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Five for Friday Pt. 27
1 Oct1) Dance: I wish elections were as fun as this dance. After this number I decided I wanted Lauren to win, and she did! At the 1:00 min mark check out how far she goes back and how quickly she snaps back up. That my friends is crazy. Sometimes you can see dancers fatiguing in a difficult routine but not this girl. She backflips up a few times and then comes at Twitch like it aint no thang.
2) Music: Speaking of Kanye, I love this video of him rapping for the facebook staff. I follow him on Twitter and he provides a never-ending stream of cuckoo for cocoa puffs crazy artists bon mots like “Sometimes I get emotional looking at fonts”. Love it.
“If you fall on your butt, that ass-phalt!”
3) Design: The on-line shelter mag renaissance is very encouraging. I love how the web is democratizing design! Ck out the newest contender here.
4) Stuff: Yikes, I just found out there is a whole series of books called Listography. You use them to make lists. Obviously I am in love. Ck them out here.
5) Inspiration: Last but not least. Let us aspire to be generous and kind, especially when it is hard.
Tags: Dance, Design, Inspiration, Lists are Fun, Music
The Creatives-Jennifer Hill
29 SepI’m really excited to bring you some inspiration from graphic designer Jennifer Hill. Lots of us dreamed of becoming artists when we were young but Jen grew up and made her dream a reality! In each of her prints she describes a city she’d like to visit! I love her bold graphics and clean design and personally have my eye on a Beijing print! More than the beauty of design though I love her story of changing difficulties, her father’s illness and places she hasn’t been into something beautiful.
Photo courtesy J Hill Design
1) Your print series “Places I’ve never been” inspired a blog series that I do called “Imaginary Vacations” As a Mom of a toddler, there aren’t big vacations in my immediate future so I enjoy taking virtual ones. What inspired your “Places I have never been series?” Are you a big traveler?
Well about 4 years ago I was driving at night to NH and listening to Modest Mouse, they have a line in a song that says “we named our children after towns that we’d never been to”. I thought that was so interesting and started day dreaming about places and how I could draw them.
Funny thing is that I am a big traveller. Last year I got to visit and work in some amazing places like Haiti, Morocco, Costa Rica, Spain and Michigan.
Bangkok Print
2) Have you been able to travel to any of the cities in your “Places I have never been” series? Is there one that you are absolutely dying to go to?
I have gotten to a few: Chicago, Marrakech, Portland, Wellfleet. Right now I’m dying to go to Cape Town, Amsterdam and Savannah. Though I’m 5 months pregnant so I think I’m staying on the ground for a bit.
Beijing print. Even though she's never been I have and I think the print captures it well!
3) What is your creative process like to make a pattern? Do you research the place and choose specific inspirations or do you let yourself imagine what the destination will be like?
Usually I read, see or hear something about a place that sparks interest and then I research it. I always pick things from a place, but try to let myself imagine it, and if i’m wrong then i’m wrong! If i’m inspired I start making collages of pattern and color ideas. Then I do sketches and move on to the computer to do the final illustration.
4) I love to hear about the career paths of people who do cool stuff. Designing awesome travel art definitely counts. How did you end up working as a full-time artist?
I worked for the beauty company, Fresh, for 2 years once I graudated from MassArt in Boston. I did packaging there. I had to leave to help take care of my dad who had early-onset Alzheimer’s. I started freelance designing so I could work from NH and Boston. Then the company just grew and I started to make the transition from websites / marketing work to my art. Right now we still do websites and logos, it makes up about 30% of my work.
5) What advice do you have for aspiring artists?
Start while you have a day job. Don’t concern yourself with what others are doing, stay on your own path. Sometimes you have to take jobs you are less than thrilled about so you can do things that you ARE thrilled about and it’s ok – the worry about selling out is a lame one, everyone has to make money to eat.
6) For you personally what does personal and professional success look like?
Hmmmm. Personal success would be me and my family going on adventures and spending loads of time together. Professional success would be getting paid to draw.
Alphabet Print series courtesy of J Hill Design
7) Many creative people express themselves in various outlets. I like blogging and dance. What other creative outlets do you enjoy? How do you find design and other creative outlets to be similar or different?
I read a lot and cooking and eating is a big one (i’m a “foodie”). The amount of eating has been the fun part of my pregnancy!
8) I saw that you have a regularly updated blog! Blogging is the medium that encouraged me to be a more creative person. What draws you to blogging?
I like to share things, cool things, stories ect…. with people. Especially the inspiration behind the print, and all the cool things I learn while doing the research. Our blog is going through a revamp so stay tuned!
9) Who are you inspirations as an artist (art or non/art)?
Mostly fashion / design / illustration. Marc Jacobs, Charlie Harper, Hanna Werning, Sabra Field, mary engelbreit (she was my idol growing up), Alexander McQueen. I love watching “process” reality shows and videos like Marc Jacobs’s documentary about Louis Vuitton and The Rachel Zoe Project. I become totally addicted to seeing how other designers and artists work.
10) What drives you as an artist?
I think it is just an innate desire to make things and to tell stories.
11) Please finish the following sentence. “When I finish a design I feel….”
relived and excited!
Thanks for stopping taking the time to share your story with us Jen. To ck out more of Jen’s work visit her website J Hill Design.
Tags: J Hill Design
You Piss me Off and Give Me Hope
28 SepMy little one is so cute, right? I know you all agree because you leave me comments to that effect all the time. (BTW-I appreciate them!) In addition to being cute he is also loud, stubborn and prone to never-ending temper tantrums. I can’t say I love this aspect of his current personality/devlopment stage/violent self-expression. It is very challenging for me because I am a control-freak.
Also it’s challenging because he is a terrible twos role model.
He is so adept at being difficult that he has the ability to drive So-Patient-He-Should-Be-Cannonized-Arnold to the edge. I mean it’s awesome to come home to a little one who ends up throwing a banana peel at you because you didn’t take it to the garbage quickly enough. Right? Right? And who isn’t happy to have someone throw a duplo car at their face because the pool pump broke and we can’t go swimming today?
I know, this is a duh. Toddlers are difficult. Everyone knows that.
At his 2 year old physical our doctor sent us home with a flyer about toddlers it started like this “Some parents find this stage difficult.”
I was like “Yeah, no shiz Sherlock”
So yeah, it’s an old story. Toddlers are difficult. Parents don’t like tantrums… except that sometimes I do.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t EVER enjoy dealing with the tantrums. We endeavor endlessly to teach him how to express himself in polite, reasonable ways. The sheer amount of energy this takes is alarming. Every night Arnold and collapse like zombies after navigating the danger zone of 5-7 pm.
Secretly though, when he’s in bed and I’ve recovered from the day I feel a sort of demented pride. I don’t like the throwing, the hitting or the endless screaming but I do like the idea that even at 2 he’s trying to stand up for himself. I hope that when he’s an adult he won’t be like me, always fighting against the urge to constantly please others. I hope that when he is my age and someone treats him badly he’ll politely remember why God gave him a middle finger and get himself out of bad situations. I hope that he’ll always know that his opinons and needs are just as valid as other peoples.
So yeah, he pisses me off and makes me proud.
But don’t remind me about this post if you see me struggling to discpline him one day. Cause then I’d be forced to follow my son’s example and throw a banana at your face!
Five for Friday Pt. 26
24 Sep1) Dance: In order to prove that I’m not totally impartial when it comes to Hip-Hop I offer you up a beautiful contemporary number with Alex Wong and Allison Holker.
2) Design: A new print Design Magazine is launching and of the co-editors is a Bay-Area blogger that I follow. I miss Domino and Blueprint so much and I could not be happier! Ck it out here.
3) TV: Fall TV is starting. YIPPEE! For a person without cable I watch an alarming amount of TV and I love it. So far out of the new shows I really liked Nikita. The Notorious Family loves badass chicks. What are you all loving?
4) More Dance: I love dance so much. This is so far off the hook I can’t even handle it.
5) Movies: I adore Sofia Coppola. She just knows how the best way to visually invoke a mood. So I’ll probably have to see this.
There is nothing I can’t do
23 SepI woke up yesterday pretty psyched about debuting the Creatives series. I got out of bed all I CAN DO ALL THE THINGS!
I can get my child dressed and out the door without a tantrum! I can sing Wheels on the Bus on the way to school! I am a compotent adult and I do it all!
It started out really, really well.
We rocked Wednesday morning in every way. My little Jay-Z and I rapped and beat-boxed our way to pre-school. “Ma-ma es bue-na me lle-va a la es-cue-la!” Bum-ba-bu-chika. Put ya hands in the air! And when we got to school instead of screaming angrily he was like “Ciao Mama”.
Oh yeaaaaah, me and Ice Cube, we had to say it was a good day.
But for all actions there is an equal an opposite reaction.
Ssomehow after that it all started to fall apart.
1) I was late to my Dr.’s appt. Really late.
2) And then of course there was an incident at Kaiser, cause really isn’t there always? And I might have cried a little.
3) And then I was like “No, no, no turn it around!” I have 15 minutes before I’m due at work, I’ll check on my blog. Today is Triumphant Wednesday!
4) And then I realized I had crashed it by tinkering around with coding and other stuff I don’t understand.
5) And then I started freaking out and messing around with more stuff.
6) And then I called my friend Emily and said “I LOST THE BLOG! I LOST THE BLOG!”
7) And she was like “Whuh?” Aren’t you supposed to be at work?
8) And I was like “Yeah, work. Right. Focus. Work. Am adult who works.”
9) And then my car battery died.
10) And then I sat down on the curb and thought “Well it was nice while it lasted.”
But for all disasters there is an equal an opposite recovery.
When I got to the office there were cookies on the “Free Food Table”
And I really do love cookies… so I ate three.
The end.
Tags: Natural Disaster
The Creatives-Jaimie Goodwin
22 SepI’m so excited today that I can barely contain myself. Our first guest for The Creatives series is Jaimie Goodwin. Jaimie is a brilliant dancer who was on Season Three of So You Think You Can Dance. She specializes in contemporary and danced in the The Emmy-winning “Hummingbird” Dance which my crew and I have re-watched many, many times.
Jaimie gave me an interview as lovely and gracious as her dancing and I’m so pleased to have her here sharing her thoughts.
Photo courtesy of Fox TV
1) You were on Season Three of So You Think You Can Dance. What was your favorite part about being on the show?
My favorite part about being on the show was learning about the tv aspect of the industry. Being on film is completely different than theater work, and the show gave me the opportunity to learn all about that. And to be honest it was some of the most important/useful stuff I’ve learned so far.
2) Being on National TV is intense! What impact did that experience have on you as a person? As a dancer?
The experience definitely matured me a lot, it puts you out there for national scrutinization and throws all this extra pressure on you which really opened my eyes and prepared me for things I’ve encountered since then… Not only in dance with auditions and marketing yourself. But it also showed me how I appear to others which has helped me to change things I didn’t like and enhance things I do like about myself. It was interesting to see myself in a new light.
3) You were in “The Hummingbird” which became a signature piece from the show. My friends and I still re-watch it a lot! While you were learning the routine did you feel that it would end up being so impactful or were you surprised?
First of all thanks! I really loved that piece the most out of everything I was given. You know, I definitely had no idea how huge the response would be for that piece. I knew when I got jazz with Wade (coregrapher Wade Robson) that it would be a good number because Wade never lets you down, but when I was rehearsing that piece it never crossed my mind that it would be as big as it was for Hok (partner Hok Konitushi) and I! I was so grateful that it was though!
4) What has been your favorite dance on the show (from any season)?
My favorite dance on the show… Hhmmm one would definitely be Mia’s (coregrapher Mia Michaels) addiction piece. And Travis’ (coregrapher Travis Wall) piece about his mother, Fix You, is my ultimate favorite.
Note from MLE: Addiction is one of my favorite dances too. So beautiful! Travis Wall is an amazing coregrapher.
5) Have you ever seen a routine and thought? ”Wow, I really wish I got to dance that! The choreography is awesome!”
Yep! Basically every piece Travis choreographs I feel that way about.
6) How much time did you really get to learn each routine? Although the routines are short, the difficulty level is really high!
Very true, even though they’re short it still was a tight time frame to learn it in, we only had about 5 hours total to learn the routines!
7) You are working as a professional dancer. What to you is the ideal dance career or definition of professional success?
Tough question because I love so many different aspects of dance at I just try and squeeze in every opportunity that comes my way. Since the show I’ve filmed movies, gone on a few tours with a theatrical show through Europe, performed on the Oscars, Dancing with the Stars, joined Tessandra Chavez’s company UnityLA and have been touring with conventions and teaching nationally and internationally… Someday I’d like to join a full time contemporary company. But not until I’m a little older. Until then, I’m loving what I’m doing.
8) Many creative people express themselves in various outlets. (I think I read somewhere that you also enjoyed writing.) How do you find dance and other creative outlets to be similar or different?
I find that the most important part of having a creative outlet is that it becomes a way to express yourself. Like therapy, it keeps you emotionally healthy and you can find that in whatever your passion is. The difference to me is that it’s interesting to feel the different ways each one helps you. For me, dance helps me to release a lot of emotion. It makes me feel free. Writing helps me to feel organized and clears my mind…. They seem to affect/exercise different parts of me.
9) A lot of dancing involves partnership: in your opinion what makes for a great partner?
A great partner knows how to protect their partner. They know how to work with counterbalance (which is great to prevent being dropped haha) and they are really aware of their body and their partners body…. Travis and I were and still continue to be partners. He knows my body so well that he actually remembers where I hold my center of balance. I let him pick me up and toss me around in order to create new stuff and I’m never worried that I’m gonna get hurt. It’s about being comfortable :)
10) Who are your inspirations as an artist (dance or non/dance)?
Travis definitely inspires me in dance and outside… My mom is my biggest inspiration of all time and my “second” mom Denise wall is a close second.
10) Please finish the following sentence. ”When I dance I feel….”
Like I hold the whole world In the palm of my hand.
Isn’t she lovely everybody? Thanks so much Jaimie for kicking off our series!
Please check out Jaimie’s beautiful dancing in the Emmy award-winning Hummingbird piece below!
Tags: Dance, Jaimie Goodwin, SYTYCD
