July is for Laughs

Oh wow, I haven't blogged in such a long time! I can't believe July is almost over!  Even though I haven't travelled anywhere this summer, it sure has been busy and "exciting".  Here are some highlights of the crap that I've been doing:

The Move

As some may be aware, I was pretty miserable at my old place because of psycho-roomate, and my good friend Laurence got ditched by her crazy roomate, so it was the perfect opportunity to move in!  No more crazies in our lives.  The rent is only a 5$ difference, and the location is even better.  The room is smaller, but the layout is good, AND I actually feel that the whole appartment is my space, so I can chill in the living room, cook in the kitchen, take a break on the balcony, etc.

I hired technicians to move my industrial sewing machine. It cost me moolah, but it was worth it because I didn't feel like going through the hassle of getting it up two flights of stairs. o_0  And then, I moved the rest of my stuff with the help of my parents.

My studio is pretty much ransacked because I'm still not fully organised, but I gotta get into high gear on con merch.  Otakuthon is less than 2 weeks away, and my merch is very...questionable, lol.  I'll get it done, but ya know, I'm always rushing to the finish line.

One thing I love about the room is that I have a huge closet! I have space to walk in, and even a light inside. ^_^ I'll take better pics after the con rush dies down.



Just for Laughs 30th Anniversary

At the YesMontreal expo, I met Andy Nulman who is one of the CEOs of the Just For Laughs festival.  He commissioned me for two pieces-- one I'm still making, the other was for his business partner Gilbert Rozon, in celebration of the festival's 30th aniversary.

It was interesting being commissioned by a rich art patron.  It's kind of nerve-wracking, lol!  And I also realised that I may not be cut out for the art world...I mean, I can fake it quite well (i.e. making it seem like it's my place), but I'm such an introvert at heart that I prefer not to have to deal with these social situations.  Basically, I was invited to this gala where the piece was going to be presented to Gilbert, and Andy gave me the heads-up that I should work my entrepeneur skills, making other connections (and that commissions should start at 500$)...

Anyways, so I got decked out and brought Laurence with me because she has also done work for Andy.

I'm making a silly face because I can

 I made a small bag specifically for the event. Most of my materials were downtown, but I was at home when I decided to make it, so I had to get creative with what I had.  In the end, I used fabric from my Japan haul-- I always wanted to do something with this shiny obi fabric I bought from Kyoto, so I turned it into a bag!

The charms were for moral support because I was a bit nervous for the event.  (btw, Alice, if you're reading this, Kurara is intact and I'm keeping her safe! I'll use her for one-time events, so that she never gets damaged. ^_^)



My camera hated the lighting, so everything is a red tint

Laurence in Red

I wasn't able to take a photo of the final piece because of the weird lighting, but it was presented REALLY nicely!!  Andy had commissioned another artist to make a glass box, and the doll was sorta mounted on this hill of Just For Laughs tickets.  There were pro photographers that took pictures, so maybe one day I'll have the visual evidence of the night (that's not tinted red, lol).

Place-des-Arts, location where it was held.

We left at around 1:30AM, and since we were all dressed up, we decided to go clubbing.  I don't usually do these shenanigans, but I always treat everything as a social experiment, and the night ended up being rather interesting.  Actually, the conclusion of the night was that guys were idiots, at least the ones that go clubbing.  It's ridiculous how they crave to be in the company of women, and we played the game to see how many drinks we could get from different people. I lost count, if that's saying anything.  No hooking up because these guys really weren't worth it, and I was probably more attracted to a lamp post than to any of the dudes there. For the record, my name was Lisa and I was from Toronto... Markham to be specific. (LOL!!!) 

I had fun deceiving people because I'm evil...but it's just not my scene overall.  I don't really understand that nightlife culture, but then again, not everyone understands my joy of spending a night writing fanfiction! To each their own, I guess.

Food at 5AM, before going to sleep= no hangover.

UnderPressure Graffiti Art fest

It was decided a long time ago that I would help build a cardboard car getting eaten by monkeys, once again in collab with Laurence.  But finally, I'm keeping my helping hand to a minimum because it's really more her project than mine, and I'm quite busy with other stuff.

I helped her figure out measurements and stuff, so she has all the groundwork to plough forward.

So that's another thing that I had to contend with, but I really really REALLY have to pick up my game with merch, and I told Laurence that I couldn't help further.  I'm sorta pulling out my hair right now since I do get stressed...  Other things get thrown into the mix, like my bro coming back from his Japan trip! Or family gatherings and crap... Plus, I'm super into Legend of Korra and it's just DISTRACTING...my writing is buffing up, and I can't wait to get started on original fiction one day.

It's been a heated summer so far. I hope I don't burn out.