[scroll down to reference the back story
of a multitude of creative endeavors. This page is to save myself
time of explaining 'what's up' for every arena of work in every blog post.]
GRAPHIC NOVEL: I have until April 23rd to finish it. Totally possible. Then I shall pursue publishing it, which will be a whole 'nother challenge.
MURALS:
1. A client wants to host a party for the finished product AND simultaneously introduce me to a lot of local contractors.
[If I forget to bring business cards to THIS event
I would seriously chisel my email address backwards into my forearm
with a kitchen knife and clumsily stamp my bloody contact info
onto their appalled faces.. This is a very important opportunity to
network.]
2. A crab shack has tentatively enlisted my services in refurbishing an old undersea mural. I have heard, however, that they are cheap and could possibly flake out of this deal
[Clients flaking out is an unfortunately ubiquitous facet of the art world.]
3. A Maternity boutique in Charleston has agreed to let me advertise my Ballin' Nursery Mural Skillz in their store. Why did I pick a boutique and not "Babies Screaming Brats 'R' Us?" Because I need a targeted audience; that's why. Do you think someone shopping for a bargain is going to have a lot of spare income to shell out quadruple digits for some wall art? Nope. Here's the Ad I have created:
Colors definitely look a lil' bland in this scan. Hmm.
FASHION:
I'm currently kind of overwhelmed by the amount of work running a fashion line requires. It's very, very tedious. That ain't really my shtick. But I'm really good at representing myself and 'selling.' So what I end up with, is a lot of people demanding my stuff, and limited resources to meet that demand. But *le sigh* can't hide from that any longer. Patti Starr has asked to carry my line in her newly opened Ghost Hunting store in Kentucky, and you best believe I'm not going to let that offer get much staler. Chris Flemming and his girlfriend from Atlanta (?) also asked to carry some of my stuff, and so did a metaphysical bookstore in Atlanta [Dunno if they need a refill, though, and I've been putting off calling them]. And I just had someone try to contact me through Chip and Greta from Gettysburg, so apparently I'm needed up there in PA. I've been putting all this off because it means a lot of plane hopping.
Don't get me wrong. I love jetting around. What I do NOT love is flying somewhere alone, doing boring business stuff in some obscure boring city, then hopping on a plane to return home. I've done it. It ain't fun.
A few months ago, I actually designed some fuckin' badass suitcases. But none of the major labels, besides hottopic, would agree to meet with me unless I had a college degree. NOW, whether or not they would've taken my stuff had I just barged in and presented a portfolio is a mystery. This is one of those situations where I sighed and told myself to wait until graduation.
And graduation is approaching.
Which gives me NO excuse for the things I've been putting off *sheepish blush.* The woman who started Margaritaville wanted to meet me and 'take me under her wing.' Now, this isn't Banana Republic or Brookes Brothers, but it's a start.
[a foot in the door, no matter how embarrassing
the shoe you have to wear on it, is a foot. in. the. fucking. door.]
Much less humiliating is that a huge fashion tycoon also agreed -- to my mother, and not to my face [never met the guy, so this will take extra effort] -- to meet me and show me the ropes.
I haven't pursued these leads in months. BUT...
[Luckily in the business world,
if you have the balls to cold call someone
in this situation, smooth over the lapse in contact with some charisma,
you won't be disappointed. Sometimes self promotion requires nerves of steel,
and unless you want to starve, you'll do it. ]
I'll keep you posted on how it goes.
Wow, that was a lot of fashion stuff. Jesus. I better uh, get goin' on that... Lol.
FINE ART:
I've shown work in a *few* shows, and I've received a lot of recognition in the Art School... but tackling the world is a whole different ball game. It involves dropping off 'virtual portfolios' of work to the people behind the desk. I'm not going to sell *fine* fine art under my name. Why? Because men make more money. Not that I *care,* because I'm perfectly content to come up with some conniving scheme to beat this sexist 'game' in the art world. No doubt you'll hear about those adventures as well.
Currently, I've been invited to show work in a school magazine, which I shall simply call a 'magazine' to puff hot air into this achievement and milk it for all its worth on my 'resume.' Nerves of steel -- remember what I said! Nerves of STEEL!
There's also a cafe that shows local work, but I've got to present the right work to them. They're a little indie, pop-art-ish. And I've been talking to a few artists that specialize in 'shmultzy tourist crap' that sells well. If I can, I'm going to get established in coastal communities like Bar Harbor Maine, Annapolis Maryland, and Charleston. Tourists there will buy anything with a sailboat on it, it's ridiculous. To save time, I may try digitally reproducing prints on canvas. Mass quantity and low prices are what interests retail.
And frankly I'm not ready for anything above that, artistically speaking. I don't even have an artist's statement. *sigh* Art is commercial for me. *shrug* That's all it is. A means to an end.
WRITING:
is something I care a whole hell of a lot about. And the thought of sending something off to a publisher scares me. But I need to reach people with my writing and I suppose a manuscript on my shelf isn't going to reach much more than dust bunnies and those fucking little silver-fish bastards that I detest.
I once had a story that I was sharing with the world. I don't talk much about it. I got almost 800 fan letters before something horrible happened; at the age of 18, I accidentally fell madly in love with a family friend in a mess that had to be-- by far -- the worst possible circumstances for feelings that strong.
It wasn't an easy thing to go through. It's taken a long time to get back in the groove of writing, because when your soul is sad, you can't write from the soul.
A while back, I finally started to pen stuff here and there.
Now? Finally, I'm back in the saddle, so to speak. It isn't easy to talk about those aspects from my past objectively. And I probably won't mention that stuff again. Ever. But you need to know the back story.
Graphic design:
I do logos and diagrams for companies blah blah boring, and tee shirts for tourist and sports franchises blah blah blah quick easy income blah blah ;-0
Modeling:
LOL. Yeah. I'm sure my random pieced together portfolio will eventually make it onto this blog somewhere.
Modeling...
Is not really a career I've been intentionally pursuing. I mean... What a STUPID thing to be good at; "My face looks really haunting and alluring in this lighting."
Unless modeling will somehow open doors to other opportunities, I don't really care much for putting effort into that arena ever again.
MUSIC:
Music is just fun for me! I'd kind of like it to stay that way... But I've been asked to perform with some local bands, and I've been offered money to sit and play piano as a background type thing LOL. I dunno. So I've never sung or played on stage before, but I suppose it's on my list of things to try. *shrug* Music is just for fun so far!
