Book Carvings by the Page Smith

Today’s guest post comes from Jasmine Smith, a book carver. What is that, you ask? Read on.

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I have always found inspiration and motivation in books, but that message is gathered over hundreds of pages and hours of time. As an artist, I began to consider whether a book could motivate a reader in just one glance, communicate a theme in just seconds. And so I started carving words into books, the carved words supported by the original text. I try to marry together my message and the book’s original purpose or intention to create pieces that are both inspirational and beautiful.

My first adventure in book carving was called Scribo Ergo Sum: “I write, therefore, I am.” Despite Descartes’ assertion, I believe that thinking cannot function alone, but needs to be spread and communicated in order to be truly effective. Dictionaries seemed like the perfect canvas for this message, especially because I had the opportunity to turn a stack of unwanted books set aside for recycling into works of art.

“Scribo Ergo Sum” – The Page Smith, 2010, Altered Books

I’m still using carved books to challenge my viewers to take intellectual risks. I have encouraged the viewer to innovate and capture his or her own creativity. In Icarus Survives I explore the process of assessing failures while still recognizing worth and enormous potential. I hope that my books ignite self-reflection, critical thinking, communication, and a spread of creativity!

“Icarus Survives” –The Page Smith, 2012, Altered Book

“Western Dreams (Innovate)” – The Page Smith, 2012, Altered Book

Thanks to Real Life Artist for her enthusiasm for art with a purpose! Check out more of my work at thepagesmith.wix.com/books.

My Friend and One-Time Collaborator Sasha Bayan Is Kickstarting His Next Album

Perhaps you have heard whispers on the wind about Sasha Bayan, the interesting young musician I once interviewed. He’s is currently finishing up his musical studies at Northwestern U in Illinois, which he has bolstered and intensified with many travels abroad and international collaborations. Sasha is a dedicated musician, a world citizen, and a genuinely fun guy.

Sasha, during a joyful moment of performance

Well, the wind is picking up. Sasha has just launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund his next album, Do I Know You?, his first professionally recorded collection of original works.

Fine, this is a semi-shameless plug for my pal. But consider: it can be hard, engaging in your creative passions and talents from underneath the crushing weight of student debt and generally tough economic times – so hey, why not get friends who want to hear your music to help? From the Kickstarter page:

In a nutshell: Do I Know You? is an album of pop-rock music with a ’60s and ’70s aesthetic written from a classical composer’s approach, imbued with jazz harmonies and influences by the sounds of Spain, Brazil, and India.

Do I Know You? reached 20% of its goal within the first few days of Sasha’s Kickstarter campaign, but there’s a ways to go yet. (In related news, I was interested to learn that Kickstarter has gone international; you no longer have to be a U.S. resident to participate in projects hosted there. So that’s rad.)

I once had the pleasure of recording a song with Sasha. I mentioned this and told the story behind it in the interview I did with him – and it is to this golden experience that I refer when I call Sasha my one-time collaborator. I tried to upload the song for your listening pleasure but – again – FAIL. Bah.

If you’re interested in checking out his work, might I suggest “Icarus” (stream it from Sasha’s MySpace page), which is my favourite song from Call the Doctor, Sasha’s first album.

Good luck and godspeed to you, sir, in the next 21 days of your Kickstarter campaign, and for the rest of time.

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UPDATE: Sasha’s Kickstarter campaign reached its goal with just a few hours to spare! Congrats, pal.

Husband Mine’s Demo Reel (3D Animation, Modeling, and Rigging)

I’m coming out of hiatus just briefly today to post my talented husband’s demo reel. He designed, modeled, rigged, and animated these characters tout seul, preparing this as a final project for his Digital Animation course, which he’s just completed. Congratulations to him!

If you’d like to see other things he’s done, here’s Trio Animato and the singing birthday shark.

If you’re in Vancouver today, you can stop by his cohort’s exhibition at Harbour Centre downtown. It’s like an art show but for animation and effects, so… that’s pretty cool.

Getting My Ducks in a Row; or, Status Update Re: This Blog

Precious readers, I am working on getting all my ducks in a row, as they say.

These are my sister-in-law’s ducks. She teaches violin and viola lessons, and she puts a duck on a student’s head when she is trying to get them to practice good posture as they play. So you see, the ducks have a purpose in life other than being adorable, which they also are.

This post is a quick status update re: this blog and my personal creative (ad)ventures.

It has been a bit slow on this blog for the past few months. You may have noticed. Full confession: I’m rethinking the blog almost entirely, but slowly. What I mean is, I’ve been rethinking but not redoing, as of yet. So maybe something interesting will happen to it in the future—that fabled future—you know the one—the one in which I have “more free time” and “more energy to spend” on such a project. I’m sure you are all awaiting the same future.

Let me reassure you, though, that in the present my real life feels artful. Maybe I’ve just been living the dream instead of blogging it. Some exciting things that I’m currently involved in are

• designing a book jacket,
• redesigning a website for a local religious community (lots of copy-writing on my end, and consultation with the team),
• working full-time (building e-books!) and doing some freelance publishing work,
• singing in an adorable little choir,
• organizing a weekly study/discussion group,
• doing some occasional creative writing (for funzies!), and
• writing a graduate project report (essentially a thesis without the oral defense). Yikes, this is the big one.

I’m terribly lucky and grateful to be doing so many things that I love, but, as you can imagine, this stuff adds up; my time and energy are naturally being channeled in these directions.

I’m not giving up on blogging, don’t worry. In fact, I intend to blog about each of these things as I complete them or as they become public and available in some way. I just wanted to explain why it’s been quiet around here.

I hope you’ve all got exciting things going on too! What kinds of projects do you have in the works? I’d be interested in hearing about them.

Christmastime with Giant Nemo and the Dissipated Dinosaur: A Photo Essay

This year, we welcomed this large clownfish and this small tyrannosaurus rex into our family holiday visiting time. 

Things started well.

The fish, known as Feesh, spent his hours browsing the various bookshelves of the house, and made a pleasant fireside companion. He didn’t even mind the other guest—a mischievous monkey.

The dinosaur, decked in his holiday neckwear, was an animated conversationalist and a polite dinner guest.

But he let a little too loose, and began to feel deflated, and drowned his sorrows.

Feesh, meanwhile, gave up on our party and simply gazed longingly out the window, as if hoping to sneak away into the night.

By the end of the evening, T-Rex had collapsed entirely, and found himself wallowing in the corner, being consoled by a patient polar bear.

The next morning found T-Rex sleeping it off, and we hope the new day will be as a breath of fresh air (or fifty) to him.

As for Feesh, well, we hope he is looking at the silver linings in the great aquarium that is the world. As we all ought to do.

Happy Gregorian new year, humans.