DOC-U-MENTING

Creatures, Creatures

No matter how strong your passions are, life simply will not slow down for you.
You say you want some extra time for yourself? Time to create? Time to
read? Time to see family and friends, time to catch up on letters and email?
Silly, silly you. Life doesn't care about that. Your to-do list means squat to life,
it just wants to pile on more, more, more, and you my friend, are supposed to
smile the entire time and assume, "Yes, I can handle this."
Truth is, you can. It just takes some trial and error.

Busy isn't even the word. Yet, despite all the chaos surrounding
my list of never-ending this and that, I have finished up three
new art pieces, which have already been added to shop!

More from A Creature for Every Letter of the Alphabet series:


T is for Toucan

I especially love this guy. He seems so intelligent and sweet
with that sly little beak smile of his. The original was crafted with
gouache, thread, and masking tape on a vintage poetry page.


H is for Humpback Whale

Isn't this hunk of sea life just adorable?
The transition of colors almost cast the illusion
of water flowing over his body. Such an inviting smirk too.
He as well was created with gouache on a vintage dictionary page.


F is for Fiddler Crab

I am obsessed with these crabby creatures.
That one big claw and other teeny claw fill me with giggles.
Mister Crab here was also created with gouache on a vintage
book page with the addition of thread and masking tape.




Thanks for the awesome comments and messages
you guys have been sending my way.
It's keeping me motivated to the max, haha.
Well, I'm off to ponder creatures, watch The Finals,
see friends, and work my butt off this week.
Till the next post my friends.
-Mae Jane-

Thank You Letter "M"

The Frenzy Mountains


Mustache Power

Thank you letter "M" for do you not only begin my name, and those sweet things known
as marshmallows but you also begin the words for two of my favorite things,
mountains and mustaches. Yes, I love the earth and it's elevated glory
as well as manly facial hair. I'm a fan and I pay honor to you both.

CREATURES FROM THE ALPHABET

New series in the works:


B is for Buck


L is for Lion

A Creature for Every Letter of the Alphabet series

More to come soon.
Will be adding prints to the shop this week.

    Mae Jane

RISE MY WEARY ONES

    New England is confused. So badly my local earth is craving for sunshine and warmth but all we keep getting is a foggy gray sky and damp grounds. April showers, you don't tease do you? I'm itching for sunshine like you wouldn't believe. I want to run around outside playing tennis and whiffle ball, camping and eating at cookouts. There's so much more to do during nice weather that is free. Sometimes we forget that the outdoors are like our adult playgrounds and jungle gyms. Why don't we go play more often? Who don't I? Oh there's this to do, and that to catch up on, and responsibility on top of obligation on top of expectations and duties and oh just simply growing up. What I do love though, about foggy gray days, is that even the birds won't cease to play. They still sing and converse among themselves, swooping in and out of trees as they chase each other's tail feathers.

    As you can see, I had a bit off fun with that cardstock I found yesterday. New artsy pieces!

We Dream Too Mixed Media Collage on Vintage Paper


Rise Mixed Media Collage on Vintage Paper



Somewhere Over The Mixed Media Collage on Vintage Paper

    All three of these new collage pieces are in the shop available as quality art prints. I'm falling back into my groove, yes I am. Since the weather is so icktastic I'd love to stay all curled up on the couch with my drawing pad and journal but I have homey chores to tend to as well as two doctor appointments (not a fan of the latter).  Laundry doesn't bother me so much, I just don't feel like doing it. :) I will, I will.

   

Much Love,
        Mae Jane

Moly x 5

    Hi friends! Here I have for you, my first vlog post! I wanted to show you guys the wonderful journal of Thereza Rowe as she sent it to me as part of the Moleskine exchange group we're part of together [MolyX5]. I also wanted to show the completed pages in my own journal that will be sent off to Tiphoni next.

   

    After I complete some pages in Thereza's journal I then send it off again to the next person in the group. Brainstorming, brainstorming! Oh haha, please pardon Littlebones making her way into my vlog, she seriously gets into everything. :)

;Mj

FOREVR GROWING

Ever have one of those moments where suddenly you understand
more than you thought you would and everything starts to make sense?
Or at least not look so scary anymore? 

Realizations, acceptance, embracing, coming to terms, etc.
It's all part of growing (up).

Transition from one phase of life to the next is a scary and beautiful process.
It can be quite intimidating and daunting but nonetheless oozing with
possibilities to be uncovered. I often find myself wondering though, if
I'm at the right point in my life, or what that even means.

All I know is that I feel more alive than I have in a long time,
and all I want to do is strengthen myself in every possible way.
I'm at a place in my life where I can just about go in any direction.
I kind of like that.





;Mj

TANGIBLE

    I've started working on a new journal. This one focuses more on aesthetics and emotion, and the concept of growing. It's not quite like my other journals with the Moleskines, where I do a lot of paper collage and writing. There's still some writing, and will be more in the future in this new one, but it's along different lines. This journal will capture tangible art, that which can be felt and holds memories using found and natural objects from my life. I dedicate an abstract idea or emotion to each page I work on. It may not be clear but that's sometimes the point. Here are the first six, below, I've created so far. I'm not going to give explanations of them because what they mean to me is ultimately different than what they will mean to you and I hope these works are viewed as a scene unfolding a story rather than a diary entry.

Coiling Fetus


Acceptance


Torn Favorite


Two To Twenty Four Lost More


Bad T.V. Bad Hair


Hidden Treasures

More to come later!
Mae Jane

FORCES UNKNOWN

I admit it. I believe in the power of The Universe.
I believe we create our own realities and that
everything happens for a reason. I believe in
forces unknown and unseen but truly felt within
and all around us. I believe in science as well but
that they are connected and we just haven't
entirely discovered just how yet.



Plant love, grow love.

;Mj

TO BE OR NOT TO BE

Things are truly what we make of them.
Our perception of our surroundings and
circumstances ultimately decide our fates
within them.

falling strands of coffee hair, a strand for each fear,
but "you can be anything you want to be," right?
life is magical when we choose to see it that way;
our lives comprised of our thoughts. you are
what you ponder. so ponder glorious truth,
beauty, and strength.

I think seasonal depression is trying to take hold of me.
I won't let it though. I've got cupcakes and tea and
sweet cozy kitties to cure that ick.

Reflecting on growing up, realizing I've only aged,
and hardly matured.

I've grown from this but not much. I'd still roller skate
in the snow if I had the chance. I still make
silly faces and dress like a goober, but instead of
being 8, I'm 24. Just a 24 year old kid and it's all good.

Love, Love
;Mj

P.S. The Love Raffle ends this Friday at 7pm! Be sure to
get your comment posted in time for a chance to win
the goodie basket featuring any art print of the winner's choosing!

Cloaked in Covers

What are the covers we cloak ourselves in really hiding?

    I always dress according to my mood. Sometimes there are limits, like going to that day job. But nonetheless, I dress based on the way I'm feeling at that moment, and also how I plan/hope to feel for the rest of the day. I sometimes wonder what people are hiding under their garments, not physically, but emotionally. Does that red sweater cheer this person up? Do those jeans make that person feel worse?  For me, I always find comfort in snug-fitting zip-up hoodies, basic cardigans, leggings, skinny jeans, tanks, flats, boots, and slippers. I tend to gravitate towards very basic colors, mostly grays, blacks, blues, and browns. I've forced myself to buy more colorful clothing during the past few months, so I'm obtaining a more diverse wardrobe. Yet I find myself falling into a signature routine. Gray, layers, a small pop of color in a tank, dark or light on bottom, done. Oh, and I love stripes. I kind of have too many tops that are striped. But I can't help it, I'm drawn to the aesthetic of it!

    It's funny that I think about clothing/style so much, because I am no where near superficial. I tend to wonder about clothing in an emotional expression aspect. Such as, what is the wearer trying to say with that outfit, not, oh that's not in season. It's not a matter of what's in season, trendy, out, in, up, under, or whatever, all that matters is how the person feels. So then I ask what is more important? The message of the ensemble or the delivery of the message such as the ensemble itself? Perhaps they are equal to each other, or yet, cancel each other out. Either way, I find style exhilarating and fun. It's an area that is completely creative and has the potential to be unique. That I dig.

   

    I'm constantly wondering if people understand the message I'm saying with my exterior appearance. I assume most don't. Though there are those select few who get it. In fact, I'm not even sure if I fully get it yet either. It's something that is always evolving. The only thing I do know is that my exterior has the opportunity to represent me and everything about me. Visual aesthetic hold power, they are bold and leave a lasting impression. What kind of impressions are we giving off then?

;MJ

 

Moleskine Planner

    Last night we danced the night away as it was abruptly ended while we were preparing for more moves. Sadness took over but we can shake our booties tomorrow night too. The hookah bar was interesting. I really enjoyed the atmosphere, cushy couches with little coffee tables, wonderful middle eastern food, an array of flavored tobaccos (we chose mixed fruit, apple, and chocolate mint). It was relaxing and magical at the same time. Then we headed over to another place to consume as many drinks within an hour as we could and shake shake shake our bodies on the dance floor. I hate when the night ends too soon. Tomorrow night though, it's round two of birthday celebrations.

    I slept too late today. But I needed it. I didn't fall asleep till nearly four a.m. However, I have much to work on, paintings and drawings, entries and collages, and even dreaded chores. I love that my mister nub is home to help me some though. I've decided to also commit myself to documenting more of my journey here in actual posts rather than sporadic journal entries. I want to have a consistent documentation of my twenty-fourth year.  My daily planner has begun to turn into a journal with collage and sometimes even little doodles. I'm going with it. I consider this planner to be the rough draft to the final artbook version I'm working on. It is vital for the impromptu documenting of inspiration for artwork and creations.  Right now though, right now it is time for glue, wood, paint and paper.

;MJ

      

Strange Stumblings

"The train purrs and I'm awake at 3 a.m. feeling ill and icky.
House is noisy as it breathes in the December winter chill.
Bodies rise and chests wheeze, bitten by the bug.
Insomniacs unite during this time by clever means of
internet connections and the homeshopping network.
Feeling like a child, trying not to get caught,
trying not to disturb."



"Another year just about to be crossed off---done.
What can I say about 2007? I've definitely lived
in the moment, and certainly have slowed down
and changed perspectives. My relationships are
becoming stronger but in that grown up kind of
way. I've grown as an artist, stumbling onto my
niche. Defining myself as a person has been the
adventure of choice while discovering the earth
within and all around me. I've learned it's about
the simple and understated elements in life. I've
learned that it's about right now and everyone
I've met and yet to meet."

;MJ

P.S. Happy Holidays! Sorry for the lack in posts and inspiration.
The holiday season has kept me beyond busy but as things
are slowly settling down I am finding more time for new
creations, and I promise that with the start of the new year
it will bring new articles and inspirations and journal recipes.
I'm working on it, always have been and always will :D
Muah XXO!

Open-ended

I heard somewhere that thoughts become things. So, if I choose to only
think sweet and positive ponderings then perhaps I won't feel the burden
and pain of things gone wrong. I should put my energy into the results
I want, not the fears that I'm afraid I can't escape.

Dare to love yourself,
open-ended.
That means, allowing yourself to have flaws,
to make mistakes and fumble and fall along the way,
to grow and evolve and transform from these moments.
You will always be transitioning and reinventing as you
(gracefully) age in this life. There is no way to formulate
one conclusion of yourself right now. It's impossible.

"You know, I am always growing emotionally and I'm very aware of
everything that I go through and that I experience personally. I'm
always learning something new about myself, whether it's a good or
bad thing, that I need to work on. A lot of things make me sad.
Sometimes it's almost easier to be sad. But you do end up
finding a balance and I think that as I get older I am
learning what I can do for myself to make me happy."
--M-K

;mj

THEME: SELF DIRECTION

Moving on from the theme of Artistic Direction, that took me way too long to work on,
I'm starting on the next theme of Self Direction. I've decided to let the themes dictate
themselves to me, on how long they should last, or even if they should end at all.
I'm mostly opting to consider each theme as an invitation to additional discovery,
without limiting myself in any other areas or themes.

Self Direction is a huge part of our lives, and that pesky quarter-life crisis.
We need to figure ourselves out and where the heck we're going.

Where are we going?
Who are we becoming?
What do we want?



I have about a million and one goals. Some I need to complete by today, some in
a span of a few years. Nonetheless, it's important to have goals and write them down.
It makes me feel connected with the possibility of achieving them. It can be
overwhelming to think so far into the future, but I know that in a matter of a
few months I will be turning 24. This scares me because I have so much I want to do
before leaving the 25 mark. I've got two years. two months, and two days till I'll be 26.
I have much I want to accomplish and experience, and so much more to still figure out!

So I've started small with a few goals. Simple ones, and big ones. Of course there are
many more than I made room for, but these goals will make themselves known to me
as the days pass by. It doesn't hurt to be in tune with them though.



I believe it's incredibly important to stay positive and believe in yourself in the ways
that you want to see yourself. Say, you want to be a certain kind of person...
just believing that you already are that kind of person makes it that much more
real and attainable. There are plenty of inspirations and muses that show up
along our journeys, it's up to us to dissect them and sprout from them.

Grow Love, Sprout Babycakes


Be back with more soon,
xxo; Mae Jane

P.S. Small update located at TLF.

Habitual Habitats

As you can see I have been drawing quite a bit.
Forcing myself to draw just a little bit every day
is really starting to pay off. Creating weekly themes
enables me to find a workable limit and create something
I probably wouldn't have thought of initially.

This week I'm focusing on Habitual Habitats.
This refers to homes that are created in nature by habits.
Such as birds living in man made bird houses, fish living in
water bubbles, or fireflies getting caught in glass jars.





Being from New England, I naturally have a strong love
and appreciation for trees and all that relate. This is
perhaps another reason why Autumn is my favorite season.



Hello podlings! I was attempting to draw an acorn at first,
and low and behold, two twin podling sisters escaped onto the page.



Obviously, they are my new love.

I hope to be back with more.
Concrete thought-filled writing will be coming soon.
There hasn't been much of that lately.

xxo; Mae Jane

METAMORPHOSiS

I'm flirting with the concept of metamorphosis this week.
Especially since autumn is creeping in, changing one element to another.

metamorphosis:

1 a : change of physical form, structure, or substance especially by
supernatural means b : a striking alteration in appearance, character, or circumstances
2 : a typically marked and more or less abrupt developmental change
in the form or structure of an animal (as a butterfly or a frog) occurring
subsequent to birth or hatching.

I'm going to spend some time reflecting on this.

XXO: Mae Jane

RECIPE: BACKYARD TREASURE

Let your backyard take you on a journey. Discover something new, or look at something old
in a whole new light. Capture. Collect. Document. Reinvent. Create.




XXO: Mae Jane

RECIPE: LOVE THYSELF!

I've come to realize that the more I grow, age, and live, the more I change inside and out.  In ten years I won't have this perfect baby soft skin. In ten years I won't have this luscious (not completely frizzed out) hair. In ten years I will have some wrinkles, my face will look different, older of course, but different nonetheless. As a woman it's almost terrifying to know I won't look this way one day. Now I can almost understand why all those sad girls used to get cheesy Glamour Shots back in the day. If you're only going to look that good for such a small portion of your life, you might as well capture it and cherish it. So, you know, you can show the grandkids one day, "See? Grandma wasn't always this haggard and gray!"

This is a recipe about self-admiration and loving everything about your physical self. This is a chance to portray yourself in the way that you feel best describes you without just a mug shot of your face.



I was first going to print out a photo and collage around it and rework the whole thing, but I'm out of color ink. So I decided to make my best attempt at painting a self portrait. This, I realized, turned out to be better, because I had more control of what come through on the canvas. I didn't try to hide what I didn't like about myself, but just simply made the best resemblance I could. Then I added around it, which then completed the real me.


Subtle Yet Messy

based off of this photo:

ehh, sort of close!
good thing i'm really not that orange.

So, in anyway that you see fit to fully express your outside self, do it.  Be it in your journal or on canvas, or doing a themed photo shoot.  Just be sure to document it afterwards, or make the creation itself the documentation. 



xxo; Mae Jane

RECIPE: RE-DISCOVER SOME COLOR!

typos included hehe

here's my end result:



This recipe pretty much stumbled upon me first. I wanted an excuse to use all those number tickets (the ones you get at the deli when you wait in line).  But I absolutely hated the color they were; I hate that kind of pink. So I decided to collect everything pink I could, any variation of the color.  I found that I ended up loving pink.  So I may not be all that super girly but certain shades of pink are quite tops in my opinion now. Especially if it relates to Hello Kitty. I'm way too obsessed with that stuff. Now I like to think pink, but not too much. I still prefer green/blue over pink. And then even orange over that. Color is pretty important to me, maybe it stems from the four art classes I took in high school, or those interior design courses I took at NEIT. Color is profound though, it shapes our lives and impacts our moods, our lives practically thrive off of color.

So, what color would you pick?

xxo; Mae Jane

TREASURE HUNTED HOME REVISITED

^ New treasure collected from within my home. 

This time I was going for a more subtle look,
with mostly evidence of memories of times, events, places, and feelings. 

With this one however,



I was going for a much more organic and colorful feel.
Since it isn't as obvious as the fist one, the
materials include:

a ticket stub, ink,
gold foil wrapper,
a tiny elastic,
spaghetti sauce,
loose herbs from
my morning tea bag,
sage (top right),
and pencil.

I created part of this one while watching Discovery's Planet Earth series, jotting down my favorite images of the animals and trees. I finished the rest of this the next morning and smushed the pages together, not expecting the smudged rainbow effect, but loving it :D

text:
"elephants swimming, birds dancing a blue ballet,
baboons afraid to touch the water, the clever impala,
sliding polar bears and extra fluffy leopards."
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Find any new treasure lately?

xxo: mj

TREASURE HUNTED HOME

From time to time I like to rummage around my home with a shoe box, collecting anything I can find that appeals to me.  After I feel I have collected more than enough trash (aka treasure) I'll sit down at my studio desk and compile my favorite pickings into a collage in my journal. 
From there, I let the items move me. 

What kind of treasure can you find in your own home?

Sometimes it's challenging and adventureous to make it a point to only gather green items, or round items, or organic items, etc.  See where your mind and senses take you.  Don't hold back, even the most ordinary yet overlooked items can be a wonderful contribution:



With these pages I used jell-o (of left over jell-o "shots" from the weekend), a paper drink umbrella, part of a straw, toothpick, crayon, a metal pin, colored sugar (orange), a sticker, hair, and a hole cut in the page with dirt taped onto the next page.  I was playing around with color, circle, and line elements. The above was part of Keri Smith's Wreck This Journal project online.

Anything can be treasure, it all depends on how you look at it, alter it, or re-invent it.

xxo; mj

RECIPE: HOW TO KICK A BAD MOOD IN IT'S ARSE

Unfortunately, no matter how much we try to be optimistic and cheerful, sometimes a bad mood sneaks up on us, taking our demeanor hostage.  It's an unfair and uninvited thing, but that doesn't mean we can't gain something from it.  First, we need to remove ourselves from the negativity and sooth our minds and relax the tension in our muscles.  Second, we must alter the state of our minds, forcing ourselves to think about all of our most favorite things in life.  Then we must run with the ideas and beauty in our heads and document it in our journals.  Afterwards, when you are looking over your creation, you'll realize that you just won that battle.

What bad mood?




xxo; mj

RECIPE FOR SELF-DISCOVERY

Mine:



[ click to enlarge ]

text:

girl is still a girl and hardly a woman
needing grace, needing courage confidence
and more hours at work to the bills to
pay off the tension in the air to pay off the eggshells
and the hiding tongues

girl is growing girl is going going gone
ways set in and i get set in my ways
typical tidings and same old same old but
not wanting it any other way right now but
maybe a little more meaningful; magical
mishappenings of a misguided girl geared
towards womanly ways

she lacks the grave
and the grace to jump blindly always slipping
in an awkward car crash of words;

puddle of a girl; dreams and fears, sugar and rainbows;
a messy mixture of fairy tale wishes.

second page:

innocent flesh, female and feverish fighting for safety and sanity
from disease; the kind that runs ramped in royal relatives
causing cancerous contagious worry worries; a mass removed
manipulated and misguided; benign and biopsied and taken from
my bosom when i was too young too frail too scared and too
innocent to endure; time passes time does not heal, for
heaven sake heavy hard pain remains and i'm too young too frail
too scared and too innocent to go there again but then those
contagious cancerous worry worries consume my failing flesh;
afraid of failing too young too feverish

ireallyneedtogoback&getchecked
truthisimjustplainscared

congested and contained in raw rib cages
a raw ribcage cracked and crumbling from
constant coughing; it doesn't go away.

andi'dalmostrathernotknow;myfamilys
medicalhistoryislikeahorrormovietome
itsnotsomethingiwanttostarin.

she forgets she's real, destructible and easily destroyed.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Try it.
Let your mind and heart and soul speak to you,
and embrace it all, the ugly, the fears, the failures,
and find the beauty in it.
It's there.


xxo; mae jane