.sketchbook.project.

I am currently not quite halfway finished with my third Sketchbook Project. It's a lovely exercise, a bit frustrating, challenging, and super satisfying when you realize how much progress you've made. You sign up, fork over money, they send you a book, and you have until January to get it back to them, filled with whatever; and then it goes on tour.

My first sketchbook was a bit of a disaster. I choose my theme poorly, let myself become completely flabbergasted by the thin paper in the book, and didn't actually finish it until June - a full 6 months after it was due.

My second sketchbook was also a bit of a disaster. I finished it in about two months - a full 10 months before it was due; once again with a poorly chosen theme and execution, and then sat on it for awhile, trying to decide whether I was going to actually submit it, or set it on fire.

.keeping.busy.

More often than not I find myself wishing for a new project, and scheming for ways I can further entertain/engage/busy myself. I like to keep busy. Idle hands/mind for me makes for the Crazy Place in my brains. I tend to multitask as well - I'm not just working on a project but also listening to an audiobook or podcast, or watching a TED talk or something on Netflix, while also scheming about dance, etc...

It makes my beau crazy - he likes to occupy himself with one thing at a time, intently and with purpose; and my flurry of "things" is very distracting for him.

Lately I've been on a "find projects" kick again lately, totally disregarding the plethora of projects I'm already working on; and fortunately before I added any to the list, my current list caught up with me, just in time to bring on feelings of being overwhelmed and overworked. And I'm happy about this. This is Good.

Cuddle-Fish

I'm working on a very Conceptual illustration of the evolution of life - but I needed a break from the research. I needed a Cute Break.
Answer = Cuttlefish

.September.Dance.Challenge.Precursor.

It's early yet - the last Dance Challenge just ended 2 days ago, but I've got my panties all in a wad, and I thought getting this out earlier might be the way to go.

Why are my panties in a wad?

Because of Morgan.
Morgan is a beautiful wild Orca, supposedly rescued to rehabilitate, but now essentially being held captive by her rehabilitators, the Harderwijk Dolfinarium.  There was an attempt to send her to an amusement park in the Canary Islands, which was thankfully blocked by the Orca Coalition, but her release back into the wild has not been secured yet.

It just makes me nauseous.
And while normally I keep my politics to myself, I just...there are no words.

So, for the next Dance Challenge, I'm going to take between 5-10 song suggestions. If the songs are in some way ocean related - bonus points. And rather than tipping, I'd like all donations to be made toward freeing Morgan. Last I checked they needed about 2500 Euros to keep the legal battle ongoing.
As a bonus, as well as YouTube video "likes" for the voting, I'll be taking dollar donations as votes as well - and all of those dollars, every one, will go to freeing Morgan.

I'll be taking song suggestions on the 1st of September, and the first batch of videos will be posted on the 5th. Voting will be open until the 9th, and the final video will be posted on the 10th.

Additionally, I'll be donating half of all etsy sales towards freeing Morgan.
For how long?
Until it's resolved.

.Dance.Challenge.August.Final.

OMG I'm so sleepy!!!!

Seriously, soooo sleepy. Maybe four hours last night? Then a full day of work? Then dancing?
So, without any judgment on my part - sleepy dancer dancing:

My favorite part is where my cat decides he's batman, and then gravity disagrees.

.art.musing.

I've been mulling over what it is that I want to do with my art, my personal art, for the last week. Not a terribly long time to be mulling over something, especially with how busy I tend to be, but one thought keeps popping up over and over - Why do I have to do anything with it at all?

At first this thought, this answer, seems to be simple, straightforward, and fairly obvious. But it's not. Because I do want to do something with it - but not for the reasons I ought to want to do anything with it.
Down to pins and needles, ultimately my goal is to be able to do what I want, when I want, and not have to need to work for an entity I don't believe in to live the way I want to. A step back further, and I don't even need (or want) to live the way I'm living now. How I ended up here, with a house and a fiance and a pair of codependent cats is unimportant, really. It's where I am, and I have to make a decision if it's where I want to stay - or if the life I have to live in order to stay here is the life I really want to live.

.Dance.Challenge.August.

It seems to be crazy video day!

A few notes before you watch - the backlighting is horrible. Just ignore it. Also, my dining room is not tidy and perfect - ignore it. As "Beginning to Work on a Piece" videos, I'm not horribly dissappointed, but I'm not critiquing anything, and if it were up to me, I would not continue to work on certain ones. That being said, these are essentially pre-practice videos, and improv to boot. I very rarely choreograph, and especially not when I'm still getting to know a song. Also, I had to use my laptop to record as the digital camera has gone missing (that's what I get for cleaning anything).
However it's up to you, not me, and it's up to your YouTube "likes" - so Go! Like Things!

Also, still taking donations, if you're enjoying yourself of course!