I came across this video today and besides being really catchy it has some amazing animation, simple but awesome.

animated by Kristen Lepore and Garrett Davis

It has been incredibly difficult for me of late to sit down and work on my personal pursuits. Each time I sit in front of a computer I am distracted (intentionally) by anything flashing funny and fucked up.
I am full of second guesses and inadequacies which seem to be crippling any inspirations that may fleetingly enter my head space.

I am sitting here with my Carlton Draught on a slightly breezy day thinking of all the things I could be doing, (should be doing), about how awesome Helvetica text looks on a primary colour background and how much bollocks I talk on a daily basis.

I am not a writer and I never pretended to be, but regardless of how clunky and awkward my words are on a page I will update this blog. I will record this process of my becoming who I want to be and my artwork’s gradual improvement because it has to happen.

Adieu my love, although you have been neglected we will meet again soon and it will be on this long and colourful journey into whatever.

image courtesy of Flickr: Moriza

Do…tap your feet to your IPOD.
Do...stop suddenly in crowds,(to spice things up try walking very slowly in a zig-zag pattern!)
Do...be a teenager attending private school and talk loudly about your friend who’s a slut because she spoke to Caleb on Messenger and told him..etc.
Do…wear an over-sized back pack, ensuring you constantly move around to confirm whether you have missed your stop.

Don’t…sit like a human being: ensure your bag, coat, long hair, whatever, is draped across as many seats as possible..
Don’t…cover your mouth when you cough, sneeze or burp. (Handy hint: if you REALLY want to go that extra mile make sure you’re eating something at the same time!)
Don’t…be courteous and respectful of other people’s personal space.
Don’t...brush your teeth or chew gum after drinking 7 cups of coffee and smoking 20 cigarettes, talk to the business partner travelling at length preferably over the head of others.

image courtesy of Flickr: Aliedwards

The social aspect that comes along with coffee, the connection that seems to happen over cups of this brown liquid, is intense. People spill their guts over coffee - break-ups, make-ups and revelations.
It’s such a business-like beverage. How many episodes of how many series’ see writers and creative types sitting proud with their Macs and Vaios (if you please), effortlessly churning out their latest creative masterpiece with a laptop that never loses power? I am convinced all this creativity and electronic magic is the result of coffee beans and the raw power they exude.

My love affair with coffee started when I ended up working in a cafe back home. Sure my lattes and cappuccinos were mostly fluffy milk foam and burnt grounds, but it was amazingly good - this wasn’t the Blend 43 my parents drank.

I’m a “skinny flat white, no sugar” girl. I’m serious and no frills (no bubbly foam crap for me burr), possibly think I could loose a few kilos, and pretend that it’s all because I drink too much coffee. I think your coffee order says a lot about you as a person. But then maybe I’m just talking beans.

Melbourne Coffee Review Oh swoon, where have you been all my life?!  So many places I’ve never even heard of to quicken the pulse and satisfy my burning need for a skinny flat white!

So a while ago I contributed to my fabulous friend Beth and
her friend Kate’s magazine Story To… and they have since done a quick interview with me about working on the project and working in general.

If you’re interested in reading it you can click here!

Story to is issued periodically around Melbourne and is available from Sticky institue in the subway downstairs between Flinders st Station and Collins street.

I have an absolute block to anything creative lately. Being so stressed you feel like your head is going to collapse in on itself is so consuming of your normal thought processes.

It seems like the tiniest things will occupy your mind and drive you insane until you know it’s been addressed and is now out of the way. Many a time have i left the computer with a “Fuck, I forgot to send that email!” nervously biting my nails until I know it’s sent, done, and finished! 

 It’s like you’re completely incapacitated at the thought that something is sitting there un-done and time is ticking away when you have so many other things that need doing but thinking about the un-done occupies so much time you don’t end up doing the other things you should be doing. Are you with me?

Then you get snappy and nasty, with so many things on your mind you have no time for politeness, you start telling your friends “It must be so nice to be you and to be able to settle for an administration job…” and treading on the back of too-slow-people’s heels when you’re walking through the station, (my personal favourite). STOP! This is a problem; you need to get a grip. Sheesh!

Spend a day relaxing – forget what you should be doing and unwind for a few hours. It will clear your head and help you focus on what you need to (before you drive everyone around you crazy).

How do you unwind at the end of your hectic day in the big wide world? Do you look to your vices? Do you do an aggressive dance?

For those of you tearing out your fine hair with frustration, try the following remedies;

How to de-stress in 3 minutes or less for that quick fix

 Dance angry with Brett

 My personal stress-reliever is op-shopping!

coming soon everyone, coming soon.

So I completed my first ever review this month for publication… I don’t have alot of confidence in my writing, but I gave it a red-hot go and am quite happy with it.

The Burlesque hour…She’s Back! at Forty Five Downstairs (Melbourne, Vic)
Originally Published on Arts Hub Australia on 11th August 2008

If your image of burlesque involves demure girls peeping provocatively from behind an oversized feathered fan, then you’re in for a shock.

Moving away from the stereotypical image of perfectly formed females performing for their demanding audience, The Burlesque Hour at the pleasantly-suited 45 Downstairs invites you inside for a warm, adult-friendly variety hour.

There is always a risk of a show appearing exploitative when a woman is exposed (especially on the stage), but the girls truly own their sexuality, demanding nothing but your respect and attention.

Their confidence and comedy about the risqué puts you at ease, making even the truly bashful comfortable.

Although seeming a little too silly in its opening minutes (a simian striptease comes off as kitsch), you’re soon presented with a diverse, exciting range of performers who suck you in to their amazing world.

The returning presence of edibles was a nice treat for those who appreciate decadent foods – you may even get to sample a strawberry or two!

Rushing the stage is Yumi Umiumare, an over-excited schoolgirl flipping underwear into the audience with wild abandon. She’s a pocket rocket who punctuates the show with her high-energy performances.

With her Moscow circus pedigree, Azaria Universe does the show proud, bringing your attention to the female form. Constricted with elastic bands across her body, she demonstrates her ability to make the lumps and bumps into the most amazing and beautiful spectacle.

In a moth-like state raining paper butterflies onto close-enough audience members, you can’t help but appreciate the beauty of her routines.

Moira Finucane, the show’s co-creator, performs with a wonderful edge – she is a physical artist who proves that milk is an amazingly effective medium. Leaving you laughing with the bizarreness of it all, Finucane’s snippets are loud, adventurous and fun.

Special guests The Town Bikes are seriously cute and make a fantastic addition to the team; I can’t recall seeing a catchier dance routine. Maude Davey is a little understated as a guest performer, but ensures you’ll long remember her with a strawberry surprise!

The Burlesque Hour was an outrageous, 90-minute blast, both a fantastic way to start your night out and a definite after-show conversation piece.

Moira Finucane and The burlesque hour

Burlesque Wiki Definition

If you’re an artist of any kind, I sincerely believe you should read John K’s blog.
I can’t believe how much useful information is stored there for anyone interested in anything creative.

For those who aren’t aware, John Kricfalusi is the creative wonder behind Ren and Stimpy and the Spumco Empire. Completely inspiring and entirely down-to-earth, John will give you theories and tutorials, advice and opinions and just a down right pleasant read.

John’s blog from time to time will feature projects he is working on, to see the roughing out of something that will turn out much bigger is really rewarding and a great demonstration of how a piece is born.

Through the site you might also stumble upon blogs by Katie Rice, Kali Fontecchio and Marlo Meekins, (all of whose work is great motivation to keep drawing), while in keeping with the Spumco style also bring along a whole new interpretation.

In short, read it….you will learn things!

More:

Check out the wiki for Spumco