Tuesday, March 30, 2010

The Bunny has been!


She's quite an artistic one this year, and comes in the form of my friend Millsy who greeted me with the most beautifully decorated dark chocolate easter egg when I got into work this morning. Had to snap them before we ate them. Forgive the photo quality, my other lovely friend Kitty is Cactus' resident photographer/retoucher but she's in Japan right now so I was left to fend for myself! As you can see, I'm no creative genius when it comes to photoshop ... but I hope you get the picture.

Happy Easter kids!

What are you getting up to over the long weekend?

cactus
x

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Awake is the New Sleep



Last night I met Ben Lee. I was working late at the office when one of the editor's came in to grab some pages, cousin in tow: cue Ben Lee. I know not many people love this eccentric songwriter, but I've always had a bit of a soft spot for him. Run with Scissors was my secret high school anthem. Anyway we got to talking and got on like a house on fire, the next thing I know we're discussing type options for his upcoming album, I'm giving him songwriting tips and how to use walking time productively. It's like we share a brain cell, I mean, we were basically finishing each other's sentences.

And then I woke up.

Turns out I was sharing a brain cell with the image of Ben Lee that my subconscious created.

Shame, I could really do with a celebrity friendship.

cactus
x

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Spec-tacular

I'm going to a specs party on the weekend. But Michi only delivered these babies to my inbox a few days ago.



Not enough notice Michi! (please tell me you know who she is? If not immediately, after reading this post of course, take yourself to michigirl.com.au and sign yo ass up)

I needed more time to order them. Boo. Will have to stick with my oh so indie-cool-kid Roy Orbison black frames.

I think this party is going to be quite the spec-tacle. Okay. I'm done now. Promise.

What are you doing on the weekend?

x
cactus

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

I'm green

So I've given up humming sweet tunes down the hill to my mail box. Sad face. This art exchange I signed up for isn't really all it was cracked up to be. Turns out most people must have thought of it as the age-old horrid chain letter and just decided 'no'. Either that or the postman's keeping all my delicious crafty treats!

At least someone's mailbox is being stuffed full of handmade goodness. These are some of the treats a friend has received. How lovely for her. Just goes to show how sweet and reliable my friends are. But then, I already knew that.







love from a green-eyed
cactus

x

Monday, March 22, 2010

What did I learn at Semi-Permanent?




Designers like lollies

I thought it was just my work, but turns out designers like lollies. Period. Our design studio has a tin that is usually always brimming with jelly lollies, redskins, clinkers, pineapple lumps and lollipops. As I walked through the bustling hipster crowd and tried to poke my nose through the stalls at the conference, I noticed they all had one thing in common: lollies. Each stall had their own version of the work lolly-tin. Plastic plates full of party favourites, plastic cups brimming with fruit-flavoured lollipops, one stall was even making fairy floss!
What is it with designers and their sweet teeth?

Jessica Hische is my new girl crush

Anyone who is obsessed with design enough to have the CMYK colours and the word type tattooed on themselves is indeed worthy of cyber-stalking.
Jessica made me want to move to New York with her dreamy stories of struggling and working the man, or the woman, in her case: Louise Fili.
She’s completely focussed on all the different ways in which the alphabet can be written. She’s even designed her own font called ‘buttermilk’, too sweet. She babbled away at an enthusiastic pace that was so endearing, some bright young things which even proposed marraige through the text question line. Check out her divine designs at: http://jessicahische.com

Frankie was meant to be called Laced

That is until the drug associations with the word Laced were pointed out to Louise and Lara, co-creators of Frankie. As to be expected, Frankie was one of my favourite talks, anything to do with that magazine and I’m smitten. It’s a sweet story, two girlfriends, hating on their lame teenmag job, propose a fresh new magazine for ladies with brains, taste and cravings for nostalgia. Frankie, you had me at 'hello'. To end with, Louise doshed out some great advice: ‘Everything’s been done before, but it hasn’t been done by you.’

Craig Schufton didn’t even finish high school!

This was the most intriguing piece of his talk for me, and he didn’t even delve into it. It totally smashed all my preconceptions of Schufton being a complete nerd in high school, then getting dux, moving onto scholarships and being fought over by the many unis of NSW. Instead, a rare insight, he revealed he spent most of high school drawing perspective, eons and eons of never-ending grids. This gives me much hope for my future – look how smart and successful he is and he didn’t even do the H.S.C. Amazing.

I think I have an arrogant, nonchalant film director inside of me, dying to get out.

David Michod was the speaker I connected with most. Who is he? See above. I loved how he went through his career development with us: ‘I finished my arts degree and fell into a job with the education system … a few years later I thought I have to choose a career before a career chooses me and I end up in the same thing I fell into 15 years ago. What am I interested in? Movies are alright.’ Guess I’ll go to film school.’ And that was it. Literally. It was so refreshing to hear someone diss the word ‘passion’. To see a successful person who wasn’t fulfilling a life-long vocation. He’s not the guy who’s been directing mini-films since he was 8, he’s just a guy who decided on the right path and worked really, really hard. Instead of passion driving him, fear of failure, embarrassment or inertia did. David said ‘I hate everything’ and I felt like I knew him all at once. I remember watching his short film ‘Crossbow’ a few years ago when an agent friend wanted my opinion on a hot up-and-coming director. I remember loving it then, and it still having the same affect years later when he showed it during his talk. All I can say is bring on June 3rd, ‘Animal Kingdom’ here I come.


cactus
x

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

number 40


Whenever I walk past this house I wonder what it would be like to live there. I tell myself I'd be happier if I awoke to this pretty purple tree every day. But then, spring doesn't last forever, does it? I suppose I should be thanking my lucky stars that flowers are still in bloom and I don't need to be wearing a scarf every day, just yet.
Sigh.
Do you want a new home too?

cactus
x

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Glovebox Girls


In the city where it snows salt
Kalita reads last rites 
from broken clock tower windows.
Her tongue a wet rosary
in the temple of time.

'Beware of the muses.
Muses beware.

Every artist has one.
Call her Heartache, Madness
Memory or Mina.
Regardless of the art there's always a girl.'

Burn my letters when I leave
before the mouth you kissed confesses.
Created or creator?
Remember the one who made you.

Burn my letters when I leave
before Memory lets you see nothing else,
mornings taste of Madness 
and the smell of my shadow won't stop following.

Beware of the Muses.
Muses beware.'


Tamryn Bennett

A poetess-pal of mine is working on a comic book poetry project, a revolutionary genre. Currently she's collaborating with three visual artists, one of them being the extremely talented painter Skye O'Shea. Skye's paintings are going to be on display at Konkuniya Art Gallery from the 18th til the 30th of Mach. So if you want to see some truly gorgeous painted ladies (as well as take a sneak peak at some of the glovebox girls to be featured in Tamryn's comic book) get yourself to that exhibition. It's gonna be a goodun'. I can feel it.

God it's hard having such talented friends. Makes me feel quite inadequate a lot of the time.

cactus
x

Sing it with me chingy styles 'I like ya heer, like ya heer'


When I was at uni I was hella cut that I wasn't part of the drama department, so I did all the electives in that area that I could. First year, I had this dramaturgy teacher who raved on endlessly and went off on so many tangents that most of his lectures ended up sounding like gobbldygook to me. As a little experiment, I wrote down everything he said in one morning. Except when he used the words art or drama I exchanged them for hair. After class I read back on the lesson and turned it into a little play. At the time I thought this was a good metaphor for wank in the arts department, but looking back I actually realise that this was quite apt for my relationship with me and my hair. It's something of an obsession.

I've dyed and cut so many times that I can't quite recall the natural state of it. I think it would be an ugly mousey brown. Woof, how unnoticeably girl next door. As soon as it's looking nice and normal I feel an itch to do something completely drastic and ruin all the hard months of the growing-out period I've had to endure. Blondes definitely have more fun, but the runner line they forgot to mention with that one is 'blondes have more bills' from the toner to the blonde shampoo to the monthly hair appointments (which I never make so end up looking like a skunk on parade) I'm always out of pocket due to my stupid hair. At least when I'm eating out of a can on my couch on a Friday night, my hair is looking fab.

When I moved out of home I found my writing theory notebooks which were filled with not notes to on writing theory but notes to my friend, a fellow hair obsessor, on my hair and questions about what I should do with it.

No wonder I came out of that degree wondering what the hell I was supposed to have learnt.

Let's speed up to present day. I'm bored. With my hair. It's lovely. It's gotten to a nice shoulder length, and is a natural caramel and beige blonde. I have a great relationship with my hair dresser, so I don't feel like I need to act out, but something is missing. That 'wow' factor.

I don't like this feeling. It's the calm before the storm of my usually bad impulse haircut. Once time I wanted a 1920s bob and came out looking like an old Italian momma. Someone please save me the heartache and tell me that safe is good, natural is best and consistency is key. Cos right now I'm thinking of a dramatic asymmetrical cut with fairy floss highlights. I'd also love a bowl cut, but I'm no yeah yeah yeah. Must remind myself that just because I imitate someone's haircut, that does not mean I suddenly resemble that person or their lifestyle

cactus O
x

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Hey hey, wait a minute Mr Postman


I think I'll be singing this tune a lot more as I approach my mailbox over the next few weeks. Yesterday I received an email from an ever so artsy friend asking if I wanted to partake in the Art Exchange. I send something I've made (picture/zine/drawing) to the person on my list, then forward my email on with details of my sender, then the people I email, pass on my details and so on and so forth until the whole world is art exchanging. Well not the whole world, but it really does bring a whole new meaning to the dreaded chain-letter.

I haven't felt this inspired in a long time. I bustled home yesterday arvo and cut, pasted, drew and wrote to my lil' heat's content. I filled an empty journal with pics and images that inspire me and make me happy. I made a little zine and stuck it in a secret envelope and wrapped it all up in pretty pink tissue paper.

Today I posted my parcel and now I wait. How amazing is this? I feel like I'm part of a secret society and I'm so thrilled that I'll be receiving mail other than bills for a change! The greatest part about the deal is that you have to be able to post within a week so I'll be able to show you all the special deliveries so very soon.

Thank god we don't rely on the carrier pigeon anymore. I don't think I could wait that long. Gosh I haven't felt this excited for mail since the dawn of ebay.

cactus
x

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Feel the creepy mormon love



Is anyone else secretly obsessed with Big Love?

I don't know what it is about their world. I'm split down the middle, one side being totally weirded-out yet the other strangely fascinated. I think it's the idea of the sister-wives that draws me in. Not the creepy compound ones, but the modern day women leading (fairly) normal lives but being this incredible support for one another. Maybe this is stemming from a childhood idealistic dream to live in a flat with your girlfriends with two cats. Cos in reality we all know that living with friends just doesn't work, yet if they were family you'd have that free pass to say whatever you like and act in any matter of ways and know that in half an hour it would truly be forgotten and they'd be asking you something menial like 'what's for dinner' or 'can I borrow that beige cardigan?' There's an odd unspoken rule where grudges are held no longer than 24 hours. My love for Big Love might also be because I have a girl-crush on Chloe Sevigny. Who doesn't? Even with those dorky fishtail plaits, she's hot-to-trot.

Raise your hands if you're tuning in for the big finale next week?

cactus (is)
x