I've had a lot on my mynd lately.
Well I hope you're going to tell me about it. I could do with some inner tain men.
OK, some of it.
Good, I'm sitting comfortably.
Then I'll begin.
I've been considering my career.
You have one Awa Rich?
No, not any more. I had one and it wasn't up to much - I could write several books about that.
So get scribbling Awa Rich, we're all waiting with baited traps.
A couple of weeks ago, someone in the illustration class said something that triggered a starburst of connections in my brain. One sparklet was an idea I've been pushing around for years but only found a hook to hang it on while we were dog sitting in Sussex a few months ago.
The image that connects these two events that another class member threw into the pot was 'standing barefoot in the grass in the morning'. I walked barefoot through the dew spangled grass to pick vegetables from the garden.
I was watching a video of a 99U conference on the internet, and the woman speaking quoted Carl Sagan - "if you want to make apple pie from scratch you must first invent the universe".
My ambitions are a little less grandiose. If you want to make coleslaw you must first create the life you want which includes living in a place where you can walk barefoot through the early morning dew spangled grass, to your cottage garden where you pick vegetables that you've planted and tended yourself.
I don't think I explained this to the class very well as there were a lot of blank expressions. Perhaps I was jumping from one lilypad to another and lost the thread.
This lead me to think that I've been doing this all my life. That the lack of enthusiasm for my ideas and ideals was due my inability to explain them quickly and clearly enough.
All my enthusiasm is for nought if no one is interested because every one has their own stuff to think about.
I was reading Mash Up by Ian Saunders and David Sloly and they were saying that to get other people interested in your mash up of ideas, skills, abilities and knowledge you need a unifier - One Ring to Bind Them All.
Oh, a ring binder. You make it sound so enticing Awa Rich
Alright Mister Sarcastic, how about an express elevator pitch to the penthouse flat.
Sorry I spoke now
It must have impact - to grab peoples' attention "Hey look at me!"
It must communicate clearly and succinctly what you're about.
It must persuade them that you're the person that can do stuff.
Even if they don't want what you have to offer right now, they'll remember when the right situation presents itself. Someone they know might be the person you need to meet.
Which got me to thinking about business cards of an unconventional sort.
Enough with the words, show us some picters Awa Rich!
The first idea was a kind of "In case of emergency, break glass" fire alarm thing. One of the things I want to escape from is fighting other peoples' fires. So the sealed envelope has a ribbon and a legend which says "In case of Emergency, Pul Tab" and a concertina Jack-in-a-Box sproings out listing all my talents.
I thought you wanted to escape from the emergent seas Awa Rich.
The next thought was 'Jack of All Trades'. How could I say that with a symbol?
Looks like we're heading into playing card territory Awa Rich.
I snuffled around the internet for some suitable playing card images and found a Celtic Mythology set. I replaced this character's weaponry with a paintbrush and a wooden spoon. We're getting there
Next, I found some nice Lithuanian cards from around 1940 that were more like the standard cards we know but slightly cartoony. I based these two characters on them.
This has nothing to do with playing cards. The Swiss Army knife above is part of a series of HazMat signs I produced for another class project. I toyed with the idea of using them as business cards as they're simple and striking. Which is, after all, the purpose of HazMat signs - to let you know the peril you are in, quickly and clearly.
A series I started working on was SocHaz - Social Hazards. "Kin y'till wud it is yit?"
That's it for now. Stay tuned for further developments.
