My spiffy day...

The day sort of started with my car at the dealership getting routine maintenance and me at McDonald's enjoying an Egg McMuffin and working on the computer, but then things took off. I meandered my way over the hill and wound my way out to the ocean via Sunset Boulevard to meet up with the composer of the show I'll be reading later this month. Since I got to Berton's neighborhood (a cliff overlooking the ocean in Pacific Palisades) early , I killed some time at a lovely place. While I don't identify myself as a member of the Self Realization Fellowship, they sure have created some lovely and peaceful places that are open to the public. When in Encinitas (North San Diego coast), I sometimes find my way to their gardens overlooking the sea. In the Palisades, they have what they call the Lake Shrine which is an oasis of a spot – waterfalls and pathways and benches (and a chapel that looks like a windmill) surrounding a spring-fed lake. I wandered for about 20 minutes before I had to get to rehearsal. Berton Averre was/is part of the band The Knack ("My Sharona", "Good Girls Don't") and he now keeps busy writing really fun stuff for the stage. It was really cool that he conducted part of the rehearsal on guitar.

After the session, I headed north to my little seafood dive, The Reel Inn (get it?), and enjoyed some seared ahi, a salad, and home fries as I did some more work on the computer (a wild, flailing attempt at a poster design). I then found myself enjoying a beautiful drive through Topanga Canyon as the daylight began to wane. And as it did, I experienced something I've wanted to experience for a while – a play at Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum. The offering this eve was Eugene O'Neill's A Long Day's Journey Into Night. Cheery. While depressing as all heck, it was well done. I look forward to returning later this summer for a Shakespearean comedy.

And now, I'm home watching Letterman and getting set for tomorrow's adventures. Oh. My. Gosh! Is it really August? Time flies. And next Thursday is my birthday. Take care, all. Be curious. Peace and love!

Another musing on creativity...

My mind is racing, but my hands feel like stumps. Okay, I'm being dramatic. But sometimes getting new ideas out of one's head and onto the paper is a challenge. While I've been working on developing the stuff I've been doing for a while, I've also been brainstorming on how to use what I've built and go new places with it. At the ComicCon, I saw some new possibilities that looked really exciting. Actually, it was just a reminder that I've been thinking about some new directions for a while, including designing rock posters – independent stuff, folk, jazz, stuff I really like. It's a field that allows some broader creativity on an artists' part and may actually really inform my theatrical work. The trick is finding a way to dig into all that I want to do and not spread myself too thin. Right now seems to be a good time to dive in with only a couple immediate jobs on the horizon. It's time to fortify my need to be more creative and more commercial. Wish me luck!

I've written before about my strange pseudo-creative impulse... In the past, when I've had that need to do something creative but have felt blocked or otherwise stumped, I've gone to the art store to buy some new supplies whether I've needed them or not. This has resulted in a crazy collection of unused supplies. I've gotten a handle on that (and have had a good time working through the collection). But I've also found that once I finish a huge project (i.e. my recent website redesign) I've felt a bit stopped up soon afterwards as if my brain is resting on its laurels. I'm trying to fight this. I have too much that I want to do. Anyway... just thought I'd put it down in a blog. Take care, all. Peace and love.

A whole lotta shakin' going on...

Okay, there's not a whole lot... just one good significant jolt. We just had a decent-sized earthquake here in Southern Cal. It was a 5.4 centered around Chino Hills (east of LA/Orange counties). I was just working here at the desk and watching the news as we all started movin'. I headed for a doorway as my ukulele took a dive off my top shelf. (Ukulele is okay – and still in tune.) Anyway... just thought I'd update.

New piece & ComicCon 2008...

Hi all! First off, here is a new piece I've done. This educational show, by Rocco Natale, tackles the topic of smoking in a humorous and inventive way. It will tour New York public schools starting soon. I've also posted it on my website. (Click here to get to my "Illustrative Design" page and click on "Recent Work.") If you haven't checked it out in a while, you might take a gander at the new look of the Squigs' Ink site. I'm still feeling good about that accomplishment.

I returned last night from a trip to San Diego to attend a couple days of ComicCon 2008. It was my first time. Now I know that I'm pretty much a geek when it comes to a lot of things. I embrace that. But I was still secretly happy to know that my geekiness is a rather mild case compared to some others. This was mostly made evident by the insane costumes. I thought about posting some photos, but the one I really wanted to post might prompt you all to think I was insensitive to weight-challenged crocheters. Anyway... I really enjoyed myself and walked my feet off. I really loved experiencing the panel discussions, the huge studio displays, and the random personalities sitting for autographs (Elvira, Richard Hatch, and Lou Ferrigno anyone?). But I think my favorite section was the small press area where artists showed off their own work. There was some really amazing stuff and I got a few ideas for how I might be able to put my own pen to use. Really fun weekend.

In other news, I'm going to be taking part in a reading of a new musical next month. Vrooom! is loosely based on Viva Las Vegas and I'll be playing Cardoc, one of the harmony-singing Grease Monkeys. Should be fun. Well, that's all for now. Take care, all! Peace and love.