pee into the wind

I’m a 22-year-old visual designer living in the East Coast. This blog chronicles my adventures and reflections as I start my design career. So far, I have successfully infiltrated a digital agency and fooled them into hiring me. I think I’m off to a good start.

[princessofthemoooon]

[peeintothewind2]

Hi. I can't see your follow button. :(

Hi! I’m not sure why my follow button isn’t appearing, but you can go to your Dashboard page and type my username there to follow me.

FYI, I’m not active on this blog anymore since I don’t have much to say about my personal life in public as I used to. I have been wondering if I should continue or start a personal blog again though, just because I’m going to New York and Paris in a couple of months and think it’d be nice to document those trips somewhere… but I still gotta think of how I’d format the blog, if it would actually be active enough, etc. 

If there is anything you would like to see in terms of content, let me know. ^_^

In the meantime, here are the blogs I’m active on:

cindy can create (for in-progress designs)

october 17th (for introspective thoughts)

by somebody else (design inspiration)

And elsewhere in non-Tumblr land:

my portfolio

my instagram

[peeintothewind2]

I was wondering what resources do you use to continue learning photoshop and web/graphic design at an intermediate level? Your blog is inspirational, keep up the good work. From a current design student.

To be honest, there aren’t specific resources that I use to learn design. There are so many tutorials online that I’ll never have the time to learn it all, so when I first started designing, the thought of the ever-increasing learning curve was too overwhelming. I counteracted that by just throwing myself into self-made projects to learn as I go. Whatever I wanted to make (a branding identity, website, mobile app, whatever) I would set out to do it so that I could face those specific learning curves and teach myself the technical skills from there.

I’ve heard taking online classes like Skillshare helps, so I’d rec that as a good resource. But beyond the passive act of “learning” from classes, I would emphasize more on constantly practicing and doing, and getting all the bad work over with. That’s really the only way to get better.

Btw I have no idea how long this question has been sitting in my inbox, but I’m not blogging here anymore since I don’t have much to say about my personal life in public as I used to. 

If anyone would like to see new & active content, I have a separate design blog where I post weekly progress stuff here >>> cindycancreate.tumblr.com

[peeintothewind2]

Purple designs inspired by quotes from my book, and yellow design inspired by my daily routine.

Things I’ve been up to lately:

Got a foster dog named Lucy, a sweet elderly beagle who was found abandoned at a roadside in NC. I take her to work with me every day and she loves prancing around the office. Total cutie pie.

Auditioned for a model casting call for a fashion show last week and made it through to the final round, which will take place next week. I’m surprised I even got considered since I’ve been feeling so lackluster about my appearance and confidence lately, lol. If I end up being selected, I think the show would be really fun.

Been writing writing writing for my novel. I’m taking a risk and making the main character a meek coward in the hopes that, throughout the story, she can find her own way to be strong. Trying to distinguish the difference between Strength =/= Violence.

Wondering how to make my life more meaningful when I struggle to find the meaning in it sometimes. Actually, all the time.

[peeintothewind2]

These designs are based on the books on my to-read list: A Gathering of Shadows by V. E. Schwab (the second book to the Shades of Magic series) and Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits by David Wong (a hilarious satirical sci-fi).

Things on my mind lately:

I’m so tired of working for Google and designing to their demands. I want more from life than to be a Google drone! Yes, the job pays the bills, but I’m going to get through this grind so that I can work on projects that I actually enjoy. I won’t lose focus on the things I’m passionate about, and I will make time to work on them no matter what.

My motivation for writing my novel has been re-invigorated, and I’m at a point where I’m consistently writing every day now. I finally feel like I have a strong beginning in the novel and a better grasp of my main character by adding details that help with her thoughtfulness and inner conflicts.

I’ve been enjoying reading books a lot more lately to the point where sometimes they’re the main thing I look forward to at the end of the day. Either I’ve picked this up as a solid habit or the selection of books I’ve been reading have gotten a lot better. It’s helping me be a lot more mindful of my own novel too.

[peeintothewind2]

This week’s design is based on me getting sick. I didn’t expect to get sick so early in the year, but here we are with the coughies and snifflies. It’s very ironic that once I was determined to increase my productivity level by tracking down my energy levels throughout the day, the data goes downhill now that I’m constantly tired (more than usual). But I’ve been taking a shit ton of Nyquil and hoping for the best!

Other things going on in my life:

My current project at work is Google Shopping Insights, which unfortunately puts me in the nitty gritty of UX problems, but it’s a good challenge for me to think more practically beyond making something look good. 

I’m reading a fantastic book right now called A Darker Shade of Magic. It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book that I truly enjoyed, but this past week I’ve been staying up way past midnight just to tear through all the chapters. I’m also inspired to start some book clubs with my friends, just so I can share the nerdiness with others. 

I’m likely going to have a foster dog soon, which I’m super excited about. I’ve been talking to a rescue group and they did a work/home check yesterday, which went well. I’m now just waiting for the group to find a suitable dog for my living situation (either an older dog or just one with less energy). I can’t wait to have a new fluffball in my life, especially to share all the snuggles with. 

[peeintothewind2]

My weekly designs have been shitty, but the last 3 I’ve made are not too bad, so I’m willing to post them all up here. It’s the first day of February, which means a month of the new year has passed. 

PRO: I realize I read five books in one month! 

CON: That was the most productive activity I’ve done.

I really need to push myself to be more productive now, as I have been slacking in motivation, energy, and time management. The crux of this happened last weekend when I spent Friday night drinking and smoking and vomiting at a house party, then consequently using the rest of my weekend to recover. I slept all day and barely ate while waiting for the toxins to get out, so in the end, I got nothing done. Who would’ve thought that drinking is not a very good coping mechanism, right? (On an amusing note, I remember some white girl announcing that she voted for Trump, and all I did was gawk at her and say, “Girl, I’m crossfaded right now, and even I know that’s wrong.”)

This week, I’m working on piecing my fragile sleep schedule back together, and today I borrowed a new book called The Productivity Project. I’ve only started it, but so far the author raises a lot of good points, particularly by asking readers to explore the deeper reasons for why we want to become productive.

For me, I want to be able to accomplish this routine of having enough time and energy to efficiently get work done at my job during the day, write my novel during the evening, read my books before I go to sleep, and actually go to bed at a reasonable time that DOESN’T tire me out the next day. I also need to be more responsible with my time management during the weekends by actually accomplishing the tasks on my back-burner list - a list that I’ve constantly put off until the end of time.

The author asks what are the deep-rooted values I associate with these productivity goals. After some reflection, I think it’s because despite my occasional lack of motivation and depression, I deeply care about professional growth and want to feel a sense of accomplishment and pride in the work that I produce, rather than half-assing it every day. Since I don’t have much emotional ties or relationships in Virginia, I’m placing much of my happiness on my own solo achievements. And in order to do that, I really need to have some balance in my life. That might mean detoxxing myself from social media to dial down on information fatigue, and also having some damn willpower to sleep and wake up at regular times.

Ultimately, if I were on my deathbed, I would regret never finishing my novel or doing meaningful design work - all things that I’ve continuously wanted to do, but just never did. So it’s about time I start doing it.

[peeintothewind2]

The day after Trump's inauguration, a friend and I participated in the Women's March in Norfolk. It was the first time I ever attended a protest, and I didn't realize the magnitude of it until I saw how many people marched around the world. It's pretty surreal to think about how this was one of the largest global protests ever and will go down in history. For some pictures shot on the drone, here is an Alt Daily article.

I rarely talk about politics on social media, but this has been such a strange time that I might as well jot down some thoughts on the march and our political climate now.

Shit is fucked up, obviously.

I live in a city that is predominantly inhabited by white liberals. I’m glad most people are in their right mind to know that Trump is a terrible president. But it is very obvious that despite awareness and common sense, we live in a privileged bubble, and maybe that’s why he even became President in the first place. 

For one thing, the Women’s March brought out huge groups of white women, but we can’t forget that the majority of white women had voted for Trump.

Many people carried signs with cheeky slogans about vaginas, printed giant cartoon uteruses, and proudly wore their pussy hats. But being a woman deserving of rights does not require having those body parts, and excludes the trans community.

There were no violence at these protests. I am glad that police and protestors were cooperative with each other. But it’s important to note that the march was only peaceful because it was predominantly made of white women, and cops are less likely to pull out pepper spray and guns if it’s just Susan from Accounting wearing her knitted pink pussy hat, not a black kid in wretches over his dead friend.

And lastly, after seeing influxes of articles on my Facebook feed about the latest terrible thing that Trump implemented, and hearing all the jokes and memes about him from my white male coworkers, I’ve come to realize this: we are living in a society where a violent and repugnant President is normalized for entertainment and unnerving fascination, the same way that you slow down on the road and gawk at a burning car wreck and screaming couples.

The oversaturation of Trump is trifling. We get entertainment from mocking him, watching him, laughing at him. He’s terrible and it’s hilarious. So when the people around me make fun of him and share articles with new ridiculous headlines, I chuckle along, but I also think about how lucky we are. To us, this is free amusement. To others, they are genuinely scared for their own safety. 

I think our lack of understanding over this great divide is one of the many things that caused us to get here today. And now we pay the price for several of the next few years.

[peeintothewind2]

Winter break consisted of a lot of traveling and city-bouncing in a short amount of time. To go over it, it went like this: Norfolk --> San Jose --> Oxnard --> Los Angeles --> San Jose --> Fairfield --> San Francisco --> San Jose, before I flew back to Norfolk.

Here’s what I did for the rest of winter break after I came back from my SoCal road trip:

Stayed in Fairfield for a few days at my sister’s apartment, bringing along our family dog. I gave her daily walks and dogsat her the whole time I was there, since her separation anxiety has gotten worse. She would growl and whimper and bark constantly. Strangely enough, despite how troublesome she was, I find myself missing her now that I’m away.

Brandon and Paul briefly visited me in Fairfield where we smoked and had a chill movie night. Brandon was super high the whole time while I just burned my throat, lol.

Paul drove me to San Francisco where I got to stay at his apartment for a bit. We ate yummy Volcano Curry and I got to hang out with Victoria and Horus and talk about post-grad work life old people stuff (though really we just talked about Victoria’s potential romance with her boss, which I am now living vicariously through).

Went to a Kaskade rave for New Years Eve because Victoria got me a ticket and I didn’t even ask her! She’s way too nice to me. We went with a group of DRD alumni and had a good time. I tried smoking several times but for some reason never got high. I danced with friends, held hands with Paul, and kissed Victoria when it was midnight. 

Hopped on a ride with Tomio back to San Jose right after the rave. Snoozed all day in SJ before I grabbed dinner/dessert with some girlfriends for a chill night. Then right after that, I flew back to Virginia the next morning.

It was definitely a busy time for me, and although I was very tired and socialized out, I’m still glad I jumped through all those hurdles to get to spend time with everyone again. After all, I won’t have many chances to fly back to California, so I wanted to do as much as I can.

Here are some pictures from Kaskade! The lights and visuals were pretty awesome.

[peeintothewind2]

Winter break has been super hectic so far. After moving into a new apartment, I caught a 15-hour flight from Norfolk, VA to San Jose, CA. That flight was hellish because I sat next to a lady who was coughing and blowing her nose the entire time. At one point some of her saliva got on me. I wanted the plane to crash just so that my misery would end.

To make my evening even worse, I had packed for a five-day road trip in SoCal that would start at 6 AM the very next morning, but it was all for naught since my luggage would arrive to CA a day late. This forced me to haphazardly borrow clothes and undies and buy new shoes. I only got 3 hours of sleep before I would be picked up for the road trip.

The road trip from San Jose to Oxnard took about 5-6 hours, and our day trip to Los Angeles was another hour. Finally, on the last day, my friends and I woke up at 5 AM so that we could catch an 8-hour bus ride back to San Jose. Once I arrived, I had to take my family's dog with me for a 1.5-hour ride to Fairfield, where we would be staying at my sister's apartment for the week.

So here I am, finally relaxing in Fairfield after a couple of hectic days across the state. By the end of the week I'm going to be visiting San Francisco and San Jose for my last hangouts with a couple of friends before I fly back to the East Coast. It's so much more traveling than I'm used to, so my fragile homebody self is trying to build up the endurance for it.

Since I now have some breathing time to post a blog, here are some pictures from the SoCal road trip with my friends!

We decided to go on a road trip together to SoCal since I was finally back in California. I can't believe I haven't seen my friends in half a year already. Even though it was a lot of traveltime on my part, I'm glad I got to spend time with them. A couple of things we did:

Visited The Last Bookstore in LA

Ate yummy Viet-Chinese fusion food at Little Sister 

Ate delicious spicy ramen in Little Tokyo

Visited the LACMA to check out the Urban Lights exhibit

Ate at two Mexican ice cream shops back-to-back in one night (my fave flavor was the Ferrero Rocher, but they had so many other strange flavors like cheese)

Watched Black Mirror and Princess Tutu, both of which are total mindfucks for very different reasons

My snapchat story was also LIT with shitposts and shitstickers. They were mainly compromising pictures of my friend in peculiar positions or expressions.

Back to resting and building up stamina for the rest of winter break!

[peeintothewind2]

(Chalkboard doodle drawn by stuntkid, my awesome coworker.)

I’ve had such a busy week that I haven’t had time to design a new graphic, but so many things have happened that I wanted to blog about my weekend. So, here’s the weekend round up of all the things I’ve been feeling lately:

What made you mad?

Oh, so many things. Like seeing minions at the grocery store, a sore sight that I never thought I’d have to worry about since I moved to the east coast. But mainly I was super annoyed with a person who was visiting me and staying over my place for the past few days. I had a lot of things going on at my workplace along with moving into a new apartment, so I was extremely frustrated that they were an added-on burden whose high-maintenance and sensitive personality made me feel like I had to babysit and coddle them all the time. The last straw was when they sat around my apartment all day without offering to help me move while I busted my ass left and right - then when I brought up how most friends would help each other out during times like these, they said they were offended that I expected them to help me pack.

There are so many other things I could list out that annoyed me every single day they were here, but the TL;DR version was that I WAS SUPER PISSED, haha. On our last night together, I was so frustrated that ended up blowing up on them, and it got super awkward after that. Fortunately we ended up talking it out and making up, and they were much more tolerable afterward.

I’ve always been an advocate for communication, so it’s rare for me to bottle things up like that. I guess it was just hard for me to bring up my annoyances because the other person has such a sensitive and anxious personality, and I didn’t want to ruin their trip since they came out all the way here. I thought it was best for me to just quietly tolerate it and not make it a big deal. Ultimately, I should have communicated my feelings to them. i apologized to them for ruining their trip, but they insisted that I did not at all and they were really glad they came here. I’m relieved that we ended things on a good note, and it’s a lesson that I need to speak my mind next time. In retrospect, I do appreciate that they came here to visit this weekend.

What made you tired?

Packing and moving everything to my new apartment within two days was super exhausting, especially since it was by myself. Since the six-month contract of my free apartment ended this month, it was time for me to move out into a new place and start paying for my own room. I’m definitely gonna miss the apartment that my workplace provided for me - it’s the nicest place I’ve ever lived in, so beautifully decorated, and fucking fantastic that I didn’t need to pay a single dime.

A couple of my coworkers had offered to help me move, but I didn’t want to inconvenience them, and had assumed that moving would be just fine with me and the other person who visited (when I had thought they would help me lol). Fortunately it didn’t turn out TOO bad to move everything by myself, because my new apartment was only two blocks away. I literally packed my clothes in a suitcase and put everything else in a shopping cart and plastic bags, then wheeled them to the new place. I wore a came jacket, beanie, and black gloves, so a lot of people were staring and probably assumed I was homeless, lol.

But because life can’t be too easy for me, there were several complications with my new apartment: they gave me a fob key that didn’t work so I couldn’t access the building and certain floors, their elevator was broken, and they hadn’t allowed the deliverymen to drop off my mattress in my room on the 3rd floor. This made things a whole lot more complicated to navigate through. I'll spare you the details with how I managed to even successfully move. The point is I did it and I’m freaking glad it’s over.

What made you grateful?

My company had a holiday party at the Mimosa Farm on Saturday and it made me realize for the millionth time how much I appreciate my amazing, wonderful workplace. We all took the shuttle that crossed a water bridge over to this giant, bougie farmhouse where we got to eat, drink, and dance the night away. We all received over 100 ornaments that were each worth $50-$100 in donations to a charity of our choosing, and I mostly donated for hot meals for the homeless and vaccinations for shelter animals. We also received tickets that were $25 each so that we could purchase our own employee gifts from local businesses - there was a marketplace set up in the back of the farmhouse. I ended up getting a new $325 single-speed bicycle, because my manager gave me one of his tickets to help pay for it. One of my other coworkers also gave me 2 extra tickets so that I could get my own front and back lights. I now finally have my own bike instead of borrowing my company’s all the time!

The event was so thoughtfully put together. It was such a wonderful evening where we got to celebrate ourselves while giving back to the community. It made me realize that despite how 2016 has globally been a train wreck, it has actually been an amazing and life-changing year for me. I have a job that I love with one of the best companies to work for and am constantly surrounded by people who are both talented and humble. It baffles me how I got this lucky, it truly does. I know I bitch and moan a lot, but I don’t think I’ll ever forget how lucky I am to be here at this point in my life.

What made you inspired?

I am inspired to be a better designer and grow professionally and do the best I can to elevate my career. This wouldn’t be possible without the support of my coworkers, who have been nothing but amazingly kind and welcoming to me. In half the time I’ve been here, I would constantly doubt myself and feel like a completely incompetent idiot. But somehow despite how hard I am on myself, my company believed in me to hire me full-time halfway through the contract, and gave positive performance reviews for me at the end of the year.

And because I’ll still deprecate myself no matter how much I get promoted or receive positive reviews, I felt re-ignited once again at our holiday party, where I got to talk to my coworkers in a setting where we weren’t so busy with, well, work. And everyone was so nice with compliments and positivity. One guy kept stating throughout the night that I was an amazing designer with an incredible future ahead of me and that he was so glad I was here. I was like, “What?! I totally thought you hated me when I first came here!” and he said “WHAT?! No, you’re awesome!!” There are so many other affirmations that were shared with my other coworkers as well that made me so happy. They’re professionals with 10+ years of experience while I’ve barely scratched the surface, and yet they still believe in me. It makes me want to try even harder so that I can be just as good as they oh-so-foolishly believe me to be!

Anything else to add?

At the holiday party marketplace, there was a stack of comic books for sale. I touched it out of curiosity, unaware that my manager was also eyeing it. He said out loud to his wife, “If Cindy buys those comic books, I’m gonna punch her in the face.” I just want to write that moment down so I can remember it forever.

[peeintothewind2]

I’ve been listening to a lot of music by Chvrches and Broods lately - this week’s graphic was inspired by the song “We Sink”. I honestly can’t tell if that particular song is supposed to describe a loving relationship or a failing one. I first heard it in an OTP fanmix and interpreted it as happy, but upon closer inspection of the lyrics it might actually be sad. I think I’m drawn to the concept of catchy music paired with tragic lyrics, which is why I also enjoy Tove Lo and Halsey.

Here’s some other stuff I’ve been into lately:

What have you been designing?

An interactive website for Google called “Window Wonderland”. I’m very lucky to get the opportunity to work in a team of talented people to create such a beautiful site! Our latest project features a walking tour of the famous New York holiday windows, including VR/360 and narration from each store’s window designer. I worked on the coloring and lens correction of all the retailer windows, plus the PR assets. The team has worked many late hours to get this done, so check it out!

We had an extremely tight production timeline to get this pushed out in time for the holidays, so there were quite a few stressful days. But I’m happy that it turned out so beautifully and received positive reception, and that I got to play a part in its creation!

What have you been reading?

“The Archived” by Victoria Schwab, which I finished last night. I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed this book, since I am usually fickle with YA stories. The premise and world-building was interesting, but I think what made it so engaging was how thoughtful the main character was. Her way of dealing with her brother’s death and heavily-coping family was realistic without the ‘oh woe is me’ schtick. There’s a part midway through the book where her family is genuinely getting along, and she’s gripped by this sudden fear that this means they’re accepting the fact that he’s dead and this is normal. Schwab’s writing has emotional resonance that made me appreciate the story a lot more even though I didn’t care for the love interest.

I think it was good timing for me to read this book, since I am also writing a novel with a main character currently dealing with the death of her mother. There are so many conflicts happening to her in present-day that it feels like I haven’t given much breathing room to properly process her mother’s death, so this is a reminder that I need to emphasize more on the theme of grief and loss upon revision.

What have you been watching?

Black Mirror on Netflix. I started and finished the first season over the weekend and it’s so good! I feel so late to the game, but at least I’m on board now. “Fifteen Million Merits” is my favorite so far. It’s nice to have a TV show that plays out like separate movies but are always guaranteed to be high quality. 

Anyway, I’m prepared to be mindfucked for the next month as I continue the rest of the series.

[peeintothewind2]

The hiatus is over!

I think. Obviously I’m not the most consistent when it comes to keeping this blog. Truth is, I haven’t posted any content for months because I’ve come to find that this post-grad, adulthood life is actually very boring (this should not be a surprise). When I was in college, I used to do tons of fun shit like fashion shows and design studio tours, but now I’m just an everyday working adult (note: “adult” is a term used loosely).

I feel like because my lifestyle has changed, the way I blog should consequently change, too. So I’m going to try something different - challenging myself to do weekly/bi-weekly blog posts that act as a roundup of things I’ve been doing, making, and thinking (to promote mindfulness and reflection), while creating a design as a visual diary (to help me practice design more).

So, since I have a lot of catching up to do... here’s the update.

What ever happened to your new job?

It became a full-time job. I was promoted to Junior Designer four months within my six-month contract. This came as a shock to me since I was literally convinced my ass would get dropped by the end of my contract. I felt like I’d been such a terrible employee from my underwhelming performance, my constantly being late, and also getting in trouble one time for torrenting within their network (lololol) - so when my director asked to meet with me one-on-one, I totally thought he was letting me go. It ironically resulted in the opposite. For whatever reason, my company liked me enough to want me to stay and reap their free stuff and benefits. 

So you’re staying in Norfolk for real-for real?

Yes... for now! Who knows where I’ll be in a few years. But since I’ve accepted the job offer here, I’ll be staying in the East Coast for quite a while. To be honest, it was a hard decision to make. I had a very difficult time adjusting to my new life here, because I was all the way across the country, living on my own, and didn’t know anybody. It was so hard to make friends when most people I’m surrounded with are basically older and married with kids. For a while, I was very lonely and missed all my friends from California.

However, since then, I’ve been used to things and now feel comfortable here. I pushed myself to meet new people and have made a couple of cool lady friends (who are actually my age, FINALLY). I’ve also been getting more involved with the Norfolk community by joining some side projects with AIGA and Code for America. So I’m slowly adding my stake in here, little by little.

Anything fun you’ve been doing?

In October I went on a fancy cruise ship that had these swanky cabins and yummy food. I’ve also been going to some music concerts, since my company provides VIP tickets to its employees. I went with some friends to see Melanie Martinez and Seven Lions, danced and headbanged a lot, and just enjoyed good music. I definitely plan to attend more concerts in the near future.

How are you feeling now?

Good. I feel like where I’m supposed to be at this point in my life - driving my career forward with this amazing company while also challenging and learning more things about myself by living across the country.

I am incredibly lucky to be where I am at right now, and I won’t forget that.

[peeintothewind2]

Dragon boat race, East Coast edition

Last weekend, I competed in a dragon boat race at the Nauticus for charity! It’s been two years since I paddled, let alone worked out or did any exercise, so I wasn’t quite sure if I’d survive jumping into a race without any practice. I joined the O’Connor’s Brewery team, and despite most of them being new to the sport, they were all very enthusiastic about strategizing and winning. It was cool seeing a group of strangers getting together for this, as well as relive a sport that used to take up the majority of my life in college.

Here are some pictures from the event last Saturday:

To my surprise, it wasn’t difficult for me to keep up with everyone else when we were on the boat. I guess no matter how long, I still remember the techniques! By the time the race ended, I was so tired that I ended up knocking out at my apartment and sleeping for the rest of the day. When I woke up, my back was SO SORE that I could barely move. My body was probably like, “What the fuck did you just do to me? To us?” But it was a good experience, and I’m glad I got involved.

The captain is thinking of starting a local team here in Norfolk, which I’m hoping comes to fruition - I spend so much of my time sitting and staring at a screen because of my designing at work and my writing for side projects, that it feels nice to get my body moving in rigorous activities sometimes. 

Photos by Craig Vacha.

[peeintothewind2]

A very overdue post. My second month in Norfolk has been pretty chill. It was mostly spent exploring downtown with all the art exhibits and street art in the Neon District. 

September’s vlog will be much busier in content (cruise ships, dragon boat races, music concerts, etc.) so I’m thinking of doing a different style to it - we’ll see!

[peeintothewind2]

I’m probably the only person who finds this amusing, but I recently made up this game where I get a friend to look at pictures of a TV show they’ve never seen before and guess what the story is about. Stranger Things has rocked my world this month so I decided to have my friend Brandon (who has never seen the show) explain it to me.

Alternatively, I also made an attempt at explaining a show I’ve never seen before called Superstore in another video.

[peeintothewind2]

Domus: the home.

"What the eyes see not, the heart rues not.”

DOMUS Exhibition // Work Release, 759 Granby @ Norfolk

Last weekend I stopped by Work Release to check out an exhibit called DOMUS, derived from the Ancient Roman term that refers directly to the home. This 'home' acts in importance as a universally recognized save haven, or in this exhibit’s case, a perception of domestication.

The exhibit is its own interpretation of what a nostalgic household experience is like through sculpture, painting, design, and installation. Like many works produced by white male artists, I can’t relate to their experiences. But it did give me some photographic material for my weekly blog post.

It’s timely that I mention the theme of this exhibit now, since I actually had a nightmare the other day about home. I was in college again and visiting my home in San Jose for the weekend, but for two nights in a row, my family didn’t drive me back to school even though they said they would. When I asked them why, my grandma lied, “Because it’s getting cold over there.” I immediately knew something was wrong, so I found my dad and yelled why were they keeping me here. I started screaming because I felt like I was going to be trapped at home forever.

Weird shit, right? My subconscious probably formed that dream after having watched Stranger Things and listening to my sister complain about being stuck with family while she’s in San Jose. We don’t view our hometown as “home” in the traditional sense, because quite frankly, our family sucks. And during the first two weeks of living here in Norfolk, every time I biked back to my apartment - after a night of making small talk at loud bars and attempting to have a social life - I kept thinking, “Is this what the rest of my life is going to be like? Can I see this place as my forever home?”

I don’t know the answer to that yet, or if I will ever really find a home, or if I even need to. But Norfolk certainly seems to be a place where everyone has been domesticated - 80% of the people I know are married with children, and the rest are tied down with long-term boyfriends/girlfriends. The singles are mingling at bars and partying with friends. None of that is really my style. I’ve gone out to community events that cater more towards my interests - design and writing - but have left underwhelmed at the random strangers who all seem so meek and directionless.

So yeah, I haven’t quite found this “home” yet, or whatever these white male artists have constructed this “home” to be. Maybe it’s not necessary for me to find one. Maybe I’ll just end up a nomad. Who knows?