The Jewel.

I had some sweet goals for things I could get done while I was in Ohio this weekend.  Reading, outlining, sketching, etc.  Then we rented XMen Wolverine, and none of that happened.  So, here I am on a Sunday night, just now back in town, with a LOT of stuff to get done in the next three or four days, almost no food in my apartment, with a pile of dirty clothes and a suitcase still packed.

If someone were to draw a cross-section of my typical weekly grocery run right now, this is what they would see:

english muffins, cereal, sweet potato, veggies, cream cheese, grapes (red and green..), peaches, snow peas, carrots, and soup / veggie stock depending on the crock-pot project of the weekend.  i'm pretty thorough in the produce section these days.  i would loooooove to do all of this shopping at whole foods, but instead i frequent the jewel.  it's just about half as expensive and if you're patient and go to the right location (lincoln ave - NOT broadway, not grand) the fruit isn't so bad.  learning little by little.

From kelleybozarth.com

Resolution Generator

I think I might have mentioned this before, either on here, to a friend, or in a facebook link, but please look at the New Year's Resolution Generator here.  Yes, I made resolutions independent of a website.  Some of those I've had to postpone until further in the decade, though... so I'm on the hunt for FUN resolutions. 

The first time I clicked on this website today, this is what I got.  I didn't keep refreshing until something fun came-up... it's a sign :)

While we're posting fun links, please keep an eye on BMD Love Blog by Bruce Mau Design.  The quotes and design pieces they feature are wonderful and I had to cut myself off yesterday so that I wouldn't spend hours going through everything they've ever shared here.  This one, captured from their blog?  My new motto.  Thanks, Bruce.

Karnak

For Christmas I got a desk calendar of "1000 Places to See Before You Die," and the other day the Karnak Temple was shown... can you imagine standing in a complex this huge?  Some of the columns have diameters of over three meters, and can be 21 meters tall.  Whaaaat?  Someday...

From kelleybozarth.com

My weekends :)

Okay, here's the problem : there aren't enough hours in the day and there isn't enough money in the bank.  Someday I will be better at getting past "getting by" but for now, no such luck.

I've spent a lot of time right here, on the couch, working on this that AND the other.  Papers are spread out allllll around... and on the weekends, I make a conscious effort to sit on both sides of the couch.  Its like flipping the mattress, right?

From kelleybozarth.com

the3six5

I posted a while back about a new project for 2010, where a different author writes an entry in a block (the3six5) everyday, telling the story of that particular day from their individual point of view.  After hearing about the project I wanted to be involved, so I volunteered to take-on a day and was assigned January 27.... yesterday!

The instructions were to send something in about your take on the day, 750 word limit (which I didn't even come close-to for once - update : word limit is 365... don't know where I got 750... either way, I still met it!), by 9pm my time.  Given how hectic yesterday ended up being it was actually a struggle to meet yet another deadline, but I made it and my entry was promptly posted on the site!  How sweet is that?!  So, check it :)

Garden Signage

Well, one of the reasons it doesn't seem like I've been sketching much lately, is because I've been working on a pro bono project with my P+W partner in crime :)  Still in very early conceptual phases, and ever so slightly in-limbo right now, the project includes developing some signage and wayfinding for a garden at a local high school.  There's a huge, huge story that comes with pretty plants here, and we want to help the designers tell it.  See some sketches and imagery we sent them to help start showing our direction - I'll post developments as they come!

It's as if they heard my questions...

The bad news about working for a firm with extremely strong ethical, environmental, and socially responsible initiative?  I will be taking the LEED exam before my 26th birthday.  The good news, however... came in the email I received this afternoon.

While I won't directly quote - I haven't asked permission and it doesn't seem respectful, but given the disaster recently incurred by the nation of Haiti and our social responsibility to respond, the firm will match - dollar for dollar - every contribution an employee makes to the American Red Cross.

Matching a 401K is impressive, but matching dollar for dollar with no cap / limit for a purely philanthropic cause is wonderful.  On top of that, they've mentioned on-going opportunities to provide pro-bono services relating to the re-building phase the people of Haiti will soon tackle.

Pretty impressive... and a wonderful response to the questions I asked myself this morning.

Early morning thoughts.

I. Am. Exhausted.  I get seven or eight hours of sleep at night, so I should be fine, but the mornings get more and more difficult to wake-up for these days.  What is that about?

That said, lets talk about something a little bit more serious.  So, the earthquake that just hit Haiti is similar to a few things that have happened in my lifetime - 9/11, Katrina, etc.  I instantly get the urge to jump on the bandwagon and help.  Here's the glitch: I'm not a doctor, I'm definitely not wealthy, and I don't have access to tons of water, food and routine supplies.  How am I supposed to help?  I know that sounds weak and packed with excuses, but seriously : how??  I HAVE to work.  In this economy, regardless of the natural (or unnatural) disasters we've faced, the last thing I need to do is quit a job.  However, given my commitment to work, my limited finances, and my artistic, vs. medical, education, what is there?

Kind of a general thought, question, I suppose.


Meanwhile, I'm on a diet.  I'm sick of eating eggs.

From kelleybozarth.com

Trying to make a come-back!

Sorry for the lack of creativity lately... I kind of feel like I'm cheating as I continue to post images of Christmas-past, milking a week of sketches out for the next month, in the next year, in the next decade!  As mentioned before, though, I promise I haven't been slacking.  I've been sketching my brains out, its just not quite public yet. 

Pamela and I are helping out with some signage studies for a local high school who's been building a fully-accessible garden.  The project is actually really impressive, and for someone with no sense of a green thumb, way over my head.  I know that the entire thing was built on reclaimed soil that has gone through some intense remediation, it's accessible to those in wheelchairs and not, has a fair amount of agriculture to be learned, uses recycled and reclaimed materials, and has included a great deal of student involvement.  The men in charge could talk for days about all of the components, which is where we come in.  How to tell their story for them...  And so, we've just started with some preliminary sketches and concepts - more to share once things get a little bit more intense.

Likewise, my twin sister is getting MARRIED (june 26, 2010) and she has put your's truly in charge of all of the print collateral.  That includes invitations, right?  Wrong.  Thats what you THINK, until you open up Pandora's box and all of a sudden you find THIS list -

save the dates
invitations
reception cards
response cards
response envelopes
enclosures
outer envelopes
programs
table numbers
escort cards
thank you notes
thank you envelopes
directions / map
favor tags

Besides that, I'm starting to gather plans and ideas for a weekend of a bridal shower and a bachelorette party (and their respective invites), AND on a diet to get into a decently-sized dress.  I might go into business as a professional Maid of Honor. 

AND, as we wait for a couple things to kick-off in the office, I got to work on some of the fun stuff - like the graphic for this year's chili cook-off (and cornbread throw-down)!  After a couple rounds of revisions, this was the one sent-out to the office.  Corny and cheesy, yes, but we have a big enough office that it makes me a little nervous sending out emails / graphics / whatever to everyone here.  Small-town attitude.

Christmas Close-Up (3)

It's a Friday night, and so far I've had a beer with my coworkers, met with a printer (wedding invitations... not mine!), made dinner, started to prep for a wedding slideshow, put together a lego sears tower (awesome, erin!), taken down christmas lights and decorations, vacuumed, swept, and did an hour and a half's worth of dishes.  And reorganized the kitchen.  I'm meeting with the phone / internet man sometime between 8 and 11 in the morning tomorrow.... so... going to sleep in just a minute here.

Meanwhile, another close-up of a christmas card (part of a set I gave one of the women in my family).

From kelleybozarth.com

Christmas Close-up (2)

Pardon me for not writing much / sketching much as of late.  Between the holidays, deadlines (both for work and outside of it) and my newest endeavor - working on Meagen's wedding invitations (+ everything else to be printed - yikes!) I've been slightly distracted and I think adding sketching on top of that might push me over the edge just yet.  It's on my list of resolutions to get better about it and start posting more frequently, but even getting to that list is further down a different to-do list. 

The good news : I had a wonderful time in Ohio celebrating both Christmas AND New Years!  I hope
everyone else had a lovely holiday, as well :)

Cleveland's Terminal Tower - loosely sketched / painted... :)

From kelleybozarth.com

Christmas Close-Up

As previously mentioned, this year I went the homemade, economical, thoughtful way with as many Christmas presents as possible, including 4 sets of cards for 4 women in my family.  I posted a photo of all 32, but will be gradually showing the scanned versions of some of them.  It's so disappointing to see how washed-out the watercolors look once scanned... hmm.

From kelleybozarth.com

Merry Christmas / Happy Holidays!

I just got home last night from another wonderful Christmas with my family.  The more I'm with them and the older I get the more I think I need to work moving back into my 5-10 year plan.  We'll see what kind of creative endeavors and shifts make or break that idea, though. 

One of my goals was to give a 100% handmade Christmas this year.  I started out really well at the Renegade Holiday fair.  Then I came up with the idea for four of the women in my family - all handmade - and then it slowly trickled away from me. 

I drew / painted these cards for two aunts, my grandmother and my mom as Christmas presents.  No surprise that the FLW-inspired set was my favorite to work on, but that's probably because I think I've drawn Falling Water 5-10 times by now.  More details to come!

From kelleybozarth.com

tis the season...

Kim (sits next to me at work) asked me to sketch her dogs for her... Christmas-themed :) 

From kelleybozarth.com

fa la la la la....

Tonight I'm (hopefully) going home to Ohio - weather permitting!  Can't wait to see my "neices" :)