Shalom!

Nesbit,

Love to all this season. I am leaving for Israel for two weeks on Dec 26th. Really excited about it. I have so so much to update you all on. You have been in my thoughts so much this week, and cannot wait to catch up soon.

xoxo,

Lauren

wow.

These are stunning.

WOW WOW WOW.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

I am currently reading/absorbed in a great book titled Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas. It is the biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, pastor and theologian who was involved in a conspiracy to assassinate Hitler during WWII. It has been really eye opening to get a bit more of German history involving the church and theology throughout the 1900s via Bonhoeffer's life and ministry. If you need a good read, I highly recommend this book.

I also thought of you all while reading a passage where Bonhoeffer speaks of his travels in Rome while he was 18. He enjoyed the arts and knew a fair amount of art history (I don't know where people back then found the time to do all this reading, letter writing and traveling....no facebook, cell phones, or internet???). I really like what he has to say about viewing and interpreting art work:

“However, it might be better for a layperson to be completely silent and to leave everything to the artists, because the current art historians really are the worst guides. Even the better ones are awful…There is no criterion for their interpretation and its correctness. Interpreting is generally one of the most difficult problems. Yet, our whole thinking process is regulated by it. We have to interpret and give meaning to things so that we can live and think. All of this is very difficult. When one doesn’t have to interpret, one should just leave it alone. One’s doesn’t need to know whether it is ‘Gothic’ pr ‘primitive,’ etc., persons who express themselves in their art. A work of art viewed with clear intellect and comprehension has its own effect on the unconscious. More interpretation won’t lead to a better understanding of the art. One either intuitively sees the right thing or one doesn’t. This is what I call an understanding of art. One should work diligently to try to understand the work while looking at it. After that one gets the absolutely certain feeling, ‘I have grasped the essence of this work.’ Intuitive certainty arises on the basis of some unknown procedure. To attempt to put this conclusion into words and thereby interpret the work is meaningless for anyone else. “

....and so what if I do?

I have an addiction to someecards.com.

Poop on housing

One of my least favorite things is finding a place to live. I hate it. Moving isn't so bad, once you find a place. But finding the place... kill me now.

The family upstairs finally sold the house. And the new buyer doesn't want me. I'm totally bummed. Anyway, if you feel like thinking a nice thought for me, that would be awesome. Or pray, or whatever. Because I can't afford much and this place has been a godsend. You all know how it is.

blogs are taking the brunt of my fb withdraw...

This morning, coming off the back wind of a depression, I found each of you in my studio.





Thank you for being with me. As Anne Hamilton once wrote...in my textbook that Elly stole and had signed... presence in absence.

It Gets Better Project

The It Gets Better Project is this pretty amazing youtube-based-grass-roots support group started by Dan Savage and his partner. The It Gets Better Project is promoting the Trevor Project, another support system for gay youth that offers a 24 hour hotline for people struggling with the pressures brought on by bullies, homophobia and growing up gay in a vastly heterosexual world. I really dig the attitude behind the IGBP because you can flip through what seems like infinite videos of people (gay and straight) encouraging others by way of personal testimony, sincerity, and often humor. The stars of these youtube-confessional-type videos are everyday looking people, some celebrities, some not... something really excites me about that aspect of the project...The website layout presents several different clips from different videos with one enlarged video in the middle. This grouping of multiple faces places the viewer face-to-face with a bunch of people all at once. And how do all these people look? They just look like a bunch of normal people. For me, this visual aspect of the project brings homophobic tendencies of seeing gay as "different", "abnormal", ultimately as "other" into high relief, possibly debunking those thoughts all together. In other words, (eh hem, Sydney and Lauren) good design can change things...for the better.

This so far is my favorite video from the project, for obvious reasons:


Check it out and let me know what you guys think...
www.itgetsbetterproject.com
www.thetrevorproject.org

another favorite:

My first class...

they are so damn cute...and they made pretty interesting sculptures too.

I get it now...

... food via the seasons = awesome.

FUN.

I'm totally digging this song/video. Let's have a dance party, ok?

In-flight GAGA/Perry routine. OMG.

I don't know what to think about this...

Okay so in the past I have spent a lot of time scrutinizing videos like this one. Generally, 7-year-old girls in a hyper sexualized environment is something I would deem bad. The thing about this video is that the girls, aside from the skank outfits and unwarranted "O-faces", are super talented dancers. Further, I like Beyonce's song and I REALLY do enjoy watching babies, men, and amateurs on the internet dance to it (possibly my favorite pass-time).



“ Single Ladies Single Man Beyonce Mashup ” video at DanceJam.com



I, of course, take issue with the first video because it is perpetuating a cultural myth that young girls should be sexy but not sexual (see Jessica Valenti's The Purity Myth). However good dance (says I, and my SYTYCD fan girl authority) is good dance. And hell, if I were one of those girl's parents I would be pretty damn proud of them. However, I would probably have a good long conversation with their wardrobe designer.

When is it okay for a young girl to start expressing her sexuality? Note "her"... the issue with this video is that the 7 - year -olds are embodying Beyonce's sexuality... but for whatever reason, for me, when I see a baby do it- its cute. A guy - it's awesome. An amateur - well that's just relatable.

What do you ladies think?

...like you give milk...

thinking of you all

For Jamie and Kris

Louis Coulon and his beard of eleven feet, with cat (1904)

way to go jamie.

Jamie Uretsky.


and, I would assume, Sydney.

JOB FOR SYDNEY!

Check it out! This would be awesome!

West Coast Copy Editor for Design*Sponge

Karen Gelardi

Love the variety of mediums she is using. I think she becomes relevant to each of us in our own ways. Check her out:

Launch!

Hello Comrades,

I have officially launched my new and improved branding identity and website this morning!

I would really appreciate it if you all would navigate around my site and let me know if you find anything particularly annoying/crappy/unprofessional. Just let me know your thoughts!

Thanks a million!

Sydney Van Orden Design

Police! Freeze!

This is just crazy talk. Scary and wonderful:

Freeze!

trying to sculpt...

"Plain speaking about complex matters is not anti-intellectual, it is the achieved result of sustained intellectual labor. Moreover, poetic expression in the service of critical speculation is not the "soft" alternative to "hard" thinking. Rigor is demanded in both, but if you examine the shelves in most studios these days you will find shockingly few books of poetry or fiction."
- Robert Storr

Accept what comes from silence.
Make the best you can of it.
Of the little words that come
out of the silence, like prayers
prayed back to the one who prays,
make a poem that does not disturb
the silence from which it came.
-WB

Awkward moment of the day

Today, I walked into a tiny local fitness club because I wanted to see their rates and class schedule. I grabbed a brochure and sat down. An attractive guy on the other side of the room stopped his sit-ups to ask if I needed help. I looked up and said, "No, I'm just checking you out" and went back to my brochure. I immediately looked back at him and mumbled something like "well, not checking you out, just this place... also, I'm really awkward." He just looked at me for a second, then went back to his sit-ups. Shortly after that exchange, I took the brochure and left. I'll save my questions for another day.

So what are we doing for national dance day?

July 31st...

I'd date that guy.

Magic Things I Cannot See

I am standing by a box and I'm blind-folded. In the box there are objects of varying size, shape, texture, color, maybe even scent. Or at least that's what I've been told. I think maybe I can hear the objects clinking against each other when somebody walks by and leans against the box. My hands are grasping the edge of the box, and I know it's there, and I feel like maybe I can see out my fingertips and into the depths. But I can't just reach in, because what if I do something wrong and get hurt? No, I'm blind-folded, so I'll have to take your word for it; take your word for it that these things are truly there, and that they mean something.

But they must be real, because why else would there be a box? Only why am I blind-folded? Did I put the blind-fold on myself, or did someone else do it a long time ago? And what the hell is keeping me from taking it off so I can see into the damn box and reach for those magic things?!

This is how I feel about being a Christian these days.

Leaving

Greg is getting into his car Tuesday morning and driving away from me and Portland and all that has been glorious for the last 7 months. I will really miss him. I haven't cried yet, but I have a feeling it will happen when I least expect it.



In other busy-ass week news: I made a wedding dress, arranged flowers for the same wedding yesterday and my mom flies into Portland tomorrow afternoon. I'm going a little crazy.

I need my friends.

Eleanor : An Update

Right! Updates! I am lying on the tile floor in an attempt to “beat the heat” and the pollen that litters Madrid has blown in the window and tickles my legs. I have no allergies but it finds a way to annoy each and every person. So, to follow Sydney’s style:

Reading: I have just finished "El coronel no tiene nadie quien le escriba" by Marquez which was lovely and am now reading "The Railway Children" by Nesbit which is a short and sweet read! Her writing is delightful and I find myself caught up in the adult-like minds of the children.

Work:

The school year is coming to a close and I am grading grading and grading. I have learned so much about myself and about developing patience, creativity and improvisation working with these 13 and 16 year olds. I have decided to stay here another year, same apartment and same school but working with different teachers and continuing to pay off them student loans! I like what I am doing but after one more year I will be ready for a change and am starting now to look at small drawing studios at least to be taking classes if not teaching them.

The Other Kind of "Work": My studio table is littered with sketches and unfinished drawings. I know that my entire life will be a struggle against myself, a fight to finish things and to find the motivation in the middle of the so called “long-haul”. Spain, at least Madrid, might not be the right place for me as getting things done simply is not their strong suit. So the "unfinished" and I are having a duel and I will come out of it a more decided person. The question is,"How do I want and need art to fit into my life? And what kind of person do I want to be in that regard?"

Listening: To crap...Spanish and American contemporary pop. I need suggestions, help
and to be home for the summer to download Popcasts.

Family: They are doing great I believe. My father will be in Costa Rica for a month, my mom is coming here for 10 days, L is graduating high school and staring at PLNU, O is going to start a medical program up at SDSU and S will start her junior year in high school. I miss them but recognize that I am beginning to form something outside that probably began when I moved out for college.

Me: I am doing well, processing a lot of things and really looking deeply at my character. There are a lot of things about me that need concentration and remodeling but that's nothing new! I have had an incredible year, a good deal of traveling and I thought of you the whole time...here's the proof.














love, Eleanor

PS: I DO have dating news and we'll just have to get together to find that out :)

Sydney: A Summary

A lot has been going on in my mind lately and these ideas/dreams/goals are trying to manifest themselves in various ways throughout my life…though, as we all know, these things take time and patience. This is how I will break it down for you all, my friends:

Reading:


East of Eden by John Steinbeck
An excellent and masterfully crafted story; full of universal truths and just damn good writing. Steinbeck’s thought on time provides me with some perspective on waiting: “Time interval is a strange and contradictory matter in the mind. It would be reasonable to suppose that a routine time or an eventless time would seem interminable. It should be so, but it is not. It is the dull eventless times that have no duration whatever. A time splashed with interest, wounded with tragedy, crevassed with joy—that’s the time that seems long in the memory. And this is right when you think about it. Eventlessness has no posts to drape duration on. From nothing to nothing is no time at all.

Work:


The new job at Anthropologie is a welcome change, but there is still some nervousness in it as I learn the ropes and make the transition. It was a lateral move for me and I cannot see myself loving it but hopefully it will propel me into my graphic design more heartily. (I want this dress soooo badly).

Listening:


I cannot get enough of She & Him Volume Two at the moment. It is optimistic yet reflective and ever so slightly sarcastic. These songs are helping me deal with the ever-present loneliness that seems to be a theme for those in their twenties.

School:

I am learning Flash and Dreamweaver in my classes right now and my brain hurts from all of the information—I can’t believe I only have four weeks left in the quarter and them only one more to go! The end goal is to land a job as a Jr. level designer somewhere, anywhere that is not San Diego—and when all else fails—moving to Germany!

Family:

My grandparents are doing well and though it can be strange at times living with them, I am glad to be here and am happy to bring them comfort.


I went out to Butternut this past weekend and spent a lot of time with my siblings, as well as their friends. That is what high school should be—late night bonfires, swimming in lakes, driving through fields of mud in a Jeep, kayaking down rivers for hours, sledding hills of high grass, sitting on top of the barn—it was fantastic. I also learned how to milk goats! But by far the best part: we bought a camper/trailer from the 1950s! Found it at an Estate Sale for only $350! Take a look and start planning Nesbit road trip 2012!

P.S. Sorry Jamie, but I am fresh out of crazy dating stories….taking a break for the time being…but don’t you worry, they’ll be back!

art update.

well...still collecting!



thanks Sydney.

Did you know?

Some study showed that kids laugh an average of 430 times a day. Adults? 15.

Here, have a laugh:

I am not sure why this made me miss all of you...

...but it did.

Click for awesome.

still life

M.I.A's new video Born Free is an excellent example of how art can be a powerful tool for social commentary. ALSO, does anyone in this video look familiar, maybe look through some of your old figure drawings...

M.I.A, Born Free from ROMAIN-GAVRAS on Vimeo.

reading Lamott despite myself.

"I viscerally got that God was everywhere; poor old God, just waiting for you to notice, and enter your life like a track coach for slow people."

I don't know if I believe this but it still made me cry.

Miss you guys.

this summer...

NESBIT Pacific North West?

new book...bought because of readers like you!

Published in 1905, the first chapter is called "The Beginning of Things".




I will read this AFTER Spanish exams...

Lady IGOR

Can't decide if I love or hate this:

i almost can't deal with this anymore.....

I am way behind with my assignments because I can't seem to make decisions on my logo! Driving me crazy.....anyway, can I have a vote? I, personally, am most enjoying the second one.

happy V's!

love love love.

I am bringing back the crown!

Hi Kids,

Thank you so so so much for your feedback--you don't even know how helpful it is!

I think this is getting closer.....what do you think? I think 'whim' looks like a little crown :)

All my love,
Syd

b. collins strikes again!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812975618/ref=pe_5050_14261950_snp_dp#reader_0812975618

and it looks lovely.

Another one....

Thanks Jamie, for your input on the last one (that I then deleted). Here is the newest version that I think I just have to go with....I have a complete manual due tomorrow so at this point just need to make a go of it.....what do you all think?

thinking of my loved ones

click me for happy.

New Color Scheme?

I cannot decide if I just want to embrace the candy shop color palette or go in a different direction....what are your thoughts on these colors?

Check this artist out

...made me think of Sydney's paintings.



Rolf Lorentzen

Thinking of each of you...

...with help from the Royal Art Lodge.

Lauren:


Libby:


Sydney:


Elly (Home = NYC):

Bread & Puppet

This weekend I saw a puppet show done by the same folks who did these puppets...it was magic.



Bread & Puppet

New favorite song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zg1E66px0zU

Personal Branding Identity

Hello all--A recent class project has been to create a personal branding identity for myself/if I were to have my own business. I was hoping to get your thoughts on my colors etc.....perhaps you remember the name :)

get some glasses and a beer

fun quiz

The Moth

I have been listening to a lot of stories lately. This one made me think of us.

Beauty

I am left speechless.


http://vimeo.com/7809605