one

some recently edited older shots

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:39:00 -0400

some recently edited older shots

additional pics from a recent collection shot in Port Area of...

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:19:27 -0400

additional pics from a recent collection shot in Port Area of Toronto and Cherry Beach

catching up with the Port Area of Toronto and a pit stop in...

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:13:44 -0400

catching up with the Port Area of Toronto and a pit stop in Cherry beach.

Spring 13.

a girl who probably just needs sleep

Wed, 08 May 2013 01:19:38 -0400

Somewhere between sleep and a sigh the girl with the ripped tee and fresh tears tries whispering sweet nothings into the ripening spring air.

They echo around the vibrant atmosphere, only to reverb back into the space that others might say is so complex and twisted, but that she silently insists is as empty as her last pack. She would hate to finally admit to herself that the most twisted thing about her is her pathetic grimace when the filter lights up on her final Belmont, but she feels the truth of the matter bearing down on her more and more everyday. The anxiety coupled with this thought suffocates. It’s a blanket over her face, one she often wished were doused in chloroform. Her flare for the dramatic has subdued – she wishes this only to ensure a home somewhere other than between sleep and a sigh.

Somewhere between sleep and sigh, the girl, with inexplicable grief, realizes she’s only the shell of a creature that once existed. Perhaps some beauty remains, but it is not found in the utter awesomeness of some living entity within. No, the beauty that remains is topical, all show, all talk and no walk. This apparition disappears in the dark.

She rarely shares the dark with companions – she feels even more ugly in the dark than in the light- she strives to comprehend how this is even possible- and she despises the questions it poses that she cannot answer. At one point, she thought it was easier to tell a lie in the dark because she didn’t have to look into the eyes of the person she was telling it to. Not anymore. She did it for a time, she thinks, and the consequences cut into her deeply, like the sad eyes of her lovers when they said their goodbyes in the light of the morning. No, darkness denies us our sight and in turn grants us keen and formidable powers to hear all truths unspoken- truths shared prudently and often unintentionally under the heavy veil of a silent night.

Angus & Julia Stone - Devil's Tears

Wed, 08 May 2013 01:01:55 -0400

Angus & Julia Stone - Devil's Tears

thoughts written poorly when mary distracts me

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 12:58:55 -0400

I would like to draw something beautiful. I would like to draw a beautiful place in my mind where my thoughts can lean back and bask in the sun—liquid, enveloping sunlight, dancing like the glimmer of gold costume sequins all over my body. I would love to lie down in the park, listening to Nujabes, not reminiscent of anything…completely here, utterly now, more here in this moment than ever before. I want to lie down in the moment, in the present, and let any remaining force of time and life halt. Everything should freeze, aside from the tunes, the fresh wind softly licking at my arms and legs, and the sweet murmur of heartbeat belonging to my companion. And all the other things will come to a halt, because they should— suspended in time, a notion, a concept we continue to abuse and tarnish— and as a result, our senses will heighten around those things remaining alive. And they will be all the much more beautiful, for they will live on with so much elegance.

Looking at your 'Hi Tech/Lo Tech' project, find one Sustainable aspect of your project, and speak to the further development of Sustainability in further ideations of this Future Product.

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 12:36:38 -0400

The whole concept of lighting certain products and designs through bioluminescence is sustainable, and something that is just beginning to garner more attention in the industrial and environmental design industry. It is fascinating, and has very exciting potential, however I believe that the cost and research required to successfully implement bioluminescent design with long-term use permits it from really catching on as a sustainable and realistic idea. In regards to the bioluminescent bike frame I created for my project, I had many ideas to use more sustainable, eco-friendly materials for the actual frame, not just the contents inside that made it glow. Further ideations that I could explore would be using bio-plastics, or plastics made from recycled materials for the tubing in the frame, however creating new grades in each that would be durable enough and shock resistant for a bike frame would require more research time and money. Another consideration would be to use recycled metals for the joints that hold the tubing together. This is something I did not have time to research in-depth during the semester, but would look into for further development of the bike concept. A concern I had with the sustainability of the bike was the amount of water it would require to function and maintain the growth of the bioluminescent algae within it. The water would have to be either regularly changed or filtered, both of which would require unsustainable methods to complete (for e.g., an attached filtration system would require energy to function that could be renewable, but would most likely in its initial stages start as an electrically powered system, and to just regularly change out the water seems way too inefficient and would be wasteful). Also, there are many different types of bioluminescent organisms that could be experimented with in regards to this bike design, and if the resources were made available to me, I might consider going back to the beginning design stages and test with these other options. The main issue would be timing, as the research would be an extended and very time-consuming process. However, I believe that the time SHOULD and CAN be invested in it in the near future; bioluminescent design has great and relatively undiscovered potential.

Identifying a Problem…. Can you spot the cyclist in this...

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 11:56:35 -0400

Identifying a Problem….

Can you spot the cyclist in this photo?

It took me 3 seconds too long. I drive, and know that those 3 seconds could’ve changed that cyclist and I’s lives for good had I been driving near him that night.

ISSUE: VISIBILITY OF CYCLISTS AT NIGHT, especially city cyclists surrounded by cars, crazy cab drivers, and public transport vehicles.

First and Foremost, Identify the Problem

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 11:49:39 -0400

Decide on one that is what you think is the most important, and write a paragraph on why it is important to the design process. Find an image of this step from the semester and use that as the image in your blog post.

Would it be unnecessary to begin by saying that I think all should be considered thoroughly in order to create a successful design? Ideally, designers should exhaust thought and effort during each stage. But to answer the question at stake, the first step is probably the most important. Identifying a problem, a real problem, and what makes it a problem, is what I think a lot of designers (not excluding myself) have difficulty with. People often identify a general problem, but then do not specifically isolate the reasons why it is a problem. There are also many designs that do not treat a problem, and as a result are inefficient and useless. Oftentimes people design, including myself, just to make something, to bring a new object or shape into 3D existence. But such things stack up in the shelves, collecting dust.

Hilary Cluett's Corset to Treat Fibromyalgia: A Comment on the Process

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 11:35:58 -0400

Which of your peers work was your favourite. Write why it was your favourite, and what you learned from their piece of work, and how it might inform your work in the future.

Hilary’s corset/support garment for the HiTech/LoTech project was my favorite work from this semester. I have a lot of respect and appreciation for the long process she went through to achieve the final product, and the mere fact that the garment was custom-made to treat/change a person’s condition made the product so much more significant. Hilary took all the right steps when going through the design process. She started by identifying a real and significant problem (her mother’s Fibromyalgia and the discomfort it gave her) and conducted research that seemed to be both quantitative and qualitative. She worked closely with her mother to identify the specific points of pain, and then researched efficient ways to treat this pain (through applied heat). I saw many ideation sketches, and constant revisions to them, which exemplifies a solid and thorough ideation stage. When it came to the construction of the garment, Hilary worked closely with her mother again to ensure that the design was to her aesthetic and physical comfort standards. Hilary made constant revisions to the garment, which were seen during the class updates, and her constant testing of various materials and fastening devices showed that her research continued throughout the construction process as well. Finally, during her presentation, Hilary showed us a video of her mother testing the product, and continued to explain her personal evaluation of the product, her learning outcomes, and how she might change the design in the future.

Hilary’s project has given me much excitement to work closely with my future potential clients. I aspire to create useful, impacting designs, that change people and benefit and create a brighter future for anything, big or small. She has also informed me, yet again, of the importance of a thorough design process, with clearly marked stages. The success of her final design was achieved largely in part to her process and her organization and time management skills. I often forget about the great importance of such things, and a positive reinforcement/inspiration is always helpful. I look forward to imitating such work habits in the future, and similarly, creating an impacting and useful piece such as Hilary’s.

EXXXXTRAAAA

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 11:01:37 -0400

What was, once upon a time, carries through only in delicate track marks. If you look hard enough, or bend down to the earth and inhale deeply, you may be able to catch the traces of what once was. But we people change so quickly; our skin sheds, our hair colors change, our frowns creates crevices and folds in our brows, and sunken eyes sink deeper. We change our bodies, and we make adjustments on the daily that seem insignificant but change the entire course of our lives. One second we are one person—the next and we are another with a completely altered path from the first. Writing about this seems so useless and repetitive. I am aware that it’s a stale topic of discussion and contemplation. But it just seemed to really dawn on me, that when I walk from the Tim Horton’s at University and St. Patrick to my school, and when I bend down to retrieve the paper that just flew out of a passerby’s bag, I am compiling at least ten additional seconds to my journey to school. If the paper didn’t dislodge itself from the folder in the bag, if the breeze didn’t carry it in my direction, and if I chose to continue walking, my walk to school and the rest of my life would be completely different. Ten seconds can change everything and anything. One second can change everything and anything. A heart can stop very suddenly, a car crashes and slides within seconds, birds shit in the air and it can land within ten seconds if they’re flying close to target, glances meet and fleet, or meet and lock, within seconds. So many things can begin and end, so definitely, in a second. BOOM. I’m done now. This is beginning to sound more and more annoying as I write.

old thoughts on things breaking

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 10:59:55 -0400

I’ve never broken a bone, but other things have broken in me. To say my heart would feed an embarrassing and awkward cliché, so instead of that I’ll say my internal space heater. It shutdown a while ago, broke, and I haven’t been able to fix it. There haven’t been any good handymen around lately either, so it looks like I’ll have to stick it out. But damn, it can get pretty fucking cold in here sometimes. My veins freeze up, refuse to pump and carry life through me, and icicles form into delicate, glimmering needles, hanging precariously in the dark, deep voids that sunk into shape when you stopped…when you just stopped.

People just stop all the time. It is the saddest thing.

The Happy Show Reflection I

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 16:59:00 -0500

A definition of happiness:

A short or long term feeling, of varying intensities, that should occur often because of ones’ own actions but that in reality is usually a result of things that your surroundings bring to you. In other words, happiness is usually something given to people from external sources when it should really be found within…or maybe it shouldn’t…but if you were the last, sentient living thing, on a barren planet, would you be able to find solstice in anything other than killing yourself?

Acknowledging and appreciating your own existence, the sole fact that ‘you are’, should be the foundation for which all other forms of happiness stem from.

Things that make me happy:

making things - writing - drawing - eating - making other people laugh - communicating ideas - cuddling - clothing (making them too) - taking photos- traveling - meeting interesting people - reading a good book - the feeling after a good workout - a day i feel that i look good - singing and dancing (the latter when no one is watching and the former, well, if I’m drunk enough people can watch) - comedies - theatre - picking up a new script that has great characters - flirting with a crush - love when it’s new - when the weight of moving on from something is lifted - surprise gifts (getting & giving) - children/babies - helping people - when the TTC is working efficiently - when TTC drivers smile - when TTC drivers acknowledge you as another human being - when TTC drivers, generally speaking, aren’t DICKS - ANIMALS - family - holidays - working hard and seeing the fruits of your labour - getting a new, exciting project - MUSIC - going to live shows - picking up a roll of developed film and it turning out awesome - FRIENDS - smoking a great joint - getting drunk with your oldest friends at reunions (or anything else) and feeling 3 years younger - instantaneous, random perspective changes (although these can sometimes BLOW) - laughing over mistakes with your best friend instead of crying over them - giving and getting valuable feed back - surviving a bad day…or a bad night…or a reallyyyy bad morning after that - spring - summer - fall colours and fashion - vibrant, physical surroundings - exploring a new place - when you doubt someone or something and they prove you wrong - the smell of someone i like (if it’s good…) - long, sunny days - long sunsets at night - warmth - biking - the beaches - leslieville - the distillery district - ETC.

Best response to the “are you on your period?” goes to Leonardo...

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 23:58:55 -0500

Best response to the “are you on your period?” goes to Leonardo DiCaprio

Experience Design Assignment 1: Visual essay defining “my...

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 01:51:48 -0500

Experience Design Assignment 1: Visual essay defining “my spirit”.

Text

Here’s a story:

She was the girl who saw everything yet still, at a ripe age where the bones soften, understands nothing. She never learned how to calculate the meaning behind her marks, because she grew being told to always move forward and not linger. She always itched to collect her vast range of memories and lay them out before her to make the connections, but too many people told her it was too slow a process for the blur we live in, and unnecessary. Overtime, the girl slowly forgot her past, forgot herself, and became old and lifeless before her last breath had even left her.

That is not my story, but it could have been. It could still turn out to be, but it’s unlikely because I’ve realized its potential. It could also be or turn out to be the story of many others, but I hope for otherwise.

My history, my story, is short insofar…

this is me as a baby.

at birth i weighed ten pounds, which might answer your question, why does look she so large?

haha here i look like a mini michelin man…

could you imagine giving birth to ten pounds? I don’t want to.

that’s my mom, she did the deed. and that’s my dad, and i suppose he did some sort of deed to get me here too. they are both beautiful, talented people, and I was very fortunate to be raised in a house full of love and affection.

this is my brother. he is a loyal and gifted young man. my brother was born two years before me, but growing up people often thought me the older child and for a time, I secretly loved that, but now it just makes me feel like I was maybe trying too hard throughout my childhood.

I love animals, food, theatre, art, music, travel, fashion, interesting minds, books, history, meeting people, friends, just to name a few. My current crisis, one that is picking away at my brain slowly and steadily, is facing the fact that I will not be able to learn everything about everyone and everything I’m interested in during this lifetime. The thought overwhelms me to the point of exhaustion. I probably spend more time worrying about this educational crisis than I spend on learning real things.

Everything is sort of reversing now. I am constantly changing; I find each day I become less critical and less negative, and more open to the endless experiences before me. When I was young, all I wanted was to grow up quickly, but now that I’m closing in on that age I was looking forward to as a preteen, all I want is to go back. It terrifies me. I’m turning into something like a young-woman-child, immature in many moments, inarticulate because of all the thoughts and insecurities, but at the same time so willing to test all waters.

I want to love something passionately, and defend it, and get in trouble doing so. I’ve been too tame my whole life, and want to exercise some badass teenage delinquent tendencies before I reach my twenties. Just kidding…I don’t care to be a delinquent or hardcore or badass, I’m not sure if i could be..I just don’t want to grow up anymore. Not yet at least. I want to grow into my world, and around it’s intricacies, not up in it. I want to see and touch and smell things as a child would again. I think we all should try this. There is too little time to let it curdle over small, silly, things like that woman who pushes in front of you at Bloor station during the morning rush, or that guy who you really shouldn’t have made out with, or that girl who spits at you with her eyes just because you’re interesting. Just smile, and move forward. There is too little time to worry about what will happen to you or who you’ll end up with. You can never know anyways.

So, the end of my story today ends in class with you, but then in some semi-curvi-linear form continues when I walk out the door. I’m an eighteen year old full-time university student, working four days a week, class 3 days a week, and trying to figure out the essence of my spirit in-between. If this presentation of my self, my entity, has seemed unclear or disorganized, it is because that’s what my SELF, my ENTITY is right now. It’s in development, a work in progress.

I used to love miranda july’s quote “like ivy, we grow where there is room for us”, but now I’m not so sure if I agree with it, because there are so many people that grow beyond the rooms and spaces in the world seemingly marked out for them at birth. We should all heed the examples of such people as we walk out of class today. I know I will.

please speak up. don’t let your life be a murmur.

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 01:00:25 -0500

please speak up. don’t let your life be a murmur.

why in the world would anyone care about a girl who has nothing to share? trying to figure it...

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 00:52:29 -0500

why in the world would anyone care

about a girl who has nothing to share?

trying to figure it out

what this living biz is all about.

staring up at the moon all through the night,

dancing through the day until it’s out of sight.

reminds me of radiohead a bit. this sound is exactly what i need...

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 00:43:17 -0500

reminds me of radiohead a bit. this sound is exactly what i need right now. enjoy.

You’re young and boundless. you were coherent yet drunk under...

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 02:15:12 -0500

You’re young and boundless.

you were coherent yet drunk under the orange glow of the street lamp, but for that moment when he touched you like he cared, you felt so sad because you realized that things were changing again. things that feel so settled cannot be trusted. they always tend to rustle up and disappear, like the stale, brown leaves of yesteryear in the spring.

i’m drawn to lost puppy dogs. boys that learn with their hearts...

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 02:13:57 -0500

i’m drawn to lost puppy dogs.

boys that learn with their hearts only,

reasoning and intelligence mistrusted.

i like the good boys,

because they’re secretly so bad,

but i really like the bad boys,

because they’re secretly so good.

i drink my vodka straight-shooters, straight-shittered,

like the stupid, seventeen year old girl i shouldn’t be,

but i drink my gin with tonic,

memories of new york nights pulsing through my burning tongue and sloppy throat.

i like the night,

because it’s now no different from the day

and because i can sing, paint, write and draw, blanketed in the black

and no one will know.

i love a long drag on a marlboro

when the smoke pulls so smoothly.

if the silky air were a nut,

it would be almond or hazel.