I visited the TV studio today and was present for the planning meeting for tomorrow's shoot. I was recruited to play "coffee girl". That shoot starts at 8 am so I do need my beauty rest. I am very excited.
I spent several hours in the computer lab trying to arrange my photos for one page montage of my different looks for Dave, the instructor at the CAM to keep on file. I hope to get more parts in his students productions that way. The time was long and I forgot how to operate Iphoto. ugh. I had to re-choose the photos twice, and the computer crashed. Yes! -from the 700 photos. ugh. I ended up saving the ones I want to use, but Photoland is to expensive in the summer so I have to come up with an alternate plan.
I then spent a great evening with Mike, and we made some fabulous progress on our songs. We now have more then we can cover in a single evening, but we nailed the Key change in the Aretha song, and I even got the fast second verse in Seen it coming, the Nickel back number we recorded last week. Mike was impressed with my progress on the Eva Cassidy tune and thinks we should record again soon to show Hirsh my improvement. Yay!
All in all a very productive day with almost 9 work hours. That sure makes up for the past week! Ok 8 am on site will come early, so I will post the results over the weekend. Thanks to all my supportive readers!
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
production is time consuming
After everything I explored in the last post, this was a quieter week with a busy work schedule. Yay. Rent is paid!
I spoke to "Kevin" a professional web site designer, for about 2 hours last week, to learn about his work, but we ended up talking about our current mutual art classes and various mediums of design, so I will have to get more on that later. Still it inspired me to continue exploring "painting" with different mediums.
I then spent about 2 and a half hours watching "Don" use CorelDraw9 to create mock product labels. These were part of the "production" work needed for the Commercial his film class was shooting the next day. He used a Wacom drawing pad and stylus for most of the work. I hoped to learn some technology, or editing tips. But in the end it wasn't very directly useful to me at this time.
Still, I learned to allow plenty of time, since creating the mock labels took him hours before I arrived, and then there was about an hour of trying to work out the problems of sending them via email with high resolution. There were multiple IM's back and forth about progress. The files had to be compressed, and resent several times which was tedious.
In the end there were about five mock labels which were all very humorous, and the commercial shoot went well.
I was given an open invitation to visit the studio during class and help with production work as soon as my schedule opens up. I have no idea if I will end up in front of the camera or behind it, but I will be ready for either tomorrow.
meanwhile, its time to visit the OFS and see if there are anymore films to screen, and then meet up with Mike for another round of music and more recording... woot! that is always an evening well spent.
I spoke to "Kevin" a professional web site designer, for about 2 hours last week, to learn about his work, but we ended up talking about our current mutual art classes and various mediums of design, so I will have to get more on that later. Still it inspired me to continue exploring "painting" with different mediums.
I then spent about 2 and a half hours watching "Don" use CorelDraw9 to create mock product labels. These were part of the "production" work needed for the Commercial his film class was shooting the next day. He used a Wacom drawing pad and stylus for most of the work. I hoped to learn some technology, or editing tips. But in the end it wasn't very directly useful to me at this time.
Still, I learned to allow plenty of time, since creating the mock labels took him hours before I arrived, and then there was about an hour of trying to work out the problems of sending them via email with high resolution. There were multiple IM's back and forth about progress. The files had to be compressed, and resent several times which was tedious.
In the end there were about five mock labels which were all very humorous, and the commercial shoot went well.
I was given an open invitation to visit the studio during class and help with production work as soon as my schedule opens up. I have no idea if I will end up in front of the camera or behind it, but I will be ready for either tomorrow.
meanwhile, its time to visit the OFS and see if there are anymore films to screen, and then meet up with Mike for another round of music and more recording... woot! that is always an evening well spent.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
to class or not to class...
update:
Tamia hits overload:
Recently watched a fabulous Mini series: THE IMPRESSIONISTS, staring Julian Glover. It focused mostly on Monet, but brought the history of all the impressionists alive.(Renoir, Bazille, Degas, Manet...) I think it must also be where we get the cultural "starving artist" archetype from. It was extremely inspiring paint wise, to see him with 5 canvases painting haystacks as the light changed! Yay!
More to come later about my thoughts on that! ART saves lives, and makes life worthwhile. Really.
My new psychology of dreams class started last night. I went to the first class to discuss with the instructor if I should bother to stay. It seems fascinating, but I had decided not to do it. Then I got sucked into it all. But I can't afford it right now. I have to drop it no matter how enticing it is.
I have never had such a hard time finding work! And I FEEL like its not anybody else's problem, to solve. Job hunting eats into my inspiration, painting and collaborative art projects a lot. I spend 30 hours a week at that, and figuring out how to afford to drive to the one job I still work 10 hours at. aarrggggh.
Sorry. Don't mean to whine. But it is a very prominent part of my current progress. I am somehow not inspired to paint, or do much else, but to keep searching and applying for even the most ludicrous jobs. I think STRESSED OUT is a drastic understatement. But hey! At least I can still write from life Hirsh! ;) how about that?
PROJECTS: NEXT UP: A few selections from The Artists Way, by Julia Cameron, seem timely to this point of my creative recovery. I need to do more art photos for the film and power point. I am also still trying to get just one of those pesky, flaky, noncommittal film students to let me help with something, anything, so I can learn more about what they are doing and film process. I may have to tank the power point so I can focus on the film stuff instead. I've spent a lot of time spinning my wheels trying to connect with those flaky film students.
Tamia hits overload:
Recently watched a fabulous Mini series: THE IMPRESSIONISTS, staring Julian Glover. It focused mostly on Monet, but brought the history of all the impressionists alive.(Renoir, Bazille, Degas, Manet...) I think it must also be where we get the cultural "starving artist" archetype from. It was extremely inspiring paint wise, to see him with 5 canvases painting haystacks as the light changed! Yay!
More to come later about my thoughts on that! ART saves lives, and makes life worthwhile. Really.
My new psychology of dreams class started last night. I went to the first class to discuss with the instructor if I should bother to stay. It seems fascinating, but I had decided not to do it. Then I got sucked into it all. But I can't afford it right now. I have to drop it no matter how enticing it is.
I have never had such a hard time finding work! And I FEEL like its not anybody else's problem, to solve. Job hunting eats into my inspiration, painting and collaborative art projects a lot. I spend 30 hours a week at that, and figuring out how to afford to drive to the one job I still work 10 hours at. aarrggggh.
Sorry. Don't mean to whine. But it is a very prominent part of my current progress. I am somehow not inspired to paint, or do much else, but to keep searching and applying for even the most ludicrous jobs. I think STRESSED OUT is a drastic understatement. But hey! At least I can still write from life Hirsh! ;) how about that?
PROJECTS: NEXT UP: A few selections from The Artists Way, by Julia Cameron, seem timely to this point of my creative recovery. I need to do more art photos for the film and power point. I am also still trying to get just one of those pesky, flaky, noncommittal film students to let me help with something, anything, so I can learn more about what they are doing and film process. I may have to tank the power point so I can focus on the film stuff instead. I've spent a lot of time spinning my wheels trying to connect with those flaky film students.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Mayhem with music and film!
Ok, I met with Mike for music this week, but the traffic and other things cut our time short. Still it was good to touch base, and see where we are at after missing a couple weeks of connections. which is all we really had time for since he had other plans. the good news: Mike had a way to record a couple of tracks of our progress especially for HIrsh, so I hope to provide a link to that soon, Yay!
I feel so blessed that he is so talented, resourceful and patient with me and my super sucky timing issues. He has never let any frustration show, though it must lurk there, He usually laughs at me, and is very encouraging to help count me in, when I start to early or late. I am blessed to have such a great and patient conspirator. His lovely wife Teresa is very kind to letting me invade their home once a week and monopolize his time and assistance with this creative learning project. I always have a fabulous time, and am very grateful. I want to do more of it. I need to make it more of a priority.
practice, practice, practice.
Olympia film society: I went to another meeting last week, and checked out 3 Japanese art films to screen. They are so far mostly boring drivel. The film meetings are every other week, and were all setup on the first week. I have never received an email about them,I just show up. So far the one gal tends to monopolize the direction of the conversation, and the ear of this years directing coordinator, dropping band names and obscure films from other festivals, but I always learn a lot, so It doesn't bother me. It does make the meetings run long and a bit under productive to my way of thinking, but that's collaboration for you.
My own photos have not been particularly inspired, so I have a lot to plan out this weekend. I haven't gotten a straight answer from any of the filming students I've tried to connect with, so it looks like I am on my own. Even Don has speculated three different ways I could assist, but not pinned down a single one yet. And works on with out me. I have to make a power point, do more reading, and figure out how my film will best document my progress...
I feel so blessed that he is so talented, resourceful and patient with me and my super sucky timing issues. He has never let any frustration show, though it must lurk there, He usually laughs at me, and is very encouraging to help count me in, when I start to early or late. I am blessed to have such a great and patient conspirator. His lovely wife Teresa is very kind to letting me invade their home once a week and monopolize his time and assistance with this creative learning project. I always have a fabulous time, and am very grateful. I want to do more of it. I need to make it more of a priority.
practice, practice, practice.
Olympia film society: I went to another meeting last week, and checked out 3 Japanese art films to screen. They are so far mostly boring drivel. The film meetings are every other week, and were all setup on the first week. I have never received an email about them,I just show up. So far the one gal tends to monopolize the direction of the conversation, and the ear of this years directing coordinator, dropping band names and obscure films from other festivals, but I always learn a lot, so It doesn't bother me. It does make the meetings run long and a bit under productive to my way of thinking, but that's collaboration for you.
My own photos have not been particularly inspired, so I have a lot to plan out this weekend. I haven't gotten a straight answer from any of the filming students I've tried to connect with, so it looks like I am on my own. Even Don has speculated three different ways I could assist, but not pinned down a single one yet. And works on with out me. I have to make a power point, do more reading, and figure out how my film will best document my progress...
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
So many projects so little time!
I had another 10+ hour photo shoot with Mark. Here are a few samples of yesterdays work. Obviously I do not post the best ones online, and Mark and I share ownership of them, so you can see more on his site. Check the link.
We conspire well together with great ideas for costumes, locations, and moods. We meant to keep it breezy this time, with only three looks, and three locations, but the time still got away from us. By the time I left his place with my copies, we still had over 700 photos! And that was after the initial sorting where I trash the obviously ugly ones.
Honestly, it usually takes going through them several times over several days to look past the art value of form and content, expressions on my face from sun in my eyes, and any blurriness. It can make a long day into a very long day, since we have to dump and preview each batch between locations. No complaints though, I always enjoy our work. We worked for over 10 hours yesterday, and it took another 4.5 hours today to do a second sort of my copies into keepers for projects, and re-size them to upload here. It will add even more time when I crop or edit the ones I plan to use for my next project.
I am learning a lot by working with Mark: such as how to work with a photographer that only occasionally gives suggestions, and very little actual direction once he's behind the camera. It is truly collaborative to have more freedom as well as responsibility in the shoot. It was really fun when his girl friend went with us to the beach and helped direct me a bit.
Sometimes I wish we worked over several days, instead of all at once, so I could process what I learn from each shoot and bring it to the next. When there is to much time between shoots I don't remember subtle body angles I want to change, or make up and expression tricks for harsh sunlight. When there is not enough time, such as back to back shoots, I don't get a chance to visually and mentally evaluate my own performance and contribution to the project, past initial facial expressions.
Other photographers I have worked with were very constant and commanding in their direction for body positions, and head angles, expressions, etc. Which I usually appreciate, since there is so much to distract one on location shots. Weather in the face, passersby and onlookers, balancing at weird angles, combating vertigo while trying to look comfortable, watching for wildlife or bird bombs, and showing just enough skin without overdoing it... But I am learning more this way. ;)
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Response to Reading #2
Chapter 10, Clear Water:
Nourishing the Creative Life
from
Women Who Run with The Wolves
by Clarrissa Pinkola Estes
“Creativity” says Ms. Estes, “ is a shape changer. One moment it takes this form, the next, that.”
and she goes on to point out how creativity exists in both the ideas and the doing, the follow through of those ideas, pursuing them into shape, and following where they lead. She tells the story of , La Larona, the woman of the river. A woman who lost her creativity, her children, her creations.
Some practical tips for identifying the loss, and the destructive animus, as well as taking stock of the situation, and beginning the healing process dominate this chapter of the text. But steps to take in regaining ones creative soul fire, after illness, stagnation, or injured instincts have starved one for “freshness and fertility” are listed through this chapter:
1)Receive nurturance,
2)Respond in the moment to what you perceive now,
3)Be wild: be willing to seem stupid, or inept to others,
4)Begin, just where you are,
5)Protect your time: set boundaries and
6)Stay with it: keep at it,
7)Protect your creative Life,
8)Craft your real work,
9)Lay out Nourishment for the Creative life
Next, Ms. Estes tells the story of the Little Match Girl, a story that has haunted me all my life with its sad, hopeless destruction and despair. The tale is dissected to give us its lessons and an additional message, with this very sound advice:
“To avoid being the Little Match Girl, there is one major action you must take. Anyone who does not support your art, your life, is not worth your time. Harsh but true.”
Finally, the author winds through yet another tale to point the way and ends with the advice that to just sit and rock with an idea, is the way to find your focus when it has been lost. However long it takes, it will come, and renew itself. “You need do no more.”
I am on this journey and it is good to have the road ahead laid out, the next steps clearly marked. I know what to do from here! The rent and bills be blessed and given to a higher power. The time has come to paint! To blend essential oils, to visit old friends and old flames and walk amongst the roses to hear their sighs. To Love the people in my life right now like I have never been hurt and wear my heart on my sleeve because life is short.
tg
Nourishing the Creative Life
from
Women Who Run with The Wolves
by Clarrissa Pinkola Estes
“Creativity” says Ms. Estes, “ is a shape changer. One moment it takes this form, the next, that.”
and she goes on to point out how creativity exists in both the ideas and the doing, the follow through of those ideas, pursuing them into shape, and following where they lead. She tells the story of , La Larona, the woman of the river. A woman who lost her creativity, her children, her creations.
Some practical tips for identifying the loss, and the destructive animus, as well as taking stock of the situation, and beginning the healing process dominate this chapter of the text. But steps to take in regaining ones creative soul fire, after illness, stagnation, or injured instincts have starved one for “freshness and fertility” are listed through this chapter:
1)Receive nurturance,
2)Respond in the moment to what you perceive now,
3)Be wild: be willing to seem stupid, or inept to others,
4)Begin, just where you are,
5)Protect your time: set boundaries and
6)Stay with it: keep at it,
7)Protect your creative Life,
8)Craft your real work,
9)Lay out Nourishment for the Creative life
Next, Ms. Estes tells the story of the Little Match Girl, a story that has haunted me all my life with its sad, hopeless destruction and despair. The tale is dissected to give us its lessons and an additional message, with this very sound advice:
“To avoid being the Little Match Girl, there is one major action you must take. Anyone who does not support your art, your life, is not worth your time. Harsh but true.”
Finally, the author winds through yet another tale to point the way and ends with the advice that to just sit and rock with an idea, is the way to find your focus when it has been lost. However long it takes, it will come, and renew itself. “You need do no more.”
I am on this journey and it is good to have the road ahead laid out, the next steps clearly marked. I know what to do from here! The rent and bills be blessed and given to a higher power. The time has come to paint! To blend essential oils, to visit old friends and old flames and walk amongst the roses to hear their sighs. To Love the people in my life right now like I have never been hurt and wear my heart on my sleeve because life is short.
tg
Friday, July 16, 2010
heat exhaustion, dead ends & fruitless endevours
Well. It seems I missed a week. I managed to have adventures but they mostly fell flat of my learning intentions, and left me frustrated and feeling very unsuccessful.
Last week, I visited an old car show on the big weekend and tried to glean film and camera tips from Don. Then, following the big weekend of the 4th, our temperatures jumped from the mid 60's to the mid 90's overnight. It was fabulous! -but us Lilly white north westerners are just not used to a weeks worth of that kind of weather. I actually got heat exhaustion on Thursday, and couldn't even keep water down. I was lucky someone thought to try adding electrolytes and have me sip that for 3 days. All in all, it took about four days to recover and feel somewhat normal. whew! I don't think I realized how bad off I was until a few days later, so that was a big scare.
Meanwhile, I worked on the music, and plunged back into creating new collaborations. Mike and I agreed to take a break again, and find new songs, change the day, and we now plan to set up and try recording some stuff. We meet up again next week on Friday night. So big plans, but no current work on that front, except practice, practice, practice my timing. Ti-ahh-ming-ing
I did start on the arranged photos for the power point I hope to create, and find I am struggling more then last time, not having classmates to bounce ideas off of. I learn a lot from Don about the technical aspects, but creatively he sometimes seems to steal my thunder a bit, (not my ideas, just the oomph or enthusiasm to do them somehow) so I have learned that I must keep my fledgling ideas close to the vest. I learned a bit more about collaborative boundaries, and self discipline.
Don's class had a field trip to Seattle this week, that was going to learn about filming equipment! I tried to get in on that, thinking it would really help me in my quest to learn the instructional technologies better. Unfortunately the logistics didn't pan out well, and by the time I had obtained the permission of the instructor, it interfered with a different trip that had been delayed because of the complications from the heat exhaustion. My friend Tina had been visiting and we had to get her home to Portland. A few of us made a girls day of it and had lunch at the Roxy so it wasn't a total waste.
I have figured out that I am not good at keeping up with my art journal and doing photography during the same week. They seem to be very mutually exclusive, so that feels like a struggle as well. All in all I feel like I was just spinning my wheels the past 10 days and beating my head against a brick wall. I need to regroup, and set a plan of action for the rest of the quarter. The good news? I think I may have a job with CRC for Fall! Yay! I just have to get through summer financially and things will should ease up a bit. Yay, that relieves a bit of stress.
Its time to get organized! In 2 weeks my psychology of dreams class starts up, and the kinesiology class I teach will be getting into finals, so I really need to have the power point done and the film underway by then. So here we go!! Time to buckle down, set a schedule and focus on productivity now. Wish me luck!
Last week, I visited an old car show on the big weekend and tried to glean film and camera tips from Don. Then, following the big weekend of the 4th, our temperatures jumped from the mid 60's to the mid 90's overnight. It was fabulous! -but us Lilly white north westerners are just not used to a weeks worth of that kind of weather. I actually got heat exhaustion on Thursday, and couldn't even keep water down. I was lucky someone thought to try adding electrolytes and have me sip that for 3 days. All in all, it took about four days to recover and feel somewhat normal. whew! I don't think I realized how bad off I was until a few days later, so that was a big scare.
Meanwhile, I worked on the music, and plunged back into creating new collaborations. Mike and I agreed to take a break again, and find new songs, change the day, and we now plan to set up and try recording some stuff. We meet up again next week on Friday night. So big plans, but no current work on that front, except practice, practice, practice my timing. Ti-ahh-ming-ing
I did start on the arranged photos for the power point I hope to create, and find I am struggling more then last time, not having classmates to bounce ideas off of. I learn a lot from Don about the technical aspects, but creatively he sometimes seems to steal my thunder a bit, (not my ideas, just the oomph or enthusiasm to do them somehow) so I have learned that I must keep my fledgling ideas close to the vest. I learned a bit more about collaborative boundaries, and self discipline.
Don's class had a field trip to Seattle this week, that was going to learn about filming equipment! I tried to get in on that, thinking it would really help me in my quest to learn the instructional technologies better. Unfortunately the logistics didn't pan out well, and by the time I had obtained the permission of the instructor, it interfered with a different trip that had been delayed because of the complications from the heat exhaustion. My friend Tina had been visiting and we had to get her home to Portland. A few of us made a girls day of it and had lunch at the Roxy so it wasn't a total waste.
I have figured out that I am not good at keeping up with my art journal and doing photography during the same week. They seem to be very mutually exclusive, so that feels like a struggle as well. All in all I feel like I was just spinning my wheels the past 10 days and beating my head against a brick wall. I need to regroup, and set a plan of action for the rest of the quarter. The good news? I think I may have a job with CRC for Fall! Yay! I just have to get through summer financially and things will should ease up a bit. Yay, that relieves a bit of stress.
Its time to get organized! In 2 weeks my psychology of dreams class starts up, and the kinesiology class I teach will be getting into finals, so I really need to have the power point done and the film underway by then. So here we go!! Time to buckle down, set a schedule and focus on productivity now. Wish me luck!
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