Tattoos and other thoughts

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Here's my drawing of how I want my new tattoo. I want the fish to be coming over my right shoulder. I've lost 15 lbs so far at the Y and am swimming at least 3 times a week. I love it! Also doing www.myfooddiary.com & its working.
Things here haven't changed yet...still waiting for the "storm."
Trying to be positive and upbeat.

Crow's Feather

Found a crow's feather while walking into work on Monday-very symbolic for all the things that are going on around here. I joined the Y and have changed my eating too. I hope the change here is positive.

On the Road

I'm in Chicago in a posh hotel with high speed access waiting for room service. How grand. I'm here with my part-time job people for a craft buying show. SHould be great fun.

Work has been a tad frustrating lately. I'm so busy I can do the creative stuff. It's zappin my oomph. So I turn the logos and don't get to do yummy layouts...I'll take this weeknd off and then hit it hard on Monday...

Wrote new bio for work...

I like kittens and welding and texture. I also am learning how to breathe with my nose. I collect fonts. I kern road signs. I’m obsessed with type. Pantone colors make me happy-happy! Mac Junky, fabric hoarder, & rubber stamp maker. A jpeg in eps is NOT vector. (subliminal message) I take pictures of walls, textures and empty spaces for fun. Oil painter, gardener, avid reader of non-fiction. Listen to just about all types of music besides country. Watched dust in the sunlight as a child.
My husband makes robots and rubber skin.

Umm...this is my old one...

Brittney graduated from Western Michigan University with a double major in Art & Anthropology. She started with XXXX in 1998 in the engraving department and, since 2000, currently is the graphic designer on staff at XXXX. She also has experience in metal work, embroidery, and other imprinting processes in order to design your artwork to look its best on any of our items. We also offer custom brochures, service award program literature and company store art. Please contact one of our sales executives for more information!
Brittney is a member of the Graphic Arts Guild & National Association of Photoshop Professionals. She also is a Certified Michigan Master Gardener, as are other XXX staff members.

Tao of Design

http://www.westciv.com/style_master/house/good_oil/dao/index.html

Yep, got the new computer. Love it but, I put the new 80GB hard drive in & it was a dud. Took it apart and put the original 30GB back in. Aweek later, its almost full. ack.

Above is a great article about the different challenge of the new web media compared with hard copy media.

As observing detail is clarity,
So maintaining flexibility is strength;
Use the light but shed no light,
So that you do yourself no harm,
But embrace clarity.
Tao Te Ching; 52 Clarity

I'm trying to learn CSS. I keep thiinking to myself "this was just like learning illustrator from Corel...my resistance will pass." My resistance is still here... I uploaded a free trial of Freeway Express, but it keeps crashing when I open it.

Got a great new mouse-so good I bought 3! Optical mouse, high arch for the hand and a controllable fan in it! It's grand! "For Power Users" hmm, AM I A POWER-USER?? sounds high & mighty! Got it at Tiger Direct
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1161914&CatId=0

American Mutt Barks in the Yard

http://www.emigre.com/EMag.php?issue=68
http://www.davidbarringer.com/books___writing/American_Mutt/american_mutt.html

I am currently reading “An American Mutt Barks in the Yard” by David Barringer. He has so summed up my feelings on graphic arts and my passion about it. I’m only half way through his essay, so things could take a turn, but its nice to know there’s like minds out there. This is the second time I try to type my post, as when going to spell check on the blog spot page within Camino, my entire post was deleted.
The “graphics invasion” of my life has been a long journey. My mother won a small local hospital’s logo contest with my design when I was 10 (entrants had to be at least 18). I made tons of signs, announcements and newsletters. Every career councilor and kind aunt suggested it. A cousin is a graphic artist and the family thought I should follow in her footsteps. So when I went to college I generally stated a study in ART. It made them happy and myself, as it was not limiting. A dear college drawing teacher recommended a graphic art career. So when the tire met the road, I studied jewelry. And anthropology. My jewelry designs were often linear creations in metal with symbols. Anthropology gave me a chance to study the culture that I never felt like I fit into. Once out of college, I met my life-partner at a local foundry and was eventually laid-off due to lack of work. After six plus years of floundering from job to job, a need was present in my current employ for a graphic artist so I moved into the void while keeping my duties as engraver where I had been using Corel.
This was a homecoming. To use the irritating Americanism, “DUH!” I had found my niche. Fonts, computers, paper, art, culture, contrast, rules with freedom – all wrapped into one! I self taught myself all the Adobe programs, took a few local seminars, and have immersed myself ever since.
Now I wait, as my ibook shipment has been delayed another week by Apple. I float between the meager PC and imac at home and the fabulous G5 or work. I need to land. My planner is full of CDs with programs, fonts, fave clipart, and ideas. Augh.

Post Secret...

http://www.postsecret.blogspot.com/

Part of an art exhibit where postcards of secrets are displayed. I love the art, the humanity of it. Each postcard is a small window to someone out there.

sorrow (illustrationfriday.com)

Carole Maso's Essay

"Market me. Promote me. Sanitize me. Co-opt me. Plagiarize me. Market me harder."
-carole maso at http://www.barcelonareview.com/20/e_cm.htm
Once again she has put the words to the flurry in my head...the above essay could just as easily fit a graphic artist as it does Carole Maso, a writer.
Why do we do what we do? Is it in vain? Does it "make a difference?" Does it have to?
Why don't the beautiful people in my life get more-they deserve more!

"Wish list: that the homogeneity end. That the mainstream come to acknowledge, for starters, the thousand refracted, disparate beauties out there."
So true, and to paint them all-acknowledging the glorious rainbow of humanity.

"Electronic writing shall inspire magic. Print writing shall inspire magic. Ways to heal."
Amen.

Why blog, darling?

Cause I want to express my deep feelings about one of my favorite topics-GGGRAPHIC design, darling! Do others feel this way? Am I floating alone on a sea of fonts? THis will be my place to show my illustrations too... I adore illustrationfriday.com and wish to show my work, which I haven't before. Thank you, darling!