today i will write

for beth. for kathy. for stacey. for karla. for cindy. for travis. and that is probably all who read.
but i have been craving writing to you again.
I plan to post updates and progress on the creating of my art show
(april 9)
(( i post the date, mostly as a constant ticking clock for added pressure))
(((and to invite you my friends)))

It's actually really nice, I don't feel forced to work on the show at all. I want to. I guess it pays to end by working with materials in a way that feels natural.

I am working on balance. An attempted healthy ammount of excitement for the future and enjoyment of every second of the closing now. An attempted healthy ammount of working on the portfolio until I fall over and being okay with imperfections.

and! the sun does still exist and is "brightening" more days.

off to modern european history textbook. yes, i saved classes like these for my last semester! I will be posting photos of work on the show soon.

May we all be filled with hunger as we continue through the lenten season.

finals

As this current finals week is about to close, with the anticipation of one long night ahead, i am going to make a pretty big statement. Here it goes. I choose to never acedemically procrastinate ever again.
(I will write more when I am done)
((hopefully about happy holidays and such))

sweet potato chowder

(that is my contribution to the meal today, we shall see how it goes!)

Last night at dinner, two of my friends from Scotland reminded me that Thanksgiving isn't celebrated everywhere. If I had looked back on my elementary education, I would have remembered the Native Americans kindly sharing with the new pilgrims.
So is Thanksgiving a day we are supposed to be thankful for our country? I am thankful for the US and most of it's intentions, but I think this year I will focus a little more on the many reasons to be thankful for every thing.

Since there are countless things for which I am grateful, I will focus on some recent:
heaters
a friend teaching me how to paint with oils
new music (beirut,midlake,band of horses, and the rediscovered white album)
a break from work to regroup
preparation for the Advent season of anticipation
grandma & co.'s cooking
friends to miss and love
candied walnuts
having options

-these are things I am thankful for today-
thank you Lord for blessings each day, even the first pilgrims.

Alive and Well

It's that time of year. The time of stress in the semester. Except why has the majority of the semester, if not all, felt like this? I guess I am attempting to take this semester as seriously as I am able to, everything I do or don't do right now will affect my portfolio and my portfolio affects my future. No pressure.
So I am living one task at a time and when I weigh my tasks, I couldn't put blog writing at the top, (not that I don't enjoy writing to my friends).

We are sure blessed with a pretty November here in Idaho. And a fun "Night of the Arts" is coming up next Monday, 8-10, hosted by the Communications, Music and Art departments at NNU. Readers Theatre, Jazz, Art, oh and food!

Friends who have been through this stage of deciding and praying about what is next, I would love to hear your stories.
I'm back to photoshop.
good night

peacock for a night

This weekend, NNU had their annual TWIRP (The Woman Is Required to Pay) date weekend. (Although I didn't have to pay because my friend Peter, who I asked, is on leadership, thanks peter)
The theme this year was Noah's Ark, and as tradition holds, the first evening of the two night date adventure, you are supposed to dress up in that theme. So, we were peacocks. Getting out of class an hour before the event started, we ran (figuratively)to walmart, the thrift store and to my parent's house to get some overgrown plants that were then assembled into feathers. I don't know if the blue eye-shadowed faces were worth it, but we needed to become the part!




Peter and I hung out with our friends Mike and Carly during the weekend, who were chameleons. Throughout the two nights we went to the Ringling Bros. Circus, parks, the corn maze, ice skating, dinner, coffee shops and to a rented out movie theatre, where I fell asleep. It was a fun way to delay homework. Here Carly and I are in Julia Davis Park.

Off to that delayed homework.

today,

thank you God for being God.

the coat is officially out of the closet

I had been avoiding my new lovely gray coat. Because putting it on means I am entering the 7 month season that in my mind should last only 2.

In one of my design classes last week we watched Cesky Sen, a Czech documentary that two film students created about the power of advertising. In the film they trick thousands into going to a new hypermarket that actually doesn't exist, through smart advertising. It is very interesting, you should see it. After viewing the film our class discussed designing adverstising. Our teacher asked, "Is there anything you wouldn't design for?"

Is there anything I wouldn't design for? I was surprised I hadn't thought about this before, but when I started thinking about a list of items or ideas I wouldn't want to support as a designer, the count was short. There are two camps. One says "If someone is going to design for Camel cigarettes, it might as well be me, as a Christian designer I could make the decision to put no bikinis in an ad and could be a positive influence on that industry." The other opinion is that you simply don't work to promote something you don't agree with. For example, formatting layouts for a cigarette company could be furthering someone's addiction, and whether or not you agree with smoking, by designing, you are behind what that company promotes.

Then there is the question of how much and what kind of involvement is enough or too much. I haven't had this conflict come up in my little design experience, but it's another question I wish could be answered simply for me. I'm not going to design for Camel but how many companies are really integrity full? What do you think?

(back to my waffle and berries)