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September 29, 2007
i can't stop writing punk rock because i am stuck in a ghetto of folkies
Still here. The thesis weblog is sucking away most of my blogging energies these days, and the three-year mark of my writing here came and went without a whisper. Tonight's no different, I'm afraid: I printed for six hours today and then came home and cut and half-sewed five dresses, and I've got just about enough energy left to sit here on my arse watching a video while I turn four sets of spaghetti straps right-side-out.
I had studio visits with three of my four committee members this week, and it left me feeling pretty confident that I'm on the right track with the work that I'm doing. I have struggled a lot during my time at UGA with feeling like maybe I don't belong in grad school, like I'm too attached to craft to be taken seriously here, and I've taken some shit from a couple of people here about the way that I work (while I work constantly and make a lot of stuff, my work doesn't always resolve itself quickly, but rather grows and evolves out of itself almost while I'm not paying attention, absorbed in the doing of it). I'm realizing now that there's nothing wrong with the way I work, and that I do belong in grad school. And the path by which I'll leave here, degree in hand, and get back home where I really belong is pretty straight and clear before me now.
I've also had a couple of exciting exhibition and publication opportunities come my way in the last week or so, which I'll tell y'all about as they become more solid realities. And my thesis project was featured on Whipup.net last week, which has brought a lot of new people around the blog and generated a lot of great dialogue in the comments.
Here are some of the things I've been working on lately, with little comment and in no particular order:
Cutting new images on old woodblocks.
Knitting something lovely with my latest handspun.
Making really big prints (what you see here is the print folded in thirds; the full size is 36 by 78 inches).
Oh, look. I meant to just toss up a couple of pictures and I ended up sticking around chatting. I guess I miss this place.
Posted by jodi at September 29, 2007 09:35 PM | categories: in the studio : school : sticks and string
Comments
Your work is fabulous and your energy is amazing. Go Girl!!
Posted by: marstokyo at September 29, 2007 11:11 PM
We miss you, too! :)
Also, I don't think any grad student feels like they belong there . . . at least not all the time.
Posted by: chris at September 30, 2007 09:00 AM
I met a lot of people in grad school who acted like I didn't belong. I think I was one of those jerks myself to other students. I think we were all suffering (profs included) from terrible insecurity. You are clearly engaged in a process that involves a lot of critical thinking and boundary pushing. If only more grad students were like you.
Posted by: deirdre at September 30, 2007 10:56 PM
I love the way the handspun is knitting up.. and I can't wait to see what its going to become. I have skeins of handspun here just waiting to be come a wearable item.. I'm hoping that the cooler weather we've been having will be the push I need to commit to a pattern.
Posted by: mouse at October 1, 2007 01:21 AM
Next time I decide to post on blogs at 1am I will be sure to hit "preview" and correct my post before hitting the "post" button and looking like I'm doing the internet version of drunken dialing. lol.
Posted by: mouse at October 1, 2007 01:27 AM
Happy three-year "blogiversary"!
Posted by: Em at October 1, 2007 09:02 AM
I find your yarns exquisite! Just so soft looking and really beautiful. I don't know if this is part of your "grad work" or not, but either way it's to be very, very proud of! *Pardon me for finishing a sentence with a preposition. I went to grad school too! Yeah.
Posted by: Lynn at October 6, 2007 11:38 PM