Monday, January 5, 2009

Drawing Conclusions

stippled ink drawing in progress
This has been an interesting few months. After officially losing my employment, I've been substitute teaching in the local school district, and while Christmas break interrupted my short sub employment, I found myself back in the classroom today. The stress of repeatedly asking a group of high school boys to quit talking and do their work really wears on me and I find myself thinking about my real dreams.

I come home and draw.

Drawing isn't my fondest medium, it's just whats possible right now. The darkroom is my natural habitat but I don't have one available to me right now. I didn't realize how fortunate I've been the last 10 years of college and grad school. I've considered these post masters years as a drawing assignment, challenging myself to create in new ways. I'm not sure if its going anywhere, but I have lots of new effigies to keep me company along the way.

The holidays have left me very drained and I hope in the next few weeks I can use the chaos of Christmas as fuel for work...weird work...needed work.

I need to bust out the video camera and start licking some glass (see Diagnosis video on my website if you really care what I'm referencing.)

3 comments:

TheresaJ said...

I think your drawings are very well done. If you like photography, why not digital though? I know, it takes the fun out of it for those who love the dark room, but at least it's an option.

I feel your pain with unemployment woes. I've been unemployed since the very end of August. Still waiting for an unemployment check (won my case on appeal, but no check yet), but I've been doing a bit of part-time work since mid December, although not enough to pay the bills. My crafty holiday sales helped me through to the end of the year, but now I fear things are going to get really tough unless a full-time job comes through or I get the check I've been waiting for. In any case, I will survive, and it's been somewhat of a fun ride exploring new opportunities and ideas during the process.

As for the high school kids, at least it's not middle schoolers. I find them to be the most intolerable bunch -- like Lord of the Flies.

Adri said...

Hilarious...I had no idea Middle Schoolers would be worse. My only sub experience is with High Schoolers. Before that, college students...which is SO different! Teaching at the university was so much easier!

My MFA thesis was entirely digital, about 3000 images, and I need to get that ball rolling again. The drama of the darkroom is the best part...the tactile manipulation.

Thanks!

Sidni said...

Well aren't you glad you have drawing and photos and video to dream about? What would life be like without it? I shiver.