Wicked!

Storyboarded my scones off today at an agency called brandbar. This image has nothing to do with that job (I won't see those scanned in puppies for a long time, methinks). An agency I'm on the books with for called me Friday last week to pitch up at this gig 8:30am today, Monday. No brief, no map with directions...you know those gigs you dread because you've just spent the past week and weekend flogging book illustrations to be completed on the same day you start the next job? You didn't take the weekend off to relax, so now you're just a smidge grumpy by the time you've conquered (tongue firmly in cheek here) the traffic to Centurion and sat down at the conference table to be briefed.

And you know, it turned out to be one of the nicest gigs I've done in a while. Call me sentimental but I don't like working outside my studio. Today I was totally spoilt with my own office with closed door, a laptop with internet access and as many cups of tea as I could swallow in a given day. Nice people, too. And what tops a day so nicely is when the folks who commissioned you actually compliment your work and really diggit. And want you to come back for future projects. Nice one after all. Did I mention I got supper, too?

What struck me today was how often I realised I was smiling while I was drawing. Yup, I'll say it again...I really love what I do!

Ex-Goth at Breakfast Meeting

I was chatting to a friend tonight who booked us tickets to see John Vlismas this coming Saturday to cheer me up after a rather wasteful submission to depression recently. Apparently I'm the only one of his friends who likes stand-up comedy. Before I knew it, he'd convinced me I was coming with him next Saturday to see The Exploited, who are finally coming over to SA to perform. I almost laughed off my chair. Granted, Johnny Rotten is still out there, making the odd rather unsettling appearance, but Wattie Buchan and the boys? Performing here? Turns out my friend possibly has an interview with him, which means all those interesting backstage politics, not to mention bumping past the groupies. We laughed about the kind of crowd this sort of gig would attract and there's no way I'm going to this thing without my camera. We're rather sentimental about The Exploited because I guess it takes us back to our punk/goth days when we lived together (see http://marciaatomicsoda.blogspot.com/2008/03/restless-leather.html. We'd walk past a busker playing a violin and Krash would ask, "Got any Exploited?"

The reason he wants me to accompany him to this gig? He rates me as one of the "cool people"...I gotta giggle at that because I hit 40 in 4 years time. Still got my tattoos and black hair and that odd little edge that either intrigues or disturbs people at weddings and baby showers, but otherwise I'm pretty harmless! Nevertheless, it's a great reason to get dressed up in the ol' leathers, slap on a bit of make-up and watch a fascinating evening of events.

And wonder at how much I've changed, actually. Thankfully.