Vacation time, writing time

Not really right now. But in two weeks I'll be walking the lovely streets of Berlin Kreuzberg again! And will also make time for Hamburg - it will be my first time there.

Last time I was in Berlin it was in mid August, and a heatwave was crawling through the city. We loved how locals went out in the sun in every imaginable space, even sitting on the sidewalk. We loved the terraces, the guerrilla gardening all around, the amazing breakfasts. I doubt there's a bakery I haven't got into, I tried them all! (But of course, if you happen to have a recommendation for another one, please send it on! I'd love to hear about your secret addresses in these Deutsche cities)

I guess it will be different this time, as we expect quite cold weather. I'm looking forward to it all the same!

This week NaNoWriMo started, you can see my word count here in the right side bar. It's not especially high, but not incredibly low. I could be writing more. Maybe it's time for a good spanking from my followers? Remember, I will need your encouragement as we approach the end of the month. The fact that I will be on holidays for one whole week during this write-a-thon worries me abit. Yeah, I should be writing more. (In case you were wondering, I am officially a NaNo Rebel this year: I'm writing yet another short story project! Short stories were my first love, they still are. I'll talk about them some other time)

So writing nurtures art, or is it the other way around? I find that my passions simply get along perfectly fine. I sometimes still need to find the switch between one activity and the other. My beloved Lynda Barry suggests that one keep two journals, one for writing and another one for doodling on those moments when you are kind of paralyzed and your pen does not know how to go on (Oh yes, I write A LOT by hand, even during NaNo). I love the idea of the doodling journal, and actually use it a lot, but my muse is a playful being, and after a while I'm writing, doodling and drawing in both journals so I don't know which is which. (If you have not read Lynda Barry yet, please check one of her books. "What it is" is the best invention since Indian ink.)

More new friends spread the love this week: Lovely Diana from Nine Ways Down intereviewed me for her great blog, so you can find me over there, chatting quite a bit.

Edited to add: Blogger has some sort of bug and is not allowing images right now... So the beautiful photos that should be adorning this post can be found here

small collage cards, fake polaroids and a trip to the market.

I have just returned for a great trip to the market. It was more crowded than ever, and even so, I managed to come back home with amazing finds: a bunny that looks like a pig, a weird lady in a cabinet, a vintage camera and loads of vintage science prints!

This has sparkled my imagination for a dozen art projects. Hope I get the energy to get them going this week. Why this week?

You know what happens in just 7 days? NaNoWriMo starts on Nov 1st!

Besides not writing that outline (because I'm a pantser, which means I write by the seat of my pants) and according to my master plan, this week I have to get at least one more Resolutions print out there, and start some more cards, and stock the freezer with homemade food for those crazy NaNo writing nights.

You, dear blog follower, you're my witness. If I come here in 2 weeks and whine about being weary, abandoned by the muse, bored or overwhelmed, please give me a nudge or a kick in the ass. I will need it.

PS: here, take a look at my mini fake polaroids and ACEOS.

Friends spreading the love

I have spent my week with a lot of nice surprises!

Lynn from Tialys, a fellow Etsian, and an expat too, have chosen to feature my work in her lovely blog

Her very appropriate caption is "Life and creativiy in the south of France". Does it sound dreamy enough for you? Go click and read Lynn's blog, it's awesome!

And then Alex from Studio WiG Archer, just shared one of my Treasuries here

Cynthia featured my shop in her blog, Thanks!

Also Mayi from Heartmade included my "Stay Free" print in her awesome collection of quotes :)

And the lovely people at Oh My Deer

So thanks everybody, you've managed to kickstart my week!

A sea of test prints

Yesterday weather was too wet for ink to behave properly, so I just quit my screenprinting session. I had promised (myself) that I would have my screenprinting line by October15th, so I was really keen on having it done last afternoon. Oh well.
But! Today I had a light lunch with some organic veggies + free range eggs form the market with my special savoury/fruity sauce for asparagus (crème fraiche, horseradish, red onions and thinly chopped apples) and then it was, finally, ink time.

This will be my Resolutions line. 12 resolutions, one for each month, with motivation messages that have nothing to do with quitting chocolate or stop swearing.

First two are:

Stay free
&
Learn to love your inner monster.
(Which is very important, as we all have one)

They will be available from my Etsy shop, as prints (ready to ship tomorrow) and later I'll add them to notebook covers. I would love to make a big screenprinted calendar as well! We'll see.

Now I'll listen to the Spiders from Mars - prints are drying, lightning outside my window, the air is full of electricity. And as we all know, and Lou Reed reminded us, electricity comes from other planets.

Sweet flow

I have just changed the caption under my blog header. Most specifically, I've deleted the "paper goods" bit (because I do so much more than that, I feel it is no longer accurate) and I've added some words. I've added six words, to be exact. I would have preferred there were seven of them, you know, seven, the powerful number. But it's six, and I'm proud of having written them on top there, for everybody to see.

The sweet flow of everyday life.

I'm turning 37 on Friday, and that's how I want my life to be.

And today is a great day, because I have just made something big & scary. Or maybe small and equally scary, but it was big for me.
Let's say I've just taken the first step of what will be a big leap. And this first step, when it was just a tiny, paranoid, obsessive lump in the middle of my brain, was like an annoying brat who just kept repeating the dreaded words:

"You just can't do that. You just can't. You won't get away with it"

You know what? I just did. And that little angry, annoying knot untangled to reveal something that was there all along.
Sweet. Flow.

So there you go.
Now, if you want, do something small and scary. Of course you can. Go out and shine.




PS: Please check my new list of friends on the right. Some very talented people there, lovely artists and crafters. And also two über-inspiring bloggers who nurture me with every word:
Danielle Laporte (and I will link to a very specific post that I love, and it's this one) and Bindu Wiles
Thank you for the inspiration, girls.
Now go check'em out.

Sunday market!

This morning I went to the open-air Sunday Market in Santa Maria, a little village in the centre of the island.
It always cheers me up. I love the market vibe! It even has a corner for local organic produce.
People from Arc al Cel were there as usual, with their lovely organic baked goods. They use a certain old, local variety of spelt, called "xeixa", way more digestion-friendly than wheat. And no animal grease but olive oil!
The smell of roasted peppers filled the morning air.



Then back home I started working on a collage for the cover of a very special record we have in the works.
And some other projects. In complete black and white? Can't decide yet. Let's see what the evening brings.

I love the smell of collage in the afternoon

Work in progress.
More Happy Family members keep arriving. The Misfit Sisters, too: Olivia and Hilda.
I don't know if it's a fiction writing baggage, but while I'm making these characters (see? I call them characters already), I cannot help telling their story, where they come from, why they look the way they do, why the hairdo, who buys their clothes for them. Olivia and Hilda, in particular, had me laughing hard a couple of hours ago.
I don't know if you will laugh, though, when you meet them. They look dark and creepy. Maybe too much Joy Division playing in this house. No, wait -there's never too much Joy Division.
Should I start tagging everything with "goth"?