Inspiring Inspirations

So, I have recently felt like I hit a proverbial design brick wall when it comes to designing the hardcore/screamo band CD packaging I was assigned. It's been a little discouraging trying to come up with something that is cohesive and attractive while at the same time being of the "hardcore" persuasion. I LOVE Pandora, especially my Bat For Lashes station and have recently become increasingly fond of the band School of Seven Bells and more specifically their song "Half Asleep" which you will find in this video. It has nothing to do with screamo or hardcore music at all (which is fine by me) but I did find some inspiration to get my tail in gear and get some major work done on this packaging system.

I've been in a very "art" mood lately and have revisited my desire to be a poor man's Leslie Feist or some such artist in the musical world as well as a fine artist (which I'm sad to say I neglect due to graphic design projects even though fine art is my first love as far as art goes). So, please listen to this music and while you're at it...you should also watch this video, which inspires me to do performance art which I also have a not so secret (anymore) desire to do. If I did ever do performance art, this is what I would want to do. This video makes my heart flutter.

Also...speaking of fine art, I figure now is as good a time as any to post some pictures of some of my "fine art" which may or may not post in the desired places, so pardon my blogger novice nature. Apologies for the poor quality of some of these photos, I just used cell phone pictures that were already stored on my computer.

The above and below are both distorted self portraits on an anamorphic grid...who would've ever thought I could look so pretty?! PS. This was an assignment, the rest of the pieces are things that I had free reign to create, not quite as demented as these two.

Unconventional self portrait. The pink triangles stand for pink point heels representing my feminine side, silver lines connecting everything represent how I desire close relationships and to be connected to people all the time, and the circles are representative of a full life in Christ (never ending as a circle has no beginning and no end) and also art (it is shaped like an aperture in a camera) and my love for art.

Book about Sweet Potato (aka Betty) and her rug. Sara Jane wrote the content in a rhyme for me and I put it with photos I manipulated on each page to tell the story of why she is scared to leave the rug in the den.

This is a mixture of a bunch of stuff, doesn't really have a "deep" explanation, but as an art student, I could certainly come up with one for you to support my work if need be :)

My favorite piece I've ever done. Taught me a lot about what I believe is really true and how to combat lies about what women should look like, who we should be, and what we should seek. The right side is "the world's view" of women...excerpts taken from "pro Ana" web pages for anorexics. It's like a secret underground network of men and women who are so sick and blind to the truth about their bodies, health, and the truth about beauty that they support each other NOT in recovery, but in continuing to practice and pursue the eating disorder. Each excerpt is from "top 50 reasons to be anorexic" which is heartbreaking to read what they truly believe, and what I can believe also if I don't continually trust Jesus and see the truth that beauty is in Him, and that taking care of my body and not neglecting it and harming it. I do not have an eating disorder, but researching for this piece was so eye opening and challenging. It's difficult to be confronted with truth and lies and see where my heart can fool me and where I can be so easily tempted to believe those lies even if just a little.

The left side of this piece is pattern pieces cut and layered with inlaid scriptures about beauty and the creation of a woman. The more I think about it the more I think it may be like the two sides of most Christian women I know. We have the truth in us and truly love and believe it, but we often are tempted to believe and function on many lies and have to fight what is innate in us: sin.

Childhood memory: my first earrings, I was 11 and Daddy took me to Meryl Norman to get my ears pierced, then to Belk's to buy some tiny 18k gold hoops (on clearance, of course) and then to Longhorn for supper and Dunkin Donuts to pick up a dozen donuts for breakfast. One of my all time favorite memories with Daddy.

Iconic lines drawing. This is of Grandmama and all of the lines are made up of tiny icons each with a meaning and purpose of why it is where it is. For example, her neck/throat is made up of musical notes because she hums and sings all of the time; her hair made of hair dryers since she gets her hair done every single Friday, and so on.

Ceramic green tea pitcher.

Lonely Chair, first firing in the wood kiln...I LOVE the effect the wood kiln gives different glazes!

So, here's a tiny taste of my fine art stuff, hope you like it!