My spot in the Gonerfest program this year
Check out my ad for the gonerfest program this year (above) then if you want, check out my gonerfest photos after I take them later this month. The photo I used for the ad is of Thee Oh Sees and was taken at gonerfest 6 last year at the Hi Tone |[thee oh sees at gonerfest 6 photos on kandicook.com]|. This seemed to be a well-liked photo (I may be tooting my own horn here, but I was very proud to see this photo elsewhere on the internet: Their Bated Breath, Lemon Ice Forever, Maximum Rocknroll) plus Trip seemed to really like it… so… in it went.
(above: me at gonerfest last year. photo by Julie Remensperger)
I’m very excited about Gonerfest this year (it’s Sept 22-26, 2010) and am honored (and feeling much more confident) to be photographing the insanity once again. With the lack of sleep and huge crowds it may be inevitable, but I swear I’m going to try really hard not to end up with the worst debilitating flu I’ve ever had like last year and end up blogging about how PTI makes me anxious. I might even nerd out and take vitamins. Maybe I should start now to build up my immune system. Would that work?
#Germaphobe #IreallyWasDiagnosedWithOCD
4 comments September 6, 2010
Chemistry & free handmade giveaway
A little update for my friend John’s kickstarter project– there are about two weeks left to pledge and only about $200 is needed to fund the project! I wrote a blog post about the project here, and I wanted to remind you that the free handmade offer is still going on. (the deets). I’ve only had two people to make something for so far, and both of them chose paper goods… here’s a peek at what they got:
(Top two made with hand-carved stamps.) Deadline to pledge (and get some handmade goodies) is Tuesday, September 21st!
Add comment September 4, 2010
Project Sketchbook 2010 (and artists block)
This year I participated in Project Sketchbook 2010- a community project put on by the Rozelle Artists Guild here in Memphis. (Read the article in the Memphis Daily News here!). I was pretty excited about the project, but as the deadline to mail in said sketchbook grew closer and closer, I began to experience my usual feelings of frustration, anxiety and dissatisfaction. For me, most of the time a creative project + deadline = epic fail. I first experienced this in junior high school. My art teacher had chosen me to come up with a drawing or painting that would be in some sort of multi-school art contest/show. While honored to be asked, I just couldn’t come up with anything… I procrastinated and ended up with some drawing I rushed through and was not satisfied with at all. I remember feeling the same emotions then as I do now as an adult when forced to create something– I hate it, I get some sort of artists-block, and I usually don’t like whatever I end up with. I know a lot of people are able to, but honestly, I cannot just make something, no matter how many times I’ve done something or how comfortable I am with doing it– as corny as it sounds, this stuff has to just come naturally from within (otherwise it totally sucks).
This time wasn’t as extreme, but I did start to feel anxious about running out of time & frustration for not having some great idea (even though from the start I decided my main goal was for this book to reflect ME- not how neat or unique I could make the book itself). I finished my entire sketchbook in under an hour and a week before deadline. I went back and forth with considering not turning in the book at all. I also had this idea that I wanted a theme for my book, and my theme was going to be photography and/or embroidery. Then I changed it a few dozen times and ended up back at photography. I like it alright… I mean… I’ve been more satisfied with other things I’ve made and I’ve been less satisfied with other things I’ve made. Here are a few pages from my sketchbook:
I know there are a few supercreatives who read my blog– does anyone experience the same kinds of feelings when it comes to creativity and deadlines or expectations?
4 comments September 3, 2010
New Photo Series: Magic Kids perform at the Levitt Shell (Memphis, TN) August 24, 2010 (plus set list)
New photo series of the Magic Kids performing at the Levitt Shell in Memphis, Tennessee on August 24, 2010. This was the first time I have ever photographed a show at the Levitt Shell, a new venue for me is always exciting and something I consider as a new challenge. Shooting here was pretty great- super bright lights, lots of color, lots of energy.
I’ve been a fan of the Magic Kids for a long time now and have seen them perform more than any other band. This was the first time I had ever seen them use a set list. It was written on the back of Alice’s old sheet music (it just doesn’t get any cuter than that). I was SO happy to add this gem to my set list collection (Thanks, Will!)
9 comments August 31, 2010
New photo series: Half Mile Cigarette
This series was a spontaneous one. You see, there’s this park not too far from my house, and one day I decided I wanted to walk over there. To get there, I have to cross a very high-trafficked street. Once I started getting close to the park, I noticed some strange things laying on the side of said street. A single glove, a very much abandoned “KEEP THIS COUPON” ticket, and discarded cigarette packaging. The closer I got to the park, the cigarette paraphernalia seemed to begin to repeat itself . Then I started noticing cigarette butts and packaging everywhere, and thus this series was born. I walked for about half a mile down the busy street and came across about a dozen or so packages and probably hundreds of little cigarette butts.
It was exciting to take a short walk on a mission (looking for butts & a variety of packaging) and sort-of refreshing to give notice to things someone else just wanted to get rid of. Eventually I just walked home, never visiting the park but having thirty or so new pictures and a new series on my mind. When I was prepping the images for upload, it made me angry to think about people littering and I wondered if I should glorify a bad habit by turning it into art. I did, and here it is:
4 comments August 30, 2010
New photo series: Gasoline Silver at the Hi Tone cafe in Memphis, TN (8/28/2010)
New photo series on kandicook.com: Gasoline Silver performs at the Hi Tone Cafe in Memphis, TN (August 28, 2010). I usually shoot shows in black and white, but went for color this time for a change.
Add comment August 29, 2010
Photo Blog: PERIMETER+
A few weeks ago I remembered I that I had a really amazing point & shoot camera: a Panasonic Lumix fx-100. It’s the second Lumix I’ve owned and although I’ve (usually) neglected to use it for anything except blog/etsy photos, I really, really like this camera. You might even say I love it. I even wrote a long-ass blog post about it (maybe I’ll post that later on). Anyway, here’s a little photo series I shot (on three separate occasions) with my Lumix just walking outside around the building I work in… This proves there are always neat and interesting things surrounding you in your everyday life. Look for them! Enjoy them! Take pictures of them!
4 comments August 27, 2010
