fanciful devices: Hip Hop Hooray

A Stone Is Nobody's

A man ambushed a stone. Caught it.
Made it a prisoner.
Put it in a dark room and stood guard over it for the rest of his life.

His mother asked why.

He said, because it's held captive, because it is captured.

Look, the stone is asleep, she said, it does not know whether it's in a garden or not. Eternity and the stone
are mother and daughter; it is you who are getting old. The stone is only sleeping.

But I caught it, mother, it is mine by conquest, he said.

A stone is nobody's, not even its own. It is you who are conquered; you are minding the prisoner, which is yourself,
because you are afraid to go out, she said.

Yes yes, I am afraid, because you have never loved me, he said.

Which is true, because you have always been to me as the stone is to you, she said.

Russell Edson

FAQs

1. Are you a Southeast Asian dancing girl from the 1800s?

No, sorry to disappoint. My avatar and banner images are from an ancient book I found in the depths of my grandmother's cabinets. More on that here.

2. How do you make everything look so old?

First, you need a good oxidizer to brush on every bit of metal you can reach. I'll tell you all about it here.

Then there's this wax. I first mentioned it here. You'll have to scroll down a lot.

3. How can you be so productive?

I'm insanely obsessed and I have no offspring. I do nothing else- I don't have a day job, I don't clean my house or cook, I spend all day in pjs, often completely abandoning personal hygiene... I only interact with other humans when I walk my dog. And I like people! But I prefer dogs.

And I'm sloppy- but I make that sloppiness work for me.

4. Any tips you'd like to share?

No! Except for these 16 posts about techniques and this one about how to find your aesthetic.

5. Would you be offended if I took some inspiration from your designs?

Well, I'd be happier if you outright copied them.

No really, imitation is how we learn. I have enough ideas to go around. And even if I don't- please. No one's going to do this obsessively enough to threaten my business. (Probably.) I learned by copying others and I've seen others copy me as a step toward developing their own voice. So feel free. (I'd love if you tossed me a link in my comments, so I can feel like a proud momma.)

6. What do you look like?

Why, what have you heard? Really? Wow.

5/16/10

Hip Hop Hooray

I got my injections and my hands are all better! Yeeeha!

(I glued the silver Mary disk thing on to this MOP keychain. I smeared my dirt and wax mix to fill in the edges and gaps, but it hasn't dried and looks overdone here.)

So I've been making up a storm. Oh joyous day! Oh ecstasy of beauty and creation, of chasing the visions barely hinted at in my subconscious.

(Sari yarn cord, skull and rhitulated drop from my haul.)

Here are some sneak peeks.

--That's what I've decided to call my crappy scanner images from after I make something but before I have a chance to take pictures: sneak peeks.--

I guess the time I read some thing about how if you want a good blog never ever post anything but the most mind-bogglingly awesome photos, well, I guess that traumatized me a tad.

But now I'm thinking phuket! I'm an original, I don't have to follow the rules. Especially since I'm not expecting any kind of following or audience... er, I mean readers, that's the word. And when I get excited about stuff I'm making, I wanna share. I know it would be much better to take snapshots of my workspace instead of scans, but I can't quite get in that habit. When I'm making, I can't seem to think of anything else.

(This necklace includes crochet sent to me by Sparrow ages ago, and the strip of whatever sewn stuff, that I think will be part of a "chain" for the focal in the first image. It has these amazing tiny heart nail-heads she sent in that same package. Oh, the dirty-white ball chain was from her too. I am nuts about that worn plastic ball chain. There's something that happens when plastic gets old. You can see it in the little horse, too. Oh, happy happy.)

So I just completely contradicted myself- I don't expect a following but I post these images b/c I wanna share?

3 comments:

Jo Archer said...: I'm glad you do want to share, your new necklaces are fabulous.

As to blog posting, I started mine for me, somewhere I could put stuff I liked: sort of an online diary, but without the bad poetry and tales of lost love! However, once you get a few followers you then feel obligated to post things for them, to keep them interested and then it becomes a chore.

Glad your injections worked.; 5/16/10, 4:17 AM
AuntieAnnie said...: Your posting is marvelous and inspirational. I am glad the injections worked. I had carpal tunnel surgery in both hands - I hope that you can avoid the same. Exercises work and I do them to keep my hands flexible - here is a link - http://www.eatonhand.com/hw/ctexercise.htm; 5/16/10, 7:29 AM
fanciful devices said...: Aw- thanks so much for the comments. it means so so much. I think I am gonna have surgery. Doctor says so... but stretching and exercise work too. also splints and heat. but nothing like how well injections work. and i still have to keep doing all the stuff that hurts them in the 1st place-thus the need for a permanent fix.
i'm not worried, though.
Cuz i'm in denial!; 5/16/10, 11:25 PM