Sunday, December 28, 2014

100 Things I Want To Do With My Life (in no particular order, ongoing and unfinished) updated 7/12/22

1-Take the ACT and enter college*
2-Love a perfectly fantastic boy*
3-Continue to improve my writing* (ongoing)
4-Draw with sidewalk chalk all over the road to create a treasure hunt for a random stranger
5-Hike to the top of Horseshoe Mountain*****
6-Dance barefoot at the prom*
7-Go off of a zip line*
8-Learn to drive a stick shift from my dad*
9-Smoke a cigar in Yellowstone
10-Take my dad camping in Yellowstone
11-Visit a foreign country, any foreign country* (Colombia! Chile)
12-Build a tiny home, with help or not
13-Work in Yellowstone National Park (Might be too late to ever accomplish this one)
14-Raise a family with a wonderful, humanly perfect partner
15-Explore all of the back roads of my home county* (Close, though perhaps not complete.)
16-Graduate with my associate's degree from Snow College* (Also got my AFA)
17-Know a ton of stellar and amazing people* (ongoing)
18-Stay out of debt (Easier said than done, though I've not yet incurred school debt)
19-Learn how to make delicious, healthy bread* (And then I forgot it)
20-Learn the art of healing (ongoing)
21-Learn lots of art* (ongoing)
22-Grow my hair out long* (onogoing)
23-Learn how to learn, learn how to study and how to teach myself*
24-Homeschool my children
25-Bring my children up close to my family
26-Attend a SUN magazine weekend writing retreat
27-Return to Colombia!
28-Have my own art show* (Had my AFA thesis show, had a duo BFA thesis show)
29-Become conversant in Spanish (Perhaps also ongoing, but puedo hacerlo un poco. Tengo muchos amigos con quien yo hablo en español)
30-Get a puppy
31-Graduate from USU with my BFA*
32-Procure chickens and also compost in my backyard* (composting (and feeding the deer) as we speak)
33-Publish a book of poetry* (Bottlecap Press, poetry chapbook, "All I ask is that we walk together a while". Purchase a copy here)
34-Learn Welsh
35-Buy a house/land on which to build* (have the land, time to build)
36-Boulder at Cherry peak
37-Get a Maguire Primrose tattoo
38-Win a personal grant for art work*
39-Get into the Springville Art Museum's Spring Salon**
40-Work at Snow College
41-Raise bees
42-Boulder at Joe's Valley**
43-Take my youngest siblings backpacking up Fish Creek
44-Have my own studio*
45-Fix up my 4Runner, restore it/surpass it's former glory
46-Design an album cover* (designed the cover for my brother Asher's music, listen on soundcloud here)
47-Do the art for a beer can release
48-Climb a 5.10a
49-Learn how to goddam budget well
50-Travel to Chicago
51-Climb a sport route rated 12 something
52-Get my master's degree
53-


More Christmas presents


Wednesday, December 24, 2014

A wheel turns, her fears come to fruition, and then are dried to benign husks in memory

I compose in my head, addressing thee still, 
Though the words rarely meet page, 
And perhaps, never again will. 

Monday, December 22, 2014

Christmas presents

I decided I wanted to document how I wrapped presents this year, so here's a photo of the whole collection. 

Sunday, December 14, 2014

Ideasthesia

I'm turning yellow 
Tomorrow, my skin won't be 
Pale green much longer.

My heart remains the 
Color of young, vigorous,
Leaves quaking in the 
Whirling wind of time. 

Thursday, December 11, 2014

A question

The moon is fading 
Away. Sinking, or veiling, 
Of her own accord? 

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Open your eyes

On campus is a 
Crack in the sidewalk leading 
To the earth's bowels. 

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Reflect

I don't feel as young as I am. 
I feel old, sick and drained of spirit, though my body is doing fine. I still don't know how to grow up. 
I am so tired, little one. I still don't really seem to trust god consistently, and I have very little faith in myself. My dreams and my everyday life are at odds. My hopes are dying. 
I don't know what to do with my life, and I lose sight of life in the bigger picture. There's so much disconnect. 

Intermediate sewing paper


My Projects and Experience during Intermediate Sewing
Intermediate Sewing
12/09/14


1st Project, A bag for my art supplies
This project was fairly successful. The bag I sewed works well for its purpose, and doesn't look half bad. As I've used it during this semester, I have noticed a few flaws, and things I would do differently if I were to sew another one; I've found that the pocket is a bit small to be particularly versatile, though it works well for its intended purpose (holding my drawing supplies kit.) The shoulder straps should have been reinforced, and the one on the outside of my shoulder always slides off while I'm walking. Though this project (being more of a prototype than a perfectly working final piece) has its flaws, it has passed the test of this semester quite nicely.

2nd Project, A dress sewn from a pattern
I learned a ton during this project. This project was the first time I've ever sewn from a store-bought pattern. The part that intimidated me the most was cutting all of the dress pieces out; I thought that was the step I was most likely to mess up on. You can always sew something a little smaller, but you can never sew it bigger. Cutting the pieces out was also a challenge because I chose a patterned fabric; I had to cut all of the pieces out so the pattern would match up when the dress was sewn. The result of this project is a dress I enjoy wearing, and I am proud to have sewn.

3rd Project, A quilt sewn from my dyed Shibori squares
I've never sewn a full size quilt before. I realized why that was the case particularly while tying this quilt. I've sewn two small quilts previously, but the experience wasn’t the same as this one; I've never used bias tape before. I was glad to learn how to cut and sew it during this project. In retrospect, I would have more carefully measurde and cut the outside frame of yellow fabric; I came up short on all four corners, and I had to sew on extra pieces to extend the edges. I plan on entering the quilt as an art piece in Snow College's spring student show. I am very happy with how my quilt turned out, and I am glad I had this class as motivation for undertaking and completing this project.

4th Project, A skills book
With this project, I was able to put names to skills I already knew, and I learned a great many useful sewing techniques. I was intimidated by this project at first glance; twenty sewing skills examples seemed like an impossible number to me, but it’s turned out to be a fairly manageable number. This book was a good finishing sewing project just like I hoped it would be; it didn't involve an exorbitant amount of planning or materials, and all of the elements to the project came together smoothly.

Service Projects
My first service project was a child’s dress. I had a lot of trouble with this project, I had to unpick the waist several times, and I sewed the facing to the outside of the dress wrong twice. It was worth it in the end, though; I was very happy with the resulting dress. I even spent a little extra time embroidering the collar to decorate it. I felt good about sending the dress to the service center in Manti.
My second service project was a self-binding felt baby blanket. I enjoyed learning this simple and fast technique for binding, and even tried using it again on another project for sewing hours.

I'm afraid I did not manage the time on my last two projects very well, I ran late with the one, and I ended up being really busy the week I planned on finishing up the last. Overall, I am pleased with the results of all of my projects, I made four things I am confident I will use and enjoy for years to come. I was also grateful for the opportunity to learn skills while making projects for the sole purpose of sending them to the service center.
I plan on using these skills in the years to come, and I hope to continue learning the practical and beautiful art of sewing.

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Translation Please

Settling into
My place. New confidence, though 
I blunder still. 

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Drawing 1

Sound of art cases
Snapping shut rising over 
Silence and music.

Monday, December 1, 2014

Ohm

Look to center, feel 
The core. Balance of all, 
Threading me to you. 

Shibori Quilt

Good to see finished. 
Excellence, vibrant color, 
Satiate mine own. 

Thursday, November 27, 2014

A Prayer

May the day come when 
All work together for love 
And community ties. 

Monday, November 24, 2014

Wandering about

No direction day. 
Sudden flurry, cancelled plans. 
Went well anyway. 

Sunday, November 23, 2014

Sledding cabin road

Shfftt, fast over the snow.
Baby's first time. Favorite
Pastime of mine. 

Perspectives 1/2

A serie of twenty-two photographs taken on my iPhone. A challenge to myself while I was waiting for my ride: photograph as many obscure, unseen surfaces as I could think of. 










Saturday, November 22, 2014

Cleanse my Heart and Mind

This poetry is 
Meant for quiet reflection.
Not inflicted rain. 

Too often, I weave 
Melancholy in its limbs, 
Glorifying pain. 

Friday, November 21, 2014

Mental

Hollow throated thirst. 
Clear slated sky. Images 
Superimposed mind. 

Thursday, November 20, 2014

I'm not angry anymore

I like to think I 
Was a bridge; so you could cross 
Over troubled water.

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Bag lady

Chest ache; frozen world 
And long, though heavy, day. Still; 
Complete, gratified. 

Monday, November 17, 2014

MF

Mixed feelings. See where 
The water flows. Up, down, smooth. 
Saplings, wisdom bend. 

Friday, November 14, 2014

A love story

They leapt off as two, 
Cliff's edge crumbling, blind faith. 
One returned alone. 

Thursday, November 13, 2014

The crucible: a review

Well, I won't ever want to see that again... 
(More to it, but I am so drained from that and this roller coaster day of highs and lows.)

Tuesday, November 11, 2014