Things Are Afoot, Wieners Too

I don’t often blog about things before they happen. I prefer to let things run their course, gather my thoughts, and then let it all out. But recently I made an agreement with one Jelly Helm to work together for a bit and see how it goes. Kind of like a reallly long date; one with a full 3-course meal and several desserts. I hope one of them is strawberry shortcake.

I am writing about it now because it is exciting! Also, this is a longer engagement than usual for me, and I will probably be blogging the intermittent results along the way. I’ve been freelancing for year and a half now, and for the most part it agrees with me. But part of what I miss is the collaboration you get from being part of a group. While I am happy drawing pioneer rabbit adventures, I also like to have my brain poked from the outside.

As for the Bureau of Betterment, I will still be accepting other projects, but for a while I will have to be a bit choosier because of my time commitment to this new endeavor. Does that super cool gig come with a YEAR’S SUPPLY OF PICKLED HERRING? Let’s talk.

A mule by another name…

I received three figurines in the mail from my friend Sarah, who wrote that she knew I liked horses and thought I might do something fun with these half-inch tall toys. I opened the tissue paper wrapping she sent them in to find two horses…and a baby calf?

I was pretty sure that Sarah knew the difference between a calf and a foal…but what WAS the relationship of my three new charges, and did THEY know that something was off kilter? I have a feeling an uncomfortable confrontation between the baby calf and the Parental Horse Units will be happening soon.

Two parental horses decide when to tell their baby calf that things aren't as they seem.
Son, there is something we need to tell you...

The Fun Theory

When I was younger, my dad used to cut out newspaper articles and highlight the important parts for me or his students to read. Now that he’s fully emerged in the digital world, I get short, unpunctuated, uncapitalized emails telling me what to read.

His most recent recommendation was this video from The Fun Theory, a “site that is dedicated to the thought that something as simple as fun is the easiest way to change people’s behaviour for the better”. I’m all for that!

The Fun Theory is an initiative of Volkswagon. Normally I would be the first paranoid Gen-X denouncer of a big company trying to convince me to “like” something on Facebook, but for some reason this just makes me like Volkswagon more. Good job marketing team!

Watching the Fun Theory videos solidified some thoughts I had been having about my blog and its purpose. My blog is a way for me to 1) explore ideas, 2) get better at making things, and 3) bring people enjoyment or encourage thinking about things a bit differently.

Number 3 is the important one, because I believe that people are at their best when they are happy or inspired. Whatever we can do to poke at each others brains to spur positive action, the better. And if it turns out that my blog is “just fun”, well that’s not so bad either.

Brian Dettmer's Book Sculptures (alternately titled "Holy Mother of Bibliography")

Wow, wow, wow. Check out these book sculptures by artist Brian Dettmer.
My Modern Met writes:
Using knives, tweezers and surgical tools, Brian Dettmer carves one page at a time. Nothing inside the out-of-date encyclopedias, medical journals, illustration books, or dictionaries is relocated or implanted, only removed. Dettmer manipulates the pages and spines to form the shape of his sculptures. He also folds, bends, rolls, and stacks multiple books to create completely original sculptural forms.

There is an interview with the artist here, or see more images of his amazing work after the jump. Continue reading “Brian Dettmer's Book Sculptures (alternately titled "Holy Mother of Bibliography")” →