SFist Writeup!

A little bit late but I just discovered that SFist.com, a popular local events and culture blog, wrote about my work after seeing me at APE a month ago. Thanks, guys! I wish I knew how to do the clever # thing where the link clicks directly to the part of the article about me but you will have to scroll down. Stop complaining and just use the space bar, kids!

While we are on the topic of my fantastic self, here is an image of me from the photographers who were here last week (two weeks ago? er...). can't wait to see more!

Why am I doing all these vanity searches, you may ask? A few old acquaintances have found me, one through some press I got, and I am always wondering what people are saying about me out there. A big part of my job, after all, is trying to get people to pay. attention. to. ME!

TechShop

I am writing everywhere to let people know about this awesome place I found out about this weekend. It's a really cool project and I hope it succeeds.

Techshop.ws (fixed the link! oops!) is the URL for this open-access shop; you can sign up for a day, a month, or a year, and use equipment ranging from saws and stuff, CNC routing technology, laser cutters that can be used on metals, plastics, wood, and FABRIC!!, as well as sewing machines, sergers.... well, you get the idea. The only catch is that it's in Menlo Park but at $100 a month even I have a hard time arguing with that.

Make this!

Today was Maker Day, a day of casual programming for the people who are part of Maker Faire this weekend. People presented and talked about various projects, starting with a guy who built a cart that travels on CA's decaying abandoned rails. I am sure lots of people (i sat next to scott beale from laughing squid for a little while) are blogging all the gory details of the day's presentations, so if you are interested please do search them out. it was a fascinating day. I was a little bummed about the male-dominated science makers and the female-dominated craft makers. I started thinking about ways to change that, and still miss my construction and engineering flavored times. i like doing the work in textiles, but was reminded today of the pragmatic reasons i chose that career path when i started working for myself. Textiles and apparel, as raw materials, are easier to get, sustainably, for a lower cost. The tooling and machinery is far simpler (I'm sure Kathleen Fasanella would argue with me there, but hopefully you can see the ways in which this is true). The business I launched was designed to give me a model that could get off the ground basically right away, inexpensive and thus low-risk to start and run. Textiles were a fun hobby and I don't mind the work, but I need to get dirty more often again.
A book I have on handicrafts cultures from around the world notes that in traditional cultures globally, crafts are typically done by the women until the technology to produce them reaches a certain level of complexity. Then the men take over.

Now why the hell would that be?

Put your soldiers in a row

Right now is all about clearing out old projects, moving things forward, tightening up operations. I have reached a promotional plateau in my company and the reward is leisure time. not much, but any is a huge improvement. I can now focus on producing enough work to get paid what i would like and carrying forth my active promotional efforts. The first phase, that of looking under every rock like a tiny monkey looking for termites to eat, is over.

This year i will do everything i started doing last year, well. Oh, and I started compiling a book, a sort of travelogue. it is about halfway done.

Pandora photo & paintings

My friend Chuck recently brought me a CD of miscellaneous images he's had in his back pocket. Included are this lovely shot of the event itself, at its newest home:

a shot of my tiny paintings at the show:


and this shot of a painting that sold before it was even done. it's pretty good, huh? i need to do more medium and large-sized ones with bus transfers.

Don Marinelli

I just came across this photo of the man who taught me theatre management. (well, this guy taught me theatre management also. Don's class was on a more administrative & fundamental level, David's classes far more practical.) I'm finally using tons of the stuff that I learned from Don. I went to a seminar at The Foundation Center the other day that thoroughly renewed my resolve to excavate my notebooks from his classes.

Don Marinelli runs Carnegie Mellon's Entertainment Technology Center. He's a smart, smart man.

Rough Hands

Here is a recent painting I am only now getting around to documenting. It's about 18x24".