{journal girl presents....inktense pencil + weekly vlog}

June 25, 2011 kira

The bloody video took so long to get finished, but I managed to do it! I started with a different camera, then had compatibility issues, then had to reformat and fiddle with my desktop for three days. And when all was done (after filming near sundown because I could not wait another day to film), Final Cut Pro crashed three times and I had to use iMovie '09. Which I don't know how to use very well.

But in the end, I learned the program (and it was easy to edit in!), spent four hours on my Saturday editing, and here it is.

So, what should I explore for next week?

(Because of this delay, I'm going back to posting a video every Friday. I'm having too much fun!)

{overpainting photos (of you!) in your journal}

June 13, 2011 kira

So I decided to try a new way of doing videos. It's a vlog + a time-lapse of a journal page all in one! I'll be doing one of these a week, so if you have any ideas on what I should cover, let me know!

{a month of vlogging}

April 20, 2011 kira

What better way to test out the settings for my new camera than vlogging?

I hope to stick with it!

{video: art journal workshop's return!}

April 6, 2011 kira

Oh, have I had the most frustrating last few days! I'll spare you the details, but I'm going to back off from the computer for a bit, get back into my creating groove, and take my cousin's advice: let it out on a canvas.

I'm going to be honest, though, with what little I feel to share. I have tons of blog posts piled up (rather, drawn on a nice, big mind-map), artwork to share, stories to tell. I've been having an amazing time just floating along, but it's time for me to start kicking my feet and taking stops on the bank instead of waiting for someone to call my name. And that requires a lot of thought and notes and good music.

One thing I really want to start doing again is record my process. I love sharing it, and have finally gotten a layout in the Closet Studio that works. However, when you watch the video, you may notice its quality is...lacking. As someone who prides herself on her work, I am so frustrated, I almost didn't share it. I want to present videos that are of stellar quality, yet don't have the ability to do it. My camcorder, which I've used to film workshops and videos for the last two years, is on its last legs. It makes this clicking and popping sound when recording, which means my audio for the video workshop, thus far, can't be used. Yay for voice-overs, right? Except the Mac doesn't have a mic, and I can't get one to work.

Here's what I've had to do in order to present this video to you:

1. Record with the webcam via my netbook.

2. Import the video into Windows Movie Maker, then re-encode the video (takes about 35 min. per section, and I had 7).

3. Copy video files onto flash drive (another 15 min. per section).

4. Copy video files into iMovie on the Mac (a. 10 min per section, and b. the virus that killed my laptop killed Final Cut *sobs*)

5. Edit. And render everything.

Now, at this point, I'd simply upload to YouTube, right?

Except I can't. It times out or something after 15%. I've switched browsers, restarted the computer, tried the Java uploader. I can't seem to get this thing up on YouTube. So last night, I let it upload to my server while I slept.

So, 4 days later, here it is. And I'm not happy with it. I hate that the quality's so low. Wish I could have cut more stuff down. I hate presenting anything but my best, and part of me thinks all my problems were signs. Or lessons. Who knows?

Get the Flash Player to see this video.

I have put together some collage packs of all my favorite supplies from my stash, and am using them to raise funds for a new camera -- I've found an amazing, cross-platform, HD camera I'd pet and cherish and love -- so I can finish filming the video workshop and get back to being more consistent with my video creation. So if you like pretty things, please help a girl out?

Right now is a frustrating time for me. I'm between projects which means my income is next to nothing. This is part of the struggle trying to make a living off your art, and I hear the advice friends have given me echoing in my head. I just need to think and plan and create and stop getting distracted.

Now, if I could only get this menu program to work right, I could get these DVDs out today. I've gone through 3 trying to figure it out. My DVD program was also a casualty of the virus; I'm going to stay here and keep working until I get it done. No matter how long it takes, or how much my back aches.

(It doesn't help that my FMS is being extra-sensitive lately, and I'm getting next to no sleep. After a few days, you really start to feel it!)

{[video] four awesome things to do with collage pauge}

February 19, 2011 kira

This week's video is all about fun techniques I discovered you can do with Collage Pauge. If you've been a regular here, you know how much I love this stuff; I decided that it would be fun to share all I've discovered through experimentation with it!

Sorry about some of the shots, btw. I was experimenting with 2 cameras and failed to see the correlation between a shot over my right shoulder + being right handed. But, like with journaling & painting, experimentation is how you learn, grow, and improve.

And since I've spent so much time online this week, I'm signing off to finish cleaning and work on my painting for this week. It's windy and rainy here in Phoenix today, so what's better than curling up with tea in your pajamas and painting?

ETA: I forgot -- I took a screenshot of me working last night, just to give you an idea of how I did this. And how crazy I am...

{the experiments book #4 - creative journal covers}

January 5, 2011 kira

Peek over my shoulder as I finish up playing & sewing up covers for my new journal. All you need is your art supplies, sticky-back canvas, and a cereal box.

The Experiments Book is my Tuesday vlog series where you are invited into my studio to take a seat and play along as I create, stitch, paint, bind, & generally have fun!

(I finished editing this last night, and fell asleep as the program was exporting the video. Sometimes, this happens, especially to me! )

{in a positive way (#reverb10 - 8)}

December 8, 2010 kira

Get the Flash Player to see this video.

December 8 – Beautifully Different. Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different – you’ll find they’re what make you beautiful.

I usually leave the bragging to my mother, but I’m going to take this opening to speak about myself in a positive way. Who knows? It may turn out well!

I am different because I can always find the silver lining. Years of living with a chronic illness has taken me down a long, dark tunnel, and it was such a battle to find that flicker of light at the other end, but I was looking for a way out, not a guide. My friends and family are the ones holding the candle, the ones holding my hand as I continue through life. I have found them and they have found me.

I am different because I never give up. I never let a lack of knowledge keep me from trying something, experimenting, or creating.

I am different because I push through my fears. While many are held back by a fear of change or a fear of failure, I see those as challenges to overcome. This doesn’t mean I’m not afraid. Only that I don’t want to live my life wishing, always wishing, never doing.

I am different because I am a genuine people person. I can strike up a conversation with just about anyone, and have made friends through conversations with strangers. I compliment people just for fun, for the smiles on their faces, the change in their day. I may have days when I say I hate people, but most of the time, I leave the house just so I can chat with people!

I am different because I am smart. This may be the first time I’ve admitted that out loud, but yes, I am. I took my SATs when I was 12, have a B.A. where no one else from my mom’s side of the family has completed college. I can do math in my head, love logic puzzles, and am a repository of random information.

I am different because I am differently-abled. I don’t like saying dis-abled, because there is so much I can do. I just have to approach it in a different way. I no longer let that hold me back, or keep me from doing the same things as everyone else. In fact, I sometimes think I do things better.

I am different because I think outside the box. I remember when I had to clean the shelving and displays while working at a Barnes & Noble Starbucks. Most people took the single Swiffer sheets and used them with their hands. This meant they had to take everything off the rack to get to all the hard-to-get areas. When it was my turn, I grabbed a long straw for venti drinks and a rubber-band and made my own Swiffer wand. And was able to do a great job in a fraction of the time.

I am different because I believe in everyone. I know we all have the capacity and ability to do whatever we want - even if we don’t believe it ourselves. My favorite times are when I can take a small idea or dream someone shares with me and help them mold it into something large, beautiful, and possible.

I am different because I see nothing wrong with dancing with my mother in a laundromat.

I am different because I just love television shows. I love writing fanfiction and reading comics and giggling with my best friend over ‘ships.

I am different because I’m easy-going. I don’t stress. I don’t sweat the small stuff. I’m never in a rush, and move at my own pace. I’m ready to drop everything for a friend in need, to take care of a family member, or go on an adventure.

I am different because I don’t have a regular job and make art and write all day. I get to live my days as I’d like, and what I love to do is inspire others to take bold leaps in their lives.

I am different because there is no one else on Earth like me, and never will be. And doesn’t that mean I have a responsibility to live as loudly, authentically, truthfully, and boldly as I can?

(I have cried at several points while writing this. I never knew how much truth was in me, just aching to get out.)

{the experiments journal #3: the finished big canvas & fabric edging for a journal page!}

November 2, 2010 kira

I love that I'm using these videos as a visual documentation of many of my experiments. I get an idea, thinking it out, and then film me trying it out. These are not perfect, polished bits -- they're the real deal, the raw creativity that happens almost every day.