First I'll talk about this so I get it out of the way. If you actually follow my blog, you probably follow me around on Facebook, so you've already heard about this today, and if by some miracle you haven't, then Jesus H. click HERE and EXPLORE THE PAGE! People are already giving me ideas, I'm elated.
I'm not exaggerating when I say this pile of supplies has been building up for about five years. I've made lists of summer goals annually since I was in sixth grade, and I've rarely followed through with any of them. I try to keep up with crafty projects during the school year and over time I've noticed that when I'm making something for a specific person, I feel more motivated to create a unique, high-quality final product (I make the best frickin' birthday cards, ask anyone).
So now I am working under deadlines to create Top Notch artwork in an insanely short span of time to please other people! Sounds a lot like my regular school year at Iolani! It's true, sometimes I feel lost without the tortuous private school structure, a structure which often completely dismantles my desire to make art, or write, or read, or, you know, do anything else besides cry into my mattress.
HOWEVER, these deadlines are incentive to push myself to do what I love, and do it prolifically, instead of farting in my bedroom all summer.
I put up this huge map of New England in my room and made it into a calendar, indicating when I will start and finish my projects, while constantly reminding me of where I want to end up for college.
I know it's actually rather warm in New York right now but just let me have my frigid digits fantasy. Wow now I'm going to start a band called Frigid Digits. COPYRIGHT 2013!
I already have a lot of great suggestions, like picture frames made from my camera graveyard. I have to learn how to make a lamp, as well as an instrument (the type was not specific, so technically it could be an instrument of torture, but I don't think that's what friend Emily had in mind), and my goal is to try out as many new mediums as possible. These few months are going to make up for all the hours and years I wasted on playing Animal Crossing or watching movies from the Gay and Lesbian section of Netflix until three AM (well neither of those things are complete wastes of time, but I certainly didn't balance out my arting and vegging).
I've always wanted to do some sort of large project and get other artistic people to collaborate and just BE EXCITED with me, and I think I'm on the right track!
This is happening at the same time as my photo-a-day project (which I AM DOING, although my flickr needs updating), and my Fabric Barf Saga at work, and my ever-growing book queue, and my eventual plan to develop a more substantial writing portfolio. The writing part worries me. I've written creatively significantly less since starting this blog, and understandably so. But I've also been reading more and taking more pictures, so all is not lost. The prospect of starting to write more is contributing to my anxiety, and I think I'm going to start waking up at five again to write when my mind is fresh (at a certain point in the evening my eloquence shuts off and I try to write out words like "eloquencey" which don't exist, and get mad at spell check for telling me so).
Now that I have specific projects and goals, I don't feel like vomiting all my organs onto the floor out of anxiety over this Big Idea I got. By the way, I was inspired by Phil Hansen's Ted Talk. This guy creates wonderful works of art using outrageous materials that range from worms to his own used bandaids. His website is here.
NOW FOR TODAY'S PICS.
I accompanied the 8 AM and 10:30 AM photo classes on field trips to Waikiki and Chinatown, respectively, and brought the Canon with the Lens Baby again. Sometimes these photo excursions turn into an opportunity for these kids to buy off-campus beverages during school hours, but they produce images that are much more refreshing than those taken on the utilitarian Iolani campus. I walked around with Ms. U (Alison Uyehara-Ngo is her full name, I feel like I need to fully introduce someone who I am talking about) while the students gallivanted; they were out of our sight within ten minutes on each trip. In Chinatown Ms. U bought me a Thai tea smoothie out of the kindness of her heart, which nourished my penniless teenage soul (payday is coming, though!).
Again, it's extremely difficult to focus with the Lens Baby, but the Muse produces whimsical, lo-fi images that are quite endearing.
Ms. U and her new, vaguely Jane Fonda haircut
SELFIE1!!@!!@
I have several more complicated photo projects clanking around in my brain right now. Perhaps not clanking, for that implies I have empty thoughtspace, of which I have a scintilla. I have photo ideas shuffling uncomfortably in the crowded airplane aisle of my brain, probably trying to go to the bathroom or find an extra blanket, and I just need to schedule times to execute them.
One idea requires black and white film and a handful of volunteers who are willing to share a painful experience with me, take me to the location of that experience, photograph them, and print the image in the darkroom while removing their face from the print. I am trying to think of ways to get a wide demographic of people involved in that, so I don't know if I will execute it this summer.
My other idea involves broken enlarger lenses, my favorite forest, and my stalwart model Sarah Garcia. That is definitely going to happen, so stay tuned.
Thanks for reading, dudes.
–Rachael
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