1.19.12 // lipdub dreams

Well, it happened. Seabirds Truck decided to do a lipdub video and I couldn't be more ecstatic! Check it out! Believe!

1.16.12 // ukulele lady

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day everyone! What a great man to remember!

"I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality.... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word." -Martin Luther Kind, Jr.

"Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope... and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples to build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance." -Robert F. Kennedy

Today I'll be laying low and practicing my ukulele skills..

1.9.12 // birthday hour by hour

On my birthday this year my friend Sarah and I went into Brooklyn for the day. I've been thinking about moving back to the East Coast from California for a while now and while I've been home for the holidays I've been checking out nearby cities. Brooklyn was on the top of my list because I like to go hipster watching, but realistically I can't to live there at the moment (I live in a trailer, afterall!) Even so, I wanted to take a look just to see if is actually a place where I'd like to live someday. I decided to try something new to commemorate my 26th, something I like to call "birthday hour by hour". What's that? It's pretty simple, but I thought it might be fun! I took one photo every hour on the hour for twelve hours. It's fun to look back on the events of the day this way. If you try it out, let me know! A big thank you to Sarah and my Brooklyn local friend Mike for spending my birthday with me! And an extra special thanks to Sarah for treking around with me for a full half day! I had a blast!! Here's a peek into my day of birth:

Hour 1:

Hour 2:

Hour 3:

Hour 4:

Hour 5:

Hour 6:

Hour 7:

Hour 8:

Hour 9:

Hour 10:

Hour 11:

Hour 12:

1.3.12 // 26 before 27!

(via Levis)

It's the time of year again. Time for my second ever age appropriate goal list! My "25 Before 26" really helped me focus and keep my goals in mind throughout the year. I was able to complete a lot of the goals on my list and even exceed a few of them! I know that 26 will be a great year (although I've always had some weird belief that being an odd number age makes you cooler somehow...). I really want to push myself this year to try things that I haven't before and to do things that will require me to be brave and courageous! ..I also want to have A LOT of fun!! So, without anymore dilly-dallying..here it is.. my "26 Before 27" list!

1.) Have a fancy picnic and take fancy photos.
..because who doesn't love a picnic?

2.) Plan a fun, for no real reason photoshoot with balloons.. like this one!
..I've wanted to do this for a while. I've always loved hamming it up for the camera, but I don't have many pretty photos of myself. I'd love to do a cute, fun and beautiful photoshoot with some of my girlfriends just because!

3.) Create an hour long sketch comedy/variety public access special and have it air on KCET, the LA public access television station!
..This sounds crazy and out of nowhere, but I've actually wanted to do this for almost two years. I have a bunch of really creative and goofy friends in California that I think would be perfect for something like this! I'm planning on putting together this video as something fun for us to do and something that I'll always have and cherish as a reminder of my time on the West Coast. Plus, you never know who might see it and make us all famous!

4.) Take improv classes at The Groundlings or Upright Citizens Brigade.
..I've been interested in improv comedy since my freshman year of high school when I took a comedy class as a fun fill-in. I've always loved performing.. there is video tape evidence of so in my family's archives...but I never really let myself explore it as a creative outlet. It was always art, art, art.. This past year, I let myself open up musically by taking on the ukulele and creatively as I started reading and working through a book called The Artist's Way. The book mentions that as you begin to open up creatively in one concentration, you will also begin to open up creatively in other concentrations. This was very true for me when it came to comedy. Now, I'm not saying that I'm hilarious or anything like that. All I know is that I get a positive rush out of being weird and goofy. If that's funny to anyone, then awesome! If not, it makes me feel good and I want to explore that more! That's why I've decided to take improv classes this year. Who knows, they may lead somewhere amazing!

5.) Travel abroad and get paid to do so.
..This may sound like a far stretch, but I'm putting on the list because I have been pleasantly surprised five times now when it comes to road tripping in the United States. That's right, I've not been paid to road trip five times! I can't believe it sometimes. I would have never thought that it was possible, but it happened. With that said, I feel like getting paid to travel overseas is nearly impossible.. I mean, there are jobs that I know about like working on a cruise ship or being a tour leader, but I don't know if there's a job that I feel totally confident doing that I could get paid for. I'm sure that there is though, because I felt confident doing all of the jobs I had that required me to travel within the United States. So, I'm putting this out there! I know that some great opportunity will come to me!

6.) Find a way to get paid to be myself and love what I do!
..I've been away from the 9-5 grind for a long time now. I'm still working, but the jobs that I have are usually unconventional and really fun. I was a school yearbook photography, a roadie, a birthday party princess and face painter, a moving truck transport person, a gourmet food truck order taker.. and now I'm doing freelance illustration. Sadly, freelance illustration isn't paying as well as I need it to, so it's time to go back to the drawing boards. I want to find a job that allows me to be myself and have fun. Ideally, I'd get paid to make fun videos or go on tour with Picture Day or bake vegan treats or draw whatever I want or travel around the world meeting awesome people. We'll see what direction the winds of fate take me in!

7.) Create a puppet-centered web series.
..I now have two puppets that I've created. I'd love to put together a web series that revolves around them as the main characters!

8.) Go wheat pasting.
..Yep.

9.) Find a place to live that I love and a place to live there that reflects my personality!
..I have to move out of the artist's community where I currently reside because of some zoning issues with my trailer. I'm really sad about this, but excited for what's next. I've been thinking about moving back to the East Coast a lot.. actually I've been thinking about it since I moved to California. I feel like I should be closer to my parents, but that means leaving all of the people and places that I love in California behind for now. I want to find a place closer to home that I absolutely love!

10.) Play ukulele with Steve Martin.
..Specifically this song. Okay, know this is a long shot, but I want to put it on the list just to see what happens!

11.) Go camping!
..Because I haven't since I was a Girl Scout.

12.) Go to England or Ireland or Italy or anywhere that excites me!
..Because it would be awesome!

13.) Throw a most excellent party.
..Maybe mod themed? Tea party? Watch an old movie by a tree party?

14.) Write, illustrate and publish my yeti book.
..It's still haunting me!

15.) Meet a nice, funny, caring, genuine, interesting, exciting, charming boy.
..I know. I know. CHEESY! But I'm getting older! I've got to start thinking about these things. I'm not desperate or anything, BUT BRING HIM TO ME NOW!!! Just kidding...I'm happy to wait for Mr. Right, but hopefully I won't have to wait much longer!

16.) Be a better daughter/sister/aunt/friend/employee/person.
..How? Love more! Listen more! Give more! I spent a lot of my 25th year (and 24th and 23rd and so on and so forth) thinking about myself. I know everyone does this to some extent, but my early-mid 20's have felt extra egocentric. Maybe it's the whole "I'm an adult now and I have to figure out how to be independent" thing. I just feel like I talk about myself a lot.. especially when it comes to talking to my parents. I want to flip the tables and take myself off whatever me-focused pedestal I've been living on!

17.) Learn how to use After Effects.
..It's such a cool program and the only moving editing I currently know how to do is in iMovie!

18.) Wear high heels somewhere classy.
..This is a silly one, but I feel like I should wear heals every now and again as a young woman. Right?

19.) Write a screenplay, film a movie and get it to Sundance!
..This is a big one. I've become more and more interested in film lately. I have a movie idea that's floating around in my head that I plan on making a reality!

20.) Go on an awesome adventure.
..Something memorable, exciting and unique!

21.) Go WWOOFing or volunteer with HelpX.
..I've wanted to WWOOF for so long. The time is now! HelpX is similar to WWOOF, but there are other volunteer opportunities other than farming that you can do through it.

22.) Visit/Possibly work on staff at The Hostel In The Forest.
..Because this place is AMAZING.

23.) Keep a gratitude journal.
..To keep track of and focus on the hundreds of blessings in my life rather than the things that I feel less than content about.

24.) Get an audtion with SNL.
..Okay..far out there again, BUT stranger things have happened. This is extra far out there because I haven't even taken improv classes yet.. and I'm totally new to the whole comedy thing, but I think that it would be amazing (duh..)! Even if I didn't get and audition, to know that I have the chops to do so would be great. SNL works on an invitation only audition process, so I would have to get my name noticed by the people there (specifically Lorne Michaels). Anyway, I'll put it on the list and see what happens!

25.) Record a ukulele/music/Picture Day album and release it to the masses!
..I have a few songs that are bursting at the seams to live for eternity in a compact disc.. or better yet, on vinyl (oooo...) I want to get them out of my being and share them with the world!

26.) Road trip!
..I seriously can't get enough! I want to go on a photo road trip with my dad.. I'm pretty sure that I'm moving back the East Coast in a few months and my dad has said that he'd drive back with me. I think that this would be such a memorable trip.. especially since my dad loves photography and so do I. I want us both to take photos along the way and then I'll develop them and share them here! I'd also love to road trip in another country! I'm down for any type of road trip really!

ONE MORE..
..I know, I know.. this is supposed to be a list of only 26 things, BUT I have one more and this is my blog so I can do whatever I want to do!

27.) Find a cause that I really believe in with my whole heart and support/raise awareness for/volunteer for it in a fun, unique and creative way.
..This is a big one. Time for me to shift my energies a bit so my external life matches my internal life. I always says that I want to help people and I feel like I do in my heart by living each day intentionally with love, but if I were to draw up a fancy pie chart of my time, way too much of it would be dedicated to things that benefit me (like baking cookies and watching 80's movies on Netflix) and very little is dedicated to serving the greater good. I'm ready for this balance to drastically change. Time to put on my helper hat and my service goggles (dorky..) and get to work!

..and another..

28.) Finish painting my car!
..This seriously needs to happen!

1.2.12 // reflecting on 25

Well, tomorrow I turn the age knob up one more dial. 25 was a most excellent year, for sure. Righteous to the core and full of surprises. Here's a look back at some of the goals on my "25 Before 26" list that I accomplished!

#1: Write, illustrate and publish a children's book. CHECK!...almost..

Back in January of 2011 I drove from California to Montana with a mission. I planned on spending a month there, visiting with my wonderful friend Sarah and dedicating my time to one thing: writing and illustrating a children's book. I didn't finish up the story I went to Montana to originally write, but I did finish a picture book called Hairphabet. I submitted the book idea to Chronicle Books, but heard nothing back from them. I sort of gave up on the book ever getting published until fate stepped in and I got hired by a comedian in LA to do some illustration work for her. It turned out that she was starting up a publishing house called Paradisiac Publishing. I asked her on a whim if she'd ever consider publishing a picture book and told her about my idea. Turns out that she was interested! So, although my book wasn't published in my 25th year, I'm excited to announce that it will be published in my 26th! Look out for it in the spring of 2012!

#2: Find a place to park my trailer/live in it/use it for a studio space. CHECK!

I found two places! The first was someone's driveway.. and the whole thing got old quickly. The second was amazing! I lived in an artist's community with my trailer for nearly six months. I couldn't have asked for a better place to live during this time of my life. It was the perfect combination of awesome and weird. Plus, this is where Picture Day got it's start!

#6: Road trip!!! (I can't get enough of them..) CHECK!

Wow, this goal far exceeded itself. I knew that I'd be roadtripping to Montana when I wrote my "25 Before 26 list", but I had no idea at the time that I'd be road tripping across the country in a food truck for a television show! Being a part of Seabirds Truck and getting to travel cross-country for The Great Food Truck Race with the great girls on the truck was definitely, without a doubt, a major highlight of my 25th year!

#7: Spend at least a month in Montana with Sarah (this is where I'm going to do all of the work on my book! I'm giving myself a 30 day deadline starting next week!) CHECK!

#10: Sip tea in a tea room like this one. CHECK!

Just a few days after I wrote this list I drove through Salt Lake City, Utah on my way to Montana and made it a point to visit the exact coffee shop that I referenced in my #10 goal. It was such a cute place! ...and I had the privilege of visiting it a second time while on the road with Seabirds for The Great Food Truck Race!

#11: Get really, really good at vegan baking. CHECK!

Okay, so I'm totally taking advantage of the fact that this is a blog created by me that's about my life.... and making this a "Oh! Oh! Look! I'm cool and doing things that are cool and stuff!" post. I don't mean for it to come off that way and I definitely think that there are cooler people than me out there, BUT I can say with confidence that I've gotten really, really, really good at baking vegan cookies in the past year. They're now delicious. Like deliciously delicious. Therefore, I'm going to brag just a little and show you that savory photo above!

#15: Be in the audience of The Price Is Right.. and a contestant if I'm lucky! CHECK!

Man, this was such a fun experience. I got to be a contestant on LINGO with my sister, Cynthia! I have always wanted to be on a game show. ALWAYS! I even planned a game show themed road trip after college that I had hopes of getting funded and made into a television show (hard to explain.. hah). I thought for sure that 25 would be the year that I made it to the audience of The Price Is Right.. I mean, I live in California.. just an hour from LA! Well, maybe LINGO isn't The Price Is Right, BUT it is LINGO!!! My sister and I made it all the way to the final round (we didn't win the grand prize of $100,000.. womp womp) and we walked away with a decent paycheck for one hours work!

#18: Get really good at the ukulele (like this kid) CHECK!..well, maybe not that good..

I bought my trusty ukulele just over a year ago while on Roadie tour with Roadtrip Nation. I got it on a whim, but knew that there must have been a reason why I was drawn to it. Turns out that it's the only instrument that I can actually understand! I've learned a lot of chords on it (primarily because most chords involve only pressing one or two strings at a time!) and I've even written a few songs (another goal on my list that I've almost completed!) So, to show you how skilled I am at the ukulele, please partake in the following highly cultured videos.

What about the other goals? Is that what you're wondering? I finished a few more, but there were also a few that I didn't complete this year that will probably transfer over to my "26 Before 27" list! I love the idea of a "so many goals before a certain age" list. It's great to focus enough at the beginning of a year of life that you can articulate the things you want to get done in a set period of time. I'm not sad that I didn't complete every goal on my list because I don't know if I would have completed (or actually exceeded in the case of LINGO and The Great Food Truck Race) any of them without my list. I got the idea from Elsie over at A Beautiful Mess. Such a smart way to put into words on paper (or the internet) what's really important to you for a years-worth chunk of time. Stay tuned for my "26 Before 27" list!

12.28.11 // cattitude

I got a Wacom Bamboo tablet for Christmas from my lovely parents! I'm having fun getting the feel of it and drawing obscure things like this...

12.24.2011 // merry christmas everyone!