My Father made me learn to drive stick first. It was horrible to start. Now I am so comfortable, the hard part over, I back in with ease. Reverse cameras and fancy indicators are nice but not essential.
Similarly, while my studio practice has me up to my elbows in 3D design in real life, last I return home into 3D design in pixels. The French engineering team who invented Solidworks have continued to improve this amazing CAD software. I only wish all school children could get such experiences early in life.
Even learning to ask what is your design intent, clarifies and changes how you think about a problem.
Once again, the Clarifying questions
To be comfortable in 3D vector graphics makes everything in 2D so much more manageable. Adobe’s suite of graphic tools is also getting a lot of play. The Adobe Substance collection is a bit baffling, with so many overlapping territories, yet we press on.
Expect some frustration. Save often. Asking “what is my goal” is the fastest way through the hours of meandering hall of mirrors tours. Try combining interests like improving music and learning animation to make it your own jam. May we all find the patience and pathways to our definition of success.
Sunday 1/8/23 from 10 -11 am pacific time with Rachel L. Philips author, host and designer.
Join a one hour zoom demo, on how to get a first book published. Email rp@raychil.com for the free zoom link and the download the class linked files to build a 5×8” low content paperback: Cover and Manuscript.
Endless Days Connection Games to enrich life through adventures and improvisation to share with friends and beloveds while apart. A live host’s companion, full hot links and cool was to connect. Download the eBook, a free with Kidle Unlimited membership.
Available as a Free Download with Kindle Unlimited
Did you check this out yet? If you needed to look it up again why not go order some in paperback? It’s time to get your kitchen copy. Grab an extra copy or two as they make a great gifts.
Drop by and share what you are enjoying, what’s your current sedition of delicious?
Since that first book I have been continually inventing new recipes. Because of the new rice cooker and insta-pot winter menus have been extremely convenient around here. Now the orange tree is in fruit we are blessed once again with fresh citrus to glean, trade and share with neighbors. It still amazes me we can harvest such delicious food from an urban garden.
Do your dreams stay with you? I keep a dream book to help me reflect and record my nocturnal adventures.
You can too. Start a new practice in a book exclusively dedicated to exploring your subconscious’ amazing moving picture shows. I log and date each entry easily look back to find patterns and themes. I draw a lot of information from my dreams too. Read on to see what creating a record of dreams might do for you.
Plant a seed of something. Maybe a question you want an answer to. Perhaps it’s a place or person you long to visit. Maybe it’s a feeling you want to experience. You are the director, producer, set designer and all of the actors. Embrace the opportunity to make more of life during what was once just more time passing by.
Embrace haphazard. Don’t worry about what or how you can recall. Rare is the sequential story recalled. Record all sensory impressions in whatever order they may occur. Make side bar notes of what things might mean for you.
Try audio recording. Often mumbled pre dawn voice memos are my only clue to reconstruct a graphic image for my dream archive. Voice memos are helpful but sketch and written words are all I keep. The spoken word audio I find to be too messy as an archival tool. I will listen back to aid recall and transcribe what is present, then erase the voice memo. The exception is when I get a song. Those are precious and I will keep that audio clip or make a more finished musical clip from the idea.
Dream Sketch Journal is built to support the wildly unformatted structure of dreams. Primary schools teaching writing will have large stacks of paper with an equal division for word and image. I find this format supportive of the way I think. Wanting a Dream Journal formatted this way but not finding it I built this book.
And what if there are no dreams? Have your Dream Sketch Journal a pencil in easy reach. Start now and see where it leads. If you have poor sleep this tool might be helpful to bring attention to stillness, reflection and open you to future revelation.
Philosophers, sur realists, poets and kings have used dreams to unfold their future. English author Jonathan Swift, asked for dreams to furnish his livelihood as he wrote many popular books like Gulliver’s travels from his nightly adventures. What might tonight’s dreams have in store for the world? Take time to unpack free flowing radically raw and uncensored always amusing sometimes good council.
Here’s something to try
Make notes, start asking for dreams, your writing notes or symbols before sleep is a great place to invite lucid dreaming. Take stock of your day. Take five breaths, state three things you are grateful for as you settle in for the night.
Figure study with springtime sun, feels great when wrapped in a quilt for mom to keep cozy.
Ask a question or request a dream theme to activate tonight in sleep. Though mind and body are resting there is still conscious awareness and presence. Uncover this ancient revelatory practice to reflect and enrich waking life.
Order an extra one too. They make a terrific gift. If interested in connecting further on this topic join me to get invitations to future programming on this topic.
Stitching together, a celebration of crating, community and friendship.
If your last name is Tennant, Anderson, Hotchkiss, Densmore, DeAngelo, Grimes, Philips, Calabia, Leopere, Lando, Spielman, Moore or Cain-Rollings you will likely find familiar imagery in this book. An epic computer crash and time at home has provided the inspiration to catalog my quilt making mania.
Now is the time, if you are welcoming a new baby into the family contact me about creating a custom offering. I will stitch you a matching tiny keepsake from the same cloth as the splendid welcome quilt. You get a mini art momento to hold close while apart thank is a link to the full sized art quilt.
Click the photo to link to the book.
Additionally the “pitch in a patch” is still available for groups who wish to create a good luck, welcome, or make up a gift “from all of us”. Have everyone contribute cloth to mark a special occasion. See my book as it is full of ideas and examples of past work. Some quilts use photos, creative themes as narratives. Others are artistic visionary pieces built fro wild dreams and twist into previously unseen unforeseen directions.
Do you wish you had gone to art school but didn’t have access to that privilege? Here’s a glimpse of what I learned about drawing from years of studying art and teaching design to high school and college level students.
For years I have been planning, sifting, perceiving, composing and choosing the very best practices to build this simple but comprehensive visual guide for you. All of the images and words are my own. Writing the book I imagined what I would say to you if we were sitting together over our papers with pencils in hand to help you succeed. May you enjoy this gift, what I have brought together to share with you my student, my friend, my earlier self.
Precocious students of any age are invited to check out this comprehensive, sequential college level exploration. The text divided into a 10 unit curriculum, opens each with a rubric table of goals for self assessment. This tool allows individuals to synthesize deep thoughts on new ideas while studying independently.
Use pencil and paper (mostly) so no fancy supplies are needed to get started. Set aside your excuses as no previous skills are necessary. This instruction can be a refresher for strengthening hand eye skills and keeping the mind sharp or walk you forward from the very beginning of your visual education.
Playfulness is a key value of this practice.
Tune into the social opportunities for drawing with friends or honoring relatives. Share this information with a group of friends or maybe other students. Gain access playful games to strengthen visual perception while having fun. (Check out my previous post, dedicated to an e-book all about fun and games).
Draw because you can’t take a picture.
Dream can not be photographed, but what fun they are to document. Access the life of the mind with a drawing practice. Get started now. Begin with step instructions to build confidence. After completion, the final step is to build a portfolio to feature and show off your finished work. Drawing Illuminated, Beyond Basic is a great tool to use independently or as the foundation of a drawing workshop or class.
Enjoy strengthening your creative practice. I look forward to hearing from you and seeing what you build along your journey.
In response to the conditions of 2020 I made a study fun. It is now an eBook of games, tips and ideas for hosting a memorable gathering.
Follow the Leader – Variations including body percussion links to get things moving Drawer Dash -Locate of a particular class of item to show and tell in a flash on a theme Virtual Tours – Journey together to a suggested destinations or build your own adventure Telepathic Graphic – Test how well you can beam a drawn image to a remote partner Gift Horse – Retire the tired old White Elephant and try a new story gifting game
Some easy paper and pencil moves on to embedded features like screen sharing or everyone marking on the same whiteboard. Click scribble on coloring pages to mark at the same time while getting familiar with zoom tools.
Games with turn taking help people communicate across the distance. Being together in play is fun. When background noise, conversation dominators and cross talk occur a host can choose to mute and get back to the game. Find a way for everybody to share and be present, together while apart.
Download the PDF instructions before the meeting ($4.99 on Etsy). For people who already know how to sew, come to experience the BodyFit Method.
Saturday December 19, 10:30 am PST Saturday October 24, 10:30 am PST https://zoom.us/j/2303940709 to join Zoom
The Maddy HikingDress is comfortable as a nightshirt yet looks put together and professional. Born of T-shirts so it is easy care and available in your favorite color(s). Learn this new approach to affordable and easy to manage style of town to trail dressing.
Prep Three T-shirts: Prewash 2 shirts of the same color and a third T-Shirt for a contrasting accent. Choose the same weight in cotton knit to create your new favorite Hikingdress.
Options include:
Sleeveless or short sleeves (long sleeves can be formed with extra cloth) or pair with a sleeved base layer.
Neckline options include a contrast facing, V neck, a turned edge may expand to include a face framing cowl.
Option of adding a shelf bra if using a facing.
Contrast band at the mid line can be placed high for an empire waist go low on the hipline, even softly curving to accentuate your shape.
The fit can be body skimming or a looser for a wide stride with a twirl friendly ruffle if you please.
The Maddy dress is an intermediate project from the Hikingdress collection. Think of it as a blank canvas, Instructions that can be completed in a day if you are comfortable sewing on knits and have the supplies on hand.
The Saturday 10/10/2020 Suzi HikingDress was a big success, and will be offered again soon. Email Rp@raychil.com to express interest in joining beginner level classes. next in the lineup
https://raychil.comhikingdress-maddy-workshop/
Gather your Largest T-shirt, sewing supplies & download the PDF instructions before the meeting.
During the 90 minute session learn how to BodyFit for an up cycled fall dress or tunic.
Use a comfortable A line or choose a closer fitting shape to remake a favorite cotton T-shirt. This easily accessible beginner project features careful fitting and finishing to completa your Hikingdress or tunic in one day. You likely have all the supplies on hand you (if you sew).
