Would you believe it? Some people just think the world should be handed to them on a silver platter!
So I was sitting around the house tonight, in that special state of bored where you have plenty to do, but don't really feel like doing any of it. I could keep working on my sewing project... or my weaving project... or keep knitting that scarf that I promised to my mom a couple years ago... or cook or clean or watch a movie or tv show or study for school, or any of a million things that I could do, but none of them really sparked my interest.
One thing, however, that has always been an interest of mine is being part of something bigger than
I am. In high school, I was in concert band, marching band (well, ColorGuard, but that's basically the same thing!), a couple different orchestras outside of school, and an after-school drama group because I love the feeling of creating something bigger than myself, of being able to add my own little part into a greater whole and feel it soar beyond what I could do on my own. Nowadays, I really only have Irish dance to do that with, but that's about all I have time for. It's still amazing when it happens, and I wouldn't trade that feeling for anything.
There isn't really much that you can do at home, on your own, though, to get that feeling of connectivity and magnitude, but darn it, I was determined to try! I've always wanted to have a huge canvas or wall of paper at my disposal to go wildly artistic on, despite being rather limited in that area. Having neither the materials nor the funds to make that happen, I decided I would make my own canvas out of, what else, computer paper! (Side note, in case you didn't know: There was an amazingly good sale on computer paper during my first semester at school, and in two years, I've only used two of the six reams of paper I have. All of the drawings on this site are done on said computer paper because, well, it's basically free. Backstory concludes now!)
As per the usual method I follow when going about crazy schemes, I threw on some music to distract my common sense (and come on, who doesn't want a sound track to goofy plans?!), and began constructing a sizable paper structure on the one un-furnitured wall in my place. Naturally, I didn't want the tape to be in the way while I was drawing, so I had to carefully fit the pieces of paper together on the wall while taping the undersides as best I could. I ended up with a pretty decent canvas, but now the bigger question loomed: what to do with it?!
I won't bother you with the arduous details of a tortured artist in the throes of anguished inspiration, mostly because I was in no such state. I was standing up, sitting down, stepping back, sketching, erasing, re-sketching, adding silliness, deciding against it, and boogying out to the music, having a blast. I love playing around with things I'm not serious about, especially when I know I can construct a story about them later! The sun was pretty unhelpful in the process though, unconcernedly setting in the midst of my fun, but I have long ago replaced the apartment-provided light bulbs with natural-spectrum ones, so it wasn't too disastrous. After a while, I finally got what I wanted down, and started going over it with a big Sharpie. I was a little worried about it bleeding through and marking up the wall, but after a couple test runs, the computer paper seemed to be up to the job, so I just went at it.
At first, I'd had a great idea of letting the cartoon me in my sketches finally meet the real me, but as I was drawing, would you believe it, she started getting some crazy attitude! I wanted it to be a pleasant meeting, but no! First she was upset that she was going to be shorter than I was, so I added a box of books for her to stand on. Then she wanted a different skirt, since the usual one I draw is a work skirt. Ok, I can do that, though it breaks tradition. Then she didn't want to be seen next to my "Fee Fi Fo Fum" home-made poster. I tried explaining that there were no other free walls, and the poster hides an unused phone outlet, but she just kept complaining. The lighting wasn't right, there was nowhere for the camera to sit to get the best side of either of us, blah blah blah, there was no end to it!
Finally, I told her that's just the way it had to be, and if she kept complaining, I could always give her something to complain about. After threatening to sketch in mouse ears and a dragon's tail, she settled down, but would you look at what she did to our meeting?!
What a snooty little wench! She even got to be taller than I am, with that box of books I gave her! Some people, I tell you. If it weren't for the fact that I had a fantastic evening setting this up and telling the story, why I don't know what I'd have to do to her. I'm sure that, since she's technically me, there's some good psychoanalysis in here, but I'll just leave it at having had a good time in an otherwise boring evening. Cheers!
So I was sitting around the house tonight, in that special state of bored where you have plenty to do, but don't really feel like doing any of it. I could keep working on my sewing project... or my weaving project... or keep knitting that scarf that I promised to my mom a couple years ago... or cook or clean or watch a movie or tv show or study for school, or any of a million things that I could do, but none of them really sparked my interest.
One thing, however, that has always been an interest of mine is being part of something bigger than
I am. In high school, I was in concert band, marching band (well, ColorGuard, but that's basically the same thing!), a couple different orchestras outside of school, and an after-school drama group because I love the feeling of creating something bigger than myself, of being able to add my own little part into a greater whole and feel it soar beyond what I could do on my own. Nowadays, I really only have Irish dance to do that with, but that's about all I have time for. It's still amazing when it happens, and I wouldn't trade that feeling for anything.
There isn't really much that you can do at home, on your own, though, to get that feeling of connectivity and magnitude, but darn it, I was determined to try! I've always wanted to have a huge canvas or wall of paper at my disposal to go wildly artistic on, despite being rather limited in that area. Having neither the materials nor the funds to make that happen, I decided I would make my own canvas out of, what else, computer paper! (Side note, in case you didn't know: There was an amazingly good sale on computer paper during my first semester at school, and in two years, I've only used two of the six reams of paper I have. All of the drawings on this site are done on said computer paper because, well, it's basically free. Backstory concludes now!)
As per the usual method I follow when going about crazy schemes, I threw on some music to distract my common sense (and come on, who doesn't want a sound track to goofy plans?!), and began constructing a sizable paper structure on the one un-furnitured wall in my place. Naturally, I didn't want the tape to be in the way while I was drawing, so I had to carefully fit the pieces of paper together on the wall while taping the undersides as best I could. I ended up with a pretty decent canvas, but now the bigger question loomed: what to do with it?!
 |
| Endless Possibility! (Ignore the paper on the left) |
I won't bother you with the arduous details of a tortured artist in the throes of anguished inspiration, mostly because I was in no such state. I was standing up, sitting down, stepping back, sketching, erasing, re-sketching, adding silliness, deciding against it, and boogying out to the music, having a blast. I love playing around with things I'm not serious about, especially when I know I can construct a story about them later! The sun was pretty unhelpful in the process though, unconcernedly setting in the midst of my fun, but I have long ago replaced the apartment-provided light bulbs with natural-spectrum ones, so it wasn't too disastrous. After a while, I finally got what I wanted down, and started going over it with a big Sharpie. I was a little worried about it bleeding through and marking up the wall, but after a couple test runs, the computer paper seemed to be up to the job, so I just went at it.
At first, I'd had a great idea of letting the cartoon me in my sketches finally meet the real me, but as I was drawing, would you believe it, she started getting some crazy attitude! I wanted it to be a pleasant meeting, but no! First she was upset that she was going to be shorter than I was, so I added a box of books for her to stand on. Then she wanted a different skirt, since the usual one I draw is a work skirt. Ok, I can do that, though it breaks tradition. Then she didn't want to be seen next to my "Fee Fi Fo Fum" home-made poster. I tried explaining that there were no other free walls, and the poster hides an unused phone outlet, but she just kept complaining. The lighting wasn't right, there was nowhere for the camera to sit to get the best side of either of us, blah blah blah, there was no end to it!
Finally, I told her that's just the way it had to be, and if she kept complaining, I could always give her something to complain about. After threatening to sketch in mouse ears and a dragon's tail, she settled down, but would you look at what she did to our meeting?!
 |
| Not talking to myself? |
What a snooty little wench! She even got to be taller than I am, with that box of books I gave her! Some people, I tell you. If it weren't for the fact that I had a fantastic evening setting this up and telling the story, why I don't know what I'd have to do to her. I'm sure that, since she's technically me, there's some good psychoanalysis in here, but I'll just leave it at having had a good time in an otherwise boring evening. Cheers!
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