hotter days, more and less art

The humid summer of western Pennsylvania is properly setting in, and the air conditioner has been installed in the window for another year.  I swear it wasn't so hot humid the first couple summers I was here.  

I haven't update for a while, as there wasn't much new to add until recently -- I was submitting applications with no response and doing my drawing a day with little success.  A week or so ago, I realized that my drawing a day wasn't really working -- it was a source of stress, an obligation, and due to the short time frame, rather than loosening up, I was simply lacking the time I wanted to invest in projects.  Because personal work was becoming a stressful concept for which I had to force myself to come up with ideas each day, having started at a place in which I was already kind of burnt out, I was feeling really uninspired.  So, I took a break.  I stopped doing drawing-a-day and, since then, my brain rested and inspiration started returning, which is awesome.  

I haven't yet had time to implement new ideas, however, because I've been kind of busy.  

And not the, 'well, I want to do some gardening and take a nap' kind of busy...rather the 'getting contacted for freelance and non-freelance jobs and having interviews and projects that needed completing before I could work on my own stuff' 

I met with two friends who want to make illustrated/screenprinted baby and toddler-wear for the children of yoga enthusiasts, and they plan to contact me by the end of the month.  

I got a freelance job designing a business card. 

I got contacted about possibly working on a graphic novel, and needed to compose and ink an audition page.  

I had an amazing interview at InventionLand, where there was a pirate ship, a poster of Nikola Tesla and my meeting took place at a round table inside a castle. I have a second interview there tomorrow and my fingers crossed, as it seems like a pretty amazing place and the position totally within my personal zone of 'things I'm good at'.  I'm even willing to forgive a 6am start time.  *shudder* 

Then, upon arriving home yesterday, I discovered a false-positive in my spam folder (total fluke I found it, as Gmail tends to be very good about putting stuff where it belongs) from a previous teacher's graphic design partner, asking if I could do a super-rush illustration commission.  I contacted him, fearing that I would be too late, but he told me to go ahead.  So, I worked until 4:30am finishing up the partial illustration to be shown to the client, and so long as the image is approved, I will have my first paid illustration commission, which is very exciting...it falls into the category of 'wow, I'm sitting on my couch watching 'The Vampire Diaries' and drawing, and someone is going to PAY me for it.  

I used to joke that I wanted to be paid just for existing, as I feel that is enough of a contribution.  Considering that I pretty much draw regardless, and LIKE having assignments from others, as it pushes me to work on subjects and styles and objects that I would otherwise not think to do or shy away from, I'm really not far off the mark.  

I think I will make Jell-O to celebrate.  Or brownies.  Or be really wild and unpredictable and do BOTH.