3-6-5 Project, Amy Style

So, we've all seen/heard of examples of different types of 3-6-5 projects, photo-a-day, sketch-a-day, a collection-a-day, etc. etc. I've always found it really interesting and amazing that people are able to maintain the discipline to keep their projects going all year. Inspired by the various unique 3-6-5 projects I've seen, I've decided that this coming year I will begin one of my own. I've been thinking about what I want to do for the last few weeks. I didn't want to do just a general photo/sketch a day because I find that the most challenging part is figuring out what to take a picture of or what exactly to draw. That can lead to images of mundane things like your dog every other day, or spoons sitting on the table. I'm sure your dog is cute and the spoons do look interesting, but I just don't feel the meaning in that. I'm also a big "theme" person, so I wanted my project to be more specific. This is what I came up with:

Anyone who knows me knows that I have a VERY obsessive nature. When I find something I like, I REALLY LIKE IT. A LOT. This past term I discovered one way to take an obsession and turn it into something useful (instead of something that just distracts me from other important/necessary things). In the year 2012 I will document one obsession for the day and accompany it with some kind of creation. To keep myself on track and guided I've come up with a few rules.

Rules:
1. One obsession per day. This can be as general as "cats" or as specific as "the dress Betty Draper wore in Episode 3 of Season 2 of Mad Men".
2. I must tweet about the obsession. This will require me to express myself in at least a sentence or two.
3. Each obsession must be accompanied by something visual. This can be a photograph, vector illustration, collage, sketch in my sketchbook, word-web, etc, etc. The whole point of this project is to exercise my creative muscles and express myself visually.
4. I can't repeat any obsessions. At the end of the year I want to have 365 different ones!
5. HAVE FUN!!!!!!!!

Here it is

Wow, no update in almost a month? You are great at running your blog Amy! Sarcasm and the 3rd person! My brain is clearly fried, but here is why!!! I've mentioned before that I took Information Design this term, and let me tell you, it is TIME CONSUMING! We all did a term long project of our choosing. The only requirements were that we picked a topic and included 8-10 levels of information. Other than that you could literally do ANYTHING you wanted. So I decided to take my Nirvana fandom to the next level and just do all my projects, including this term long, on them. I made a fan tour guide/kit called The 8 Fold Path to Nirvana. Collateral included a map/brochure, interactive travel journal, buttons, and postcards, all housed in a custom made box.
More Photos Here
Why Info Design is so time consuming:
You are taking on both a creative and intellectual endeavor. In fact, you are taking the two and combining them, but also combining them in a way that is hopefully comprehendible by the "general public". This term I've learned to fully immerse myself in a project in a new way. Not only do I need to really just know what I'm trying to make, but I also need to become some level of expert on it. Researching your subject, researching other subjects that are similar, researching styles that match your vision, etc., etc. You have to find your prospective and accurately portray it visually and clearly. It is definitely challenging. I've found that I really appreciate info-graphics and find them fascinating, but perhaps they aren't my forte. Clearly articulating information visually is difficult (very difficult for me!) and I think, a gift. I'm sure with more practice I'll get better at it, but I still feel like maybe it isn't what I'll be doing for a job.
Something I did find I enjoy is making little interactive booklets. I love the idea of taking one single subject and packing a bunch of fun factoids and interact-ables about it into a mini-sized booklet!

Winter Break Plans: Have fun listening to Notorious B.I.G. Pandora, collaging to my heart's content, making interactive Scout Books, reading more rock star biographies, sleeping, etc.

Rockaway

Life lately is BUSY, BUSY, BUSY. I'm working on my term-long project for Information Design, always studying for Hebrew to keep up, have events for JSU, and my Mondays and Wednesdays are now spent at work. There is also the occasional sleeping and eating.
Friday Erika, Sereane, Sam and I took a brief, spontaneous adventure to the Oregon coast. It was great to press paus e on life and get out of the crazy city for a little while.
The Oregon Coast is beautiful in an eery, sad, way. The entire lanscape is a mixture of grays and blues. There is something oddly refreshing about looking out into the endless water, hearing the waves crash, and feeling the stinging sea air blow against your face. It's as if you are in touch with the entire world at once.

Evian Water and Battery Acid

The much anticipated photos of my Timeline project. I chose the format of a 12 inch record package. The actual timelines of Kurt and Courtney's lives are presented in a circular format on the record sleeves and the inside of the cardboard folder has fun little facts about their relationship, Frances, and other famous couples. 

The entire project was hand assembled by me and printed entirely on an Epson 1400 printer. If you're looking to get a nice printer for yourself then I highly recommend the 1400. I printed my entire portfolio on it (as did many of my classmates) and it comes highly recommended by all of my teachers (who are professionals!). 

Tip for making any kind of packaging like this: make sure you calculate an extra .25 inch or so. I didn't and the record fit a bit tightly. 

Running on Caffeine

Alas! I finished my huge timeline project FINALLY. Naturally I just had to have a Hebrew test on the same day my project was due. But despite my lack of sleep (I'm calculating approximately 6-8 hours in the last 3 days) I feel like I aced the test and my project didn't turn out half bad. Photos to come soon!

I've also come to a decision to revert 4monthsatsea back to being a little more personal. Yes, I intend for us to be a collective. I love working with others. People are always welcome to post things. Just ask me! But I realize that this is also ME and a place where I can express myself in a public way. Tumblr, Flickr, etc, serve their purposes but I like to save the juicy, bigger stories for here. I also like to let out some steam/rant every once in awhile.

I'm sure you've noticed...

I'm sure you've all noticed the lack of posting lately and I'd like to apologize. School is VERY hectic as of right now (understatement of the year!) and when it comes down to it that's where I've got to focus my energy. But do not fret! There are always things going up on the Tumblr and on my Flickr if you're interested on seeing what's up (and I hope you are).
4MONTHSATSEA TUMBLR
MY ART 320 TUMBLR 
FLICKR

True Life: I'm Unemployed

Source: Fuck I'm In my 20's Tumblr

Look What I Made!

In my info-design class we did a project called Take Something Apart. The goal of the project is to dissect an object and visually present the parts and other levels of informations. I made a little mini zine dissecting flannel shirts. Personally I think the best part is the flannel pouch I made for it to go inside of!

Come As You Are

Seeing that it's October and we are well into Fall I thought I'd share a little bit of what I'm really into for the season. Year after year, Fall weather is my favorite for dressing. I can't own enough jackets, boots, or sweaters. This year I'm all about the 90's Seattle Grunge, seeking inspiration from the king and queen themselves, Kurt and Courtney, as well as TV's My So Called Life. You'll see me sporting some flannel, chunky knits, sweater tights, topped off with some combat boots, gold rings, and crystal necklaces. 

Green Up Your Space: Eco-Friendly Decorating Ideas

By Chuck Lorrell

Home decore can not only be expensive, but also uses a lot of excess materials and sometimes materials or chemeicals which are detrimental to the environment. Why not save the Earth, some money, and spruce up your space in a unique way. Here are a few decorating tips you can do with materials you may already have.

Brighten up plain curtains, tablecloths, or sheets with non-toxic dye.

Get mismatched chairs from a thrift store and decorate them with colorful paint, decoupage, or upholstery.

Use old glass jars and bottles as pretty vases.

Wrap shoe boxes in wrapping paper and use them to store small items like cards, office supplies, or cosmetics

If you’re crafty and enjoy wine, you might be interested in making your own wine cork bath mat.

Buying or making cloth napkins will save trees!

In addition to these DIY methods, there are also a number of eco-friendly products on the market, as green living is becoming more and more popular. For example, you could get curtains, bedspreads, and tablecloths made of organic cotton. Or you could paint your walls with non-toxic paint that contain zero Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) – these emit gases that can be damaging to your health over time. Many products, like wallpaper made of recycled paper and bamboo floor mats are made of recycled or sustainable materials.

Another eco-friendly way to decorate is to recycle other people’s unwanted stuff. You never know what you might find at a garage sale, thrift store, on Craigslist, or even free boxes on the street. You can always update something with a colorful coat of paint or some pretty fabric upholstery. Going green doesn’t have to be expensive! 

Chuck Lorrell is a construction management enthusiast who writes about various topics including everything related to construction and is the owner of the site Construction Management Degree.

Not a thing

Hard to remember, but never forget

Ten years ago today one of the most tragic events in American history took place. Ten years ago Islamic terrorists high jacked 4 airplanes, two of which were flown into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City.
I can't say that I'm glad that I was alive to experience the trauma America went through during this event because I wish it just had never happened. But I do remember where I was. I was ten years old, in the 5th grade, sitting in the car waiting for my mom to take me to school when she rushed out, her face contorted with worry, turned on the car and turned the radio to the news station. She had just gotten off the phone with my dad and I asked her what he wanted. She said that airplanes had just crashed into The World Trade Center. Now I was old enough to understand that airplanes crashing into buildings was obviously out of the ordinary, but "The World Trade Center", "The Twin Towers", these elusive phrases my mother, the people on the radio, and my teachers at school would keep using throughout the day meant nothing to me. I was ten. I had no idea what the The World Trade Center was and that everything I was hearing was the description of a beyond horrific, unimaginable event coming true. I now know just how important those two massive buildings were. I understand that they were full of Americans working for other Americans. I understand that the bravest men and women in the world died running into the falling, burning building to try to save the people trapped inside. I now understand (hardly) that thousands of innocent lives were lost because a few extremists full of the worst hate decided to commit such an awful act of terrorism. Terror is the word used to describe it, but words can hardly express the gravity of what happened.
Every year for the last ten years of my life, on this day, the 11th day of September, news channels play the footage of those airplanes crashing into those towers and I sit beside my dad with tears trailing down both of our faces for all of the people who died unexpectedly, for all of the people who knew they were probably were going to die going in but did it anyway to help others, for all of the soldiers who ended up fighting in the longest war in American history after the fact, and for all of America who was struck with terror just like us on this day ten years ago.
 To see a live blog of memorial services going on today in the New York area visit The Wall Street Journal's Blog.

Outside Lands 2011

I realize I'm chronologically out of order, but I was awaiting photos from Sarah Wong!!! (worth the wait for sure) Last month Sarah and I headed to SF for our 4th year of festival going for Outside Lands 2011. This years line up was pretty sweet and the crowds were huge. Noteable acts of the weekend were The Shins, The Arctic Monkeys, The Joy Formidable, The Vaccines, Phantogram, Girl Talk, and The Arcade Fire. We also scored tons of free swag from Toyota (POPROCKS!) and took a photo with the World Series Trophy. Here are some photos from the weekend.

ETSY!!!!

4monthsatsea now has an Etsy shop!!!! Go get those Long Hair Don't Care tanks!

Desertland

This past month has been packed with adventures. Most recently I accompanied my friend, Claire, on a road trip to Houston, Texas. Yes, the south west is extremely hot, humid, and barren but the trip was really fun! We made our way from Sacramento to Phoenix the first day, Phoenix to Fort Stockton, TX the second day, and then visited Austin, San Antonio, and finally made it to Houston in the next two days. I learned that Texas really does look like it does in old western movies (although they are probably filmed in the Mojave and Palm deserts because they look pretty identical). I loved Texas, despite the deadly heat and humidity (around 105 with humidity everyday!) and hope to return someday.

I know, SORRY doesn't cut it.

Dearest Readers,

MY SINCEREST APOLOGIES for my serious lack of attention to the blog this entire summer. I actually have been interacting with people and spending time outdoors, away from my computer. How refreshing? And I'm hoping you all were doing the same (enjoying your summers outdoors, away from the computers)!!!

I'm very excited to return to Portland soon where some of my friends are really taking over (or perhaps creating?) their own little art/music scene. I'll be setting up residence in Alberta and am excited to discover all the new things about Portland that I missed in my first year exiled to downtown.

Check back REEEEEALLY soon for a post about my travels to Outside Lands Music Festival and my road trip (yep, I really did drive) to Houston, Texas. I'm also hoping to get Blair and Sam back on board for the fall, as well as adding some new contributors to the crew. I'm getting stoked, so hopefully you are too!

Peace,
Amy Albertson
Administrator, 4monthsatsea.com