art equals happy.

i'm liking what it is.

"we have something right.

we have something."

"and how you play the drums on the tops of every surface,

and the rhythm that comes through your hands...

and i like your sentences too."

-Tanya Davis.

I've been working on some things for my graphics project (when i should be doing animation... but procrastination always feels justifiable if i'm doing something that's going to have to be done sooner or later...) and i've been collecting quotes, and realizing that i need to read more. throw recommendations this way please!

speaking of books...

this is the little sketchbook i took with me when i went to london with jon and his parents. it was so nice to use a book which i had made 100% myself. all the paper inside is found/recycled and the cover is just a heavy piece of cardstock that i painted and designed. it was so free. i had no rules. i knew i wanted to sketch and collect- but it wasn't for anything except myself. and it was wonderful (except i think i scared jon's dad a bit by collecting things, like the doily from lunch and taking pictures all the time etc... it can be a bit shocking if you're not used to it. "wait- can i have that sugar packet? no- the empty one!" haha!).

this is all the pages scanned in. nothing too fancy. i recommend taking a travel journal with you on any holiday- big or small. sketch while you're having lunch- traveling on trains etc. it's such a good way to chill out & feel productive. 

after i came back, i added photos with masking tape- easy and you don't have to worry about leaving blank pages- that bugs me.

those are a few of my favourite pages. [: sketchbooks are my favourite things at the moment. can i be a professional sketchbook maker? haha. look at these and these.

also- my Warhol craving was satisfied last night. i had lovelies over and we watched Factory Girl. sad, and thought provoking, but so good.

and yeah- i made milkshakes and pancakes. :D

kxo

we watched...

Pulp Fiction last night. me likey.

today i've been playing old school music and desperately wanted to watch the Avengers, the Professionals, the Sweeny and any other 60's/70's show that involves spies and cops and adventure and beautiful girls in great dresses and revolvers. 

we (the boybear and i) saw this at the Tate the otherday. yum.

normally i shy away from violence. it's gross and unnecessary but...

there is a dark side to every story and it just all felt so glamourous after watching that film.

i am getting very anxious to try screen printing now. my reward for doing work today will be to look through my Warhol book whilst drinking chai this afternoon, i think.

i have also been craving (like mad!) some american food. bring on the hamburgers, shakes, fries, cheese sticks, root beer floats, crispy bacon, a pot of syrup and pancakes with a square of butter on top...

(image from here)

aw i miss diners. we used to make 10 hour road trips up the coast of california every long weekend and a lot during summer, and my parents used to stop at some of the strangest diners ever! i always thought they were lame, but i miss them now. it's funny the things you take for granted, and then miss the most, huh?

probably not helping either that mum and i have been watching Gilmore Girls recently:

oh, anyway. i think i'll live. maybe i'll just have to make milkshakes tonight. [:

as promised i have some little peeks at my Life Story book, from Kara's class.

talking about mistakes... i didn't have a box when i started making the book, and i figured i could make a sleeve for it or something. i just could not find the right size/shape/style. then one day after making a few pages i go to the fridge and finish off some chocolate jon had made me- that box. that was the box that i needed to use. and it was the perfect size. i love coincidences like that. i knew there was a reason why i had saved that last little bit. mmm.

it's not finished yet. add some more pages, take some more pictures, journal more. i think i'm going to sew it together when i'm satisfied. and i still need to touch the box up a bit.

anyway, thanks for looking. [:

i think i'll post my 3-day london book tomorrow. 

back to work (and dreams of pancakesssss) for me!

love,kxo

p.s. the other inspiration posts went up at WYS. go give them some loveeeee.

something to share...

i'm having kind of a 'blah' day. i can't really get started again, after stopping so suddenly after such an amazing week. i haven't even gotten out of my pajamas(it's almost 6pm here)! i guess i'm just frustrated because i have all these dreamy thoughts in my head of things i want to do- but just can't. can't. can't is such a horrible word.

yes. yes you can. just push it a little bit.

i'm a worrier. i worry. about a lot of things. today i am worried about my art. where is it going? do i measure up? up to who? (the best, the people who i admire, the work that gets me excited...)is it good enough? good enough for what? is passion and excitement enough? can i really call myself an artist? (and if i can't, what the hell am i doing?!) i know i don't need to know this right now but i just feel like maybe i'm a bit too much of a jack-of-all-trades and a master of none... everyone i see has a style- a niche. where am i? i feel like i'm floating from here and there, trying to combine too many things... is this true? maybe an outside opinion would help. 

then i just think.

i'm 18. i have a lot of time to figure it out. but still.

my desk calls me- 'don't waste time. you have everything here, a list that is pages long. just do it. make stuff. do your thing. get on with it'.

but what is 'my thing' photography? design? painting? books? animations? crafting? ohhhh.

it's such a cycle.

so that's what i'm doing. i am doubting. today i woke up questioning my to-do list. maybe this is my way of breathing. taking the pressure off- but boy, it feels so heavy. 

(scans are from my journal this last month.)

so while i am working through this, these big thoughts- i have some things to show you...

1. WYS- oh yes. a new post went up last night;

some photography love. i want you to get your film cameras out, dust them off and play.

i have 4 rolls to develop this week. i'm looking forward to them. it feels like ages since i've have fresh prints in my hands.

there is a little Q&A by myself, kara and two special guests- go and see.

2. my 3 day sketchbook from london.

3. a little bit of my book from kara's class.

4. a SPARK challenge.

5. links to things i spend my days looking at and lusting over.

these (2-5) will be blogs this week. see you then.

kxo

these hands, small but mighty!

the last few days have been an absolute dreaaammmm!

i love holidays. 

(my mum thrifted that suitcase for me. it's so darling!)

it never used to be a big thing for me. oh-okay, upset my routine, get hot and sweaty traveling, deal with crowds. ew. i don't want to do that. haha. but now i can enjoy it. i don't know, maybe i've just relaxed and slowed down. like- it's okay to stop. just look and enjoy and experience. take the good with the bad. be inspired by everything, all the little things. don't be so controlling. it's so liberating! looking back a year ago- i feel i've grown so much. ridiculous, but true. sometimes i am glad that i've been forced to focus on little things and think about the bigger ones. make the effort to always see happy. time. ohh. 

jon and his mum&dad made it so nice- thank you!

this post was meant to be really quick and silly and i was just going to show you a few photos. darn that keyboard and my full brain! 

i did a little three-day sketchbook to keep my fingers busy and my mind happy.

more coming later.

love you

kxo

so much happy!

the month of happy april has begun with a huge YAYBANG! (i just made that up.)

the sun has been out!

i've figured out my favourite sunshine processing on photoshop- finally!

happy memories from madrid;

for the first time ever, i'm actually looking forward to summer!!!

looking forward to glastonbury this year! (everyone has tickets now. so glad!)

half term/easter is also here (which if we forget about the looming exams shortly after means two weeks of sleeping in and an excuse to party!)

visitors!

making felt badges (shown!) and getting cute flowers with Illy!

being able to use my action sampler again!

(i have lots of film to process!!)

super squinty photos. and the boy's house.

tea in the grass with perfect weather and perfect company.

the prospect of more days like this!

the idea that on tuesday i'll be londontown (again, impromptu!) on a little holiday with the male cuteness pictured above!

speaking of london, the Tate is a normal stop for me and for years i've been trying to guess who's done the writing on the walls there. i think it's so great. i pondered David Shrigley, but there is too much cursive for him really...

last time i went, jack and i had a few hours to kill so we spent most of it in the shop. mmm. artbooks. my total and utter weakpoint. (i dream of bookshelves...) anyway. i knew i wanted to buy one for my teeny tiny collection at home. i needed inspiration and something to push me for my graphics.

as soon as i saw this, i knew it had to be mine. completely a love at first-site moment.

Sara Fanelli (all photos from her site) is just so perfect to me. messy, cute, slightly strange, full of beautiful handwritten text, old notebooks, sketchbook style, with the perfect amount of meaning and Joan Miro and paint thown in. actually i love how everything looks like a doodle or a random thought, but it's all carefully thought about and presented in a way which, as i was reading though the first time (cover to cover- 2.5 hours.) hit me so solidly in the chest that it really changed me, really made my dreams tangible now. alot of hard work, obviously, but tangible. and i want it more than ever.

hopefully this week will provide me with opportunities to play with some responses to her work, and to find something new for my art journals (they are very boring to me at the moment. it feels like such work, and it shouldn't. hopefully this will be my little way out of that), and for my graphics project- i think i will take my watercolours and lots of old paper with me to london this week. 

i'm sure you have huge amounts to share with me too. my blog list is huge now! i think i need to do another 'inspiration' and an 'i want this so much' post soon.

lots of happy april love to you,

kimxo

p.s. have you done the WYS challenge yet? it's so good, Henry Darger is amazing. Keep your eyes open for my post this coming week as well. it's a good'un!

i've got the itch!

to move.

to travel.

to change.

to create.

to make.

to give.

to enjoy.

i went on a very last-minute art trip last friday.

(london, you have my heart!)

i found inspiration in tons of things.

everything seems to be so beautiful around me lately.

(yet, i've been a bit of a grump! funny hm?)

so i've decided.

April is for being happy.

just pure happiness.

pure i-don't-care-who-sees-or-knows-about-it happiness.

dance-barefoot-in-sunshine happy.

smile-and-laugh-until-my-cheeks-hurt happy.

don't-get-hung-up-on-things happy.

and it is also for using my camera more. more and more.

i need to be the girl with the camera again.

i need to be so back-logged with photos that i don't know what to do with myself.

i need to be able to juggle lots of work with lots of play and lots of sleep.

and i need to LOVE things out-loud this month. none of this silly shyness.

so- that's the plan. haha. we'll see how long it keeps up.

i just think...

life is way too brief to be miserable.

kxo

p.s. i have been having so much fun packing and shipping stuff for my etsy shop. keep those orders coming!