Cross posted to http://www.ShesAlmostNormal.com
Hey all!

I have just finished my first week of classes at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). Overall it’s been a good week. I feel a little out of step with the other students since I’m living off campus with my non-SCAD boyfriend, only have two classes, and am around 10 years older than most of my fellow classmates. I like to believe that strangers are just friends I haven’t met yet, but there’s quite a gap to overcome in meeting people.

The first class I’m taking is an Art History Elective, Myth, Bible and Symbol in Art. I’m loving it! The material is interesting and I’m even looking forward to my projects! The first project is to make my own religion, and the second is to compare and contrast two artworks of the same mythical or biblical story. I already know what I’m doing my religion on, and I’m pretty sure I’m going with the story of either Pygmalion or Narcissus for my paper.

My favorite visual of the week came out of this class. We’re studying Greek Mythology currently and we were looking at a Greek vase depicting a young Zeus with neat, dark hair and beard giving birth to Dionysus from his thigh. I asked if the Greeks usually depicted Zues this way as opposed to the Renaissance tradition of painting him with flowing white hair and beard. Our professor explained that, to the Greeks, the Gods represented a perfect form of Man and the perfect age in Greek society was between 16-24. He said to think of King Leonidas in the movie “300“. I added, “With a baby coming out of his thigh,” to that. Everyone laughed and another student said, mimicking Leonidas from the movie, “This… is… a BABY!”

All joking aside, I am really enjoying this class and find the professor the be interesting and enthusiastic about the subject. I’m very happy I gave in and took this 8 am class. It’s the only one of it’s kind offered this semester.

All is not hearts and roses for me at SCAD though. I’m in my first studio class this semester, Drawing II. Now, I’ve taken Drawing II, III, and Illustration at Tunxis, my previous school, but my portfolio placed me in the Drawing II class at SCAD. I am battling some serious personal demons in this class. First of all, I know I can draw. If you ask me to draw a wagon, I can draw you a wagon and it’ll be a really good wagon too! However, if you put a wagon in front of me and say, “Draw that wagon exactly the way you see it, reproducing it’s angles and proportions correctly,” the wagon I put on that paper looks like a little kid drew it! I cannot perfectly reproduce the object in front of me to save my life! If my proportions are right, my angles are off. If my angels are right, my proportions are off! I don’t understand how these things could be mutually exclusive like that! There is just something I’m not getting. I can feel it darting around in my brain like a caged animal trying to find its way out, but it just won’t click! I was so frustrated when I got home today that I lied down on my bed, squeezed Horse with No Name three times (He says “We love you Lonnie, we believe in you” in the voices of 15 of my friends back home) and just let some tears fall.

The thing is, I made a point of telling my professor that I’d already taken Drawing II, and now I feel like I’m shaming myself and my former school because I’m having such a hard time with stupid observational drawing! I am determined to do it the way she’s teaching us and not be lazy about it, but my fear and my short cuts keep showing up in my drawings. I know there’s value in what she’s showing us, the results will be a much more technically correct drawing, but I am having trouble letting go of the idea that I’m supposed to be good at this already! This is not going to be an “easy A”.

In my mind, if I can’t learn to draw, and be the best of the best at it, then I might as well throw away all the money I’ve spent in school because I’m not going to find work after. There are a whole lot of “nots” in there that I need to work out of my brain. Worrying about money and jobs is not going to help me draw any better.

Sorry for the delay folks! I haven't posted the new comic here in a couple weeks, so make sure the hit the "previous" button under this strip if you missed the Christmas one.

You know, as much as people love to joke about "internet r serious biznezz", it really is a good summary of how difficult it is to be taken seriously online. I used to think it was just Furries Being Stupid Furries TM, but frankly, it's pretty bloody rampant across the board.

Case in point, not long ago I made a very simple post asking a very simple question: "Dear community, I am Chinese and was curious as to who else out there might also be of asian descent? I'd like to meet some other asian folks in this community, so please comment if you are!" This simple inquiry was then met with well over a hundred+ responses and comments from folks with a grand total of about maybe 10 of them ACTUALLY being asians. The rest were folks chiming in to tell me they were anything but, or to crack jokes.

Okay, sure, people like having an opinion, people like to joke, people like to talk, and my friends like to tease me. That's fine, that's great, honestly I kind of half-expected such a response. So I took it in stride, it was funny, but I was still curious about my question, so I made a second attempt at a post, asking folks to please refrain from the jokes and to really, take me seriously.

I got back pretty much the same exact result as the first time with the added bonus of attracting a few trolls blatantly trying to start shit by calling me a racist. Classy. I ignored it, but at this point, I just gave up because I pretty much knew it wasn't going to go anywhere*.

As funny as it might seem, I was frustrated by the ordeal just for the simple principal of people not knowing how to answer a simple question. It just furthers the idea that being taken seriously online is a rarity, no matter how big or small the subject matter. Granted the audience I was reaching out to isn't exactly known for its maturity level but COME ON. I hate knowing that such an idea is cemented in my mind, and I know there are exceptions to the rule (many of whom are reading this now), but the number of times I've been proven right is just ridiculous. It's a sad and frustrating thought.

This isn't a well-thought out entry and I'm pretty sure I'm just babbling and spewing bad grammar, but it's something I wanted to mention. I'm sure I'll get made fun of heartily for even posting this, but hey, INTERNET. And people wonder why I don't post much for serious personal life stuff on here ;)



*In the very end I did end up getting a handful of useful responses to my original question.

these holidays have been a real rough one, im not at all in the mood for anything now... dad is so weak and so stubborn, i cant think he will ever get better, he just wants to complain, pop pills, complain, sit around drinking all day and complain... i know he is going through hell, but he isnt helping and the contant whining is really getting to me (id be a TERRIBLE father, i just have no patience anymore) i just cant deal... little kevin, who because he was small constantly was used to dig at ground zero and has high metal count in his pancreas, is in constant pain and told me he is ready for this all to be over... janet has been in and out of the hospital for three months, with piles of tests, but nothing solid they can help her with... then theres my little wounded flower, such a good, but tortured soul, she has no malice in her heart but for herself... i want to kidnap her and drive cross country, singing songs poorly just to take her mind off her mind

i hate this shit, ive been drinking just so i dont have to be home and deal with myself... everyone else is giving me enough

Look who arrived today!!!! :D



Isn't he just darling? Thank you, babsbunny!!!!

( Silly photos here )

I am SO happy, this seriously made my shitty day 1000000 times better. Thank you, Babsy! What a cute way to kiss 2009 good-bye <3