Rest In Peace, He-Man Woman-Haters Club

not being in school kinda sucks.  nobody wants to pay me millions of dollars to make prints, reality tv shows aren't beating down my door to follow me around and catch my wacky antics on tape, New Balance doesn't want to give me an endorsement deal (although i have been a loyal customer even when their shoes look goofy) and no one seems to want to let me live in their mansion for free.  
i think my perception of the real world might have been a little off-base... i had no idea everything cost so much money.  and did you know you have to pay back student loans?!  what's that all about?  if i had the money, i wouldn't have taken out the damn thing in the first place!
similarly, i've come to realize that this "summer" hasn't been a summer at all:  i'm just unemployed.  so, since all this stuff i need costs money or whatever, i've been trying to find a job.  my search has been geared mostly towards new orleans.  Sauce is down there, and i figured it would be easier to find one job than it would be to find two new jobs somewhere else.  and with all the luck i've had thus far,  finding two jobs would be just short of impossible.
but it's all good.  i'll find something.  or to put it another way, some business down in new yorleans city is gonna look back on the day they hired me as the beginning of an incredible chapter in their existence.  i can't wait to find out who they are.  
i feel like my future landlord will have that very same feeling, as soon as i find an apartment i can afford in a neighborhood where i won't get murdered.  once again my ignorance of the real world has reared its ugly head.  i suppose watching more HGTV with Sauce would have shown me how people try to peddle tiny basement apartments for $1100 a month plus utilities, but i just can't watch that channel, guys.  i just can't.   
you should see some of these ads for rentals.  "small basement crawl space for rent. $1200 plus utilities.  great neighborhood.  very few stabbings.  even less kidnappings.  acceptable murder rate."    living down there is gonna be wild.  good thing i'm not ever scared.


speaking of dwellings, on my way down to the crescent city, i stopped by my house to grab a few things and play with the dogs for a while.  and i remembered that we had to take the treehouse down not too long ago.  the tree limb it was perched on was starting to give way under its weight.  i hadn't seen it since the tree was cut down, and it was kind of sad, seeing the great He-Man Woman-Haters tree fortress reduced to a lowly shed.  because that treehouse was awesome.  it had a batpole, a rope ladder, a zip cord, a trap door... WE HAD IT ALL!  

it's another reminder that i need to preserve the majesty of childhood through my work.  so i took a few photos of the remains with my phone using the hipstamatic app.  i also got started sketching for new treehouse prints.  stay tuned!

Work of Art: The Next Great Artist

I finally had a night to myself this evening where the decision of what to watch on TV was up to me, and me alone. This is a rarity since I have moved home. The entertainment choices are typically made by those who purchased the TV and pay for the cable. But tonight the power was in my hands and so I noshed on some smoked salmon and rice and watched one of my favorite movies (A Life Less Ordinary, 1997). Once that was done, all that was left was one slice of

cheesecake and cable television.

I have had multiple people tell me that I need to watch "Work of Art: The Next Great Artist" on Bravo. For those who don't know, it is essentially Project Runway but for artists. They are given an outlandish assignment (typically sponsored by some fabulous brand or corporation, tonight was Audi) with an unrealistic time constraint. The ultimate goal is for each participant to create a masterpiece by the end of the episode. I can say confidently that I wont be watching weekly. Beyond the ridiculous standards by which these artists are being judged, I just don't think I need the anxiety of whether or not they are going to pull it off.

By all rights, sharing studio space and being in the art department created bonds for me stronger than any other group I was associated with in college. The only other people who I really think know me better on a personal level are the girls who I went to McGehee with (thanks to forced bonding excursions like Space Camp and Katalehia). Hell, my art department bonds are so strong I am MARRYING a fellow Meek Freak. Perhaps its being in the hot seat together every time a project is due, or maybe its letting a room full of strangers in on your deepest feelings during critique but there isundeniable comradery amongst us. Even if you don't like someone, you can respect their work. Then again, maybe this is the blurred nostalgia of an alum...

It was amazing watching the contestants on Work of Art say things that we would say in studios:

"Does anyone know where the xacto blades are?"

"Do you have any duct tape?"

"Is he still asleep?"

"Do you ever take dry brushes and just blur shit? Bob Ross taught me that..."

I don't know, it isn't a bad show by any means, and I loved Project Runway, but I think the title of "Next Great Artist" is a little much. It should be something more like, "Next Individual Who Works Really Well Under Pressure, Makes Generally Pleasing, But Not Boring Work And Doesn't Make A Mess In The Community Bathroom."

And now for something completely different:

yay!