why hello, 1992

This:
Five Seconds Of Every #1 Pop Single Part 1 by mjs538
and this:
Five Seconds Of Every #1 Pop Single Part 2 by mjs538
are awesome (found via J and salon).

I actually had to bury my head and cringe when it hit the Vanessa Williams section, so vividly transported to awkward elementary school dances was I. But it was good pain.

It's Nuit Blanche tonight in Montreal, and I'm heading out later - coffee in hand - to try to take in as much as I can muster. My studio is having a "black hole" themed night, (although I'm unfortunately not participating), and you should definitely check it out.

Busy day tomorrow, so much to get done. I hope your weekend has been a productive one!

polish children's books

I'm a massive fan of Polish poster illustration. I fell in love with some posters at a random shop (I have no idea where it even was) in Edinburgh waaaay back in 1998 or so. Sadly, being on a backpackers budget at the time, I left with a couple of postcards but no actual posters to lug across Western Europe with me (in retrospect, I should probably be thankful for this).

When J and I traveled to Kracow a few years ago, I had high hopes of visiting this place to finally score a poster or two for myself, but alas, it was closed on the days we were there. I almost cried. Backpacking is an emotional experience, what can I tell you?

They're pretty easy to come across online now - you can check out a bunch of posters at the The Grayspace Poster Gallery (found via Drawn), and there are also quite a few online shops out there.

You can imagine my excitement when I discovered this Polish children's book illustration site, via Camilla Engman. Above are a few of my favorites (all images courtesy of the site).

I have a few Polish school and story books at home that I adore - I live by a Polish Catholic church that frequently has bazaars. I'll have to try to scan them to share the wealth.

happy valentine's day

This etsy treasury is from a few weeks ago, but it seems appropriate to post it today. You've got to love red and white.

Happy heart day!

happy birthday to me

I turned 33 on Thursday.

33 is three years older than my "you're only 30, there's still time to get your shit together" self-imposed deadline and two years away from my "you're 35, is your shit together yet?" self-imposed deadline.

I didn't write a new year's resolution post in January, because I didn't have any, and I don't particularly enjoy subjecting myself to a list of things designed to make me feel like crap about myself. So I didn't "resolve" to do anything.

But Birthdays have a funny way of making you take stock of where you are, and where you want to be. So in honor of being another year wiser, here are some "goals" that I would like to "work towards achieving":

1. Log more friend time. My friends are awesome, and let's face it, friends (at least the ones worth keeping) are the only people who are hardwired to absolutely support and believe in you, no matter how ridonculous your ideas are. In light of the fact that I am no longer 10 years old, and my friends no longer live on the next cul-de-sac. I really need to work at keeping all of the wonderful people that I know an active part of my life. Which means that for my 33rd year, I give myself a hall pass to occasionally put down that squeegee/pen/piece of fabric, come out from hiding, and go for a beer.

2. Stop being so freaking socially awkward. I've always been one to show up at a formal dinner in ink-stained studio attire, or not RSVP to a dinner party, but it's getting out of control. Some of my foibles are making it seem like I don't care, and that's not cool.

3. Practice saying "no". I regularly take on anything that comes my way, and consequently do a substandard job of everything. This seriously needs to change. This year, I'm only going to take on as much as I know I can handle, and be realistic about it. Doing less, but doing all of it 150% better will benefit me mentally AND creatively.

4. Treat my business more like a business. I am no longer allowed to just *give* my hard work away to friends and family. Until I start taking myself seriously, no-one else can either. Which means no more freebie contracts or "pay what you can" transactions. I put my heart and soul into what I do, and I owe it to myself to be compensated accordingly.

5. Do (at least one) unassisted pull-up. In January I joined a gym with some friends (charmingly called "the slaughterhouse"), and although it has almost made me cry (like, actually break down sobbing) on two accounts, I'm loving the challenge. Last night we knocked out 100 (assisted) pull ups, no big deal. I can't believe how strong it's making me, both mentally and physically.

6. Don't get my knickers in a twist if I turn 34 and none of this has happened. Because above all else, I've learned that everything will happen when it happens, and there's no point in worrying about imaginary timelines. We all go at our own pace, and I'm a wanderer, always have been. It's time to start enjoying the scenery along the way a bit more.

Happy Birthday to me!