pelbaby

Sorry I didn't update last week, things were pretty hectic.

Basically, my car kicked the bucket a little. And the problem that occurred literally happens only once or twice a year. Yeah, whoop de doo for me. But we were able to find a reasonably cheap solution for now…I'm thinking that it may just be time to let the old girl rest and update to a more recent used car. Commuting with only one car is a lot more tedious than one would think. But luckily we don't have that problem now.

Other than that, work and school's kept me busy as usual. I really dislike morning shifts because by the end of the day I'm so exhausted I can't do anything but sleep or just lie there…luckily I've been switched to mostly night shifts so I can get more chores done before work burns me out.

I've also picked up Borderlands 2 to play with my girlfriend….that game is seriously addicting and fun. I'm trying to limit my time on it so that I'm still productive. Games are really my downfall sometimes. : )

I'll be finishing up some art today and starting a new project…I need more groups to join, I still feel pretty unknown but there's only so much I can do.

Well that's all I've really got…ha ha I'm not very interesting to talk about.

~Pel

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This Week's Song: Lumineers- Ho Hey www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDd4qS…
This song's been stuck in my head for about a week now, it's just so charming and easygoing. It's one of those old sounding, charming songs you've sworn you've heard before but it's only because it's that good. The Lumineers are a very new band, but they're already going big places it seems. I can't wait to hear what else they have in store.
This Week's Website: PSDisasters -www.psdisasters.com/
What happens when Photoshopped is abused a little too much. It's a funny little site but it also great examples on what not to do, and reminds us of areas we should check before submitting images.
This Week's Art Piece: Kris Kuksi kuksi.com/
This guy used to be on DA, but he disappeared and I spent a long time looking for him again. Finally I was able to find his website, and for good reason; the sculptures he does are mind boggling and nothing short of genius and beauty.

So much going on in my life right now; trying to work on two school projects at once is taking a lot of my time up, but it can't be helped I suppose. Woe is the life of one who goes to school and works as  well.

I think soon I'm going to start doing small freelance gigs on craigslist…I simply don't have the time and dedication right now but if I can get a bit more experience even on a small-scale, I think I can get a bit more experience on the matter and be more prepared while I still have the security of my job.

I still need to balance my time a bit more…it's a lot better than before but there's still only the vicious circle of work, homework, house chores, then simply goofing around. I need to carve more time out for my career and personal art, it;s so hard though! I should look up some time management tips I think…

As far as personal life goes, I've started watching Britain's Got Talent…I love watching the talent on there, as well as the strange and bad moments too, very entertaining…I wish there were British channels on our television, I've got a fondness for British shows and humor.

I will finish my art project I had this week as well! I've got a few days with lots of free time, and I will dedicate some time to my art as well as my typical homework rounds. I also gotta spend more time findings friends and groups ha ha, my profile is still quite inactive….thanks anyways! I'll see you next week.

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This Week's Song: John Lennon - Imagine www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwUGSY…
As much as I want to try and do obscure songs that people might not know about, I just have to mention this one seeing as it's been on my mind for a while. I really don't have to say anything, I mean it's John Lennon we're talking about, but I will say that with everything going on in the world today and the bad economy in America, we could all enjoy this iconic and idealistic song.  
This Week's Website: You The Designer -www.youthedesigner.com/
This is a great site on a broad topic of graphic design articles, from tutorials to inspirational art pieces from all levels of artists, plus news articles and sources of information. The design of the site is very clean and beautiful as well.
This Week's Art Piece: Francesco Lo Castro www.thecoolhunter.net/article/…
Never have shapes and lines been so beautiful and inspiring to me. There are a lot of vibrant and fun colors shown and there is something very elegant and almost futuristic in the design. I've never been one for geometric art but something about this is very handsome indeed.

Well it's 30 minutes till Monday, but close enough.

Well another long week filled with school and work fun…staying busy takes so much out of a person though! I've got an 11 hour shift to look forward to next Monday so I may postpone the next journal or update early again.

Seeing as this is my first job and it's for a sandwich shop, I'm going to try to get 6 months under my belt before I try to find a more reasonable place for me to settle in.  I've thought about working at a print shop, or interning as a graphic designer (provided it's paid). I am really not sure…but I do know that while I'm still being supported I need to secure myself a job I'll be satisfied to move out of the house with. It's hard to plan for though, with so many things going on and worrying about where the last few classes of my degree would fit in…

I think the next art piece I'm going to do will be a bit happier…working on bodies and demons for nearly a month is somewhat exhausting. I already have a fun little idea in mind and that one should be up a lot sooner. I need to spend some more time joining groups and getting more watchers though, I feel like I'm talking to myself!

On a lighter note, I didn't think anything could be as fun to work out with as Dance Dance Revolution but Just Dance takes the cake for me..I really love it! If only my legs weren't sore at the end of the work day or I'd do it more often. I'm excited for the next one to come out! Hopefully soon…

Well that's all I've really got for this week…tomorrow I have to order some paper samples for my project…I've got to fit a lot of project finishing with my work schedule this weekend, it's sure going to be hectic. See you all next week!
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This Week's Song: The Very Best: Warm Heart of Africa - www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkIcYz…
I'm not often in to 'other wordly' music, but there's something so charming about this piece from the FIFA 2010 Soundtrack. It's hard to not feel a little bit happy no matter what sort of mood you're in…it's simple, but incredibly fun to listen to.

This Week's Website: Clients From Hell - clientsfromhell.net/
Reading about human silliness is just about the one popular thing everyone does on the internet nowadays…but now it comes in designer format! Take a look at some of the things you can expect from the worst clients.

This Week's Art Piece: Paper Scultpures www.graphicdesignblog.org/bird…
Ahh, all the wonderful uses of paper…I appreciate the art of origami but these sculptures breathe a gentler design to the idea of making animals out of paper. I simply adore how soft the feathers on the birds look; of course, the other animals are quite handsome too!

So I'm going to try and update a little something in my journals every Monday, since I usually don't have work or school and I finally get some downtime to do some personal chores around the house. So I think I'll take these times to talk about current events in my life, plus feature some other things about art and design and some inspiring pieces I find.

I'm still trying to find a balance between work and my art. It's very hard because by the end of the work day I just have no energy to do anything. I can't even sit on the couch anymore without falling asleep, it's terrible. But it is what it is, and I do my best to keep myself from falling on the bad habit of not doing anything productive in my free time.

But some good news; my manager wanted me to design a little something for her workplace. She's technically my 'first' real world client, so it's really exciting! It's not a huge project but it gets me experience. Never underestimate the benefits of getting small jobs from co-workers or associates; you never know who they might pass the word along to.

As far as personal life goes, not much. I'm terrible with personal schedules but I've come up with a system so far that's kept me on track for the most part. I've got a design project for my class that involves creating logos and paper systems for a made-up company. I'm really happy to have free range on my projects to let my imagination play but I have a feeling I'm going to be sorely let down once I get hired somewhere. Though the thought of freelancing has played in my mind a lot...there are a lot of pros and cons to think about, but at 21 waiting a bit longer for those sorts of decisions won't make or break me.

I think that's all I've got for now...once this major art piece is finally done I should be updating a bit more. Thanks for all your patience! And please comment about anything you want to talk about, even if it's just a hello. See you next week!
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This Week's Song: Blur: Under the Westway - www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5DlAZ…
Great band, what can I say? With such a unique vocal performance by Damon Albarn, who some of you might know from Gorillaz and a soothing performance, it's hard not to love the beauty of this song. Very easy to mellow out and appreciate how hard it is to make good music with this piece.

This Week's Website: The Design Cubicle - www.thedesigncubicle.com/
For designers of all shapes or sizes, I've been trying to get in to some design blogs and found this great site about all sorts of good information to know about on a broad range of subjects. Go check it out, you might learn a thing or two!

This Week's Art Piece: hatboy.tumblr.com/tagged/Pokem…
Pokemon was the thing for me as a kid. And I love Tim Burton movies. To see both of them combined? Now that is just all sorts of wicked fun and amazing talent! If someone made a fan-game with these Burton-mon, I think I'd HAVE to play it.

Well, you could say I'm a veteran and new at the same time. I've had a very long hiatus from DA besides following a few people. I never posted or commented, because I was still sorting things out about myself and I have been going through some serious artist's block. But recently my life's started becoming more productive and inspiring, and so I'm finally jump starting things again.

I'm ready to become part of this wonderful community full time again. It feels great to be back!