My life has been going through a process of unraveling. I won't go into the gory details, but I am currently trying to find a new home, a new car, a new job, and even a new restructuring of my family.

I know a lot of other people are likewise plunged into the muck and murk of challenges they couldn't have perceived a week ago, let alone a year ago. All around me, I keep hearing people saying the same thing:

"I can't wait for this year to be over."

I understand this wanting to look forward to a better year ahead.* It's as though on the sun will rise on New Year's Day and the sky will burst into yellows, oranges, reds, pinks, and purples so bright and beautiful that the worries of the year before could not possibly cross over.

I find myself saying the same thing, waiting for a future that will be better than the one I'm living. I forget sometimes that the sun rises everyday. Every morning offers opportunity to change, to live, to be.

There is no future day in which things are all going to be better. You can't hop on a train to a better life. Life is the journey. There is nothing to wait for. There is only right now. This moment.

This moment is where Joy lives.



I through this picture together at the last minute this morning. It was made by tearing strips of paper, painting them individually with watercolor, and then assembling and pasting them together.

*Just a reminder. The new year for the lunar calendar does not actually begin until February. So those looking to the new year may have to wait a little longer.

[This is my week 6 post for therealljidol .]

My friend has posted new entries over at 20 Dollar Robot.com. More specifically, there is a post about using cereal boxes to make awesome robot costumes for kids, and how to make a robot out of cake.

He's still looking for creative posts of this sort. Basically make a robot out of just about anything (as long as it costs less than $20) and write up a post to send to him. He would love to see what you come up with.

My robot painting (and steps) is up over at www.20dollarrobot.com.

This is my friend's site, and he's looking for more people to submit. All you have to do is make a robot: a painting, a sculpture, a costume, a video, anything really (probably even short stories or poetry). The only rule is that whatever you make has to cost less than $20 to make.

I'm already thinking about what else I could put together and send.

My friend created a blog/webpage for an ongoing creative project called the 20 Dollar Robot. The challenge to the universe is to make a robot, a sculpture, a painting, a costume, a hyper intelligent man-servant, bu whatever you create, it must cost no more than $20 to make. The site will post photos, receipts, stories, tips, tricks, videos, and any other documentation that is provided.

I'm already trying to plan out some ideas for what I might do for this site. Don't know what that is yet, but I'm working on it.

Anyway, I also wanted to invite anyone else in the universe out there to participate as well. Go at it, have fun, make robots.

I haven't done one of these in a long time. Here's my illustration for the theme "Poof!" You have to press replay and watch the entire drawing process before you can see the art I guess.



To see more more drawings based on this theme go to IllustrationFriday.com.

You can see more incredible 3-D chalk art by Julian Beever here.

I love it when people do stuff like this.

* * * *

I joined a critique group over the weekend. It's a small group, four or five people, depending on who shows up. I submitted a really rough short story I had been working on for critique.

I really appreciated the feedback. I could tell that they knew what they were talking about, and they told me what was wrong without being mean. I came home that night jazzed about my writing, even though I would have to completely rework my story. But I needed that outside opinion. It made me look at the story in a different way. Things -- specific phrases and events -- I thought I needed to have in the story, I can now let go. I didn't realize just how much these things were getting in my way of writing a good story, a story that I'd actually enjoy. I was so excited about where my story could now go, I couldn't sleep. I kept getting out of bed to write down just one more note, one more phrase of dialog, on more piece of narrative.

It's so much fun to be in that place of being excited about what you write. I haven't been in that place with my fiction, or my writing in general, for a while. So, I will definitely be going back for more.

We have power!

I also started working at the performing arts camp again. I'm pretty sure I mentioned working there last year. The theme this year is Theater Gallery (more of a location than a topics, museums and that, but don't ask me to explain it). It's all kinds of fun. I'm even the full teacher for the first week of camp, more responsibility, oye. It's a little nerve racking, but like I said helping little kids do art--all kinds of fun.

I also designed the tee-shirts for this year. And since I am very proud of what I came up with, I decided to share.

P.A.C. Tee-shirt Design 2006

Not sure if this qualifies as pop art, really, but I like it.





See more self portrait pop art by clicking here.

I'm having a lot of fun with this pop art challenge this month. It's really allowing me to play with my colors and composition. And I'm learning to use some new tools on the computer. :)





See more self portrait pop art here.

See more Self Portrait pop art here.

Turned out this one works for both challenges this week. Sweet!

See more pop art Self Portraits here.

And you can find more art at Illustration Friday.

Monster charcoal on paper

See more art at Illustration Friday.com.



( And here's a meme. )

Well here is my third and final Self Portrait Tuesday installment for the month. This time I decided to sketch a self portrait, showing the steps taken to complete it.



( +7 )

I think the computer I'm wokring on may just be weird. Are the pictures showing up okay for everyone?

Okay, gallifreyan figured it out. Fixed. And mucho thanks.