Wondering What The Moon's Up To Next Year? This Lunar Calendar I Designed For Tiny Showcase Has Got You

remember that lil project i mentioned? well, here it is;, a project in which i illustrate my instagram feed, then post the drawings on instagram.

this post is slightly different for me, as i've deviated from writing about things that aren't work-related over the last couple of years. however, the image above is related to what follows, so there's a connection to my usual blogging.

christmas 2011 was simultaneously my best & worst christmas (in fact, i think christmas 2012 has trumped it as best as nothing bad happened). alongside all the good stuff on the day, my left ear randomly started ringing later in the evening & it continued to do so as i lay in bed that night. dealing with the unknown when the unknown is something i can't control is quite the catalyst for my becoming an anxious wreck, so when i woke up on boxing day & the sound in my ear was still there, i began my decent into a week or so of fretting, not eating & basically solely looking forward to going to sleep, which was the only time i didn't have to listen to the constant noise.

i could go on about the situation (the doctor's predictively dismissive tone; on how i found comfort in sounds that aren't usually enjoyable, such as the washing machine, the extractor fan in the bathroom and the humming of my computer at work), but after a while i realised that the best way to deal with the noise was to keep busy & listen to lots of music & podcasts. i'm not sure whether i simply got used to it or if the ringing did actually get quieter, but for the greater part of the year i thankfully didn't really notice my tinnitus. in fact, it was mostly only audible when i was stressed out about something unrelated, & it usually quietened down again once i'd chilled out. i feel like i've been pretty lucky with the whole thing.

so why has it come to the forefront of my thoughts again? well, the last couple of days have seen the sound of the ringing being dialled up & the noise is also now available in surround-sound - joy! alongside the original ringing in my left ear, my right ear is now emitting a variation between two tones that are less likeable than the original (& i didn't even like the old ringing to begin with). however, the increased ringing has coincided with (what i think is) mild tonsillitis that i've had since mid-last-week, & i'm hopeful that the sounds will fade along with my other symptoms.

anyway, since the start of last year i've wanted to illustrate my tinnitus somehow, but i've not been sure of how to approach it without just doing a drawing of me feeling sorry for myself. then, earlier today, i listened to the latest episode of this american life, entitled mapping, that had a story about mapping ambient sounds (the kind of sounds that i originally found some solace in when my ear started ringing). you can listen to the segment here.

throughout the piece, a keyboard is used to demonstrate the notes that are emitted from objects. & i realised that the noise in my head sounds a bit like a little keyboard, constantly playing the same note. & so, the above image formed.

the concept of the story - that sounds can affect the mood of a person - is a little disturbing to someone who has no control over the noise they're subjected to. however, i'm focussing on enjoying the piece as an interesting story, rather than something to worry about. plus, i got a drawing out of it, so it's not all bad.

brand new

fresh start! hello, it seems you've found your way over to my new blog. along with a new website layout, i thought i'd try another platform for outpourings. if you wouldn't mind updating your google reader & feeds, that'd be much appreciated.

for any nostalgia trips (just me?), you can see all posts from 2007 to 2011 here.

last posting dates

oh man, i can't quite believe how close we are to the end of the year already. i feel reasonably organised (so far...) regarding the festive season for a change, so figured i'd help you, dear reader, feel the same (maybe) by letting you know the last posting dates for my shop:

tue 4 december: anywhere not listed below mon 10 december: canada, eastern europe & usa tue 11 december: western europe mon 17 december: uk

you'll need to order by 4pm GMT on these days to ensure i can hit the post office before it closes. if you order before these dates & need things posted out asap then just let me know & i'll do what i can. okay? okay. GO.

shop - reopened!

after a small (but much longer than planned) hiatus, i've reopened my shop. i originally closed it as i had a busy couple of months coming up, & had hoped to reopen with lots of new work to sell. life hasn't stopped being busy though, so i've had to make do with just one new print, but  i'm going to be giving away one of my pushpin bookmarks with the next few orders. 

i've missed my little shop. i had a dream about it the other night, which was a little kick up the rear to get it in shape again. that said, i may have a small shop hiatus at some point in the near future, but more about that another time.

sister

everything i've been working on for the past few months has been in black & white, so i thought i'd add just a little colour to one of my sleeping on the sleeper images.

(thank you to anyone who purchased some! if you have no idea what i'm talking about, head here.)

i'm pretty pleased to now have this print in my shop. i created this image last autumn (the message "hang out with some plants" can be found on the prints that will be given out by the project) for advice to sink in slowly, & i've been planning to create a poster of it as a way of offering a piece of larger art for a small cost ever since. finally, it's on sale, costing £5/$7.50. if you've been looking to fill up some space on your walls with a lady wandering through some plants, then today's your lucky day.

as i mentioned earlier in the year, i'd been going to a ceramics class & i LOVE it. i just finished a second block, & can't wait to start a new one in a couple of weeks. ceramics can be a precarious process - will it look like i thought it would? will the glaze run? will it explode in the kiln? i've been pretty lucky so far. grateful for things going according to plan.

i've been doing a ceramics class since the start of the year & it is so good. as someone who has always found working on things that aren't two dimensional quite daunting, i've wanted to try ceramics for a little while; being able to add & remove clay at will is a reassuring process. i've found that i sometimes spend less time on individual pieces when it comes to drawing - partially due to practice & intention, but at times as a result of impatience. i wanted to approach working with clay with more willingness to deliberate over what i'm doing, to not rushing things & to embrace spending time on a piece (as well as embracing mistakes - i consciously do this with drawing, & things that have obviously been made by hand are the best). perhaps i'll even transfer this process back to illustration. anyway, for now, here are a few pieces made with some techniques i've learned. it's been fun to focus on the methods & on learning something, as well as making tangible objects (& a mess at times). i'm excited to see what comes next.