I love you Ty Segall

an exercise in creativity

For the past few years, including this past summer my mother has tried in vain to get me to start creative journaling. It's not that I didn't want to, I did, but I just could not free myself up to really be able to do it.  I bought sketchbooks, I read books about it, I googled it...but the second my pen went to the page I froze. I could doodle, I could draw meaningless lines and write subpar poetry, but I just could not journal: creatively or otherwise.

I have two majors, one is Digital Communications, and the other is Art. One of my required courses for that major is a class called Visual Thinking. I was so excited for that class, until I heard my professor say the words creative journal and my stomach froze up in knots. In fact, I'm in my third week of class and my stomach is still in knots.

I had made a halfhearted attempt on one page when my friend Nicole made the 45 minute trek to come study with me. I was telling her about the class and she of course grabbed the journal to see it when I told her I hadn't really started yet. She asked why and I admitted I was scared to because I'm horrible at it. I got laughed at. And that laughter makes sense. Creativity can be more or less anything nowadays, so I can put anything in my journal, can't I? There is no right outcome.

I do have a few pages half finished, and I think I might be able to handle it, and possible enjoy the assignment now.

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Some creative journaling via pintrest! ***none of these pics are my journal, just inspiration!!***

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While I've been journaling away, I seem to have started listening to a lot of pop punk music, not really sure why considering my go to's have always been indie, folk, or psychadelic rock.
I've been really digging Man Overboard as of late.

What's up Bethany?

My last post was about me and Nicole's trip up to Phily to see Best Coast. This is during the show. 

These are my four favorite photos I was able to snap of Best Coast, it was my first time using my film camera at a show so I wasn't totally sure if they would all turn out or now. But the risk was worth it. They were opened by Those Darlins and DIIV (pronounced dive: as in "i want to 'dive' into the pool of mud" I used a whole roll of film up during those two performances, but somewhere between slipping the roll into my bag and coming home it vanished. I have the sinking feeling that it currently resides with the dust bunnies and 12ft ladder underneath the Union transfer stage. But if it one day miraculously turns up then I'll be sure to share those photos as well.

quite a long drive, a very long walk and a wonderful night.

This is going back to 7/16, but I finally scanned in my pictures from Me and Nicole's adventure in Philly the other week so now I'm sitting on my bed at midnight listening to Girls (the band, not actually other human girls, they're also not even girls, definitely boys, slightly misleading but very good music) I should be painting, or cleaning, or packing for college...but I'm not, I'm doing this.

Our adventures start in the car

(nicole is wearing one of her crocheted flower rings, click the kitty at the bottom of the page for the link to her store)

So many spots, right outside Union Transfer too

 I made my skirt, and cut up and added embroidered detailing to the Pink Floyd shirt 

"IT WAS ALL A DREAM"

We walked for what felt like over a mile to get to Starbucks and kill some time

Waiting to get inside and see Best Coast

Pictures from the show will come later

>^..^<

(Click the kitty and it'll take you to nicole's shop!)

ps. did I mention that I'm now on tumblr too?

http://mrgvisual.tumblr.com

***all images taken with a vintage Nikon Nikkormat film SLR

Ben Franklin Bridge

Saturday the 21st was Dr. Dog's closing show for the XPoNential festival. Well, it was actually Wilco's show, opened by Avett Brothers, opened by Dr. Dog, but they were reason we went. It took us a bit of while to get out of the hose. The night before, after spending a few hours shredding guitar with Nicole i decided I hated all my clothes, so instead of doing laundry until I found something forgotten about to wear (cause that would just take so much time and effort) I decided to make myself a new outfit! So I showed up at my friends house the next day with my clothes in pieces, and finished them in her basement while she watched old episodes of Gilmore Girls.

We got a bit of a late start, but somehow managed to make it from Lancaster to Camden just in time.

Photo cred: random girl outside the bathrooms

We were pretty happy

It's funny, whenever anyone uses my Nikkormat, once they take a picture they automatically tilt it to check the picture, and you can just see the flicker of confusion flash across their face, its been so long since they took a picture on something that didn't let them see it instantly.

Pulling into the parking lot, every car was playing Dr. Dog, even though they were opener, I guess because they're a Philly band and it was (more or less) Philly turf.

The drive, almost there on the Ben Franklin Bridge.

Maureen's the best because she always drives, even if it means burning gas in traffic jams

***all images are taken by me, (unless stated otherwise) with a vintage film Nikon Nikkormat SLR (unless stated otherwise)

ALSO: thanks to Pricilia at Panda Greentea for the Liebster Blog award

Click the badge to see my post, and who I award it to next

Dawes 7/22/12

I think I'm about to post the past weeks events in a backwards order.

The other night I went to a free Dawes show at Longs Park in Lancaster with my Sister, we were sitting in chairs for most of the night, but I worked my way up to the front a few times to get these shots.

all images were taken without a flash using a vintage nikon nikkormat film slr

Just Discovered

Whenever I'm bored or unable to sleep (generally equaling in boredom) I like to putter around youtube watching videos of bands. I actually just got back from a very long night and a Best Coast concert in Philly and logically I know i should go to bed right now and get some sleep and go to my internship in the morning, and on the other hand I really want to listen to Dead Ghosts (who I truly just discovered about 5 hours ago) and the growlers and play my electric guitar with the amp turned up, I am not (playing the guitar that is, I am listening to dead ghosts). Because it is 2:30 in the morning, and I would probably wake up the entire neighborhood. So I decided to blog. But because all my pictures from tonight are on rolls of film, and that film hasnt been developed I cant post those. So instead I'm going through some of the videos to some of my favorite songs to share them here. Whether you like them or not (although you should...just sayin)

I'm apologizing now for my attempts at humor and sarcasm, whenever i get really tired I also seem to get very "witty" (note the sarcastic quotations).

#1 (this is in NO particular order): Wandering Eyes by the Growlers

dont f*** it up
The face, the voice, what more can I say

#2 (if this were in any particular order this video would probably be number uno): Ty Segall live at Permanent Records

I love him I love him I love him
and dont even get me started on how much I would kill to be emily rose (the drummer)

#3: Easy/Lucky/Free by Bright eyes (aka Conor Oberst)

this is impossible not to like

Art/Music

I'm really getting into the whole minimalism thing....

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Oh! and check out the music of these incredible guys I know, The Districts. If you like what you hear you can get their music on itunes or bandcamp. And everyone should take a second to vote for them here. They deserve to win so much.

pot painting

a few weeks ago when I went to my college for next year to schedule classes and meet with my advisor, and they gave every one a plant! why, im not entirely sure, but its pretty and needed a pot. So, the other day I went out to a local garden store/green house and picked up a terracotta pot, which I'm now painting to give me something to do, and to make it a little more special.

handy dandy web cam pictures of my makeshift setup....
                    ....the beginning stages of priming and painting my pot!
...My wonderful pink track jacket protecting me from the arctic chill of june...It's supposed to be sunny and warm!


The Playlist:
Dumpster Dive--Black Lips
Make You Mine--Best Coast
All or Nothing--Au Revoir Simone
Used to Be--Beach House
You must be a Witch (Lollipop Shoppe Cover)--Black Lips
The Only Place--Best Coast
Big Adventure--Blitzen Trapper
40 Day Dream--Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zero's
Love Cats--Cursive
These Old Shoes--Deer Tick
Nosebleed Sun--the Growlers
One More Night in Brooklyn--Justin Townes Earle
How can you swallow so much Sleep--Bombay Bicycle Club
Styrofoam Plates--Deathcab for Cutie
Baltimore Blues No. 1--Deer Tick
He Hit Me--Grizzly Bear
It Hurts Every Time--Good Old War
Wandering Eyes--the Growlers
My Sunshine--Ty Segall
The Curse--Cults
Peace Like a River--Spoon
Tell Her No--Tennis
Baby's Got a Bad Idea--Justin Townes Earle
Anywhere You Looked--Au Revoir Simone
Beth--Dom
Shift--Grizzly Bear
Move Over Mamma--Justin Townes Earle
Gone Gone Gone--the Donkeys
Amazing Eyes--Good Old War
Tears in the Typing Pool--Tennis
Sad Fuzz--Ty Segall

the old days

We all have a time period we wish we could go back and visit. The late 60's is mine...i guess im a hippie at heart.

(the post title is this song by current artist Dr. Dog...

A new age, new laptop, new hair and (almost) new summer

Oh hey change....

Well, I have now officially crossed the bridge (what a cliche!) into adulthood: legally that is, emotionally i am, somedays, still no more then a child. And its a strange feeling. I dont feel different. I felt older and more responsible when I turned 17, even though I actually couldn't really do anything different. Now, I can buy cigarettes and go to hookah bars (oh wait... i dont smoke), buy porn (oh wait... im not into that), stay out past 11:30 (umm...did that on a regular basis anyway: first offense is only a warning), and gamble (well...I do like poker harhar)

So what to do now... well, suffer through the last few days of high school. graduate. play with my brand new toy (aka macbook pro). work. cram as many adventures/concerts/trips to Philly into summer. work. save money. go to college (ahh college, the event im alternatively trembling with excitement and trembling with fear over).

Speaking of Philly (look at that lead in, soo not obvious) I believe I mentioned my eager anticipation of seeing Justin Townes Earle but never actually followed through with some photos. So to that end...

The waterfront at Penn's Landing.

Lunch on the ledge with Isaacs and cheetos! (check out Maureen's beloved yellow shorts and pink heart sunglasses) and the mile long hike from our parking space at penn's landing to South Street.

Not gonna lie, it was kind of a weird day. The traffic was weird, the gps was weird: it made us get off the schuylkill go around philly, get back on the schuylkill and go through center philly...not exactly a joy ride. And parking, jeez! We couldnt find any TLA parking, i couldnt talk to a real person on the phone to ask about it, and all the parking lots google recomended, the gps couldnt find...strange...

After eating we wandered around south street, stopped for milkshakes at Jhonny Rockets and then popped into Retrospective, the best thrift store, practically unmarked and hidden in plain sight with a treasure trove of gorgeous peices.

and finally the show..

The adorable opener, (and really good!) southern doll of an act Tristin

and finally JTE himself: