Friday 30 November 2012

innner-view #10 [dare to dream]






My dear dreamers,

Today I have with me the talented multimedia-artist Elly Ang, from the Philippines. Welcome Elly and thank you for your time!


DLC Photography Profile by ~angelelly93 on deviantART

1. Tell us a little about yourself. What was your biggest conquest? What’s your most treasured dream?

Hi! I’m Elly Ang, a Chinese girl who lives in the Philippines, and speaks better in English than in Chinese, but I try. Haha! I love art, and when I was in my first year in high school, I already knew that I’d be taking Multi-media Arts in college. A bit weird because I wanted to be a vet when I was a kid, but hey, dreams change.

My biggest conquest would be surviving arts and design college. I’m in my 3rd year now and to tell you the truth, I have competition, and there are a lot of people that are better than me. In some ways I surpass them, and in some ways they surpass me. But I still do my best and persevere. I can’t be good at everything but I have to keep trying.

My most treasured dream, next to being happy, is to work for Pixar Animation Studios someday. It’s a longtime dream of mine, and despite having a hard time in 3D and 2D animation, I’m willing to keep doing my best.


Disney Ladies Chalk Photography: SLEEPING BEAUTY by ~angelelly93 on deviantART

2. You did a wonderful project for school, combining photography and drawing. What did you learn along the process? And how long did it take from the draft until the final project? 

Thank you! Actually, I did learn a lot of things, like when you shoot outside, the weather can’t be changed, you have to adjust to the weather, if it’s super sunny, you either wait (if you don’t have a choice because your photo will be overexposed) or you can adjust your camera. I also learned that big projects like that would take so much time and patience.

It took at least 4-5 days, the first day was coming up with an idea for my final project for photography class, and it counts as a big impact to my final grade. Then I saw the chalk photography in the Internet and I thought, why not? I pitched my concept to my professor and he approved it.

Then I talked to my sister to help me out, and then got two of our cousins to be the model. Thank god it was school break for everyone except me (because we have 3 semesters per school year). My sister helped me with the concept, she’s an artist also (except she’s an Interior Designer), we planned it out, printed some photos of Disney characters and such. Then we bought supplies, a lot of chalk and black poster papers.

First day of shoot was a failure, because the poster paper was too light so we had to tape it to the floor or the garage, the problem was that the wind would still pull it. It took so much time that we gave up after two scenes.

Second day of shooting was so much better; we used black illustration boards instead, which was heavier and better. We did six Disney ladies in one day.

Third day of shooting was a bit rushed, but we did great. We finished the four ladies and I finished the layout and editing, then immediately went to the printing place to print the book that I have to pass to my professor. He wanted it in a hardbound album type thing.

Anyway, I was prepared, so I have a back-up plan, because the first shooting day was a failure. But I always remind myself that anything that can go wrong WILL go wrong at some point, DOUBT everything and prepare.

If you want to see the behind the scenes photos of the shoot, you can visit my blog at: danger-in-design.


Disney Ladies Chalk Photography: ALICE by ~angelelly93 on deviantART

3. Which Disney princess would you like to be? Why?

I’d say Mulan but that might be because she’s Chinese and I want a dragon. Haha! I think it would Alice (is she included in the Disney princesses?) in Alice In Wonderland, because she’s so curious in life and she has adventurous streak, and she doesn’t care what other people thinks.


Disney Ladies Chalk Photography: MULAN by ~angelelly93 on deviantART

4. Which tools do you use in your creative works? Which one do you feel more comfortable with?

I use a lot of things; I’m a Multi-media artist. I use a camera, a tablet, my laptop, and a whole lot of programs. I have to adjust to all of them so I’ll feel more comfortable, I can’t really choose because I have to learn all of them. It’s not just photography; I also do advertisements, covers, videos, and whatnot. Jack-of-all-trades, I guess.


Disney Ladies Chalk Photography: JANE by ~angelelly93 on deviantART

5. Do you keep a notebook to register all your ideas? What could we find in there?

I don’t have a notebook or a planner that I keep my ideas in. I’m basically a scatterbrain. Haha! One time, I tried to keep a planner, I ended up writing for a few days and I suddenly stopped. I don’t know. I really just can’t keep a planner.

Usually, my ideas are written in stickies or whatever notepad or word file in my MacBook, sometimes I write them on scrap paper or my sketchbook, which I forget and lose. I have no hope for memos. When I’m desperate, I use Post-Its and slap it on my MacBook so I’ll remember it the next day. I guess some ideas just retain themselves in my brain.


Disney Ladies Chalk Photography: JASMINE by ~angelelly93 on deviantART

6. What and when was the last movie you absolutely adored? What made you feel that way?

WRECK-IT RALPH. The last movie I watched and I ABSOLUTELY adore it. I don’t usually like some of Disney’s animated movies (except Tangled), but I really fell in love with this one. If you haven’t watched it, you definitely should.

Anyway, Wreck-It Ralph is a great movie because of its idea and plot, it’s simple but different, and I was never bored during movie, I also cried in some parts, and I rarely cry in animated films unless it’s a Pixar movie. Wreck-It Ralph is imaginative, funny, and definitely inspirational.


Disney Ladies Chalk Photography: WENDY by ~angelelly93 on deviantART

7. What was the bigger obstacle you had to surpass? How did it help in your future works?

The biggest obstacle that I've surpassed recently would be the Disney Ladies Chalk Photography. Because I have never been THAT diligent in my life. I started it early instead of cramming it and frankly, I really did find my passion in photography there. But I don’t see myself being a photographer in the future, but I definitely found out that I was good at it.

That experience helped me with my next photography class and it inspired me to do a lot better in my other works.


Disney Ladies Chalk Photography: POCAHONTAS by ~angelelly93 on deviantART

8. Are you a morning or a night person? Do you have a special time and place where you get more creative? 

I’m a night person, definitely a night person. Because I schedule my classes during the night. Well, usually. Because I find it so hard to wake up in the morning. I’m totally a night owl. I usually feel really creative when I have inspiration, but that’s hard to come by when I’m doing so many things, so creative ideas get to me when I’m in my busiest mode or in my cramming mode.

Cramming is definitely a bad habit of mine, but during my desktop publishing class, I crammed most of my work and they were all great and I got the highest grades. The best ideas come to me when I’m under pressure. I should really work on getting over my procrastination. LOL.


Disney Ladies Chalk Photography: MEG by ~angelelly93 on deviantART

9. What is the characteristic that most defines you?

This is a tough one. I’d say I’m calm. Because even if I have a deadline or I’m in a middle of a fight, I always remain calm. I don’t let emotions like anxiety or anger get the best of me. I don’t see the point in making a mountain out of a molehill when I can simply ignore it or find another way to overcome it.


Disney Ladies Chalk Photography: CINDERELLA by ~angelelly93 on deviantART

10. If you could make a change in this world with your work, what would it be?

I've always wanted to make everyone smile or make them happy. That’s why my blog is full of happiness most of the time. And when I’m angry, I don’t show it to people because I believe that what emotion I show will affect people around me. You pass hate and they’ll pass it on to someone else. It’s a domino effect.

I would love my art to pass on happiness and inspiration. I haven’t figured out how to do that yet, but I would dedicate my work on making people pass on the happiness and inspiration that my work has pass on to them.
You can find more about Elly at her deviantArt profile, check it out!

--

Read my other inner-views here!


Wednesday 28 November 2012

here and there #3 [a part of me]

My dear dreamers,

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via fuck yeah anaïs nin

I wanted to write this post for so long but it was hard to find the mood. In the last weeks I've been in a dark zone, no sleeping, all worries and no job done. Today, it all seemed to go away. Like magic. Or a good night of sleep.

I'm reading Anaïs Nin diary for two weeks now (the first volume I mean; 6 to go yay!). I could have ended it like in two days, if I didn't lost myself in taking notes, copying excerpts of the book and finding myself in her words. I could be called Anaïs, you know? But in Portuguese the name isn't that beautiful and my mother changed her mind.

In some ways, I feel like I'm Anaïs. She's a feminist, a dreamer, a writer. She is sensitive and a sentimentalist. She loves beauty, she loves to love. She's more than one person, she has more than one life. She's a poet. She's paradoxical. She loves life. She lives second by second. She's afraid of her true nature and that others may not understand and love it.

Here are some of her thoughts I enjoyed reading. Only some because I have already 6 A5 pages worth of sharing.

Ordinary life does not interest me. I seek only the high moments. I am in accord with the surrealists, searching for the marvelous. I want to be a writer who reminds others that these moments exist; I want to prove that there is infinite space, infinite meaning, infinite dimension. But I am not always in what I call a state of grace. I have days of illuminations and fevers. I have days when the music in my head stops. Then I mend socks, prune trees, can fruits, polish furniture. But while I am doing this I feel I am not living.

We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are.

My life is slowed up by thought and the need to understand what I am living.

We don’t have a language for the senses. Feelings are images, sensations are like musical sounds.

If you want to know more about her, or read more about her follow these:


 Anaïs Nin official website

 Anaïs Nin blog

 Fuck Yeah Anaïs Nin




Which writer inspires you the most?
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Monday 19 November 2012

breathing #14 [rain and blankets]

My dear dreamers,

This weekend I spent my time at home, enjoying a good book by Anaïs and watching a several array of inspiring films. I often say it's hard to find them, but I had good luck this time. France, Kenya, England, Turkey, China and Germany.

(the trailers are in their original language. I disdain copies. ;) )






(the second isn't that great)


~The possession of knowledge does not kill the sense of wonder and mystery. There is always more mystery. Anaïs Nin

What's the last great movie you watched?



Friday 16 November 2012

inner-view #9 [life is a big joke]

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My dear dreamers,

After a big delay, I present you a ironic, dark but very funny writer: SCFrankles. She's an UK girl after all! I want to thank her for having the patience to answer all my questions. Let's read her inspiring words:

1. Tell us a little about yourself. What was your biggest conquest? What’s your most treasured
dream?

I've always enjoyed reading and writing but I've only been writing fiction regularly for about six years. A couple of years ago I entered my first writing competition and came third in my category. It was just a small local contest but it was the first time I truly thought of myself as being a writer. Psychologically it was a big step. I’m not naturally outgoing but I felt able to stand up in front of an audience and read my story out to them. Some months later one of my stories took first prize in another local competition, which convinced me that the first time hadn't been a fluke.

I do sometimes wonder about earning a living from writing, which would be wonderful, but I think that’s probably unlikely.


Comedy: an instruction manual
Avoid lamppost.
Then fall down manhole.  
© SCFrankles


2. What do you find more difficult to write: short-stories or six word stories?

Short stories, definitely. I appear to have a natural aptitude for six word stories and flash fiction. Rules and restrictive word-counts inspire me. Writing a six word story feels like solving a puzzle. I find it very satisfying.

The longest short story I've ever written has only been 2,500 words long. My heart belongs to flash fiction but I would like to be able to produce 5,000 word stories and novels too. It’s something I’m going to have to work on.


Close to the Edge 
"Crikey, that's a steep drop! Karen..?" 
© SCFrankles


3. Do you use the same strategies to both of them? What are they?

I do use the same strategies for writing, no matter how long the piece is. I turn ideas around in my head until I can see what the shape of the story is – what the story should be. Then there’s just the small problem of finding the right words…  With six word stories it’s vital to make every word count but I think that’s something you have to attempt with all literature anyway. Obviously, the longer the story is, the longer on average it will take to write, but I can spend several days even on a six word story. I sometimes do research for six word stories too - I take them as seriously as longer pieces.  I truly believe in the artistic worth of the six word story.

Having said all that, some stories – of every length -  just pop into my head almost completely fully formed. That’s the way the very best ones generally come.


Musical Chairs 
Three women. 
Three bladders. 
Two toilets.
© SCFrankles


4. You have a dark humour, sometimes gore, sometimes surreal. Is it something that born with you or that you had to work on?

My sense of humour has always been there – I certainly have never consciously worked on it – but it’s developed and got darker as I’ve got older. It’s probably the same for everyone – in middle-age you suddenly understand the great universal joke and start using humour to cope with life.

I do love comedy – I watch sitcoms, sketch shows, films, read humorous fiction, listen to radio comedies. Other people’s work inspires me to try and create my own. Not all my pieces are humorous but I think I produce my best work when I’m trying to make people laugh.

The Zombie's (Ex-)Wife 
Your lips taste sweet. 
Eyeballs next. 
© SCFrankles


5. What was the best, and the worst critique, you received until today?

I think in general the worst critiques are when no-one comments on my work at all. This must mean the piece hasn’t moved anyone enough for them even to say they don’t like it.

The best indirect critique was the first time I read out a story in front of an audience. People listened attentively and laughed. (At the correct moments, happily.)


Marquis de Sade 
"Thanks for the pain."

"My pleasure."
© SCFrankles


6. What songs are in your playlist right now?

I don’t have a playlist as such but a song I’ve been playing a lot recently is “Freewheel” by Duke Special – a song about the joy of being alive, which actually does make me feel joyful and positive.

I’m not terribly musical. I tend to listen more to radio comedy programmes, both old and new: Round the Horne, Take it From Here, Hancock’s Half Hour, The Random Jottings of Hinge and Bracket, I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue, Cabin Pressure, John Finnemore’s Souvenir Programme, That Mitchell and Webb Sound.


Fan Fic 
John punched Sherlock. 
Sherlock detected animosity.
© SCFrankles


7. Do you have any writer or any other artist that gives you motivation to improve yourself? Who is it?

Every good piece of writing I come across motivates me to try harder and improve my own work, whether it’s by an amateur or a professional; by a contemporary writer or a classic writer. I do particularly admire the plays of Tom Stoppard. His talent and erudition are astounding, and he also understands the importance of silly jokes. I could never hope to reach his level of ability but you should always aim high.

Trouble in Paradise 
"Adam..." 
"Dearest?" 
"You're not my type." 
© SCFrankles


8. What do you like more about writing? What’s the most challenging part about it?

Well, it’s something I’m fairly good at: it makes me feel intelligent.  I love that sensation of having started with nothing but now a story exists. I love having readers – people who enjoy my work and tell me they’ve enjoyed it.

I would say the most challenging part is getting started – coming up with ideas; finishing a first draft.


The Power of Broccoli 
"Six foot..." 
"Pretty average."

"He's six." 
 
© SCFrankles


9. What is the most valuable lesson, in writing or in life, you had the chance to learn?

What I’ve learned about writing is to keep going. (Which applies to life too.) I’m constantly reading much better work than mine and sometimes I think it’s pointless for me to continue. However, though I know I’m not brilliant, I believe I do have some talent, and writing (when it goes well) does give me a lot of pleasure. I think I am improving bit by bit.


Emigrant
Spoke English.

Always thought in Italian.
© SCFrankles


10. After you die, what you would like to be written in your epigraph?

I suppose in reality it will be “beloved daughter, sister and aunt”. Which isn't bad, is it? But I have written a six word autobiography. Perhaps that would do:

Bereavement. Failure. Unemployment. 
Became comedy writer.

To read other stories by SCFrankles just look at her gallery!

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Tuesday 13 November 2012

here and there #2 [shock culture]

My dear dreamers,

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Chongqing (重庆) via hudong

It's been a while since my last post. I wasn't counting to be away for so long. But I had an unexpected and warming visit from A., my Chinese friend which is currently studying at Portugal.

So, today, I'll talk about culture. Because her visit made me think about my life and my feelings towards others. Receiving a brand new culture in your home is not as easy as it seems. Because it's your home, your lifestyle and everything changes within a second. You start being questioned and you ask questions yourself. About you and about them. It's good.

It was a shock but it also was a turning point in my life. I never thought that receiving a friend at my home would have such an effect in me. I became more aware. Of what? I don't know, I still feel a bit confusing.

It's different when you travel. You go there, it's just yourself and an experience. You may change a bit, but your inner core is still there. You only see what you want, you only make the questions you want. You'll be fascinated by some things, feel awkward about others. But when you come back home everything is the same. You don't have to cope with that culture anymore. You go back to your old life.

Penpalling were one of the ways I found to know other cultures without leaving my room. I could travel by spending less of one euro each time until I could really put my feet out there. Now, I discovered a new way: receiving my penpals at my home, let them find their way into (the deepest of) my heart and change my world in just a couple of days.

I wanted to say much, much more. But I can't find the words. I'm still all emotion and I need to think about the last week more profoundly. I just want to thank A. for bringing her home to mine. 

Tell me your stories. Has a friend turned your world upside down too?



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Monday 5 November 2012

breathing #13 [one road only]

My dear dreamers,

via Haruki Murakami

[this was supposed to be published at 8 a.m. today. but it seems blogger has a problem with following rules.]

In The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami, more precisely in his short-story Sleep, I read the following words:

The author maintained that human beings, by their very nature, are incapable of escaping from certain fixed idiosyncratic tendencies, both in their thought processes and in their physical movements.

I had to transcribe that to my Moleskine and add some notes beside it. I thought about the way I am and why I am like that. Who or what made me with these characteristics. Why am I shy and clumsy? Why do I like to read so much? Why am I never satisfied? Why do I have an interest about strategies but don’t seem to understand them? Why am I always seeking for perfection?

And can't I be other than myself? Am I stocked to the way I am until I die? Can't I do anything about it? It's scary, don't you think?

Both Murakami and Times of India talks about tendencies. We gather the world with our five senses and a part of it stays with us and shape us in ways we aren't aware of.

How you became the way you are is just a tendency that you developed because of the information you gathered. Murakami, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running
It's a cycle, isn't it? You process the information this way because of your personality. And that information will change you, conscious and unconsciously, and the next piece of information you'll get will be perceived differently. What if we relived our whole life again? How will that change us?

How you became the way you are is just a tendency that you developed because of the information you gathered. The Times of India
This is the same thing in another words, black in white without the beauty of literary composition. A tendency. "So can we blame others by the way they look to the world? Can we blame ourselves for not being as cultural beings as we'd like or dumber than we wished it to be?", you might ask. Of course we can!

 It doesn't matter what impressions you have gathered, what you make of it is in your hands. Times of India
We are critical beings. We can always rethink our actions and shape them. We have goals and we can work towards them. We can read more, travel more and communicate more.

I do believe that our core will never change, that we can change little things like be kinder or deal better with stress. In a sort of way, enhancing our qualities and hiding our peculiarities. Not that I think that we should conceal them (when we're not hurting anybody, if you were wondering). It’s what makes us unique.

I’ll make an experience. It may sound stupid, but it’s me finding myself so what do I care what others think about it? I’ll record myself doing the things I do every day. The ones I don’t even have to think about. Whom are (almost) automatic. The ones I could even do with my eyes closed. And then do everything over, exactly like that: with eyes wide shut.

Clumsy as I am, maybe I’ll screw everything up and my analysis will go straight up to the can. (Well, at least I’ll try. Good excuse, ah?) But… maybe if someone joined me at this experiment… will you give it a try?

This is my inspiration of the week. No cute photographs, no amazing art works, no relaxation. It's Monday, the weekend is over and we better be prepared for the rest of the week. Your energy is now restores so you better do something useful today. Because tomorrow it will all be drained. Inspirations should lead to action. I'm doing the tough part. You better do yours! ;)



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