resurrection (or how to be middle aged and new all at once).

this is a time lapse i made overnight of the resurrection plant i got aitor for christmas.

tomorrow i turn thirty five years old. neither of my parents made it to seventy. middle age.

i am hoping that this next year is better than years past. lots of wonderful things have been going on for me creatively, they always do. i am incredibly grateful for all of that - for my friends, for my work, for my collaborations and for my partner in life. and yet, it's hard to shake this feeling that my head has been full of goo since my parents passed away. it's as though things got cloudier and sleepier. don't get me wrong, i have a lot going for me but i miss being a little more awake and bright-eyed. and i miss engaging with you, friends and strangers from all over the dang place.

so...some questions to start of my thirty-sixth year on planet earth:

are blogs dead? (this is a pragmatic question)

what gives you clarity and/or focus in your life?

what's the best way to get rid of unwanted goo?

you replies are most appreciated.

happy valentine's eve.

you win.

i got all the pieces remaining from my first run of awards for nothing back from printshop forever. if you are still reading this after the months of stillness, i think you deserve one. or rather, i will give one of you one of them.

i have had a fairly rugged and blue half year, so i will selfishly ask for comments that may make me feel happier. i don't want to fish for compliments; i want to shoot them in a barrel.

here's to the endless summer that will be 2012, change, growth, rebuilding and all manner of awards for nothing.

i will pick a winner from your comments on valentine's day.

car dreams (and panic attacks).

artwork by tyler brett from 2009's 'brokeback pontiac' tour findraiser

i am home now, back in toronto, with just under two weeks until we have to depart, austin-bound, to start the tour. we still have no vehicle. although my lovely mechanic is on the job, helping me look for the perfect vehicle, i figured i would put my dream list of car-qualities out into the ether to see if i could scare up a new touring chariot.

do you, or someone you know, have a station wagon that is reliable, good on gas, relatively easy to find parts for, safe and for sale? it also have to be relatively affordable. i am hoping that this new vehicle also bring me firmly into the 1990's.

it's a lofty wish list, but i know there is a new car out there to help me tour. okay world, let me know what you possess.

love,

becky

kick off (or consider helping get the 2011 summer tour off the ground).

pictured throughout this post are stills from a video i made in support of a newly launched kickstarter campaign to raise enough money to launch the sweetie pie press 2011 summer craft tour. the video and page explain my unique need for start-up cash this year. basically, without my trusty steed, boris carloff, the travel costs have grown considerably.

but this is not just a plea for money. no way! i work with my hands and my brain and my eyes and i make things. through the kickstarter page, i have offered up a wide spectrum of these art, craft and design goods for your approval and consumption. my hope is that the rewards i have put together will fill needs and desires that you or your business might have.

a few highlights of the rewards include:

• postcards from the road!
  
• pin back buttons!
• me writing or devising your name or message somewhere on the road, photographing it and sending you a print resolution copy (no postage/less fuel required for delivery!)
• screen prints!
• crafty combo packs!
• sidebar banners on this very blog!
  
• bulk button buying for retailers or pinback addicts!
  
• huge installations that i will come to your home, museum or underpass and install!

and there's more, so go check it out. and feel very free to help spread the word, should the mood strike you.

huge thanks are owed to bob wiseman for editing the video and making its music; to dusty parr for shooting the video and letting me use pictures he took; to christy petterson, bre pettis, raoul de la cruz and reverend aitor for letting me use pictures they took; and to sue daly for massive behind-the-scenes help.

for you.

to you! this has got to be the best valentine ever.

resolutions.

i hardly ventured out today. instead, i have been indoors in my jammies puttering and trying to get sorted. there is a big new year looming and i feel a very clear need to get ready for it.

over the coming days, i am going to share some of my thoughts about new resolve with you, the citizens of the internet. i have a few ideas about where growth and change needs to happen in my own life and it all making public might prove useful for me. hopefully, my self-obsessed drivel will hold something of interest for you, too.

who are you, anyway? shannon, jen, leah and tara? hmmm. maybe i will have to give something away to find out who is out there. that's how the future works, right?

soundtrack required.

it's happening again. the wanderlust is taking hold. this time, i also feel the need to collect a soundtrack of songs about places so that i play myself into cities, towns, states and provinces while roving. your suggestions are welcomed and encouraged, dear reader. so haul 'em out - states, provinces, cities, counties, mountain ranges...

so far i have some white stripes, sufjan stevens, cub, soul coughing, neko case, glenn miller, brenda khan, michelle shocked and nick cave on my list. what have you got to add?

of note: i am pretty much confined to the united states and canada on this trip.

crowd sourcing.

tyler made that image of me. i asked him to adapt the bob and becky poster as a favour so that i could have something weird to put on invoices and maybe business cards. but now that i look at my own floating head in this way, it seems to be either asking a question or trying to eat something. i am full of food, so i better come up with some questions.

preparing for our upcoming travels, here are some things you can help me with, internet friends (answers pertaining to north america will be most useful):

1. what craft fairs do you like best?
2. what galleries, shops and boutiques (in the world of indie craft, art or design) do you think are great?
3. what roadside attractions should we visit?
4. what else is out there that we should know about?

if you'd like some touchstones of taste or old stories, you can click on these links for adventure and roadside attractions of the past. i can hardly wait to be out in the world again.