miscalous

Creation. Art. Life.

[miscalous-blog]

Screwing up can be awesome

I was leaving on vacation, packing up all my gear so I could enjoy all my down time making jewelry. It was all set, until I sat down in the cottage with my pliers and realized that I didn't bring my Tool Magic. It's a rubber coating to dip the pliers into so you don't mangle your wire. For someone with as many anxiety issues as I have, this was huge. And of course there wasn't a single place nearby that carries a specialty item like that. Many hours of searching the internets later, I discovered that electricians use a product very similar to Tool Magic to dip the handles of their tools. Its called PlastiDip or Grip-Dip. You can buy it at hardware stores! It comes in a big can! 14 oz costs the same as 2 oz of Tool Magic! I know other chainmaillers have been using this stuff for years, but for me its a breakthrough, and so far, it's seems to work just as well. I'm so happy I was forgetful!

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No Seriously, this is groundbreaking

It used to be that only professional and serious hobbyist photographers did post-production work, you know, in the darkroom. Then digital SLR cameras and tools like Lightroom and Photoshop, opened up the process to more people. But the Lytro is a breakthrough of truly immense proportions. I wish I could have a first hand view of this new camera, (Read: I want one. Bad!) but based on what I've read, with this camera, anyone who has any desire for post-production can produce the photos that they saw in their heads, instead of just working with what they managed to get on the screen. Those of us who struggle to be above average photographers, can now become *Brilliant!*

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Remember cameras that would have to focus themselves before taking a snapshot? And how that could lose vital seconds, making a mockery of the term "point and shoot"? Oh, right -- that would describe every digital camera currently on the market. But if one Silicon Valley startup has its way, t...

[miscalous-blog]

Fabulous

My mother always sewed. Dresses, skirts, curtains, vests, you name it. Standing in the kitchen, with my arms held away from my body, I was stuck by more pins than I care to remember as she adjusted the patterns, and the half-finished projects on me. It was both scary and exhilarating to be the object of her attention, and yet be just an object at the same time, since she wasn't really focused on me, but on the fabric. Which is probably why I got stuck so many times.

I can sew too, but it seems that the Y chromosomes took more hold in me than the X. I'm more attracted to metal, power tools, and half-assed fix-it jobs. That being said, I was amazed when I first saw Spoonflower. I can design my own fabric! It can have psychedelic power tools on it! I have ideas swirling in my brain right now, thinking of all the cool things I can do with this. Just checking out the designs that other people have already created has made me wish that I still had that sewing machine.

Gears by jadegordon on Spoonflower

[miscalous-blog]

Why do artists have to starve?

The starving artist. It's a cliche ingrained in our culture. But why is it that an engineer, a grocer or even a teacher has an expectation of being able to pay their bills with their paycheck, but an artist must have a "day job" in order to pursue what they love? Don't we all benefit from art in all its forms?

It's an interesting dichotomy, in which we place art and artists on a pedestal, but don't perceive that their work is worth a living wage. The exceptions to the rule are the lucky few with rich patrons.

For every artist in a museum or gallery, there are thousands of artists creating in their space time, at night, on weekends, during vacations. They could be much more productive, and bring their unique talents to us all, if they had a way to earn a living from their art. If "artist" was a job description and not a sideline activity. If starving was no longer an expectation.