| When I have a toothache, I discover that not having a toothache is a wonderful thing. I had to have a toothache in order to be enlightened, to know that not having one is wonderful. My nontoothache is peace, is joy. But when I do not have a toothache, I do not seem to be happy. Therefore, I look deeply in the present moment and see that I have a nontoothache; that can make me very happy already.
Thich Nhat Hanh, The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching
I feel the truth of this whenever a three-day-long headache lifts, and I realise how wonderful the lack of pain can be.
I think of myself as a very happy person, but it's taken me a long time to get here. Part of that journey was accepting that happiness is not joy, and we cannot expect to experience continuous joy. If you can spend most of your day in a state of contented business, part of it in tranquil relaxation, and have a few moments of joy here and there, you are a happy person.
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Robert, AKA Grug, AKA ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) tedprior , and I were married on April 18! It was WONDERFUL. You can see more photos here, and I am writing it up (interminably) here. If you can't be bothered wading through it all, here's the short version (WARNING SPOILERS): it was perfect and beautiful and we are so, so happy.
Hooray!
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| On Friday night we met up with the lovely and clever americanbeetles , who was in town chasing invertebrates. Ainsley is not only a scientist, she is also a very talented cartoonist. These meetings are always a bit like a blind date; you feel a bit apprehensive, you're not sure that you'll get along, what if she starts talking about how many homosexuals her church has cured or something like that. But we had the best time with Ainsley! We totally romanced her: we took her to a restaurant on the river and then on a sunset ferris wheel ride. And here is the proof that we swept her off her feet: she drew this awesome portrait of us!
Come back any time, Ainsley!
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This is an illustration I did for a mental health magazine put out by the Health Department. It was to illustrate an article on walking, but the editor thought it was a bit too cute (I agreed but I was doing three illustrations for free and at short notice so I sent it anyway). I ended up doing another one which is much less fun. Anyway, these were great exercises, both in inking with the brush and in trying to illustrate things I wouldn't normally draw.
( Two more beneath the cut! )
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| Have you seen the Covered blog? It's a site collecting re-drawings of classic comic covers by various artists. It's really fun, and this weekend tedprior and I decided to do our own! Now all I want to do is draw old comic covers. Try it yourself!
I love romance comics, and I've been thinking about them lately in relation to a project I'm going to be working on. I'm really excited about it, but at the moment I'm resisting the urge to throw myself into it and leave everything else unfinished. I am 19 pages into the second book of Mungo Bean, and there will definitely be a third as well.
I've also started inking with a brush, which is really exciting and challenging. I would like to know how the hell I get my hands to stop shaking, though. Maybe more gin would help.
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| | Subject: | 2008 | | Time: | 11:00 am |
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Memorable Things I Did in 2008
- Snorkelling for the first time (and many times after that); seeing an octopus, a stingray and nudibranches
- Getting our rabbit, Muffin, my first real pet
- Having an art exhibition with Lisa Max
- Getting engaged
- Having a market stall
- Having Ive stay with us; going to the zoo, Supanova and especially the aquarium (petting the rays!)
- Getting a new job
- Quitting my old job
- Starting to shop ethically and giving up a bunch of delicious yet evil things
- Stopping eating dairy and giving up a bunch of delicious yet evil things
- Seeing Space Rabbit in print (although in German)
- Seeing the moon smiling at me
- Spending time with my beautiful friends, and realising how wonderful they are
The Song That Will Always Remind Me of 2008
The Boy Least Likely To, 'Be Gentle With Me'
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| I just found this wonderful quote on Daily Routines, a blog which records how various famous artists, writers and other creatives spend their days:
Sooner or later, the great men turn out to be all alike. They never stop working. They never lose a minute. It is very depressing. --V.S. Pritchett
I have been drifting, in terms of art and writing, since my exhibition. It's been very pleasant and I think I needed the time-- I feel healthy and strong, now. But I need to get back to work! Looking at the work of other artists is inspiring but it always reminds me how very far I have to go (and frightens me with the idea that I may never get there). yellowcardigan wrote recently about art and work and trying, and it reflected a lot of the things I've been thinking about (and gave me some new ones to ponder as well).
One of the things I am doing to try to improve my art is copying others. tedprior assures me that this is legitimate artistic practice. I have assigned a different artist to each weekday, and each night I will fill a page of my sketchbook with images I copy from their work. I am bad at learning by looking; I have to write out a passage in order to remember it, and I think perhaps copying these drawings will help me understand why these particular lines shapes are pleasant or interesting to me.
I am in holiday mode already. The offices here are half-empty, people are already leaving for their Christmas holidays. I am starting a new job next year, and I feel like I'm just filling in time here. I have to keep reminding myself that I have another job, and that my holiday from the job that pays me should be an opportunity to work on the one that doesn't.
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PERTH PEOPLE: I will have a stall this Saturday at the Made on the Left Craft Fair!
Non-Perth people: I will be selling stuff in my Etsy shop! But probably not till next week, because fate has made the MOTL market just three days before I have to hang my exhibition. Jolly good fun!
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My 24-hour comic Yeti Party is up on Top Shelf 2.0! Go read it and let me know what you think. It will soon be for sale in my Etsy shop!
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| 1. I did a 24-hour comic! The reason I haven't posted it here is that Top Shelf 2.0 are going to be running it. It's a sequel to Bad Yeti!
I just picked up the printed copies and it'll be for sale tomorrow (Saturday) at the Northbridge Festival! tedprior and I will be there from about 4-11 pm, so if you live in Perth, come down and get a signed copy before anyone else! It's be for sale next week in my Etsy shop.
2. Love Puppets #2 is also printed! You can read the whole story at Top Shelf 2.0-- the last bit just went up. It'll also be for sale at the Northbridge Festival and then in my shop next week.
3. Another fun thing you can do if you live in Perth is check out my work in the window of Fi & Co on William St! It's part of a Made on the Left collection. I made a birdie and a couple of pieces of jewellery, and you can buy them too! It's for the Windows on William thing.
I think that's it for now!
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