental illness under some conditions and to creative accomplishment under others."
For example, during the early stages of diseases such as schizophrenia, which are often accompanied by feelings of deep insight, mystical knowledge and religious experience, chemical changes take place in which latent inhibition disappears.
"We are very excited by the results of these studies," says Peterson. "It appears that we have not only identified one of the biological bases of creativity but have moved towards cracking an age-old mystery: the relationship between genius, madness and the doors of perception."
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Friday, July 28, 2006
Thank you card
Thank you Elizabeth - for the load of the books, for Edinburgh and for giving me an opportunity to play with my too long neglected sewing machine
Heidi Wedding card
Like everyone else I've been inspired by Beryl Taylor's book so here's my first attempt in using her paper technique with a few additions of my own
Hot work
There's not been a lot of art going on in this house - my room has to be the hottest one down stairs so I've just been a limp rag most of the time. I cobbled together this for the quotes AB RR that I'm in - this is an entry in Kim's Wild and Wicked Women book. The background is more detailed and shimmery than the photo shows - how familiar a cry is that in blogs? as for the wonky O - I'm just blaming vintage rub ons!
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