QHereKidSF @ Tri-Life: I TRY – UMPH!? – to triumph, even if victory means to fall flimsy forward on high-wire shaky strings. Gladly, I would step sure-footed onto a straight wrought-iron rope to delight in ecstatic acrobatics... There! Where skyward heaven-sent, my mindflux, mayhem, and moribund monstrosity ne'er do not matter more – QHEREKIDSF.COM!
Adding to my recently posted collection of name designs & doodles in pencil, I've included (below) my newest design of "STARSCAPES & TYPOGRAPHY" [no.#4]: WALLACE (WES) SMITH—a redesign of my SHANTI volunteer's full name.
I was a bit disappointed with my first design for Wes (see previous post), because of the rather disjointed, unharmonious shape of his formal first name (WALLACE). I saw the design as too distracting, confusing and in a way, down right ugly, but I liked the starscape and arrows of that design.
So, I set out to re-conceptualize the design of Wes's first name, so that it would be more appealing to the eye; whil, as best I could, duplicating the overall aesthetic of the starscape & arrows. Here's the sketch, below!!:
I believe that I succeeded with this second design at creating a more powerful, compelling composition; even though, it's not perfectly centered or straight on the paper. What do you think? Any thoughts on how the design could be improved?
Wes, himself, seems to really enjoy the second design and appreciates the fact that I went through the trouble of revising the design for him in the first place. He says that he is going to post it on his work office bulletin board for all his colleagues to admire and to be reminded of me every time he looks at it, just in passing by. Aww! How sweet & sentimental!! I'm touched.
I'm proud of my work and am glad that Wes can share in that pride so enthusiastically. He's such a great guy! Now, I just need to decide whose name I will design next; I'll probably design my best friend's name: PETER MAYBARDUK. Because he totally deserves a gift for being such an amazing friend to me for almost 12 years. He's another amazing person!
I won't beg for feedback on this blog entry, like I always do, because I feel pretty confident about the design and don't necessarily need its success to be reinforced to me by random strangers. I happy with Wes's reaction; that's all that I need to be satisfied with my art work. But, if you want to offer some feedback as I have mentionned, please do so! I always am working to improve my doodles and to eventually one day begin to create real art! Thank you for even gazing upon this sketch of mine for Wes Smith, my SHANTI Volunteer. I appreciate having a space where I can exhibit my work, and will continue to do so in the future. Thanks! Cheers! Ciao! Peace Out! Namaste...
Matt(e)o | QHereKidSF Matthew D. Blanchard San Francisco, CA 94109-7821 [MDB2009.06.18@08:28PMPST]
The following is text of a journal entry I recently uploaded to my Last.fm profile, in response to revelations I had had upon listening to CHICK POP!! (Kelly Clarkson Radio) for the first time on this internet radio service. The POP DIVA music that was played to me when I entered "Kelly Clarkson" (and eventually "Madonna") as play topics in the radio station configuration widget ignited in me a deep, spontaneous desire to expound upon my penchant and proclivity for all things DRAG!! Please read this journal entry, and offer some feedback!!
Let me know what you think about my idea to study DRAG PERFORMANCE at the graduate level, and to begin my studies before applying to graduate school with extensive field research in San Francisco and in other locales where there might be a thriving experimental queer performance circuit. I imagine a career teaching & directing young, budding drag princes & princesses, and progressively developing a solid, critical theory & history & aesthic of the art of DRAG PERFORMANCE. It sounds like a righteous, awesome plan to me!! But, the question is...can I turn it into a graduate or post-graduation educational track and an eventual profession? And can I get funding to study such an avant-garde, alternative, peripheral form of art?
Early this morning (or was it late last night? — I DON'T CARE!! I don't know!!), I randomly found myself linked to Last.fm on my computer, just listening for pleasure and to be introduced to new musical artists, as I sketched away in my drawing book and diary. I had nothing to do after reaching a moment of pause in my doodling, so I sat down to record tags and playlist (v.) certain songs that I had been listening to on the random, fagottry "flame-boi-ant-lee" FIERCE station "Artist - Kelly Clarkson Radio."
See, I enjoy Kelly Clarkson. At least, I am fond of her debut album, which I had previously purchased from the iTunes Store for my music library and to which I have listened avidly and with pleasure recently. So, I thought that I would enjoy songs by various artists similar to Kelly Clarkson, and essentially (vaguely?), I did.
What's so poignantly perturbing about this inclination of mine to listen to CHICK POP!! (or what I have called "LA LA Lady" POP!!), is that these songs awaken in me my deep-seeded interest in and penchant for the trans-queer experimental performance art of DRAG!! All the songs that I listened to tonight, and especially the ones that I added to my new playlist, are perfect for a budding drag princess musical performance repertoire.
As I am no longer beautiful enough a boy to "trans-form" my fabulosity into a FIERCE "Fagged-Out Funambulist Freak Show" drag diva dreaming, because I have lost my face after a terribly traumatic illness and injury to the face: a necrotizing bacterial infection (i.e., Gangrene!!) that led subsequently to the amputation and ongoing craniofacial reconstructions of my mouth, nose and upper jaw, I can no longer dream of becoming a drag diva one day.
But I can and do dream of becoming what I like to think would be an objective, outside expert on the study of EXPERIMENTAL QUEER PERFORMANCE (i.e., drag!!), it's AESTHETICS and its HISTORY; its COMMON PRACTICES & CANONICAL DEFINING ELEMENTS; and eventually discovering/creating a theory behind it all!!
This is a dream that I can still pursue, even to a graduate/post-graduate level of study, to receive a PhD in Performance Studies and to teach DRAG at the M.F.A. Level. A significant component of my dream accomplished would be to open a B.F.A./M.F.A. Drag Performance Conservatory where accomplished older drag queens who have succeeded in stretching the boundaries of their art and in creating a variety of memorable personae act as master teachers, training young gay (or straight!! yes, of course, straight!!) men in the practice of the art of drag performance: vocal technique, lipsyncing, dance, costuming, wig design/maintenance, makeup design, character development, history, aesthetics, experimentation, defining your own art, etc... The school could also be geared toward lesbian or straight women interested in pursuing the art of the Drag King!!
Here's an example of premier Experimental Queer Performance (DRAG!!) from the San Francisco Bay Area's ultimate drag performance phenomenon: Trannyshack!! HEKLINA is a mega-star in San Francisco!! Wow! It'd be a dream to study with her for a couple of months, and to really get acquainted with her performance style and technique, maybe even eventually helping her rediscover and redefine some of her aesthetic, to make it all more theatrical, professional, performative (instead of just kitsch, like you see here in this video!) But, "kitsch" is popular!! It's what works! I wouldn't want to change anything that works well, maybe just enhance it or at least study it in depth. The theories & practices that I will develop in this course of study will ultimately transcend the kitsch & camp, and will be true, genius art. That's my dream! And Heklina would be a great partner in crime for this adventure: a dream diva to work with!!
These songs that I have listened to: CHICK POP!! are perfect songs for the contemporary drag repertoire. For now, before ever thinking of going back to school to study DRAG, I should start by conducting independent field work on my own, interviewing drag queens in the San Francisco Bay Area and afar, learning their techniques for developing character, examining their personal endeavors at training themselves, because no school really exists yet, and learning about the dynamic of the drag diva/princess mentoring relationship.
I could feasibly write some articles for scholarly journals about the art of drag and about my observations based on extensive independent field study and get published before applying to grad school. This would only help the acceptance process and prime me for admittance to only the best, topnotch Performance Study PhD programs in the country (particularly, the local UCBerkeley program, or the NYU Tisch School Program, or the Northwestern Program, or a program at UCLA—but I think Berkeley would be most accepting toward this route of study!!).
I definitely can get access to a number of San Francisco Bay Area drag queens (the most reputed, widely acclaimed and celebrated, and the most successful) for interviews and such, via Facebook and connections I have to the Imperial Court of San Francisco and to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Inc. This would not be difficult; it would only take initiative and courage on my part to face my fears of interacting with new people despite my disfigurement and despite the fact that I wear a mask. But, for sure! This would give me something constructive to do during the in between time before and after my subsequent reconstruction surgeries.
All this thought about my desires to study DRAG PERFORMANCE stems directly from this "Artist - Kelly Clarkson Radio" that I was listening to on Last.fm. All of these wonderful female pop sensations that I discovered just listening to this brand of music has opened my mind to so many possibilities.
Tonight, I also completed my POP ALTERNATIVE MALE VOCALISTS playlist, so that it includes just enough playable tracks and individual artist to be playable itself on Last.fm. Now, I should be able to call this playlist up to be played on my Blogger® Page: http://qherekidsf.blogspot.com/, where I have a Last.fm widget in my right-hand sidebar. In fact, that is how I discovered Last.fm...through Blogger® gadgets.
And finally, I also edited the Last.fm P!nk biography to include playable tracks, links to artists' pages and an END NOTE on the super queer-fabulous friendship between P!nk and Ellen Degeneres. I wrote of how P!nk's appearances on the ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW have only served to promote (if not cement?) P!nk's stardom and pop celebrity. I cited the fact that P!nk was one of the only musical artist to be selected to perform at Ellen's 50th birthday party. And how P!nk debuted ELLEN's "Bathroom Concert Series" with a duet rendition of "So What." Here's a YouTube video of that performance:
Wasn't that just great to watch!! Their friendship is such a reward and a remark on the power and pomposity of the queer community!! They are both such stalwart advocates of equality for all!! And their friendship is magical, helping to define both of their celebrities. That was my final bit of contribution to Last.fm this morning, and that is where I will end this journal entry.
Please respond with comments, feedback and shoutbacks!! I'm always interested in hearing from followers of my blog and journals to see if there's any apparent way that my perspective on things might change because of what I learn from others. That's how it works for me! It's about give and take... So please give a little bit of comment on what I've discussed here as my drag diva deuteronomous dreamings!! Thanks!! And I look forward to next time... Cheers! Ciao! Namaste!
IF ONE ADVANCES CONFIDENTLY IN THE DIRECTION OF HIS DREAMS, AND ENDEAVORS TO LIVE THE LIFE HE HAS IMAGINED, HE WILL MEET WITH A SUCCESS UNEXPECTED IN COMMON HOURS. — Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)
So what do you think of all of this? It's a far off thought that I pontificated on in journal form for my Last.fm audience, so that I could share it with all of my blog followers now. It's a unique thought, this idea of mine! What I didn't leave mention for in the journal entry was the pinultimate crux of the idea I actually have to broaden my study of the trans-queer art of drag. I shouldn't share the idea now, for fear that someone might steal it, but I highly doubt that my readership is of such high numbers that I could risk losing out on the originality of an idea to intellectual property theft or mishandlings.
So, I'll venture forth with the crux of the idea here in the closing of this blog entry. What I envision as a graduate or post-graduate work of study and scholarly writing is the publication of a combo piece of academic and how-to literature. I envision publishing an outrageous, cartoon-illustrated how-to book with in depth instructions on the study of DRAG PERFORMANCE that incorporates academic writing in a covert, obtuse but very accessible way about the History & Aesthetic Developments of Contemporary Drag and Drag Performance throughout the ages.
There would be discussions on Greek Comedy (like Lysistrata), DRAG in Gothic Passion Plays, Elizabethan Drag Performance, performance of the costumed lovers' tryst in 17th & 18th century French Comedy of Manners & Comédie Bourgeoise, to discussion on the pre-war art of female impersonation and the carnival-esque in Britain, France & Germany.
There will also be discussions on post-war French surrealist & dada theatre (such as Apollinaire's Les Mamelles de Tirésias), to writing on pre- & post-Stonewall modern drag performance and eventually on contemporary experimental avant-garde drag performance in film and theatre (such as Priscilla, Queen of the Desert; To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything Julie Newmar; Hedwig & the Angry Inch; La Mala Educazione, as well as other lesser known cult film classics), and discussion on contemporary regional drag traditions across the country and across the globe (such as San Francisco's very own local cult phenomenon: Trannyshack!! hosted by the infamous and celebrated icon, HEKLINA—as seen in the first video embedded into my journal entry).
The book would be accessible to all queer and queer-friendly audiences and would particularly be used as the major academic learning text for the Conservatory of Drag Performance that I have envisionned opening in San Francisco or Los Angeles or in New York City. The book could have accompanying texts, such as exercise books for character studies, and could include a CD or DVD compilation of recorded audio or video drag performances and DIVA pop!! for the musical drag repertoire: a comparative musicological study on the various genres particularly fitting for various traditions of drag performance around the globe, and throughout history.
See, I have high hopes, and I am here, right now, laying claim to this very unique idea!! I haven't heard anyone ever discuss such an idea as plausible and feasible, but I believe that it especially is so. It's something that could really spark a burning ember of passion amongst the queer and queer-friendly communities for the art of drag, in essence, refining the public's tastes on the art of drag performance and improving the art itself, at the same time. This is what I envision!!
What do you think of the idea? Don't steal it from me! This idea has given me something to live for beyond my disfigurement!! I want so badly to make it happen, to realize this dream of mine, and ... IT IS POSSIBLE!! I just have to hope and pray that some seasonned, professional DRAG QUEEN doesn't come along and accomplish all that I have described before I get a chance to get around to start pursuing it as a plausible, real idea myself. That's my matter of worry! That's the only obstacle standing in my way!!
When I wrote my good friend & mentor, Steven Tierney, Ed.D, CAS a letter on May 30, 2009, I intended to give it to him in person at our weekly MEDITATION & RECOVERY Session at the Zen Center San Francisco, but there was a sudden change of plans last Monday afternoon, and the friend who was supposed to accompany me to the meeting could not attend all of sudden, so I just didn't go and held on to the letter, thinking that I would mail it by post.
I even changed envelopes from one that was fully decorated just with Steven's name dancing in stars, to another envelope that was similarly decorated but included his mailing address on it. Alas, it is Sunday, a week later, and the letter has just sat on my desk gather dust.
So, in hopes that I might see Steven tomorrow night at MEDITATION & RECOVERY at the Zen Center, I decided to send him a link to my blog posting which included a transcription of my letter to him with introduction & conclusion. The following is the text from the Facebook™ Message I sent to Steven to introduce him to my blog and to have him read my letter in time to talk about before the Recovery Meeting tomorrow night:
Good Morning Steven,
It's been so long since I've talked to you that I just don't know how to begin. I wrote everything I was thinking that I wanted to say to you in a ten page hand-written single-spaced letter, which I in turn transcribed with an introduction and a conclusion as a blog entry. I wrote the letter on the evening of May 30, 2009; so, it's been a week since I sealed the envelope.
I was planning on giving you the letter in person when I saw you (if I saw you!) at MEDITATION & RECOVERY at the Zen Center last Monday, but the friend from NEW LEAF HIV+ RECOVERY SUPPORT GROUP that was supposed to go with me reneged and the plans for attending the Meditation fell through. So, I've been stuck with your letter, not knowing if I should put it in the mail (YOU COULD BE IN AFRICA, FOR ALL I KNOW!!) :-) or just wait until tomorrow when plans are rescheduled so that I can finally once again attend MEDITATION & RECOVERY with a recovering addict friend of mine who, like I said, I met at NEW LEAF SERVICES.
So, it being Sunday (which means no mail pick up or delivery!), I figured I could just preemptively send you a link to my blog entry which has the letter copied verbatim (along with other important contemplations & elaborations) so that you could read what I wrote to you on the screen & not on paper. I do however intend still to bring the hand-written letter to the Zen Center tomorrow night, if everything works out with my friend this time. So, you'll have my cute little doodles in the header of the loose leaf to gawk & stare at in amazement of my cute little creative neuroses.
Plus, I spent a lot of time writing that damn letter and making it look pretty, so be sure that I want you to have the final hard copy for posterity's sake, as a souvenir (if you keep mementos of this sort laying around your home!).
The gist of the letter is that I MISS YOU!! Even though, I don't think that's ever explicitly written in the text. And, while there has been this gulf growing ever wider between us, I have been working very hard to try to recalibrate my priorities for recovery & sobriety. All of this is in hopes that you might be able to see in me some promise, some drive, some commitment, some plans; so that you can feel comfortable enough to reintegrate yourself back into my life to a point where I in no way am the cause of any strife or negativity.
I'd like things to go back to the way they were, when we would hang out every week and go to the movies, but now that my recovery is a burning, pressing priority, we can't go back to these old ways of just nonchalantly ignoring the truth of my weak and feeble existence. I would like to see you regularly still however, even if that means only at MEDITATION & RECOVERY at the Zen Center San Francisco on Monday Nights. It still would be nice to be able to meet you at the teahouse ahead of time for some nice supportive conversation and a checking in.
I could really benefit from having your stalwart, sensitive, savvy support in my life every week, to keep me as "on track" as I have been these past few weeks since I started attending RECOVERY SUPPORT GROUPS at NEW LEAF. Finally, I was assigned a psychologist (a therapist, MFT!), and we have worked very intensively each week now for four weeks at mapping out my clean time and analyzing my triggers and cravings and hangups and give-ins.
Like I say in the letter/blog: "I AM MAKING PROGRESS!" And, I want you to share in that forward momentum. At the end of the letter, on the very last page, written in all capitals, I go on a small tirade about how and why I need you in my life, and I make a rather important, seemingly superhuman request of you.
Please, take the question seriously! Don't blow it off as just more evidence of my youthful naivety & zeal. I mean what I say...what I ask! My need for you in my life is definitely that profound! Take some time to think about the question, to interpret it in your own way, to understand what it is I am asking of you, and then please, give me your answer & comments.
You could either write down your thoughts in a return letter, or we could meet at the teahouse tomorrow night at about 6:15/30P.M. to talk one on one about the contents of my letter. If my friend from MEW LEAF comes with me tomorrow, then that would also give you two a nice opportunity to be introduced. He's a good guy! He's already invited me to three different CMA/NA Recovery Meetings during the week and on the weekend, so I am returning the favor and dragging him along to my old time favorite RECOVERY MEETING: MEDITATION & RECOVERY!!
I told him already how incredible of an experience it is. I think he'll be truly delighted and inspired by attending. Maybe we might even be able to make a regular thing out of it, he and I!? We'll see! In the meantime, I'm focusing my energies & attention on winning you back into my graces & into my good confidence, as a confidante.
That's all there really is for me to say right now. I've probably gone a little bit overboard anyway, but it's been so long since I've seen you or talked to you; I didn't want to leave anything unsaid.
The link to my blog entry with your letter transcribed with intro. & conclusion is at the bottom of this message. The blog entry is entitled, "Forward: In The Direction of My Dreams!" — a line taken directly from the last page tirade and superhuman request of you. See, that's how I feel I have begun to move: FORWARD!! And my dreams are no longer bleak and unwelcoming. They are filled with visions and feelings of constant, sustainable sobriety and success with my long term, committed recovery.
I want to share my dreams with you once again. I want you to carry me along the way when I am too week to stand and move forward on my own. "Who says a friend or brethren can't be your Higher Power?" I believe in friendship! I have faith in friendship, our friendship! May it truly bless us both with good tidings and benevolence. Namaste, dear friend!! Peace Out! Ciao! Cheers! TTYS! And see you tomorrow night (IF YOU AREN"T IN AFRICA!!)...
Who knows, maybe it will be my lucky day and be your night to lead the group with a discussion on your own personal Buddhist philosophy around Recovery. I look forward to hearing your perspective and to taking copious notes to learn by.
You're the greatest man I know! No lie! But, I don't know many men, so consider yourself "not so special," if you care to... Hehehehe. OK! I'm outtie! A DOMANI, MIO AMICO BELLISSIMO E FORTE!! Ciao again. Bye for now! Thanks for sitting though all of this dribble drabble and for listening to my every word.
Your attention and consideration means a lot to me! A whole hell of a lot!! May you be blessed with serenity of mind and wholeness of body! I hope your health is good! Mine is so so. We can talk about that another time. Ta Ta for now!
Most ever so sincerely, Matt(e)o | QHereKidSF Matthew D. Blanchard
San Francisco, CA 94109-7821 [MDB2009.06.07@08:04PST]
IF ONE ADVANCES CONFIDENTLY IN THE DIRECTION OF HIS DREAMS, AND ENDEAVORS TO LIVE THE LIFE HE HAS IMAGINED,HE WILL MEET , c WITH A SUCCESS UNEXPECTED IN COMMON HOURS. — Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)ng
I believe that this email if not succintly then exhaustively describes my intentions with the letter to Steven. I'm not sure if I will see him tomorrow night at MEDITATION & RECOVERY at the Zen Center San Francisco, because as I've previously alluded to: HE COULD BE IN AFRICA!
Yes, Dr. Steven Tierney often makes trips to Zambia, Africa to do HIV/AIDS Advocacy related work with the tribes people in the rural country, work that he has been doing on an off ever since he was Director of HIV Prevention for the SFDPH AIDS Office back when I was a member of the HPPC (see previous posts!) in 2003-2005.
So, Steven could be trapzing around Zambian villages working with the HIV+ countrymen & women & children there. He might not be at MEDITATION & RECOVERY, though I hope that if he is it is indeed his time to facilitate the Buddhist teaching discussion, 'cause I've yet to hear him speak about his spirituality to a group in public. I look forward dearly to watching him and to participating in the monitored discussion afterwards.
I think that he would welcome me interjecting my own thoughts at the end of his speech, like many other recovering addicts & alcoholics do at meetings of this sort. We'll just have to wait and see. I at least hope that Steven appreciates receiving the blog link in this email. For reference to the blog entry in mention, see the second previous entry: "Forward: In the Direction of My Dreams!" [MDB2009.06.07@13:00PST]
Below, you will find a selection of original designs in pencil by none other than "Your's Truly!" I've entitled the works collectively as "STARSCAPES & TYPOGRAPHY," because, as you can plainly see from the sketches, I have quite a penchant or flare for cosmic lettering & shapes. I first explored this unique style of name treatment back in 2006-2007, when I was an employee of FOLSOM STREET EVENTS®. I was regularly under the influence of one god-be-rid-of-it illicit substance that kept my perfectionist neuroses primed & pointed and lent itself all together quite easily to this type of intricate, monotonous, time-consuming sort of drugged-out doodling.
The first name I designed to a STARSCAPE was indeed my own; but actually, I originally intended for the sketch to go to my little nephew, my namesake: Matthew Joseph Blanchard. Back in 2006, he would have only been 3 to 4 years old, and I imagine he, his father (my brother, Bradley) and Matthew's mom (sister-in-law, Jennifer/Jenn) would have really cherished getting something like this in the mail. Once I have their new address in Japan (they are a military family!), then I will be sure to mail the sketch out right away.
I keep the drawing tapped to my wall above my computer, over my desk, so I can not only be reminded of who I am, but of the family I have yet to meet that are seperated from me by continents & oceans, knowing that one day, the sketch will be in the hands of its rightful owner, lil'Matteo!! He's an adorable kid! I've seen pictures. He's part Algerian, so he's got really cute curly black hair and soft mocha skin, and such a gentle, genial smile. One day, I'll get around to posting pics of my brother's family on my blog for all my many myriad of followers to see! I jest. But I will post some pics sometime soon, if not just for the right to boast & brag about how good looking my family is.
The second STARSCAPES & TYPOGRAPHY design is for the name of my former employer at FOLSOM STREET EVENTS®, Demetri Moshoyannis, about whom I wrpte a blog entry not two or three posts back. Demetri was a great guy! I so sorely miss the time we spent working together, and to show him my gratitude and admiration after my employment was terminated, I designed his STARSCAPE.
Again, I intended to mail it to him, but I just never got around to it, and now it just seems like it would be a little out of the blue for him to receive such a gift in the mail at his office. Imagine what he would think? "Oh man! I've got a stalker!" That is if & only if I send the sketch anonymously, which I have thought of doing. But, I suppose that if Demetri ever does take a gander at my blog, then he may just by chance see the sketch posted here and know immediately who it was from.
We'll see what I decide! All I know is that now that I have them scanned & saved on the computer, then there's no point in keeping a hold of the designs for posterity's sake. I'll get it in the mail within the month. That's a deal!
The final STARSCAPES & TYPOGRAPHY design is my most recent; in fact, I just completed it tonight. It's for my SHANTI Volunteer, Wallace (WES) Smith who has been visiting me three times a week now for three months. He is an INCREDIBLE GUY!! I'm proud to say that our ralationship extends far beyond the confines of a volunteer-client rapport; we have truly developed a budding friendship.
He listens to me when I am down, or when I am manic, or when I just feel like complaining or making a joke about my sorry life. I was so comfortable with him that after the second time hanging out with him in my apartment, I took my mask off in front of him, and I haven't put it back on for him ever since. He's very compassionate, caring and understanding. He's going to San Francisco State University in the fall to get his B.A. in Psychology. He wants to be a therapist, I think. And, I'm damned certain that he'll make a mighty fine one; that's for sure!!
Before I was assigned a therapist a NEW LEAF: Services For Our Community, I used WES has my primary sounding board and as nearly my only emotional support. I've been meaning to create for WES his own unique STARSCAPE design, so that he could have the sketch as a token of my love and appreciation. Finally, after spending all day yesterday writing & designing a THANK YOU note for a new friend I met in NEW LEAF HIV+ RECOVERY SUPPORT GROUP, I stayed up even later working on WES's STARSCAPE. It took me about seven hours to complete, because indeed I had to start over a few times here & there because things weren't beginning to shape up just perfectly enough for my hypersensitive aesthetic tastes. The STARSCAPE eventually took its finally shape, and I was quickly on the road to just filling in the empty space around WES's name with stars, arrows and circles.
I'm not entirely please with the way it turned out. I particularly don't care too much for the clutter up top where WALLACE intersects with a bunch of stars, and the cursive-type font could be improved upon, so I might just have to try my hand at another STARSCAPE for WES. I will definitely give him this one later on today, when we hang out; that's for sure!! I put too much good concerted effort into doodling this design out for it to get tossed to the wayside and ignored. I'd at least like to get WES's reaction on it, just to see if he likes it, or if he would prefer that I try to do another one.
All I can say now is that my neck HURTS! I spent the last seven hours laid over in my bed, with my head propped up in one hand and my other hand drawing, and now that I'm at the computer, I'm forced to creen my neck in an awkward uncomfortable position just to be able to see these tiny words that I am typing. It doesn't help the matter much any that I am exhausted. I'm sure that sheer & utter fatigue doesn't do well on the eye sight! My bed is calling me to return to it, only this time, head to pillow, eyes closed, relaxed, trying to sleep.
WES is an avid reader of my blog, especially when he knows that I have new entries posted, so we'll have to wait to find out what his reaction will be to seeing his STARSCAPES & TYPOGRAPHY design presented in this entry. All in all, I'm pretty delighted with the work I have done on these designs. I think that I have found a little niche for my graphic design tastes. It's simple, geometric, modular, symmetrical design with a little bit of flare in the details, so I can't boast too much too soon.
I'd rather get some feedback from anyone who might come across this blog entry, either in Blogger® or in Facebook™ or by linking to it via my LinkedIn® or Google™ Profiles. Any feedback is quite welcome!! And if you'd like to put in a request for a STARSCAPE of your own, with you very own name sprawled out in the center of the cosmos, then just ask. I think it would be reasonable to charge between $25 and $50.00 USD per sketch. I can also do them in black pen, so that they scan better; just mention that you'd prefer your name designed in ink, and I'll make a note to get started on a sketch right away for you.
It's a simple courtesy I can offer, now that I am so overwhelmed by gads & gads of free time all the time. This sketching given me a fun way to pass the time. I enjoy it! So, I'd be happy to do one for you. NO PROBLEM!! Cheers! Ciao! Peace Out! Namaste. And GOOD NIGHT!! TTYS! ==================== Matt(e)o | QHereKidSF Matthew D. Blanchard Development Associate IPPSL: International Professional Partnerships for Sierra Leone Freetown, SL • Washington, DC USA San Francisco, CA 94109 USA
I believe that I succeeded with this second design at creating a more powerful, compelling composition; even though, it's not perfectly centered or straight on the paper. What do you think? Any thoughts on how the design could be improved?
