Those that helped

Today was the last day of my first semester of gradschool. I got here, moved twice, took some classes and made some great drawings. I'm so so thankful to have met such great new friends and would like to give special shout-outs to Georgia, who helped me get settled, to Allison for being sympathetic to my incessant whining, to Anna for helping me get some perspective, and to my mother for being such a devoted fan of this blog and everything I do.

I look forward to next semester and a new slate of advisors and classes. I'm sticking with James Gobel and picking up advising units with Tammy Rae Carland, Kate Moore and Colter Jacobsen. I'm taking Queer Theory with Tina Takemoto, a drawing seminar with Keith Boadwee and a craft-focused Dialogues and Practices class with Allison Smith.

I've been so surprised to hear so many grad students planning on not making any work over the break-- this is not my plan. When I go home I hope to draw the shattered bowl my mother bought in Spain that father pieced back together in New Jersey, do rubbings of the piano that's followed our family for 25 years, look at old family pictures and take new ones. I want to hang out with our 6 cats and overweight terrier, watch White Christmas with my mother, find old friends and make drawings about all these things. I think I'd like to make drawings of myself with all my childhood crushes-- Keith Haring, Roald Dahl, Maculay Culkin, Danny Meagher, Chuck, Owl, and Mr. Popaduik. I'd also like to check out some old family videos (still on VHS!), inspired by my friend Ashley Saks, who has been recreating old family movies for her thesis.

It's been a tough semester but I'm still pumped to be here and think I'm making good work as I continue to push the envelope of what drawing and memory mean to me. I'd like to thank annonymous snapshots, thrift shops, micron pens, this blog and my watercolor set for continuing to always be there.