JANUARY 2021 — JKO STUDIO

SLOG・ JANUARY 2021

SATURDAY JANUARY 9TH

I LOVE HANGING WORK UP FROM THE CURTAIN CLIPS, SEEMS LIKE A REAL CELEBRATION OF COMPLETING SOMETHING

I ENDED UP CALLING THESE CREATURES SWEET DREAMS BECAUSE THEY LOOK LIKE THEY ARE IN FOOTIE PAJAMAS

I WANTED THESE CREATURES TO LOOK A LITTLE SWEETER THAN MY USUAL ONES, SO I ADDED A SMIRKY SMIRK

THESE WERE MADE OUT OF MY FIRST ATTEMPT AT A BLANKET...WHO KNEW THAT THEY ACTUALLY WANTED TO BE LITTLE QUILTED PILLOWS

SWEET DREAMS

A VERY LATE GIFT FOR A VERY DEAR FRIEND

The idea for this project originally came to me after my close friend had her first daughter, however it took until the arrival of her second daughter to actually bring it to fruition. After 6 months of actively experimenting and reworking last year, I finally have something finished and in the mail!

I had originally set out to create my own version of a stuffed animal. By screen printing one of my creatures and then sewing it into a mini shaped pillow, I was so excited to bring these “soft illustrations” to life. Instead what came out and grew naturally was this blanket/pillow play size set.

During this time I started recording my creative process and attempted to get comfortable being in front of the camera. I knew I wanted to add video elements to this “slog” but underestimated how challenging it would be. Aside from the technical struggles I hadn’t considered, it felt so awkward addressing no one…and everyone at the same time.

I am still working towards processing all the footage and learning how to edit and mash together a video. This project went through a lot of phases and I really want to share the whole journey.

Keep an eye out for the video soon…just remember I give very late gifts.

THURSDAY JANUARY 14TH

TOO FRAGILE TO PICK UP BUT LOOK AT THOSE LOVELY JAGGED EDGES

WHILE MOST DEBRIS WAS WASHED INTO MOUNDS I FOUND THIS LONE DRIFTER

I CALLED THIS ANPANMAN IN THE VIDEO...LOOKING AT THE PHOTO I CAN SEE NOW IT'S DORAEMON

COULDN'T GET CLOSER BUT I LOVED THE STYROFOAM BALL WITH YELLOW FOLIAGE

DROVE DOWN TO A NEARBY BEACH AND SPENT THE DAY COLLECTING PLASTIC FRIENDS

Most things were too large or awkward to take home, so I settled for taking pictures of my favorite pieces. The first time we came to this beach I also collected some goodies but never took any photos while I was exploring. It’s a little cumbersome to lug around all the cameras so this time I hired an assistant to capture some video footage of me foraging and mumbling to myself.

Eventually that footage will also be edited into a video.

And yes, my hired assistant was Luke.

I WANTED THIS PINK ROPE WITH RUBBER OVERLAY BUT IT WAS QUITE TANGLED IN THERE...AND SMELLY

I LIKED HOW THIS ALREADY HAD A COLLECTION OF SHELLS IN ITS "COMPARTMENTS"

THE HEAVY KNOT AT THE END OF THIS ROPE PICKS UP THE LOVELY GREEN PIECES NEARBY

THERE WERE HORSE STABLES ACROSS THE ROAD WE DIDN'T NOTICE DURING OUR FIRST VISIT

SUNDAY JANUARY 17TH

I HAD TO KEEP BISKY CLOSE BY SO I COULD SNIFF HER AND FEEL BETTER WHILE TRYING TO LEARN HOW TO USE THIS FANCY NEW THING

HAPPY TO ADD THIS AIRBRUSH AND MINI COMPRESSOR KIT TO THE "NEW STUFF TO TRY" LIST

THESE NEW STUDIO LIGHTS ARE SO BRIGHT I'M PRETTY SURE I COULD SUNBATHE IN THE DARK

THIS LIGHTBULB MUST OF BEEN EATING VEGGIES, IT HAS GROWN UP BIG AND STRONG!

GOODBYE DECADE/HELLO DECADE

INVESTING IN MYSELF…OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT

The D button sticks, it can hold no charge, and the bright yellow paint stain greets me with a happy hello each time I open it.

I can’t believe I’ve had this laptop for 10 years. It was the first big purchase I made before leaving for college and I still remember the way I felt heading to Wally World to pick it out. Even though I wasn’t the most “academically” minded student I felt so confident and prepared just by having invested in it.

I’ve never been one to allocate much money towards equipment or tools. It always felt frivolous and undeserved because I wasn’t selling my artwork or starting a business. I can see now how great of a disservice I’ve done by not “investing in myself”. I used to think that phrase just meant believing in yourself. I never asked, “what can you realistically invest in to build towards a sustainable and successful future?”

For me it was a big step saying goodbye to this old friend, who still could do this and that adequately but not efficiently. Saying hello to my first ever desktop, I felt so confident and prepared even before I took it out of the box.

I can run Star Trek, edit a website, and write O’Day without fracturing a finger…at the same time!

I think this next decade is going to be alright.