fanciful devices: Guess what I did?

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.

11/11/10

Guess what I did?

Got me 1st tattoo! And it's a big 'un.

Here's some pictures I took of me right after w/the bandages still on.

Big ol' goofy ol' smile. I literally just went in and whitened my teeth in that picture. My hand has all this black paint splatter on it still. I was such a spaz after I got it I'm surprised I didn't get run over crossing the street.

Tomorrow I'll take actual photos of it. But I realized I've never put a picture of myself up here, so here you go. Feast your eyes! The guy who did it was really lovely, his name is Mario Desa, and the shop, Chicago Tattoo, is really fun to be in, full of odd little knick knacks and things. It hurt some but mostly I'm in shock that I actually did it. They have a sign hanging over the door that says 'artists will be charged double' and it was literally meant for me.

9 comments:

stregata said...: Love your smile. And can't wait to see what you had tattooed.; 11/12/10, 12:14 AM
Malin de Koning said...: Mmm exciting. Black plastic as bandage? No, I guess it is to keep light away. You look absolutely fantastic. AND you make the most gorgeaus jewellery. Did I tell you I've been to Uruguay. Mate all day long, loads of old beautiful cars, lovely food, being pushed under the water by waves in Punta del Este rolling around like a ball on the sandy bottom managed to get up and get a sip of air only to be pushed down again, a near death experience that was. Saw the Whitbread boats there too. Oh the houses of Montevideo and the furnitures and antiques, and an amazing graveyard we just stumbled upon while walking around, found out later it is really famous. Wonderful friendly people.; 11/12/10, 1:11 AM
carol said...: well fanci
bout time we got a geek at you.

i so wish i had the courage to get a tat.
did it hurt a lot?
best i've done is stick a tat sticker on my foot. but. its wearing off. thats the trouble with taking showers.
can't wait to see what you've chosen to be your trade 'mark'... something exotic??

you do realise that your probably starting a tat explosion now...
but,
good one

caRolS; 11/12/10, 3:15 AM
Lorelei Eurto said...: well you are the cutest thing I ever saw! And now what I had envisioned in my head at all!
Can't wait to see your new Tat- i bet it's fabulous!; 11/12/10, 5:06 AM
Spirited Earth said...: can't believe you got a BIG one.
congrats. cant' wait to see it.
did they charge you double haha.; 11/12/10, 6:28 AM
betweenreader said...: Great to see your happy face! I got my first in 95 after first rope lead and never looked back; it's a deep process and I love that "artists must pay double" -- did you provide your own image?; 11/12/10, 9:57 AM
~Debi said...: Ok, you read someone's blog for a while and just get this picture of them in your head. Where's the long hair? For some reason I thought you had long hair. lol

I have one tat, which I got hmmm... about 14 years ago. Can't wait to see what cha got! You designed it, right?; 11/12/10, 11:45 AM
Unknown said...: Look at that dimple! You are adorable, love the short hair, too!; 11/13/10, 2:16 PM
Pretty Things said...: How cool! I have two!; 11/13/10, 8:15 PM