Creature Type

I thought it might be nice to pop in today and talk a little bit about life lately. I realize that I don’t often get super personal on my blog and that’s not really my intention, I’m just usually more interested in sharing artwork, photos, and style related things than writing.

I know I’ve talked about how busy I’ve been lately. May is a crazy month for me! My madness will end a bit after this weekend and I’m going to try hard to get back on the blogging bandwagon. I’ve been skipping outfit photos due to weather and now I’m sunburned from Spring Fling on Saturday and to be real, my face looks like hamburger meat. Not ready to impose that level of Photoshop to try and correct that mess.

I’ve made the decision to skip my weekly cat girl today. I really hate doing that because one of my goals for that project to keep me accountable to a weekly deadline and force me to finish some drawings–also, I know you guys love seeing them and consistency is important! But what is the lesser evil? Rushing to get one done just to get it done or skipping a week because I don’t feel like I can give it the attention it deserves? I usually make that call on a case-by-case basis, but this week I definitely didn’t want to squeeze one in and make it crappy. I’m proud of this project and I don’t want to half-ass it.

I’ve been so tired lately. I think it’s a combination of stress, allergies, medication, and unhealthy habits… I don’t even have that draining of a day job, but by the time I get home at the end of the day, I just want to sleep. That makes me feel really guilty because I know if I want to seriously improve my illustration work, I should be working very hard every day. That’s just what you have to do.

Tomorrow night, some friends and I are leaving for Acen in Chicago! Guys, I am so psyched. Acen has been our yearly tradition since we were little mega nerdy teenagers, but we still keep going! Haha, I can’t even remember the last new anime I watched–besides the necessary Miyazaki movies–but the whole weekend is such a gigantic indulgence in nerd culture. I live for the artist alley, Japanese fashion guests, arcades, awesome and terrible costumes, and the raves–yes, RAVES. Hahaha, it’s all so hilarious and so so much fun. We always bring tons of junk food and drink too much and just act silly and have the best time. I’m very excited to leave my life for a few days come back ready to move forward!

I’m thankful for the shortlist of freelance work I have waiting for me next week, but it’s definitely contributing to my stress at this point. I feel bad putting them on hold, but I just haven’t had the time to give them my necessary attention. I’m going to try and get pumped up for it and tackle it like a champ! Wish me luck! xo

The blog will be a bit silent this week–don’t worry, there will still be a cat girl tomorrow! On Thursday Andrew and I are going to New York with some friends and I am EXCITED!

Andrew’s friend invited us on a whim to join him and his girlfriend to go to MoCCa Arts Fest and when I get an invitation like that, I always respond with a resounding “UM DUH, YES!”

I’ve been to NYC twice before, both in the dead of winter, which blows. I’m excited to roam around the city in a slightly warmer season. Unfortunately, it looks like it will truly be only slightly warmer, but I’ll take it. I want to fulfill my dream of eating Shake Shack in Central Park, damn it.

When I’m in NYC, my favorite thing to do is EAT! So if you guys have any suggestions of places you adore, please share! Especially for good Japanese! Also, any favorite shops and thrift stores would be great to hear about! We’re staying in an apartment in Williamsburg that we found on airbnb.com, so it will be fun to pretend to be a native New York hipster for a few days. :)

I’m bringing my camera with me so I’m hoping to have a really fun week of NYC re-caps and outfits next week! I don’t get back in town until Monday night though, so you may not hear much from me until then. I’ll be instagramming like a mad woman, though, so follow along!

And with that, I leave you with the cheesy playlist I’ve been listening to to get me hyped up!

Yes, every travel playlist I make has to feature Party In The USA. Or just every playlist in general, let’s be real.

A while ago, I was contacted by the lovely Lauren of Active For Fashion to participate in a little interview for her blog series, Mentoring Monday. I was really flattered and delighted to answer some questions about myself and what I do.

You can check out the interview here! xo

So can I just make the confession right now that I’m a big Lady Gaga fan? I’ve loved this talented bitch since 2008 and I’ve been lucky enough to see her perform live 4 times. Tonight will be my 5th! I saw the Born This Way Ball Saturday night in St. Louis and I’m driving up to Kansas City to see it tonight.

I know her career has been an up-and-down roller coaster and I only jokingly claim she’s perfect, but I have mad love and respect for this lady and am excited to continue following her work and see what her future holds! I love pop music and I love her attitude about it, not to mention her infectious tunes!

I hoped to take better photos of my outfit, but I never made the time and probably won’t have a chance today, so these instagrams will have to suffice! I used this perfect opportunity to try out black lipstick and I LOVE IT! My nails were another experiment. They felt really fun and glamorous–until I tried to go to the bathroom and couldn’t deal with my tights or buttons haha.

I also have to share this video my friend Erica took! During the final encore, my friend Lisa and I got pulled on stage! (!!!) It was so amazing and surreal! I got to hug Gaga and sputter nonsense about loving her into her perfect pink wig. She was so tiny! We sang Marry The Night together, ran around the stage, and then descended bellow the catwalk for the finale. It was so nuts! We almost got to go backstage after the show to meet her, but no dice. Getting to hug her, tell her she’s fabulous, and sing her lyrics back at her was all I could hope for! P.S. She smelled delicious.

Pardon my shameless fangirl-ing, but the tour was really amazing and so so much fun! If you’re thinking about going to one of her US tour dates, DO IT! xo

Last Monday night, I returned home from Light Grey Art Lab’s Resolve to Make: 2013 workshop in Minneapolis, with Kali Ciesemier and a sprawling list of other amazingly talented illustrators and creative professionals. Since I got back, I’ve been struggling a bit with how to write about the experience on the ol’ blog. I’ll share a bit of a play-by-play of the weekend when the good folks of Light Grey share their photos with us, but for now I just wanted to share some thoughts and resolutions for 2013.

What I came away with most from the Resolve to Make workshop was some really meaningful experiences and connections with all of the people there. I can not believe how genuinely sweet and generous each and every person was and I want to be BFF with all of them! Our guest speakers, hosts, fellow participants, and Kali shared so much about their process, business, and motivation… it was so creatively invigorating! I was a little scared to go there alone and be as social as possible, but it was unbelievably easy. I love illustrators! :)

We had workbooks where we wrote a little flowchart of things we want to accomplish this year and my ultimate resolution for 2013 is to check off 5 art-related goals. I’m already on track to check off two of them and it feels pretty great! Most of all, I need to keep being motivated to draw and make things every single day and live up to my potential. This blog really helps to encourage that, so I’ll share as much as possible with you!

I found out last week that I’m approved for a vendor’s table at the Green With Indie Craft Show! Unfortunately, I won’t have the pleasure and help of sharing this time, so I need to really work hard to make a bunch of fabulous goodies to fill my booth with! That’s my first creative goal of 2013 and I’m pumped! Wish me luck. xo

Life continues to be busy around here and blogging stays hanging out in the backseat for just a little bit more! Marking the end of my whirlwind month of craft show craziness and the usual holiday rush, this weekend I am lucky enough to be attending RESOLVE to MAKE: 2013 at the fabulous Light Grey Art Lab in Minneapolis! I am especially stoked because Kali Ciesemier is one of my very favorite current working illustrators and I’m positively sweating bullets in anticipation of hanging out with her and other talented ladies and gents from around the country!

I’ve been dying to visit Light Grey for ages. They always host the best themed shows with some of my favorite illustrators contributing. Not only do I get this awesome workshop opportunity, but I get to see the Girls: Fact or Fiction show before it’s taken down!

My folks were kind enough to volunteer to haul my ass up to Minnesota and we leave this evening–you can always count on a couple of retirees to make a road trip! I get back Monday evening, so it will be quiet around here until next week. I can’t wait to share my experience at the workshop and I totally need this kick to really fire up my creative juices for 2013! I’m so ready!

Have an equally fabulous weekend, everyone! xo

Here it is! Part One of my huge 2012 recap–seemingly a requirement for bloggers. ;) I started blogging in August of this year, so I wanted to make little scrapbook-like lists of what went on before CreatureType. I’m excited to look back on this year and share some little moments with you–like my NYC trip from February!

♥ I decorated my cubicle with left-over, handmade decorations from a bridal shower that I threw for my dear friend, Erika, in December 2011. Also, a pomeranian calendar. 8)
♥ Andrew and I celebrated our first date-iversary at Bailey’s Range, a super hip burger place downtown that now holds the title of Andrew’s favorite STL restaurant. Best milkshakes ever!
♥ Kelly and I saw Beauty and the Beast in 3D and it was awesome. We’re big animation fans!
♥ Started (professionally) transitioning back to brown after my experiment with red hair in 2011.

♥ I took a photo to commemorate the night the battery died on our smoke detector and Andrew worked himself into such a sleepy fury that he engineered a tool long enough to beat the shit out of it. Haha, we live in a loft with like, 20 foot ceilings, so it was quite the stupid mission that seemed so necessary at 3am.
♥ Andrew made me a “Valintine’s” comic and we went to all-you-can-eat sushi.
♥ I remember it being really unseasonably warm in February and taking pleasant little walks to Starbucks from work.
♥ Most importantly, in February, Adrienne and I tried to surprise Erika with a bachelorette/birthday trip to Las Vegas! We ended up at the airport all day, unable to get on any stand-by flights, so we abandoned our Chippendales tickets and just went to NYC for the weekend instead!

♥ It was pretty much a 36 hour food marathon throughout Manhattan, led by Adrienne. We were exhausted by the time we dragged ourselves back to JFK on Sunday morning, but it was so great. NYC is always fabulous, but it can be so magical for us starry-eyed midwest girls.

♥ I definitely got more into trying new styles of DIY nail art in 2012. I finally got Seche Vite–and yes, it changed my life–and bought these awesome stickers by Kaylah’s recommendation!
♥ Kelsea came in town for a visit and we had a much-needed shopping day.
♥ The Doritos Taco happened.
♥ I got to make some really fun portraits for my company’s website.
♥ Moco and I soaked up the spring weather!

♥ Some friends and I started our Margarita Saturday tradition. #whitepeople
♥ Got coffee, doodled, and talked about comics with Kelly.
♥ Erika’s actual bachelorette party! Girl’s night! We’re not supposed to be good.
♥ My birthday is April 27! I turned 25. :)
♥ On my birthday, we took our annual trip to Anime Central–a gigantic, hilarious convention that we turn into party weekend and have a BLAST. This is when I made my Adventure Time costume that I rocked on Halloween!
♥ I got food poisoning for the first time. From a gas station hot dog. Don’t you dare judge me.

♥ In May, the digital publishing company that I worked for laid off the entire art department. It was a big shock, but my heart was never in that job anyway, so it forced me to move on to better things! I still work freelance for them, so it’s all worked out for the better.
♥ Before I even got laid off, I got hired to work as a painting instructor for Vino Van Gogh! I teach about once a week for them and I love it.
♥ I made a Cinco De Mayo feast!
♥ Erika and Zach had a beautiful wedding and reception that I had a blast being a part of.

♥ I tried to spend as much quality time with Kelsea as possible before she moved to Florida. :( We went to an outdoor concert to indulge teenage nostalgia and I painted her a portrait of the house we lived in in college as a farewell gift.
♥ I tried to enjoy my sudden unemployment and pretend I was on summer vacation as much as I could. I got to join Andrew on a little road trip to Lexington, Kentucky for his job. He has to work every Saturday, so we don’t often get to take trips together. This one was really nice!
♥ I got my dream bike from Public!
♥ My dad took Moco to a new groomer and he accidentally came home with the WORST haircut imaginable. He looked hilarious and adorable, but I was pretty livid. Thankfully his coat has grown back just as pretty and he looks like a normal pomeranian again.
♥ I got super lucky and my summer vacation didn’t last long–I was hired as production designer for a local culinary magazine!

♥ We celebrated the 4th of July at my friend Sammie’s family’s cabin. We drank boozy lemonade, played with sparklers, walked around a “haunted” lake in the dark, played board games, and watched movies. Also, I had flaw-free nails.
♥ Sammie and I saw Sharon Needles perform live! I’m a huge fan of RuPaul’s Drag Race!
♥ Manicures for Mom, pedicures for me. I took her for her birthday!
♥ Drawing and beeritas with Kelly. So good.
♥ At this point, I was getting so antsy to buy my DSLR and start blogging that I experimented with carrying a few disposable cameras around with me! Haha, I still haven’t developed the film yet, but will definitely share when I do. :)

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Phew! Part 2 will be a little recap of my outfit posts, illustrations, and cat girls! Also, some musings on 2012 and my sort-of-resolutions for 2013. I’m excited! I fully intend for 2013 to be an awesome year full of creativity and pushing myself to accomplish new goals. :)