Work 27: Solstice Advent Calendar

I remember quite fondly all the spirit that came along with this season. It placed an excitement in my stomach that would last a whole month. I can still muster some, but its different. It came in all the details, never one big thing. The music, the food, the snow, the decorations, the gifts... And while the entire month was fun, it was always about anticipation. Leading up to the big day. What better way to harvest anticipation than giving someone a calendar. My grandparents used to send me advent calendars. Some years they were the kind with candy, other years, just pictures. But it was always fun each day to see what was behind the new door.

I am older now, and I see the season differently. Certain things that I went along with as a child, I do not go along with now. Yet it is still a special time. I do not want to lose that. So instead I change it to something that I can feel good about. It is a slow process to hijack a holiday, but every year I try to do a little more.

The day after Thanksgiving, an idea popped into mind, and the next morning I set to work at it. Three days later I completed my Solstice Advent Calendar. It was a lot of work, but I am quite happy with it. A significant part of having an advent calendar is the surprise, so it wouldn't be well utilized by me. I presented it to my roommate for her seasonal enjoyment.

Work 19: Calendar Slide to Desk Plant

I may not have a skateboard these days, but I do have paper clips! And why not live vicariously through office supplies. If I can imagine a better life for my paper clips, then by all means, they should have it.

Work 18: Cloud Scene

At the moment I am technically as well as inspirationally tied up in a project of mixed media. Right now I am fighting through a spell of soured ambition. As part of this project I am learning Apple Motion, a video editing program that creates a 3D environment. This clip is my first effort at the program. As it is only a rough draft, it may not make it to the final project. The clouds are made of paper towels.

Work 16: 1/4096

There is a well known motif of a crazy person in a confined room tearing up sheets of paper. I am not crazy. But my job does give the feeling of confinement now and then. So today, like any sensible crazy person would do, I sat at my desk and tore paper. I started with a sheet of A3 paper, and kept tearing it in half until my fingers could fumble no further. I was fortunate that the teachers paid me little mind and didn't ask questions. It was not something I really wanted to explain, while sitting at my desk, at work. Assuming my math is correct, the smallest box should be 1/4096 of the original.

Work 15: Paper Players

This is a first, but it is something I have been thinking more about lately. Between Michel Gondry's crafty sets and Wes Anderson's recent animation, I have been wanting to make my own little worlds and snap them in a photo. For my first attempt I have grabbed a ready-made story line and cut out some images from popular news. Content-wise I am not likely to continue much further down this path, but process-wise, this is just the beginning. A very sloppy beginning. Here, I had an idea of what would be going on, but not a sound grasp of layout. I would like to think this out more for future builds. Its a start.