CASTING FOR REAL LIFE

I am Nikki Proctor and this is my rolodex of the real characters of my life on polaroid film.

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This is a polaroid of Sam.

Sam was my boyfriend for the better part of my first year in Seattle. When we broke up, it was terrible and not something I was ready for. I've never had to break up with someone I still liked. We had spent the night before working on our halloween costumes. We were going to be a pair of mittens. 

Some things aren’t meant to be, but nearly all my memories of my first year in Seattle and for now there is a giant hole. 

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This is a polaroid of Trevor Davis

Trevor is the partner of my dear friend Annie Sloan. I have known him since Chicago, but I get to see him here in Seattle, sometimes on Tuesdays. He is pretty funny. My cats really like him. One time him and Annie took care of them for a few days while I dealt with my horrible (horrible) roommate. It’s really nice to get to see some of my favorite people so often. They stayed with me in the old lady house on the way to and from their latest road trip adventure. Trevor was making bread, so he had to tend to it on the roof of his Subaru. 

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This is a polaroid of a Chippendale’s stripper

It was Cynthia’s birthday/bachelorette/wedding weekend and well, we were in Vegas. He was really happy to see my polaroid camera. 

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This is a polaroid of Kris.

Kris is one of the kindest people I have ever met. When I was living with Sam in Chicago, she lived in the apartment above me. When Sam didn’t want me to be his roommate anymore, she let me move in with her. I essentially had the same bedroom, just one floor higher. I lived with her for about six months and for six months I had an incredible friend who helped me through a very tough time. She has such love in her heart. One time she found a broken pigeon when she was walking and brought it home and found a pigeon doctor. I honestly appreciate her kindness and friendship and she was one of the last people I saw before I left Chicago, and one of the people that made me cry the most when I realized I was leaving for real.

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This is a polaroid of Joy Bararra

Joy is the kind human who rented me her house when I moved to Seattle. The story is pretty amazing. I decided mid-November that I was pretty sure I wanted to move to Seattle, and then on Thanksgiving after speaking with my mother that I was in fact, going to do it. I found Joy on Craigslist, and though the house was more money than I have ever spent on myself every single moment since I moved to Seattle has been worth every penny. I truly believe my path was supposed to cross with Joy because while living in her home I found my job, my boyfriend, my current roommate/friend/apartment/ and a little bit of myself that had been missing for so long.

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This is a polaroid of my fairy godmother.

It was the night before the night before I moved away from Chicago. Some friends came over to help me celebrate one of my last windy city evenings and we played “drink the bourbon.” I think she came with some friends of my roommate but she glowed and she gave me a great “Life is an adventure and you can do it” speach. I think it was exactly what I wanted to hear just then.

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This is a polaroid of my first guinea pig, Indigo.

I wanted a guinea pig sooo bad. My parents let me have a goldfish, mostly because I went to the fair and won two but what I really wanted was a guinea pig. Jenae Shafer had one, that I’m pretty sure I was waiting for to have babies (it never did). I used to go to the library and spend hours reading books about how to care for a guinea pig and all the information that went along with the little creatures. I remember writing my father a letter about how you couldn’t hug a goldfish. Finally for what must have been my 12th birthday they gave me a cage! We went to a local pet store and there she was. Indio came home with me and was great for about 4 years until she died. 

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This is a polaroid of one of the Wise Guy’s guys.

I don’t remember his name, but I probably took this picture on a night I was getting a slice of pizza or sandwich after drinking at Hangar 9. Wise Guy’s was one of the only places I could work my girlish charms and get free pizza

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This is a polaroid of Kate West

Forgive me if this picture has already appeared here, but it is in my current batch of 4 images so what they heck. Kate is one of the best people I know. She is hilarious, fun, kind, and a great artist. Back in undergrad she was one of the “Moms” Alexandra and myself hung out with. One time her, Alex, and myself all thought we would do an independent study screen-printing class together, so naturally we all waited until the night before it was all due to finish and saw the sun rise in the Allyn Building, which was one of the art buildings on campus. I’m looking forward to seeing Kate next month when all us art gals get together in my new home town of Seattle for girls weekend. 

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This is a polaroid of pat.

I don’t have a ton to say about Pat except that he was in a bunch of my art classes at SIUC. He was always a nice and kind guy, and I guess if that’s all that people have to say about you after 8 or so years, well that isn’t the worst.

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This is a polaroid of Nathan Doyle.

Nate and I always had a complicated friendship. He will always be one of my most favorite people from Carbondale. I think we struggled as friends because we were never on the same page at the same time. I got to see him a few times while I lived in Chicago and It was always nice because he was always a sight for sore eyes.

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This is a polaroid of Sammy.

Sammy was Bon Jovi’s first friends. When I moved into my first apartment in College with Chris, Angie, and Peter, Angie and Peter texted us to let me know that they were bringing a cat, and that is the day I found Bon Jovi. Sammy really, really like to eat. One time I saw him eat an entire sprig of asparagus off my plate. He was notorious for getting into the garbage can. Silly gato.

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This is a polaroid of Amanda Sotiroff.

Amanda was my friend in high school. Then she ended up going to the same college as me for undergraduate, where I snapped this pic. My favorite memories of Amanda involve her giant station wagon we named Bertha. It was seriously ginormous. We used to do chemistry homework together and sometimes take rides around town in that sweet beast of a car.

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This is a polaroid of Skinny Biker Boy.

David Allen, or Skinny Biker Boy as he was called by Alexandra and I was just that... A skinny dude on a bike. We didn’t know his name for the longest of times so we simply referred to him as skinny biker boy. He turned into a pretty good friend of mine, and even took all my paintings that I would have left behind when I left Carbondale. Alex and I were bad at names, so everyone had nicknames. This was taken on one of my last nights in Carbondale and he was wearing a matching outfit with Mike Sax.

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This is a polaroid of Teddy Dread.

Ted was our neighbor at 905. He lived in one of the buildings behind the little house. Sometime Alex would cook for him, DJ Dylan, and myself and it would be a wonderful little time. Ted was some of my art classes and was always a very interesting person to be around. 

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This is a polaroid of Laura.

Laura lived in the dorm room next to mine for my 2nd semester of my first year of college. I remember that she and her roommate really loved that Usher song that was popular 2003/2004. Every time I hear it I think of her and that strange year of my life. Ah, to return to that summercamp-like state that college was...Southern Illinois University Carbondale was kind of a magic place

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This is a photo of Carlie.

Carlie (Carly?- was that even her name?) was in the Black Forty’s which was one of my favorite Carbondale bands. I didn’t know her well, but she was totally a cooler chick than I who also rocked in a band so that’s pretty awesome.