sisters of the well
Mar. 3rd, 2013 | 03:13 pm
first proper painting day in ages yesterday. i enclosed myself in a studio bubble of audio books, tea, soda, cyndi lauper, popol vuh and some noodles and didn't talk to anybody all day. glory.
finished this and some custom garments which will go out tomorrow. next weekend i will be in glastonbury, at the avalon fayre. prints of this and many others will be available as well as my entire spring collection of clothes. maximum luggage allowance.
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new years survey
Jan. 2nd, 2013 | 12:57 pm
spent the first day of the new year leaping around the cold and melting forests around my home.
so happy new year dear LJ! was gonna post this earlier but this whole bizniz was down >.< . all in all: 2012 was tough. and interesting. and emotionally grueling. but good, and compared to two thousand fucking eleven, amazing. as you know i mostly hang out on tumblr and instagram these days, i like my social media to be social and there are way too many crickets chirping and tumbleweeds rustling here on LJ. (unless you're russian of course, god bless, i wish i could read your language .. well more so than slowly sounding out one letter at a time and then maybe try to guess at meaning using my poor polish skills ..i mostly use this to figure out the names of artists i like on the kidpix and whatever illustration communities). aaaanyway. i've done this new year's thing for the past few years, might as well keep at it.
1. What did you do in 2012 that you'd never done before?
worked in an earthship studio. made a living off of etsy/made clothes for sale. had a solo show in stockholm. felt deep connections with people (ok it's not that i've never done that before, but this was an extraordinarily emotional year)
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
i don't remember my new year's resolutions and never would if it wasn't for this livejournal. hold on let me go back and check this thing from last year. ok - my resolution was to stop sabotaging myself. i wouldn't say i've been entirely successful at that but i did a whole lot better than in 2011. yay go me. i haven't made any specific ones for 2013 … i have a feeling of a direction and a tide moving in a certain way. going to follow that.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
yes and the result is a fine little goblin if i may say.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
no.
5. What countries did you visit?
usa, hungary. whooo same answer every year.
6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?
more peace of mind, more good reading experiences, more/better times with friends, calm within my family.
7. What dates from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
oct. 3rd when i got deported from the us and oct 17th when i saw dead can dance. april 7th when my art show opened (or was it the 14th? whatever).
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
not having to get a day job, easily. i haven't done anything but freelance work, selling clothes and art this year. it's been a lot of work and stressful but worth it.
9. What was your biggest failure?
not drawing enough comics,. wasn't perfectly happy with the output for my 2nd solo show this year either. maybe there's just one in us each year?
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
one cold that lingered foreveeerrrr and a lot of stress induced nausea/headaches. those don't really count do they?
11. What was the best thing you bought?
dead can dance concert ticket.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
my parents, always. the amazing amazing people involved in the secret project i'm working on.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
some friends and family members .. mostly not appalled just disappointed.
14. Where did most of your money go?
art supplies and all the stuff i use to make clothing.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
something that didn't happen. this really sucked - i rarely get excited about things, it's just not the way i roll, even as a child i said "no" to everything and was mostly interested in staying in my room. so when i do get excited it's a pretty big deal.
16. What song will always remind you of 2012?
hmmmmm. the whole "anastasis" album.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? happier.
b) thinner or fatter? the same. my mom says thinner but i think she's wrong.
c) richer or poorer? poorer but not nearly as poor as i thought i would be.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
reading novels. making comics.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
refreshing my email, dillydallying on social media. i like social media but just STARING at them is pointless.
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
spent it with family but we don't really celebrate.
21. Did you fall in love in 2011?
no.
22. How many one-night stands?
none.
23. What was your favourite TV program?
breaking bad, game of thrones, QI, star trek voyager
24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
no. but i'm much closer to luke warm with some people.
25. What was the best book you read?
this was a pretty bad year for novels, i haven't been able to concentrate much. i loved "the women's encyclopaedia of myths and secrets" but that's non fiction. "heartsnatcher" by boris vian was interesting. very different from most things i've read. "my childhood" by maksim gorky was beautiful. i liked a history of nostradamus by some swedish historian also, can't remember the name right now. i'm reading ulysses now (2nd try .. why the hell did i think i was gonna get through that at 13? works a whole lot better in your late 20s, i'm really enjoying it and i keep teasing peter going ".. .you know .. .i thought about something, like, i think we should tell more people because it doesn't seem to be well known but ... that james joyce character is pretty good at writing actually. knows how to turn a phrase." and then peter goes on to try and smother me with a pillow or just kill me in any way possible)
26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
oy wow i don't know. i've mostly stuck to things i knew about already. i think. i got more into jazz i guess, that was frank's fault.
27. What did you want and get?
some books. whiskey.
28. What did you want and not get?
stuff mentioned above, not the books and whiskey but other things.
29. What was your favourite film of this year?
i can't think of one made in 2012 that would've been a fav. what i most enjoyed seeing was "girl slaves of morgan le fay". i was gleefully glued to the television and that almost never happens. also … moonchild and they live. i hated the damn hobbit movie (did like the lord of the rings films though) and wish i hadn't forked out hard earned dubloons to see it in the cinema. except i did enjoy the gollum scene. why did i look forward to it so much? stupid.
30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
i didn't do anything special, never do. 28.
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
i kind of already answered the personal aspect of this above (inner peace, more and better times with friends) so i'll be a hippie douche instead and add the following: i'd really, really like it if advertising was banned from public spaces. it hurts my brain and eyes and i can't enjoy my fucking city.
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012?
2011 was one of my most stylish and most interested in clothes year in a long time. in 2012 i became a clothing designer (sorta) and my personal style went to the dogs. i've barely bought myself a pair of socks this year. i wore a long black skirt and black top all year pretty much. not bad. just not very interesting or innovative. all my clothing energy went into the raintower brand. also maria wasn't around this year and she's like my "clothing buddy". so that made it less fun to shop.
33. What kept you sane?
hahaah.
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
kathryn janeway omg ilu
35. What political issue stirred you the most?
social and financial injustice and as always, consumerism.
36. Who did you miss?
my american brothers and sisterz
37. Who was the best new person you met?
frankie i think. i didn't meet that many new people this year, i mostly spent it working from home. unless you count people i met online? because damn it was a good year for that! hiiiii and let's meet 4 realz soon!!
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012.
i learn this over and over but i think more so this year: just go and keep going, trust your gut, life is ridiculously short, you overthink you're dead. DEAD.
39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
i am a glossy photograph … i'm better than the real thing.
did you do one of these? post me the link k xo
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a lil issue, need your help!
Dec. 7th, 2012 | 12:54 am
you know how i have a little clothing business where i create new things out of second hand t-shirts and recycled fabric in general? it’s been doing pretty well lately and i’m so grateful to all my customers :). aside from occasional freelance illustration and selling art, this is my only source of income.
i have a problem though - the market where i usually buy all my material is closed for the season and my fabric stash is diminishing at breakneck speed.
i don’t buy new cotton, for ethical reasons. it’s just not going to happen — not until i can afford something that is absolutely beyond-every-doubt organically certified which at this point would up my prices something immense and i’m just not ready to go there, don’t know if i’ll ever be. i’d rather not have this business than buy something that harms the earth to keep making clothes.
so i’m throwing this out there to see if anyone can help! i’m constantly on the prowl for:
* cotton jersey (the stretchy type found in t-shirts), any color, no prints. 90%, 95%, 100% cotton, the rest is usually elastane)
* viscose and modal or viscose-modal-cotton blends, any combo (viscose can sometimes be really shitty in quality though, so i’m picky with that)
whether these are pieces of fabric or garments doesn’t really matter, everything i use i cut up and re-sew anyway. all garments are of interest, even tights, skirts, etc. large sizes are of course a bonus.
what i can offer:
* money for shipping (paypal only). i’m in sweden so most interested in stuff within the EU but will consider everything
* special 30% discount code in my shop, exclusive for fabric donors
* for larger quantities of fabric or garments i will trade for prints, little drawings, or a garment of my making.
contact me via email on info at naomi dot se if you have stuff sitting around in your closet that i can use!
you’ll help out an eco friendly indie business and get rid of stuff you don’t need ;) i’ve started to properly calculate my revenue as well, so starting mid december 10% of my net gain will go to charity no matter if i have enough money to buy shit for myself or not.
thanks for all your support, you’re amazing, i couldn’t ask for better — i’ll do a big tumblr giveaway this weekend so keep your eyes peeled for that :)
XOXO // naomi
ps. i haven’t decided what charity yet, if you have suggestions, let me know. my pet causes are poverty/equal opportunities, women’s rights, animals.
i have a problem though - the market where i usually buy all my material is closed for the season and my fabric stash is diminishing at breakneck speed.
i don’t buy new cotton, for ethical reasons. it’s just not going to happen — not until i can afford something that is absolutely beyond-every-doubt organically certified which at this point would up my prices something immense and i’m just not ready to go there, don’t know if i’ll ever be. i’d rather not have this business than buy something that harms the earth to keep making clothes.
so i’m throwing this out there to see if anyone can help! i’m constantly on the prowl for:
* cotton jersey (the stretchy type found in t-shirts), any color, no prints. 90%, 95%, 100% cotton, the rest is usually elastane)
* viscose and modal or viscose-modal-cotton blends, any combo (viscose can sometimes be really shitty in quality though, so i’m picky with that)
whether these are pieces of fabric or garments doesn’t really matter, everything i use i cut up and re-sew anyway. all garments are of interest, even tights, skirts, etc. large sizes are of course a bonus.
what i can offer:
* money for shipping (paypal only). i’m in sweden so most interested in stuff within the EU but will consider everything
* special 30% discount code in my shop, exclusive for fabric donors
* for larger quantities of fabric or garments i will trade for prints, little drawings, or a garment of my making.
contact me via email on info at naomi dot se if you have stuff sitting around in your closet that i can use!
you’ll help out an eco friendly indie business and get rid of stuff you don’t need ;) i’ve started to properly calculate my revenue as well, so starting mid december 10% of my net gain will go to charity no matter if i have enough money to buy shit for myself or not.
thanks for all your support, you’re amazing, i couldn’t ask for better — i’ll do a big tumblr giveaway this weekend so keep your eyes peeled for that :)
XOXO // naomi
ps. i haven’t decided what charity yet, if you have suggestions, let me know. my pet causes are poverty/equal opportunities, women’s rights, animals.
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summer spell
Sep. 23rd, 2012 | 10:26 pm
my work is currently featured alongside some amazing artists. summer spell is curated by jl schnabel and paul romano -- open in philly for a little longer!
it's been a busy year for me, art wise -- i've pushed myself, first in spring, then in summer. these past two months i've been focused on creating clothes though - it's been so nice to work with my hands and i've sorely needed every penny made.
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cernunnos + sword + meadow
Sep. 21st, 2012 | 12:54 pm
i do this to the pages out of my sketchbook, it's relaxing.
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snake glow
Aug. 14th, 2012 | 10:12 pm
"I once read that names which begin with the letter 'S' are the names of snakes"
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baphomet
Aug. 5th, 2012 | 10:47 pm
dear diary -- this week i've been sketching a possible demon tattoo for a really good friend, spent time with family and generally been up to my elbows in fabric dye. etsy is updated, lots of new goodies, including -- i can't believe i haven't had any so far -- some bell sleeve tops. diary, i love bell sleeves. shh. don't tell.
