.now.

I'm home from a really great Raqs Bohéme show, listening to a bunch of Doctor Who remixes I've collected; and it's great.
Really really great!

.freezing fog.

It is disgusting outside.

Seriously.
And what the hell is freezing fog?

And this is part of why I don't plan on leaving the house for a week after Saturday.

.not quite a time lord.

A friend recently asked which of the perfumes I'd been brewing was the most popular - an easy question to answer considering the responses.
River Song. Without a doubt.

available at Society6

Something about the mixture of tangerine and vanilla is simply alluring while at the same time evoking childhood memories of fun and feeling safe - kind of an oxymoron, but what can I say? It's true.
Appropriately enough, Silence in the Library follows in a close second - though I suspect Petrichor and Eleven may overtake them both sooner than later.

And now back to our regularly scheduled "being overwhelmed by the holidays."

.want.

This might be the most amazing thing ever created by mankind.
Not only has Nike made a pair of "dance" shoes that look good - it looks like the functionality of them might be amazing.
I've struggled with the whole "dance shoe" thing for a long time. Mostly I just hate shoes for dancing in. One of my first teachers had everyone pick up ballet shoes so noone would be dancing barefoot - I bought two different pairs and was nothing but uncomfortable in either. Apparently I use my toes a lot to grip the floor when I'm dancing - the loss of that adds to my normal clumsiness which really doesn't need any assistance at all.
Then I found Foot Undiez - which were almost great, except my home dance space has always been carpeted and carpet destroys them. And they don't' always stay in place wonderfully for spins, and I do a lot of spinning.
I've used character shoes when I was in a situation when I had to wear something (like a restaurant or on scary pavement) but still.....wobbly and uncomfortable.
So mostly it's barefoot.

Unfortunately, at 110$ the Nike Studio Wrap is currently outside of my budget. But since they probably won't be available for purchase until Spring 2013 - I have time to save some dollars.
Someday, they will be mine!

.and then I made this thing.

...SOLD...

Merry Krampus!

Available at Society6

.reenchantment.

I picked up a new book the other day.
Literally picked it up off the floor in my studio. Turns out it's one of my husbands books from his art teacher in high school, and it probably accidentally migrated when I was moving bookshelves from his studio to another room.
This book is an art book, philosophy-ish, and probably a little out of date in terms of the fine arts world - but very possibly totally relevant to what's going on in the bellydance world right now. One paragraph has hit me particularly hard:

"Some artists have taken offense at what I write because it doesn't appear to validate what they are doing; but a paradigm shift can't occur without the consequences to the way we see and do things, and the uprooting of accustomed habits of thinking often has uncomfortable personal consequences. Condemnation of the ways that our society, as currently structured, fails to provide any context for a socially or morally sensitive art is easier, and less likely to demand a change of consciousness, than the more formidable effort of trying to construct a new vision and put it into practice. It is not part of our legacy to view ourselves as powerful agents of change; however, we are being confronted with the necessity of transforming our old modes of understanding if we are to survive the predicaments that are our collective fate right now."

-Suzi Gablik, The Reenchantment of Art

I really look forward to reading the rest of this little monster.

.fairy bones.

 

Fairy Bones

on etsy, 35$

.quote for November.

"You have to need to do it. You have to need to do your art so badly that not doing it is more painful than constantly failing at it."

Definitely the smartest thing I said all month. Possibly the smartest thing I've ever said in my whole life.

.octopus.

For the record, I prefer Octopodes.

.sketchbook wednesday.

MOAK 2012 - my favorites

 Continental Drift - Lance Hunter

oil on canvas, 15 x 30 inches, $2,300

 The Lemon Dance Observed - Diana Harvey

oil on canvas, 14 x 18 inches, $2,750

Daphne's Escape - Neal Harrington

woodcut, 89 x 48 inches, $1,000

Cornfield Path - Larry Carver

acrylic on board, 12 x 18 inches, $475

Night Writer - Joey Borovicka

oil on canvas, 48 x 50 inches, $2,700

Tarnished - Mary L. Hamilton

acrylic on canvas, 47 x 39 inches, $2,000

Precept Upon Precept - John Payne

acrylic on door panel, 39 x 72 inches, $2,200

Links to artist websites included where I could find them; obviously my photography could have been better - all the more reason to go and see the show yourself!

.timing.placement.inspiration.

We had a really good holiday, and I almost got through my "Do not go out on Black Friday" rule - except for needing to work on a mural at a friends house, and needing to buy paint to work on the mural, and getting sucked into oblivion at the craft store. Fortunately it was late enough in the day that there were few people still out, and I managed to leave with my paint and some canvas without much hassle.
Except then my husband wanted to go out to see a movie, and I was starving so we needed to go to dinner first; and that's where our heads exploded when we saw a celebrity! Which is where the Mister finally getting a smart phone came in handy as we searched for pictures of the guy trying to figure out if it was really him, and by the end of dinner we decided it was.

 I tried to take a picture, and failed miserably...

After, we tried to go to the movies except everything was sold out (hello Black Friday) but we did pass a hat shop with the most awesome window display...

Stetsons and Bow Ties - this is Product Placement

 And I just want to take a moment to plug my friend Luna's IndieGoGo campaign - she's the most amazing  hula hoop and circus performer, and a total inspiration to me in not only her amazing talent but in her dedication to her craft. She's been accepted to an awesome Cirucus Arts school and needs a little help with funding. Got to the site, watch the video, and even if you can just pass along the word it would be a huge help to her.

.beautiful things.

35$ on etsy, or 25% off with the coupon code "LOCALROCKS"

and everyone wonders why I'm so tired all the time...

Some of the local dancers found out recently that I also do art/design work, and in response to a compliment on that I said "I do what I can with the tools in my box."
Part of that complimenty-someone's response was "just imagine what we could do if we had all the tools we desired!"
My response: "I think my head would explode."

Already there's the commercial art thing - 40+ hours a week slaving for the high school kids.
Then there's the "illustration" thing. And the freelance design thing - though admittedly most of the design work I do is for myself.
Then there's the dance thing - practicing, performing, teaching, repairing/creating costumes, self-promoting, and occasionally damage control.
There's also the jewelry making, which thankfully has kind of declined to not-really-alot lately.
But then there's this new perfume-making venture.
Also - being married, taking care of our house and our cat, and normal life stuff.
And sometimes I get to read books, and be a science groupee, and work on embroidery!
And play video games. Sometimes.
 
No more tools please. My box is quite full.

.sketchbook wednesday.

...and then there was perfume!

Doctor style:

 

Available on Etsy!

.MOAK 2012.

Saturday I drove out to Springfield to check out the MOAK show since I missed the opening Friday night - I had Raqs Bohéme to dance at. There is something really special about walking into a room and seeing a piece of art you created hanging right there on the wall!

I took photos of some of my favorites of the show which I will post about later.

.artifact.

I picked up this small box at an estate sale several months ago. I believe it's bone, and it was beautifully hand painted aside from a few chips in the lid - damage from careless hand and a poorly placed price sticker.
I touched up the paint, re-varnished the lid, and in a few weeks it will be a lovely container for perfume samples that I'll be selling in my etsy shop.

.tonight it's RAW.

Tonight is the first annual RAWards, the semi finals for the giant big show in LA....in the future. If you remember, I did that back in July. Somehow I made it to the KC semi-finals, and if you go tonight, I totally urge you to put any votes that would have been for me to Ms Luna.
Because she's awesome.
And because I'm not going.
Because I'm swamped and exhausted and swamped.
And exhausted.

.sketchbook wednesday.

.I don't think that means what you think that means.

...and then while driving home today I saw this billboard and my brain exploded.

.all the things.

I have become immersed in projects. The most recent? My Sketchbook Arrived!

This will be my third straight year participating in the Sketchbook Project - and possibly my last. There's something both cathartic and upsetting about sending months of work out into the ether, never to see it again.
Unless I go to Brooklyn, or the tour comes anywhere near Kansas City. Which seems unlikely.
I waited until the absolute last day to sign up, totally on the fence as to whether I was oging to do it at all. Naturally they've extended the signups until November 16th if you'd like to join me.
Meanwhile I need to figure out what to fill it with - I've gone themeless and can't decide if I want to plan and rebuild it or just approach it organically.
Big blank sketchbook. Intimidating.

Suggestions?

And then I packaged up some perfumes. Since I seem to be making perfumes now. Doctor Who perfumes - because I wanted Petrichor and decided I needed to make it myself to make it just right. But mixing perfume is kind of like cracked out chemistry, and I need to practice for awhile before I attempt Petrichor for the third time (Attempt #1 became Idris, and Attempt #2 was a Disaster.)
Now to go and harass my perfume testers...

River Song, Doctor/Donna, and Idris

.and then my head exploded.

For more information on cults, I recommend the Cult Information Centre website.

.sketchbook wednesday.

.the mythical fame button.

Waterfire 2009 with Quixotic

 Since I started bellydancing, and more specifically since I became a performing bellydancer, I've developed a few trigger words that set me off. Amongst them:

"Opportunity"

"Exposure"

"Promotion"

...and here's the thing: there is no performance gig in the world that will magically launch your career into the stratus. It does not exist. Without fail, most every time I've heard one of those words it's been from some potential client who wants me to work for free, or almost free. I'm sure there are cases where the organizer has convinced themselves that the grande spectacle they're putting on will be a great opportunity for all of the performing acts - but most of the time it's just greedy people trying to get quality product without having to pay - and when people get things for free they don't value them nearly as much as the things they pay for.
This is something to remember.

June 2011, the Midland

I've worked a lot of gigs, and all kinds - from high class "holy crap I can't believe this is happening" jobs, to low class "holy crap why in the hell did I take this" jobs. I've performed to most of the large theaters in Kansas City - the Folly, the Midland, the Starlight, the Madrid (to name a few); and I've done more than a few performances in bars and in peoples living rooms. I've performed with bands, opened for bands, and worked with large performance fusion groups. The jobs where my client has been happy to pay me are the ones where I've been treated well, and the ones where I've had to fight to get paid are the ones where I've been treated like garbage. And very very few of any of them have led to more dance jobs - and when they have it's been years later.

The best promotion you're going to get is the promotion you work for and put together yourself - it's going to come from your website, ads, and a strong and positive social media presence. It's going to come from word of mouth - not from your audience but from the other performers in other genre's of performance you work with - jugglers, hoopers, aerialists, bands, and burlesque dancers. It's going to come from you acting like a professional, but also acting like a civilized human being - all those niceties your parents tried to drill into you: please and thankyou, kindness and humility. It's going to come from hard work and putting 120% into every performance, no matter how much you're being paid or where it's located.

The Boulder Theatre with Devotchka, October 2010, pic by Nathan Iverson

There is no mythical magical fame button.
Working for "promotion" is maybe the biggest scam the entertainment industry ever created for itself.

.happy-belated-halloween.

.sketchbook wednesday.

.and video.

Raqs Bohéme, October 19th, 2012

.vanity.

Mr. Russ Matthews just posted the first batch of photos from this months Raqs Bohéme, and Holy Wow Batman! A few personal gems...

.sketchbook wednesday.

.another blog!.

Raqs Bohemé - the little once a month show I produce (I suppose that's the right word) - now has it's own little page....blog....thing.
http://raqsboheme.blogspot.com/

.sketchbook wednesday.

ink, acrylic, collage (from digital art I created)

.more layers.

I'm obsessing about layers again.
(I'm also obsessing about homemade essential oil perfumes but that's something else entirely....kind of.)

This past weekend I was privy and party to a whole host of really fantastic performances. Burlesque, juggling, stand-up..... Really Fantastic Performances.
Not something that always happens.
And as I was watching everything, between changing costumes, breathing through my asthma, and touching up makeup, I was seeing some....themes.
Layer themes.

I go on a lot about dancing and cake and layers - the dancing is the cake. The costuming is the icing. And as awesome as icing is, it's really not so awesome unless it's on a really awesome cake. But most awesome cakes are made of multiple layers of cake, usually with fantastic stuff in between the layers.
And the same exact thing applies to performances.

• You've got your technique - the technical aspect of what your doing.
• Then there's choreography (or improv, whatever you prefer), which is interrelated with musicality.
• Then there's expression - your stage presence, the story you're telling, the mood your setting.
• Then you've got costuming - which relates directly to your music, technique and story. Enhances it, sets a visual tone before the movement begins.
• And, if your lucky - there's lighting and backdrop. And that gets into more color theory.

• And of course, let's not forget the physical condition of your body.

And now I'm craving cake...