Sunday, July 12, 2009
Friday, July 3, 2009
The Crack Track
Hey!
So, its official. The final week before our exhibition has come upon us. This means late studio nights, excessive amounts of caffeine, and many many many things to get done in a short amount of time. We've basically been living in the studio the past couple of days, and it has been such a great experience. We've been split into three groups to help cover the ground we need to cover in an efficient manner. We've encountered some major setbacks already, but we're working through them in order to get ready for the exhibition. Seeing everything coming together has been awesome...it looks cooler than we imagined it would. Being in the studio has been a life changing experience for me. I've always struggled with where art fit into my life since its not my major and not something I have a lot of time for at school. However, since being here I've discovered ways to make it fit into my schedule. I don't need to give it up entirely just because I'm not studying it in school. I've also really been pushed artistically here, which has been the push I've needed, but haven't been able to get.
We've basically been living in the studio. We went to see West Side Story on Broadway. It was really awesome, but I didn't realize the story was so depressing. It didn't compare to getting to meet the cast of the Little Mermaid though. That'll be hard to top :)
I can't believe I only have a little more than a week left here. I feel like I've known this group for so long! We're all dreading leaving each other since we're all so attached.
Oh! I was offered a job to illustrate a childrens book. Its such an awesome opportunity for me. Please just pray it will work out. They might need me while I'm in NYC. If thats the case, then they're going to keep my portfolio work on file and call me next time they need someone. This makes me so excited :)
Okay, well I'm going to go back to working in the studio until some awful hour in the morning. I'll try to keep you all updated on a regular basis!
So, its official. The final week before our exhibition has come upon us. This means late studio nights, excessive amounts of caffeine, and many many many things to get done in a short amount of time. We've basically been living in the studio the past couple of days, and it has been such a great experience. We've been split into three groups to help cover the ground we need to cover in an efficient manner. We've encountered some major setbacks already, but we're working through them in order to get ready for the exhibition. Seeing everything coming together has been awesome...it looks cooler than we imagined it would. Being in the studio has been a life changing experience for me. I've always struggled with where art fit into my life since its not my major and not something I have a lot of time for at school. However, since being here I've discovered ways to make it fit into my schedule. I don't need to give it up entirely just because I'm not studying it in school. I've also really been pushed artistically here, which has been the push I've needed, but haven't been able to get.
We've basically been living in the studio. We went to see West Side Story on Broadway. It was really awesome, but I didn't realize the story was so depressing. It didn't compare to getting to meet the cast of the Little Mermaid though. That'll be hard to top :)
I can't believe I only have a little more than a week left here. I feel like I've known this group for so long! We're all dreading leaving each other since we're all so attached.
Oh! I was offered a job to illustrate a childrens book. Its such an awesome opportunity for me. Please just pray it will work out. They might need me while I'm in NYC. If thats the case, then they're going to keep my portfolio work on file and call me next time they need someone. This makes me so excited :)
Okay, well I'm going to go back to working in the studio until some awful hour in the morning. I'll try to keep you all updated on a regular basis!
Monday, June 29, 2009
I apologize for the lack of updates recently. We've been so busy this past week doing studio stuff and hanging out on the weekends. I'll try to give you a detailed enough update to fill you in on what I've been doing for the past week!
We spent a lot of time in the studio last week, which was so incredible. We were able to finally come up with a specific idea, break into groups, and begin planning out how to use the space appropriately. Its been awesome to finally begin work in the studio and really being able to envision how this exhibition will work. However, we have dealt with some conflicts along the way. As many of us are visual artists, we're used to being able to draw/paint what we want to, how we want to, and when we want to. Now we're thrown into an area with nineteen other artists and twelve staff members who are also artists. This project will be highly collaborative which means that, in the end, the audience won't be able to pick out who did what. We have a little over a week before our exhibition so we're all feeling a little anxious about finishing it on time...we've even started planning out what our all-nighters in the studio will look like.
Being in the studio with so many other artists has taught me so much about what it truly means to pursue a career in art and what it means to be a Christian artist. Its been such a blessing being able to have this experience and be able to learn so many skills that I can take back with me. The most important thing though is knowing that I can use my skills to glorify God. This is terribly exciting to me!
On Wednesday we had a guest speaker, Sy Rogers, who gave us a six hour lecture on his testimony and what to take away from his story. It was INCREDIBLE! I've always been really interested on human struggles with sexuality and the whole concept of attraction, which is exactly what Sy Roger's talk was about. He used to identify as a homosexual, but through some life events he eventually married a woman and has a child now and identifies as straight. He spoke a lot about human sexuality and the struggles that come along with it, especially as a Christian. I was so happy that he talked about how straight people struggle with sexuality too...I feel like that gets forgotten a lot. I really wish I could write about everything he spoke about, but I dont think I could do it justice. You guys should check out his story at syrogers.com
The weekend was an amazing experience. On Friday everyone on project was given free tickets to a Staten Island Yankees baseball game. We were given all the free food we wanted and a free hat! Getting there was a little iffy since we had a scary lightning encounter. The game, however, was so fun! We all had a great time hanging out, and it was such a good way to de-stress after a week in the studio.
Saturday we tried to get Shakespeare in the Park tickets, but the line was just too long. We were a little bummed about it, so we went off to go find something else to do. We went around Times Square and got to go to this HUGE Toys R Us. Three of us girls got practically front row tickets to the Little Mermaid on Broadway for that night...and they were cheap tickets too! When we got to the theater we realized our seats were amazing. The show was awesome...we could see every little detail of the makeup, costumes, sets, and facial expressions. Seriously, the show was phenomenal. Afterwards, the three of us were able to meet the cast, get their autographs, and get pictures with the cast. We were on cloud nine for the rest of the night. I cant believe how blessed we were to be able to experience all of that. I don't think I'll ever forget that night :)
Sunday was another awesome day. We went to a different church and it was fun to experience something I usually dont get to. Afterwards we walked around Central Park for hours. We got to see so many performers in the park, got to see some fun fountains and little ponds, and just got to enjoy good times together. It was awesome! I got to see the apartment building that was used for the outside shots of the Friends apartment building. I'm sure you all know how excited I was. We watched the sunset on a pier at the end of the day...just more good hanging out and relaxing time...so delightful!
This week has a lot of work in store for us as we prepare for our art show. I have more I want to update about what scripture I've been reading and stuff like that, but its late and I'm tired. I'll update that stuff soon.
We spent a lot of time in the studio last week, which was so incredible. We were able to finally come up with a specific idea, break into groups, and begin planning out how to use the space appropriately. Its been awesome to finally begin work in the studio and really being able to envision how this exhibition will work. However, we have dealt with some conflicts along the way. As many of us are visual artists, we're used to being able to draw/paint what we want to, how we want to, and when we want to. Now we're thrown into an area with nineteen other artists and twelve staff members who are also artists. This project will be highly collaborative which means that, in the end, the audience won't be able to pick out who did what. We have a little over a week before our exhibition so we're all feeling a little anxious about finishing it on time...we've even started planning out what our all-nighters in the studio will look like.
Being in the studio with so many other artists has taught me so much about what it truly means to pursue a career in art and what it means to be a Christian artist. Its been such a blessing being able to have this experience and be able to learn so many skills that I can take back with me. The most important thing though is knowing that I can use my skills to glorify God. This is terribly exciting to me!
On Wednesday we had a guest speaker, Sy Rogers, who gave us a six hour lecture on his testimony and what to take away from his story. It was INCREDIBLE! I've always been really interested on human struggles with sexuality and the whole concept of attraction, which is exactly what Sy Roger's talk was about. He used to identify as a homosexual, but through some life events he eventually married a woman and has a child now and identifies as straight. He spoke a lot about human sexuality and the struggles that come along with it, especially as a Christian. I was so happy that he talked about how straight people struggle with sexuality too...I feel like that gets forgotten a lot. I really wish I could write about everything he spoke about, but I dont think I could do it justice. You guys should check out his story at syrogers.com
The weekend was an amazing experience. On Friday everyone on project was given free tickets to a Staten Island Yankees baseball game. We were given all the free food we wanted and a free hat! Getting there was a little iffy since we had a scary lightning encounter. The game, however, was so fun! We all had a great time hanging out, and it was such a good way to de-stress after a week in the studio.
Saturday we tried to get Shakespeare in the Park tickets, but the line was just too long. We were a little bummed about it, so we went off to go find something else to do. We went around Times Square and got to go to this HUGE Toys R Us. Three of us girls got practically front row tickets to the Little Mermaid on Broadway for that night...and they were cheap tickets too! When we got to the theater we realized our seats were amazing. The show was awesome...we could see every little detail of the makeup, costumes, sets, and facial expressions. Seriously, the show was phenomenal. Afterwards, the three of us were able to meet the cast, get their autographs, and get pictures with the cast. We were on cloud nine for the rest of the night. I cant believe how blessed we were to be able to experience all of that. I don't think I'll ever forget that night :)
Sunday was another awesome day. We went to a different church and it was fun to experience something I usually dont get to. Afterwards we walked around Central Park for hours. We got to see so many performers in the park, got to see some fun fountains and little ponds, and just got to enjoy good times together. It was awesome! I got to see the apartment building that was used for the outside shots of the Friends apartment building. I'm sure you all know how excited I was. We watched the sunset on a pier at the end of the day...just more good hanging out and relaxing time...so delightful!
This week has a lot of work in store for us as we prepare for our art show. I have more I want to update about what scripture I've been reading and stuff like that, but its late and I'm tired. I'll update that stuff soon.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
Wow...these past couple days have been quite the whirlwind!
We spent a better part of the week in meetings and having studio time to really develop an idea for our exhibition. We came up the idea of thresholds, but we need to come up with some concrete ideas for what that might look like. Studio time was a little frustrating for a lot of people because it's been hard to continually come up with ideas that incorporate everyone's mediums. We did come up with five concrete ideas that we pitched. We should hear back tomorrow about which one we will choose!
Soularium on campus has been going awesome. We've been able to pair up and use a picture survey in order to see what other people believe. I've been surprised by how open New Yorkers are about their lives. Its been such a hoot getting to hear where they are all coming from.
I had some time with my mentor the other day, and it was incredible. We spent some time talking to two of the girls she teaches (she's a professor at a college around here), and had some girl time. She shared some of her story with us, and it was absolutely incredible. It was pretty cool to be able to see how God has been working in her life...I've definitely been praising God for that time I've spent with her.
This weekend we had the chance to be tourists. The whole weekend was free for us to do what we want, which was quite a welcome break after a week of long meetings. Saturday was incredible! A group of us went out the box office for Mary Poppins on Boradway and got some tickets. We headed on over to the Museum of Natural History, which was SO fun! That place is huge! We spent a couple hours in there and did not even see half of the exhibits. I want to go back some time soon so I can finish looking around. We went to Mary Poppins on Broadway that night...my heart just about exploded with excitement. I LOVE musicals so much! Most of you know how much I wanted to see a Broadway play while I was out here, so you can imagine just how happy I was. The show was phenomenal. It was just so fun and catchy. My heart has been smiling every since :) I cant wait to see West Side Story now!
Today, we did a bunch of exciting things as well. A small group of us spent the morning taking a ferry ride over to Liberty Island to see the Statue of Liberty. We didn't get to go inside but we still got to walk around and take pictures. Seeing it up close was awesome! We took some good pictures of us doing silly things at the base. It was a nice time to just hang out with people here and finally relax. After that, we hopped back on the ferry and headed to Ellis Island. While there we were able to see the Immigrant Museum and eat some lunch by the water. We headed back to NYC afterwards and checked out Ground Zero. It was really interesting seeing where the Twin Towers used to be. Most of it was blocked off from sight, but we peaked in anyway. There is still a bunch of stuff that needs to be cleaned up...After that, we headed on over to a Church across the street that has a memorial type exhibit set up about the Twin Towers.
I went to the late service at Trinity Grace Church with some people. I really enjoyed this church and hope to come back sometime soon. The message was also really good for me to hear. It was about loving your enemy and really understanding what that means. I know for me, I still hold onto some bitterness towards a couple people that have hurt me in the past. I get really upset when I think about them, and its hard for me to think about loving them. The message really explained that God has the same love towards them that He does towards me...that was really good for me to hear. It was a really good talk :)
Exhaustion has definitely been setting in on the students here. We have a really demanding schedule here, and its really easy to be worn down. We have early mornings and late nights usually. Also, we spend a lot of time in meetings discussing project ideas, which can be just as draining as other things. It was so nice to be able to relax this weekend and not have to think about too much. It definitely helped me recharge a little.
I'm sure this upcoming week for us here holds a lot of planning time and some fun activities. I'm really looking forward to diving into this project and starting to produce some art.
God is good :)
We spent a better part of the week in meetings and having studio time to really develop an idea for our exhibition. We came up the idea of thresholds, but we need to come up with some concrete ideas for what that might look like. Studio time was a little frustrating for a lot of people because it's been hard to continually come up with ideas that incorporate everyone's mediums. We did come up with five concrete ideas that we pitched. We should hear back tomorrow about which one we will choose!
Soularium on campus has been going awesome. We've been able to pair up and use a picture survey in order to see what other people believe. I've been surprised by how open New Yorkers are about their lives. Its been such a hoot getting to hear where they are all coming from.
I had some time with my mentor the other day, and it was incredible. We spent some time talking to two of the girls she teaches (she's a professor at a college around here), and had some girl time. She shared some of her story with us, and it was absolutely incredible. It was pretty cool to be able to see how God has been working in her life...I've definitely been praising God for that time I've spent with her.
This weekend we had the chance to be tourists. The whole weekend was free for us to do what we want, which was quite a welcome break after a week of long meetings. Saturday was incredible! A group of us went out the box office for Mary Poppins on Boradway and got some tickets. We headed on over to the Museum of Natural History, which was SO fun! That place is huge! We spent a couple hours in there and did not even see half of the exhibits. I want to go back some time soon so I can finish looking around. We went to Mary Poppins on Broadway that night...my heart just about exploded with excitement. I LOVE musicals so much! Most of you know how much I wanted to see a Broadway play while I was out here, so you can imagine just how happy I was. The show was phenomenal. It was just so fun and catchy. My heart has been smiling every since :) I cant wait to see West Side Story now!
Today, we did a bunch of exciting things as well. A small group of us spent the morning taking a ferry ride over to Liberty Island to see the Statue of Liberty. We didn't get to go inside but we still got to walk around and take pictures. Seeing it up close was awesome! We took some good pictures of us doing silly things at the base. It was a nice time to just hang out with people here and finally relax. After that, we hopped back on the ferry and headed to Ellis Island. While there we were able to see the Immigrant Museum and eat some lunch by the water. We headed back to NYC afterwards and checked out Ground Zero. It was really interesting seeing where the Twin Towers used to be. Most of it was blocked off from sight, but we peaked in anyway. There is still a bunch of stuff that needs to be cleaned up...After that, we headed on over to a Church across the street that has a memorial type exhibit set up about the Twin Towers.
I went to the late service at Trinity Grace Church with some people. I really enjoyed this church and hope to come back sometime soon. The message was also really good for me to hear. It was about loving your enemy and really understanding what that means. I know for me, I still hold onto some bitterness towards a couple people that have hurt me in the past. I get really upset when I think about them, and its hard for me to think about loving them. The message really explained that God has the same love towards them that He does towards me...that was really good for me to hear. It was a really good talk :)
Exhaustion has definitely been setting in on the students here. We have a really demanding schedule here, and its really easy to be worn down. We have early mornings and late nights usually. Also, we spend a lot of time in meetings discussing project ideas, which can be just as draining as other things. It was so nice to be able to relax this weekend and not have to think about too much. It definitely helped me recharge a little.
I'm sure this upcoming week for us here holds a lot of planning time and some fun activities. I'm really looking forward to diving into this project and starting to produce some art.
God is good :)
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Why are you striving these days
Why are you trying to earn grace
Why are you crying
Let me lift up your face
Just don't turn away
Why are you looking for love
Why are you still searching as if I'm not enough
To where will you go child
Tell me where will you run
To where will you run
And I'll be by your side
Wherever you fall
In the dead of night
Whenever you call
And please don't fight
These hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you
Look at these hands and my side
They swallowed the grave on that night
When I drank the world's sin
So I could carry you in
And give you life
I want to give you life
(Chorus 2x)
Cause I, I love you
I want you to know
That I, I love you
I'll never let you go
(Chorus 2x)
Why are you trying to earn grace
Why are you crying
Let me lift up your face
Just don't turn away
Why are you looking for love
Why are you still searching as if I'm not enough
To where will you go child
Tell me where will you run
To where will you run
And I'll be by your side
Wherever you fall
In the dead of night
Whenever you call
And please don't fight
These hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you
Look at these hands and my side
They swallowed the grave on that night
When I drank the world's sin
So I could carry you in
And give you life
I want to give you life
(Chorus 2x)
Cause I, I love you
I want you to know
That I, I love you
I'll never let you go
(Chorus 2x)
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
"George Clooney is nice"
Hello!
I've officially been in the city for one week now...which means I only have four weeks left.
I feel like the first week away from home is always the hardest for me. As most of you know, I'm very rooted to my hometown. I always have such a hard time knowing I'll be away from Ledyard for awhile. I had some major homesickness for the past week. It was a little rough sometimes, but I'm trying to enjoy every single moment this project has to offer me. Besides, this first week just flew by. So, to everyone at home - know that I miss you all dearly and am eagerly looking forward to seeing you guys soon!
These past couple days have been mind blowing. We met with out mentors we'll have for the summer. Basically, they're all Christian artists making a living in the city. They'll help us learn about what it takes to make a living as an artist and how not to compromise your faith for you art...and ways to incorporate your faith in your art while still making it relational to those who are not Christians (this is a lot harder than it sounds!). My mentor is a painter and children's book author. She seems really cool and offered me a chance to partake in some awesome opportunities (call me for more details!) I'll be meeting up with her about three or four times throughout the last couple weeks left, and she'll help me with my portfolio. She also really took a liking to me and is interested in the activities I am a part of outside of art. I'm really looking forward to my time spent with her.
I'm finally starting to adjust to how different city life is than Ledyard life. I really struggled with that at first, since its just SO different. Everything is a little too fast paced for me. Getting familiar with the streets and the subway routes has definitely helped the city seem a little smaller to me. I've decided that I could never live in the city. As fun as it is to be here, I'm a small town girl :)
We got to view other people's portfolios today, which was awesome and intimidating at the same time. There is some awesome talent here on this project. I'm excited to see how we're all going to pull our specific gifts together in order to form a collaborative piece. Please just pray for that process.
So...studio time. We've been in the studio so much lately, and will be basically living there for the next four weeks. One thing I really loved about the studio is the sense of community when we're all there. We get to hang out in the kitchen and the "classroom" portion. Today, we all ate lunch there and played cards while we were waiting for our next activity. Its just awesome to really make that space our own and get really comfortable. I feel like I've gotten a bit overwhelmed with the time we've been there too. We've been in the same room for hours at a time, making plans to pitch for our exhibition. The plan making has been a little frustrating on my end. I feel like I've had a creativity block recently. That just added to me feeling overwhelmed. Please just pray that we don't become too overwhelmed during our studio time.
I went to Tim Keller's church on Sunday and got to hear him speak. I wanted to write a little about what we talked about since it was awesome, but I dont have my notebook near me. I'll update you guys on that later.
One thing that's really just blown my mind is knowing that God is bigger than this city. How awesome is that?! I just think thats something really fun to think about. Even though this city is huge, our God is much bigger :)
I've officially been in the city for one week now...which means I only have four weeks left.
I feel like the first week away from home is always the hardest for me. As most of you know, I'm very rooted to my hometown. I always have such a hard time knowing I'll be away from Ledyard for awhile. I had some major homesickness for the past week. It was a little rough sometimes, but I'm trying to enjoy every single moment this project has to offer me. Besides, this first week just flew by. So, to everyone at home - know that I miss you all dearly and am eagerly looking forward to seeing you guys soon!
These past couple days have been mind blowing. We met with out mentors we'll have for the summer. Basically, they're all Christian artists making a living in the city. They'll help us learn about what it takes to make a living as an artist and how not to compromise your faith for you art...and ways to incorporate your faith in your art while still making it relational to those who are not Christians (this is a lot harder than it sounds!). My mentor is a painter and children's book author. She seems really cool and offered me a chance to partake in some awesome opportunities (call me for more details!) I'll be meeting up with her about three or four times throughout the last couple weeks left, and she'll help me with my portfolio. She also really took a liking to me and is interested in the activities I am a part of outside of art. I'm really looking forward to my time spent with her.
I'm finally starting to adjust to how different city life is than Ledyard life. I really struggled with that at first, since its just SO different. Everything is a little too fast paced for me. Getting familiar with the streets and the subway routes has definitely helped the city seem a little smaller to me. I've decided that I could never live in the city. As fun as it is to be here, I'm a small town girl :)
We got to view other people's portfolios today, which was awesome and intimidating at the same time. There is some awesome talent here on this project. I'm excited to see how we're all going to pull our specific gifts together in order to form a collaborative piece. Please just pray for that process.
So...studio time. We've been in the studio so much lately, and will be basically living there for the next four weeks. One thing I really loved about the studio is the sense of community when we're all there. We get to hang out in the kitchen and the "classroom" portion. Today, we all ate lunch there and played cards while we were waiting for our next activity. Its just awesome to really make that space our own and get really comfortable. I feel like I've gotten a bit overwhelmed with the time we've been there too. We've been in the same room for hours at a time, making plans to pitch for our exhibition. The plan making has been a little frustrating on my end. I feel like I've had a creativity block recently. That just added to me feeling overwhelmed. Please just pray that we don't become too overwhelmed during our studio time.
I went to Tim Keller's church on Sunday and got to hear him speak. I wanted to write a little about what we talked about since it was awesome, but I dont have my notebook near me. I'll update you guys on that later.
One thing that's really just blown my mind is knowing that God is bigger than this city. How awesome is that?! I just think thats something really fun to think about. Even though this city is huge, our God is much bigger :)
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