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On Resolutions and Living Up to 16 Year Old Me’s Expectations

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I have many “new year’s resolutions” this year and one of them, which is one I’ve had every since graduating high school basically, is to make more art. It’s pretty simple, but also pretty hard to achieve at times between work and excuses and shit. So maybe one of my resolutions is really “no excuses”. I’ve been implementing that in my health since September this past year and I’ve seen my clothes fitting me better, people complimenting me on “looking good”, PANTS FALLING OFF MY ASS AT WORK, ya know, the usual.

Next month it’ll be 3 years since I graduated college and I’m having a quarter life crisis here because I’m not where 16 year old me imagined I would be at this point in my life. Like, let me get real candid here, okay? I’m a peon working in retail making less than $10 an hour with fluctuating weekly hours and a schedule that changes week to week (but seems to be “closing” for the past 5 weeks straight). I have healthcare through my parents which is a godsend, but pretty soon that’s gonna expire once I turn 26 or something like that.

Now don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a boo-hoo me post. Despite not being the successful fashion designer I imagine myself to be (yet), I recognize that it’s not just my locale and surroundings that have to do with that, which I often blame. (Because what grows in Detroit if you don’t water it yourself, know what I mean? This isn’t the hub for fashion. This is the MOTOR CITY. ) I am to blame for my “lack of success” in that I haven’t been practicing my craft nearly as often I should post-grad. I recognize that I should be practicing every day, no excuses.

So here’s to trying.

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Y’all remember my Society6 shop I opened up almost a year ago? I decided I’d test my digital design skills out and put some new stuff up. This after I got an email that I got paid because someone loved my Rebel Alliance print so much, they bought a hoodie with it (AND 2 PEOPLE BOUGHT PHONE CASES WITH IT TOO!) and I thought to myself “I need to offer more variety”.

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So I did what any self-respecting artist would do. I threw my design cap on and went to work. I consider myself a pretty kickass “amateur” photographer, so combining photography from my expansive archives with my love of profanity and ironically amusing quotes thrown on unsuspecting floral backgrounds, I’ve begun curating a small typography collection that you can own on numerous items from notecards, t-shirts, tapestries, clocks, phone cases and more for all you “fuck” and “shit” lovers out other.

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And there’s more to come. Because who doesn’t need some “Thug Life” pillows in their life, honestly?

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BTW, for those of you interested in purchasing anything, here’s a promo link! Free worldwide shipping + 20% off Throw Blankets and Pillows through February 7th. You’re welcome.

 

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Gummy Bears

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I’m heading out a little later to hang up a bunch of my art at a gallery (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) so I thought I’d share one of the pieces that’ll be displayed. Last time I did an art show, this was the only piece that sold. There’s just something about these gummy bears that people love. I ain’t complainin’.

Lens: 85mm NIKKOR AF-S Micro
F-stop: f/3.8
Exposure: 1/80
ISO: 250

P.S. Don’t forget to check out my Instagram @lovelikeangels for more photography and my Society6 shop for watercolor art.

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Spike Art

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This week on Vivography I’ve got some product/art photography to share!

I discovered this really cool local artist, Gino Torelli of Spike Art, this past winter, who makes figurines out of railroad spikes and other sweet pieces using donated and scrap steel. After promising to come back and interview him, I let a few months slip by and then I saw his business card in my purse a couple weeks ago and I headed over to the Rust Belt Market the next day.

And good thing I did, because I found out it was his second-to-last weekend at RBM!

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First things first, he’s an artist out of the countryside of Michigan who uses railroad spikes because he believes they look like people. And they do! They look like little people with hats on, which is awesome for scenes where the figurines are doing things like golfing.

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If I’m reading my scratchy notes correctly, the first figurine he ever made was a weight lifter, for his son. Afterward, he made a football player and began numbering his pieces. Each and every piece, whether it’s a spike figurine or an awesome R2D2, is numbered and signed. If it’s not numbered or signed, it’s not an original Spike Art piece.

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Gino is big on humor, and many of his figurines definitely evoke this quality. He’s got pieces with the spikes on toilets, hookers on 8 mile, and even a pretty awesome Walking Dead themed collection. But even from the first time we spoke, he was very clear that he’s into humor and not perversion. He has declined to make figurines that would be deemed perverted, stating that he doesn’t want to put his name to something that would be distasteful. It’s all about tasteful humor at Spike Art. Strippers and 8 mile hookers is as raunchy as it gets!

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And speaking about special pieces, aside from the railroad spike figurines, he also does special bigger pieces. My personal favorites are the R2D2’s and a particular life-size violin he made from a thick steel door. I also recall seeing the twin towers, a stingray, a guitar, and a Spartan in a chariot. Gino also told me he makes model trains that sell pretty well to train collectors, but he prefers to make and sell the spike figurines because they’re less time to make and sell quicker than specialty pieces, which are always going to be more time to make and more expensive. As he put it, it takes a special customer to walk in and say “yes, I want that $800 piece of steel.”

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So if you’re ever in the Michigan area and attending any kind of art show or fair, make sure you look for Spike Art! There are some truly incredible pieces to check out.

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P.S. I need that R2D2 and violin.

P.P.S. If you want to get in touch with Gino or check out his website, click here: spikeartinc.com

P.P.P.S. Don’t forget to check out my Instagram @lovelikeangels for more photography and my Society6 shop for watercolor art.

My Society6 Store

Miscellaneous, Products

I thought I’d share something a little different this week.

Lately, I’ve been focusing more on traditional art, especially watercolors. And in doing so, I officially opened up a Society6 shop with various prints, ranging from sweet nerdy galaxy pieces, to cutesy fine art pieces. The awesome thing about Society6, of course, is that they don’t just sell prints. They also sell phone cases, skins, totes, mugs, pillows, clocks, tapestries, bedspreads, and much more. So the opportunity to sell a design increases with the amount of choices you give your customers.

You can check out my shop by clicking here: society6.com/lovelikeangels

And because this is a visual blog, check out some of the options below!

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Chickadee

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There’s this glass shop at the Michigan Renaissance Festival that sells all kinds of cool handmade blown glass pieces, from usable to artsy.

This year they had these adorable glass chicks in various colors.

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