Well! About two weeks ago now I posted something on Facebook. I thought it was funny. Many others felt differently. I managed to offend people...again. Oops. I really do NOT set out to do that. I have a hard time letting it go when it does happen. I want to say my opinion but I don't like dealing with the outcome, which is...I don't know, juvenile, I suppose. Unreasonable, at least. But that's what I do, even knowing that.
And how can I do it differently? Beats me! Maybe get a thicker skin? Thing is, I thought I had one. I've gotten rejection after rejection on writing and artwork, and I hate it, but it's part of what I do.
Putting my opinion out there is even more personal, and even more likely to get bad results. I'm not terribly tactful, and I'm aware of that.
So two weeks later I still have this in my mind. I'm bothered by the fact that I bothered people. I can't go back and undo it, I know, but I can work on not sticking my foot in my mouth. I can try, at least! Maybe some opinions really aren't meant to be shared. Novel thought, I know.
It's always the small things that get me in life.
Today I'm happy that a very good friend is trying to write things down on an online site, 750 words a day. I'm really excited that he's doing this, just free-writing, even though it's such a little thing in the grand scheme of things.
I'm looking forward to the closing episode of the Mentalist on Wednesday because Jane and Lisbon finally get married! I've looked up the photos online a few times. Pretty damn cute.
I'm waiting to hear whether a bookstore will ask me in for a job interview or not.
I'm waiting to hear back from an agent I sent five chapters to a few days ago.
I need to do dishes.
I have a high school friend who might come visit me in a few days.
I haven't seen her in nearly 20 years and I need to buy an air mattress.
I don't know her daughter at all and have no idea how she'll get along with my kids or what the weather will be or how any of it will go.
I'll need to clean my house. I know her daughter likes classical music, which isn't one of my things at all. I don't know that I should mention that but I'm afraid it may slip out. I wonder if she likes anything else and I have a mental list of things I could try, everything from Matchbox Twenty to Kongos and U2 and all sorts of other things. I don't know if I'll do any of that either.
I know my friend is single and I have another male friend in the same part of the state who is also single and I don't know if I should mention that either. I'm no matchmaker...but what if I mentioned it and she saw his profile picture on Facebook and liked it and they met and really got along? Then I'd be glad I mentioned it!
And that's only from the past few minutes. Sometimes I think my mind is like a highway, with all these thoughts just zipping along on their way from here to there. Other times I envision a vast, sunlit clearing, strewn about with ribbons and yarn and string and all sorts of things, some shiny and others different textures, and they're draped over each other and over this giant tree in the middle and tangled together, but they're fairly happy that way.
Maybe I should paint that someday!
Maybe I need a nap...
About Me
- Amy Lynn Spitzley
- I am ME. That's all I really know how to do. Generally that involves taking something ordinary and making it fun, as I've done with the artwork here. I've done pencil drawing since I was very young, then branched into painting, and my current fascination is with collage. I can take a drawing and basically color it with paper. Really, how cool is that?
Monday, February 16, 2015
Monday, February 2, 2015
Got it!
Took a Sharpie marker to my Kite Dogs piece, and I think it's much better now! Check it out...
More Musings
Hello out there! Well, it's been a few days, but I think that's okay. Today's a nice sunny Monday, deceptively bright in that Michigan winter way. It's single-digits out there, but hey, the sun does help! I figure it's a decent day to ramble on a bit more.
I'm frustrated by my art again. Ugh. I had this great idea of dogs kiteboarding! Sweet, huh? I thought so, and the original sketch turned out nicely, but then I added color. I wonder if I should just not do that? So often my pencils are better than anything else, but I like adding color, and sometimes it kills the project. In this case, the original was cool, the colored pencil showed great potential, and some of the watercolor was great, but overall it ended up looking cartoony.
See? Not bad, but the water in the background isn't what it should be. I got a few "likes" on Facebook, but that's about all. That generally tells me my project hasn't done what I wanted it to. With the Buccaneer Bunny, I got tons of enthusiastic comments. With this, a bare handful. People were being polite. I get that--I do it myself. There's something I did wrong here and I wish I knew exactly what it was. It's been suggested that I might go over it with pen and ink, and I think I might try that. I like that look sometimes, and with bright colors like this it can look like stained glass. It might fix whatever the problem is, and if not, oh well. Chalk it up to a learning experience! The problem with art is my learning experiences tend to stack up physically. With writing, they're just on my computer. Much more compact.
Another thing I'm going to do today is look up art galleries and see if that leads anywhere. I wish I knew what I was doing, but I don't, really. I already know I'm a good writer. I have two books out there proving it to the handful of people who've actually read them...but that's a different topic. With art, I think I'm pretty good, but it's a hard thing to prove.
And that's my sunny day...waffling a bit, but with at least an idea of what to do. Better than sometimes, I suppose!
I'm frustrated by my art again. Ugh. I had this great idea of dogs kiteboarding! Sweet, huh? I thought so, and the original sketch turned out nicely, but then I added color. I wonder if I should just not do that? So often my pencils are better than anything else, but I like adding color, and sometimes it kills the project. In this case, the original was cool, the colored pencil showed great potential, and some of the watercolor was great, but overall it ended up looking cartoony.
See? Not bad, but the water in the background isn't what it should be. I got a few "likes" on Facebook, but that's about all. That generally tells me my project hasn't done what I wanted it to. With the Buccaneer Bunny, I got tons of enthusiastic comments. With this, a bare handful. People were being polite. I get that--I do it myself. There's something I did wrong here and I wish I knew exactly what it was. It's been suggested that I might go over it with pen and ink, and I think I might try that. I like that look sometimes, and with bright colors like this it can look like stained glass. It might fix whatever the problem is, and if not, oh well. Chalk it up to a learning experience! The problem with art is my learning experiences tend to stack up physically. With writing, they're just on my computer. Much more compact.
Another thing I'm going to do today is look up art galleries and see if that leads anywhere. I wish I knew what I was doing, but I don't, really. I already know I'm a good writer. I have two books out there proving it to the handful of people who've actually read them...but that's a different topic. With art, I think I'm pretty good, but it's a hard thing to prove.
And that's my sunny day...waffling a bit, but with at least an idea of what to do. Better than sometimes, I suppose!
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Yoga and art stuff
Hello again! Day two of me keeping up with the blog. Today will be short, since I'm going to yoga in an hour. I don't really enjoy yoga, you understand, but I do it because I know I should. I have fairly serious scoliosis. Damn crooked spine robbed me of three inches! Anyway, some postures are intensely frustrating, but I know I'll get them if I stick to it.
So my Riding Rabbit painting didn't turn out quite like I was hoping. Here it is. It's not bad, but...it's cutesy. My others weren't quite like that. I'm not sure why this didn't work the same way. I think the positioning is off, which may have something to do with it. The good news is, the one I'm working on now involves two shaggy dogs on kiteboards, and so far it's going great! I got an art board as an early Valentine's Day gift from my husband, too, so I feel like I'm getting all professional and stuff.
The other thing I did today was see our family therapist with my husband. Normally she's there for Dorran, who has Asperger's, but every so often she likes to check in with just the two of us. Today I was the subject of scrutiny, due to my lack of a job, and frustration about finding and keeping one. I'm pretty low, I admit, and the harsh realities that were pointed out to me were deserved. I'll let that discussion percolate over the weekend and go to Michigan Works on Monday. I need to make something work, I know.
So my Riding Rabbit painting didn't turn out quite like I was hoping. Here it is. It's not bad, but...it's cutesy. My others weren't quite like that. I'm not sure why this didn't work the same way. I think the positioning is off, which may have something to do with it. The good news is, the one I'm working on now involves two shaggy dogs on kiteboards, and so far it's going great! I got an art board as an early Valentine's Day gift from my husband, too, so I feel like I'm getting all professional and stuff.
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Painting a Rabbit
Hello there! I have decided I should actually start blogging on my blog. Novel concept, I know.
The thing is, I don't know what to write about. That's why I haven't been doing it. I'm a writer and an artist, a mom and a wife, a daughter, a sister, a hiker and biker and lover of my little slice of Michigan, with Grand Traverse Bay down the street. None of these things individually is that original, but together I think they make for an interesting me.
So, what am I going to be writing about here? Anything I want. This is not going to be for promotional purposes only. I'm not that great at marketing anyway. I'll try to keep it vaguely professional, without vast amounts of profanity or silly emoticons (I'm notorious for the (grin) I do on Facebook all the time) but hey, I write for teenagers. Sometimes those things might pertain.
Today, it'll be about painting. I'm working on piece that I like. It's a rabbit wearing a saddle. He's wandering through what's supposed to be snow--I took photos of my daughter's rabbit exploring outside a few days ago--but I can't get it to look quite right. I'm using graphite pencils, colored pencils, and watercolors, and if I mess with this any more it'll start to look muddy. Then all the time I put into it is wasted. I don't want that. I think I may finish the border, touch up a few details, and gently splatter-paint the whole thing with white, so it looks like he's going through falling snow. That's a risk, I know, but I think it's worth it.
If not...well, one more learning experience! I really want this to work and become a series, though. I've done the Monocle Squirrel, the Buccaneer Bunny, and now this one. Next up is hopefully a shaggy dog on a kiteboard. I have NO idea if I'll be able to pull that off. I'm really going off the seat of my pants here. I haven't had art classes since the 90's, and my techniques are odd and old. I don't even know how to stretch paper properly anymore. (Note to self--look that up online.) I use the bits I know and make stuff up and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I do the same with writing, I suppose.
Well, tune back in and I'll tell you what happens! Exciting stuff, I know, but hey, I kinda like it.
The thing is, I don't know what to write about. That's why I haven't been doing it. I'm a writer and an artist, a mom and a wife, a daughter, a sister, a hiker and biker and lover of my little slice of Michigan, with Grand Traverse Bay down the street. None of these things individually is that original, but together I think they make for an interesting me.
So, what am I going to be writing about here? Anything I want. This is not going to be for promotional purposes only. I'm not that great at marketing anyway. I'll try to keep it vaguely professional, without vast amounts of profanity or silly emoticons (I'm notorious for the (grin) I do on Facebook all the time) but hey, I write for teenagers. Sometimes those things might pertain.
Today, it'll be about painting. I'm working on piece that I like. It's a rabbit wearing a saddle. He's wandering through what's supposed to be snow--I took photos of my daughter's rabbit exploring outside a few days ago--but I can't get it to look quite right. I'm using graphite pencils, colored pencils, and watercolors, and if I mess with this any more it'll start to look muddy. Then all the time I put into it is wasted. I don't want that. I think I may finish the border, touch up a few details, and gently splatter-paint the whole thing with white, so it looks like he's going through falling snow. That's a risk, I know, but I think it's worth it.
If not...well, one more learning experience! I really want this to work and become a series, though. I've done the Monocle Squirrel, the Buccaneer Bunny, and now this one. Next up is hopefully a shaggy dog on a kiteboard. I have NO idea if I'll be able to pull that off. I'm really going off the seat of my pants here. I haven't had art classes since the 90's, and my techniques are odd and old. I don't even know how to stretch paper properly anymore. (Note to self--look that up online.) I use the bits I know and make stuff up and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I do the same with writing, I suppose.
Well, tune back in and I'll tell you what happens! Exciting stuff, I know, but hey, I kinda like it.
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