On TRAX today, a cute elderly couple came and sat in front of me. The lady asked her husband, “Do you want to sit here or frontwards?” then the man said, “That depends. Do you want to see where we’re going or where we’ve been?” They both laughed and simultaneously stood up and switched seats to see where they are going. As simple as it was, it touched me. I feel like everyday I am trying to figure out how to get to where I want to be in my career/life. Some days it seems impossible or far, far away and other days I believe it can happen right around the corner. In any case, as long as I am trying I will eventually get to where I am going.

And I hope to be part of a cute old couple one day. Maybe a creeper will take a picture of the back of our heads and blog about how cute we are.

Here’s to the future.

Tomorrow is my first day teaching, ever. Through the University of Utah’s Lifelong Learning program, I am putting on a 6 week workshop on toy cameras, focusing on Holgas. It will be taught every Tuesday from 6:30-8:30pm. I have a few seats left so if you’re in the area and can hold off watching the last 2 episodes of LOST to online the next day, it should be a lot of fun! My flickr account shows all of what I’ve done personally so far. The above photo is from 2 Saturdays ago at the Salt Lake Temple. This was my first experience at the temple and I could not believe how many brides and grooms were popping out the door every 5 minutes. There were people every where, so it was hard to get a shot with just these two and it was overwhelming. But I love how most of them turned out.

Teaching, although temporary, is currently my 5th job right now. I am still at Fluid Studio designing, I recently started at Signed & Numbered underneath the oh so talented Leia Bell (her partner Phil Sherburne is an excellent woods craftsman as well) working in their shop full of fantastic limited edition prints, building frames and soon working in the gallery which will be located at music venue, Kilby Court. I’ve been modeling for various artists and university classes and I didn’t want to say anything yet but I can’t contain it any longer: I blog for Boxcar Press as well. I get to interview letterpress artists and companies from all over and help create a resource center of all things letterpress on their website. How stinkin cool is that? Pretty stinky stinkin, if you ask me. I have been waiting to post my first interview, however Boxcar Press is super busy with the National Stationery Show currently going on. I am there in spirit. Sigh. But once their blog becomes more ritual, I’ll be sure to post here too.

I suddenly have become swamped and I love it.

Last Friday night was my first experience at the AIGA 100 Show Gala held at the Salt Lake City Public Library. I had a lot of fun looking at such great design work, the compliments on my Tea For Printmakers, talking to and getting to know more people in the design field and I couldn’t help but peek and see that people were actually bidding on the deer head I donated. In fact, the owner of Mandate Press walked away with it, putting $175 (retail value $200) towards supporting the AIGA Salt Lake Chapter and their hard work to bring the graphic design community together. I felt great that I could help keep AIGA going and I am stunned to know how much people are willing to spend on one of my pieces. It was the first one officially sold and I am officially encouraged to keep going.

I have some goals. I am reluctant to publicly say them but only doing so will motivate me to complete them. I want to keep making these animal heads – finish the editions from the wood blocks I already have and carve some new ones – and try selling them to boutiques around the city, online, and get into some local craft fairs by the end of the summer. Eek. I can’t believe I am saying this aloud. This may sound pretty easy, but I have no access to a large rolling press to print and having studio space in the city rather than in my parents garage 30 minutes north from me would be helpful too. There’s a lot to get my goals in order, but they are goals for a reason. I guess we’ll have to refer to this post at the end of summer and see how I did! Fingers crossed!

Last Sunday something great happened. I found and purchased a DeWalt 20″ Scroll Saw. I had been looking for one but couldn’t afford the retail price and didn’t really want to waste my money on a mediocre one. But as luck would have it, someone posted a used one online and they only lived a half hour away. Instantly I xacto’d out a deer head, pasted it onto 3/4″ birch plywood and got to cutting. It’s a HUGE improvement from using a jigsaw and once again I want to say thanks to Marilee Salvator whom I met in Philadelphia back in March and who shared more scroll saw advice via e-mail recently. It’s so nice when someone is willing to share their experience.

The scroll saw took me a lot longer to cut since the blade is so skinny, it could easily snap if I forced it. However, the spiral blade was just a dream to use. I could go in any direction which really helped on the antlers and little hair details. And rather than using schlack on the edges, I really love the natural raw look so after using a dremel tool around the edges, I sat back and admired what a scroll saw can do. And actually owning one just blows my mind for all kinds of possibilities. I have been graduated for a year now and access to equipment whether it be printmaking or power tools has been tough. I am very excited to at least continue my edition of these animal heads as well as adding more to the series. In fact, I have one planned out and ready to sketch onto wood!

Now, if only I owned a rolling press….

I am donating this piece to the AIGA 100 Show. The Gala and silent auction is tomorrow evening. It will be interesting to see people bidding on it. It actually kind of makes me nervous, but it’s a learning experience nonetheless. There are so many great things to bid on, including the new Adobe CS5. Makes me drool, but I doubt I can outbid the highest bidder.

As I was doing research for a poster I am currently working on for the Davis County Children’s Justice Center, I came across these very interesting street art/Stop Child Abuse Now campaign for the Australian Childhood Foundation:

(Found via Visual Therapy)

When the child-like mannequin is removed, it says, “Thank you for seeing me.”

Makes me wish my poster could be out on the street rather than in doctor’s offices.