Caste.

2/3 are of the high caste, but a different 2/3 are going to the festival in their lifetimes. What's the deal?

A rough tidbit of a scene I'm working out. Also: FABRIC.

Goodness gracious, great balls of fire!

I love organizing my drafting table. It's now in a nice, sunny corner. Potted plants on one side and an aquarium on the other. The hubbs cut up some corkboard for me and mounted it quite creatively to maximize space for actual posting. I also got a hand mirror to test out expressions without running to a door-mounted frame. Domo is there for motivational purposes.

Also been filling up my worldmaking binders and making a real push toward having enough background to arrange a real draft. (But WHICH CHARACTER. OH NO. I really cannot choose!) I think one of my main hangups has always been trying to start from the beginning. It's important to sketch out scenes that occur throughout the story so you can identify unifying themes and styles - and potentially find those plot holes! So I've been doing that. Anyway. Rings, tabs, stickies, highlighters, notes, xerox copies... takes me back to school reports. Except this is more fun and its application actually makes sense. Thanks, eighth grade!

This stack weighs over 7 pounds now. And there's oh so much left to do.

I recently discovered the ao yem and I love, love, love it. As much as I love huipils, saris, and turbans? Probably not. But it's wonderful coming across ethnic (I'm still allowed to say this as a homogenized white person, right?) fashions. The way cultures use fabrics to achieve universal goals, sometimes so different and sometimes very much the same... super intriguing.

Here's my Giftmas present. Are you shocked that I didn't own it before now? Me too. It's already littered with Post-it flags like an evangelical's bible. And that's basically what it is, really. DOES ANYONE WANT TO BORROW MY COPY. BECAUSE IT WILL ROCK YOUR WORLD. That said, I'm extremely happy to have it. I've already pinned one choice page on my board for reference.

More hypomania!

I've been rapid cycling this past week. At times I'm sobbing into a bowl of ice cream; at other times I am exclaiming "I AM AWESOME!!" and coming up with a dozen new ideas for artwork - faster than I can write them down.

It's exhilarating feeling the charge that I did when I was 16... notating a jazz piece, not even really knowing anything about jazz. Or 20... decorating my wall with Post-it notes detailing the plot structure of my latest epic. It's not all glorious, of course - for example, the alternate days spent in bed crying, refusing to eat, and thinking that I am totally worthless and just want to die. But when I'm sitting at my art desk and there is magic in my fingertips, I wonder what the hell I've been doing trying to level my moods in the first place. (Don't tell my psychiatrist I said that.) Could all the suffering be worth it just to have that occasional spark? Today, the answer seems to be "yes". If I can just learn to harness it and think through the proper stages of a project...

I'll feel differently tomorrow, of course, like I always do. It's just been a few enchanting days of glimmering hopes, changes of heart, and grandiose plans. I'd like to at least allow myself to feel some joy. I'm getting somewhat closer to making sense of how to ride those waves without being pulled into a rip tide. At least, I'd like to think so. I would so love to figure out how to channel my energy into actually getting something done. There are so many stories I want to tell!

Here's a dancing silver woman that appeared on my paper.

Hold that thought.

Coming up with story elements on a walk is a delightful, heartening experience. Sometimes, your mind is rich with ideas. Maybe this bout occurred because I didn't eat breakfast?

Gotta come home and script them out ASAP!

Market bag.

I signed up for a secret Santa group made up of a network of neighborhood ladies. We were to craft a homemade gift, the materials of which were to cost no more than $10. I drew a 70 year-old woman. What the heck do I do with that!? So, I procrastinated until this past weekend, when I pulled myself together and sewed the day away.

I ended up with a reusable tote bag - a nice, big size - to reflect her crocheting supplies, out-and-about-ness, and who even knows! I finally conquered my fear of gussets by watching this completely wonderful tutorial. I finally feel like I can move on from my flat messenger bags.

Another $3/yard pattern from the warehouse room of my favorite store.

Also, buttons!

Holds two shoeboxes. That's what I'm talking about!

Cross-stitching is a possibility I often entertain. The same goes for rainbow thread.

What's great is the realization that I will be getting a handmade gift of my own! What a treat!

Knitting.

Yeah, so I'm doing this now! Practice practice practice. It is a good way to relax and tie up the loose ends (ha. ha. ha) of an evening.

My first creation. Wark!

I'm also making dishrags.

Really, my goal is to make socks. I'm sick and tired of buying socks - especially those that crap out. Wool socks are pricey on our budget, and I need to know that they'll be worth it. At least if I hand-knit, I can figure out the materials (what works, what doesn't), and - gasp! - mend them! I hear that hand-knitted socks are amazing. And we all know that I love colorful socks, right?