Thins to look forward to!

I'm so giddy now! There's two placements going for the I Love West Leeds Festival and I've put my name down for one. It would be so amazing to work on this, especially as my current project is on this and I was kind of hoping to carry this onto a major project.

Feels like a sign!!

There is a project with Shari Baker at Armley Mills which is just down the road from me too, I'd like to take part but I'm usually in a workshop/tutorial then. May have a word with Graham to see if I can maybe swap sessions or something so that I can attend. I don't want to be missing any tutored sessions!

Also will be stewarding the stall at the upcoming book fair *fingers crossed* with George. So we'll get to explore the books too :)

I hope things go my way as I've been feeling pretty fucking low lately and it's affecting everything. I just need to keep myself busy

Fabrication

Fabrication

There's a new craft space in Leeds that I want to check out - Fabrication. I need to make a visit and check it out. Maybe attend one of the workshops??

A good cause

I had a think about what I would do to make the world a better place. Well I have always been pro-choice and I think it is very important to support the clinics and services that are there to provide women with the facilities and information they need to make an informed decision.


I found a few organisations that I would be interested in working with/for:


Womens Health Matters



Marie Stopes



Leeds Sexual Health



BPAS

My attempt!!

Right, so I thought I would have a go at paper sculpture. Here's the end result. I'm pretty pleased with them. I got the idea from a craft blog I was reading, but now can't find!! There was a template pdf to download so it was really easy to follow and make. It took a long time to draw, cut and score all the circles but it was easy enough to put it all together. I've suspended them from my bedroom ceiling and they look better in mass so I'm going to make lots and lots more :)


I have been checking out some more crafty style artists:


Yulia Brodskaya

I have requested lots of coloured card for my birthday - So my next 'thing to do' is a little bit of paper craft with typography. My next college project is 'designing for audiences' so I would like to this about using craft to send a message. Can craft change the world?

Craftivism

Mother Bear Project

Care Wear

Rehumanise us Memorial Quilt

Knitivism

Julien Vallee

Julien vallee website



I took a book out of the library called Papercraft. One of the artists in it is Julien Vallee. I love his paper sculptures. 


I have always had a general dislike to sculpture. Mainly because I hate working with clay - it's messy and so me always looks unrefined and isn't asthetically pleasing at all to me. I still think this about clay. It's static and I guess I always hated being forced to do it at school. 


I think I've been a little bit close-minded to sculpture. I've only been able to contemplate it in one medium. So what I'm saying is, I still hate clay, but I don't hate sculpture. What a revelation! I was really impressed by Vallee's paper scultures. The bright paper being manipulated, it almost seems impossible to me.


I would like to try some paper sculpture. On a large scale. I have 2 weeks now of no college and only 1 shift at work. I think it's a perfect reason to start a mini personal project.

Johnny Kelly

The Seed from Johnny Kelly on Vimeo.

Colouring Outside the Lines

Here are some photos I took of the Colouring Outside the Lines exhibition in Bradford last summer. 

Helen Musselwhite - These pieces were amazing! So delicate and intricate. Her work has great form.

Morwenna Catt - Bradford local artist - I found these pieces slightly sinister. I love the loose threads from each one, it gives me the feeling that they're not quite refined/finished. Like a work in progress, quite poetic really.

Abigail Brown - really, really cute textile sculptures. I have a thing about buttons so I loved these :)

Naseem Darbey - I thought this was a lovely idea, to do a portrait using a sewing machine instead of drawing. Must have been quite a task! 

Mind fuck!

Spend, spend, spend! It's all I seem to do lately - capitalist consumerism or what? I "invested" in a new iMac and honestly I am in love :) 


I also have a bad case of amazon fever at the moment. I've bought so many DVDs and books that I need to stop buying and actually watch/read them first!


I'm a little worried that I'm buying things to make me happy or distract myself from current issues. Well I'm not happy. I have, however, been distracted. 


February will be a month of experiences, not purchases. A month of resolution.


I need to prioritise. 


In no particular order: 

1. Work - 2 days a week not 3! I can do 3 days but it means I'm tired and grouchy and I got really behind with my last project. That cannot happen again!
2. College - start assignments as soon as they're given to me. Have specified "project nights" where I don't make plans and crack on with my work.
3. Family - ring my mum at least once a week. I'm really bad at this and it's always reassuring to talk to her, she makes me see sense on a lot of things.
4. Social life - there's a few gigs coming up (Passion Pit, Shy Child.....), and my birthday is very soon so there's no getting away from going out. I just need to make sure that I'm not just out for the sake of it. I'm feeling very lucky at the moment to have such wonderful friends. To be honest, they're the one thing driving me forward at the moment.
5. Lovelife - a car crash......these things happen
6. Me-time - one night a week to myself. Read/watch a film/have a bubble bath/play guitar/go for a swim.........

It sounds like a lot to do but it's only little things. I just need to sort my life (and my head) out.

My god, how emo am I? Things will get better