fanciful devices: OMFG!

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.

8/13/11

OMFG!

Oh My Literal Fucking God! Look what came in the mail from SpiritedEarth yesterday:

Look at the leeetle discs! Eeep! Oh and notice no shiny? I didn't do that! Not even in Photoshop- THEY CAME THAT WAY! Look at the leeetle birdy! Squeeee!

Here's another picture just cuz. So guess how much I paid for them? NOTHING! Cuz I didn't even order them or know they were coming cuz they weren't even in the shop! She just knew I've been scouring the etsywebs for pale, non-shiny, organic beads that are the perfect balance of interesting and simple! Because apparently, SpiritedEarth is psychic. Or telepathic? Clairvoyant? Socioeconomic?

Man! They're all of them unshiny!!!! I really like Gaea's stuff and I look everyday for a bead bundle thats pale, doesn't include a pendant and isn't shiny and, but, so, no, there never is (though you can totally convo and request what you want. But I hadn't. Because I shouldn't be buying more stuff. But just in case I was still checking each and everyday). And then these appeared! At my door! As if by magic! Or telekinesis. Or socioeconomic psychosis! It is socioeconomic, though. Socio because I've chatted with her socially via convos, and economic because you can't get more economic than free, bay-beee!

That's totally not the meaning of socioeconomic, of course. I'll stop now.
THANK YOU SPIRITED!

6 comments:

Jennifer Valentine Morford said...: I love her work too....have lots of pieces of hers...but I can't bear to part with them. I covet them. I take them out and play with them and then put them back....I'm a spirited earth bead HOARDER. There. I said it.; 8/13/11, 3:11 AM
mairedodd said...: nan emmett is one special lady - enjoy those beads (she sent some real beauties) - they will be wonderful in your designs!; 8/13/11, 7:47 AM
Spirited Earth said...: hehe...(blushing)
when i comment, "i'm psychic", my bestest friend responds,psychotic maybe..hmmm?
really..i just look..
at everything..all the time..
i'll be darned if you're sanding off my pieces girl ;-)
so whipped up some mattes especially for you..thanks for your very kind words..all ya'll; 8/13/11, 8:38 AM
Gardanne said...: You deserve freebies Miss Fanciful.
I have been inspired at the torch mostly by objects found in nature. But you are the first human that inspires me at the torch, I find myself saying "oh miss fanciful would like that" or "miss fanciful would really hate that."
So thank you for pushing me in an "unshiny, looks like it was pulled out of the earth" direction.
Who knows what will appear, mwahahahahaha.
I'm so lame I just had to ask my teen daughter and her friend how to spell an evil laugh. What do you expect I'm going to be 54 tomorrow, boohoo ( I know how to spell that one).; 8/13/11, 10:11 AM
In the Light of the Moon said...: How cool is That!!!; 8/13/11, 3:59 PM
Pretty Things said...: She's awesome like that!; 8/14/11, 11:18 AM