AwkwardInk

After the last couple of weeks of gloom and doom, I woke up yesterday to the shiny goodness of a perfect summer morning. Hurrah! I mooched out to a sunny spot in the backyard, and enjoyed the lovely breakfast made by Claire and Kate (my new housemates). I spent the next couple of hours baking in the sun. The only problem being that I now have circles around my eyes where my sunglasses blocked the sun from my face! Doh! But the rest of me is a few shades darker than what I was on friday. I'm getting ready for the inevitable summer tan off competition between me and Alessia.
My friend Darren was performing in a production of the Mikado, so a few of us went out to check it out last night. The quality of it all was quite amazing for an amateur production. Darren and his comedy expressions were brilliant. He really is a great performer and operetta is a great forum for him to display his talents.
Today the sun shone down again, and I slooped out to east london to check out some graphic design degree shows. It was baking hot in the exhibition space, and I soldiered on until dehydration drove me to seek water. I had a quick look around the markets, but the need for an afternoon nap in the sun beckoned and I left without a single purchase.
Now sitting in bed exercised, fed and showered, I'm ready for the week ahead. Hopefully there will be more sun in store and more afternoon naps!

So I have become slightly obsessed with flickr.com
I have set up an account and posted some illustrations. It is really bizarre how nice it is to get feedback from people and know that other people are looking at them. I'm feeling quite motivated to create and quite inspired by what other people have put up on their flickr sites as well.

You can find my stuff at http://www.flickr.com/photos/midemkiw/
Here are some of my faves.

How do you create a picture book? by SHAUN TAN

"With a blank piece of paper in front of me, my imagination is not especially fired up. I could start drawing, but everything would end up looking the same - and most likely stuff I’ve done before. So I actively look to absorb foreign ideas and influences, which is one key lesson learned from years of illustrating different SF stories. Good ideas don’t just turn up, you have to go looking for them.

Research - reading, looking at pictures, playing with different media - provides freedom from the creative paralysis that comes with infinite possibility. I need specific points of reference to develop ideas, and also a kind of resistance to my own stylistic ‘default settings’ so that I think outside the usual circles, and actually learn something new.

Painting and drawing for me is not about creation but about transformation. It's not so much about expressing preconceived themes or a mastered delivery of statements but rather a process of slightly absent-minded discovery, of seeing where certain lines of thinking take you if you keep following them. I know I'm on the right track when there is a sense of unfamiliarity about what I'm doing, that I'm actually being surprised by the way mixed drawings and words make their own novel sense, and I can coax them into surrendering whatever meaning is there through repeated drawings."

I've been trying to start up some projects of late. Luckily I have a presentation to prepare for work which is ensuring that I have to take the time to do something creative which is out of my normal routine.

I have to gather 20 objects or slides and present them to my collegues. Each slide presented in 20 seconds or less. It is based upon the japanese concept pecha kucha.

I have been feeling the pressure of coming up with something worthwhile and inspirational. But the process of searching for some inspiration has been worthwhile in itself.

"To those of you who will begin, as I did, at an early age to be interested in creative effort, I have a word or two to say: Follow no one. Only you can lead yourself. Be open-minded and ready to reject every extraneous influence. Use your own. Talk is cheap; let others talk. Pay no attention to them or to me. Shun them and me with your self-discipline. Value your freedom from the shackles of the strait jacket. A rose is a rose regardless of its position on the bush. Approach your line of activity as an individual. Be independent. There is but one law to obey, the law of freedom: and obedience to that law is liberty." Samuel Aiwaz Jacobs

At this stage I have decided to explore the idea of abstract images. I was quite moved by the combination of music and abstract slides performed by Capitan Melao and an unknown artist (who I can't seem t find out any information about - Damn it). Since my own work is so figurative, I was quite surprised by how taken I was by the beauty of the combination of the abstract slides and the latin music. I couldn't understand a word of the lyrics being sung, and there was nothing recongnisable in the slides except light, colour and shapes. But it all seemed to make perfect sense. I want to create something similar in my own presentation.

"You can't depend on your eyes if your imagination is out of focus." Mark Twain

The weather over the weekend was amazingly beautiful. Thank goodness the winter is finally receding. I spent a lovely day relaxing in the sun, and even managed to find the energy to go jogging. I was lucky enough to go to the Barbican in the evening to watch a performance by the Bajofondo Tango Club. My friend Helen is fortunate enough to benefit from her boyfriend's very cool job, which involves interviewing various people and then writing articles about them which are printed in the Guardian Newspaper (nice gig). You can read Pascale's article about the Bajofondo Tango club here . They both get to enjoy copious amounts of press tickets to various performances and other such perks.
Unfortunately for Pascale, (but fortunately for me) he had double booked himself, and couldn't go to this performance. But I was happy to step up and accompany Helen, even though I had no idea about who was performing.
I spent my first visit to the Barbican listening and watching two bands from Argentina, part of the La Linea Music Festival. The support act Capitan Melao was a heady mix of roack and espanol. I found it a bit distracting not being able to understand the lyrics, but they were accompanied by beautiful works of art that were projected whilst the band played. The projections of the coloured oil and water mixes slowly bubbling between the slides, gave the music a great visual expression.
The main act were an eclectic mix of musicans, ranging from an accoridan player, guitarist, violinist, producer, and rapper. It is led by Gustavo Santaolalla. A two time oscar winning film score composer (for Babel and Brokeback Mountain) from Argentina.
His enthusiasm on stage for sounds of all kinds was pure inspiration to watch. He stepped forward once or twice to sing his style of guttural emotion filled lyrics, contrasted surprisingly well by a latin rapper.
The other standout moment was the initial sounds of the violin sounding out through the silence of the audotorium. It really was heartbreakingly beautiful.

It reminds me that I must get out and take advantage of all that London has to offer. Get into more of that stuff called Culture with a capital C!

Last weekend I moved out of my flat in Clapham, into an amazing house in Queen's Park. It was sad to leave Shawn, Val and Sarah, but since they have all now left UK soil on their way back to Australia, the best I can do is move forward with the next chapter of London life.

The best things about living in the new house:
1/ Not having to walk up and down four flights of stairs every time I want to leave
2/ Access to a garden
3/ Having wireless internet
4/ Being near to Queen's Park
5/ Only having to share a fridge with one other person (who is currently away on holidays anyways)
6/ Travelling to work on the Bakerloo line! No more Northern Line Squishy Squashy

Things I miss in Clapham (other than Shawn, Val and Sarah):
1/ Tescos
2/ Having everything in the kitchen on shelves that I can easily reach
3/ Treohans Corner Store
4/ Digital TV Channels

We had a nice little farewell at Gigalum last Saturday which was nice. But I still had so much packing and cleaning to do the next day. Which wasn't helped by the fact that Al called me mid morning to tell me that Ben and Helen were at the police station because their car had been stolen. The car that was meant to help me move all my stuff to the new house! I had a mini freak out but I was quickly put out of my misery by the peals of laughter coming from the end of the phone as they yelled 'April Fool's'.

Very Funny Al!

So I've packed all my stuff into my book shelves, cupboard and drawers, and I'm slowly learning where things live in the house.

I spent Thursday doing the last clean out with Sarah and we had the final inspection with the Estate Agent. So luckily we are out of there, and all of the mess in the apartment is clean.

On Friday Sarah and I took off on a walking expedition from Notting Hill through to Hyde Park Corner. The weather was startingly beautiful, and people seemed happier playing in the sunshine. There were lots of cute puppies romping around as well. Motivated by starvation, we made our way down to Yum Cha in China Town, where we scoffed ourselves silly. We finished our meal with chinese goodies from the pastry shop around the corner. YUM!

Sarah made a swift exit from london on her way to the Heathrow via her friends in Essex. We said a quick goodbye, with a see you later kinda flippancy.

I'm sure she will enjoy being back in Melbourne once again!