Make Something

Make something. Or tell me about something you’ve already made. I am a firm believer that the uglier the world gets, the more important it is that we make art. I’m failing miserably.

I’m trying, you guys. I am.

I feel like all my creativity has drained away and I’m left with this shell that just works, drinks and sleeps.

This works in a couple of ways. I am both feeling like a shell of myself. Also, my mother, sisters and one of  my stepdaughters call me “Shell”. My niece and nephew call me Auntie Shell. Or at least my 13 year old nephew used to call me that. Now, he just calls me “boomer”. 

I didn’t go to work last Monday. It was my second week back and I couldn’t force myself to get out of bed. I couldn’t face being in a building with so many maskless faces.

I forced myself to get out of bed after noon and retrieve the new glass drawing markers. I saved a bunch of tea bottles to color on and make a bottle tree for my back yard. I would not waste an entire vacation day and would make something.

Honestly, even before the pandemic, I wasn’t great at reading directions and certainly can’t be bothered with directions now.

I didn’t understand how the markers operated and instead of taking the lid off, I unscrewed the whole thing. Turned upside down. On my bed. Black oil based marker shit. All over me, my sheets and a brand spanking new mattress.

So, you know, I put that project up. And then I had to find nail polish remover because no way I could have taken the next day off at work last Tuesday. I didn’t find it reasonable to show up to work with my hands and arm stained black.

I guess I’ll get them out again sometime. Just not now.

And why do I care if there is a big black splotch on my brand new mattress? We put sheets on the mattress. We can’t even see it. And seriously, it’s not like I hadn’t stained every other mattress we’ve ever owned. But since my period days are over, I thought perhaps those mishaps were over as well. But no.

At least the stain is a different color this time. 

Here’s what I have right now. A list of random thoughts.

Pretty sure my next blog post will just be a crayon drawing.

So, here we go:

I am not a fan of awkward humor. Uncomfortable situations are just uncomfortable. 

I was 7 when we landed on the moon, but I don’t remember watching it on TV. Probably because Hee Haw was on or something. 

Why do people say “peeled like a grape”? Have you ever peeled a grape? It’s fucking hard. “peeled like a banana” makes more sense. 

You know how people say “Well, I’m going to put this in place in case I get hit by a bus”? Part of me secretly hopes they get hit by a bus. 

I think tomorrow at work, I am going to give everyone the nickname “snot bubbles”. 

I wish my whole life was like the cool side of the pillow. 

If there is such a thing as alternate universes, I hope the alternate Michelles are more productive. 

Fucking around with mummies never results in anything good. I say leave them alone and stay safe. 

Speaking of staying safe? Wear a fucking mask.

I hope you guys are okay. Sorry I’ve been lax on responding to your comments. I promise, I saw them all. My fingers are just having a hard time working these days.

So, what are you doing to stay sane? I need some advice because my shit isn’t working all that well.

Also, I have to order some crayons. I don’t think I can hurt anything with crayons.

 

 

 

23 Thoughts.

  1. I’m learning to draw stick figures. It’s mainly because I tend to overcomplicate everything, and I have this story I want to draw, but left to myself I made the story drawings too detailed and derailed my work on the story (this is typical of me). I’m not any sort of artist or storyteller, so doing an illustrated story is REALLY outside my comfort zone, but it’s the first story I’ve ever wanted to write down, so I’m trying.

    Anyway, I’m learning to draw stick figures to (as the guy says in this video), add constraints.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6NsEDwHHiE

  2. “snot bubbles” LOVE this!

    Also, crayons are THE best!

    I’m able to paint during these insane days BUT reading and, even, watching teevee are beyond me and my pathetic concentration levels. I thought I’d start an Etsy shop but can’t manage more than creating the work that I want to sell. Self-promo is out of reach.

  3. I haven’t got a creative bone in my body, so anything of an artistic nature is a no go. The only thing I do to pass the time is take surveys. Unfortunately, lately they’ve all been about the Coronavirus, the Marches, and what is opening in the State that has no business opening. And the elections. OMG! Please stop asking me about the damn elections! But at least they pay.

  4. I haven’t had the time or mental/physical energy for making anything lately. My mom and a friend have given me All the Beads this month and instead of inspiring me and giving me the itch to create something, it’s depressing me. Because I already had All the Beads and wasn’t doing anything with them, or when I *do* do something with them, the people browsing my Etsy shop aren’t interested. So I still have All the Beads, but made into stuff, and the longer it’s been since I sold anything, the less inclined I feel to make something new.

    Everybody’s saying, “Don’t worry; you don’t have to be super-productive right now.” I’m not worried about feeling productive. I just wish I could feel like I’m accomplishing anything.

  5. Here is what creative things I have done. I too work in an office with unmasked individuals. I wear a mask all the time.
    Plexiglass is relatively inexpensive so I bought some sheets and raised the walls of my low wall cubical about 2 feet so co-workers cannot just lean over the partition and talk to me. I just “C” clamped them to the partitions. I also put them across the opening to my cube so people can’t just walk into my space. I used adhesive velcro strips to keep them in place. All easy to remove if needed. No damage to the furniture. Not art but creative.

    I refuse to go to any meetings in person if all are not masked. I’ll only join by audio/video call otherwise. I do not get on the elevators, I bring my own coffee and food from home – mostly to avoid the break room. I’m fine if others are not masked – I don’t say anything but I do keep my distance at all times. I’m older but work around a lot of much younger co-workers.

    • That’s brilliant! I just threw a fit about people not wearing masks and got moved to a conference room by myself. I’m happy to be there, but not happy about being in that building. Not at all.

  6. “I wish my whole life was like the cool side of the pillow”. I think I’m gonna steal this.

    I see myself in everyline here. Well, except the black ink, I don’t even have a tattoo. I got to the same point and decided to take very small steps everyday. I had to force myself to accomplish tasks one at a time and in between do something little for myself. Like shower. lol. Then things got more manageable. And time passed. You can do it, chick.

  7. Crayons melt. I use drawing apps on my phone of various difficulties to avoid clean up. Got enough messes round here because housekeeping is waaaay down on the list at this point, bare essentials only.
    Anyhow, I like what Bill wrote in the comments. Plexiglass the shit out of your workspace — anything to help feel safer these days.
    You’re not alone!!! I’ll raise my glass to you at 5pm 🙂

  8. I am currently creating lesson plans to teach art to children. I am also honing drawing skills so I can practice creating tattoos….my tattoo gun os calling my name, just trying to build up my self esteem for becoming an awesome tattoo artist.

  9. The mishap with the markers sounds like bad design, not something on you. Well, it was on you, but I hope by now you’ve been able to remove it.
    Back in April everybody–literally people all around the world–was making funny recreations of works of art. I even made one. It was fun and I miss that it dropped off, but I guess there are only so many times people can give themselves a Frida Kahlo unibrow.
    One great thing the place where I work has been doing is a weekly Zoom meeting where someone talks about a hobby or something they’re into. It’s not required but it’s a nice break from work for everyone who wants one. I’ve learned about K-Pop, old cameras, and homebrewing, and I did one myself on collecting foreign coins.
    It’s been a fun way to learn about people I work with without having to be around them.

  10. I once made a DIY light show for my bedroom, because of course I did.
    Someone gave me an old theater light, and I took it apart and used Sharpies to color a glass disc that fit between the lenses. You had to go over everything twice or the color wouldn’t be strong enough to project, and finally I just took to coloring both sides of the glass, which given my inaccurate drawing, ended up mixing the colors, giving an entire new dimension to the results.
    The colors would last about six or seven hours before they faded away, so I’d have to redo it every couple of days or so to keep the light show in my room worth looking at.
    I lost it in a move and spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to recreate it in my next apartment out of lenses from one of those projection TVs, but never got them to work.
    That’s what I have about marking on glass.
    They have actual 95 masks down at Raley’s now, and we bought a box of them, but In have just been wearing the red bandanna Zsuzs loaned me when we go to town. I’ll save the masks for things like my upcoming doctor visit down in Madera, where the virus is actually spreading.
    I hope you are weathering the apocalypse well, as well as all of your people.
    I remain hopeful that there will be positive results to all of this chaotic intrusion into the deeply flawed status quo. If nothing else, I can do ten push ups again, so perhaps starting small will have to do for now.

    • I think you can do 10 more push ups than I can. Haha.

      We are staying as safe as we can. I have a lot of allergy issues and they’re acting up which freaks me out. I just need some sleep. I’m taking off the rest of the week after tomorrow. I just can’t go there now. Cases are rising in Ohio and especially in Hamilton county, which is my county.

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