Leave a Trail of Smoke

Early Sunday..

2008-08-23T23:31:00.003-05:00

Morning everyone. I've just taken some almost-burnt macaroons out of the oven and I've popped open a Sierra Nevada 'cause there's nothing better to do. Both my roommates are out and I don't feel like going to bed just yet.

This morning, Chad and Ben and I got up to clean the whole house. We cleaned the common areas and stopped there 'cause truly that's what matters. I proceeded to unpack my room a little, since I've lived here since May and I'm not yet out of boxes.

Now let me tell you something about having lived here since May. Smokey Park Highway is a noisy, noisy, noisy place. Sure I live off of it, but not all that far. Trains and trucks and more trucks and idiot rural people grinding their souped up engines at all hours of the night. I had some whopper dreams the first few weeks I was here. Nothing at all strange, by x-files standards, mind you, just really vivid ones.

Anyway, the house is great. Huge bedrooms (we're still trying to fill 4 of them so if you know anyone), a kitchen that could have swallowed my old apartment, room for a ping pong table and shuffle board.. 3 stories.. It's a great place, and I was glad to clean it this morning.

The owners go to my church and I'd hate it if they felt like a slew of raccoons was renting their place.

Anyway. At about 2 this afternoon I wound up at my studio where I made another creature. As soon as I got there I discovered I'd left my phone at home. Sucked 'cause I was supposed to make arrangements to grab a pint with my friend Luke. I wound up driving to his house within the prearranged time window to inform him of my phonelessness. The timing was perfect 'cause he was just back from the gym. I made a beer run and he was showered and changed by the time I got back.

It was great not having a phone on me today. I felt oddly free and undisturbed. Luke and I chatted a great while, even after his wife came home (her name's Anne.. she's a great lady). Roundabout 6 I made it back to the studio and got to hacking away at another stuffed toy, this one indicative of my having drained half a sixer. It has no legs. Not yet anyway.

I worked on that monster till 11:30 or so and came home to an empty house. I folded my clean towels from the dryer, made some macaroons (I bake. Shut up) and checked my email. The signal from the neighbor's house is nice and strong tonight so I figured I'd blog a bit.

I'm getting ready for the American Sewing Expo in Detroit next month where I'll be a lecturer and instructor. I'll be talking about various aspects of stuffed toy making, so I've got to produce study aides and info packets for handing out, plus I've got to make upwards of 20 creatures for "background noise" 'cause there'll be a TV crew. I can't wait. Finally people recognize my skills and what I can teach 'em and are willing to roll out the carpet and pay me to come impart my knowledge. I love being an artist. It's like growing up at Hogwarts. Being an artist is the greatest gift I've ever been given besides, of course, my salvation and that book of Pooh stories my mom got me when I turned 8.

Gotta run. Church at 10. That means I have 9 hours to get ready and I haven't even tasted a macaroon yet.

Much love to everyone!

El Move-O

2008-04-05T07:47:00.004-05:00

Hi, Everyone.. I'm packing up my messy apartment so I can move to a new place in 5 weeks. I am an irrepressible slob living on my own, so the packing is going to be a challenge. I've got to clean everything first. There's probably more garbage in here than stuff to legitimately keep.

I'm going to check in with my organized, tidy friends and see how they would advise cleaning first, then moving.

Right now there are no free surfaces. Every table top, chair and couch (and half my bed) are covered in whatever landed there. I am powerless to pack anything until I separate the keepers from the non-keepers.

Then there's my busy schedule and my propensity to procrastinate. God help me.

Anyway, I'll be documenting this moving adventure here in this blog, because I think it'll be monumental. I'll free up my camera from the studio so I can snap a few shots here and there. Seriously, you won't believe what a sty this place is. I should just burn the apartment off the house and claim renter's insurance. Naaah.. They always bust people for that..

Right now I'm doing laundry. While that's going on I'll bring to light everything under my bed and couches. I may be surprised by what I find. There are several boxes I never unpacked when I moved here almost 3 years ago. Sakes!

Anyway.. Wish me luck!!

John

Etsy shop! Etsy shop!

2008-03-15T16:48:00.002-05:00

Yep.. I finally took the pill and joined etsy. I've got HEEEEAPS of creatures I want to post and sell and expose to the world at large. Right now there's only one creature listed. Her name's Damelza. Go give her a shout!

Laters!

Jesus banter

2008-02-01T16:22:00.001-05:00

So, I'm sitting at a café near my studio. I came over with one of my colleagues down here in the river district. Another artist showed up with some dusty index cards he found on the ground with what appear to be someone's bible study notes. The two colleagues read them and were chuckling.

All I have to say is a paraphrase of that hackneyed, yet apt, bit of scripture: Judge not lest ye be judged. Or something like that.

Which means, I won't judge those guys for laughing at someone else's musings about Jesus. Perhaps the index cards were amusing.

Anyway, I just read 'em. The handwriting was a bit cryptic and took me a sec to decipher. It wasn't messy, really, in fact, it was strangely graphic and square, like an architectural font.

The sentiments weren't unsound. From my colleagues' reactions I could tell they hadn't read them, rather I intuited they found it amusing that someone'd be writing about Jesus. Ah well.

The note cards basically encouraged people to pattern their thought patterns and habitual behaviors after Christ's example. No specific scriptures were referenced, but I got no red flags.

No spiritual debate followed. I wouldn't have had the time anyhow.

A Sesame Street Fave

2007-04-06T06:36:00.001-05:00

It's been years since I've heard this song. I remember watching it on Sesame Street and being really engaged by the images. Those ducks with ears. Hoo man.. Freaky. It reminds me of the prevailing mentality of the original hippy movement's tail end, you know, when they all started having babies and getting jobs. I love this video. It reminds me of snow days when we got to hang out all day with dad and play with blocks. Everyone with an incredible dad say WHATSUUUUPP!!!

Getting up in the morning to go exercise is so ridiculously hard.

2007-03-28T05:15:00.000-05:00

And I'm sore from yesterday morning's gym session.

Gosh what a strange place I go. It's definitely the Springfield of fitness centers. It's changed ownership several times in the past 2 years or so.

Anyway, the self dissatisfaction I'll feel today if I don't get off my sleepy backside and workout will certainly overpower the momentary inconvenience of waking up early.

Here I go!

Impending change of heart?

2007-03-07T06:17:00.000-05:00

In light of my most recent post, about all that intellectual property stuff, I wonder if I'm holding tightly to something I've already lost.

Perhaps I should give free reign to designers to sell the work they make from my patterns. And perhaps I should approach Lark about another book.

An Interview about Intellectual Property

2007-03-06T08:31:00.000-05:00

Kat Siddel, an artist and writer from Vancouver B.C., wrote to interview me on a tender subject.

KAT:
So my first question is just a detail that I'm curious about ...

On your site, when you talk about Intellectual Property, you advise people to "avoid making your stuff look like anything from the patterns for Genevieve, Claude, Syd, Jordan and Estelle".

JOHN:
Wow, you don't mess around do you?

KAT:
Why isn't Wronky on the list? (I noticed because Wronky was the first creature I made from the book). Is it because Wronky looks like a rabbit, and is therefore too difficult to claim as an original pattern?

JOHN:
Wronky's not on the list because his shape is so basic. Tubular arms, legs and ears are really not something I think I can copyright. I could copyright my arrangement of those elements, but Wronky's set up in such a normal, symmetrical fashion with his arms, legs and ears all in the regular places. And yes, he's too much of a traditionally accepted bunny or rabbit for me to be particular about copyrighting his design.

As for the intellectual property thing goes, please observe the page towards the front of the book facing the dedication. There is copyright information stating that the patterns are for personal use only, and that other use, especially commercial (selling), is prohibited without written consent from the author. So that's that. If you want to sell sock monsters, please do. Just come up with your own designs (this does not mean rearrange or mixmatch mine). Sure, it might be the work of your hands, but it's not your idea. Get the difference?

Honestly, I'm really glad people like my work enough to emulate it. I move so frequently from defensiveness to gratitude that it's hard to tell really how I feel about people selling my designs as their own. I know I can't stop everyone, but I hope that if people find they've got a creative streak for plush toys that they do the right thing and come up with their own designs. Know what I mean?

I've watched some people start off blatantly selling work from my exact patterns, and even imitating other creatures from my website that have no presence in the book. I think that's incredibly inconsiderate. But as I've watched these people work over time, I've often seen their own styles develop. If I'm simply a stepping stone to others discovering their own talents, then I can accept that. I'll try to be less on edge.

KAT:
That's a great answer.

This tension between inspiring others and receiving credit for your own creative ideas is exactly what I'd like to explore in this article. Making art is such a social thing--it's communicative. We want to share our work and ideas, and inspire others as we have been inspired. Yet, it's also very individual, and personal. It takes time and effort and we feel rightfully possessive of our original ideas.

Add etsy.com and crafter.org to this and it gets very easy to step on people's toes. Your case is obviously pretty cut and dry--you wrote a book, you weren't posting patterns on your blog-- but I think that almost makes it more interesting.

But enough of me talking. Question time again:

1. How many times have you stumbled onto someone selling sock creatures modeled on your designs/photos? How does this usually happen?

JOHN:
Ah, goodness. Quite a few times. Every now and again I'll search online for "sock monsters" or "stupid creatures" or "stupid sock creatures" and see what turns up. Nine times out of ten I'll find an Etsy page of a sullen, power-pop, digi-cam-in-the-mirror teenager who, with embarrassing obviousness bought my book. They'll call 'em "sock dudes" or "stupid monsters" or some variation. I try not to be mean about it. Most of the time these kids haven't seen the copyright notice in the book.

Truth be told, I'm not the only person vigilant of this infringement. The publishing company keeps a watch over who out there is making money off the books they publish. They have a stake in my book too, and I'd hate to be the one whom they pursue with legal action.

Usually these designers go "Whoops!" and take the stuff off their websites. Then I feel kind of guilty and give them that list you mentioned earlier (of techniques of mine to avoid) and try to encourage them to pursue their own plush designs. I'm not the wicked witch of the west. I want every serious designer to know the success they deserve, and if I can help them, I'm more than glad to. You know?

Originality is every artist's golden ticket. Without it, you're just a sham. I don't want anybody to be a sham. Each one of us has a voice and a story and a life experience to share. Why share mine just 'cause you like it? You can't take my life, paint it pink and call it your own, you know?

But every now and again, hooo boy, I find someone who tries to deny they've used my patterns, and insist they have the legal right to keep doing it. That's when the gloves come off and they get a formal cease and desist notice (for starters). I try to be nice, but if you can't play nice in return, I hope your shoes have decent traction 'cause the slope you're on is about to get darned steep. My four years of working my tail off to pay bills and stay fed and these people are just gonna treat me like a paper towel dispenser? No way, pal. Not at all.

KAT:
2. How many people (roughly speaking) have asked you for permission to sell sock creatures?

JOHN:
Goodness, tons. Several times a week I get emails from people asking my permission. They're usually art or design majors, sometimes high schoolers. I thank them for their interest in my work and tell them they've got their whole lives ahead of them to invent new and different things all of their own. I emphasize the importance of originality and encourage them to explore their own imaginations. I always offer a permanent open door to anyone who needs my help, critique or technical and professional knowledge. I've even told people to call me on the phone if they want. I seriously do want to help people find their voice and use it.

I've had nonprofits and other altruistic organizations ask me if they can sell creatures they made from my book at fund raisers. If I'm convinced they're not lying, then I usually say it's okay if it's for a good cause. I just can't take legal action against a group of well-intentioned church ladies trying to put a dent in a parishioner's cancer bill, you know? I'm not a scrooge.

One particular college student wrote me saying she couldn't find a job, and that someone had offered to buy ten of her creatures. She said she just needed to eat. That struck a chord with me in a huge way. I myself started off in 2003, having just lost a job, peddling the creatures shop to shop out in San Francisco just to buy a sandwich. Poverty SUCKS and the fear of starvation or eviction is inhuman. She totally could have been lying, but gosh, if she wasn't, I'd have hated myself for telling her no.

KAT:
3. When you wrote the book, did you anticipate any of this happening?

JOHN:
Well, yes and no. I had that concern when I was offered the book deal. My publishers told me that even if people did start implementing my designs, they'd never be able to make their work look like mine. Evidence shows that either my instructions are extremely well written, or my designs are just that darned easy. I've seen some people's work that looks like I could have made it myself. But at the time I wrote the book, I had nobody's experience as a standard but my publishers', and they said it wouldn't be a problem.

Though definitely present, I consider the copying problem minor in the long run. I have had an amazing experience because of this book and I do not regret writing it. There are more worthy candidates for this kind of opportunity than me. I am grateful and blessed to have what I've been given. The fan mail.. gosh the fact that stupid little me even gets fan mail to begin with, is staggering.

When a ten year old boy from Iceland emails you photos of him with creatures he's made, dang. That's huge. When a mother of 3 small kids makes you a scrapbook of them with their creatures, and their crayoned thank-yous. I'm floored. People are actually thanking me for writing this book. For bringing my creatures into the world. I want to beat myself with a stick and atone for all my wrongs. You know? It makes me want to do better and work harder at everything.

Am I totally off the subject?

KAT:
I think it's very interesting that you brought up the response that people have had to the book. Would you say that people have responded more intensley to the book than to the ready-made creatures?

JOHN:
Yes indeed. But I still get a fair amount of orders for custom jobs and ready mades.

KAT:
(I'm going to wax on about your book for a minute or two--hope you don't mind)

It's funny -- when I was making my sixth creature using your techniques (I branched onto my own variations pretty quickly), I realized how freaking hard socks are to sew with. They fray quickly, and it's really hard to estimate how much the material is going to stretch when you stuff it. It's much easier to sew with normal fabric!

JOHN:
I know, it's wild. Socks are incredibly forgiving as a material. These days I have a harder time getting used to fabric that doesn't stretch, but I have enjoyed branching out.

KAT:
This made me really appreciate--and wonder at--how compelling the book was, given how difficult the materials can be, especially for inexperienced sewers. The directions are very clear, it's true, but I think it's more than that.

Making the sock creatures feels very creatively empowering. I would credit this to the strength of the general aesthetic of the creatures--they're distictive and appealing.

JOHN:
Thank you. That's very gratifying to know.

KAT:
Also, one of the sub-themes of the book is your gradual success as an artist. I think that your story--as it's protrayed in the book--is very inspiring to people.

JOHN:
Wow. Thanks. All this really has been unintentional. I've always loved stuffed animals, but never saw myself designing toys or even being an author. In fact, when the creatures took off for me, I was pursuing a career in freelance illustration. You just never know what the world's gonna like that you have to offer. It could happen to anyone if it can happen to me.

KAT:
Perhaps the problem was that the book was too good. People feel very empowered by it--now, they too can make these incredibly appealing creatures! And now that it's easier than ever to sell handicrafts (partly because of the internet, etsy, etc, and partly because of the genderal trendiness of crafts and indie products) they feel empowered to sell the sock animals.

JOHN:
Well, if they feel empowered to create, fantastic. I'm not opposed to that, in fact I love it. The job market is so odd these days, at least in the states, that the more a person can do for him or herself, the better off they'll be in the long run. Sewing is a survival skill like any other. And if you have a great idea and a business sense, then you'd be wise to consider going pro.

Every artist grows from the inspiration of artists who have gone before. It's like DNA that we get to choose. These days, due to advances in technology, the fast pace of our growing culture, and as you've mentioned before, the availability of opportunity, many artists are growing from the inspiration of their contemporaries. This is how our aesthetic culture is apparently evolving.

But I think there's a difference between revisiting and paying homage to the work of artists who have died and piggybacking on the ideas of someone who is still alive and needs to make a living. At least cover bands admit that they're performing covers. Know what I mean?

KAT:
I should also add--when I showed people the creatures I made from your books, they encouraged me to sell them! I didn't, obviously, but some of them were very insistant, even after I told them about the book.

JOHN:
Well, if your work is distinctive enough, then I won't stand in your way. I wish I were perfectly comfortable opening the floodgates to the rights to my designs. I have considered before that perhaps I'm just a steward for this opportunity, and a conduit for this change in our artistic and economic culture. Perhaps this "career" is not mine to own or to hoard. Perhaps if I just let this go, carte blanche, I'll be rewarded with new opportunities. That suspicion is definitely on a warm burner in my mind, but I'm just not ready to let fly with it. Call me crazy.

KAT:
SO. What do you think of this? Does this theory hold any water?

JOHN:
Sure, your theories are good. Are you interviewing me or presenting a case? I'm enjoying this discourse very much, Kat. I've never been asked so thoroughly about this issue and it's good to really soul search and know how I feel about it. The creatures are an important part of me. They're more than just an idea or a product. They basically helped me survive when I was broke and jobless. I hope the readers of this article will find themselves a bit more informed about my rhymes and reasons, and consider that other artists might feel the same way about their own work.

KAT:
I'm also enjoying this conversation! It's really helping me articulate my thoughts on the the subject.

I think I may take a couple days to look over the stuff you've already sent me, and maybe write a draft. You've already sent me a lot of material, and I don't want to ask a lot of you when I'm not sure how much I can fit in. Most of the articles in Craft run fairly short, and I don't want to take more of your time than necessary.

I will be back in touch though. And if you have any other thoughts on anything we've talked about, please, please send it it my way!

Betty Butterfield on Presbyterians

2007-02-27T16:05:00.001-05:00

As this is my current "denomination," I thought I'd post her take on it. Have a blast!

Don't let Bush get us into a war with Iran!

2007-02-26T13:57:00.000-05:00

I just signed a petition to ask Congress to demand President Bush seek congressional authorization before considering military action in Iran. He seems out of control, and we have to stop the war in Iraq from escalating into a regional crisis. Congress can do this, but they need to hear from us.

Can you sign?

http://pol.moveon.org/noescalationiniran/

Thanks!

A Loud "Wind" bloweth, yet dancers prevail.

2007-02-24T23:16:00.000-05:00

Okay. My ears are still numb and throbbing from a couple of solid hours of the shrill stylings of "Wind" Motika, the frontman of Asheville's Cool Project and quite possibly another band called Shiva.

I went out with my neighbors to see a good friend of ours, Michele, perform some bellydancing. I was quite eager to see her in action since I know she spends a lot of time practicing and has taught bellydancing before. I usually see Michele busy rearing her two small boys, so I rarely see her artistic and expressive side. I jumped at the chance to see her perform and I was truly impressed.

Michele and 2 other dancers, Mizilca and Tina, performed numbers and sequences to coincide with the Cool Project's Travelling Shaman show. Many of the songs had themes of togetherness and peace and environmentalism and things you'd expect hippies to sing about. Mind you, I am not opposed to any sentiment that was expressed this evening. I just found nothing about Wind's overbearing voice effective whatsoever in enhancing these viewpoints and/or beliefs.

In fact, I found his singing so piercing, jarring and painfully resonant on my eardrums that I actually wanted to shirk my sense of stewardship for this planet and my fellow man and just effing burn things. Maybe his microphone was all the way loud or something.

His over-the-top theatrics didn't help either. Waving his arms around like he was showing off a giant, invisible beach ball, or explaining obesity to the Maasai, real slow-like. I'm sure he thought he was just being artistic, but I've seen fire and brimstone preachers lose potential converts the very same way. It's like when pop stars do elaborate dance numbers to hide (or emphasize) the fact that they can't sing and have no real message anyway.

Thing is, Wind and his band do indeed have a message. I mean, kinda. They sung songs about the 4 elements and various, loose spiritual aspects thereof. To be honest the words to the songs were quite tepid, aside from the Peter Gabriel covers they did. Wind opened with a singing telegram-esque positive acknowledgment that we were all right here, right now, sharing an experience. Yep, we sure were. Toss in a few eastern-philosophy sounding words and I think the only clear "message" conveyed was that we were being performed to by new agers. Hey, I'm game.

Lyrics aside, all of the performers had some great skills. There was Sherman Hoover on the keyboards and backup vocals. He and Wind did a great job harmonizing and his skills set up effective, esoteric backdrops of sound for the dancers. J Bird on the "stick" (it looks like a guitar without a sound box) and drummer Jeff Schmitt were excellent. Wind himself played several different bamboo flutes and exhibited true, honest talent. I just couldn't take his voice or his "televangelistic" voguing.

I'm like, Bring out the dancers some more already! I think the bellydancers were effectively downplayed when they should have been the main draw. Each of the dancers made her own costumes, and there were several changes throughout the performance. As a person who sews, I was impressed by this extra show of dedication to the dancers' craft.

The three dancers opened with an interpretation of the four elements. As the show went on, each dancer performed a piece according to an element. Michele's was Earth, and she incorporated themes of the matriarchal bonobo apes and Salisa Gaia, a Mother Earth figure. Then all three dancers performed what I understood to be an air elemental dance about angels. That one was my favorite piece. The dancers closed the show with a really intricate piece wherein each of them used a ball of yarn to convey togetherness. The audience was encircled by the strands by the end of the performance.

Now I'd be truly unfair if I didn't point out some of the good Wind is doing in the world. One of his passions is the very Bonobo ape from Michele's performance, which he works to protect via the Bonobo Initiative. It is always good to see someone use his or her skills for a selfless purpose. I just wish he had been a bit more selfless with his stage time, gave it up for the dancers, and emptied his lungs exclusively into his bamboo flutes (at which he's quite skilled) instead of into his microphone.

Because Michele's performances were distributed throughout the entire show, we stayed for the whole thing. We quickly fled just as the crowd was pitter pattering out a few polite claps, which Wind and the Cool Project interpreted as an Encore summons. They did Peter Gabriel's IN YOUR EYES. And to their defence, perhaps it was the Doppler effect casting the ugly warbles upon the performance as we fled, and not the lead vocals.

In all, I'm so fortunate to know my surprising neighbor and friend Michele and I look forward to knowing her also as an abstract thinker and an artist. I'm afraid so many "moms" get unfairly categorized without having their whole nature and realm of talents appreciated. I shall try not to make that mistake in the future.

I can't stop watching AWESOMETOWN

2007-02-24T09:10:00.001-05:00

Okay, these talented fellows have been absorbed into SNL's black hole of mediocrity. God Save them. You might recognize the lippy Andy Samberg from that very show. Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer both write for SNL and do various film projects on the side.

Unfortuately, SNL has an uncanny penchant for sucking the humor and talent out of comedians, leaving behind phoned-in filler material. We'll see if that fate befalls the Lonely Island boys. Of course, many actors who have escaped SNL's talent phlebotomy have gone on to regain their funny.

The Lonely Island boys are responsible for such lyrically savvy SNL shorts as Natalie Portman's uncharacteristic "gangster" rap and R&B romantic spoof My Dick in a Box featuring that overtly sexual pop star who got famous for ditching his band. Check out another song they wrote in unmatchable white boy style.

For more Awesometown, visit The Lonely Island online.

Betty Butterfield talks about nutrition, meds and church

2007-02-24T08:58:00.001-05:00

I LOVE ME some Betty Butterfield. She's the best darned social commentator of our fractured age.

Being an Artist, Running a Business, and Working on the Side to Pay Bills

2007-02-23T08:45:00.000-05:00

This life isn't for the faint of heart, but I dare say it's for the blindingly disorganized. Some of the most prolific artists I know are a mess, like me, when it comes to organization and implementing certain strategies.

I'm about to get back on the sewing machine and work on a rush order a little before packing to get on the road.

Before packing I've got to get all my tax information together. In a FOLDER no less. I barely know how to use one of those. I'm actually quite terrified about getting all my paperwork together.

I'm off to visit the parents this weekend. Mom's an accountant and has been helping me with my taxes for several years now. Thank God for her generosity of time and talent.

So, in running this business, I have to work a side job to earn enough money to get by. Side jobs take time, so the orders I fill take some time subsequently. I do my best not to wait around, but to work on them little by little until they're done. That's why people don't get instantaneous turnaround with the stupid creatures

I am often tired after a day working at my side job, and sometimes the remains of the evening get away from me for various reasons, some good some bad.

But here I go. Back to the sewing machine. More later as it develops.

Sore sore sore..

2007-02-23T06:27:00.000-05:00

Gotta get up anyway. Gotta get to the gym. I want to fit into that two piece by spring time.

Whoops, Cultural Faux Pas

2007-02-22T10:16:00.000-05:00

I got this drawing from Dave Walker's Cartoon Church blog. Please pay him a visit and tell him he's awesome.

So I've deleted my Lent posts. After Ash Wednesday's services last night, I was reminded that lenten sacrifices are personal things that are best kept private so as not to call attention to one's self or to appear boastful.

My Bad.

My explanation of this tradition to a friend was received in a way I did not expect. On top of that, my posts were attracting comments that indicated to me even more misunderstanding, so I'll just keep this one between me and God.

For the record, observing Lent doesn't absolve anyone of anything, nor are there any goals among its partakers to "not sin for 40 days." There is NO SUCH THING as a "good little Christian."

Whether you're a naysayer or just don't understand what we're on about, I and many other Christians welcome your legitimate questions about our widely varying customs and practices. Yeah, we're oddballs and I hope I can offer some clarity as I myself continue growing and learning.

Plush meets Vinyl. A literal train wreck!

2007-02-13T12:55:00.000-05:00

What do you get when you ask a plush designer to "tag" a vinyl toy train?

You get a Tolkienesque melange of drag queen and troll. Goodness gracious.

The face is neither plush nor vinyl, just to clarify, but epoxy putty. That stuff smells up a storm, but it makes a great sculpting substance. It starts out soft and plasticky, and once it dries, you can sand, cut, carve and drill it.

I've named him The Fugitive. He's discordantly dressed in flamboyant disguise as to escape unnoticed, or at least not noticed as himself. He'll show with a plusher I made named Orace the Miner. I don't have any pictures of Orace just yet, but I'll take my camera with me to the opening.

Speaking of, the opening is Friday, March 16 at 7 pm. Satellite Gallery is at 55 Broadway in downtown Asheville next to the yoga studio.

The MedEx show opens in March. See the countdown at the top of the right margin.

2007-02-13T02:16:00.000-05:00

This show is gonna rock so many worlds. Now that we've got plenty of participants, it's now time to organize them. The next leg of getting this show together is promotion. Then somehow funding the supplies for setting the show up. I can't even think straight right now. I've got to be up for work in a few hours and I've got so much to do right now.. Need to doze for a bit.

Monday Morning, Present Day

2007-02-12T10:42:00.000-05:00

Gosh I've got so much to do. Right now I feel pretty refreshed even though I kept waking up last night. I don't have insomnea or anything, I just had a Star Trek DVD playing in my laptop on the nightstand. You know how sometimes DVD menus play a minute or so of music or sound effects while you choose what you're gonna do? All the Star Trek ones have sound effects to match whatever ship the action takes place on.

So throughout the night I'd wake up, select an episode and promptly fall asleep to the dronings of Captain Kirk and the demure elocutions of the underdressed female officers. Hours later I'd find my dreams incorporating the beeps and whirs and clicks of the Constitution Class starship that played the role of the Enterprise in that original series. It's kind of neat. I love Star Trek and can think of far worse things I'd like infiltrating my dreams.

Anyway, here I am at my graphics job and the assignments are rolling in. Better do 'em. When I get home I'm going to finish my train for a show I'm doing. Visit http://www.allcitystyle.com/ for details on this kind of thing. I'm waaaay behind getting my train done, but I'm optimistic. Later..

History Lesson #1: Oakland, California

2007-02-11T09:33:00.000-05:00

The year is 2003. The place is the Franklin Apartments on 41st Street, near Telegraph in the Temescal district. I was a block and a half away from the MacArthur BART station and the rent had just come down from $1,400 to $1,200. It was a find.

I shared the digs with a long time friend whom I'd known in high school. He was a grad student at SFSU studying creative writing. At the time, I was working at a ceramic supply store on San Pablo Avenue in north Berkeley. I'd been there roughly a year and a half.

Long story short, the very February we moved into that apartment, I was let go from the ceramics store for reasons I'm still not too clear on. At the time the boss sacked me I was working on this Winchester Mansion of a product catalog for our shop that our boss could never quit changing. I adapted to his changing tastes as best I could, but oh well. I couldn't keep up. My dismissal was a blessing in disguise.

I panicked for several hours. A few phone calls later I'd re-landed an old part time job at this disreputable bagel store in the Piedmont neighborhood slightly east of my apartment. The food was great and my coworkers were incredible folks. We were touted as having the best bagels west of the Mississippi, but we were nearly shut down by the health department several times. I checked with some friends and contacts and managed to get a couple other extremely part time gigs and some under-the-table work with a novelty items sales rep. So I had enough work to scrape by.

The exact moment when I decided to try my hand at making a sock monkey is a bit fuzzy to me. I can't remember if I'd been sacked from the ceramics place yet or not. The Bay Area was rife with really good comic book stores. A favorite of mine, Comic Relief, near the corner of University and Shattuck in Berkeley, stocked a coffee table book full of different sock monkeys. I thumbed through it and got some ideas. I thought I'd have a go at one.

As a walker and cyclist, I was constantly wearing holes in my socks. I kept the throwaways in a trash bag in my closet, unwilling to just dump 'em. I'd started cutting some up for quilting squares. But alas, a flame had sparked within me for stuffed toys. I selected some choice socks and began cutting up parts for a sock monkey, not really sticking to any pattern.

The tedious hand stitching got the better of me and I abandoned the project perhaps a third of the way through. By the time I resumed, my friend Marta had shown me the basics on a sewing machine, and I started afresh with brand new socks. The result was my first ever Stupid Creature, a black, demonic-looking thing which Marta later named Albertine once his eyes were sewn on.

Thus began what soon became my career in the plush industry. To follow: information on survival through networking and hobnobbing with other professionals, my sewing class, spiritual revelations and helpful friends. Do tune in soon.

Derek says Hi.

2007-02-09T05:27:00.001-05:00

Derek, originally uploaded by Stupid Creatures.

Derek is an unfortunate pawn in a plush medical experiment. My assistant, Ian and I are hosting a show this spring. Visit www.stupidcreatures.com and find out more.

I have to start getting things off my chest.

2007-02-08T19:29:00.000-05:00

So..

These are my thoughts. I'll try to gather them as best I can.

An art career definitely has its polarities of good and bad.

My good pole is, to put it simply, fame.

My bad pole is, in a purely financial aspect, poverty.

People love my work, they just don't want to pay for it.

I make stuffed toys. I run a stuffed toy company specializing in custom work and, I guess, "minoring" in ready-made unique toys.

I've been doing it for 4 years and have had an assistant on board for about 1 year now. His name's Ian. He's a flippin' genius.

So. A little bit of context.

At this moment, it's a gray morning in Asheville NC. I'm about half an hour away from going into my part time job and I'm sitting at a crowded table at Izzy's Coffee Den on Lexington Avenue. Familiar faces surround me.

James H., a face I know from around town and an Orbit DVD customer (I used to work there) just walked in. Set his bag down. Got in line for coffee. He's a whiskery, slender fellow with out of control black, curly hair. Looks like a Lanes of Limerick Irish boy with a touch of Arab. He's friends of friends of a girl I used to date.

Tim G. has his back to me. He and his dad are architects. They have a business trip they have to make today, about a 2 hour journey. Tim's cleaned himself up a tad. It's a client meeting, no doubt. A more professional ensemble, Tim's getup. None of his usual denim. Just a button down and slacks.

Rob, one of the co-owners of the shop and a friend of mine is working the counter with employees, Moriah, a laughy, outspoken girl and someone new-ish whose name I think is Liz.

My good pal Chris sits across from me at the table. He looks a tad restless and it wouldn't surprise me if he's wanting to leave. Him and me have a lot to chat about usually. Surfacy stuff, mostly. Pretty ladies, our day's plans. We don't go deep most of the time. We're great pals, though. He makes sure I laugh and relax and stop working from time to time. He's just put his plate and cup in the bus tub. Announced he's gonna wander. How'd I know?

Every morning between waking up and getting out of bed, Chris phones just to say good morning. I love it. He's such an attentive fellow. My other pals have thought he's strange. I was never moved or impressed by that sentiment. Most of my other friends here in town I either live near or have known since at least college or longer. None of them check on me as frequently as Chris, but that's okay. I know they've got stuff to do. And it's not like I call each and every single one of them every morning either.

Chris is part of my routine. Phone rings in the morning, we exchange plans for the day and discuss breakfast, often collaborating and eating at his house or mine. Phone rings at roughly lunchtime. He tells me about his forestry classes, I tell him what I'm working on for my boss. We talk about lunch and sometimes we grab a bite together. Phone rings roughly half an hour before I'm due to leave work and we chat about our plans for the evening. We toss around dinner ideas. He says he's got pasta, I say I've got greens. We both say we've got partial sixers and then it's settled. His place or mine. Usually his. He keeps a wood stove going and it's nice and warm. I've got a leaky, non-weather-proof apartment with a couple of choking, popping space heaters. You practically gotta worship 'em to get any warmth. I think Charles Dickens "wrote" my apartment. I pass the video store on the way to Chris', pick up something funny or action packed, his frequent preference, and we eat and veg.

James H. has put down his book. Face down, splayed open on his table. He's grabbed one of those free weekly papers from behind him. Adjusted his position in his chair. Wrung his hands. Looked up and out the window. Back to the book again. Chin in his hand, fingers playing in his whiskers. Zits like to hide in whiskers. Sometimes really good ones. In fact, I've sometimes let my whiskers go for a week or so just to see what neglected pore might clog and produce a microsecond's entertainment in front of the mirror. Zits are fun. I get them so infrequently these days. The good ones are like seed pods from an impatiens flower. Bulging, tight, sensitive, effusive.. Touch 'em just right and BANG seeds everywhere. Unless it's a zit. In which case, pus.. Pus and lumps and clear pre-blood fluid, then blood to signify a clean, empty pore. It's fun to even revisit the swollen pore after it's purged. Sometimes you get a crystalized lump of dried pre-blood (plasma?). You can flick that onto the carpet. They blend into most carpets. It's the translucency.

People have pretty much fled Izzy's for work and wandering. I suppose I must do the same.

Now you know a little about who I am and the town I live in and what's at the forefront of my thoughts. I'd like to write more about the push and pull of fame and poverty soon, just to explain where I am in this career.

Ultimately I love this life. I feel like writing about it to clarify things and dispel myths. Thanks for tuning in. I'll try to post pictures soon.

J.