Rush, Rush

Alright, I have a confession.  I've been playing Saints Row IV a lot recently, and I don't think I"m going to stop anytime soon.  I don't normally play games where you have to drive, for some reason the controls always make me react too slow, but Saints Row and its particular brand of fun work for me.  I admit I like the fourth game a little more because you have super speed powers and can run instead of driving as much.

I've played through Saints Row The Third and started the second in the series (just a note - this is not an ideal way to get through the series.) and have a good grip on the storyline.  Not that you need it, because I think The Third and IV were meant to be played without too much foreknowledge of the rest of the series.  I just really like them.  They came from a place that was a little grittier to become more lighthearted as things went on.

Anyway, video games make a large portion of the way I spent my downtime.  I also read a great deal, sometimes I get bored of one or the other and start gaming/reading more heavily, but the two are always there.  I like watching the visual story unfold in a game, especially one as silly and crass as in Saints Row.

So what does my love of games have to do with Paula Abdul?  In Saints Row IV the characters sing "Opposites Attract" together.  Which is a great song, but Rush Rush will always be my favorite Paula Abdul song.  Not too many months ago, I found out my husband hadn't seen the Rebel Without a Cause inspired video for Rush Rush, starring Keanu Reeves.  That had to be remedied immediately.

I've loved this song since it came out and I was recording it off the radio.  Some days I wake up with it in my head, like today.  It's great background while I ink another new fabric design.

Geordi LaForge

So that's a strange title for an art blog post, right?  I mean, Geordi LaForge is from a Star Trek show that's been off the air for a long time, and it had nothing to do with art.

Geordi LaForge image from Wikipedia

But that character, Geordi LaForge (played by LeVar Burton) was one of the most influential characters in my young life.  I watched Star Trek: The Next Generation from when I was in sixth or seventh grade until it went off the air not too many years later.   They had some great characters - it truly became an ensemble show, no matter what the original intent was.

Geordi LaForge was chief engineer of the flagship of the United Federation of Planets was my favorite character.  He made me want to be an engineer, a goal that guided and changed my life.  He was funny kind, reliable and a damn genius that saved the crew of Enterprise more times than I can remember.  Together with his best friend, the android named Data, they solved a good number of the problems encountered as they explored new reaches of space.

Geordi LaForge saved people with math and science.  He changed civilizations and uncovered history.  I knew that most engineering jobs weren't likely to be on a futuristic naval space platform of any sort, but all those really great qualities about Geordi, I wanted to be that too.  Even in middle school, I knew I was good in math and science but I could try harder, be more like LaForge.  I won a lot of awards in school, and found a love for physics as I studied more and more science and math to prepare for my intended major in college.  I went to a prominent engineering college.

But I wasn't a very good engineer, in the end, and my heart wasn't in the study of it.  That was fine with me, because when I chose to do something else, I knew it I had given it my all.  It just wasn't for me.  Turns out that changing your mind isn't that uncommon after all, and I had a lot of good company as I tried (for years) to figure out what I wanted to do with my life.

I find myself thinking about the steps it took to get here these days because I wonder a lot if I'm making the right choices.  There's no Geordi for me to look up to this time, and I sometimes founder.  It would be easier/safer/more secure if I went back and did something else with my life instead of creating art.  My car is sitting outside my house dead right now because I just can't get it fixed.  I need new glasses.  There's a whole list of things that I would love to get for my house that aren't at all frivolous, but I can't right now.

And you know what, I bet Geordi would say that's fine.  He loved his job, even with all its complications and the people the he lost, and the problems that never got solved.  His job could topple over his life, take up way too much time and energy, and put him in danger more than a few times.  But he loved it.

I love my creative career.  I like learning new skills or working on the old ones.  I get to challenge myself on a daily basis, and on the days when I am feeling too sick to work, I don't have to make myself like I did working in retail or administration.  My stores are always there.  You can stop by here and say hi to me and I'll get back to you when I'm feeling better.  I don't have to sit at a desk and listen to someone else talking loud on the phone or get sick from the smell of perfume anymore.  My arms don't have bites from paper fleas and when I wake up in the morning, I don't get sick as I prepare for the day.

Sometimes I don't have all the things I need, but then again, neither did Geordi.

New Fabric Designs

I've been enjoying the cooler weather recently, and catching up on my exercises.  My running habit evaporated over the summer, so I am getting back into it and going to the gym as the rains come more often now.  Autumn feels like a breath of fresh air to me.

I made a few new designs in my spoonflower shop and last week I finally got to see how they looked on fabric.  I'll be making them available for sale soon, but I wanted to share one with you.

This is a fun, colorful fabric I designed sometime when it was still warm.  I think the colors reflect the mix of seasons.  I like it - it would be great for a summer party tablecloth.

Slush Pile: Shore liner

Here's a picture I took last year on the bank of the Charles River at the end of September.  I really liked it, even though the blooms are mostly gone.  It's in a semi-edited sort of state, but the great colors stood out enough for me to share it.  This might be a good piece to apply my texture so blue to it and see what happens.

As I ease myself back into blogging, I thought I'd start out with a photo.  I didn't get to go out at all last week due to combination of weather and circumstances.  But that's fine, I love fall because it grows more photogenic up until the very end.

A few days of rest

I haven't abandoned you dear readers, but I'm taking a few days of rest while I can.  It's shaping up to be a promising autumn for me.  But what is art, without the breaks that clear the mind and bring inspiration?  I shall see you next week!