busy. is good. a busy artist is...grateful. and nuts.

LATE AT NIGHT I LOOK LIKE THIS. in the event people were extremely interested. 

if you look closely you can find my phone. in 2 parts. not cool.

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this.

is one of my important documents. 

I know. I know.

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But. These. 

Are also important. 

Sketches for design work on a show. 

Richmond Ballet's Minds in Motion production:

The Epic of Gilgamesh

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I am seriously lucky. 

Ballet. 

Costume Design. 

good things come to those who. 

Keep.

Making.

(I am inappropriately in love with close up paper details.)

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Every show you see. Every time a character walks out. or a set change happens.

Someone designed that. 

Someone said... it should look like 

this.

I had to take this picture of my bed. Instead of freaking out, I documented it.

For this show, I am the costume designer. 

which is really pretty thrilling. a very neat opportunity.

Since. I love costumes.

and got to dream some up for professional company dancers. and about 3 million kids (that is an educated guess. if you saw the stage you'd guess the same)

When I get production pictures or possibly some clips of the show, I will share those. 

So you can see some of this in action.

But, these are some early images.

some of the props and costumes in progress.

Oh, and I left this guy in the costume shop. 

Two company dancers brought him to life together. so gracefully. 

It is the kind of dancing I dream up for my puppets. ( yes. I typed that sentence.)

I held my breath. and was excited to watch them USE this puppet to his potential. 

clever choreography and strong dancers. 

It was magical.

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It is fulfilling to get where you are trying to get. with professional people who value art. 

and consider it not only important. but vital. 

so they push it into public and private schools. and elevate students. 

teach lessons. 

and expose new little art-lovers to the idea that great things are possible.

Thank you Richmond Ballet.

especially the costume shop.

and Minds in Motion.

It is beyond exciting to see drawings come to life. 

and. for one little peek at part of this on stage. theres a picture here: 

in the Richmond Times Dispatch.

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important documents come in important briefcases.

every now and then i think. im gonna stop what im doing.

this artistic pursuit is exhausting. and a little extreme.. then 

no. 

no. im not. 

i cant.

some little sparkly bird-like creature walks in with a briefcase of reasons why i must go on. 





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______________________________________

no. 

im not dramatic.

i just see birdlike creatures bringing me messages in businesssuits. 

THAT. is different from dramatic. 

get it right.

-----------------------------------

do you feel your heartbeat?

are you extremely aware of it in times not associated with panic.

no seriously.

are you?

I am.

So often that I trust it.

-----------------------------------

but there are times I doubt things. 

and only times. 

that last for seconds really.

just long enough to make me stronger. 

______________________

______________________________________

shift

___________________

things you should NOT do: 

have coffee after 5 pm. 

even if you are teaching a night class. and the weather is great. and you are attracted to the convenience store coffee choices.

(and let's stop there. I mean why incriminate myself further)

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I woke up this morning to a note on my truck from the person who hit it. They left their number.

and they said sorry for the inconvenience.


I did not care.
Actually. I thought... what a nice person.


Seriously.



What a small deal in the grand scheme of things.


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Because when people place bombs at the finish line of a marathon... it is a game changer. 

But my game doesn't entirely change. 

it shifts.

See. I'm actively trying to live the crap out of every day.
every second actually.



I have puppets to make.
deadlines to meet.
illustrations to draw.
sun to sit in.
books to read.
documentaries to watch.
friends to love on.
nephews to mash/smother.
sculptures to sew.
thoughts to write.
scarves to knit.
installations to build.
invitations to create.
parties to plan.
mom to call.
backyards to sit in.
footballs to throw
foodtrucks to visit.
students to celebrate.
adventures to take.



I AM NOT BORED.


I think boring people are bored.

When people say... I am bored. I want to be like, "and....."
and then move away and watch them do a little dance. 

which they won't do. 

(because they are boring. and dancing is not)


---------

____________________________

My game doesn't entirely change. 




I still know things that are true.
I remind myself.

I know that hope. and kindness. rule.

as in. they are above everything else.


and hope.

is the only thing that can trump everything.

every.time.

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I am not naive.

I know that there are ugly cracks and terrible moments. 

they try to break us. But, they open us.

sure, they destroy parts of us.

and then we feel like we dont understand everything.





____________________________



because we dont.



____________________________

No one thinks. Wow. I am so glad terrible things happened to me.

and made me who I am.

But what they do think is.



Look at me now.


____________________________



And so. we are able to be thankful for the gifts that rise out of it all.



.The hope that poured out of those cracks.



and


The new things that now fill us. and carry us. forward.

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for, We are not finished.

We are not always comfortable.

We shouldn't be.


____________________________



we shift.

we move our energy towards something greater.

than ourselves.


____________________________




We should be living as hard as we can.

and doing what makes life easier and more amazing for everyone else.





the pretty part.

is the part where everyone helps each other.

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for it is the scary things that make us brave. 
otherwise we would never be called to put on any kind of courage. 

there would be no need for it.

and courage makes human beings beautiful.




______________________________

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When the sun sets in magenta and orange and purple.

Spring is intense.



My mind jumps 43 feet ahead and I am ready for everything.

I am highly affected by the weather.

does everyone want to go camping.swimming.kiteflying.horsebackriding.beachsitting.andseefireworks. AT ONE TIME?

same.


(i do not know where kite flying came from. but the idea is ALWAYS more chic than the reality)

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I immediately want to live outside. on the sidewalk. In the same outfit for the entire summer. last year it was this one particular romper. boots. and a ponytail. or is that every year?

I like when my arms smell like sun and theres dirt on my skin.. I have no issue with that.

And while the country. mountains. and beach are blatantly right for summer.... theres something wonderful about sweating in the city.

I know. sometimes it can be miserable. artists carry so many things at all times. so... i know. grossness.

But everyone is wearing tank tops and drinking on patios and porches. The medians become parks. People just lay out wherever there is a small plot of grass. it is kind of amazing. everywhere smells like a sweaty cookout. 

This is starting to sound less appealing than I mean.

and this. there are magical hidden things. so. look for them.

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Do you see this fort?...

This installation was created by elementary school children with learning differences.

It was student-driven. 

While we were working on it, I did not stop smiling or saying out loud, "this is awesome."

because it was.

Every time I turned around another child would come up with something they had been working on, and we would gasp, and add it on. 

______________

We also asked them to think about messages. to tuck into the nest.

One child made a bird. Many drew things. wrote things. tied things on....

and one of them wrote this.

it doesn't say "my" house. 

it says "your" house.

brilliant. 

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That is the hope I am talking about. If you anticipate it....
You may get amazing mornings of fort making this spring.


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later. a young adult group came and added ladders to the sky.



yes. I said Ladders To The Sky.

As one of them said, "you know, I like to show off my coolness."


________________________________________________________

and this is long overdue. 

but sometimes people ask... hey. can you make something for me?

They give me a little inspiration, but let me do my thing. 

and those are the people I love to work with.

The ones that trust me.

and this is a piece for two sweet people. that I love.

it was his idea to get her a piece of my art for their anniversary. 

he's cool.

happy spring.