Catch the Carrot

This year I started sitting with the fact that the freelance design work that I do is 99% marketing.  Posters for events, re-designing websites, etc.  It makes sense and I’ve learned a lot about marketing over the years- not from schooling, but from experience.  I have a lot more to learn.  But I now do 2 official marketing things.  I am on the Marketing Team for the Food Co-op around my neighborhood, and I got a full time job (eek!) as Marketing Coordinator at a local non-profit called People’s Emergency Center.  PEC, as we call it, is half homeless shelter for women and children and half Community Development Corporation, or CDC. I work for the CDC part of things, making flyers, emails, facebook pages, websites, etc. for all the social services in the neighborhood that we’re associated with. I think I’ll learn a lot in the position and am glad to be getting a steady paycheck for designing every day.

The piece below is for the Food Co-op. They’re doing this marketing campaign to get new members, so they’re placing these stained glass carrot decorations in a bunch of different local shops and then putting on a scavenger hunt to find the carrots. If you “catch the carrot”, you get a discount on your new Co-op membership.  Oooooooooo!  So this is the design I made for the poster. I did hand-lettering for the “Catch the Carrot” title, which was fun. I don’t get to do hand-lettering very often, so I thought I’d give it a whirl on this one. 

Update: Just found one of these in a bus stop...

To Whom I Do Not Know

Today, I was reminded, is the first day of Lent. Millions of people have been flocking to churches all day to be marked as Christians with an ashy reminder crossed into their foreheads.  Millions of others cower at home, fearful of the judgement or persecution they might receive if they are marked for believing something that has given them hope and life in the world. And even more are completely indifferent to this annual journey, or are judging the Christians for any number of ridiculous or legitimate reasons.  I sit at home, scratching my favorite new pen across the box I received in the mail today. Today is one more day.

The potential is apparent.

Ever wish, after totally fumbling through an interview for your dream job, that you could just write your interviewer and just tell them that really, you would just do so well at that job and they should give you a shot?

That may have happened to me yesterday... And it reminded me of this documentary I watched last week about Snowy Owls, who are probably one of the most skilled hunters of all birds.  Or, at least, I think so. But as owlets, baby owls, they are so fumbly.  They waddle around, tripping over stuff and catching their balance by sticking the wing out like a crutch so they don't fall.  It's totally pathetic and adorable.  And you know that they're gonna grow up to be so amazing. It's in their genes. Unless they die, they're going to be amazing as adults.

Thats kinda how I felt a little bit.  Like, come on!  I know I could be AMAZING at this job if you just give me a chance!  Pardon my bumbling words and stammering answers to your questions.  Just trust me.

So I drew this little owl.  Because the potential is apparent.

I also gave the original to my friend who just had a baby.  Seemed to fit.

The workings of my heart

I doodled a pencil sketch of this a couple weeks ago.  The idea evolved over the time of creating the sketch. I originally wanted to draw something that represented love.  And I didn't want to draw people hugging or hearts.  But then I thought of the anatomical heart and while I was staring at a picture of one, I noticed that the arteries kind of looked like they were planted into the heart like trunks of trees with the roots wrapped around the chambers.  One thing led to another and I had the beginning sketch. I was excited about the idea but a little self conscious about turning it into a completed piece, so I let it sit for a couple weeks.  So yesterday, I laid a piece of Layout Bond over the sketch and decided to develop it using this 03 Micron.  I could throw it out if it turned out awful and still have my sketch to work from.  But this is what I ended up doing and I think it turned out better than I thought it would.

Gig Posters

I watched another documentary the other night about poster artists for band gigs.  It was fantastic and truly inspirational. I want to watch it again, take notes, sign up for the events for poster artists, and make more poster art.

Right now the band that I make the most gig posters for is Phillybloco. Recently, I created 3 new posters for them.  Since I've been making posters for them since 2009, it's fun for me to re-invent how I envision their look to be and how their energy can be conveyed in the designs.

Love thy neighbor

This week's been a heck of week.  I've fallen down the rabbit hole of job applications, and although I've slowed down a bit here at the end of the week, I think my soul dropped out of my chest and fell all the way down the hole a few days ago.  What an arduous process.  We'll see what comes of it.

Last night, after a great conversation with a fellow artistic bee, I realized that I was so worried about pushing my art out there and getting a job with it, that I wasn't even making any art.  My hand has been asking me to make art all week, picking up markers, feeling the weight of them... But I kept chastising my begging hand, saying that I have to have someone or something to make art for if I'm gonna make anything at all.  This, obviously, is not true.  But life does weird things to your brain at times. So I'll keep making art, however small, just to keep my hand exercised and my soul in my chest.

This is today's doodle.  From left to right, it is Cambria house, my neighbor's house (where the Trez the dealer lives), my friend Josh's house, and his neighbor's house (he's a sweet political cartoonist with a bamboo forest in his back yard).  On top of the houses are words from a mural that my friend Brian made around the corner from Cambria.

ok. i mean, she's awesome...

There is this woman, Béatrice Coron, who makes spectacular cut paper art. She's someone I've admired for a long time. The piece below is one of her public art pieces.  Check her website out here.

I was just browsing her website and read her "statement" section.  It reads:

After briefly studying art at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts of Lyon, and Mandarin Chinese at the Université of Lyon III, Coron experienced life with a series of odd jobs. She has been, among others, a shepherdess, truck driver, factory worker, cleaning lady and a New York City tour guide. Coron has lived in France (her native country) , Egypt and Mexico for one year, each and China for two years. She moved to New York in 1985 where she reinvented herself as an artist.

Coron's oeuvre includes illustration, book arts, fine art and public art. She cuts her characteristic silhouette designs in paper and Tyvek. She also creates works in stone, glass, metal, rubber, stained glass and digital media.
Her work has been purchased by major museum collections, such as the Metropolitan Museum, The Walker Art center and The Getty. Her public art can be seen in subways, airport and sports facilities among others.

OH! So you have worked random-ass jobs (like herding sheep!) and probably wondered what the heck you're doing with your life tooooooo!  And you've kept moving and look! You made it into the Met! The Getty! That's pretty cool.

Just wanted to put some posi-vibes out there.