Reading | Generation X - Douglas Coupland.
Listening | Tame Impala (I have listened to the new album at least 25 times in the past week) & Lianne La Havas.
Watching | Chef (amazing food porn!), Skeleton Twins (loved it!) & Offspring (hooked!).
Consuming | Jammy buttery toast (feat. incredible jam from my favourite Evandale market stall lady called Just Add Moonshine).
Making | Biscuits (these ones and these ones drizzled with white chocolate) and cakes for pals. Lots of paintings with tiny, colourful shapes.
Looking forward to | Heading down to Hobart to attend the Marriage Equality Rally next weekend with Jaine, staying at the Alabama Hotel and getting some retail therapy on (T2, Lush, Dangerfield, JB Hi-fi, the MAC counter, etc).
This month I spent a lot of time painting for my little Sweetbrew show, had many delightful times with Theo, lovely social times with friends and a smattering of freelance work and sleep-ins. I am so looking forward to being on the other side of Winter. I love so many things about it, but when my house is always cold, morale is low. Scarves, coats and hats though, they can stay for another few months please.
I've decided over the last few weeks that I'm going to take a break from freelance work, for at least a few months. I love that people ask me to make them things and to work with them on excellent projects, but at the moment I'm working my supermarket job, doing a great design course through Tractor Design School online, finishing up my last university unit and hanging out with Theo a couple of days per week and the thing I toss and turn at night about most is the freelance work I'm supposed to be doing, emails I've not yet sent, mock-ups I'm halfway through. One day when I am not so time poor, I hope that I will be able to look at freelance more seriously and with better organisation - because I do really love it. I've always said "Yes" to everything, even when I haven't had the time to dedicate to the projects and that lets the client and myself down. Right now I'd like my spare time to be spent recreating or working on my own artistic projects. I feel exhausted and burnt out. I'd really like to be able to read a book or watch a TV show without feeling guilty about all of the other things I'm not doing. Pip's book has really helped me to get some perspective and let myself make some choices.
I hope that you enjoy whatever you do following this.
Ps. I made a Facebook page for my illustration work recently - you can like it if you want to.
Reading | Craft For The Soul - Pip Lincolne (the best book I've read in ages - really uplifting and great advice), Uncle Tungsten - Oliver Sacks, Art Before Breakfast - Danny Gregory (a gift from my brother) and a bunch of excellent zines I picked up in Sydney last month.
Listening | Feist records on my fancy little old record player.
Watching | Bunheads (fun), Populaire (gorgeous French film) and 20,000 Days On Earth (I saw this with my friend Jaine at a little bar in town last night and drank warm mulled cider with whiskey out of a metal cup! The film was fantastic and so was the beverage). I also went to see Nazeem Hussein to a fantastic with my friend Jaine and he was excellent.
Consuming | A million cups of T2 French Earl Grey. Toasted marshmallows (Theo tried one and said "yuck!" - more for Mum!).
Making | Illustrations for all sorts of fun things including a piece for a little girl's room, a poster for a local band, a canvas as a gift for a friend, some envelope lettering and a chalk mural at a local cafe - more on this in a later post!
Looking forward to | Warmer weather - seems so far off right now! Brrrr. I love scarves and coats and hats and warm drinks and my crackling fire, but the cold effects my morale so much. Tasmania has three amazing, beautiful seasons and one in which I just wish away the time!
This month I returned home from Sydney after attending the zine fair, seeing Morrissey in concert, celebrating Theo's birthday, visiting my sister and her babies and I came home to an especially chilly Launceston. I've been having Theo at my house from Sunday - Tuesday each week for the past few weeks and it has been the best part of my week every week. We play, we go for walks, we go out for babycinos and chai, we jump on the bed, we watch shows, we kick balls around, he helps me to light the fire. I bought him an old fashioned wooden train set last week and sat the box in his room for when he arrived. When he came over he went to his room to get some toys and he brought the box out to me immediately with a look of awe on his face (he'd played with one at his cousin's house, so he knew what it was). I took all of the bits and pieces out of the box and he got straight into assembling his little track and he played with it for a solid three hours. He then had the biggest meltdown he's ever had when I told him it was bedtime - back arching, guttural crying, head banging on the floor . The next day he was up at the crack of dawn to get straight back into it. It was lovely to see him so obsessed and focussed with a toy and seeing his dexterous little hands assembling the pieces. He makes lots of fun sound effects too. I think I'm going to get him some extra little pieces like bridges and turnstiles and other bits to add to it. He is getting much more conversational lately too. He's a dream boy.
I've been a bit stressed out lately freelancing, so I'm planning on paring my jobs right back as I head back to study in a few weeks time. I really love freelance and feel so very lucky to have people interested in my work, but I'm having trouble juggling several jobs at the moment with my supermarket job, Theo, study and trying to work in my personal work somewhere.
Life is good at the moment though. The past six months have been really character building and positive for me, despite the tribulations. Thanks for reading folks, xo.
Reading | The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide, Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham, The Secret History by Donna Tartt (I've been reading the last two books for months - partly because I'm a slow reader and partly because I'm savouring them) & Flow Magazine (my new favourite).
Watching | A Most Wanted Man, Girls, Downton Abbey & Suits.
Listening | The Bedroom Philosopher's Funemployed Series on Radio National (and lots of RN shows in general).
Making | My little apartment a home, painting furniture and tinkering away at fun commissions.
Consuming | Chocolate biscuits and chocolate hot cross buns. It's been a very chocolatey month!
Looking forward to | Getting back into my course work (I'm several weeks behind unfortunately), going to see Darren Hanlon, finishing up commissions, spending lots of time with Theo and hopefully, when time allows, working on a new zine.
Why hello! I took an unexpected month off blogging, brought about by having no internet access at my new dwelling yet. The lack of internet has been a bit of a pain but I've been reading lots of good books, working on commissions, watching good shows and spending time with Theo. I am loving being there though; it has lots of natural light, is the perfect size, in a great location and it just makes me happy to be there, so that's a relief. I've had Theo over to stay several times already (though I don't have a bed for him yet so he sleeps in with me). I'm still without a washing machine, though a friend has lent me his bar fridge, which has been a godsend. Life is good and I am happy. Over the next month (and a bit) I'm actually house sitting back in our old neighbourhood so I'll be close to Theo (and have internet access and access to a washing machine!) which will be nice. By the time I get back to my apartment I'll have a washing machine, a single bed for Theo, a proper fridge and internet. Hooray.
Reading | Not That Kind of Girl - Lena Dunham (I'm rationing it out and reading it slowly because I'm really enjoying it).
Watching | The Imitation Game (with my friend Sara at the cinema), Grand Designs & The Asian Cup (soccer tournament).
Listening | Laura Jean.
Making | My first paste-up, a birthday card for my favourite cafe, working on commissions, painting addresses on envelopes, practicing my calligraphy and doing doodled daily diary illustrations.
Consuming | Lots of delicious, healthy, homemade food - my favourites have been frittatas, baked eggs, nut & date balls and big hot breakfasts.
Looking forward to | The next month; a big, uncertain, exciting, scary one.
This past month my brother and niece came to stay for a week, I did the #whole30 and C and I decided to separate. This week I was approved for my own little apartment and I'll be moving in next week. It probably sounds pretty unexpected, and in some ways it has been, but it's what is necessary right now and I really think our relationship will improve with at least some time apart. There's no unpleasantness, we're still very close and we share the parenting of our lovely little human, so we'll always be important people in each others lives. I don't really think its necessary to say much more than that about the situation, but I am genuinely feeling positive about the future.