Is it Spring yet?

We still have several inches of snow hanging around from recent storms here in central Massachusetts, but there are signs of Spring! One or two birds are singing in the early morning, the sun is warmer, the days are getting longer, and the air has a hint of that sweet smell of things to come... green grass, leaves, flowers, birds.
In the meantime, I have tulips from Dave! ♥

Top Chef vs. Project Runway

I'm a huge Project Runway addict and fan. I love watching the creative process in action, and seeing how the designers solve problems under extreme time and other constraints. But I didn't think I was going to be able to get into Top Chef, because, well, ... I've never been a huge fan of cooking shows. Also, in Project Runway, the viewer and the judges basically share the ability to see and therefore evaluate the garments. But with Top Chef, viewers obviously don't get to taste the food, so I just didn't get how that could work as a televised competition. But it does! The challenges are so creative and it's fun to get to know the different chefs. I like that they're generally a little dorky, and more focused on their craft than on being drama queens and tv personalities. 

Funnily enough, it did take me a while to get used to Padma's manner of speaking. She's so beautiful but then she'd open her mouth and it was like listening to a brainwashed robot on ludes. But I don't even notice it now.

This Week's Inspiration

I guess one theme of the week is that I'm really inspired by these super-stylized 1970's lettering designs, like the Logan's Run title. I really like the color combo they used for this Marvel comic adaptation.    

Inspiration - Lilac and Butterscotch

Lilacs bloomed so early this year. So I put some in my kitchen and noticed how much I liked the lilac color next to the butterscotch-colored plastic onion container (that I actually use to store open cans of wet cat food in).

Inspiration

I'm way into Project Runway right now. Somehow I managed to stop watching after Season 3 and then it fell off my radar. Now I'm making my way through Seasons 4-8 and it's actually really helping my creative process even though I'm not a fashion designer.

First, it's just nice to have it on in the background while I work on comics - I like having the company of other 'shut-ins' immersed in a creative project.

It's also really inspiring to hear Tim Gunn's advice. When I'm getting lost in a piece now, I invoke Tim's voice in my head saying, "Make it work! Go go go! Just FINISH it!"

I also find it helpful to see the traps that some of the designers fall into, like getting overly obsessed with details that no one will see (Daniel Franco), as well as the skills that help others succeed, like time management (Chloe Dao).

Ira Glass quote...

Random Inspiration

Someone sent this to me yesterday. You have to watch the whole thing to appreciate it. It's short. And it's pure genius.