NCECA 2015: Providence

My goals this year were a bit different. Meet new people, get connections, figure out if this postbacc thing is right for me. I got to talk to lots of different people, which was a bit nerve-wracking for me. But when in this situation it's best to remember that other people are probably just as nervous, and clay people are generally super friendly and open to conversation. Here are a few highlights from my trip!

My bed/room mate, Eli!

Bought myself an Ayumi Horie mug <3

Our view of the capital building from the hotel.

Julia Galloway being an awesome woman. Her talk was very inspiring; she switches up her work quite often. Best quote from her that day was, "Cups are very intimate objects. Nothing touches your lips as often as a cup, even if you're very passionate."

These two photos were taken at my soon to be school, UMass Dartmouth. It's about 20 minutes from Providence so they had an open house sorta thing. I don't know who made the sculpture but the paintings are by Katie Wild. I LOVE her work. It's life size and sometimes on plexiglass.

And for my newest artist inspo, here's Kyungmin Park. To see someone doing figurative sculpture seems to be oddly rare right now. Not only is it figurative but she incorporates bright colors and motifs. It's nice to meet someone you can relate your work to. she was giving a demo on fingers and tongues and other body parts for the AMACO/Brent booth. Eli and I watched and listened for about an hour.

So funfact: Providences' bars and clubs close hella early (like 1am?) but on the last night we found a drag show/lgbt club that was poppin. 

Next year NCECA will be in Kansas City, and I cannot wait. it's a refreshing experience every time and I'm so lucky to have a conference like this in my field. I think I accomplished all of my objectives for this years conference :D

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year folks! I realized I needed to blog when I had the urge to write an entire paragraph on instagram. My last post was August right? after a failed attempt at blogging every day? I think I was thinking too hard and thinking too business-y with the blog. I'm going to keep this blog low key from now on...although I have been thinking a LOT about dying my hair so that adventure will surely be here. Also I'm getting married this year. Also I'm hoping to get into grad school this year x__X

Speaking of which, applications take  f  o  r  e  v  e  r  r  r  r  r. I'm applying to four schools: Rochester Institute of Technology, UMass Dartmouth, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Louisiana State University. One school wants a statement of purpose. One wants a letter of intent. One wants both. Some of them require two applications with two separate fees. Some want writing samples. One of them wanted three drawing examples from life out of the precious 20 images we're allowed to send in the portfolio and i'm like wtfffffffffffffff. It's not like I can't do a still life; my drawing skills are on point (or should I say fleek? What is fleek? Am I old now?). I figured by grad school you wouldn't have to prove these things anymore. SO NOTE TO THOSE APPLYING TO MFA PROGRAMS: photograph EVERYTHING. Even the still lives and crappy line drawings. It may save you later on; I'm so glad I did because I did NOT feel like drawing a damn thing. I'd like to know if anyone has had any experiences with these schools or areas. Let me know how they are! How is Baton Rouge? How about Richmond? Rochester? Come august I'm outta CT!

So if you only follow my blog (bless your heart) you haven't seen my dyed hair, as pictured above. Since I couldn't keep the locs because of my chosen dusty career path, I decided to color it! I'm starting with blond-ish since I know whatever color I want to do I'll have to lighten it anyways. I did the color myself and I have to say I really love how it came out. What I really want though are the wild colors. I want purple, lavender, pink, a rainbow of pastels, maybe even teal...Lemme show you my hair crush:

This is Mermaid Nef. She has gone through almost the entire rainbow and I'm in love. She's also into Sailor Moon and other kawaii things and she's just super rad. This purple with touches of magenta is what I think I want to try next. 

I also want to mention my super serious intention of losing weight. I know this is the time of the year that everyone makes new year's resolutions; I've never really been the type. I've been making small conscious decisions to improve my health since moving to our new apartment. Now that the holidays are out of the way I can really commit to something. I'm getting married and then there's two other weddings happening this year; one of them I'm a bridesmaid. I got a Jawbone UP band and it's really been helping. My complex has a gym so I'm already set in that regards. Here's to a less flabby me!

If you don't already, you should follow my instagram. It's my most updated social media and I'm posting more of my ceramics work there now than I have in the pass. Also right now I'm doing a give away on there of a cute lil' kitty mug soooo...... get on it :)

Adventure Time: Sister Tries Sushi

Have you ever been so excited to share a new experience with someone but also feared their potential hatred for said experience? Welp, I feel like ever sushi lover has felt that when convincing someone skeptical to try it out.

Years ago we would go to sushi places with friends and I kid you not, she would bring a tupperware of chicken and just order a miso soup. I of course would try to coax her with the fact that i really don't like seafood and sushi doesn't taste like other fish.

Turns out she really likes it. Yay!

But that's not all we did that day. She was officially our first overnight guest in the new apartment. We had a busy night planned helping a friend in Greenwich film his music video. Before we headed over I had errands to run and I was itching to check out the farmer's market up the road. It was super cute; I'm pretty excited to have one so close by!

It's on the smaller side, but it had all the essentials and was very affordable. I had already done enough grocery shopping for the week, but I wanted to see what was there since i never really been to a farmer's market.

What was really great is that it's right next to the community garden. The gate was closed but at some point I definitely want to find out more about it and see if I can participate.

Lastly, the Sugar bakery truck was there! They won  Cupcake Wars on the Food Network. I can taste why. I got a chocolate salted caramel cupcake and my sister got a peanut butter snickers cupcake. She wasn't as impressed but she also doesn't care for sweets. Let me tell you, these little things are heaven.

TTFN

ComiConn 2014!

For my first comic convention, it was super fun! It was definitely overwhelming, though. So much to see! I didn't know anyone that was talking at the panels or performing except AKIRA, who put on an awesome show.

AKIRA is an electro-pop/EDM artist who just released his first single "Zero" in iTunes. I was so happy I got to see him perform! He did a cover of Gaga's "Venus" that was fitting for the venue; my favorite original song of his would have to be "Gravity" Check it out if you get a chance!

So I mostly walked around aimlessly with my friends and sister. We must have made at least four complete laps around the place and saw something new each time. The best part was taking pictures with fellow cosplayers ^_^

My sister went as Storm and it was boss. She made a belt and and rocked white hair and pleather and the whole bit. We found a Rogue.

 I basically flipped when I found a Leelo.

And Toph

And Bathrobe Gandalf.

AND FRICKEN MR.T

But what took the cake was this one right here. She cosplayed the cat from the Cat Returns!!! WHAT! We were the only Studio Ghibli cosplays. Her's was definitely a bit more obscure but it's my favorite film on the box set and she pulled it off so expertly! Definitely made my day.

As for my purchases, Sister and I bought my dad a Star Trek tie clip, and I got my big bro Deadpool and Wolverine shot glasses. I got myself a whole bunch of pins and a manga.

I am super stoked to go to my next comicon whenever that will be. Here's a baby Yoda caressing a live R2D2 to end this post.

TTFN!

My first comicon tomorrow!

I am so excited! Tomorrow is my first comicon and my friend Akira will be performing tomorrow, which makes it even more special. I spent the last three and a half hours putting together my cosplay outfit; a little messy but totally worth it. Here's a peek! 

Ttfn! 

Adventure Time: Books & Company and Le Petit Gourmet

{via}

This book store is a community gem. I was on my way to an appointment and had some time to spare so I decided to stop in; so glad I did! It's located right on the corner of Whitney Ave and Putnam in Hamden. It features half priced (or lower) gently used books of all kinds. My favorite part however would have to be the beautiful little gifts, from jewelry to ornate journals to tibetan prayer flags. IT'S JUST SO DARN CUTE.

It was also very welcoming and exuded a lovely "come relax, chill" type of vibe. In the back of the store there's coffee and a parent/kids reading area. The staff was super friendly too!

Right next door was Le Petit Gourmet, which is this quaint little cafe that served me the most bomb panini I've had I think ever (the southwestern one, you should try it!). This establishment is also approachable and friendly; don't be intimidated by all the old biddies having their lunch dates.

Back to Books & Company, I want to show off the bracelets I picked up today:

Cute right?! They were on sale at the book shop. I will definitely be frequenting this place.

Intentions

So what do I want to do here on this blog I've come to love? I think I'll be talking more about my studio life (art, pottery, etc). But I still want to talk about beauty/hair things and food and adventures and DIYs. Is that too much for a blog? should I separate them? 

I think blogging about my studio time would help move along my process; plus it's fun to geek out over ceramic stuff. 

I should probably have a post like "Ceramic terms 101" or "Ceramic terms for dummies" except I don't like calling people dummies.

Eventually there will probably be a few wedding related things on here; I haven't decided how I'm going to work that out.

I might also want to do more reaction posts to things in the news or other happenings, since those sorts of things tend to relate back to my work. I worry that it might cause some unwanted/unnecessary tension but we'll see.

I think managing more than one blog is less fun, so I suppose my readers will have to deal with the myriad of topics I'd like to explore.

TTFN :3

So I already stink at this challenge...

But my summer was eaten by a multicolor bus. It was hectic working two jobs and trying to accomplish taking out locs and apartment hunting and moving, but at least the job is over and I have the week (pretty much) off! I will definitely catch up on the posts to have 31 by the end of August.

The kids were the best part about this experience. We had different arts and crafts activities for them every week in addition to sports and games. I went to a different park each day six days a week, so I got to see many different sides of New Haven. I started so many gimps that I've dubbed myself the Gimp Goddess of Elm City; I must have done at least 4 lessons a week on how to do something gimp related too. It was worth it to see their eyes light up once they finally got the hang of it.

Good Vibes

I just got back from a party at a friend's house. It was luau themed so I got to wear the dress I got from Hawaii :). This couple is all about celebrating life and it's truly infectious. It's important to surround yourself with positive people like that. Short post from a tired and slightly inebriated blogger :P

Ttfn! 

BEDA Challenge: Welcome Back!

I have a terrible habit of running myself to the ground. I become too busy, spread too thin, and as I'm sure many you fellow bloggers know, the blog tends to be what suffers. I love this blog and I've thought about it multiple times a day, every day. I'll think to myself, "what can I write about after not posting in so long?" "Should I go back and post things I was planning to after a long time?" "I should just stop hiding" "BUT IT'S BEEN SO LONG"

These thoughts just go round and round and round but really, I shouldn't keep holding myself to some standard or pressuring myself to be some amazing perfect blogger. I realize every blogger has a post like this and readers around the globe are like "ugh another haitus post." But there's something therapeutic about posting it.

I've decided to return to blogging by blogging every day in August to get myself back into the habit. It'll be a challenge and probably more personal rambling than anything, but I am so looking forward to it.

So what have I been up to?

1. I started locs in October of last year! they looked pretty good until...
2. I took out my locs! they were pretty much almost mature, but my scalp was suffering and I'll talk about this more in another post. I still have like 20 something more locs to comb out too >_>
3. I graduated college! and my degree came in the mail sooner than expected. yay! 
4. We set a date for the wedding and that has commenced the planning :O
5. My senior show was pretty awesome, the pictures of the exhibition are on my Facebook.
6. I made it into my first nationally juried art show and I couldn't be happier about it.
7. I've been driving an art bus for my summer/second job that I cannot wait to end. The kids are wonderful but 6 days a week is not easy.
8. NCECA was rad, as usual. Milwaukee was pretty dope.
9. Grad school is a definite next step assuming I get in; I'm looking at fall of 2015 to start towards an MFA in ceramics.
10. In the mean time I'll be working as a studio assistant at my university (yay studio access!)
11. I cannot wait to throw again
12. I'm also in the process of moving! So exciting! So much stuff! I'm definitely going to be getting rid of a bunch of things
13. Did I mention I cannot wait to throw again?
14. I've been trying to eat better. The more I read about our food supply in the states, the more I know how crucial it is to pay attention to what goes in our bodies.
15. I've also taken a women's studies class that totally opened my eyes even wider to the importance of feminism. 
16. I got new glasses!! I've had those cateye ray bans for almost 4 years. It was a scary process since I realized they were a bit of a security blanket.

I'll stop there because I really like the number 16, and I think that just about covers all the important stuff. Fore those of you who have stuck around after supporting my blog in the past, I thank you so much! I'm not sure which way I want to go with this blog, but I'm happy to be back.

Pearl River Mart Haul!

From Philly to D.C. - Summer Vacations

This summer certainly has been a whirlwind for me. I've had the opportunity to go to both Philadelphia and Washington D.C. After these two trips back to back I certainly feel more patriotic. Philly was Zack and I's vacation to celebrate his first teaching job. DC sort of happened coincidentally because my mom had a conference for her job conveniently close to Washington :3

So how was Philadelphia?

It was jam packed with awesome adventures. We purchased a CityPASS and utilized everything but the aquarium ticket. Definitely a money saver. We also went to a the art museums and enjoyed some amazing food, which I'll be saving for a separate post. Onward with the photos!

Our first stop was the Liberty Bell. Definitely put us in the right mindset to appreciate some history.

This was taken outside of the Philadelphia Art Museum. Obviously Rocky is everywhere. T'was only fitting to pose in front of his statue.

One of my favorite pieces inside the museum was this Caulder mobile.

This is the Eastern State Penitentiary. It was beautiful and creepy all at the same time. There was a guided audio tour that really jolted the imagination, placing you right in the times when it was in operation. It was a new model for prisons at the time it was created. They revamped some rooms to display what it was like at certain time periods while others were left others untouched. 

The medical wing.

Al Capone's cell.

I didn't get too many good pictures at the zoo, but I definitely wanted to mention the gorillas and orangutans as well as the monkey tunnel system they have. The gorillas and orangutans have this special indoor/outdoor living space and were the most enjoyable animals to visit. All throughout the zoo they have tunnels in which they open up to different monkeys at different times. These tunnels are right above zoo pathways! 

Of course, how can I talk about Philly without talking about Ben Franklin? The man is EVERYWHERE. This is him at the Franklin Institute, which is not just for kids (ok well maybe it is but still, SCIENCE!) 

My favorite exhibit was this huge human heart. You get to crawl inside and follow the path that your little blood cells follow with every beat. How cool is that?

Found the Robert Indiana Love sculpture in the aptly named, Love Park.

This is where all of the gents who made our nation met up. The chair up front is George Washington's original chair :O)

The African American Museum in Philadelphia had this amazing and informative display that highlighted important moments and people in Black history through stories. I wish I could explain it better. They also had an exhibit showcasing the Supremes involvement in history as well as their outfits through the times.

And how was D.C.?

It was great! The trip actually started in Annapolis, MD since that's where my mom's conference was. I think my favorite Part about it was the Starbucks we stumbled upon. It was in the basement of a historic building and featured this tunnel here!

Easily my favorite Starbucks location. 

Amorphophallus titanum, one week after it bloomed. This flower is HUGE.

Behing the capitol!

Although the Wasthington Monument is under construction, it is still beautiful. It's visible from practically every angle in Washington D.C.

My favorite monument in the park was the Lincoln Memorial. This is where Martin Luther King Jr. stood for his speech.

The night before we visited, Lincoln was vandalized. They we quick to remove it though!

Little known fact about this post office: you can go up to the top of the bell tower and see all of DC for free! there's also an awesome food court in the basement.

The Lincoln memorial was awe-inspiring at night. By the time we came back all of the green paint was removed. I would highly suggest visiting memorial park at night. There's much less strollers and screaming children, allowing you to really enjoy the monuments.

This was at a gift shop in the train station. Perfect ending to our trip! There is so much to do in D.C. and the best part is it's all free.We squeezed as much as we could in the three days we were there but there was no way that we could go to every museum or site. I will definitely be back soon to experience more of Washington D.C.!