#Attempting a 365 art challenge

[yamikakyuu]

1/365 Obituary Writer @deathbydyingpod

[mikeywayarchive]

SDCC 2024: Mikey Way Rings in Holidays All Year Long with Christmas 365 (Interview)

By Justin Epps - Published Sep 7, 2024

Dark Horse Comics

☰ SUMMARY

• Christmas 365 from Dark Horse Comics releases this year, a festive series about a family celebrating Christmas all year round.  • Co-writer Mikey Way talks about the nostalgia and magic of Christmas, and the importance of family in his work.  • Way collaborates with Jonathan Rivera and Piotr Kowalski to craft a dream project embracing the 80s/90s Christmas movie feel.

Full interview under the cut:

Christmas has come early for Dark Horse Comics readers. During this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, the publisher revealed it would be releasing Christmas 365 later this year. This festive new series comes from the creative team of Mikey Way, Jonathan Rivera, Piotr Kowalski, Brad Simpson, and Joshua Reed.

Christmas 365 tells the story of a family who has gone through a particularly challenging year and their attempts to come back together through a Christmas season that lasts the whole year round. Screen Rant caught up with Christmas 365 co-writer Mikey Way and dug into his thoughts behind this unique holiday story.

Screen Rant: From the premise I'm guessing you're a big fan of Christmas. But why Christmas 365?

Mikey Way: As a child of the 80s, a lot of my favorite movies were Christmas movies. I think the holiday stuck with me, the the mythology of it, the imagery really resonated with me. I know I'm not alone on this, the world is obsessed with Christmas. You go in stores and the Christmas stuffs out in August. It was after 9/11 I noticed Christmas started earlier at the store. I remember taking a mental note of that. People needed it at that time. I feel like with social media people have been able to express their love of Christmas and find like-minded people that are like-minded. There's Christmas podcasts, there's Christmas basements.

Mikey Way: Anyway, child of the 80s. Christmas Story, Scrooged, Christmas Vacation, Gremlins, Die Hard, Santa Claus: The Movie, all those great Jim Henson movies. These were important stories to me. And so I've always had that itch in me to tell a Christmas story. And I think it was around 2013 I watched a bunch of Christmas movies in a row and it wasn't Christmas time, it was summertime, I think. I remember watching Home Alone and Christmas Vacation and being like "What stories are left to tell?". Then it hit me like a bolt. "What about a family that're kind of disconnected and one of them gets the the wild idea to celebrate it all year long?". Like that's gonna fix everything.

With Christmas, there's this effort to see the world through the eyes of a child and recapture that feeling of wonderment. Is that what you wanted from your story?

Mikey Way: It's the one month out of the year where you can forget about life's pressures a little bit. And there's wonder and magic and hope and promise. Especially when you have children. It's the Super Bowl. For a child things revolve around "Christmas is coming!". So getting to see it through my two girls' eyes...that's what it's all about. There's so many layers to it. It's a layered holiday. But it's just something that's so great. In a world full of gloom and doom, it's something that's just awesome and great. Like there's a velvet cloud around you in December. Even November.

Mikey Way: There's there's a lot of bad stuff that happens in the world. People get busy, people get stressed, people have responsibilities. And it's the time where you can celebrate being a family, celebrate the people you love, and you could show them how much you love them.

You're co writing this with Jonathan Rivera. Both of you guys did books for DC Young Animal which was definitely a more experimental line, but you guys are trying to tell a more grounded story here, correct?

Mikey Way: We're very like-minded. He went to art school with my brother. We all like the same stuff. Trainspotting, Britpop, Stone Temple Pilots, The Crow, action figures, X-Men, anime. Jon was a kindred spirit. He's one of my best friends in the world. He's someone I wanted to write a story with. This was the perfect opportunity because he feels the same way about this 80s/90s Christmas story. He's got the same itch to scratch.

Your previous book, Collapser, had a real strong family theme to it, which seems carry on in Christmas 365. What is it about family that speaks to you so strongly in your work?

Mikey Way: Family's everything. As you get older you start to realize that. And it plays into the holiday of Christmas. When it comes down to the family's all you got. You can have an important job. You can have all the material possessions in the world. You could have fancy this and that. But when it comes down to it, who's sitting at the dinner table with you? Those are who's important and the people that pick you up when you're needing it. They're there for you, you're there for them. So the family unit has always been something extremely important to me. Especially as I get older and have children and extended family. That's really all you got in this world and it's the most beautiful thing there is.

In addition to Rivera, you're also working with Piotr Kowalski. How was it crafting this dream project with him and his art?

Mikey Way: What's interesting about him is he's mostly a horror guy, really. When we got his artwork, most of the demonstration pages and pieces were horror and then I went on his Instagram recently and it's all horror and I'm like "It kind of works, because this is supposed to be an 80s/90s Christmas movie.". If you watch these movies, they're all dark and they always tried to sneak a horror element into it. In Home Alone there was the scary boiler.

For me, it was A Christmas Story when Ralphie goes on the slide and the Santa just boots him down.

Mikey Way: There's always a moment of playful scariness in those movies. So I think it fit the tone, because you want it to look a little VHS. I feel like he was able to tell it exactly. Like if we closed our eyes and we were envisioning Christmas 365 as a movie, that's what it would look like. Me and Jon saw his art and were like "This is the guy.".

You previously spoke about the influence of suburban genre movies like The Burbs and Better Off Dead. How did these movies inform your Christmas story?

Mikey Way: So the story goes me and my brother watched Better Off Dead probably a couple of times a week for years. That and One Crazy Summer, those those two movies for me and my brother were very important. There was this Gonzo stuff in it. It was a slightly grounded, suburban comedy that had all these kind of wacky, fantastical ideas in it. All those movies had a sport. Better Off Dead was skiing.

Oh, like Heathers and croquet?

Mikey Way: Team Wolf had basketball. They all had a sport. Also there's a weird claymation dream sequence, remember? There was all this weird stuff, but there's something about that movie that struck a chord with me and my brother and we watched it literally once or twice a week for decades. But yes, Savage Steve Holland was a big influence on me and Jon Rivera.

Christmas 365 #1 is available on December 4th from Dark Horse Comics.

[iffoundreturntosea]

January 1, Day 1

1 day 2015

I've stared at that card for the past 7 months wishing the new year would get here already & it finally has. I have kind of a big resolution that will probably take all year but I want to get off all the medications I'm on, get myself healthy & back to living and enjoying life! #wishmeluck #newyears #resolution #goodbye2014 #hello2015 #project365 #day1

I started project 365 because I needed something to keep me going. I was bed ridden at the time due to medication induced vertigo. It was awful and I wanted to die. It lasted months and my doctor was no help. I was hopeless. I starred at this card that a friend of my mom had made her for months just wishing for a change. That change was me.

1 day 2016

Today was a nice chill day! (January's theme is blue!) #shadesofblue #chill #relaxed #january #hello2016 #picoftheday #project365 #day1

By the time I hit the second year I was ready to mix things up and add a theme each month. Each month in 2016 had a different color scheme, starting with blue!

1 day 2017

Happy New Year! 

#newyear #2017 #hello2017 #mayancalendar #january #circleoflife #picoftheday #project365 #day1

1 day 2018

#keyhole #cutout #klaus #dog #pup #bassethound #hound #lazyday #rest #newtheme #differentview #january #picoftheday #project365 #day1

Klaus isn't with us anymore but he was such a good boy!

1 day 2019

I remember last year like it was yesterday...Happy New Year!

This year I’m going to try a new challenge. I’m going to attempt to photograph the National Day calendar for my 5th year of #project365 Should be fun! 

#hello2019 #2019 #timeflies #justme #happynewyear #yearfive #letsdothis #create #challenge #live #experience #share #learn #january #newyearday #nationalday #nationaldaycalendar #picoftheday #project365 #day1 #hereigoagain

I did different monthly themes until 2019 and then I did the National Day Calendar. I was so excited for this year!

1 day 2020

The next year I did a weekly theme to recover from the previous year!

It is Time to start year 6! This Time I’m aiming for a weekly theme! Try to guess 

#glitter #sparkle #pocketwatch #watch #clock #timeywimey #time #year6 #week1 #january #january1 #2020 #picoftheday #project365 #day1 #herewegoagain 

1 day 2021

The 2 years after that were whatever the heck I wanted!

One day I’m not gonna do this anymore but I guess this is not the day! Year 7! No themes! No restrictions! Whatever the hell I want! This is the only picture I took today! Cheers to less stress and more fun! 

#nature #outdoors #bug #insect #grass #pecanshell #morningdew #year7 #herewego #nothemes #lessstressmorefun #whateverthehelliwant #january #january1 #2021 #picoftheday #project365 #day1

1 day 2022

The purrfect way to start the year!

#Leo #kitty #cat #furbaby #snuggles #create #artsy #color #fun #january #january1 #2022 #picoftheday #project365 #day1 #year8

This past year I was ready to try monthly themes again.

1 day 2023

A great start to the new year with an early morning hike with Dad, Dana, sister, fam & friends. Then a delicious meal made by Dana and our little christmas celebration together. Love family time so much!

#grateful #aloha2023 #litebrite #january #january1 #2023 #objectofthemonth #picoftheday #project365 #day1 #startofyear9

I got this mini lite brite as a stocking stuffer from Santa! It is so cute!

1 day 2024

It's a new year and the start of my 10th year doing a picture every day! This year I've partnered with my mom, we'll be drawing themes each day. I will continue photographing while she will be working in her mixed media journal. Today was "stones". Which one speaks to you?

#hello2024 #year10 #dailytheme #stones #color #create #art #january #january1 #2024 #picoftheday #project365 #day1

Alright! That is day one of this year. I officially can't stop now!

[blueiscoool]

Offerings to Goddess Demeter Uncovered in Archaic Temple on Crete

Excavations of the ancient city of Phalasarna in western Crete have unearthed hundreds of offerings to the goddess Demeter in the remains of an ancient temple. The temple dates to the late 4th century B.C. and was built in Doric style on natural rock with two fluted columns, capitals, metopes and pediment. Estimates indicate it was more than 25 feet high and 16 feet wide. It is the only temple of its kind in Crete.

The temple was built at the junction of two mountain peaks where a natural cave was formed. The cave had abundant water and archaeologists believe an Archaic temple dedicated to a chthonic (related to the Underworld) deity was built there before 650 B.C. It was destroyed when the cave collapsed. Another temple was built in the 6th century, but it was destroyed in an earthquake. Then in the 5th century another was built and you guessed it, it too was destroyed. The last attempt was the 4th century temple.

The remains that are present today were from a reconstruction of the temple after the cave collapse. The perimeter of the enclosure is still in place, as is a monumental staircase leading to two buildings with a shared wall between them. The eastern building was the primary temple.

The sanctuary of the temple had a tiled floor, as did the rest of the floors of the temple. On the floor were five offering cases, inside which were revealed vases of good quality with elegant shapes, some of ceremonial character, one of which was inscribed in the Doric dialect with the name of the goddess to whom the temple was dedicated: A K E S T O I D A M A T R I , Akestoi dedicates to the goddess Demeter.

The rocky areas and the ancient deposits in excavated pits revealed findings mainly from the Archaic times. Daedalic art seems to dominate the early Archaic period (650 BC) in the form of nude female figures with Daedalic headdress and high pole. From the findings of the 6th c. e.g. Egyptian and Phoenician glass objects, terracotta bird and animal figurines, arrowheads and spearheads, miniature vases, enthroned female figures, and a female figurine holding a poppy and pomegranate stand out. Regarding the findings of the 4th and 3rd c. BC the hydriai stand out, a beaked ritual prochos with a red representation of a flying Cupid, iron spikes and alabaster vessels.

This was a physically challenging dig. The remains are on a high, rocky hill overlooking the sea. Archaeologists had to build a road to even reach the dig site, and then had to dig as quietly as possible so as not to trigger falling stones from above. The site itself was covered with rocks that the team had to remove with crowbars.

Phalasarna was settled going back to the Minoan period (3500 B.C. – 1100 B.C.). Its natural harbor made it an important stop in the maritime trade routes of the Aegean and Mediterranean. It reached its peak of prosperity in the 4th century B.C. when the monumental harbor was built. It consisted of four towers linked by defensive walls and quays. The enclosed harbor was connected to the sea by two channels, a shallow one for small boats, a deeper one for larger vessels.

The ancient city was destroyed in 67 B.C. by Roman forces under Pompey Magnus (then not yet Magnus) tasked with routing out and destroying the Mediterranean strongholds of Cilician pirates. They blocked the two harbor channels by dropping massive blocks of stone into them, and the city was abandoned. In 365 A.D., a massive earthquake, one of the greatest seismic events in earth’s history, raised the west coast of Crete by 30 feet. In an instant the ancient harbor was thrust inland and buried. They would remain hidden under tons of soil until excavations began at the site in 1966.

[lindsaywesker]

Good morning! I hope you slept well and feel rested? Currently sitting at my desk, in my study, attired only in my blue towelling robe, enjoying my first cuppa of the day (green tea.) Welcome to the weekend!

Wow! Here we are again: Friday! Where did that week go? No, seriously, where did that week go?

First of all, many thanks to everyone that got involved with Throwback Thursday on my page. Yesterday’s word was CULTURE and the responses were – as you’d expect - cultural. Everybody that’s connected to me on social media, the ‘culture’ that we belong to is probably different to most people on this earth. We are unique and that’s why we get on. We are multi-cultural. We accept, we enjoy, we embrace and we love each other, no matter the race, creed, colour or sexual orientation. We mix, we collaborate, we socialise, we fuse, we create new forms of art. We don’t just partake in culture, we are culture.

Although it ended in 2021, we’ve only just finished watching ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’. For the last few months, it’s been our go-to show while eating lunch or dinner. Why did it end? The changing public attitude towards the police. It was difficult for the ‘Nine-Nine’ cast to keep up the charade that police people could be sensitive, humane and law-abiding. For black people, it’s always a daily struggle (365 days of every year) but, since George Floyd, everyone and everything has been under a microscope a.k.a. the camera phone. (The black mum being arrested in front of her traumatised kid for alleged ‘fare evasion’, for instance!) My Twitter feed is FULL of American news stories (that you won’t see in the UK) about officers of the law going to prison for assorted crimes.

Yep, The T-Shirt King got rid of some T-shirts yesterday. The local recycling plant took custody of almost 30 T-shirts. Yes, I’ve got that many! They had to go! Many of them, I had worn to death! Brand new ones incoming!

In amongst all the prepping, teaching, marking, moderating, meetings and course-designing (comes up for air), in coming weeks, we’ve got lots to look forward to. It’s the Margate Soul Festival THIS weekend. The Trouble and I are coming down to Margate for the day on Saturday and I’ll be doing my radio show live from Olbey’s Cafe. Please pop in for a selfie! Got a big, music industry networking event on August 10th, we’re going to see Dolly on August 12th, The Trouble is selling jewellery at a craft fair in Monk’s Park on August 15th, got a garden party on August 20th, we’ll be at Panorama on August 26th to see our nephew Elijah perform with Metronomes, then I’m looking forward to TWO gigs on Bank Holiday Sunday: The White Lion All-Dayer and ‘Let The Music Play’ at Cinnabar in Stevenage (REALLY looking forward to that day!) We’ve got a wedding in Jamaica in mid-September and, of course, we’ll be back and forth to Hove regularly to see Lady Wesker. I’ve got one beautiful friend that I’m trying to make an arrangement to see and I literally have no space in the diary until October!

Really hope you can join me tomorrow at 1.00 p.m. for ‘The A-Z Of Mi-Soul Music’: The Letter P (Pt. 3). Margate: here we come! Somebody needs to contact The Guiness Book Of World Records. I shall be attempting a fairly challenging record: Most Selfies Taken In One Live Radio Broadcast.

Have a fabulous and funky Friday! I love you all. You’re probably thinking, “You don’t even know me!” but, if people can hate for no reason, why can’t I love?

[365filmsincolor]

New Beginnings

I was watching Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut last night for probably around the 5th time. As I was watching the scene between Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise where Kidman’s character confesses her desires and her willingness to give up her marriage and family for the sake of just one night with a naval officer she caught eye of. As she was recounting her thoughts, I noticed the blue light almost creating a halo behind her along with the wall panel behind her that created a kind of confessional booth motif. Then I noticed the blue light again and again and again. I am no stranger to the use of color for symbolism, evoking emotions, and creating an atmosphere, but I began to think about color and its relationship to film and how directors and cinematographers utilize color to get a message across.

Then I thought about other films where the colors stood out to me. Color always attracted me to films as a young film novice in my teen years. The dreamy muted pastels of The Virgin Suicides, the dreary yet lush greens of Stalker, the neons of Suspiria and how they transformed into the de-saturated gloomy tones in its 2018 remake. Yes, color certainly provided me with a visual delight, but I’m equally fascinated with color as a tool or vessel to carry messages, ideas, and symbolism.

I thought about making this blog as a way for me to understand how colors are utilized with individual films and directors and how it becomes a visual language. I am also interested in how that might translate in a two-dimensional medium such as the ones I work with in my own personal art. Additionally, I find myself in a creative rut, a block, that I am having trouble getting myself out of. This is an attempt for me to do something about it while exploring my love of films and color all at the same time along with things like composition and other design elements. I’d like to do 365 films, one color study a day, but with my job and other responsibilities I’m not being to strict on the time frame! I want to have fun while also giving myself a little challenge, so hopefully I can meet the 365 mark by the end of next year!

I may also just be posting little trivia things, observations, opinions, findings I find interesting and the like as well. Hope you’ll join me for the ride. (:

[reveriewispart]

'18, Day 3 - Drowzy Paws and Claws

[ohbutwebestmakepeacewithit]

241/365

[mermaidsirennikita]

Hello, I hope I'm not bothering you, but do you have any good "enemies to lovers" recs, may they be books or movies?

I neeeever am bothered by people asking for recommendations.  Those are my favorite asks because I am nothing if not in love with my own opinions, lol

Books

Obviously, The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn, the best Bridgerton book, because I’ve been blogging about it lol.  If you haven’t read it, it’s basically “rake tries to seduce the beauty of the ton, beauty’s older sister cockblocks him, he realizes that He Is Into It” 

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne is a classic.  Very light and fluffy contemporary, two people who’ve always hated each other begin competing for the same job and fall in love.

Kate Quinn’s Mistress of Rome series is a saga and the initial big ship of the first book (which you do have to read lol) is not enemies to lovers.  However, the NEXT ship which dominates the last two books of the series (which is four books long, and tbh... I recommend the second book but it’s a prequel and can be skipped technically) is SOOOOOOO GOOD.  It’s really “childhood friends to young lovers to SEVERE ENEMIES still secretly in love” and it’s literally epic lol.  Essentially, the series is set in Ancient Rome and Sabina (very bitchy Roman noblewoman) and Vix (child of a former gladiator, soldier) are friends who I think lose their virginities to each other?  And are in love as kids.  But then she fucks him over and marries the emperor.  Who he actually begins to loyally serve!  But he haaaates Sabina because she.... constantly backstabs him lol.  But he also looooves Sabina and gets off on everything she does.  And she wants him so badly.  And it is delicious.  And I live for it.

Both of the Evie Dunmore books I’ve read, Bringing Down the Duke and especially A Rogue of One’s Own are very enemies to lovers.  In Bringing Down the Duke it’s a bluestocking versus a duke who for political reasons is her enemy.  In A Rogue of One’s Own it’s another bluestocking versus a rake who has known her basically all their lives.  They have to begin working together and fall in looove.

Sarah MacLean LIVES for this trope lol.  Her first true enemies to lovers was Twelve Scandals to Start to Win An Earl’s Heart, in which the heroine is a scandalous young woman and the hero is a duke determined to avoid scandal--and he rebuffed her before the book began, so they hate each other.  But he also has a massive boner around her, of course. 

My favorite MacLean book, A Rogue By Another Name is another “childhood friends turn enemies to lovers”.  The leads, Penelope and Bourne (last name lol) were best friends as kid and he basically fell off after life set in.  Her family now has hold of his ancestral lands, and Bourne essentially blackmails Penelope into marrying him so that he can get those lands, after which she DESPISES him even though they had..... extremely great sex lol.  It’s SUPER GOOD, and it involves borderline voyeurism, which is great.

Then No Good Duke Goes Unpunished is very enemies to lovers.  The heroine was set to become the hero’s stepmother--then he woke up covered in blood with her missing. He then finds out, after years of being despised by society as a presumed murderer, that she is very much alive with a fake identity lol.  It’s WILD.

The Rogue Not Taken is an enemies to lovers roadtrip romance.  The heroine thinks the hero is a horrid rake who purposefully ruins marriages.  He thinks she’s a stuck up brat.  They end up journeying together and he eats her out in a moving carriage.

Theeen there’s Daring and the Duke.  The hero literally thought the heroine was dead (MacLean loves this) and is OBSESSED with her, but she hates him because the man who raised them both basically pitted them against each other after their days of being childhood sweethearts.  It’s very dark and delicious, and there are blow jobs!  Blow jobs don’t happen enough in romances, especially historical romances.  More BJs!  They are fun!

If you’re interested in a dark and BONKERS romance, Desperate Measures by Katee Robert is a retelling of Disney’s Aladdin about a modern Jafar and Jasmine getting together after he takes over her father’s criminal empire.  It’s definitely extremely explicit and a bit fucked up.  The book comes with content warnings; the first sex scene is dubcon.  (Like you’re reading from her perspective and she WANTS IT but she says no.)

Beach Read by Emily Henry is a cute contemporary in which the hero is a literary author and the heroine is a romance novelist.  They find themselves in neighboring beach houses and basically challenge each other to write in the other person’s genre.  Very light enemies to lovers.

A Heart of Blood and Ashes is a fantasy romance by Milla Vane!  Essentially, the hero’s parents were killed by the heroine’s father and he’s out to kill her father and overtake his throne.  Luckily, she’s on board.  But he needs to marry her in order to accomplish his goals.  They do not trust each other whatsoever and torment one another a lot.  For context, within the first fifty pages she gives him a handjob while her hand is covered in her own brother’s blood (and yes, he did kill her brother).  It’s great.

The Worst Best Man is about a wedding planner who suddenly finds herself needing to work with her ex-fiance’s brother... who she holds responsible for her fiance leaving her at the altar.  Very fun and sexy contemporary.

The entire Four Horsemen series by Laura Thalassa.  In each book, the heroine falls in love with a literal embodiment of one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, who is here to bring the end of the world.  VERY heavy enemies to lovers.  Kinda dark at times?  Kinda fucked up at times?  I love it a lot?  It begins with Pestilence; War and Famine have already been released, but Death has not.

From Lukov with Love by Marina Zapata.  It’s a figure skating romance; a down on her luck skater pairs up with a male skater who is extremely successful, and who she’s known for years and hated.  Verrrrry slow burn, but fun.

Movies

The Proposal, of course, starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds.  You’ve probably seen this, but the setup is that she’s his evil boss, he’s her assistant, and she’s about to lose her visa so she bribes him into marrying her so that she can get citizenship.  But ruh-roh, they have to go to Alaska for his family reunion and he’s also got a great body and is like, an Alaskan Rockefeller?  

Obviously, Clueless which is enemies to lovers by way of former stepsiblings, and also by way of the only valid retelling of Emma.  Emma itself is not enemies to lovers, really, but Clueless amps that aspect up a bit.

If you want a super tragic version, warning lol--House of Flying Daggers.  It’s a wuxia movie, so melodramatic to the max.  She’s a blind daughter of the leader of a vigilante group, he’s a soldier who’s gone undercover to follow her to their stronghold.  Many reveals and one of my favorite dramatic love stories ensues.

Princess Diaries 2, duh.  Baby Chris Pine?  Anne Hathaway?  PLEASE BITCH.

365 DNI.  If you haven’t watched yet, watch it and thank me later.  The greatest cinematic contribution of the last decade.

Down with Love.  It’s a delightful take on like, 50s/60s sex comedies in which the heroine writes a book that convinces women to ignore love and men, which makes the hero look bad and makes it difficult for him to get laid.  So he sets out to basically.....  wear a different persona?  And seduce her?  It is one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen, and I adore it.  Renee Zellweger and Ewan Macgregor have great chemistry in it too.

The Thomas Crown Affair, starring extremely hot Pierce Brosnan and Renee Russo.  She’s an insurance investigator, he’s a billionaire who basically is suspected of stealing priceless works of art because he’s bored.  She investigates him and immediately begins fucking him.  Has a scene where she dances with him while wearing a completely transparent dress.  Then they fuck everywhere in his house.  I have never wanted to be between two people more.

The Painted Veil.  A socialite marries a dorky scientist for convenience, then cheats on him.  He finds out and basically forces her to go to China with him, where he is fighting the cholera epidemic, as an extremely long and petty murder suicide attempt.  But they get to know each other!  And the ice begins to melt!  Warning: tragic but lovely.

Casino Royale YES I SAID THAT.  The James Bond reboot movie that explains why he’s such a whore!!!  HE WAS BROKEN!!!  Basically James Bond is not like... a learned man... in this movie.  So he’s a cocky bastard and the Bond girl is impossibly sexy Eva Green as Vesper, who’s the “money man” on his mission.  They begin as bickering assholes and then fall in love.  But also!  Tragedy!

The animated Anastasia movie is one of the finest enemies to lovers movies of any time, I will defend this forever

Anyway....  Hope this gives you some ideas!  Lol

[cafe-sugar-skull]

.:~Ink’s Sketchbook “Error #2″~:.

--------------------------------------------------------------

tfw a chapter of your current favorite fan fic has a part where the characters are looking through a sketchbook and it lists a bunch of sketch descriptions and you go like “challenge accepted”.

Okay, so no one was actually challenging me, but it was free drawing prompts and it felt like the universe was daring me so I immediately jumped for it.

I like Error’s hobo outfit much more, but since the Ink in the story has known Error for about a thousand years and has nine total sketchbooks full of nothing but the glitchy cutie pie plus another 6 full of Ruru erotica I figure in “Error #2″ he’d have his classic outfit.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Page 1

“A collection of Error's face with varying expressions...”

Hate the top left expression.  Looks weird, but since it was my first go drawing an Error face without a reference I feel I can forgive myself for that.  Hate the bottom right expression too but only because that peaceful face doesn’t feel like Error.  And because I couldn’t figure out how to do peaceful with a Sans mouth.  It was my first attempt for Page 5 and in the end I admitted that I just don’t have the expression skills needed to pull what I wanted off for that picture.  It was still a nice looking face though so I included it in Page 1.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Page 2

“Error scowling on his bean bag with his game boy. Error arguing with a less distinct other person.” 

My favorite page!  These prompts were the most fun to draw.  Error makes for the most adorable grump and I love him for it. <3 The “less distinct other person” is an Anonymous voice!  I thought the idea of Error feeding a troll to be hilarious and ran with it.  At least one of them seems like they’re having a good time. xD

Also, fuck the paper I drew these on.  The book has some pages that are colored grey instead of white and that messes with things.  Gave the drawings a dark tint that I can’t do anything about, so I’m a bit salty about that.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Page 3

“A notable one of Error standing as if in triumph over the viewer of the image, one fist clenched and pulling a collection of strings taught.”

Not exactly how I first pictured it but it will do.  Also I forgot that Error was supposed to be standing instead of kneeling until I was pretty much finished with it.  Oops.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Page 4

“Error laughing, hands in pockets, as an arrow labelled Killer pointed down into a collection of muck and marsh plants.”

So. I drew all of these sketches in my 365 drawing book.  You know, the one with the ruled lining in it because it’s supposed to be a book for writing prompts.

So imagine me, initially thinking I’d just draw a few plants, getting carried away and drawing the whole dang swamp, and then realizing when I was done that I was going to have to edit out all those damn lines.  I went “oh fuck” and then proceeded to spend two hours on clean up for this sketch alone.  Cleaning up each sketch already took a long time so holy hell.

Oh well, at least it looks neat.  Just wish Killer’s booty didn’t get lost in all the details. :(

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Page 5

“Finally, Ink stopped on a page near the end that had clearly been looked at a lot. The top corner was a little crumpled and dog-eared as if Ink fiddled with that section of the paper often. This one was of Error smiling. Not the smirking grin, not his crazy smile, but his normal smile. The one usually only seen in private by very few beings. Ink smiled back at it. The image had been delicately painted with watercolors making it even softer than the expression had been.”

*flips a table*

Could have been better. Could have been worse. I found a great digital watercolor tutorial but in the end I still didn’t know what I was doing.  Maybe someday I’ll try redoing this when I level up my arting skills but for now it looks nice, it looks soft, it fits the prompt, I’m done.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Whew... well that’s one big project done.  A major “Our Tangled Web” itch has been scratched.  Maybe now I can go back to working on some of my own stuff.  Or do fanart for other fanfics.  =w=

...............Pfffffff... yeah right, maybe.  We’ll see how long I last. xD

=========================

“Our Tangled Web” by: @raithwin and @avatarkayla

=========================

Error (c) @loverofpiggies Ink(’s hands) (c) @comyet

[koreandragon]

2020 CREATOR WRAP: FAVORITE WORKS

Rules: It’s time to love yourselves! Choose your 5 (or so) favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought into the world in 2020. Tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome work

i was tagged by @cuddlybitch and @thingskateknows thank you!!!

gu seung jung and seo dan + the one that got away by katy perry: i think we were all devestated when he was killed off and their love was never fulfilled...also i used to listen to this song as a 12 yo and cry even though i had no idea what it was about because i didn’t speak english lmao. this became one of my most popular edits

fist bump in 365 repeat the year:  this show was undoubtedly one of my favorites this year and i titled every gifset i made about it with otp: fist bump buddies. anyway this gifset is special because this is my first gifset i did with my new method when i actually started caring about how my gifs looked. you can see the coloring and the sharpness changed and i was really happy about it

3D gif of namjoon: this gif is just special because i learned how to make 3D gifs and it came out pretty good i think, i lost some braincells in the process too

felix in blueprint:  i just love how the coloring turned out on this, the blues really pop and he looks very good in it so i had this pinned on my blog too, i was really proud of it

where your eyes linger kiss scene: we all know...we all lost our minds...this was such a groundbreaking scene and i was so happy to be able to gif it. they paved the way

eric nam paradise:  my husband  eric nam dropped a new mini album and it slapped, so i had to gif the mv and i used a different coloring style which i quite liked, i also had this pinned to my blog for a while

strangers from hell: this was a kdramaspace challenge i did for villains and i chose moon joo from strangers from hell since that is probably one of my favorite kdramas of all time. this was around the time i started to get into coloring backgrounds so i attempted that here and i think it came out quite well

18 again umbrella scene: i just thought this scene was really pretty and also dong hyun’s face is in it, oh yeah and i really liked how the coloring turned out for this. i did a lot of gifs for this drama and experimented a lot

kingdom: i participated in kdramaween and i think this was the free day so i chose kingdom. i liked all the sets i did for this challenge but i think this turned out especially good, i was really proud of myself for it

stray kids side effects: i bought a ticket for their online concert, that’s when i first saw this performance, then they uploaded it on youtube lmao. anyways i loved the visuals and it’s one of my favorite skz songs. i worked really hard on this, i made a ripped paper effect and tried to figure out how to do the text over it, i really gave it my all and it only has 82 notes, please reblog for the love of god fjkvhekdf

stray kids victory song: this gifset got me a lot of praise and i’m so happy because i worked hard on it. i always try to do something new, effects with the texts and coloring and i think it worked really well here because the stage was mostly red and that could pop really well

kdramas watched in 2020: i was insane for doing this, never let me do this again. i was on this for days. meanwhile i realized i watched 28 dramas this year which just proves how crazy i am. lots of good dramas, lots of bad ones and some just mediocre. but isn’t that just every year

since i’m not strickly a kdrama blog i included kpop sets too, i hope that’s okay heh

tagging @dohyunsoo @hwanginyeop @junghaesin @kojiseok 

[ecomclub]

The Loci Cycle Evaluation: Is It Best For You?

Have you non-stop concentrated on the pursuit of finding methods to make earnings on the internet?

While it can make the results complex, this is the ideal time to continue your search by focusing on the world of e-commerce.

Research study has shown that U.S. sales in e-commerce have gone beyond 44%, even with the pandemic of COVID-19 running widespread.

Are you satisfied? The most considerable obstacle we handle is finding the most exact training to appropriately set us up for success. There are tons of courses, programs, and strategies that have not been successfully provided on promises.

We are presenting Chris Munch's Effective List Building Techniques!

That is why we have identified to have a look at the just recently popular Loci Cycle Review. You may ask yourself if it will be worth your time. We have taken additional actions to gather the info to assist you in making the absolute best option. Continue reading to see how The Loci Cycle Program works and how it could be valuable to you.

What Does the Loci Cycle Program Deal?

The Loci Cycle Program uses online lessons and details concentrated on the businessof e-commerce. It provides fresh insight into the often-discussed e-commerce service style. This 8 weeklong program includes 7 different modules and supplies a wealth of information to assist you in mastering running an e-commerce company.

Loci Cycle developer Chris Munch provided a program that requires no selling of services or products. Keep in mind those online advertisements? You don't need to worry about those. Instead, users see this revolutionary program as a go-to for discovering a new technique to make online earnings utilizing different products. The unexpected appeal of the Loci Cycle was based upon an effective secret method.

You might question how you can take benefit from this. Since we have finished the challenging work of looking into it simply for you, you can start as quickly as today! You will desire to take the time extremely initially to buy a particular domain.

The following procedure will take about a minute to finish. Throughout this step in the process, you will concentrate on the theme for your e-commerce shop. Next, you will have the ability to set up and pick among the program's quality designs. In the next step, you will select the items you wish to add to your site. Do not worry! You will have access to various images and typefaces. Having these available recommends that you invest your time in other tasks instead of establishing styles yourself.

Up Until the Loci Cycle was produced, developing an online presence was everything about investigating on your own. You will have access to utilize the various traffic-producing methods that are used by the program.

Are you curious about who will stay up to date with logging product stock? The program also has this covered! An important technique to be dependable is to market products that will produce profits and put them on your e-commerce site.

Course Modules

The Loci Cycle Course consists of modules produced to help you understand the value of developing an online presence. In the next area, we'll reveal what includes in each of the 7 modules. Then, navigate these areas to help you identify how essential the info can be for your service.

Module 1- Central Intelligence

In the very first program module, we will concentrate on the main elements of the training program. It includes comprehensive directions and guides, consisting of self-help videos. Here is what we could discover as we navigated the program:

We discovered the advantages of and how to produce and run an online company.

We could follow the procedure behind beginning a productive organization from the beginning.

Within the very first 2 days, we were able to experience how to provide our very first item effectively.

We were able to take a look at the art of how to cost products successfully.

We similarly learned convenient recommendations to reduce costs and conserve funds that would typically go into keeping stocks.

We also found various techniques that permitted more focus and time to establish 7-figure earnings.

Module 2- Shop Storm

Store Storm is the next Loci Cycle Module, and it is perhaps one to focus on throughout your journey. It is not only filled with a wealth of details. Nevertheless, it similarly demonstrates how to establish your online existence in only one minute! This module also uses several styles readily available at your disposal. Attempt not to worry if you are a qualified rookie, as this treatment will be smooth.

The only thing you'll need to stress and anxiety yourself with is an application and comprehend how the system works. The following consists of some valuable subjects you can rely on for support:

Style X: Design X shows how to secure leads and how to offer rapidly.

Will likewise offer you tools and systems needed to develop an easy-to-use experience for customers to generate incomes for your organization consistently.

Module 3- Handpicked Products

Module 3 of 7 teaches how to find more about benefiting from increasing and selling items profits. Here are several advantages that can eliminate after searching module 3:

Module 3 demonstrates how to find the very best items to create earnings.

The module reveals the procedure needed to begin reaching your monetary goals every day. If it seems like it takes longer than you anticipate, don't tense. You will soon start to make the cash you prefer quickly.

Module 4- Profits Vault

If you require aid finding various items to begin producing quick earnings for your service, look no more than module 4. Here is what we found important for this module:

We discovered a list of items that dealt with a couple of rivals and produced high revenues.

We discovered how the storage and supply deliveries worked for you.

We could access the filtering element to browse through a variety of millions of products.

The module supplied item descriptions that could be used for your site.

Module 5- Traffic Black Box

The Traffic Black Box is the fifth module that allows users to produce a more significant website traffic flow. Module 5 offers a few of these fantastic benefits:

It shows how to benefit from SEO for producing revenue-producing traffic for your site.

It offers examples of how to promote and gain mobile leads.

It helps establish an effective method to gain access to more leads and funnel increased sales.

Module 6- ORACLE X

Do you concur that mastering a method to win at offering items is an art in itself? For example, various sellers worldwide market millions of products online every day, but the number of sellers makes money from their monetary investments?

The Loci Cycle Program supplies safe techniques to finding and safeguarding excellent earnings. In Oracle X Module, you will comprehend item options worrying about finding the right clients. We liked module 6 for a few of the following factors:

We learned about the methods connected with picking a practical site domain.

We found out how to bring in traffic with a creative logo design.

We accessed software applications that assisted produce a website in less time.

Module 7

The seventh module exposes how we will support you as you make progress throughout the program. The program supplies assistance in real-time and responses to questions you might have as you browse the module.

The module utilizes e-mail support 365 days out of the year for each trainee.

Each student also acquires a particular area to gain access to.

About the Founder- Chris Munch

Founder Chris Munch influenced the program if you weren't conscious already. Chris started the online journey with an e-commerce store. Throughout this time, I made good deals of errors. However, Chris did not let this prevent them from ending up being successful. Chris found what worked best for developing a large e-commerce traffic flow.

Nearly every seller connected with having an online presence has come across these products eventually in their lifetime. As a result, the Loci Cycle now supplies many tricks and access to these good strategies.

The Pros and Cons

PROS

The program is easy to browse and created so that any identified person can carry out the methods supplied.

The program is also smooth for novice sellers to make income in no time effectively.

Not just does stock expense money, nevertheless, establishing your online space expenses cash. With the Loci Cycle Program, you will not need either for stock and setup.

You are likewise provided with creators experienced worldwide of e-commerce, and there is no requirement for more experimentation. The program sets you up for success!

CONS

The Loci Cycle program is easily available online and can take a preliminary investment of some sort.

The Loci Cycle Rates

With whatever you get for this fantastic program, it has been attended to just $3,497. To some, this might be a bit high. You likewise have the option to pay in 3 easy month-to-month installments of $1,167.

The Final Decision, Is the Loci Cycle Worth It?

We are impressed with all the program needs to utilize. Whether selecting from various items or discovering reputable sales methods, Chris Munch's Loci Cycle successfully guides you throughout your journey. The 7 modules are established to assist produce a specialist e-commerce website from scratch, discover sales-worthy products, generate customized leads, and assist find an efficient domain.

What starts this program apart from the competitors is the different user experience. Chris Munch has invested the time required to make the Loci Cycle Program a success. Program charges aside, it is worth the initial financial investment!

[lifewithlisayogini]

Day 91 of Lisa’s 365 Days of Art Challenge Another entry to my almost daily Art Blog. I’m still going through my past drawings and sharing them here as I try to focus my energy on sharing a daily inspiration or at least a smile. This drawing is my attempt at humor when it comes to life’s little disasters. Power outages, appliances failing…my furry pals are at my side ready to pitch in. CJ would be more than happy to help out with any food to prevent it from spoiling. My hope is that my drawings provide some joy and inspiration! Lots of love from my furry pals to yours! #lisacalice #love #artmakesmehappy #artist #puremichigan #faith #dogs #landscape #lisacyogini #auburnhillsmi #art #lisacaliceart #inspiration #fortheloveofpete #animallover #dogfriends #bestfriends #moms #artistsoninstagram #dogart #cats #river #nature #sunshine https://www.instagram.com/p/CSf9-SJNiVh/?utm_medium=tumblr

[rhdcarts]

In a desperate attempt to add structure to this year, I'm doing a 365 day art challenge and doing song of the day again so like if y'all wanna keep up with my daily doodles and jams feel free to follow me on instagram @rothecooldad

[krislammsidbtjournal]

Creative-Problem Interviews

INTERVIEW 1

About Jay Josue.  Jay Josue is Sr. Art Director in Los Angeles and currently works at Arcana Academy, an Ad Agency located in Venice. Jay is also a freelance concept and title designer. His selected work can be seen in The Current War (2019), Citizen (2016), Me and Earl and The Dying Girl (2015).

How do you generate ideas? (How, when, and where are you inspired? What inspires you?)

Jay is a big believer in completely submerging yourself in the world of your project. For example, when Jay was working on The Current War (2019), he engulfed himself in learning everything about the Industrial Age. He gained every bit of knowledge about the electricity titans that were Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, and Nikola Tesla. Although Jay’s role in the project was more aligned with typography, he stressed that you need to dive into the world and sit with it. “Find an entry-level way to enter the world in any way, shape, or form. From there, you will begin to see the narrative pulled from the styles, history, and aesthetics of your research”.

When asked what inspires him, Jay answered, “Everything. Everywhere. Anytime.” Jay finds beauty in everything and draws on the emotional presence of his surroundings. He stresses that we often find ourselves strenuously seeking inspiration versus letting our subconscious do the work – it is why our greatest ideas come from the shower. An example of this is when Jay looks at a building, he not only sees the building holistically, but he draws his attention to the inner workings of the multiple layers that make up the building.  

What obstacles do you face in coming up with a new idea, and how do you overcome them?

Due to the fast-paced nature of his work, Jay often finds himself challenged with what he calls “Trend Traps.” There is a time and place where a project can take the likings of the newest design trends. However, Jay always strives to come up with something more meaningful in his work.

When asked about overcoming challenges, Jay answered, “As cliché, as it sounds, thinking outside the box helps me combat trend traps.” He encourages always looking at the problem from different angles and allowing yourself to zoom out of the logical problem and think more emotionally. Jay concludes, “By giving yourself a broad perspective in problem-solving and sitting in the world, you will produce more meaningful work.”

What process(es) do you use to solve problems? 


Identify the task at hand.

Be comfortable with the information and sit with it.  

Research and place yourself within that world.

Begin ideating through sketching, mood boards, scanning books, etc.

Start experimenting through mock-ups and prototypes.

Distill your best ideas and see what works (perhaps ideas 1 and 3 can be the immediate solution).

Execute and continue polishing your final piece.

Finally, deploy.

Jay shared that his process is akin to a fine-artist discipline. Sometimes, the process can hinder his creativity, so he seeks the delicate balance of building parameters broad enough where he can still play without limitations.

INTERVIEW 2

About Blake Hill-Saya.  Blake Hill-Saya is a published author and is the founder of Tenacity Communications, a verbal branding agency in Los Angeles. Blake is also a professional opera singer and licensed physical therapist. Blake brings a unique perspective in her writing with her multifaceted career background.  

How do you generate ideas? (How, when, and where are you inspired? What inspires you?)

As a verbal coach, Blake is inspired largely by the conversations she has with her clients. One of her foundational questions is, "Tell me about a time with your job where everything just went incredible and tell me how you were feeling." Blake explains that such questions do not often get posed on clients when attempting to find their brand. What she finds from that question is an interesting language where the brand's true essence comes out.

Blake's original work is inspired by the entire literary landscape and the panoramic view it offers. She habitually reads all day and spends her time listening to podcasts about writing, seeking inspiration by writing down new phrases she has not tried out before or looking to see where she could insert herself into the story. Essentially, Blake enjoys and is inspired by the journey in which it took the author to get to where they are and finds a way to find her journey.  

What obstacles do you face in coming up with a new idea, and how do you overcome them?

When it comes to obstacles, "writer's block is a real thing," and for Blake, it manifests when she is either overwhelmed or burnt out. For Blake, it means it is time to get active. She goes on what she calls "writers walk," where she puts on an audiobook of some of her favorite authors or writers. "I like to restore my faith in good writing and feeling like I have a companionship." She can also be found with a notepad on these walks to help with her writer's block. Blake has also adapted the advice by the late author Ray Bradbury which is to read two short stories and one poem.

As a musician, Blake has found that one way to combat being overwhelmed is with a few minor mental tricks which can be applied to any problem. When she needs to learn a new music piece, she breaks them out into portions and gets to rehearsing. Similarly, she finds herself repeating to herself, "just write X number of pages" to get the juices flowing with writing. "You have to find a system that works for you and stick to that system."

What process(es) do you use to solve problems?

Listen and sit with your client. Do it gracefully and inquisitively. Make them feel cared for. Often with businesses, you can get bogged down with business jargon, but as a consultant, you're able to harness the power of listening.

Build a structure but remember to remain flexible. For example, come to a meeting with prepared questions, but don't structure yourself so much that you can still react at the moment. You want your client the walk away to feel like they've been seen and heard.

Always follow up with a thank you email and a personal touch to know that "Hey! I see and hear you, and I'm on your side!"

INTERVIEW 3

About Jourel Baello. Jourel Baello is a Site Merchandiser at MeUndies where he oversees the digital storefront of MeUndies.com, CA-based underwear, and loungewear company. Jourel brings a broad perspective on fast fashion with his unique career journey from traditional brick and mortar retail to eCommerce. Before MeUndies, Jourel worked at Guitar Center as their eCommerce Specialist and spent seven years at Cotton On climbing the corporate ladder from Sales Associate in-store to eCommerce Merchandise Analyst at their LA headquarters.  

How do you generate ideas? (How, when, and where are you inspired? What inspires you?)

MeUndies is a key player in the subscription-based business model, so in order to stay ahead, Jourel looks to the industry for emerging trends to elevate their customer experience. He reviews the competitive landscape and finds opportunities other brands may have that MeUndies could bring to the table.

What inspires Jourel is that eCommerce is still relatively in its infancy compared to the larger scope of retail. “Being at the forefront of what eCommerce can become excites me as an early pioneer in the space.” Jourel is also inspired by the ever-changing playing field eCommerce brings. He concludes, “There is no wrong answer, just lots of testing and different ways to approach problems. Finding the piece of the puzzle that no one else can provide is such a fun challenge.”  


What obstacles do you face in coming up with a new idea, and how do you overcome them?

The biggest challenge Jourel faces is centered around bandwidth with the Developers and Engineers. MeUndies, like any eComm retailer, runs 24/7, 365 days of the year, which is great when collecting feedback on how to make the user experience better, but difficult when all of those changes become overlapping projects. Additionally, more pressure is added around seasonal promotions such as Black Friday where a set of new ideas are introduced. Jourel overcomes these challenges with transparent communication with his team. He reviews the project pipeline and identifies areas where things can be moved around. Then, with the blessings from his senior management, he optimizes new deadlines and manages deliverables. “I constantly revisit our roadmap because of how fast things are changing.” Jourel expresses that it is imperative to see the view of each project and its relation to how it may impact other projects.

What process(es) do you use to solve problems?

Ideating – What is the problem at hand? Are we able to come up with a hypothesis? What questions can we ask?

Cross Functional Discussions – Align with outside departments to ensure goals they have in mind are being addressed.

Internal Team Discussion – Discuss with the internal team about research and findings. Discussing what next steps are if it’s needed to go back to ideating phase.

Test. Test. Test. – Aggressively testing to see what options work and narrowing down solutions.

Analyzing Results – Reviewing test results and make implementation decision. At this stage, it can become iterative which helps drive clarity.

[zoebulukaki]

Zanele Muholi

At the age of 19, Muholi attended a course at the Market Photo Workshop by famed photographer David Goldblatt to provide training and skills to young and economically marginalised photographers. They were already deeply involved in local LGBTQIA+ activism and women’s organisations and began transforming themselves from a journalist and human rights activist into an artist and visual activist. From the early 2000s, they had documented and celebrated the lives of South Africa’s black lesbian, gay, trans, queer and intersex communities. Having held their first exhibition ‘Visual Sexuality’ at Johannesburg Art Gallery in 2004 and has since had numerous successful solo exhibitions in South Africa and around the world. In 2009, there photographs became the focus of a national debate about homophobia, freedom of expression and same-sex rights. After the South African Mister of Culture walked out their exhibition and claimed in to be ‘immoral’, ‘offensive’ and ‘against nation-building’. Today they still fight the prejudices surrounding the community in an attempt to normalise their existence and decrease crimes committed against them.  

Within their photographic career Muholi turns the camera on themselves in the ongoing series Somnyama Ngonyama- translated as ’Hail the Dark Lioness’. These works take a more autobiographical and diaristic approach. Muholi claimed that the entire series relates to the concept of MaID (My Identity) or if read differently ‘maid’, a quotidian and demeaning name given to all subservient black women in South Africa. In ‘Somnyama IV, Oslo’ we see the artist unclothed looking directly at the viewer. With no elaborate backgrounds, complicated poses or utmost expressions the photograph is elegant and simple. With a prideful and regal position, their captivating gaze holds the viewer. Their bareness isn’t fragile or weak, but rather bold and confrontational. While their distinct hair fills the frame, shaping around their face adding to the sharp expression. The photograph is one of many presenting their placement in different locations. Spaces where they wake up, breath, connect, convince and conflict with forces who are against them. The black and white self-portraits are powerful and reflective of themes such as labour, racism, Eurocentrism and sexual politics. While confronting the politics of race and representation, Muholi created 365 self-portraits. Each responding to different physical environments, histories and personal experiences. They explained how their time photographing others and their experience was not allowing for time to process their own pain and trauma. Being in front of the camera wasn’t difficult because they weren’t looking for something beautiful or ugly and rather capturing an experience they faced or went through. Using this creative outlet allowed them to both honour their ancestry, as well as create time to process painful memories.

The concept of activism has shifted and altered numerous times creating many different approaches, one of the being the use of art. It’s social relevance and effectiveness allows for a sense of empathy which in turn can bring social justice. Social and environmental crises make art-based activism especially relevant today, as the human mind is keenly susceptible to the persuasive power of images. In our ever-changing culture, people are becoming aware not only of the problems we face, but of the beginnings of solutions. As the need to develop sensitivity to things that haven ignored or discarded in our social structures becomes more and more apparent, people are beginning to open their minds to different ways of interacting with each other and their surroundings. As well as new ways of defining our activities and their purposes. The aim of art unlike other approaches isn’t to legislate or to reign supreme, but rather to understand. The willingness to try and understand, is of assistance when it comes to attaining balance in any kind of interaction, whether it be between one person and another, one society and another or a civilization its environment. If we are to attempt to work outside of unbalanced hierarchies and authoritarian conversations, then a sense of understanding of the ‘other’ is integral in being able to see the unbalance of treatment. As a still emerging voice in a contested and problematic cultural landscape, Muholi has turned to radical forms of visual presentation to depict their experiences of counternomativity. Bringing distinct and invisible existences into the light of public engagement, in terms of both their sexual orientation and their gender identity thereby challenging social norms of two fronts. Muholi engages with South Africa’s complex cultural and political landscapes by reimagining ethnographic photography all together. Contending the struggle for political and social freedom (in both theory and practise) for queer subjects cannot be forgotten or removed from the national agenda, by being critical of self-reflection to actively create new histories of queer being. Falling into the gaps of the dominant collective political vision are the very works of queer visual activism, arguing for the struggle of freedom and the ever-importance of this fight. By normalising their occupation in spaces such as the Tate Muholi is able to further advocate for LGBTQIA+ policies and the structure which must be placed to help keep safe the innocent community.  

Till next time, yours truly.