The Gypsy on Adventure

Quotes of the Day

"As you sail through life, don't avoid rough waters, sail on because calm waters won't make a skillful sailor."
Unknown

"If there is no wind, row."
Latin Proverb

Ok so JUST how skillful a sailor AM I going to be????  This month has just sucked! Every time I turn around I am grieving!  Now I am grieving the class with Traci...where I USED to have fun! Gah!  I need some joy people! Remember what joy was? Boy those were sweet days!

What is it with this Month!?

I am S O   S A D   A N D   D I S A P P O I N T E D !

I think I went into denial when on Thanksgiving I had a voice mail saying that Traci was not coming back to finish teaching our class...I wrote Traci and have not heard from her. I am SO  not happy! Tonight some weird woman took over the class...AND for a REALLY long time showed us books about artists collages! WTF?

Why was I standing there talking about some artists work? Then it was all about we were supposed to STRUCTURE our collage like a room...one with a window, one with a door, one with elements of people...again WHAT THE FUCK!????  AND WORK FAST! What? I don't even LIKE what you are doing and I have to work fast!??? Then She kicks us out .... WTF? The bums rush? I was waiting to see the people in the NEXT class...apparently THEY have a new teacher too!

I took the class for FUSION PAPER AND COLLAGE! What the hell is she teaching! It is stiff it is PAINFUL it is not what I paid for! IT IS RIGID!

Traci was freeing! Avant Guard. She was FUN...tonight was NOT fun!  GAH! I got out of class went to the desk and told them I AM NOT HAPPY and I want my money back! They gave me a phone number and I have left a message! I am NOT HAPPY!

Quotes!

"Friends are needed both for joy and for sorrow."
Samuel Paterson

"A good laugh makes us better friends with ourselves and everybody around us."
Orison Marden

How perfect were these with the previous entry! Giggle*snort*laugh

A good Laugh!

I sent out an email to my art ladies that come to my house and the different responses have been a good laugh! The one at the bottom made me spit my coke out and almost came out my nose!!!! I laughed so hard! I have SO felt that way when I have seen others work! I thought, good for you to get it out! LOL You have to read these!

From Lucy: YOU ARE MY MERMAID. I don’t know what I mean, except that was the first thing out of my mouth when I saw your fat book page. I loved it so, so much. I need to learn about your Photo shop… or whatever you call it. You are doing amazing work

From June:

Wow.. It’s (you’re) gorgeous!! A treasure to behold!! I am so impressed.

Giggle are you ready for this? from Linda R:

I HATE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BITCH!!!!!!!!! It is the ugliest thing I have ever seen and I am so FUCKING jealous I can't stand it!!! I am just coming out from five days of the roughest flu I have ever experienced!!!!!!!!!!! And what do I find ~ ~ ~ your UNBELIEVABLY, AMAZINGLY GORGEOUS artwork ~ ~ ~ I want to barf all over again (well ~ ~ maybe not really when I think about it). You set the bar too high for me, which, in a way, makes it easier for me because I have been like you when you started this stuff, frozen with fear that it won't be good enough. I now know that I can't compete with that kind of talent, SO ~ ~ ~ as I am thinking about all this, I am realizing it has set me free to do whatever I want and just make myself happy. I am not sure if this is making any sense, as I am thinking as I write, but I hope you get the gist of it. Thank you for sharing your 4 X 4 and by doing so, helping me do mine!!!!!!!!! I have been so down, and you know about down, and feeling like throwing everything in and calling it quits. I had planned this past four days for doing our round robin and creating my 4 X 4 page but this flu fucked up EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!! I am going to not worry and get it done after next weekend. I feel sooo much better Gypsy~~~~~~~~~~ THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! (but I still hate you!!! :) :) :) ) Lots of love and hugs, Linda R

Quotes of the Day

The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt

A person who aims at nothing is sure to hit it.
Anonymous

Cyber Monday & Zines

I talked to Taylor after I read his newletter and asked him permission to post it, I found it thought provoking AND since I love zines I wanted to post it for you to read! I try to buy from artists and the "little" guys every chance I get...So here it is...

Happy Cyber Monday!  Whatever the hell that means.  Interestingly enough, I haven’t heard the word “cyber” used in any definition, reference, description, or even joke for at least five years, and yet suddenly today the newspapers, television, radio, and internet won’t shut up it being (duh) Cyber Monday.  I was hoping to hear that today was going to be the Monday where we were all finally allowed to wear giant wizard hats covered in 1’s and 0’s and behave as if we actually resided in the internet and that its mysterious and ever-expanding ether could be celebrated as a real place rather than the nothingness to which we’re sent at death. 

But, actually, Cyber Monday is just the computerized version of Black Friday.  Today, internet sales activity was expected to go nuts on account of everyone being back at their desks clicking away with credit cards arranging for useless crap to be delivered to their homes in time for Giftmas.  If I sound bitter, I may be.  I haven’t yet decided.  As a small-fry zine publisher and distributor, I’m responsible daily for convincing people – out of the goodness in their hearts – to invest money in something unique and creative.  Plenty of people are receptive, but as I struggle ever-slowly toward sustainability and artistic validation, I can’t help but wretch in disgust at the other things my friends, neighbors, co-workers, fellow humans do support: crap, ugly crap, dumb stuff, and cars.  And since the month of consumption is upon us, I’m only more disturbed by the direction in which everyone’s money will flood rather than flow.  Plus, I was really hoping that Cyber Monday was invented with people like me in mind – Parcell Press is an internet business, after all, just as useful and legitimate as the rest.  Unfortunately, though, today there were no drinks for the little guy; amazon.com, target.com, and walmart.com took the traffic.  What Cyber Monday?

I’m a guilty business owner.  An anti-capitalist competing for support, attention, success in a world of Cyber Mondays and Black Fridays.  I’m not sure whether there’s any reconciliation in my future as Parcell Press, if I’ll ever advertise with ease, market myself without feeling big-headed, be confident without being cocky.  I hate to be advertised to, to be manipulated by marketing practices, and so I avoid putting them to use hoping that my friends and customers will appreciate my honesty. 

So, it is with great honesty and modesty that I advertise, this holiday season, a Parcell Press Winter Kickoff Sale.  From now through December 17th, I’m offering completely free shipping on all US orders of $15 or higher.  International orders may contact me before ordering for their own sale details.  And finally, I’d like to kindly draw your attention to the availability of Parcell Press Gift Certificates.  Various amounts are available on the website, but any amount is available by contacting me.

Thanks very much for your continued support and interest in zines and independent publishing.  Please consider giving the gift of zines this year.

Happy Consumption Month,  Taylor
www.parcellpress.com
cultor-sore zine

Embellished and ready!

Ah today I went and found the embellishments I needed to finish the page. Funky water/seaweed yarn and some shiny stickers in deep blue!  Not a whole lot of embellishment, but I like the way it turned out!  I tried to put star eyelet into the page but for some reason my tool would not work and it just ended up squishing it! So no star like a starfish for the page...but that is ok.

DONE...ALL 55 pages ready to go!(AND only 1 page is a little poopy on the bottom, not bad!) Put in the mail and forget about it till February when we receive our books at Art & Soul Retreat by the sea!

Prank or Miracle?

Parishioners first noticed the tear falling from the eye last Wednesday. By Sunday morning, it had turned dark red. (source)

The Catholic faithful are calling it a miracle. So they're bringing their cameras, their rosaries, their children and grandchildren to an otherwise quiet church on the outskirts of town. "To me, personally, it is a miracle. You believe it or don't believe it, that's okay. But I strongly believe it", says Sacramento resident Andre Nguyen. "I think that at this time in history, in terms of what's happening in the United States, what's happening in the church, that this is possibly a sign", says Sacramento Resident Brenda Harris. Parishioner's first noticed the tears of blood on Wednesday. But fearing they were put there by pranksters, a priest here wiped the statue clean, only to have those tears return over the weekend. (source)

This would be interesting to do a piece of art about...how does this story make you feel?  Just how relevant would a statue really bleeding mean? It is a statue...not a person...hum...lots of altered work could be done there! (pun intended!) What is it about the state of a human being that would make you flock to a statue to see it bleed? Do you think it is a prank or do you think it could be a miracle. And if it is a miracle, why would it come in the form of a bleeding statue? Don't you believe miracles are more substancial than that?

Crab!!!!!

Ah I just heard on the news that the Crab fishers are out tomorrow and will be shipping on Monday! Whoot! Now I can go have a crab dinner! I wouldn't while they shipped them from Washington! Nothing against them...I just believe in our local talent!

Done!

Ah...I watched the rest of my 3rd season of Charmed while I cut out the Fat pages and then I put on Gypsy with Bette Midler! And finished the pages by folding...Now all I have to do is figure out the flat embellishments!

At least I did finish one thing this week!